The story details the organization's beginnings, recent growth, and how its programs continue to impact the communities of Northeast Michigan.
Alpena, Michigan | The Sunset Project recently had the honor of being selected as the official nonprofit partner for the 2024 Winter issue of The Boardman Review, a quarterly print and digital publication based out of Traverse City, Michigan.
Created in 2017 by Nick and Chris Loud, The Boardman Review is a creative culture and outdoor lifestyle journal featuring stories about the Northern Michigan region’s creatives, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Since then, the publication has released nearly 30 issues and explored topics such as green infrastructure, artist residency programs, outdoor recreation initiatives and much, much more.
As the 2024 Winter issue's official nonprofit partner, The Sunset Project was given the opportunity to publish a story discussing the organization's origin story, its growth, and the work it continues to do across Northeast Michigan.
A small snippet, written in collaboration with Alpena native Brett Hauff, can be found below. This season's issue, which includes our full story, is available now and can be purchased through The Boardman Review's website at theboardmanreview.com.
Three high school friends sat in the grass with their heads in their hands. Sawyer, one of their best friends, had just died by suicide.
They met that evening on the campus of Central Michigan University, their new home, to find their classes that began the next day.
A week later, Gavin MacDonald “had a visceral reaction” to do “something.” Nick Poli remembers “blowing him off;” Kevin O’Brien “was like, ‘Yeah, OK.’ … it just felt like a pie in the sky.’”
Now, eight years later, MacDonald, Poli and O’Brien—collectively known as “the guys”—have built a nonprofit in Northeast Michigan with growth that can be quantified in square feet, collaborations and partnerships.
But The Sunset Project’s influence extends beyond numbers. It has changed lives. It could have changed Sawyer’s.
To read more, please consider purchasing a copy of The Boardman Review's 2024 Winter issue at theboardmanreview.com.
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