Family Futures

National Night Out-West Grand Neighborhood Organization
2024-08-06 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit) | Richmond Park, 963 Richmond St NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504
National Night Out is a fun night to get out to meet your neighbors and discover resources that are available in the community.
There will be food trucks, games, resources, and so much more!

Mommy & Me: Education for Life
2024-08-05 16:00 - 19:00 | Grace’s Table, 909 Watson St. SW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504
At the Mommy & Me Education Event you will get to fill a backpack with school supplies and goodies, connect wtih community partners offering paretn & child resources, and enjoy walking tacos!
This event is for teen mamas ages 13-24 and their children. ID required at event check-in.
Have questions? Reach out to Laura (616) 307-2028.

Kids Day at the Zoo
2024-08-01 09:00 - 16:00 | John Ball Zoo, 1300 Fulton St. W, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States
This annual event is fun for the whole family, with admission to John Ball Zoo for just $5 per person!
It features special guest characters from PBS KIDS shows, as well as live entertainment, games, giveaways, interactive activities, and of course…animals!
And 2024 will feature an amazing dinosaur exhibit in the Zoo!

Day of Play Celebration at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum
2024-07-28 11:00 - 16:00 | Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Join us for the 7th Annual “Day of Play” Celebration on Sunday, July 28, 2024 from 11am-4pm at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.
This community outreach initiative began with a proclamation by Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, and is designed to encourage children and families to celebrate PLAY!
We’re celebrating this special day by bringing together a group of community partners dedicated to children and the power of PLAY.
This year, we are once again closing the street to bring play outside on the Rainbow Road! Plus, the museum will be open for play with FREE admission. This event is free and open to the public!

Baxter Summer Series: Family Field Day at Joe Taylor Park
2024-07-27 13:00 - 17:00 | Joe Taylor Park, 1001 Baxter St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
The Summer Series is a number of events for the Baxter Neighborhood hosted at Joe Taylor Park. On July 27th, it’s Family Field Day- free to all!
Entertainment, food, and beverages will be provided.
We hope to see you there!

2nd Jockey Being Family Back to School Bash
2024-07-25 16:00 - 18:00 | D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s, 2172 Dean Lake Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49505
Join AFSN & D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s at our 2nd Annual JockeyBeingFamily Back to School Bash on July 25th!
The Back to School Bash provides an opportunity for local foster, adoptive, and kinship families to feel celebrated and supported as they get ready for the upcoming school year!
There will be FREE fun, food, entertainment, giveaways, and more, plus children ages 5-14 will receive a free backpack filled with back-to-school necessities.

Feel celebrated, loved, seen, and cared for.
Become equipped and educated.
Build friendships within the community.
Feel empowered to invest in foster, adoptive, and kinship families.

This is a FREE Event, but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afsn-back-to-school-bash-with-jockey-being-family-registration-907060401077
#JBFBacktoSchoolBash #JockeyBeingFamily #BSB #makeadifference
#communitysupport #familysupport

"Fun in the Sun"- Virtual Parent Cafe
2024-07-23 09:00 - 11:00 | Virtual
Children Trust Michigan is proudly hosting Parent Cafes to bring Michigan Families together to discuss common parenting topics.
Cafes are physically and emotionally safe places where people talk and listen to each other on topics that matter to them, such as:

Challenges
Victories
Navigating landscapes of inequality
Enhancing well-being
Being involved in the recovery process of someone they love
So much more!

Register here: https://www.childrentrustmichigan.org/parent-caf%C3%A9-s

Summer Reading Celebration
2024-07-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Roosevelt Park, 739 Van Raalte Dr SW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Celebrate summer with the Grand Rapids Public Library, ReadGR, and WZZM-13 On Your Side.
Join us for stories, free book giveaways, snacks, craft activities, lawn games, and special guests.
Sign up for GRPL’s Summer Reading Challenge during this free event series designed for all ages.
Celebre el verano con la Biblioteca Pública de Grand Rapids, ReadGR y WZZM-13 On Your Side.
Únase a nosotros para escuchar historias, obsequios de libros gratuitos, refrigerios, actividades manuales, juegos en el césped e invitados especiales.
Regístrese para el Desafío de Lectura de Verano de GRPL durante esta serie de eventos gratuitos diseñados para todas las edades.

