Community leaders will help guide organization as it moves forward.
Guiding Light is welcoming four new members to its Board of Directors as the longtime non-profit builds on its more than 90–year history of serving the community by helping individuals transform their lives.
The new members began their terms in early January and are part of the ten-member Board of Directors that oversees the programming and services that Guiding Light offers. Founded in 1929, Guiding Light is a longtime resident of the Heartside neighborhood and has evolved from a homeless shelter to its current offerings of addiction recovery, sober-living housing and job placement services. Late in 2022, Guiding Light announced it will be providing services to women through the purchase of two homes that will serve as sober-living facilities.
The new board members are:
Steve Jandernoa – Steve Jandernoa is a partner at 42 North Partners in Grand Rapids. He is an active community volunteer, serving on the boards of Artists Creating Together and Catholic Central High School. He and his wife Holly are the parents to four sons. In the last year, Steve has created relationships with the men in recovery through weekly workouts at 8th Day Gym and looks forward to now supporting the organization in this new role.
Ed Postma – Ed Postma has been in the financial services industry for the last 29 years, and as a Certified Financial Planner since 2005. Postma is a partner at Plan It Financial Group in Grandville. He and his wife Pam have three grown children. Postma is excited to be part of Guiding Light because he has seen firsthand how lives can be transformed through church connections with Guiding Light.
De’Andrea (Dee Dee) Taylor – Dee Dee Taylor, AAS, BSW is the CEO and founder of Taylor Made Re-Entry, which is a non-profit services organizer formed as a faith–based community partner to improve vulnerable communities and advocate against the massive barrier facing men and women returning home from incarceration. Taylor is excited to be part of Guiding Light’s mission to help improve the health of the community. Taylor is a Grand Rapids native and a graduate of Jackson College and Central Michigan University.
Kate Morton – Kate Morton is a Local Sales Manager at WXMI-TV Fox 17 in Grand Rapids. Morton says Guiding Light is a hidden gem in West Michigan as it changes the lives of those with addiction who are dedicated to getting better. Guiding Light builds their confidence so they can be strong contributors within our community. She is excited to increase awareness of Guiding Light, especially as the organization moves into the area of women’s recovery. Morton is married to her husband Jeff and is the mother of twin girls, Wren & Dakota, and is also a stepmother to Jake & Jacqueline.
“Our new board members bring years of success and connections in the community to these roles and we’re excited to work with them,” says Brian Elve, Guiding Light Executive Director. “We’re grateful they have chosen to share their talents with us and look forward to their expertise in helping us build a better Guiding Light moving forward.”
