A Big FROM Welcome to Walter Jones!

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We’re thrilled to welcome Walter Jones as our new Program Manager at Flat River Outreach Ministries!

Walter comes to us with a background in pastoral ministry, residential behavioral health, and workforce development through Job Corps.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cornerstone University and is passionate about serving others with compassion and integrity.

Walter and his wife, Jazhmin, have three boys. In his free time, he enjoys the peace and quiet of fishing.


Walter will be taking Monica Light’s place as she plans to retire later in May 2025 after 6.5 years of service in the role.

We’re excited for the experience and heart Walter brings to FROM—please help us give him a warm welcome!

Welcome, Haley!

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We’re excited to introduce Haley, our new Development Coordinator!
She’ll bring her talents to our event planning, marketing, and donor relations efforts. Haley has held several other development positions at other nonprofits in the area. Feel free to stop and chat if you see her in the hallways, she is eager to get to know everyone. Join us in welcoming Haley as she helps us strengthen connections within our community and further our mission of serving our neighbors.

More about her:
Haley brings a decade of experience in office administration and non-profit development, where she has honed her skills in helping organizations thrive. She has steadily built her career into a platform that allows her to do what she does best: helping others. Driven by her personal experiences with mental health discrimination and healthcare challenges, Haley is deeply passionate about advocating for equality, dignity, and empowerment for all people. In addition to her professional pursuits, Haley is a talented artist and musician. She sings, plays guitar, and ukulele, and has had her artwork shown at the Gerald R. Ford Museum. Haley lives in Kentwood, MI, with her two furbabies, Moby and Kora.

Welcome Haley!

John Joins FROM as Client Services Coordinator

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John, our client services coordinator, stands by trees at FROM.

John, FROM Client Services Coordinator

In September we welcomed John to the FROM staff as the Client Services Coordinator! He works directly with FROM program participants, working to connect families in our need with resources both within and outside our community, and share more about what we do here. To welcome him, we asked him a few questions. The questions and responses are listed below: 

 

Share a bit about your background 

John: I spent several decades in the military, returning to Michigan in 2019.  Prior to joining the team at FROM, I taught high school psychology and physical education in Grand Rapids.

 

Share a bit about family 

John: My wife is originally from Lowell, which is why we chose to move here post-military. We’re proud of our three adult children and our grandchild.

 

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time/hobbies?

John: I enjoy trail running and hiking and landscaping projects.  We also enjoy socializing with family and friends in the Lowell area.

 

Share a fun fact about yourself

John: My go-to karaoke song is “My Way”.

 

What are you most looking forward to at FROM?

John: Being part of a positive team that provides so much for the community.

 

Please join us in welcoming John to the team! We are excited for him to join us.

New Staff Spotlight – McKenzie

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(McKenzie, our Volunteer Coordinator, shares why she is excited to be at FROM. She loves soup – cooking, consuming and experimenting with it. So if you have a good recipe, please send it along!)

Hello! My name is McKenzie, the Volunteer Coordinator, and I am old as FROM (Flat River Outreach Ministries)!

I love to read and spend time in the sun, either with my dog, family, or friends. I became involved with FROM when my grandmother brought my sister and I in to volunteer with her in the food pantry when I was around 8-9 years old! I have volunteered on and off since.

I love that FROM serves a wide needs demographic, from the food pantry to Main Street Housing on to medical loan. FROM is truly a community resource that touches many lives.

In college, I worked with FROM on a grant writing project while I was studying Public and Nonprofit Administration at Central Michigan University. Arianne, our Development Director, was a great help and resource to me!

There are a lot of reasons I’m excited to be the new Volunteer Coordinator, but the main one is to be a great resource to all our amazing and dedicated volunteers. In doing so, that excitement spreads, furthering FROMs mission.

On a personal level, I am ecstatic to be involved in the administrative workings of an organization that I have grown up with and around and seen flourish within the Lowell community.

Volunteering means giving all that I can to those people, programs, or things that might need a little extra help or support. No matter how big or small the action might seem, the effects are boundless. There is ALWAYS something to do, wheelhouses to broaden, and lives to touch, which is a never-ending cycle of awesome!

