SHOWING UP FOR THE COMMUNITY

BY SARAH SUYDAM

Personally and professionally, Sonja Forte takes pride in being someone others can count on; a person who actively and fully shows up for other people. As Executive Director of Baxter Community Center, Forte puts these attributes into practice daily, leading a team that offers services to neighbors and spaces where the community can come together to feel not only cared for, but wholeheartedly welcomed.

Born and raised in Flint, Forte considers her childhood to have been traditional, with a mother who worked for Ameritech (AT&T) and father for General Motors.

“They’ve always been big on making sure I was involved in the community and extracurricular activities,” Forte said, noting the massive influence both her parents continue to have in her life. “I’m my father socially and I’m my mother at work. Everything I know professionally came from watching her. Both of them are quiet givers and show up for family and friends. They’re the people you can count on, and that shows up in me … in all pockets of my life.”

Forte made her way to Grand Rapids to attend GVSU, where she earned a degree in hospitality and tourism management with an emphasis in event planning and conference management, something she pursued after attending conventions with her mother while growing up. From there, her career trajectory has been anything but linear, an increasingly common reality for many.

“My career journey to where I am now has been completely insane,” Forte said. “I’ve probably worked every type of job humanly possible.”

From internships at the Amway Grand Hotel and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, to a stint at T-Mobile and TGI Friday’s, to being a public relations assistant, to working in affordable senior housing for Porter Hills Village, Forte’s breadth of experience is vast. She eventually landed at Baxter Community Center in 2012, not having any idea at the time she’d one day be its leader.

“I believe everybody should have to work in hospitality in some way, shape, or form. It’s just a great way to cut your teeth into humanity,” said Forte, who stepped into the Executive Director role at Baxter during the early days of the pandemic. She explained how all of her varying experiences have been fundamental in her continued approach to service and commitment.

“Our Disney handbook talked about exceeding expectations, and that’s something I’m really big on, even still today with Baxter,” she said. “People ask, ‘Well, what’s the correlation?’ and it’s all about how you see and treat people.

“I’ve told folks, I want to be able to give Ritz Carltonlevel service on the southeast side of Grand Rapids.”

With two main areas of focus—health and education— Baxter’s offerings certainly go above and beyond. Operating all under one roof, the center offers everything from childhood development and adult education classes on nutrition, finance and fitness, to dental and holistic health services for those who are under- or uninsured, a greenhouse, special events and more.

Forte shares that Baxter’s Marketplace, which includes fresh produce grown on site nine months out of the year, serves about 500 families every month—a 20% increase over the last year.

“When you’re talking about a community center, you have to have everybody in the community in mind if you’re really going to have any type of significant results or progress,” she said, adding that the center hopes to expand their programming, staffing and hours of operation in 2023. “It’s about bringing people together so everyone has an opportunity to enhance their quality of life and has a place to land.”

Forte, a self-professed goofy introvert who loves gift giving, considers her greatest professional accomplishment to be leading her current team, many of whom are new and emerging leaders themselves.

“The ability to walk that journey with them and help them develop their own leadership styles and find their own voices is great,” she said.

Forte reflected upon recently coming together with fellow GVSU alumni spanning decades to organize the Black Alumni Network Weekend, after the pandemic halted the network’s usual gatherings and efforts.

“It was great because it’s so important we didn’t lose that,