A longtime resident of the Grand Rapids area has launched a volunteer initiative to help businesses throughout West Michigan safety reopen amid COVID-19.
Karen VanderWerp created Community Reopen 2020 to connect volunteers with struggling businesses needing assistance to get back up and running when it is deemed safe to do so.
“I’m also a small business owner, and I’ve had good years and bad years, and I know what this is like. It’s devastating,” VanderWerp told 3WWMT.
VanderWerp is owner of design firm Transforming Interiors. She has been in the interior design business for more than four decades.
As stated on the Community Reopen 2020 website, volunteers can offer support in a number of areas, including marketing, repairs, human resources and computer literacy.
Over the past couple of months, public health orders have forced many businesses in West Michigan to completely shut down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“I looked at all these empty parking lots and all the storefronts that were closed, and it was so dismal,” VanderWerp told 3WWMT. “What you really see is people’s aspirations, their dreams and their success fading away.”
More than 30 volunteers have already signed up for the Community Reopen 2020 initiative since its launch on April 26.
“Local businesses are the heart of our communities, and many will struggle to reopen in the face of the global pandemic,” the Community Reopen 2020 website states. “By lending a helping hand, we can make a difference and help them survive, so that our communities may once again thrive.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced her plan for safely reopening the state’s economy. Businesses presenting the lowest risk will open first, which is expected to include residential and commercial construction, outdoor enterprises and the industrial sector.
Under a previous executive order, bike repair shops, landscapers, lawn-service companies and plant nurseries have already been given the authority to begin resuming operations.
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