I'm gonna call this meeting of the city commission to order.

Uh and our first item of business is presentation of a scholarship, which we give out or which is given out every year to a uh uh family member of one of our city employees, and this is the it's named after Dr.

Schnur and uh Mr.

James here to uh give us the presentation and name the winner envelope please drum roll.

Drum roll good morning, everyone.

Uh my name excuse me.

Uh my name is Ty James, and I am the training and organizational development manager for the city.

Uh this morning I am honored to present the Dr.

Skinnor Scholarship Award.

This scholarship award was established by Dr.

Elmer Sknor, former city physician in 1954 to make scholarships available to city employee dependents or high school seniors.

The award is in the amount of a thousand dollars.

The Dr.

Skinor Scholarship is awarded to a student with a good record of achievement in high school.

The scholarship is designated to apply toward the first year tuition at any college or university recognized by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges or the American Council of Education.

The Dr.

School Scholarship is awarded to a student who demonstrates a strong academic record, meaningful involvement in school and community activities, and clearly defined personal goals and aspirations.

The recipient is independently selected by a committee from Grand Rapids Public Schools, following a comprehensive review of each of the applicants' qualifications.

This year, the scholarship has been awarded to Grace Schae Sma.

Grace is the daughter of city employee Phil Schafsma.

Grace stood out through her outstanding academic achievements, dedication to community service, and significant volunteer hours, which truly set her apart from the other candidates.

So, with that, I ask all of you to please join me in congratulating Grace on receiving the Dr.

Skinner Scholarship Award.

And to congratulate Grace on an unbelievable uh achievement, graduating from the museum school, and uh has informed me earlier, that's why when you gavel talking to him, she plans to attend Loyolia Loyola University.

So congratulations to her and uh to both of her parents for this outstanding uh achievement.

All right, uh so if we could get everybody on the dais to come on down and take a photo with Grace and her family.

Okay.

Thank you.

So I'm gonna stay down here for the next item of business, which is our proclamation on disability pride month.

Um my daughter said that the last thing on earth she wanted to do was come down here and uh be here for this.

Um but some of you know that my daughter is uh blind and very active in the disability community, so I actually workshopped this presentation this uh uh this proclamation with her and uh another national advocate uh to make sure I got the language right.

Um but uh I want to make the proclamation then.

So uh whereas uh the city of Grand Rapids joins alongside other communities around our nation in recognizing July as Disability Pride Month, July represents an opportunity to celebrate the many ways in which people living with disabilities, whether visible or invisible mobility, cognitive vision, or hearing, learning, sensory, or otherwise, add to the strength of our community, and whereas Disability Pride Month marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA, a major civil rights milestone signed by President George H President George H.W.

Bush, brought into law in July 26, 1990.

The ADA has expanded opportunities for people with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and increasing full participation in community life.

Whereas it is essential to promote a society that embraces disability as an integral and valued part of the human experience, where all people are treated with dignity, respect, and equality, and where barriers to participation and inclusion are eliminated.

And whereas the city recognizes the barriers and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, including societal misconceptions, built and architectural barriers, lack of accessibility, discrimination, and unequal opportunity.

We must unite against ableism and discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life.

And whereas the city appreciates the efforts of disability rights advocates, organizations, and activists who work to advance the rights, independence, and well-being of individuals with disabilities, and to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all.

Now, therefore, I, David LeGran, mayor of the City of Grand Rapids, declare July 2026 as Disability Pride Month in Grand Rapids, and call on all residents to recognize, honor, and celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of individuals with disabilities in numerous fields, including education, sports, science, and the humanities, as well as to promote inclusion, acceptance, and understanding of disability as a natural part of the human experience.

I don't see Mr.

Davis here, and uh I don't know.

Oh, there we go.

I am Mr.

Davis.

Thank you, sir.

Hey everyone.

Uh I'm Brandon today.

I'm Sierra Hatfield, the Equity Systems Manager.

Uh just want to say uh thank you, Commissioner, City Manager, staff, and community here today.

Uh as many of you know, the mission of the Office of Equity and Engagement is to foster liberation and belonging among all Grand Rapids communities, and that is a big reason of why we do uh why we support these proclamations, why we invite these community members in.

We really hope that this month will be a time to reflect on the unique challenges faced by those living with disabilities in our community.

We hope that this will inspire us to think how we show up in the practice of accessibility and the practice of inclusion for all.

And we also just hope that we can honor and uplift those stories and those perspectives as we move forward as public servants.

I would also like to take just a second to recognize a new employee resource group uh related to this month.

The Dan ERG or Diverse Abilities Network was founded by an alum of the 2025 cohort of equity champions.

This is our newest employee resource group.

It supports employees with disabilities, also their caregivers, allies, and advocates, and the mission is to advance accessibility, awareness, education, and belonging.

And we are so grateful to those staff that have stepped up to lead uh this important work and to create that space of inclusion for those staff.

Um at this time, we did invite the disability advocates of Kent County.