Dear MI-03 Neighbors:

I hope you all enjoy your heart’s content of hot dogs, corn on the cob, and parades this weekend! My boys love to tease me–will Mom cry during a parade this year? They know my patriotism and love for this country are overwhelming sometimes. We are not a perfect country, but we are a truly great nation, and more than that, we have the opportunity to always be evolving and refining. I was listening to America by Ray Charles as I was making breakfast this morning and the line–America, America may God thy gold refine–struck me in a whole new way as I work on the daily task of improving our democracy. Happy Fourth of July!

Here’s a look back at our week, and a preview of what’s to come.

Week in Review

This week’s big news is that I helped to secure a $6.2 million dollar grant for cleaner public transportation in West Michigan. After strong advocacy, I was able to secure one of the highly competitive “Low/No Emissions” grants from the Federal Transit Administration to help The Rapid put 11 new biofuel buses on the road. Congratulations to the awesome team at The Rapid!

Team Scholten brought our All Star case management services directly to constituents this week with mobile office hours in Grand Haven and Muskegon. Thanks to Loutit District Library and the VA for hosting us. Stay tuned for more mobile hours throughout the summer!

This week I took the time to sit down with a few very special constituents graduating high school and heading off to college. I asked them about their plans, their hopes and dreams and how we can make West Michigan even better. One of these students was Vishnu Manu, a Congressional Medal of Merit winner and the valedictorian of City High. At just 15, Vishnu created a unique app called Spotter, a localized parking app that helps folks find parking around Grand Rapids. Vishnu embodies the true spirit of West Michigan–creativity, hard work, entrepreneurship, and genuine kindness. Best of luck in college, Vishnu! Keep in touch about your success.

Kenzie's Be Café not only has incredible food and drinks, but it also has an inspiring purpose. Owner Erin Lyon opened the café with the intent of hiring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These ‘BEristas’ gain incredible skills while working at the café, and patrons are all taught a message of acceptance while patronizing this special local spot.

The Week Ahead

We’ll be closing out Pride Month with a roundtable on LGBTQ issues at the local, state and federal level on Friday. On Tuesday, we’ll be crisscrossing the district celebrating the Fourth. We’re also so excited to welcome Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to the district to see the ways that a $5.1 million grant from the EPA for private lead service line replacements is bettering the lives of local residents.

Don’t forget to check out our social media accounts during the week for even more information and updates, including our featured grant for funding Fridays and other photos throughout the week.

With a gratitude for your engagement,

Hillary Scholten
Member of Congress