Foundation Awards Dinner Sponsorships Available Now Before Tickets Go On Sale
The Foundation will hold its 15th Awards Dinner at Watermark Country Club on Wednesday, October 7. This year’s Awards Dinner focuses on three issues that are vital to our community and our world: mental health, environmental protection, and local journalism.
Dr. Nii Addy will be the featured speaker and will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Addy, EGRHS class of '96, is an associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine. In his 25 years of neuroscience research, he has contributed to our understanding of reward, motivation, learning and memory, anxiety, depression,and addiction. Addy speaks on a range of topics, including mental health work/life balance, employee wellness, treatments for mental health illnesses, navigating through times of uncertainty, and thriving. He is the creator and host of the Addy Hour podcast.
Susan Lovell is a Michigan-based author, educator, and community leader who will receive the Community Service Award. Lovell co-founded the Cadence, a beloved weekly East Grand Rapids newspaper that was published for more than four decades, from 1975 to 2019. Lovell also served as a consultant to The Wege Foundation and sat on the board of Our Hope and on the Salvation Army Advisory Board.
AJ Birkbeck will be honored posthumously with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Birkbeck, EGRHS class of '78, was an environmental attorney who built a career managing corporate-scale cleanups. He was instrumental in exposing the most severe case of toxic PFAS contamination in Michigan. His work touched off a massive search for the chemicals that helped stop thousands from drinking poisoned water in Kent County and beyond. He then created the PFAS Alliance, which worked with the Michigan Environmental Council to form the AJ Birkbeck Scholarship Fund, which grants scholarships to Michigan college students to complete and share PFAS research projects.
The 2025 and 2026 recipients of the EGRSF Excellence in Teaching and James and Georgia Nicholas Endowed Award for a Teacher of Math, Science, or Technology will also be honored at the dinner.
Heather Carlson, Kailey Faris, and
Andrea Dudley received the awards in 2025. This year's honorees will be announced in August.
Sponsoring the Awards Dinner is a great opportunity. Our most recent Awards Dinner sold out. Depending on levels, sponsors may obtain tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Sponsors will also be recognized at the dinner, which is expected to attract more than 300 people.
