1. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is excited to announce the return of the Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, now in its 29th year.
The largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States showcases over 60 species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.
Visitors can marvel at the stunning diversity and intricate beauty of butterflies and moths in the lush environment of the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. The exhibition offers insights into the fascinating science behind these creatures, such as their cold-blooded nature and unique flight mechanisms. Guests can enjoy up-close experiences at feeding stations and the observation station.
This year's exhibit runs from March 1 to April 30.
2. A huge national honor goes out to Muskegon's football coach, Shane Fairfield. He's one of the Don Shula High School coaches of the year.
High school coaches are nominated by teams from the two NFL conferences, and this year Muskegon football coach Fairfield was a winner!
The NFL awards coaches who best represent character, integrity, leadership, dedication to the community, commitment to player protection, and on-field success.
The Lions nominated Fairfield who led Muskegon past Warren De La Salle to win the Division 2 state title this year. That was also the 900th win in program history, and The Big Reds are the winningest high school program in the state.
The NFL Foundation is giving $15,000 to the school to use for their football program - and coach Fairfield gets $10,000 all to himself.
He also gets a couple of nice vacations: a trip to the 2024 Probowl game, and the Super Bowl in Las Vegas!
3. Holland Hospital is offering two scholarships to area high school and college students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare: the Holland Hospital Volunteer Council Health Care Scholarship and The Holland Hospital Rn Scholarship Program.
The volunteer council scholarship, funded by hospital employees, awards up to six recipients annually and is open to students enrolled in accredited healthcare programs.
The RN scholarship program supports high school seniors in the hospital's service area pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing, providing $7,000 over four years for tuition and related expenses.
Applications for both scholarships are open, with deadlines on February 29 and March 16 respectively. Full eligibility criteria and application details are available online.
4. Ice cream is never a bad idea, especially when it's for a great cause.
The infamous McDonald's Shamrock Shake and the Oreo Shamrock Mcflurry are available today!
All the Michigan Restaurants will donate 25 cents from every one sold to the Ronald McDonald House Charities across the state until March 18.
Last year, customers helped raise nearly $335,000 for RMHC. The Ronald McDonald Houses provide care, comfort, and support to families while their child receives medical care - completely free of charge.
5. Neuter your ex this Valentine's Day! Okay... not really.... but for a $25 donation, "Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven" in Muskegon will name a feral cat after your ex.
They will be snipped through the TNR program and returned to their colony. All the money will be used to operate the shelter.
The shelter does want you to know it may take several months or more before your chosen name is used, but there are plenty of cats out there, so they promise it will be used.
