Joseph Michael Thomas

Joseph Michael Thomas was born on November 24th, 2018 to Tyler '15 and Allison (Reynolds) Thomas '14. "He is such a wonderful baby and we love him more everyday

Jarrod `09 and Ashley (Yocum) Ferwerda `08

Jarrod `09 and Ashley (Yocum) Ferwerda `08-

Trillium Creek Rustic Barn Venue Named Winner of The Knot Best of Weddings

 LUDINGTON, Mich. (Jan. 22, 2019) “ Trillium Creek Rustic Barn Venue has been named as a winner of The Knot Best of Weddings Award for 2019.

The award represents the highest- and most-rated wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning website and app.

Trillium Creek Rustic Barn is owned and operated by Malone University alums Jarrod Ferwerda (2009) and Ashley Yocum Ferwerda (2008).

According to a spokesperson for The Knot, only four percent of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot received this distinguished award in 2019.

This award puts us in with pretty elite company, said Ashley Ferwerda, who serves as the venue's general manager. "We do our best to make sure that Trillium offers the ideal place to make wedding memories last a lifetime, and we take a lot of pride in being the premier wedding venue for Western Michigan. Ludington is a great community and we see nothing but bright promise for this area. Jarrod and I are thrilled to be part of this vibrant vacation community." Trillium Creek Rustic Barn Venue is located at 3232 Conrad Road in Ludington. The renovated craftsman-style house and 100-year-old barn are available for weddings and other events.

The Knot supports local wedding vendors with The Knot Best of Weddings 2019 Awards, an annual by-couples, for-couples guide to the top wedding professionals across the country. To determine the winners, The Knot analyzed its millions of user reviews across various vendor categories, including venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more, to find the best and most-rated vendors of the year. These winners represent the best of the best wedding professionals that a couple should consider booking for their own unique wedding.

For more information about The Knot Best of Weddings and a complete list of winners, visit https://www.theknot.com/vendors/best-of-weddings. For more information on Trillium Creek Rustic Barn Venue, visit www.theweddingrental.com or call 704.705.0704.

Kayleigh Hartman `13

Kayleigh Hartman `13  celebrated 5 years as of June 2018 as the Family Partnership Coordinator at Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio (based out of Canton). She had the privilege of representing her chapter of Habitat at the annual Habitat State Conference in Columbus in early November 2018. At the conference, she accepted an award on behalf of Habitat ECO for celebrating their 30th anniversary. Kayleigh also was honored to be selected as a conference presenter. She led a session highlighting the benefits of homeowner education and sharing the educational curriculum (House2Home) she co-wrote and implements with the families enrolled in Habitat's home ownership program. Kayleigh is passionate about the work she does building homes, communities, and hope through the ministry of Habitat for Humanity. She currently resides in Canton, Ohio.

Mary Beth Vanamna

A girl, Mary Beth, to James '13 and Melanie (Zimmerman) Vanaman '08 on July 2, 2018. She joins a sister, Abigail, and brothers, Daniel, John, Stephen, & Nathan. James works at Gragg Electrical Services and Melanie is a stay-at-home wife & mother. The family lives in Canton, OH.