andy angelo: his legacy lives on bbuy a tile...

Grandville AvenueGrandville AvenueArts & Humanities

Grandville Avenue Grandville AvenueArts & Humanities

644 Grandville Avenue SW

Grand Rapids MI 49503

Phone: (616) 742-0692

www.gaah.org

Non-Profi t

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Grand Rapids, MI

Permit No. 153


ANDY ANGELO: HIS LEGACY LIVES ONAndy Angelo was a man who looked to tomorrow, planned for it with foresight and vision and worked tirelessly to make a difference.

Andy, 55, was the longest-serving board member of Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities, which operates The Cook Library Center and the Cook Arts Center, formerly the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library and the Grandville Avenue Academy for the Arts. He became the heart and soul of fund-raising efforts to sustain the two projects.

He was the founding father of Dia del Sol and chair of the annual fundraiser that has raised close to $350,000 since its founding in 2002.

This year’s Dia del Sol was Andy’s last public event before his death 12 days later from respiratory complications from asthma July 3.

“He was an inspiration to me and to others, both personally and professionally,” said Marjorie Kuipers, executive director of GAAH.

“Andy truly wanted to make the world a better place, and he and Mary worked humbly and unselfishly to make a difference in our

corner of the world. Knowing Andy made me want to be a better person,” Kuipers said.

Mary is Mary Angelo, former director of the Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association (RPNA), who retired this fall after 21 years as director. She and Andy were married for 18 years, and they were a team in every facet of their lives.

“For him it was a labor of love, not only because of the neighborhood, but because it meant so much to her,” Kuipers said. “Mary was the conduit to his involvement in the neighborhood.

“He really helped build foundations under visions of possibility,” Kuipers said. “He built the foundation for sustainability. Every GAAH volunteer brings something to the table, but the amount of time, the span of years, and how deeply he was involved make Andy unique.”

Mary recalled that she, Marj and Sister Kathi Sleziak would come up with ideas, and Andy was one of her sounding boards: “Unfortunately for him,” Mary said with a grin, “because of proximity he was probably my biggest, and most frequent, sounding board.”

“When RPNA was faced with losing its building to the Hall School expansion, Mary and I were doing some brainstorming,” Kuipers said. “We came up with the idea of building a new library and turning the library’s current facility at 1260 Grandville over to RPNA. As much as Mary liked the idea, it did not get any traction until she talked it over with Andy. He thought it was a great idea. We then presented the concept to the RPNA and GAAH boards, and the rest is history.”

The seeds of GAAH were planted in the mid-1990s when the RPNA and the Dominican Sisters-Grand Rapids began working together to improve the lives of the neighborhood children.

Their first project was the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library, which opened in 1996. “The RPNA built a building, but Sister Joan Pichette turned it into a library,” Mary said.

For Andy and Mary, inspiration came in the unexpected, and sometimes, solutions presented themselves during conversations over a glass of wine, or one key evening, vodka and tonics.

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BUY A TILE CAMPAIGNBUY A TILE CAMPAIGNNext spring a beautiful mosaic mural created by pottery Next spring a beautiful mosaic mural created by pottery

studio manager Madeline Kaczmarczyk will be installed in studio manager Madeline Kaczmarczyk will be installed in

the lobby of the Cook Arts Center. If you make a donation of the lobby of the Cook Arts Center. If you make a donation of

$25 or more between now and January 31, your name will be $25 or more between now and January 31, your name will be

included in the donor list next to the mural.included in the donor list next to the mural.

Andy AngeloAndy Angelo



MissionMissionTransforming lives in the

Grandville Avenue neighborhood

through reading and the arts.

Celebrating the community’s

cultural richness.

Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsTina Bain

Marcia Borowka

Marie Brill, Secretary/Treasurer

Abe Carillo

Jim Foerster

Jorge Gonzalez, President

Debb Kalmbach

Kathy Smith Kennedy

Laura Radle, Vice President

José Rosario, 2nd Vice President

Gary Stark

StaffStaffMarjorie Kuipers,

Executive Director

Steffanie Rosalez,

Arts Center Program Director

Sue Garza,

Library Director

Madeline Kaczmarczyk,

Pottery Studio Manager

Bethany Sheffer,

Administrative Assistant &

Volunteer Coordinator

Loanna Abreu,

Library Assistant

Irma Hernandez,

Housekeeping

Grandville Avenue Arts &

Humanities is a 501(c)3

organization. All contributions

are tax deductible to the full

extent of the law.

