May 25, 2012

Heart Your Kidneys, Friends of Ford and Racing for the Cure

Share the goods.

Okay, so perhaps one of my longer blog titles…but admit it, pretty catchy.
I don’t know how to even begin relating or explaining to all of you, how thankful 834 is to have a friend in Shelley Irwin and to be able to chat with her once a month on all things nonprofit, small business and networking on our segment Your Biz, Your Town.

This month is no different, besides being right before a holiday and maybe having a few less listeners, we have amazing guests. The Grand Rapids African American Health Institute has been doing phenomenal outreach, advocacy and education within the community, specifically to the African American population. Their latest endeavor is the Heart Your Kidneys’ campaign. Did you know that due to the high rate of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, African Americans have an increased risk of developing kidney failure and requiring dialysis treatments or a kidney transplant to live? Kind of a staggering fact, and one that GRAAHI is working to combat. I encourage you to check it out, did I mention they are giving away some pretty sweet prizes? Oh and take the kidney quiz, I dare you.

I am proud to say, that as of last week Team 834 signed up for the Susan G. Komen West Michigan Race for the Cure. Did you know that this is the 15th year for Race for the Cure and that the first year, our very own Betty Ford was the honorary chair? This year Betty Ford’s daughter, Susan Ford Bales has signed on to be the honorary 15 year ambassador. Talk about coming full circle! Get on board, join Team 834 or start your own team and help this amazing organization fund critical breast cancer services in our community. What is given local, stays local. Join here, I challenge you.
I am full of challenges and dares today.

Now, who doesn’t love President Ford? If you don’t, you are unAmerican or at the very least not from west Michigan. Did you know that we have the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation housed within our very own Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum? Pretty cool. They host some amazing educational events every year. I encourage you to check them out.

Get involved people! We have great organizations such as these right in our backyard, and they need support, assistance and community love.

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

Showing up to an interview with an iced coffee? Not the move… unless it’s for @bodespeaks

#icedcoffee #agency #PR #trending #grandrapids

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