Bill and Pat  Campbell

Happy 60th wedding anniversary to Bill and Pat Campbell, of Big Rapids! Bill and Pat were married, on February 23, 1957 in Lepanto, Arkansas, and later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Pat’s family had relocated. The couple lived in various areas around northern Kent County, including Sparta, and later moved to Big Rapids. They are an inspiration and have shown their family what true love looks like! They have three children, Judy (Steve) Reed, Tracey (Jeff) Price, and Steve (Kathy) Campbell; several grandchildren, Rachel (Josh) Hunt; Jessica (Joe) Williams, Steven Reed, Crystal Hunter, Holly Hunter, Donald Hunter, Sabrina Campbell, Emma Campbell, and Justin Campbell; and great-grandchildren Atlas Hunt, Landon Prater, Christian Prestridge, Caleb Prestridge, Amelia Hunter, and another baby Hunt expected soon! We all love you, and have a wonderful 60th anniversary!

Your family

NOTICE: The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to PostScripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

* We only print positive letters about candidates one week prior to the election.

Another vote for Reed and Marckini

Dear Community Members of Cedar Springs,

I am voting for Heidi Reed and Joe Marckini because I believe in healthy change and district advancement. We all want Cedar Springs Public Schools to grow and for our students to succeed. Change is essential for growth.

I am the daughter of David and Heather Wolfe. Both of my parents were born and raised in Cedar Springs and graduated from Cedar Springs Public Schools. I was born and raised in Cedar Springs and also graduated from Cedar Springs Public Schools. I love our district, and am proud to be a lifetime Red Hawk. I want to see our district succeed, and the election of our board members is a key component to that success.

The Michigan Association of School Boards outlines Indicators of Effective Board Members. Heidi Reed and Joe Marckini possess all of the traits valued by the association. They both have decades of experience collaborating with people of all different backgrounds and viewpoints. Our district thirsts for additional board members who are willing and able to work well with others.

Heidi Reed is focused on staff morale and student achievement. She is an advocate for curriculum that supports children of all learning styles and backgrounds. She is an active community member and can be found at nearly all fundraisers and events within our community. Heidi has seen the issues our community faces first hand, and will use her voice to ask questions consistent with the present issues.  She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty, and will be a warrior for our school board.

I am excited about the direction our district is heading. I choose to look forward, and think positively about our district’s future. I choose to believe in, and support our leadership. Cedar Springs Public Schools’ students deserve the best.

Please join me in voting to make kids our district’s top priority by voting Heidi Reed and Joe Marckini.

Bayley Wolfe, Nelson Township

NOTICE: The Cedar Springs Post welcomes letters of up to 350 words. The subject should be relevant to local readers, and the editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, length, good taste, accuracy, and liability concerns. All submissions MUST be accompanied by full name, mailing address and daytime phone number. We use this information to verify the letter’s authenticity. We do not print anonymous letters, or acknowledge letters we do not use. Writers are limited to one letter per month. Email to news@cedarspringspost.com, or send to PostScripts, Cedar Springs Post, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.

* We only print positive letters about candidates one week prior to the election.

Marckini and Reed the best candidates

I am fairly new to the Cedar Springs area. Prior to this summer, I knew nothing about ANY of the School Board candidates. I was a relatively blank slate.  I recognized that I needed more information, so I researched the candidates and the politics surrounding the School Board.

As part of my research, I attended two Sabinas & Bowser Meet & Greet events.  I had hoped to hear them speak about their student centered vision.  Instead, I heard Ms. Bowser & Mr. Sabinas misrepresent information regarding district finances and the administration.

The outcome of this election will have a direct impact on my child’s/our children’s education and future.

Therefore, I want to share with you the truthful FACTS I have learned from my research.

Sabinas & Boswer False Statement:  Between January and August 2016, 55 Staff have left.

Truth:  I have reviewed every BOE Minutes from January through August 2016, and have identified only 53 names that have gone before the board. Of those 53, 6 were internal moves, and still employed by the district, while 7 were temporary positions and/or coaches. The remaining 40 names I have categorized for analysis.

Licensed Staff – 6 (15%); Certified Teachers -7 (18%); Non-Certified Roles -16 (43%); Retirees -11(28%)

As you can see, the actual number of TEACHERS who have left the district is 7.  ONLY 7!

Sabinas & Bowser False Statement: The Board does not meet with community members.

Truth:  Mr. Sabinas sent an email to the board, and requested a meeting with each board member.  However, it is a violation of the Open Meetings Act for board members to individually meet with the same person on one issue.

For additional examples how they have misrepresented the facts, including “Where is the 1.3 Million over budget”, please email CedarVote@gmail.com with subject line – Post Article.

My research has proven to me that Joe Marckini and Heidi Reed are BY FAR the best candidates for our children, our school board, and our community!

Please vote for Joe Marckini and Heidi Reed on November 8^th!