Grandville Avenue

Arts & Humanities

644 Grandville Avenue SW

Grand Rapids MI 49503

Phone: (616) 742-0692

Fax: (616) 742-5499

www.gaah.org

Lin CulverDairy QueenNancy DausmanPete and Tuti DeMaagdDesserts by LoriDick and Betsy DeVos Familly FoundationDouglas and Maria DeVos FoundationRichard and Helen DeVos FoundationJeanne Elders and Ron DeWaardBetsy and Stanley DoleDominican Sisters - Grand RapidsEileen Schwarz-Duty and Jimmy DutyEast Hills Fitness CenterEastern Floral & GiftsLouise and John EdisonDennis and Michele EidsonEl Barrio Mexican GrillEl SombreroEssence Restaurant Group

Thank You!GAAH received cash or in-kind donations from these individuals, agencies, foundations, and businesses from November 15, 2011, to November 15, 2012. We are grateful for the generous support of each and every one. Andres AbreuAfendoulis Cleaners & TuxedosAmwayAmway Grand PlazaJudith AndersonLynn AndersonArts Council of Greater Grand RapidsDouglas J. Aveda InstituteTina and Mark BainLori BakerBaldwin FoundationBob and Juanita BaltierrezBelle TireDarlene Zwart & Connie BellowsJohn and Susan BerginJerry BertaFred and Gina BivinsJan BlekeBlodgett FoundationMarcia and Ken BorowkaBos Greenhouse & FarmBrewery Vivant

Marie and Ryan BrillBuffalo Wild WingsCafé AromasCalvin College/Boer-Bennink HallCameron FoundationJavier CamposMic CarlsonSusan CarrollCascade GalleryCentury A & E CorporationMarti ChildsJerry and Toni ClayConsumers EnergyPeter C. and Emajean Cook FoundationTom CookCookies By DesignCooley Law School/Hispanic Latino Law SocietyAnne CoppsJohn and Zelda CoulterBeth Loechler and Jeff CransonCrescent Floral

Bill and Kay FarrMichele FerenchickTommy FitzgeraldJim FoersterForest Hills Fine Arts CenterForest Hills FoodsFortino’sDr. Tony and Linda Nemec FosterFounders Brewing Co.Fountain Street ChurchJim McKay and Twink FreyFruit Basket FlowerlandCharles and Mary FrydrychGaia CaféGallery 154Reyna GarciaLaurie and Don GardnerGazelle SportsMarjorie GellGerald R. Ford MuseumKim GillThe Gilmore CollectionGene and Tubie GilmoreGlobal InfusionBeth GoebelJorge GonzalezGrand Rapids Art MuseumGrand Rapids Ballet CompanyGrand Rapids Children’s MuseumGrand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids Griffi nsGrand Rapids Popcorn CompanyGrand Rapids Public LibraryGrand Rapids Public MuseumGrand Rapids SymphonyGrand River BankGrand Valley State UniversityGreat Lakes Shipping Co.Wendy F. GreeneyTerri and Michael HandlinJohn and Mary HarbertsHarbor House InnHarvest HealthTami HenryHerman Miller FoundationKaren and Merle HoekstraDirk and Vickie Hoffi usJohn HuntingWin and Kyle IrwinSue Ann JabinBruce and Merri-Beth JelsemaErma JohnsonTodd and Patti JohnsonJerry and Sherilyn JonesMadeline KaczmarczykKoezeKen KolkerMary KretschmanSylvia KrissoffMarjorie Kuipers

Lacks Enterprises, Inc.LaFontsee GalleriesSarah LeonardAloise LewakowskiSuzanne Butler LichLittle Mexico RestaurantTom and Anne LoganElizabeth Welch and Jerry LykinsMDRT FoundationMacatawa BankMaggie’s KitchenMain Street PubMarco New American BistroMarie Catrib’sWendy and Omar MartyChet and Elaine MaternowskiTim Chester and Henry MatthewsCarol Paine-McGovern and Terry McGovernThe Meadows Golf CourseMeijerHank and Liesel MeijerMercantile Bank of MichiganMeyer MusicCarl and Ruth MeyeringMichigan Council for Arts and Cultural AffairsMiller Johnson, Attorneys and CounselorsMLive Media GroupMOSS TelecomPatrick and Christine MuldoonMary and Jim NelsonNonaNortheast AutomotiveNorthern Trust BankMartha OchoaStacy and William OechslerOpera Grand RapidsOsta’s Lebanese CuisineJudy and Don OttenPalace of IndiaPanopoulos SalonsPapers PlusGeralyn PasiPavilion Bar & GrillePeninsula TradingPepsi Beverages CompanyJulie Denko PetrieErick PichardoPilgrim’s Run Golf CourseRhett and Jeralyn PinskyPresto PrintKelly PurdueLaura and David RadleRamona’s TableRuss and Pat ReidAllen and Charline RiceReb RobertsAnde RoeserMilt and Barb RohwerRoMan Manufacturing

