Celebrate Impact at the 2021 Annual Gathering
Our entire community was invited to celebrate impact in Muskegon County at our Annual Gathering on Thursday, October 7, 2021. We heard from Community Foundation staff and local leaders about the positive impact our neighbors, nonprofits, and business owners are making every day.
The Impact Award
This award recognizes a community leader who has gone above and beyond to advance education, foster a dynamic local economy, and promote prosperity for all in Muskegon County. The winner received $5,000 to grant to a local nonprofit whose work aligns with one or more of those focus areas.
“We are excited to introduce the new Impact Award at this year’s Annual Gathering. The award celebrates an individual who contributes to the success of community members and local businesses and who embodies the values of building hope and opportunity, fostering collaboration, and promoting an inclusive community. The first Community Foundation Impact Award recipient is most deserving.”
– Todd Jacobs, Community Foundation president/CEO
The recipient of the inaugural Impact Award is none other than
Dr. Dale Nesbary. Dr. Nesbary embodies the values that drive our strategic work of advancing education, fostering a dynamic local economy, and promoting prosperity for all in Muskegon County. His love for his community is evidenced by his many hard-earned accomplishments. During his time as the President of Muskegon Community College, he secured over $45 million to fund the ambitious upgrades to MCC including Sturrus Technology Center that has catalyzed the revitalization of downtown Muskegon, and the Health and Wellness Center that was utilized as an emergency hospital and academic space during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of Dr. Nesbary’s efforts, MCC was named an “Achieving the Dream Leader College” and has been listed as a top Community College in Michigan on more than one occasion. He also implemented the Promise Scholarship Program in collaboration with MAISD and John Severson. The Community College Board of Trustees and Dr. Nesbary’s established the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the college that will serve as a resource to area businesses and community organizations. It is an honor and pleasure to celebrate Dr. Dale Nesbary’s lasting impact on Muskegon with the inaugural Impact Award
Featured Speaker Brianna Scott
Brianna Scott was born and raised in Muskegon. In 2005, after several years practicing law in many different capacities, she decided to become an entrepreneur and start her own law practice. Becoming a business owner, in fact the first minority (African American and female) law firm in Muskegon County, was exciting, challenging, and very rewarding. Her law firm has grown significantly over the years, and she now employs a full time staff of five. She spoke at the Annual Gathering on the topic of powerful and positive impact in the community and how it shapes our lives.
“If you want to live a fulfilled life, you have to see life through the lens of a servant of something greater than yourself, once you do that, your passions will lead you to exactly where God predestined you to be, making the ripple that builds the wave of impact that slowly but surely moves across the body of water you call community.”
– Brianna Scott, Attorney-at-Law