All posts by Joanne

Employment Expertise: A health care career journey at Porter Hills

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Non-Profits, Senior Living, , , , ,

 

By West Michigan Works!

 

Health care is a hot industry in West Michigan. (See the hottest health care jobs in the 2018 Hot Jobs list!) There are more jobs than candidates, so health care providers are creating new ways to help people jump into careers quickly.

 

You can start a health care career by completing a short-term training program, pursing a 4-year degree, or you begin with an entry level position and work your way into the job you want.

 

That’s what Calvin Haggard decided to do.

 

Calvin completed a nursing program in high school which included hands-on experience at Porter Hills. During that time, he connected with the residents and Porter Hills’ culture. After high school, he joined their team as wait staff in the dining room with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.

 

He worked at Porter Hills Village, one of ten communities in West Michigan that offer a continuum of care to residents.

 

“You don’t just give them their food and walk away. This is their home. So you ask them about their day, how their meal was. You connect with them,” said Haggard.

 

Calvin looks back on his three months as wait staff as a strong foundation for his journey to become a nurse.

 

“Working as wait staff helped me learn to communicate with the residents and how best to help them,” said Haggard. “I’ve built a relationship with a lot of residents now. They were sad to see me leave the dining room, but I still see them around and have a chance to visit with them.”

 

Calvin noticed one resident, Nancy Frans, didn’t come to the dining room for a couple of days. He learned she caught pneumonia and was recovering in her room. Calvin brought her a get well card which is something rarely done by staff. When Nancy was well enough to eat in the dining room, she hugged Calvin and said the card really cheered her up during her recovery.

 

The next step

Porter Hills works with their employees to help them reach their career goals. After three months, Calvin was promoted to resident assistant in the dementia unit. He provides medication, assists during meals, helps them dress and accompanies them if they take a walk or go to an activity.

 

In the near future, he hopes to become a med tech before beginning CNA training (provided by Porter Hills) and eventually, training to become a registered nurse.

 

“Porter Hills wants everyone to progress. The managers worked together to make sure the transition went smoothly for me and the residents,” Haggard said.

 

Work for Porter Hills

Porter Hills Village is one of Porter Hills’ nine communities in Kent County. Their services are comprehensive and inclusive, with a great variety of independent or assisted living arrangements, skilled care and special therapies.

 

With a strong reputation since 1970, Porter Hills touches the lives of more than 2,000 seniors every day. Through communities, innovative services and community collaborations, Porter Hills redefines quality of life for West Michigan seniors and their families. Their staff is deeply committed to excellent service and fulfilling their mission as “trusted experts serving seniors with grace.”

 

Open positions include:

See all their job openings here.

 

Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.

Getting Involved: The Importance of Senior Advocacy

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, How-To's, Non-Profits, Politics, Senior Living, , , , ,

By Regina Salmi, Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan

 

In 1970, Maggie Kuhn was forced to retire from her job on the day she turned 65. At this time, the mandatory retirement law allowed her employer to make her retire. Maggie felt this was unfair, so she began talking to friends who experienced forced retirement and together they began writing letters, making phone calls, and visiting legislators.

 

The law enforcing retirement at age 65 wasn’t abolished by Congress until 1986, but it was thanks to Kuhn and her friends bringing awareness to the issue that we are no longer forced out of jobs because of our age. Maggie’s group, dubbed the Gray Panthers, were also at the forefront of nursing home reforms, fighting ageism, and preserving social security until her death in 1995. That same year she was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

 

Maybe we cannot all be Maggie Kuhn, but what we can learn from her legacy is that our age doesn’t have to stop us from having a voice and making a difference in our communities. In fact, Kuhn might argue, no one is going to care more about issues that affect us than we are. Upon her forced retirement, she said, “With this new freedom we have, let’s see what we can do to change the world.” Like Maggie, we all have the opportunity to become advocates, especially those of us who find we have more time on our hands after we choose to retire.