Thank you, Linda Keim, Nelson Township

Rachel and Joshua Hunt, of Grand Rapids, are happy to announce the birth of their son, Atlas Reed Hunt, born on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 at 9:43 p.m., at Butterworth Hospital, in Grand Rapids.

Atlas is welcomed home by proud grandparents Steve and Judy Reed, of Cedar Springs, and David and Julie Hunt, of Plainwell; and great-grandparents Bill and Pat Campbell, of Big Rapids, and Les and Jean Green, of Delton.

Donna M. Reed 80 of Sand Lake, died Friday, January 16, 2015 at her home. Donna was born December 30, 1934 in Sand Lake, MI the daughter of John and Ivah (Riley) Shick. She worked for General Motors Plant #2 on Alpine Avenue for 30 years. She was the first Village of Sand Lake Queen in 1952 and enjoyed being a Grandma Helper and making cookies for Sand Lake Elementary School. She had a special love for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Surviving are her sons, Randy, Ken (Judy), Rick (Nancy); eight grandchildren and their spouses; 11 great grandchildren; sisters, Arlene Wesche, Bev (Phil) Wesche, Verna (Dick) Wesche; brother, Fred (Carol) Shick; brother-in-law, Don (Della) Reed; close friend, Sue Cohen; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Orvin “Chub” in 2010; brothers, Harvey and Bob. The family will greet friends Sunday from 2-4 pm at the Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs where services will be held Monday 11:00 am. Pastor John Dawson officiating. Interment Sand Lake Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Hospice, 2100 Raybrook St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.

Rachel (Reed) Hunt and her husband Josh recently traveled across the Republic of Ireland and took the Post with them on their adventure in the Emerald Isle.  The couple flew into Dublin, and traveled cross country to visit many historic sites, including the ruins of medieval castles, the Cliffs of Moher, and they even kissed the Blarney Stone! (Which is no small feat since you have to do it upside down.) Rachel said driving on their narrow roads without shoulders was one of the hardest things to get used to. And it was especially tricky driving through the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow winding mountain pass, with only room enough for one vehicle on the road. But the two had a great time, and we thank you for taking us with you to Ireland!

If readers are going on vacation, take a copy of the Post with you, snap a photo, and send it to us with some brief information to news@cedarspringspost.com. 

Hannah Reed, 6, and Zachary Reed, 6, of Cedar Springs, were fishing at their grandma and grandpa’s cottage at Bass Lake, in Gowen, on Monday, May 27, when they caught these beauties. Hannah and Zachary are the children of David and Kerri Reed, and attend Cedar Trails Elementary.

Way to go, Hannah and Zachary!  You made the Post Catch of the Week!

August 7, 1931—May 13, 2004

Happy Mother’s Day!

We love and miss you mom!

Love your family

CS grad on mission with Jamaican deaf school

Rachel Hunt (left center), her husband, Josh (right center), and other members of the Jamaica mission team and friends.

By Judy Reed

Rachel (Reed) Hunt loves kids and they love her, too. And now, for the fourth time, the 2003 graduate of Cedar Springs High School has taken that love, along with a team of Cornerstone University students, and shared that love with deaf children in Jamaica.
Hunt graduated from Cornerstone University in 2008 with a BA in Accounting, and with an MBA in 2011. She is also staff accountant at the university.
She was in her senior year (2008) at Cornerstone when she heard there was a mission trip forming for Jamaica, in conjunction with Jamaica Link Ministries, based in Grand Rapids. She joined the team and handled their finances on the trip. The small mission team stayed at Fairhaven Ministries, and worked at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf for 10 days, redoing their library. “We stripped it down, catalogued books, set them up by genre, set up the computer and scanners, made it like a real library,” recalled Rachel. They also played with the kids at the school during downtime, did devotions at public schools, and visited an orphanage for the severely disabled.

Team members help mix cement for addition.

After the first trip, she was hooked. In 2009 she went with a team to Mexico, but in 2010 she co-led the next trip to Jamaica, and then headed up the trips in May 2011 and January 2012. Each time they’ve worked with the Jamaica School for the Deaf and Robin’s Nest orphanage.
Rachel said the goal was to foster a relationship and build connections with the children and people there. “A lot of teams go to the school for a day and then are gone,” she explained. “So when a team comes and stays, they get very excited. Some of the kids recognized me as soon as I got there,” she said of her most recent trip.
In 2010, Rachel and the team helped with construction on the school’s kindergarten building, by filling in the foundation, and mixing and pouring cement for the ceiling. Last spring they bought windows for the entire kindergarten building and helped with painting. On the most recent trip, they helped with the addition of a second floor to the kindergarten building by mixing and filling cinder blocks with cement. “We helped them get ready for the bigger teams that will be going there this summer,” she said.

Josh Hunt holds a sleeping Jamaican child.

