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Tom &
Lisa Bulten
Tom works for the
Christian Reformed Church in the SE classis as the Administrative
Secretary. He also teaches one class at Calvin College. Lisa teaches
at The Potter's House High School. They have three sons: Peter,
Joshua, and David.
"We are interested in cohousing because it's an intentional way to
build community, something that's been an interest of ours since our
days overseas."
Interesting Fact: "We lived in Uganda, East Africa for 7
years, working with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
doing community and organizational development work."
Lou Canfield
Newberry Place welcomes
Lou to the cohousing community.
Chris DeGroot
Chris is a
professor in the Religion Department at Calvin College. On the side,
she enjoys walking and hiking, painting icons and attending movies
at the UICA (or attending anything at the UICA). She's the proud
mother of 4 grown children: Maria, Nick, Anna, and Katrine. She also
has a
cat, Riley.
"Cohousing attracts me because I want to live in a community where I
interact with many more of my neighbors regularly. I look forward
the meal times together, sharing resources and, of course, many,
many meetings. The values held by Newberry Place are precious to me
as well - I want to contribute to the re-vitalization of the city,
especially the Belknap neighborhood; I want to live in a
well-designed space that is built in an environmentally friendly way
and I want to live in a diverse community."
Interesting Fact: "I
like to think of myself as slowly becoming a citizen of the world. I
was born in the Netherlands, grew up in Canada, lived for a year in
Taiwan, for 5 years in Hong Kong and recently taught for a semester
in Eastern Europe. I'm hoping to teach in Africa soon and then it's
on to India, South America, Australia and Antarctica."
Daniel
& Lara Dengerink-Van Til
Dan is an elementary and
middle school Art teacher for the Grand Rapids Public Schools. Lara
is currently the full-time parent of daughters Anya and Eliza, and son Ian. She is also pursuing a degree in Nursing.
"We like the idea of living intentionally. Cohousing affords us the
chance to live in an intentionally designed space within an
intentionally designed community.”
Interesting Fact: Dan used to teach media-technology studies for GRPS and is also a docent for the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Meyer
May House in Grand Rapids. Lara has recently discovered that she is
quite fond of Chemistry and also has a degree in French and English.
If Anya could eat one food exclusively it would be vanilla ice cream
in a sugar cone. Ian likes to be lifted high into the air so he can
closely observe light fixtures and/or ceiling fans.
Jon & Lisa Faber
Lisa grew up in
Peterborough, Ontario while Jon grew up in Lynden, Washington. They
met at Calvin College and have lived in Grand Rapids since
1999. Lisa works as an Operations Accountant Assistant for Universal
Forest Products and Jon works as an Emerging Media Specialist for
WZZM-13.
"We have know about this
cohousing project from the beginning but never considered it as an
option for us until February, 2007. We had big plans to move
elsewhere, but now we feel that Newberry Place is perfect for us,
and more exciting and more sensible then a major move. We are super
excited to be living in a close community where friendship,
socializing, sharing, eating and downsizing/simplifying will be
promoted."
Jon and Lisa love
camping, hiking, road trips, music, games, beer, and tea. They have
two dogs, Charlie and Kylo, and are expecting their first child in
September, 2008.
Interesting Fact:
After leaving Calvin, Jon started his own business, Dynamite Sound
Project, which was a recording studio on Lafayette Street. He is
hoping to turn part of the basement in his home at Newberry Place
into some sort of studio.
Steve &
Nora Faber
Nora is a
K-8th grade art teacher, and Steve works for a local nonprofit as a
nonprofit consultant. They have a young son named Levi. Aside from cohousing,
Steve's hobbies include being a Mac addict and playing board games.
Nora enjoys cooking, walking, gardening and reading. Both are into
occasional kayaking/x-country skiing/camping/fishing trips.
"Initially, when we started looking at cohousing in 2002, we weren’t
sure whether we wanted to commit to such an extensive form of
intentional community. We first thought we would go small and
informal. The more we looked into it, the more we saw it as a
sustainable way for us to connect with our friends and neighbors.
Cohousing provides the privacy and interaction that we want as well
as the flexibility when changes come. Growing up, both of us had
significant experiences with 'community'; Nora's family was part of
the Gopherwood Society (a group of families that played music and
ate together once a week), and Steve was part of closely knit
neighborhood that made a habit of having at least one good
'barn-raising' event a year."