 

What do we mean by advocacy? The word advocate comes from the Latin ad- meaning “toward” and vox meaning “voice”. When we engage in advocacy, we are lending our voices to a particular issue. The traditional forms of advocacy are to send letters or make phone calls to legislators. AAAWM’s Advocacy Coordinator and Planner, Lacey Charboneau explains, these methods have “stood the test of time” and “neither needs to take much time or prolonged effort.

 

The best advocacy letters are no longer than one page, include succinct and straightforward facts and end with a call to action of some kind.” In addition to these formal methods of advocacy, email and social media engagement are also becoming effective forms of engaging with decision makers. Charboneau emphasizes though that, “No matter what the issue, or who the audience, there is no more effective way to get your point across than showing up and speaking up in person.”

 

Millennials may have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest eligible voting block in the United States in 2018, but Boomers remain a powerful group when it comes to legislative matters. As seniors it is important we recognize the ability we have to create change.

 

“Older adults are the keepers of vast amounts of experience and knowledge” Charboneau observes, “They have seen and experienced history — both the positive and negative.  Older adults should be empowered to share their opinions and thoughts with those in power so we can learn from our past as we move forward.”

 

According to the AARP, the recent passing of the “Tax Cut and Jobs Act” activated an automatic $25 billion cut to Medicare. As a result of advocacy efforts on the part of seniors, the House and Senate “waived the required cuts as part of a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown.”

 

Advocacy is often a matter of education. It is important to make legislators aware of the concerns of older adults and how certain policy decisions may affect seniors. As Charboneau says, “No single elected official can be expected to be an expert on everything. It is our responsibility to educate our legislators on the issues that matter to us.” 

 

As long as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security remain the three largest government-funded programs, there will always be a need to build awareness, educate and advocate elected officials.

 

So, how does one get involved in advocacy? Charboneau advises the first step, “Decide what issue is most important to you.” As you research about that issue, you may find there is already an advocacy group working on the issue and you can join. Maybe your issue is a local one and, like Maggie, you talk with other people affected by this concern and form your own group.

 

Maybe there are people in your church or senior center who would be interested in forming an advocacy group. AAAWM has an advocacy group called Advocates for Senior Issues if you are in or near Kent county, they welcome new members. There are also nationally recognized groups, like the AARP or AMAC that offer opportunities to get involved in advocacy campaigns. The most important step toward advocacy is to find a way to get involved.

After second Gezon Park meeting, Wyoming pleased with community response, input

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Going Local, Kids Activities, Newscast, Pets/Animals, Recreation,
The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department offered three development plan options for Gezon Park which were produced by Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

After a more than 90-minute public information meeting Thursday detailing design plan options for Gezon Park, the city is well on its way to deciding a master plan for utilization of about 52 acres of a 94-acre city-owned parcel of land surrounded by neighborhoods and commercial development.

 

The meeting, attended by about 30 citizens and held at Metro Health University of Michigan Health Conference Center near the park, was the second public meeting on the master plan, and one one survey is in the books and another currently in process.

 

The initial electronic survey seeking input on recreation facility needs had more than 1,200 responses.

 

Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services for the City of Wyoming, says she is pleased with the level of community input throughout the process so far.

 

About 30 people attended the the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department meeting on the Gezon Park master plan. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)

Community involvement “continues to be robust,” Rynbrandt said after the Feb. 8 meeting. “After this meeting, we are launching another survey — limited time, though Monday (Feb. 11) — to be able to ascertain from the larger public, those who were not able to be here tonight.

 

“We want that participation and that transparency,” she said. “I think, when we have that type of public focus, it reaffirms the values the citizens put on parks and recreation in our community.”

 

Gezon Park, which was a city-owned well field, encompasses about 94 acres between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. It has entrances from both Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. Baseball fields and restrooms are located near the south Gezon Parkway entrance and the 52nd Street entrance has playground equipment and walking trails. Most of the park remains undeveloped, however.

 

Prior to and at the Thursday meeting, the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department offered three development plan options for Gezon Park which were produced by Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio.

 

To see the three options, visit the city’s Parks and Recreation website page.

 

It was explained at the Thursday meeting that the three presented options are not “pick one” situation but that elements of each could be included in the final plan. Also at the meeting, many citizens expressed they opinion on elements they liked — and didn’t like in the three plans.

