Great Lakes Bay Foundation

THE MISSION OF THE GREAT LAKES BAY FOUNDATION IS TO ENCOURAGE, SUPPORT AND CELEBRATE REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND INITIATIVES THAT WILL IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC VITALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION.

HEALTH & ECONOMIC INITIATIVE - THE GREAT LAKES BAY HEALTH AND ECONOMIC INITIATIVE, COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGIONAL ALLIANCE (GLBRA) AND THE MICHIGAN HEALTH IMPROVEMENT ALLIANCE (MIHIA), HAS PARTNERED TO DELIVER IMPROVED HEALTH AND SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH IN GREAT LAKES BAY. WE'VE CONTRACTED WITH A CONSULTING GROUP THAT IS HELPING US DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO IDENTIFY A STRATEGIC PORTFOLIO OF INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE REGION'S HEALTH AND ECONOMY.

SUSTAINABILITY THE GREAT LAKES BAY FOUNDATION WORKS IN A REGIONAL, COLLABORATIVE MANNER TO ADOPT MORE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS AND TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL PARTNERS WHO WILL TAKE UP SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES WITHIN THEIR ORGANIZATION. THE FOUNDATION WORKS TO BUILD PILOT PROGRAMS IN SUSTAINABILITY THAT CAN BE REPLICATED ACROSS THE REGION. THE FOUNDATION ALSO WORKS TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES REGIONWIDE WHERE SUSTAINABILITY CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN CONCERT WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION. HEALTH & ECONOMIC INITIATIVE - THE GREAT LAKES BAY HEALTH AND ECONOMIC INITIATIVE, COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGIONAL ALLIANCE (GLBRA) AND THE MICHIGAN HEALTH IMPROVEMENT ALLIANCE (MIHIA), HAS PARTNERED TO DELIVER IMPROVED HEALTH AND SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH IN GREAT LAKES BAY. WE'VE CONTRACTED WITH A CONSULTING GROUP THAT IS HELPING US DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO IDENTIFY A STRATEGIC PORTFOLIO OF INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE THE REGION'S HEALTH AND ECONOMY. ART WAVE - ARTWAVE IS A MULTI-YEAR CELEBRATION OF THE HIGH-QUALITY ART AND ENTERTAINMENT CHOICES FOUND IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION. EACH MONTH, ARTWAVE SPOTLIGHTS EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN ONE OF THE COUNTIES IN OUR REGION, PROMOTING AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGING EVERYONE THAT GREAT ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FROM MUSIC CONCERTS AND MUSEUM EXHIBITS TO SPORTING EVENTS AND FILM FESTIVALS CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE. THE ARTWAVE CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON ONE COUNTY AT A TIME, ON A PREDETERMINED SCHEDULE SELECTED TO COINCIDE WITH ALREADY PLANNED ACTIVITIES/EXHIBITIONS. INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS/AMBASSADORS - THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION INCLUDES BAY, ISABELLA, MIDLAND, AND SAGINAW COUNTIES. THESE FOUR COUNTIES ARE NATURAL PARTNERS BY GEOGRAPHY. INCREASINGLY, THAT PARTNERSHIP IS ENHANCED THROUGH EFFORTS FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC ISSUES AND GOALS. COMBINING THIS NATURAL PARTNERSHIP WITH PREPARED LEADERS, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS. OUR REGION CAN ONLY BE STRENGTHENED THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE, INFORMED, AND READY TO ADVOCATE AND BRING RESOURCES TO THE TABLE. DEVELOPING SUCH LEADERS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGIONAL ALLIANCE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS. THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS CURRICULUM EXPANDS PARTICIPANTS' KNOWLEDGE OF THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION, AND INTRODUCES POWERFUL, SUCCESSFUL SCENARIOS AND CONCEPTS FROM OTHER REGIONS OR AT THE STATE LEVEL. THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS BEGINS IN JANUARY WITH A CLASS AND ORIENTATION DINNER. THE CLASS MEETS EIGHT TIMES, JANUARY THROUGH JUNE, TAKING JULY AND AUGUST OFF, AND WILL WRAP UP FOR THE YEAR IN OCTOBER. EACH SESSION FOCUSES ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC SUCH AS ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY, SOCIAL ISSUES, GOVERNMENT, AND OFFERS A COMBINATION OF TOP-NOTCH PRESENTERS, TOURS, DISCUSSIONS AND NETWORKING. THROUGHOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS, PARTICIPANTS ARE EXPECTED TO APPLY THEIR ADVANCED LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO PLAN CREATIVE APPROACHES TO OPPORTUNITIES EXISTING IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION; ACCORDINGLY, OUR CURRICULUM INCLUDES A TRAINED FACILITATOR TO AID IN THIS PROCESS. WE NOW BOAST OVER 280 GRADUATES OF THE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS. THESE AMBASSADORS ARE OUR ALLIES AND ARE THE KEY TO THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES' EFFECTIVE COLLABORATION ON ANY ISSUE OR OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION. THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGIONAL ALLIANCE INSTITUTE FOR LEADERS REPRESENTS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT IN PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP ESSENTIAL TO CREATING POSITIVE INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE FUTURES OF BAY, ISABELLA, MIDLAND AND, SAGINAW COUNTIES. THRIVE - RECOGNIZING THE POWERFUL AND INSEPARABLE LINKAGE BETWEEN ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND HEALTH, A COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE CALLED THRIVE HAS BEEN BORN IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION (GLBR). FOCUSING ON DELIVERING IMPROVED HEALTH AND SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH, THRIVE IS STEERED BY TWO ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATIONS: THE MICHIGAN HEALTH IMPROVEMENT ALLIANCE (MIHIA) AND THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGIONAL ALLIANCE (GLBRA). AFTER COMPILING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DATA, GAINING PERSPECTIVES FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS, COMPLETING SYSTEM MAPPING, AND MODELING SCENARIOS, THE THRIVE PORTFOLIO IS COMPLETE. FAITH-BASED LEADERS, REGIONAL NONPROFITS, HEALTH SYSTEMS, UNIVERSITIES, CHAMBERS, AND REGIONAL CORPORATIONS HELPED TO IDENTIFY FIVE STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS TO GUIDE THE THRIVE PORTFOLIO WITH THREE MACRO HEALTH AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS OUTCOME INDICATORS. CONSIDERING THE SCALE OF THE THRIVE INITIATIVE, THE FIVE PRIORITY AREAS OF FOCUSED INTERVENTIONS HAVE BEEN ORGANIZED INTO 34 SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS. IMPLEMENTED IN A MULTI-PHASED APPROACH, THE INTERVENTIONS WERE CHOSEN CAREFULLY BASED ON COMMUNITY INPUT AND DATA. RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR SUSTAINED FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THE HEALTH & WELL-BEING FUND WAS DEVELOPED TO INTERWEAVE FUNDING SOURCES FOR SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS.