Grand Rapids African American Arts and Music Festival: Park Party-Christmas in July
2024-07-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Garfield Park, 250 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507, United States
Summer Family Fun Days! Bring the whole family to celebrate Christmas in July!
Join us at Garfield Park for FREE food, games, resources, and FUN!

Boston Square Fair
2024-07-06 12:00 - 18:00 | Boston Square Neighborhood, 1553 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507
Every Year The Boston Square Neighborhood Association and Community Partners UNITE to offer residents an AMAZING FUN FILLED SUMMER EXPERIENCE.
Community members that JOIN US experience Great Food, Live Music(Bands and DJ’s) Entertainment. We TAKE PRIDE in having unique food and music offerings.
Kids enjoy an array of different games, bouncy houses, dunk tanks, face painting, in 2022 over 600 residents stopped by our registraion table and even more walked up to purchase food, beverages, and listen to live tunes.

Grand Rapids Pride Festival
2024-06-22 12:00 - 22:00 | Calder Plaza, 300 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Going into its 36th year in 2024, Grand Rapids Pride Festival is working to create a safe, open, and inclusive environment for Grand Rapids community members to celebrate who they are!
On June 21, 1988, the first Pride Celebration was held at the Monroe Amphitheater in downtown Grand Rapids. Over the last 35+ years, it has now grown into one of the largest one-day events in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Pride Festival is an event that brings 2-SLGBTQ+ community members, 2-SLGBTQ+ businesses, allies, and organizations together to celebrate diversity, inclusion, and celebrating the beautiful vast 2-SLGBTQ+ community!

Art in the Park
2024-06-21 16:30 - 19:30 | Garfield Park, 250 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507, United States
Garfield Park Neighborhoods Association’s (GPNA) Art In The Park will be a fun experience focused on our kids!
Artistic Expressions:
GPNA is so pleased to be partnering with our friends at Artists Creating Together who are bringing their wonderful, bright yellow Creative Cube to Garfield Park!

Entertainment and Fun:
A petting zoo, music. Kids eat free and will go home with a prize. Performance artists will amaze and awe.

Community Resources and treats!

Baxter United Community Summer Series: Juneteenth Celebration
2024-06-19 17:00 - 21:00 | Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
Take a photo at our Father’s Day photo booth! Connect with community resources!
Free food will be provided!
Watch “Block Party,” directed by Dawn Wilkinson and filmed right here in Grand Rapids, for free in the theater! The movie will begin at 7:00 PM

Summer Reading Celebration
2024-06-18 18:30 - 20:30 | Lincoln Park, 231 Marion Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States
Join us in Grand Rapids’ Parks this summer for stories, and free books for kids and teens to take home. There will also be free KONA Ice, snacks, craft activities, lawn games, special guest readers and presenters, and a whole lot of family fun!
For all ages of youth and families!

Juneteenth Celebration Summer Series at Joe Taylor Park
2024-06-15 13:00 - 17:00 | Joe Taylor Park, 1001 Baxter St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
The Summer Series is a number of events for the Baxter Neighborhood hosted at Joe Taylor Park. On June 15th, we will be having a Juneteenth Celebration- free to all!
Come to support local black creatives and vendors.
Entertainment, food, and beverages will be provided.
We hope to see you there!

Grand Rapids African American Art & Music Festival Park Party
2024-06-14 18:00 - 20:00 | GRPS University, 1400 Fuller Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49505, United States
Join the Grand Rapids African American Arts and Music Festival at the various park parties throughout the year leading up to the annual African American Art and Music Celebration!
These park parties are FREE, so come on out and enjoy the music, resources, free food and fun!
Theme: Juneteenth Pride!

Rock the Block
2024-06-08 11:00 - 17:00 | Along Madison Ave between Hall and Oakdale, Madison Ave, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States
Rock the Block is a celebration of good food, local talent, and resource vendors.
Free family event!
Hosted by Lisha B!

Festival of the Arts
2024-06-07 - 2024-06-09 | Calder Plaza, 300 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Western Michigan artists, performers, food vendors, sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers are hard at work planning for Festival 2024.
You’ll experience your favorite traditional activities as well as new surprises. Four performance stages, cultural food booths, visual art exhibits and activities, and artisan craftsmen. Join us for Western Michigan’s unofficial start of summer!
In addition to a booth focusing on family activities, Family Futures will be debuting out new Mobile Changing and Nursing Station at this year’s Festival of the Arts!