 

While there was general approval of the overall plans for utilization of the park at the meeting, there was also concern expressed about impact on wildlife during and after development, as well as safety within the park at night — especially if the middle of the park gained greater vehicle access. There was also a suggestion of a fenced dog park area.

 

The second survey is currently in process and can be accessed via this link. This survey is time sensitive, with feedback needing to be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, according to the city.

 

After the initial public input process, there will be review and recommendation from Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission and the Wyoming Planning Commission. The plan will then be presented to the Wyoming City Council for its final approval.

 

The art of chocolate making is explored in the most recent edition of ‘The Kamla Show’

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Amy Guittard, the director of marketing for Guittard Chocolate Company and the great-great granddaughter of its founder Etienne Guittard.

Etienne Guittard, with chocolate from his uncle’s plant, came to the new world in the mid-1800s with the hopes of striking it rich during the California Gold Rush. He discovered those getting rich were the merchants with the miners willing to pay top dollar for his premium chocolates.

 

This was the start of one the nation’s oldest chocolate companies, Guittard Chocolate Company based in San Francisco. In the latest segment of The Kamla Show, host Kamla Bhatt, sits down with Director of Marketing Amy Guittard, who is the great-great granddaughter of Etienne Guittard. The segment premieres on WKTV Channel 25 Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. It will show again on Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m. and Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.

 

The factory still makes it home in San Francisco, operating 24 days, seven days a week and creates a whole range of chocolate products — about 200 different products — from chocolate chips to huge chocolate slabs. There is about 200 various products.

 

Guittard discusses the chocolate making process, which starts with cacao.

 

“It grows on a tree and that is where it starts,” Guittard said during the interview. “It grows 10 degrees either side of the equator in what we call the cocoa belt.

 

“What happens on the farm is a really critical component to flavor development. Lots of times people think chocolate becomes chocolate when it arrives at a factory which is very true. But a lot of the flavor development happens at origin. So that seed starts off in a variety of different genetics much like a Green apple, a Braeburn or a Pink Lady. There are different types of cacao. So that is inherent in the first flavor notes but also how the farmer ferments the beans and dries the beans is a really important component to flavor development.”

 

Amu Guittard’s cookbook

Guittard also discusses a variety of other topics such as the concept of “bean to bar,” owning the entire process from sourcing to finish chocolate; the issue of child labor in the cocoa fields; her own journey in coming to work at the family company; and her cookbook, “Guittard Chocolate Cookbook: Decadent Recipes from San Francisco’s premium Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Company.”

 

According to Guittard, the ultimate reward is being able to work in a field that allows so much creativity.

 

“I was in a restaurant in San Francisco and the chef brought me the flourless chocolate cake and he put it down and said ‘This is you.’ I was like ‘No, it’s you. It’s our farmers. It’s this whole beautiful amalgamation of creativity and that’s like so humbling and pretty cool.”

Consumers Energy seeks public input in developing long-term energy plan

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An upcoming public session set for Monday, Feb. 12, in Grand Rapids will give community members an opportunity to learn about Consumers Energy and to provide thoughts on how to meet Michigan’s future energy needs.

 

The open house is scheduled for 4 – 7 p.m. at Consumers Energy’s Russell Leadership Center, 120 Front Ave. SW .

 

The input from the public will help Consumers Energy develop an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a valuable long-range tool the company will use to continue to powering Michigan with affordable, reliable and clean energy.

 

The energy provider expects to submit the plan to the Michigan Public Service Commission by mid-year, as part of the energy law that Michigan lawmakers approved in late 2016. The commission will have about a year to review the plan.

 

“This process will help set the foundation for serving Michigan, its customers and guiding key decisions for our company in the coming years,” said Brandon Hofmeister, Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of governmental, regulatory and public affairs. “We’re committed to aligning our focus on people, planet and prosperity with this future energy plan. Our goal is a strategic vision that makes sense for our company, our customers and Michigan.

 

The Feb. 12 event is the second of two public forums. The first was held Jan. 29 in East Lansing.