STEM IMPACT INITIATIVE - THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A NATIONAL LEADER IN DEVELOPING A PIPELINE OF TALENT IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH THAT DRIVES REGIONAL PROSPERITY. THIS STEM TALENT CAN PROPEL EXISTING BUSINESSES AS WELL AS ATTRACT NEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT NEED PEOPLE WITH STEM SKILLS. THE KEY TO THAT LEADERSHIP IS ENLIGHTENED COOPERATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND THE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DEDICATED TO TRAINING THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW. SUCH REGION-WIDE, CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COOPERATION IS VIRTUALLY UNHEARD OF AROUND THE COUNTRY, GIVING THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION THE ABILITY TO TAKE THE LEAD IN THIS GAME CHANGING AREA. A ROADMAP FOR ACHIEVING STEM LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION STEM IMPACT INITIATIVE. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND EXPERT ANALYSIS, THE INITIATIVE IDENTIFIED SPECIFIC STEPS THAT WILL RESULT IN A ROBUST STEM TALENT PIPELINE.

ATTRACTION - THE GREAT LAKES BAY FOUNDATION WORKS IN A REGIONAL, COLLABORATIVE MANNER TO IDENTIFY LEADS AND PROSPECTS ACROSS THE GLOBE THAT WOULD CONSIDER OPENING A FACILITY OR BUSINESS IN THE GREAT LAKES BAY REGION. THIS INCLUDES WORKING WITH SITE SELECTORS, ATTENDING VARIOUS GLOBAL TRADE SHOWS, HOSTING PROSPECTIVE COMPANIES IN THE REGION, AND WORKING WITH COMPANIES/PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL LEADS.