Interesting Fact:
"Nora grew up on a self-sufficient farm in Michigan, where chores of
feeding, milking, weeding and mulching where a big part of her life.
Recently, both of us have gotten into playing Texas
Hold-em Poker."
Karen Hoekstra
Having lived in northeast Grand Rapids for
several years, Karen
sought a more "connected" neighborhood with a greater sense of community.
After learning about cohousing, and meeting with Newberry Place
members over many cups of coffee, she decided the unique community
was for her.
"I like that
cohousing offers the unique opportunity to
connect with friends and neighbors over good food and
conversation several times a week. I'm
looking forward to many impromptu musical jamborees and topical
discussions in the common house. I'm
always up for a good debate!"
Karen has a
cat named Dimitri and a dog named Rudy (as in Huxtable). She is a graphic designer "by day"
and also teaches high school percussion. She loves non-fiction books,
public radio, board games and is addicted to Frank's Red Hot Sauce.
Scott
Huebl & Linda Naranjo-Huebl
Linda is a literature
professor specializing in women’s lit and American ethnic lit. She's
also a musician, vocalist, and art lover. Scott works as a CPA, tax
director for OppenheimerFunds. He's into music, (guitar and vocals)
runs a lot and rides a Harley Davidson. Linda & Scott have two
grown, multi-talented daughters in Denver, Colorado.
Linda: "We don’t need much room except for hospitality purposes (I’m
a great party host), so the cohousing concept of a shared community
space perfectly suits our need. I’m also a city kid—most comfortable
in an urban environment."
Scott: "I am interested
in cohousing because I think it will provide a good balance of
independent living and shared community. The shared environmental
space and efficient use of resources in a housing development will
provide a suitably sized living space for Linda and me (not too big)
and a community house large enough for Linda’s hospitable
proclivities."
Interesting Fact:
Linda: "My
Spanish ancestors came in the late 1500s and eventually settled in
what is now New Mexico and southern Colorado, intermarrying with
North American Indians along the way. (Of course, what this means is
that many of my ancestors were here stealing land from the Indians
long before the Puritans and Virginian settlers did.)"
Interesting Fact:
Scott:
"I’m into fine art, single malt and cigars."
Jotham
& Marie Ipple
Jotham and Marie have a
daughter named Josie and a son named Hendrik. They recently
returned from Africa where they were doing missionary work and are looking forward to
being a part of the Newberry Place Cohousing community soon.
Barbara LaBeau
We are pleased to
welcome Barb as a Newberry Place resident.
Jim
Lucas
Jim works as a chaplain
for two organizations: Spectrum Health and GIFT—Gays In Faith
Together. He enjoys reading, writing (he's working on a book),
traveling, camping, hiking, and attending cohousing design meetings!
"I lived in communal households in an intentional Christian
community for about 12 years, and I miss it. At this time in my
life, however, I would like to have my own private residence. So
cohousing has just the right combination of community and personal
space. I am excited about being part of Newberry Place in particular
because I really like the people, and I look forward to building a
cohousing community with them. Also, we share some important values,
such as spirituality, care for the environment, diversity, and
building relationships with each other and our urban neighbors. Plus
the opportunity to design our own little piece of a neighborhood is
a fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Interesting Fact:
"In
addition to local family (parents and sister with family), I have a
sister (with family) in Hawaii and a brother (with family) in
Florida. Needless to say, I enjoy visiting these lovely places
during Michigan’s long winters. Also, I have a Catholic godson, even
though I am a member of the United Church of Christ."
Dan &
Kate Miller
Dan is a Professor of
History and enjoys traveling and designing educational games. Kate
enjoys reading, traveling and walking. They have a grown son named
Thomas.
About cohousing, Dan says, "My wife made me do it! And I'm tired of
shoveling snow out of the drive-way! Seriously though, we decided we
no longer needed a four-bedroom house, but we didn't want to move to
an adults-only condominium. We wanted to live in an urban setting
with good neighbors of all ages. Newberry Place is perfect for us.
Two years ago, Kate read an article in the Grand Rapids Press and
was quite intrigued. By the time we made it to an informational meeting, I
was convinced that cohousing was one of the few options that would
provide a natural intergenerational community and a very humane way
of life. After seeing and talking with the people involved in the
Ann Arbor cohousing communities, we really felt confident in our
commitment."
Interesting Fact:
Dan was an
election observer in Mexico in 2000. And even though Kate grew up in
Southern California, she's from a town so small that they only got a
traffic light when she was in college.
