Building Community - Dreams Realized
For as long as Sarah can remember her church has been talking about their new building, like it was already there, standing in the sun in the back parking lot on the south end of Grand Haven. "Even as a little girl I knew that one day it would happen," she said, "we are all so excited to see this years long dream become real."
After nearly a decade of fundraising The Salvation Army broke ground on it's $2.2 million dollar community center expansion project on November 4, 2019. Local and Salvation Army dignitaries, members of The Salvation Army Advisory Board and church and community members all gathered for the historic moment. No one could have guessed that a global pandemic would be just around the corner, delaying the start of construction on the space until May of 2020.
Gen 1 Architectural Group and CL Construction had come on board, and the long, weird, summer of 2020 was filled with trades and vendors, large equipment of every kind and finally, walls. "It was pretty amazing to see the building become, well, a building," said Administrative Assistant Alicia Hager, "it's like once it got started it just went up so quickly. It was breathtaking really." 
Now the new building is nearing completion, the gym floor is striped for a basketball game and the generously donated landscaping sleeps under a blanket of February snow. The Salvation Army is excited to open the community space for different events, after school programs and more.
"This really has been an expression of love," said Major Heather Holman, "love of the corps members for this community, and love of the community for the vulnerable and the underserved. We are humbled by the generosity of donors, the dedication of the contractors and architects, and the stamina and flexibility of our staff through these long months of construction."
Major Heather invited anyone interested to check The Grand Haven Salvation Army's website or Facebook page frequently. A photo album capturing the progress of the new additional can also be found on Facebook.