 

Consumers Energy serves about two thirds of Michigan’s residents, providing electricity and/or natural gas to homes and businesses in every Lower Peninsula county.

 

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

 

To see more information about Consumers Energy’s commitment to a sustainable future, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/sustainability.

Kentwood establishes public art zoning; new Kentwood Arts Commission seeks additional member

3-bottom, architecture, City of Kentwood, Going Local, Hard News, Local Business,

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

The City of Kentwood, after city Commission approval in January, amended its zoning ordinance to allow for evaluation and approval of outdoor public art displays within the city.

 

The amendment also establishes the Kentwood Arts Commission, which, according to the city, is tasked with “reviewing and approving venues” within the community. The Arts Commission will also be responsible for determining whether or not outdoor art display venues are permitted under city guidelines.

 

“Art is a valuable component in creating a vibrant community,” Terry Schweitzer, community development director, said to WKTV. “As we continue to grow as a city, we wanted to be sure there is a process in place to support public art venues. We hope that this new ordinance will serve as a catalyst to bring public art to our diverse group of residents.”

 

The changes to city zoning, approved by city Commission action at its regular meeting on Jan. 16, amends an ordinance which now covers art galleries, art display venues, and public art — with public art being defined as being “publicly-owned art and memorials, artistic enhancement of public infrastructure, temporary art exhibitions or displays on public property.”

 

The current members of the Arts Commission are Schweitzer, City Commissioner Betsy Artz and community members Jerry DeMaagd and Clarkston Morgan. The Commission will have their first official meeting in the coming weeks, according to the city.

 

There is a opening for one more community member on the Arts Commission. Qualifications for the position, according to the city, are that the person lives and/or works in the City of Kentwood and he or she should have an interest in art. Anyone interested can learn more and apply at kentwood.us/city .

 

The entire approved ordinance can be read as part of the city Commission’s informational packet for the Jan. 16, 2018 meeting. (It is several pages down in the .pdf package.)

 

Grand Rapids Public Museum celebrates space exploration during ‘Roger That!’ event

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The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) announced it would host a second year of Roger That! featuring retired NASA Astronaut Guion “Guy” Bluford to celebrate of space exploration and the life of Roger B. Chaffee. Roger That! is a multi-day experience starting on Feb. 16 with activities for school field trips and an academic conference, and Saturday, Feb. 17 with a public celebration. “Roger That!” is planned in partnership with Grand Valley State University (GVSU).

 

On Saturday, Feb. 17, “Roger That!” will include exciting and educational exhibitions and activities throughout the GRPM including docent-led presentations about the early life of Roger B. Chaffee, telescope demonstrations with the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA), hands-on activities including solar system bracelets and planispheres, and more. As part of this celebration, all planetarium shows on February 17 will be $2 off!

 

A special presentation by former astronaut Guion “Guy” Bluford will take place in the Museum’s Meijer Theater on Saturday, February 17 at 11 a.m. Guy Bluford will present Flying in Space: The Space Shuttle and Beyond. Bluford flew four missions for NASA from 1983-1992, and is best known as the first African American to fly in space, during his first flight, STS-8, on the Challenger. After retiring from service as an astronaut in 1993, Bluford entered the business world, and he continues to give talks throughout the country about his experiences with NASA and the future of America’s space program. Tickets to this presentation are $2 for GRPM members and $10 for non-members, and can be purchased at grpm.org/Roger-That. Tickets include general admission to the Museum for the day.

 

Visitors on February 17 can also learn about the future of space exploration through student-submitted projects. Student design challenge submissions will be on display in the GRPM’s Galleria.

 

Field Trips – February 16

Local students will have an opportunity to learn about space exploration through a series of programs and a presentation at the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium at the GRPM on February 16! Hands-on activities include Magformers workshop, exploring the GRPM’s space-related artifacts including tektite, meteorite, and a sample of a space shuttle tile, learning more about Roger B. Chaffee, creating their own solar system necklace, engineering activities led by area engineers and educators including bridge building, robotics, water treatment and more. Schools interested in booking a field trip can reserve at grpm.org/schools.

