We are the
Momentum Center

Our Mission

The Momentum Center is pursuing a world where everyone is fully visible and connected.

We actively practice inclusion and value radical diversity. we champion equal access and equity of opportunity through the intentional celebration of people across all identity groups, including but not limited to age, appearance, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and perspective.

How it all started

In 2015, Barbara Lee VanHorssen launched Extended Grace, a nonprofit organization encouraging people to extend more grace to one another. Her vision was to connect people who wanted to make a difference with opportunities to serve while also paying attention to the gaps in the system. Her hope was to bring collaborative energy to filling those gaps and creating a healthier, more inclusive community for all.

Conversations at coffee shops and Town Hall Meetings led Barbara and her Board to open the Momentum Center for Social Engagement. With the help of the mental health millage that our own residents helped get passed, they launched this unique social and recreational program for adults with mental illness, addictions and disabilities. A year after opening the Momentum Center, they added Momentum Center Teens, which now welcomes young people beginning at age 11.

Recently, Barbara and the Board have been working to resolve confusion around the name Extended Grace. Many people assume it is a church while others confuse it with another local nonprofit with a similar name. As we seek to share the model of the Momentum Center with other communities, it also adds a layer of structure that can be difficult to understand. Finally, we are simply better well known for our achievements with the Momentum Center.

So, we have decided to start using the Momentum Center as our primary identity. We are still “powered” by Extended Grace. Extended Grace is still our legal 501(c)3 name, but we also have an official DBA as Momentum Center. And we are hoping by using Momentum Center as our primary identity that it will be easier for others to connect with our important work.

Research & Impact

Through the programs we create, encourage, and support, the Momentum Center can make a positive difference for many of our citizens, some of whom are among our most vulnerable.

We’re in the middle of a mental health crisis.

1 in 4 people in the US experience a mental illness during their lifetime.

In Ottawa County, 29% of youth report depression.

In a classroom of thirty students in Ottawa County, five of those students have seriously considered suicide and two have made an attempt.

Treatment helps. But mental health stigma is a large barrier.

70-90%

Get better with mental health treatment

60%

But, 60% never seek treatment at all. The biggest barrier to seeking help is stigma.

58%

In fact, 58% say stigma is a harder challenge than the mental illness itself.

That’s where the Momentum Center came in.

We started by having community conversations in order to normalize the conversation. We began holding Inspire! events that focus on issues germane to marginalized populations. Over and over again, the theme of Mental Illness was raised. That led to hosting Town Hall Meetings that are sponsored by the City of Grand Haven, Ottawa County, Grand Haven Area Public Schools and North Ottawa Community Healthcare. Those conversations include panelist presentations and then move into community conversation. Those conversations and the direct feedback from the grassroots community led to the formation of the Mental Illness Task Force and the initial concept of the Momentum Center for Social Engagement.

The Momentum Center for Social Engagement is an innovative approach to serving individuals with mental illness, addictions, and other disabilities while also serving the entire community. It costs $1 per year to join the Momentum Center. By offering social and recreational activities, events, and outings, the Momentum Center allows often disenfranchised individuals to build healthy relationships, engage in positive activities, and move out of isolation and into productive interactions in their community. Within the Momentum Center is also the Momentum Center Café, which is a good place for social integration where stereotypes are dismantled and stigma is eliminated. The café is run by members of the Momentum Center. The Momentum Center also operates Just Goods Gifts. Just Goods is open to the public. Finally, Just Goods is an L3C that provides an external funding stream with all profits benefitting the Momentum Center.

The needs in our community only continue to grow. In Ottawa County:

1 in 5 adults are disabled
17% of adults report depression and 15% report an anxiety disorder
15% of youth have thought about committing suicide in the last year
Opiate related deaths have increased by 85%

Mental Health continues as a CRITICAL issue and is not improving. Top Four Concerns:

Stigma with mental illness
Lack of programs/services
Lack of funding for services
Lack of psychiatrists/therapy

Access to Care is a case of those who have and those who have not. Under-served adults had trouble meeting health care needs in the past two years, and skipped or stretched their medication to save on costs.

Normalizing the conversation, giving purpose, saving lives

Figure 1. Members reporting moderate to severe depression* at Intake had significantly reduced depression after 1 year.

Figure 2. Members reporting moderate to severe anxiety** at Intake had significantly reduced anxiety after 6 months.

Figure 3. Members reporting moderate to severe loneliness*** at intake had significantly reduced loneliness after 1 year.

Figure 4. Members reporting social connectedness at intake had significantly increased connections after 1 year.

Figure 5. Members reporting feelings of stigma at intake had reduced feelings after 1 year and beyond.

*Depression measured by PHQ-9 (High Scores = More symptoms of depression)
**Anxiety measured by GAD-2 (High Scores = More symptoms of anxiety)
***Loneliness measured by 3-Item Loneliness Scale (Hughes et al., 2004; High Scores = experiencing more loneliness)