Marty &
Kristin Morgan
Kristin is a
speech therapist in outpatient pediatrics for Mary Free Bed
Rehabilitation Hospital. She enjoys cooking (when she has time),
reading, hiking, and spending time outdoors. Marty is a mechanical
engineer for Design Plus. In his spare time, he enjoys watching and
playing soccer (as his knee permits), playing board games and
rooting for MSU. They have a two young sons, Elias and Micah. They also have 2 cats: Cheetara & Liono (if you watched cartoons in the 80’s, you may
recognize these names).
"We
had been interested in finding a way to live more intentionally for
a while. When we discovered cohousing, we found it was a way of
living intentionally that fit with our values and allowed a balance
between our private and public lives. We’ve been hooked (or sucked
in) ever since. What excites us most about cohousing: Building
authentic relationships with our neighbors, sharing resources to
live more simply, and being involved in designing our home and
community!"
Interesting Fact:
Kristin:
"Unlike most people, I enjoy grammar, the smell of skunks, and going
to the dentist."
Interesting Fact:
Marty:
"I
(kind of) stalked Kristin for 2 years before she would go out with
me."
Anita Oomkes
Anita is a nurse working
in the Clinical Informatics Department at Spectrum Health. She
enjoys running, playing soccer, photography, and reading. She also
loves to volunteer and be involved with service projects.
"I'm interested in cohousing because of the intentional community,
simplified living, the chance to make a difference in a neighborhood,
and the opportunity to learn new skills."
Interesting Fact:
"I have
seen a heart in an open chest cavity of a living person."
Phil &
Lavonne Schaafsma
Lavonne works part-time
at Calvin College as an adjunct instructor in the psychology
department. Her hobbies include, scrapbooking (working on photo
albums) and reading fiction (she's currently in a bookclub) and
nonfiction (her most current interests are books on parenting).
She's also recently became interested in genealogy and would like to
spend more time researching her family history. Phil works in an
administrative position for the City of Grand Rapids. He enjoys
listening to music, playing chess, and drinking good coffee and good
beer.
They have two young sons, Owen and Isaac, and baby daughter
Grace. Owen is in school in the
Montessori program through GRPS. He's very verbal and tries to
understand all the new words he hears. He is also very social and
has friends at school as well as a best friend next door. He and his
best friend spend as much time as possible together. Isaac is very
expressive. He is either giggling or screaming. He is also active
and loves all kinds of balls. Throwing and catching is his current
favorite pastime.
"We want to live in a way that makes sense in a society where
neighborhoods are less about people and more about cars, garages and
privacy. We value some privacy but also want to have spontaneous
interactions that are encouraged by design and architecture. We also
like the idea of sharing resources with others (e.g. lawn mowers,
garden tools, other kinds of tools, snowblowers, etc.). We want our
children to grow up in close proximity to other children and adults
to learn the value of shared living and community."
Interesting Fact: Lavonne is a licensed psychologist in the
state of Michigan and has a doctorate in psychology. After seven
years working as a therapist, she has taken an indefinite leave of
absence to be home more with the boys, however, she would like to
continue practicing as a therapist some time in the future. Phil's
hometown is Milwaukee and remains a die hard Packer fan. He has a
passion for new urbanism. The person he respects the most is John
Perkins.
Dave & Kristy Schrotenboer
Dave and Kristy, along with their two sons, Bodey and Elias, are the
newest family to join Newberry Place.
Chris &
Judy Shea
Chris serves as
Executive Director for Cherry Street Health Services, Inc., a chain
of 9 clinics providing medical, dental, counseling and social
services to low income and uninsured people in the area. Creating
access to healthcare has been a vocation; he has headed up
community-owned and operated health centers/clinics in Rhode Island
and rural Northern Michigan as well.
His dedication to “health care for all” was planted early when a
sibling was born needing tons of surgery/expensive care that kept
his father working two jobs, and his family in debt, close to
poverty for most of his childhood. The importance of healthcare was
reinforced when his mother died young leaving five minor children.
Work on “World Peace”, “Access to Health Care”, and as a “Mr. Mom”
may begin to summarize Chris’s jobs.
