Thousands Pitch In Across 122 Locations

More than 2,000 residents of Holland gathered Wednesday to participate in Community Impact Day, a grassroots initiative that began in the city and has since spread to communities across the country.

Volunteers fanned out across the city to 122 different locations to help with tasks ranging from scrubbing and shoveling to sorting supplies.

The Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce started Community Impact Day as part of its leadership program in 2022. The initiative started with 25 people in a class, and each participant invited a friend to join in.

Jodi Owczarski, president and CEO of the Michigan West Coast Chamber of Commerce, said the participation has grown dramatically since those early days.

"We went from 50 people the first time we did this, to now, there's over 2000," Owczarski said.

Beyond that, there are 20 other chambers across the country that are doing Community Impact Day alongside the Michigan West Coast Chamber.

Owczarski explained that the projects chosen for the day target needs that organizations and municipalities cannot address with traditional volunteers or staff.

"When we put together the projects for the day, we talk about things that organizations and municipalities just don't have the ability to do with their traditional volunteers or staff," Owczarski said.

She noted that certain projects have saved the city over 100,000 dollars on one project alone.

"We've had the city of Holland come to us and say certain projects we've done have saved them over 100,000 on one project alone. And we repeat that over and over year over year," Owczarski said.

In 2025, Community Impact Day volunteers contributed more than 10,000 hours of service, generating more than 347,000 dollars in value in a single day.

Local Businesses and Residents Join In

Participants ranged from local business employees to students and nonprofit leaders.

Employees from LVZ Financial Planning helped dig out tulips from Window on the Waterfront. Darlene Kuipers of LVZ Financial Planning said the firm values giving back to the community.

"LVZ, as a member of the community, as an investor in our spaces downtown, it's really fun to see spaces that we've invested in as a firm, like the Ice Park, like the playscape," Kuipers said.

She added that taking care of the spaces around it and the businesses that they serve is a key part of why the firm is giving back today.

Ramona Garza, a fifth grader at Holland Public Schools, joined classmates to help clean the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland.

"It just feels like good. It impacts a lot and it just helps," Garza said. "And I like organizing and cleaning."

Holland Hospital CEO Patti VanDort and her team spent the day at the assisted living nonprofit My Brother's House. VanDort said she did not know anything about the project until she was assigned to work there.

"I didn't even know anything about it until we got assigned to work here. And so to learn about what's happening in our community and think about, hey, how can the hospital play a part, even beyond Community Impact Day," VanDort said.

She noted that the Lakeshore is such a special place, and getting to be a part of it really does not even feel like work. It just feels like about making a difference.

A Nationwide Movement

Owczarski said the initiative started in West Michigan, in Holland and Zeeland, as little ripples of impact.

"What started here in West Michigan, in Holland and Zeeland, were these little ripples of impact, and now it's spread out across the country and has turned into this positive tidal wave for good," Owczarski said.

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