WMCAT's 20th Anniversary
In 2005, the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT) was founded with the intention of providing a culture of opportunity for people to make social and economic progress in their lives and community. Since then, WMCAT has connected more than a thousand adults and teens with opportunities to build creative confidence, develop power in aligning personal values with career options, discover leadership qualities born out of lived experience, and find economic security in meaningful careers.
In 2025, join us as we celebrate 20 years of impact. As we reflect on our past, we’re energized to continue working toward a bold future where thriving opportunity awaits us all.
20 Years of impact
2000 The Spark is Ignited
Recognizing his interest in bridging the gap between education and employment, a Steelcase sales representative calls Steelcase CEO Jim Hackett with a suggestion to look into the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, an adult career training and youth arts education facility in Pittsburgh, PA, led by Bill Strickland. After conducting research, Jim Hackett gathers a team—including Brian Cloyd, Peter Wege, and others—to visit and tour Manchester Bidwell Corporation. Inspired by what they witness, the group seeks to develop a similar program model in Grand Rapids.
2001 The Connection
Jim Welch, retired president of Vecta, a division of Steelcase located in Texas, returns to Grand Rapids with a desire to serve the community. Upon his return, he meets Rev. Arthur Bailey and tours Abundant Life Ministries with Brian Cloyd and Jim Hackett. The program offers photography and video courses for teens, along with holistic supports like a food pantry. Jim Hackett makes the connection between the work being done at Abundant Life Ministries and at Manchester Bidwell Corporation, and the three recognize that this model should be expanded in Grand Rapids.
2002 WMCAT is Born
Jim Hackett, Brian Cloyd, and Jim Welch bring together local business owners to establish WMCAT as a nonprofit and launch the Seek Learn Grow: A Campaign for WMCAT. Jim Hackett and Doug DeVos serve as honorary co-chairs of the campaign. To build confidence in the model, they take the group of business owners to Pittsburgh to witness Manchester Bidwell Corporation’s impact firsthand. Upon their return, the group is energized, and WMCAT is set in motion.
2003 Founding Board is Created
WMCAT’s founding board forms, including members Rev. Arthur Bailey, Brian Cloyd, Thomas DeMeester, Jeanne Englehart, Jim Knight, Bill Strickland, Matthew VanVranken, and Jim Welch.
2004 GRPS Partnership is Formed
A partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools is established, allowing ninth-grade students to attend WMCAT programs after school, tuition-free and for school credit.
2005 WMCAT Opens Its Doors
WMCAT officially opens its doors, welcoming 104 Grand Rapids Public Schools ninth–grade students to the Teen Arts + Tech Program. Early supporters in WMCAT include the Heart of West Michigan United Way, Corewell Health (then Spectrum Health), Amway, Frey Foundation, Wege Foundation, and many others.
2006 Adult Career Training Begins
Following the Manchester Bidwell model, WMCAT introduces the Adult Career Training Program. To create opportunities for Kent County adults experiencing under- and unemployment, WMCAT welcomes its first cohort of 12 medical coding students.
Meanwhile, Grand Rapids Public Schools 10th-grade students begin attending the Teen Arts + Tech Program.
2007 Teen Arts + Tech Program Grows
The Teen Arts + Tech Program expands, opening to Grand Rapids Public Schools 11th-grade students and increasing participation to 230 students.
2008 Pharmacy Technician Pathway Added to the Adult Career Training Program
With the success of the Adult Career Training Program, continued local investment in the medical sector, and support from Corewell Health (then Spectrum Health), WMCAT expands its Adult Career Training Program to include a Pharmacy Technician pathway.
2009 WMCAT Grows from Within
WMCAT’s capital campaign, the Growing from Within Campaign, raises $1,460,000 to fund the expansion of the space. The campaign is led by board member Bruce Courtade. With the additional space, WMCAT grows its offerings, including the expansion of the Teen Arts + Tech Program to include Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) 12th graders. Attendance in the Teen Arts + Tech Program reaches 265 students and includes all GRPS high school grade levels.
2009 WMCAT Mourns the Loss of Founding Board Chair, Jim Welch
Founding Board Chair Jim Welch passes away, leaving behind a lasting imprint on WMCAT’s work and the community. To honor his leadership and his commitment to the advancement of WMCAT, a student is annually honored through an Award for Inspiration in Jim’s honor.
2011 Metaphorest Mural Project
WMCAT Teen Arts + Tech students collaborate to create an ArtPrize mural entry, Metaphorest. The 2,400-square-foot multimedia mural is installed on the east wall of the original WMCAT building at 98 Fulton Street.
