Community Programs

 Picnic Pops!

Men from the Guiding Light Mission substance abuse and life recovery program volunteered at the Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops on Thursday, July 15 and Thursday, July 29.

Picnic Pops is the summer concert series put on at Cannonsburg Ski Area by the Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony. Guiding Light Mission program men will assist in directing traffic, helping concert guests carry coolers to their picnic site, and assist the elderly in getting to their seat safely.

“We have more than 100 volunteers on-site at Cannonsburg for a Picnic Pops concert, and we’re excited to have the Guiding Light Mission program men involved,” said Annamarie Buller, volunteer coordinator for the Grand Rapids Symphony. “We love reaching out to the community and bringing diversity to this unique event. They will be Ambassadors of the Symphony for the night, and we’re grateful that they are so willing to help.”

The Guiding Light Mission program, called START (Spiritual Truth And Recovery Training), is a residential substance abuse and life recovery program. Guiding Light Mission involves its program men in volunteerism and community service whenever possible.

“Our men enjoy giving back to the community,” said Stuart Ray, executive director of Guiding Light Mission. “The men have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; Clean Up, Green Up; The Mental Health Foundation; and, most recently, the Brian Diemer Amerikam 5K Race, to name a few. It is encouraging to them in their recovery to give something back, and we love finding ways for them to support these great community initiatives.”