Our Big, Little Community.
Uniting Artists, Businesses & Dreamers
Hi there! We’re Kaitlin and Kenzie, a couple of gals from New York and Kentucky who were lucky enough to find our way to this part of the map. Grand Rapids is our home, and its community members, artists, small business owners, and self-proclaimed misfits have become our family.
As small business owners ourselves, we’ve spent the last few years brainstorming ways to give back to our Grand Rapids family while also uplifting and supporting the marginalized communities, small business owners, and artists in our lives. That’s how UVGR was born.
Did you know there are roughly 20,000 small businesses in our big little city?! From services to wares, food and beverage to the arts—Grand Rapids is a hub of creation, and the small businesses that fuel it are vital to its well-being. So we asked ourselves: How do we bring people together while also supporting our local economy?
We started with what we know—celebrations, organized events, and book-themed balls—as a way to hold space for local vendors, encourage networking, and, of course, have fun while doing it! We’ve been fortunate enough to meet some truly incredible people and fellow nonprofits during our time in Grand Rapids, and our goal now is to build a table where everyone has a seat and can mutually benefit from sharing space.
If you joined us at Starfall Ball in September at the GRAM, thank you! We hope you’ll continue gathering with us. If you want to experience the kinds of celebrations UVGR puts on, we’d love to welcome you to our next event.
Our Mission
Unified Voices of Grand Rapids (UVGR) exists to uplift local voices, support creatives and small businesses, and create inclusive community spaces where people genuinely connect.
We are organizers, collaborators, creatives, and neighbors who believe that community isn’t something you consume — it’s something you participate in. Our work centers on creating welcoming, accessible spaces where local artists, vendors, and community members can show up as they are and be supported in meaningful ways.
What started as a shared desire to bring people together has grown into a platform for connection, visibility, and collective impact.
Through thoughtfully curated events and collaborations, we bring people together across backgrounds, identities, and experiences — because strong communities are built when everyone has a seat at the table.
At the heart of UVGR is a set of values that guide everything we do:
Community First
People matter more than profit. Connection matters more than aesthetics.Inclusion & Belonging
Our events are intentionally built to be welcoming, accessible, and affirming.Local Voices Deserve to Be Heard
Artists, vendors, and small businesses deserve platforms that honor their work.Collaboration Over Competition
We believe in building alongside others, not over them.Intentional Impact
Every event, partnership, and decision is made with care and purpose.
Why It Matters
Community doesn’t happen by accident — it happens when people are given space to connect.
In a world that often feels fragmented and disconnected, UVGR creates opportunities for people to come together, support one another, and build something meaningful at a local level. Every event is an invitation to participate, to belong, and to contribute to a stronger, more connected Grand Rapids.
Join the Community
Whether you attend an event, support our work, collaborate with us, or help spread the word — you are part of what makes UVGR possible.
Community is not something we build alone.
It’s something we build together.