2012 WMCAT Celebrates at Inaugural iBall Event
WMCAT hosts its first iBall celebration, bringing the community together to honor remarkable students and supporters who have made a lasting impact on the organization.
2013 WMCAT Students Design Christmas Ornaments for National Display
WMCAT Teen Arts + Tech students are selected to represent Michigan by designing ornaments for display on the Michigan state tree in Washington, D.C., as part of an exhibition viewed by visitors from around the world.
2014 The 2Gen Approach
WMCAT becomes a learning partner within Ascend at the Aspen Institute, an initiative that mobilizes organizations focused on two-generation (2Gen) approaches to economic stability. Through this partnership and funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, WMCAT gains access to a national network of best practices, enhancing its holistic supports for students and their families in achieving long-term success.
2015 WMCAT Acquires Ambrose
WMCAT acquires Ambrose, a Holland-based after-school program and screen-printing business. Once part of WMCAT, Ambrose provides employment opportunities for teens and young adults connected to the Teen Arts + Tech Program, increasing youth employment and generating earned revenue for the organization. Before retiring in 2022, Ambrose produces products for Meijer stores, Lake Michigan Credit Union (LMCU), Amway, and others.
2015 Leadership by Design
WMCAT launches Leadership by Design—WMCAT’s personal and professional development curriculum embedded in the Adult Career Training Program. This training becomes a core component of multiple WMCAT programs, as well as external workshop offerings to strengthen personal and professional development with local and regional employers.
2016 First Lady Michelle Obama Honors WMCAT
WMCAT’s Teen Arts + Tech Program is honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony for being a top program in inspiring and engaging young people through creativity. WMCAT was one of 12 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Honorees.
2017 WMCAT Breaks Ground on New Home
Following the success of the Leave Your Mark fundraising campaign, co-chaired by Nancy Hickey and Brian Cloyd, and with a lead gift from the James and Jane Welch Foundation, WMCAT surpasses its $8.5 million goal and breaks ground on a new building in Grand Rapids’ Westside neighborhood. The new space allows WMCAT to expand its programming while contributing to the neighborhood’s revitalization.
2017 Public Agency at WMCAT
WMCAT launches Public Agency at WMCAT, a Human-Centered Design consultancy that collaborates with organizations locally, statewide, and nationally to foster cultures of equity, action, and innovation. Through workshops and project coaching, Public Agency guides organizations through the Human-Centered Design process, promoting methods and mindsets that prioritize the lived experiences of those most impacted by the organizations’ work and design decisions.
2018 Welcome Home WMCAT
On September 5, WMCAT officially opens its new Westside building, nearly doubling WMCAT’s footprint. The space includes expanded studios, classrooms, collaborative areas, a recording booth, darkroom, ceramic studio, pharmacy lab, and more.
2018 Step Year at WMCAT
WMCAT introduces Step Year at WMCAT, a program designed for Kent County residents ages 18–24 to explore career paths, develop self-awareness, and build connections with employers. Step Year at WMCAT provides a unique mix of college and career exploration to help students align their values with their unique path forward.
2020 WMCAT Adapts During a Global Pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts daily life, WMCAT quickly shifts to online instruction, ensuring students remain engaged and are able to complete their programs.
The WMCAT 20/20: Exploring Conflicting Visions of the Future event, originally planned as a two-day, in-person experience, transforms into an eight-month virtual series featuring speakers, breakout discussions, and resources. The adaptation highlights WMCAT’s flexibility, commitment to community connection, and continued conversations at the systems level. The program includes a focus on exploring the intersection of economic prosperity, education, health and well-being, and social capital in community.
2022 GR-JGP Planning
Public Agency at WMCAT becomes the host organization for the planning phase of the Grand Rapids Justice and Governance Partnership (GR-JGP), a part of the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative, facilitating collaboration with community stakeholders to develop justice-focused initiatives.
2022 Kingdom of Remedy
WMCAT is chosen as one of 30 organizations to receive funding from the CDC Foundation to create a project using art that builds confidence in the COVID-19 and flu vaccines. Students in WMCAT’s Teen Arts + Tech program video studio write and produce a film called The Kingdom of Remedy: A Fable which premieres with a screening at Wealthy Theatre. The film is viewable throughout 2022 at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
2022 Cybersecurity Program Paves Way for Future Tech Professionals
Responding to the needs of the community as well as Greater Grand Rapids’ push to become a major technology hub, WMCAT launches a Cybersecurity + GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) pathway within its tuition-free Adult Career Training Program. With catalyst funding from WK Kellogg Foundation and connections made with Google, this new pathway offers Kent County adults experiencing under- and unemployment a tuition-free opportunity to pursue thriving-wage careers in the digital economy.