I think one of the most eye-opening services that FROM provides is Medical Equipment Loan Closet. There are so many things that are not easily accessible in our world, but having a resource that is free and has no time constraints means that the world is a little more accessible. Injuries, illnesses, and disabilities are not fun to deal with financially either, and having access to medical loans means that the financial constraints are a little less which leads to more inclusivity in our world.

Beyond FROM, I have participated in Lowell Rotary events (if you super sleuth enough you will find some awesomely embarrassing photos of myself on their Facebook page) and I love to support small local businesses! I love to chit chat and get to know people. If you see me around, please feel free to say Hi, give me a high five, or a big bright smile…even better if you want to have a dance party. And I am always around to help, we are all in this together to build and grow a stronger community! If you or someone you know are interested in getting involved with FROM as a volunteer, feel free to email me (volunteer@fromlowell.org), give me a call (616-897-8260 ext. 133), or stop by my office to chat over a cup of coffee.

 

Welcome, Dolores!

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As we continue to welcome Dolores to the Treasures Thrift Store team, we conducted an interview to get to know her a little better.  

 Dolores found FROM as a volunteer in November 2019, after defeating cancer and losing her mother and husband earlier that year.  

 “This was something I needed to fill my time, and everyone was so welcoming,” she said. “This filled a void.” 

 Seeing and connecting with new people in the Thrift Store and at the Front Desk is part of why she loves FROM so much. “I’ve always had the gift to gab,” Dolores says. 

 Dolores transitioned from a volunteer to a staff member in late 2021 to help fill gaps at Treasures Thrift Store. 

 “I’m so excited to have this position which, along with our amazing volunteers, will give us the opportunity to provide the necessary coverage to help fill our gaps as well as help us provide the best shopping experience for our customers,” Laura, Thrift Store Manager, said. 

 Here are a couple fun facts about Dolores as well… 

  • She spends her Monday’s dog sitting her granddaughters golden retriever puppy.  
  • She and her husband lived on a golf course for 20 years and loved to golf together! 

 Dolores has already been a valuable addition to the FROM team in aiding to resolve the cashiering schedule issues.  

 Welcome, Dolores, we are so glad you’re here! 

Addressing the Cashier Challenge through a New Position

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We’ve got some exciting things happening in Treasures Thrift Store!

At FROM (Flat River Outreach Ministries) we are blessed with an incredible group of volunteers who help keep our thrift store running smoothly and efficiently. Volunteers touch every aspect of the store – from when items are donated until they are purchased!

Over the last several years, keeping our cashier position filled for all shifts has proved to be a consistent challenge. Due to limited volunteers available for key time frames (evenings and weekends) we’ve had to make the difficult decision to limit our open hours, and periodically have to close the store early. We know that disappoints our shoppers, and it impacts our ability to serve families in need in our community

Thrift Store Manager and Thrift Store Coordinator positions have not been able to address the cashier gap due to other needs throughout the store.

With this consistent challenge, we’ve decided to create a Cashier Lead position. This approximately 20 hour a week staff position will start as a 6-month pilot position. We are excited to welcome Dolores Bell into this role!

Dolores has worked with us both as a volunteer and through a program with AARP both as a receptionist and in the thrift store. Her warm and friendly personality has welcomed countless visitors through our front door, and we know she will help us create a welcoming experience for our customers and volunteers.

She’ll be working alongside Laura, Thrift Store Manager, and Tarin, Thrift Store Coordinator, to help:

  • Provide stability in the Cashier Schedule to ensure we don’t have to close early.
  • Work evenings and weekends and fill in where volunteers are not available.
  • Allow us to participate in special events and stay open later to provide a better customer experience!
  • Help open and close the register and train other cashiers!

FROM learned about the Cashier Lead position while investigating best practices other West Michigan thrift stores. We learned that one thrift store uses all paid staff at the register while another uses a combination of paid staff and volunteers at the register. The one using a combination utilizes several managers, assistant managers and a Cashier Lead role to fill in the volunteer gaps in the schedule.

“I’m so excited to have this position which, along with our amazing volunteers, will give us the opportunity to provide the necessary coverage to help fill our gaps as well as help us provide the best shopping experience for our customers,” Laura, Thrift Store Manager, said.

We are so thankful for all of our volunteers who work so hard in the thrift store to help us make a difference in the lives of families in need in our community. We’re excited to see how this position will come alongside volunteers and make an even greater impact in our community.

Please join us in welcoming Dolores to the FROM team!