GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — LINC UP, a nonprofit that is working to achieve racial equity in Grand Rapids, hosted its 14th annual Rock the Block Street Festival Saturday.
Thousands of community members gathered to enjoy family-friendly fun, food, entertainment, community resources and more.
"We have all types of vendors," LINC UP Executive Director LaKiya Jenkins said. "We have vendors around education. We have workforce development opportunities. We have children's activities, so like camps and reading activities, all types of activities, and then we have some really, really great small businesses, some great food vendors, so anything that you can think of is out here...We have over 100 local vendors here."
Saturday’s festivities were spread out along Madison Avenue between Hall Street SE and Oakdale Street SE.
LINC UP says it is working to advance a racial equity agenda in Grand Rapids by expanding affordable housing and increasing community power.
The nonprofit works to connect community members with resources, while changing policies that limit advancement opportunities.
"Rock the Block for us is just really about making sure that the community has access to all the rich resources that our city has to offer and so we bring all those rich resources to one location on one day so that the community can come hear from them, learn from them and benefit from them," Jenkins explained. "It's just a great way to get connected and to network and to learn about all the different events, the activities and the resources that we have within greater Grand Rapids."
READ MORE: ‘It’s all about love’: How LINC UP aims to achieve racial equity in Grand Rapids
Rock the Block kicked off at 11 a.m. Saturday and ended around 4 p.m.
Terrel Harris attends Rock on the Block every year.
"It's great down here. Lot of opportunity, lot of good news that we're doing in West Michigan, so I encourage everybody to just come down. Really, you'll get a lot of information. I got so much information. I just got information about helping me get a roof for free, so I'm praying that goes through," Harris said.
Meanwhile, LINC UP is already gearing up for next year's Rock the Block Street Festival.
"This is a whole year of planning, so when we finish [Saturday], we'll go take a quick break over the weekend and we'll get back to planning," Jenkins said.
FOX 17 was a proud sponsor of this year’s Rock the Block event.
Jenkins says LINC UP is always looking for volunteers. Click here to get involved or to learn more about the resources it has to offer.
