Twenty years ago I was asked to lead a youth program named Kairos. I put together what I thought were the necessary components to have a comprehensive approach to evangelizing and discipling young people.
Our youth work initiative had the key constitutional elements: the role of the parents, an engaging program, available mentorship, good peer environments, high impact events, and service opportunities for youth. However, before long, it struck me that grandparents were missing from our approach. A program was needed that enabled grandparents to participate in youth work with their own grandchildren. It took some time to obtain the funds and to find the right person to organize a plan of action but eventually, in 2016, Grandly was born.
In 2021, Grandly became its own 501.c.3 corporation but we continued to share office space with Kairos and two other related organizations. As we begin 2024, the office we have been using is no longer adequate for our needs. So Grandly is moving!
The challenge is that we can’t predict how rapidly we might grow but there are signs that we need to prepare for significant expansion. We began looking for a new space in the autumn and found a place in December in a shared office facility that gives us the opportunity to grow one desk at a time without renting more space than we need right now.
Our new facility provides all desks, chairs, computer monitors, internet, heating and air-conditioning, filing cabinets, printers, conference rooms, casual seating, dining booths, work tables, and COFFEE in one reasonable fee.
We are spared cleaning bathrooms and refrigerators, vacuuming floors, repairing anything, snow removal, and just about any other form of maintenance. It means we can spend all of our time doing things Grandly with 24/7 access to our space 365 days per year.
We have discovered the world of shared office space. The place that we will be using is called Shared Office Space of Lansing (SOSLansing.com) and our new location is 725 Prudden Street in Lansing, Michigan.
Come visit us!
The Grandly Office Staff
(Mike Shaughnessy, Pili Abouchaar, Diana Hou, Paul Schleusener, Judy Skiba)
Note: for those who have been sending checks and correspondence to 1417½ Michigan Avenue, please note that these should now be sent to 1225 Weber Drive, Lansing, MI 48912.