First of all we’d like to give a shout out to all of our players and our staff members. Work Hard, Play Hard has been our motto this season, and you all really delivered on that mantra.
League Love
March Player of the Month
Please join us in spotlighting our player of the month Andre Hollingsworth. Andre is a local physician with a family practice. He has been a member of the GRSSC leagues for years. He’s played everything from kickball to volleyball, and we love having him on our team because his smile and great attitude are infectious. If you get the opportunity to play in a league with Andre make sure you say hello!
Business
Live, Laugh, Love…Local
With so many great local businesses finally starting to open back up, GRSSC would like to showcase a few that we think are pretty great!
- Adored Boutique: Owner, Emily Smith states that in the three years the store has been open, it has contributed more than $20,000 in monetary and product donations to local organizations that are working toward prevention, rescue, and restoration of victims of human trafficking. Between the 15% local profit giving and purchasing fair trade products from around the world, shopping at Adored Boutique transforms lives every day. “We’re a local small business, so we rely on our local community to help support us. Similarly, our local outreach organizations rely on Adored to help support them,” Smith says.
- Brewery Vivant: Brewery Vivant has donated more than $300,000 to local charities since opening their doors in 2010. On top of annual giving, Brewery Vivant works with Kids’ Food Basket, and in 2015 they started sponsoring a neighborhood school. Through Kids’ Food Basket, Brewery Vivant helps feed around 50-60 kids per year.
- Ashley Home Store: For the elite warriors of the U.S. Special Operations Forces, sleep can be a precious commodity. Through Operation Shut Eye, Ashley HomeStore has teamed with Tempur-Sealy to help each hero get a good night’s sleep.
Mark Your Calendars
What Do Popcorn, Peanut Butter, and Potato Chips Have in Common?
Other than all starting in P’s and comprising an unhealthily large portion of my diet, they all have days dedicated to them in the month of March! National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day is March 1st, Popcorn Lovers’ Day is March 11, and National Potato Chip day is March 14! Here’s some of GRSSC other favorite obscure holidays this month:
- March 3: I Want You to be Happy Day
- March 10: International Find a Pay Phone Booth Day
- March 13: International Fanny Pack Day
- March 21st: World Poetry Day
- March 27: Weed Appreciation Day (No, not the kind that’s popular on National Potato Chip Day)
Player Info
Theme Weeks In March
Week 2: St. Paddy’s
Moved up a week this season (for obvious reasons) Help us celebrate St. Patrick’s Day from March 15 – March 19! Wear your favorite green tank top, thrown on some green glitter, dye your hair green, green socks… you get the point.
Week 5: Varsity Week
Miss the glory days playing for your alma mater? Is there a fictitious school you’ve always dreamed of attending? Well this is the week to make your fantasies come true! Crank out that letterman’s jacket and lean against the bleachers after the games to let everybody know how cool you are.
Shameless Plug
Get Pumped for Summer League Registration
Summer League registration opened March 1st and runs through April 21st. Our Early Bird Discount is available for until March 8th, sign up early because we will sell out! Priority will be given to past and current teams. Any questions reach out to us at the office!
Local
The Cycle
Trying out a new segment, every month we’re highlighting 4 local news stories we feel were noteworthy.
Single: This year’s lineup for the McDonald’s All American teams were announced last week showcasing the best female and male high school basketball players in the country. Although the game will not be played year, Michigan State commit Max Christie made the cut for the East team; while University of Michigan commit and Grand Rapids Christian senior Kobe Bufkin was selected for the West Team!
Double: The West Michigan Sports Commission released their 2020 Sports Economic Impact Report detailing some of the hardships the city’s sport tourism industry dealt with last year, as well as looking ahead for what we hope the future holds.
Triple: A report by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research predicts a strong return of jobs in West Michigan and estimates we’ll reach pre-pandemic employment levels in the next 15-24 months, if not sooner.
Homerun: The City of GR announced in February they are selling a stretch of land along the Grand River for the purpose of adding an outdoor amphitheater, zipline, a new city park, and possibly an aquarium! Check out more of the plan and details of the sale here!
Game
Brew Trivia
Here’s 5 questions based on content from this blog. First person to email us all 5 answers with subject line “Brew Trivia” will receive a $5 credit for next season!
A. How much of their profit does Adored Boutique set aside for local giving?
B. What day is world Poetry Day?
C. What’s the theme for Week 5 this season?
D. When does Early Summer registration close?
E. Name one of the features the city of Grand Rapids hopes to add to their Grand River project.
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SSC: The Brew 