Roosevelt Park Neighborhood AssociationJosé RosarioHelen RossanoTina RothwellKaren RowladerMary Anne RyanSJ Design Hair StudioMary Ann SaboSan Chez A Tapas BistroSaskatoon Golf ClubVernis SchadSebastian FoundationFred SebulskeSelect BankSheldon CleanersShiraz GrilleKathy SiegenthalerSleep InnSlemons FoundationMatt and Sue SmithAnn Sullivan and David SoetSouthland Auto WashThe SparrowsSpartan Stores, Inc.Ed SpicerSusan StackKathleen Underwood and Gary StarkState Farm InsuranceSteelcase, Inc.Julie and John StiversStudio JewelSuper T KarateSteele and Mary TaylorMelissa ThompsonCat and Roger TimermanisMarilyn TitcheWayne TitcheUICAVanAndel ArenaVandenberg JewelersKimberly and Greg VandenBergEleanor VandenHeuvelVanderWeide Family FoundationKen and ChiChi VanDykeNorma and Buzz VanKuikenVarnum LLPVictoria VuletichWOOD-TVGary and Jan WalkerPeter WegeWest Michigan Hispanic Chamber of CommerceWest Michigan WhitecapsVirginia WieringaWendy WithrowJulie WolfWolfgang’sKate and Richard Wolters FoundationXO Asian CuisineRichard and Barbara Young

Honor and Memorial GiftsAnna Moore Butzner in honor of Marjorie Kuipers

Morgan Case in honor of José HernandezCarole R. Connell in memory of Tim Johnson

Karen Henry in memory of George SchadErma Johnson in memory of John Johnson

Bill Rea in honor of his wife, Pam, a former Library volunteerSusan Stack in honor of Sr. Jeanne Marie Jones

Michael and Mary Stearns in honor of Lynne & José HernandezMichael and Mary Stearns in honor of Cat Timermanis

Charlie HoneyJohn HuntingKyla & Nathan King-KuklaMarjorie KuipersMichael & Margaret KarpusMary Lamson-BurkeSteve & Abbie LeonardMark & Paula LewisonPhillip & Melinda McCabeBetty McMahonStephen & Patricia MurphyKaren SiegelCat & Roger TimermanisChris & Jill VanAntwerpRoland & Paula WilkersonRichard & Barbara Young

Charles & Carol AndressFrank AngeloMary AngeloMaureen BakerCarrie & David BoerMarie BrillAmy Brower & Eric DoyleGeorge BruinsThe Colburn FamilyPeter C. & Emajean Cook FoundationJeffrey & Elizabeth CransonBrent, Rita & Jordan CurtisCarol DrostLouise “Punky” EdisonHarold HamiltonTerri Handlin

In Memory of Andy Angelo

DID YOU KNOW . . .DID YOU KNOW . . .

.. . . . . that GAAH has an endowment fund? You can help build this fund and sustain vital programming for generations to come by remembering GAAH in your will. Call Marjorie Kuipers at 742-0692 for more information.

. . . . . . that you can designate GAAH as your benefi ciary through United Way’s Workplace Giving campaign? Just check the “other recipients” box and write Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities in the space provided.



(continued from front page)

That night, Mary told him about getting into her car to drive five young gang members to a graffiti coverup project. The tape she had in, Rachmaninoff ’s Second Piano Concerto, hit the air. “Check out the music she listens to; you can tell Mary’s rich!” one said to the other.

“I’m telling Andy all this, and saying in frustration, why do people think this music’s not meant for them?” In no time, the genie of the Arts Academy was out of the bottle.

Not long after, Mary received another call from the Dominicans, including Sister Kathi, who wanted to work in the neighborhood. “Sister Kathi had a calling to address the issue of youth violence. I told her about the idea of the Arts Academy and she loved it.”

After a successful capital campaign, the Arts Academy opened in 2001, with Sister Kathi as its first director.

“Andy was a quiet, gentle presence,” Sister Kathi said. “He never seemed to need or want to be in the spotlight. He delighted in the successes of his wife, Mary. In the beginning when the Arts Academy was still a dream, there were a few bumps along the proverbial road: Challenges finding property, working with architects, and of course, raising money.

