1. West Michigan Campaign for Love & Forgiveness
A consortium consisting of WGVU and several local organizations is one of seven groups
nationwide selected to be part of The Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, a grant funded
initiative of the Fetzer Institute. This four year, community engagement effort uses
facilitated conversations, community events, PBS documentaries, and online resources
to encourage discussion and reflection about how love and forgiveness can effect
meaningful change in individuals and society. The local partners include WGVU Public
Broadcasting, Bethany Christian Services, Collins Fine Art, the GVSU Counseling and
Career Development Center, the GVSU Office of Housing and Residence Life, Gryphon
Place, Kalamazoo Public Library, the Kalamazoo Rotary, and The Season of Forgiveness.
During the past two years, facilitated conversations, by design, targeted diverse groups,
including a student led multicultural organization, refugees from Africa, and a support
group for women in transition. Due to their life journeys, these participants had much to
gain, and also much to teach the broader community. In some cases, participants had
suffered tremendous pain in their lives and were dealing with issues of unforgiveness.
This year, the project expands with facilitated conversations for the broader community.
In Kalamazoo, a series is being offered through the Kalamazoo Public Library. Bethany
Christian Services is sponsoring a lunch time discussion series for many of its nearly
200 employees. GVSU, through the Counseling Center, and dorms, is piloting the use of
“conversation starter cards,” a new resource, enabling a single person, couple, or entire
group to discuss the benefits of forgiving oneself or another. In addition, the entire
GVSU campus, including students, faculty, and staff, will have an opportunity to engage
with the campaign through weekly ads in the Lanthorn newspaper featuring the
conversation starter cards. A blog has been created for participants to share their
experiences. Grand Valley’s involvement with the current year started with a kickoff
event last October, called the GVSU Day of Peace, Love & Forgiveness.
During the upcoming year 4 of this project, the focus will expand upon love and
forgiveness by exploring whether some occurrences in people’s lives may be considered
unforgivable? Among the potential new partners are Ms. Tova Friedman, a child
survivor of the Holocaust, and Mel Totter Mission.
Project Website: www.wgvu.org/loveandforgive