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When Hadley Idema was younger, before she started attending Lakeside Elementary, she struggled to make friends. Her parents would do their best to encourage her to stay true to herself and not to be daunted.

“My parents, every day, they would tell me, ‘Go, stand out, be yourself,’” Hadley said.

She tried to live by those uplifting words, and eventually, around the time her family moved to East Grand Rapids, her parents’ message paid off. Now a many-friended soon-to-be sixth-grader, Hadley found her tribe at Lakeside. It’s no surprise, then, that she wanted to pass along her parents’ message to the school’s future students.

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This school year, thanks to our incredible donors, the Foundation was able to make a powerful, positive difference in the lives of our students. We funded more than $500,000 in program support, including a $400,000 contribution to the new high school transformation and more than $100,000 for the performing arts in all our schools. We also funded 63 classroom enhancement grants totaling more than $200,000. And we presented student scholarships and teacher awards, as well as providing for immediate needs of families experiencing temporary financial difficulty through Jimmy's Friendship Fund, named for Jimmy Gerken. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Foundation this year and any year since 1983. Together, we're investing in our students because the future belongs to Pioneers!

A professional development day by art educators, for art educators, and held in an area hotspot for the arts? The prospect was more than enough to draw teachers from all over West Michigan to the second annual Art Ed Summit, which recently took place at the Muskegon Museum of Art.

The summit was a collaboration among Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon ISDs. More than 50 teachers attended to learn about how to help students identify and pursue viable arts careers, and to participate in panel discussions with professional artists who’ve worked in comic-book illustration, graphic design, game design and more.

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The Hearts of Gold committee has chosen Ronald McDonald House West Michigan as their 2026 partner organization.  The Hearts of Gold game will be October 16, 2026.  Learn more about Ronald McDonald House West Michigan and sponsorship opportunities.

Save the date for Lakeside's annual fundraiser ROAR. September 18, 2026.