“Andy was always there to calm nerves, give a hug or just listen.” What began as a collaborative community relationship became more like family, she said, including the entire RPNA board in the circle. Sister Kathi is officially family: She is godmother to the Angelos’ granddaughter, Lily.

A quiet man, comfortable working behind the scenes and accustomed to making things happen from there, Andy spent long hours doing just that, first as metro editor, then news editor for The Grand Rapids Press. He was news editor for Booth Newspapers when he retired in March.

“Whether it was his family, GAAH, or Circle Theatre, his focus was on the people who would be affected by what he did,” Mary said.

If you didn’t know Andy, it would be easy to miss him -- or underestimate him.

“Most people probably would see this little guy running around through the crowd, and never guess he was in charge of the (Día del Sol) event!” Mary said.

He did whatever GAAH needed, which once included cutting down brush behind the original library -- and getting his worst case of poison ivy ever. In awe of the many volunteers who worked directly with the children, he left that key contribution to them.

“Every once in awhile, you run into those people who just elevate you. Andy did that,” Kuipers said.

Gandhi put it another way: Be the change you want to see in the world.

Andy Angelo was, and his legacy lives on in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood.

Many thanks to Sue Schroder for this beautiful tribute. A regular columnist with The Grand Rapids Press and MLive Media Group, Sue was Andy’s friend and colleague for more than 25 years.

Mary and Andy Angelo Mary and Andy Angelo

THE ANDY ANGELO PRESS CLUBIn the spring of 2011, six Grandville Avenue youth sat around a table at the Cook Arts Center talking about their struggles with writing. They had signed up for GAAH’s new journalism program and were working on their reporter biographies. Their lack of enthusiasm for writing triggered an important conversation between Program Director Steffanie Rosalez and her program partner from the Grand Rapids Creative Youth Center (GRCYC), Lorena Slager. They came up with a plan to take students on fi eld trips around West Michigan, have them write about their experiences, and then publish their work.

Once or twice a month the Press Club ventures out of the Grandville Avenue neighborhood to check out a local event, visit a cultural institution or college campus, conduct a special interview, or just experience something new. Each trip includes taking notes, asking questions, and taking in their surroundings. These small adventures give these youth an opportunity to learn about their community and appreciate the arts in a new light.

Visiting the Grand Rapids Art Museum, trekking around ArtPrize, attending plays at Circle Theater, experiencing Grand Rapids Ballet and Broadway Grand Rapids performances, and attending local music events were all on the schedule this past year. Meeting and interviewing celebrities like Mayor George Heartwell and country singer Trace Adkins were just par for the course.

When the Press Club attended a recent Calvin College Dance Guild dress rehearsal, they left the campus excited, dancing, and talking about wanting to go to college. Nine-year-old Dominic admitted, “I thought I was going to be bored but it was actually really cool, even the girl stuff.”

After their excursions the students meet at the Cook Arts Center to discuss their experiences and write articles and short essays that are then published on The Rapidian (therapidian.org). This fi nal step of publishing the work is an effective method for improving writing skills, boosting confi dence, and helping the students develop their creative voices.

More than one hundred articles, twenty fi eld trips, and one appearance on network television later, the GAAH Press Club has become what Rosalez and Slager had envisioned. More than thirty youth are now involved, and plans are in the works to restructure the program so that even more children will be able to participate.

Knowing that thousands of people will read their words has an impact on the young reporters. Not only does it reinforce the idea that their thoughts, opinions and experiences matter to others, but it reminds them that writing isn’t just something they do in school-- it’s an important part of life.

“The Press Club’s unique combination of journalism and the arts is a manifestation of the lifelong work of our dear friend Andy Angelo,” said Executive Director Marjorie Kuipers, “and we are pleased to announce that we are renaming our journalism program the Andy Angelo Press Club.” The decision was an easy one, said Kuipers. “It’s an honor to name this potentially life-changing program after a man for whom improving the lives of the children we serve was such an important part of his life’s work.”

For information about how you can get involved in the Andy Angelo Press Club or other programs at the Cook Arts Center or the Cook Library Center, please contact volunteer coordinator Bethany Sheffer at 742-0692.

Special thanks to Dr. Tony and Linda Nemec Foster for their support of the Andy Angelo Press Club. The Press Club’s archives can be found at therapidian.org/bureaus/gaah.

Martin, Dominic and 15 other Press Club Martin, Dominic and 15 other Press Club members attended a Calvin College Dance

members attended a Calvin College Dance Guild performanceGuild performance

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