SECOM Community Day
2024-06-01 13:00 - 15:30 | SECOM Resource Center, 1545 Buchanan SW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507, United States
Mark your calendars for our 2nd annual Community Day at SECOM Resource Center! Join us for an afternoon of prizes, giveaways, food trucks, folklorico dancing, games, music, and more!
This event is FREE for the whole family and is from 1-4pm on Saturday, June 1. Hope to see you there!

¡Marque sus calendarios para nuestro segundo Día Comunitario anual en el Centro de Recursos SECOM! ¡Únase a nosotros para una tarde de premios, obsequios, camiones de comida, bailes folclóricos, juegos, música y más!
Este evento es GRATUITO para toda la familia y se realizará de 1 a 4 p. m. el sábado 1 de junio. ¡Esperamos verlos allí!

Baxter Summer Series at Joe Taylor Park
2024-05-18 13:00 - 17:00 | Joe Taylor Park, 1001 Baxter St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
Join Us for a Neighborhood Cookout!
– Entertainment, food, and beverages provided
The Summer Series is a number of events for the Baxter Neighborhood hosted at Joe Taylor Park.

Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit
2024-05-18 08:00 - 16:00 | MI
The Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit is a transformational day-long learning experience centered around Summit’s core values of resident voice and racial equity. Summit brings Grand Rapids residents and stakeholders together to learn, strategize and connect to strengthen neighborhoods and belonging in community, with the overall goal to make Grand Rapids a more equitable place for all to live, work and play.

The theme for this year’s Summit is “Embracing The Power of Tension, Tenacity, & Intentionality.” Through a series of workshops aligned with local efforts and strategies, we will explore ways to foster belonging and inclusivity by embracing the many teachings learned over the past 10 years.

Summit features an opening keynote presentation; several workshop options; lunch and lunchtime activities such as a fun photo booth, Zumba, yoga and several thoughtfully curated community resource tables. The day will also include the recognition of Grand Rapids residents for their leadership with Neighborhood Match Fund projects, an Anishinaabe opening and closing drum presentation, and a Community Celebration to end the day with everyone who makes Summit special – attendees, volunteers, and sponsors featuring free food, prizes, music, and more!

One of the key strengths of Summit is its diversity and inclusivity. Participants come from various racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, age groups, and identities. The appreciation for the inclusive space that Summit provides consistently ranks as one of the top themes in past event evaluations. As part of our commitment to diversity, we prioritize partnerships with local businesses, particularly those owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). In 2023, 82% of our expenses were spent with BIPOC-owned businesses, and 97% of expenses went to businesses located within the City of Grand Rapids.

This year we will host approximately 500 attendees. Whether you come from a grassroots movement, a corporate organization, a non-profit, or the public sector, Summit offers opportunities for meaningful connections and collaborations. In 2023, we witnessed inspiring highlights, and we aim to build on that success in the upcoming anniversary event.

Registration is now open to attend the 2024 Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit! Click here to register today.
Visit www.publicinput.com/2024GRSummit to learn more and register.

Grand Rapids African American Arts and Music Festival
2024-05-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Garfield Park, 250 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49507, United States
An annual festival celebrating African-American art, music, culture, and people!
The first Summer Park party of the season!
Bring the whole family, & join us at Garfield Park on Friday, May 17 from 6-8 pm for FREE food, games, resources, and FUN!
Theme: Mental Health Matters

Kent ISD Early Childhood Laugh & Learn
2024-05-15 17:00 - 20:00 | Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49525, United States
Laugh and Learn is a free event for all families with children enrolled in a Kent ISD Early Childhood Program (including: Early On, Bright Beginnings, Great Start Readiness Program, and Great Start to Quality). Families are invited to come and explore the gardens, participate in activity stations, and learn about resources in our community.

Sibley Elementary School Resource Fair
2024-05-14 15:30 - 18:00 | Sibley Elementary School, 943 Sibley St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States
Connect with Community Partners, register your GRPS students for the 2024-2025 school year, and learn about summer programs. Food is provided. The Critter Barn will be there with animals.

Friday @ The SAL
2023-09-15 17:00 - 20:00 | The Salvation Army – Fulton Street, 1235 Fulton St East, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Family Futures is excited to attend Friday @ the SAL! Dinner is provided and there is games and crafts for all ages. There is a $3 attendance fee for this event.
We will be doing car seat checks at the event! Our certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be present to make sure your child is riding safely. For more information about our child safety initiatives, check out familyfutures.org/programs/children-safety-programs.
For additional information about the event, check out the Salvation Army Facebook page.

