We had the good fortune of connecting with Mandy Vanderhill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mandy, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
The older I get, the more I realize how much I live my life with one foot in one world, and the other foot in another. For most of my life, I saw this as confirmation that I never belonged anywhere. But now, I’m seeing it as a gift of being a bridge between these different worlds. For example, I grew up in a very conservative Christian environment, always going to private schools and church every Sunday. When I started the Woodfield Community Center, I knew that I would hold firm to my Christian beliefs and use them as a foundation for my work. But I also fully realize that many other people, especially in this community, do not believe the same things I do. It became my goal to be a space that was inclusive, welcoming, and open to all backgrounds, where two things could be true at the same time. We could still be neighbors and friends without trying to change each other, because in the end, belonging is a core human need for all of us. I hope that I am remembered for being a good neighbor and that people felt seen, known, and loved in my presence.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My professional story includes leaving a very comfortable job and jumping two feet into a complete unknown. I got a Bachelor’s in Business and eventually a Master’s in Business Management. I knew that I was not cut out for the corporate world, and wanted to work somewhere where I felt passionate about the mission. My first job out of college was at a community college, working with non-traditional students in short-term trade programs who needed to quickly find employment. Many of these students were coming out of prison, single moms or dads who needed to make more money, and anyone who did not learn in a traditional classroom setting. I worked on multi-million dollar grants that helped us create a new position called a Career Coach (me!), where I was the go-to person for these students from their first initial conversation, to admissions, financial aid, graduating, and eventually finding a job.

I did this for 10 years, and simultaneously, volunteered at a community outreach program through my church. While working with under-resourced students and populations at the college, I was also working with neighborhood kids through this outreach program, whose parents would fit the same demographic of my students. Looking back, I can see how all of my work in higher education prepared me start my own non-profit working with low income, refugees and immigrants, and families with unmet basic needs.

However, my higher education job included a very consistent paycheck with very comfortable (privileged!) healthcare benefits for my family. It took me years to even consider leaving the college. But at some point, my inner voice wouldn’t allow me to keep ignoring the work of the Woodfield Community Center, and I knew I needed to at least try to raise enough money to pay myself a salary. When I announced the formation of the non-profit in November of 2019, I raised enough money by February of 2020 to pay myself exactly what I had been paid at the college. And so I left, not knowing how long I could “keep this up” with raising money, if I’d eventually hire a team to help me, and basically not knowing anything about setting up a non-profit. Every hour of every day, I was learning something knew or googling things to get set up.

Yes, I started my own business/non-profit in February of 2020 about a month before the entire world shut down. It was truly one of the most challenging times for me personally and professionally (for us all!) And yet, if I had been working at the college during this time, I would never have been able to dedicate the time and energy my kids and families needed from WCC to support them. One of the things I am most proud of is my ability to handle crisis situations, and I can only do it because I can pour my mental capacity into this work instead of doing it in a volunteer capacity. I’m also very proud of myself for listening to my inner-voice that told me I was created to do this work, and it wouldn’t let me ignore that fact any longer. This business was started out of pure need to do something great in the world, and I hope people realize that they have the ability to learn whatever they need to learn to manifest their vision and passion as well.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have lived in Grand Rapids, MI for 35 years, my entire life! Here are some of my own favorite things to do:

Day 1- I’d force my friend to do a yoga class at my favorite studio, AM, on the Westside (one of Ashley’s classes). GR has some amazing coffee shops like Madcap, Squibb, Outside Coffee Company. I’d probably choose Lyon Street Cafe so I could also bring them to Martha’s Vineyard for wine, snacks, cheese, etc. and Nantucket Baking for baked goods. (I also have to give a shout out to my childhood friend’s family business, Herman’s Boy, in Rockford, for the best coffee and snacks; the coffee can now be found at Wealthy St. or Hall St. bakeries!)

Day 2- While not in the city, my favorite part of this state is Lake Michigan. My favorite beach towns are Saugatuck (for the restaurants) and South Haven (for the pier walk, view, and beach). I love a morning hike at Saugatuck Dunes State Park (with my dog!) because you get both the forest and sand dunes vibes before coming out onto the more secluded beach. After a hike, I always stop for the best pizza at Mitten Brewing (dog friendly) in downtown Saugatuck. South Haven is the more quintessential Lake Michigan beach town, where we’d walk the pier to the lighthouse. Don’t forget ice cream at Sherman’s!

Day 3 – East GR and Reeds Lake! Shopping in Gaslight Village, lunch or a picnic by the lake. Rose’s is great for a visitor!

Day 4- My favorite district for fun nights is probably Wealthy Street. Tacos and margaritas at Donkey are a must. Cocktails at Buffalo Traders (and a late night burger at Black Napkin). While we don’t have the biggest downtown, the river is nice at night. This might be weird, but I always bring visitors to the Amway Grand because it’s so historic and beautiful! If we were splurging, the new MDRD at the top for sunset would be ideal!

Day 5- For more bar-hopping, Bridge Street is the best. My favorite restaurant in GR is Butcher’s Union, and my favorite bourbon bar is One Bourbon (with the best peanut butter pie for dessert).

Day 6- Living here for my whole life, I probably don’t appreciate some of the staples as much as I should, like Frederick Meijer Gardens or the downtown Art Museum, but both are beautiful and worth checking out!

Day 7- Before the week was up, I’d definitely bring them to watch one of my friends (and WCC board members) play in a band, probably at Horrocks, for a fun live music event. And of course, they’d have to come to WCC to hang out with my kids and families, play basketball, board games, and just get to be a kid with people from all over the world!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My dad! He has been a consistent voice and example in my life that led me to where I am today. I watched him get involved in the community, invite people to dinner that society had cast aside, ask hard questions about society injustices, and he encouraged me to do the same. In college, I considered majoring in social work, but he encouraged me to major in business so that I could start my own non-profit, rather than working for someone else’s. When I got to the point of wanting to start this business, he worked with me for weeks and months to set up the logistics (like accounting software!) or get connected to people who could help me. To this day, he’s the person I call when I am frustrated, overwhelmed, or burned out by doing full time ministry-type of work, and he always reminds me of the bigger picture.

Website: www.woodfieldcc.org

Instagram: @woodfieldcc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-vanderhill-4081544a/

Facebook: Woodfield Community Center

Image Credits
All photos were taken by me or a volunteer (non-professional photographer)

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