The teams from Cornerstone are usually small—only 5-11 people. But the smaller size helps the relationship be more intimate. And that growing relationship is what Rachel likes best about the trips. “We have been able to make such an impact on the people in such a consistent way. Our picture from two years ago is still up on their file cabinet (at the JCSD). It’s a special connection.”
While the team sees some change in members from year to year, one special addition to the team this year was Rachel’s new husband, Josh. The two got to work together, and he got to see firsthand what she loves about the place. “Josh was the muscle of the team,” she said with a laugh. “But really, I liked showing him a place that was like a second home.”
It was Josh’s first mission trip. “I liked that it was an opportunity to connect with another culture, and that we were invited to work and help them,” said Josh. He also expressed an interest in going back.
The group did have some down time. After working they played with the children, and had their own bonding times as a group in the evening, playing cards, board games, uploading their daily blog, and sometimes swimming in the ocean, which was right across the street. They also saw some of the sights and visited the marketplace.
Rachel said one of the neatest things is to see what some of the students that were on the team in the past are now doing because of their experience. “We had one guy lead a trip from his church to Jamaica, and a girl who went on the trip in the spring and this month is going back to Jamaica this summer to live and help out at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf. Another went on the trip to see if she liked being out of the country, and then went to Korea for a semester to study. For those who think they might want to be a missionary, it’s a good way to see what it’s like,” she said.
Rachel said that her goal is to continue the trips, and build on the relationships they’ve established with the people. But she’s confident that can continue with others, if for some reason she can’t go in the future. She said the trips are sometimes open to others, and if other organizations are interested, they can also contact Jamaica Link at www.jamaicalink.org to set up their own trip.
For more info on Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, visit www.jcsdeaf.org, and for Cornerstone University, visit www.cornerstone.edu.

In loving memory
Richard M. Reed
October 9, 1933-January 4, 2004

Not how did he die, but how did he live?
Not what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not, what was his church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with word of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
But how many were sorry when he passed away?

It’s been eight years, but we still miss you and think of you everyday.
Love, your family

Pastor Kevin Reed
Grace Evangelical Free Church
4714 13 Mile Road, Rockford

“…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… …Just as the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:26,28 (NIV).
There is an old song that we used to sing in Sunday school, and the words went something like this, “If you wanna be great in God’s kingdom, you gotta be a servant of all…” It is a catchy tune and still all these years later I remember it.  But lately I have been asking myself the question, “Do I believe it?” It is easy to sing about being a servant, it is harder to become one. It’s easy to quote the Bible verses where Jesus tells us to be a servant, but it’s harder to live them. It’s easy to praise Jesus for his selfless act of becoming a servant as mentioned in Philippians 2:5-11 (take the time to read it), but it’s harder to follow his example as we are commanded to in the beginning of that passage.
To serve others is a great idea, and we all believe it needs to be done, but at the core of our being we would much rather be served than serve, and therein lies the dilemma. Our society tells us to do what makes us feel good, well that is to let others serve us, while our Savior tells us to do that which goes against everything we feel, and that is to forego our perceived “right” to be served and use our lives to serve others. As Children of the Most High, this is a crossroads that we are faced with everyday. Whom are we going to follow? Whom are we going to listen to today? After all, being a “servant” seems so dirty, so low, so unamazing. Why would anyone want to voluntarily do that?
I would like to encourage you today that in becoming a servant we have the privilege of showing other people Jesus, and shouldn’t that be our number one goal as children of God? You see, it was Jesus who came to this earth and deserved the “red-carpet” treatment. He deserved to be worshiped, but the Bible tells us that he chose to serve rather than be served. There are enough people (Christians and nonChristians alike) in this world who want to be served, but there are few true servants who have realized that only in serving others do I have the privilege of showing them the greatest servant of all, Jesus.  And friends, may I propose to you that the world needs to start seeing less of God’s children and more of Jesus! The only way we can accomplish this is by being a servant, because only in becoming a servant can we reflect to this world our Savior! Think about it—who can you show Jesus to today?

Steve and Judy Reed, of Cedar Springs, and David and Julie Hunt, of Plainwell, are happy to announce the marriage of their children, Rachel Anne Reed and Joshua David Hunt.
The couple was married at Johnson Park, in Grandville, Michigan, on September 16, with Reverend Charles Smith officiating.
Attendants of the bride were Mike Nowak (friend), Erin Greenhoe (friend) and Jessica Prater (sister of the bride).
Attendants of the groom were Levi Hunt (brother of the groom) and Steven Reed (brother of the bride).
Ringbearer was Landon Prater, nephew of the bride.
The reception followed at the enclosed shelter in Johnson Park, and the couple honeymooned in Cancun. They live in Grand Rapids.
Rachel is a 2003 graduate of Cedar Springs High School, and 2008 & 2011 graduate of Cornerstone University (BA, MBA). She is staff accountant at Cornerstone University. Josh is a 2003 graduate of Delton Kellogg High School and 2008 graduate of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He is employed by Meijer.
Proud grandparents of the couple are Bill and Pat Campbell, of Big Rapids, and Les and Jean Green, of Plainwell.