2023 Cybersecurity Expands
Building upon the success of its inaugural cybersecurity cohort and with a $1 million investment from the State of Michigan, made possible by bipartisan support in the legislature, WMCAT expands its Cybersecurity pathway to include Cloud Security Engineer. This expansion increases course capacity and broadens student learning opportunities.
2024 Partnering for Career Development
The Literacy Center of West Michigan receives a Michigan Impact Grant and partners with WMCAT to create and implement a career development program for Corewell Health employees who are learning English as a second language. The program combines training in WMCAT’s Adult Career Training program with English language instruction. The focus of the program is to create career growth and economic stability for employees. In its first year WMCAT enrolls five Corewell Health employees, increasing enrollment in the Pharmacy Technician pathway.
2025 Celebrating 20 Years of Impact
WMCAT celebrates 20 years of creating impact in the community through providing a culture of opportunity for people to make social and economic progress in their lives and community. And while the big-picture impact is a great story to tell, the personal stories of impact — a new career leading to income stability for a family, college and career exploration kickstarting a future of purpose for a young adult, creativity growing the confidence of a teen — capture the core of WMCAT’s mission.
celebrate with us
Join us at an event in 2025! We’re bringing the community together to celebrate our mission, students, and staff that make WMCAT a staple of Grand Rapids. Events include an exhibition of student work from the last 20 years, a community celebration, and more!
Showcasing student creativity
Limited-edition wmcat gear
Celebrate 20 years with limited-edition WMCAT gear created by WMCAT teen alumni! These unique designs created by Anala Millbrooks and Minni Peters reflect their experiences in WMCAT’s Teen Arts + Tech Program.
Hear from the artists
“WMCAT is a place that helped my development as an artist. The constant support from the staff and teachers has allowed me to continue my journey as a WMCAT student. It also helped that there is so much diversity in WMCAT that it feels like a safe place. For the future of WMCAT, I wanted to portray the opportunities available for people who look like me, continue to encourage inspiration and creativity, and be comfortable enough to experiment.“
– Anala Millbrooks, Artwork: Follow the Stars
“WMCAT has given me many opportunities for learning and growth, whether that’s through their teen arts and tech programs or through commissioned work like this one. When I first started attending WMCAT, it was simply a way for me to have some sort of artistic outlet since I wasn’t provided one at school. After a few weeks, I realized WMCAT is much more than that. WMCAT became a second home to me, a place where I could go and be my authentic self. I was not only given the physical tools to pursue my art career, but I was given the emotional support as well. WMCAT has helped guide me on my journey to pursue the arts as a career and I have seen that same impact on other students. Having a facility where students can express themselves artistically has only resulted in positive outcomes in our community and that is exactly what WMCAT has achieved for the last 20 years and will continue to achieve for many years to come.“
-Minni Peters, Artwork: Rebirth
Donate Today!
The last 20 years, this year, and the next 20 years are not possible without your support. By making a donation to WMCAT you are providing a place where teens can explore visual arts and digital media while building creative confidence, young adults can connect their values with college and career exploration, and adults can tain for a new career that leads to income stability for their family.
20 years of Impact
Teen Arts + Tech program
“I have found an after-school activity that makes me genuinely excited, something that has not happened before. It gives me hope for the future of after school activities.”
-Teen Arts + Tech Student
6 years of Impact
Step Year at wmcat
“My time in class has been filled with enriching experiences, from field trips that brought learning to life, to engaging projects that encouraged creativity and critical thinking. Step Year has broadened my horizons, sparking curiosity and igniting passions I didn’t know existed. My journey has been full of discovery, growth, and excitement. I am so looking forward to the future.”
-Step Year Alum
20 Years of Impact
adult career training program
“I really like how everyone is so different from each other, but we are all here for similar reasons and that alone makes being at WMCAT feel so welcoming and encouraging.”
– Adult Career Training Alum
20 years of support
Number of Unique Donors
Amount of Funds Raised Over 20 Years
*Funding includes donations, grants, and corporate support.
Featured Student + Alumni Stories
20th Anniversary Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors! Sponsorship of our 20th anniversary supports WMCAT’s vision to provide equitable access to opportunity.
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Emily Evers, Director of Development, at emily.evers@wmcat.org or 616.454.7004.