Chris is the person to have if you want to renovate or construct. He
is Mr. Fix It -- “Patience my butt, let’s tear something apart and
rebuild it.” For exercise, it's bicycling. Spinning at the YMCA at 6
A.M. and long distance trips...real long trips...he is “riding
across America” partial trip by partial trip and is connecting the
dots. Chris is also opposed to all war. He was a “conscientious
objector” to conscription.
Interesting Fact: Chris brakes for historical markers, and
believes nothing is too serious for humor.
Judith is married to Chris and they have two sons and one daughter
living in East coast cities where Judith and Chris moved from
several years ago. Judith was a middle child of nine children (thus,
you must excuse the aggressive personality as she had to fight to
hold her own against those older brothers).
Judith currently works for GVSU, Graduate Studies & Grants
Administration managing major grants. She has worked in the past in
employment and training programs, aging services and healthcare
administration including medical education associate director for
medical students, residents and interns/fellows.
Her interests include “empowerment of the poor or disenfranchised”,
“Right to Equal/Public Education” and “women’s rights and equity
issues”. These focus areas came from childhood, of course. Born in a
mostly Irish village of 335 people, she had to move in order to
date, since all the residents were related to her! Her father was a
Socialist Democrat, and happy as an activist in organizing worker
unions—happier seeing his 9 children go to college, and happiest
telling a story three times (the Irish way). Mother balanced out the
family; she was a beautician/farmer/head of housekeeping at a
hospital.
Judith is active in the Zim Club. A networking and support group
started here in the Midwest to support and help assimilate
immigrants from Zimbabwe, Africa. Hobbies: cooking & bicycling, not
across America, however. People often do call me “Chris”, so don’t
worry I do answer to Chris
Interesting Fact: She was a police officer for the City of
Detroit--the first court ordered class of Women, African Americans
and Short Men. The class was so resented that initially they were
assigned to guard the empty tunnels under Detroit’s Cobo Hall.
Why cohousing? "Our cohousing interest comes from a desire to live
simply with others to save energy and resources to work on real
issues. Several years ago we moved from Providence, Rhode Island to
Grand Rapids. The Belknap/Lookout Hill Neighborhood was our choice
in exploring places to live. But the few homes that met our need
sold really fast or required too many repairs or renovations, and we
had too many work & volunteer hours soaked up...we’re getting too
wise to try that again! While we are not one of the few 'burning
souls' who began cohousing in Grand Rapids, we could have been, and
we are 'hot' on cohousing almost equally spread over the following 5
reasons:
1 - Commitment to the philosophy and the values of cohousing and
work on a common purpose together as a group. Just like 'Cheers'
where “everybody knows your name,” we want to know our neighbor’s
name.
2 - Because we believe
it is important to live in world peace. Not only in little Grand
Rapids, but work towards a better whole peaceful and just world.
3 - Because we are urbanites and want to live in the City of GR,
which is more diverse and interesting than the suburbs we explored.
4 - Because Chris is committed to the Belknap neighborhood and the
Belknap clinic and Neighborhood Community Center through his job as
head of Cherry Street Health Services.
5 - Because we are risk takers.
Jan Simonson
Newberry Place Cohousing welcomes
Jan to the neighborhood!
Kevin Spoelma & Marie Mulder
Kevin Spoelma & Marie
Mulder were married in 2001, and since then have bought and
remodeled their first house, finished their undergraduate degrees at
Calvin College and had their first child, Anneke (pronounced: AHN-ika).
In August, 2007 they welcomed a son, Jonah, to the family as well. While their lives happily revolve
primarily around their children, they are also deeply devoted readers;
Marie, who is finishing up her masters degree in library science,
works for the Kent District Library system, while Kevin has just
about conquered the local book retailing world, being currently
employed at his fifth or sixth straight book store: Schuler Books on
28th Street. Anneke is currently working at acquiring the English
language and ridding herself of diapers. She enjoys running around,
torturing cats, dancing, screaming, laughing and charming the socks
of everyone she meets.
"Cohousing came along at just the perfect time for us. When we found
out about Newberry Place we were living with Marie's parents, having
rented out our house to make some progress on school loans, and were
looking for what we wanted to do next. We were most attracted to the
opportunity afforded by cohousing to simplify our lifestyle without
any significant sacrifice of privacy and also to the urban location
of this particular project; but really everything about the group
appealed to us, and it was all brought to life by the dedication,
extraordinary competence and infectious excitement of its members."
Interesting Fact: Anneke's first word was "Bob" as in Bob
Dylan ... her Grandpa brainwashed her.
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