Morton Township (Mecosta Co.) Trustee Yulanda Bellingar will continue to serve as District 12 director, which encompasses Isabella, Mecosta and Newaygo Counties, on the Michigan Townships Association (MTA) Board of Directors. Bellingar was re-elected to the position by her township peers at a caucus election held during the Association’s Annual Educational Conference & Expo, held earlier this month in Grand Rapids. She was first elected to the MTA Board in 2009.
“What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own life,” Bellingar said. “I feel honored to serve our communities around the state. We share ideas with each other to solve our similar problems and learn new approaches that have been successful.”
Bellingar was elected township clerk in 2008, a position she held until 2017, at which time she became township trustee. A 2010 graduate of MTA’s Township Governance Academy, she served as secretary and treasurer of the Mecosta County MTA Chapter for four years, until 2020. She is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), which honored her with the “Mrs. Federation” award in 2014. She was GFWC state president of the Education & Scholarship Foundation from 2012-2020. She is also a member of the Tri-Lakes Association, and served the Mecosta County Community Foundation for 16 years and was a member of the Zonta service organization for 18 years.
Prior to becoming a public servant, Bellingar was involved in assisting and encouraging women dealing with cancer. She established “wig banks” throughout Michigan for cancer patients, and, in 1992, founded the “Look Good, Feel Better” program, coordinating with the American Cancer Society and Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. In 2003, she published her first of many short stories, and in 2008, her first book “Unscheduled Landing” was published. She was named Business Person of the Year in Lansing in 1998, and given the key to the city the following year.
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The Michigan Townships Association advances local democracy by fostering township leadership and public policy essential for a strong and vibrant Michigan.