GRAND HAVEN, Mich — There's no service going on inside Covenant Life Church, but the place of worship is still bustling with activity on a Tuesday afternoon. The church, at the corner of Columbus and 1st in downtown Grand Haven, allows the faith-based non-profit Beyond26 to operate in their building for free.
Beyond26 helps people with unique abilities find jobs in the community.
"We have a simple meet and greet with our job seekers, and at that meet and greet, we build a profile. And once we have that profile built, then we go out into their own community and look for jobs," said executive director Dirk Bakhuyzen.
The non-profit prepares its clients to work in their communities by giving them a job shredding sensitive documents for people in the community.
"It can help people with disabilities and stuff. It can help them build up those job skills and social skills so they can get ready for employment," said Larissa McClellan who shreds documents with Beyond26.
Shredding documents also offers an opportunity for clients to find a sense of community. Maddie Dukes says her favorite part of it all is working with her friends and the occasional pizza party that the organization offers.
One of the organization's success stories is that of Kylee VanTol, who has secured a job and Kenzie's Be Cafe, a coffee shop in Grand Haven.
"It's been a neat stepping stone for Kylee to now be out in the workforce as well. This has helped her be equipped and to have the confidence to do that," said Kylee's mom Lyn VanTol, who helped make the connection between Covenant Life Church and Beyond26.
Kylee's story is just one of many. Beyond26 started in Grand Rapids several years ago. Since 2019, they've found 120 jobs for their clients across 70 businesses. About a year ago, they expanded to Grand Haven, which serves as their lakeshore hub. They'd like to gain some momentum at that new location.
"This location is having the exact same growing pains as we did in Grand Rapids. The word needs to get out that they're here and that they're looking for documents to shred," said Bakhuyzen, whose own son graduated from shredding documents to working at Weller Truck Parts in Wyoming.
"We encourage the lakeshore community to embrace this program. Help them by bringing them your documents, and supporting them financially as well."
The organization suggests a $20 donation for each box of documents that need to be shredded.
If you'd like to get in touch with Beyond26, you can call (616) 884-6400. You can also fill out a contact form on their website that goes straight to Bakhuyzen's email inbox. The website also has a donation page if you'd like to help them financially.
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