Empowering Parents Conference
2023-09-09 08:00 - 12:00 | Kent ISD, 2930 Knapp St. NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49525, United States
Children don’t come with a guidebook, so Kent ISD created the next, best thing – a conference to empower parents of children, birth to five years old, with tips, resources and knowledge to make raising your little one just a little easier.
This first-ever Empowering Parents conference is for families enrolled in Kent ISD early childhood programs. They’ll cover hot topics like literacy, behavior, picky eating and communication with breakout events and panel discussions.
Registration will be available August 1. Childcare will not be available for this event. Breakfast will be provided.
To learn more about all of the Kent ISD Early Childhood programs, click here. For more information on events in our community, check out our events page here. Family Futures is excited to attend the event and we hope to see you there!

Safety Celebration
2023-08-18 09:00 - 18:00 | MI
At the Zoo, safety is of the utmost importance, and John Ball Zoo wants to celebrate all the community partners that help keep us safe! The zoo is partnering with local first responders as well other organizations to promote and educate guests on all different aspects of keeping the community safe!
Zoo members are free. Non-members general admission. Tickets TBA.
Event Partners

Agile Safety
Cintas
Family Futures
Grand Rapids Fire Department
Grand Rapids Police Department
Grainger
Kentwood Fire Department
Kentwood Police Department
Silent Observer
Vanguard Fire and Security Systems
Wyoming Police Department

We will be doing car seat checks at event. To register for a car seat check, click here. For more information and tickets on Safety Celebration, click here. We look forward to seeing you there!

Family Fun Days
2023-08-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Martin Luther King Park, 1200 M.L.K. Jr St SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States
The Grand Rapids African American Arts and Music Festival, Grand Rapids Public Library, and The City of Grand Rapids Office of Special Events are hosting the 3rd Annual Family Fun Days at MLK Park. These events feature free food, music, games, books, and community resources and vendors.
Check out more details on Family Fun Days!
This is a reoccurring event with additional days on July 20 and August 17. The themes of each event are:
June 15: Game Night
July 20: Art Immersion
August 17: Back to School
To learn more about events in our community, check out our events page.

WGVU's Kid's Day at the Zoo
2023-08-03 09:00 - 16:00 | John Ball Zoo, 1300 Fulton St. W, Grand Rapids, MI, 49504, United States
We are so excited to attend Kids Day at the Zoo again this year! WGVU’s Kids Day at the John Ball Zoo, presented by PNC Bank is back on Thursday, August 3! Kids Day is guaranteed to provide a packed day of fun, adventure, and entertainment for kids, families, and friends. Family Futures is one of the sponsors for this years event and we will be hosting a scavenger hunt.
Meet characters from your favorite PBS Kids shows, like Molly of Denali and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, sponsored by Milk Means More and Pioneer Construction.
Enjoy live musical performances throughout the day, plus get inspired at the Creative Cube, a Mobile Art Experience, which will be onsite from 9am-12pm. Kids Day at the Zoo is a perfect way to enjoy a day of educational and entertaining activities while exploring John Ball Zoo & Park! See you August 3
Zoo admission is only $5 per person on Kids Day. Kids 2 and under are free and activities in the park are free! To purchase your tickets for Kids Day at the Zoo, click here! For more information on events in our community, check out our events page.

Day of Play Celebration
2023-07-30 12:00 - 16:00 | Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, 11 Sheldon Ave, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Join us for the 6th Annual “Day of Play” Celebration on July 30, 2023. This community outreach initiative began with a proclamation by Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, and is designed to encourage children and families to celebrate PLAY! This year, they are closing the street to bring play outside on the Rainbow Road! A dedicated group of community partners will offer creative, interactive experiences for visitors, including live animals, yard games, crafts, and bubbles! This event is a chance for all families to get outside and celebrate play in our beautiful city. Plus, the museum will be open for play with FREE admission.
This event is free and open to the public! Join us!
There are several parking lots available within walking distance to the museum. View the Downtown Visitor Mobility and Parking Guide HERE.
Food trucks will be parked next to the museum with food and drink for purchase. Numerous restaurants and vendors are also available within walking distance.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Lianna Tagle at ltagle@grcm.org
To learn more about events in our community, check out our events page.