 

Academic and Public Conference

The GVSU conference, “Roger That! A Celebration of Space Exploration in Honor of Roger B. Chaffee,” will take place February 16-17 at the DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Roger B. Chaffee was an astronaut and Grand Rapids native who died during testing on Apollo I in 1967.

 

The conference will kick off with a presentation, “Art/Space: NASA Space Art Program and Beyond,” by Grand Valley illustration professors Durwin Talon and Guin Thompson, followed by breakout sessions featuring a variety of science, art and society topics related to space exploration. The conference is free and open to the public; register by February 11at www.gvsu.edu/rogerthat.

 

Apollo Tragedy

On January 27, 1967, tragedy struck NASA’s Apollo program when a flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Grand Rapids Native Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first spaceflight, died in this tragic accident. The Grand Rapids Public Museum renamed its planetarium to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium the same year.

 

Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is an invaluable, publicly-owned institution that is home to more than 250,000 unique artifacts that tell the history of Kent County and beyond, houses the only planetarium in the region, and is responsible for protecting the Norton Indian Mounds, a national historic landmark. The Grand Rapids Public Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, with its main location in downtown Grand Rapids, MI at 272 Pearl Street, NW. For additional information including hours of operation, admission fees and exhibit/event listings, please visit www.grpm.org.

School News Network: Colorful Me Beautiful

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From left, Godwin Heights students Raven Rochelle, Shantil Johnson, Giselle Rodriguez stand in the newly painted and decorated bathroom.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Senior Raven Rochelle knows how much self-image affects girls.

 

“I know, personally, when you are a female, your image is everything,” she said. “The way you present yourself speaks volumes.”

 

So Raven and other girls on the high school’s Leadership Council joined forces to transform two girls’ bathrooms into vibrant, welcoming spaces. They painted the walls rose and lilac, hung up funky mirrors and decorated the spaces with signs proclaiming messages of encouragement, like “Never Stop Dreaming” and “You are So Loved.”

 

“The bathroom in a very personal space,” Raven explained. “(Self image) is so important, specifically in high school when you’re the most vulnerable. If you have that little extra something to get through the day, it helps you so much.”

 

Mirrors adorn the walls

Students in the Leadership Council attended the Jostens Renaissance National Conference in October at Michigan State University, which focuses on creating positive school climate and culture by working together as students and teachers. They left with the ideas to spruce-up the bathrooms, part of a bigger plan to add color and vibrancy schoolwide.

 

“We wanted to give a feeling of empowerment for girls,” said freshman Shantil Johnson. “We put mirrors in there so they can see how beautiful they are. … It makes you more happy when you walk in.”

 

Student Leadership adviser Katie Hoffman said the message is about self-worth.

 

“In our society in general, I feel like girls in particular and women are being bombarded with images all the time of what they should look like,” Hoffman said. “This is a small way we can encourage people that they don’t need to be anyone other than who they are.”

Senior Giselle Rodriguez stands next to a positive message

Spreading Positivity Schoolwide

The Leadership Council’s efforts could expand into the boys’ bathrooms and hallways. Students are painting individual murals on ceiling tiles in a hallway to exhibit Godwin pride. They also hope to create a hallway mural, illustrating what it means to be part of the Godwin family, Hoffman said.

 

Senior Giselle Rodriguez said their efforts are about creating a welcoming environment, “building our community inside our school and growing together with our teachers, staff members and classmates.”

 

Hoffman said a brighter environment is uplifting for everyone.

 

Freshman Shantil Johnson helped with the bathroom redo

“Just adding color adds a sense of excitement, creates better attitudes and a better sense of community. Hopefully that pride in the building will carry over to the classroom and the relationships students are building with their peers.”

 

Raven said the scope of the project is to bring people together, giving a sense of belonging to everyone. “This is our school,” she said.

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia receives artwork donation valued at $2 million

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Curator for the Jim Crow Museum shows some of the 135 photographs by David Levinthal recently donated to the museum

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University has received a powerful collection of artwork by noted photographer David Levinthal valued at more than $2 million, pending receipt of appraisal.

 

The gift, from an anonymous donor, includes 135 large-format Polaroids, primarily from Levinthal’s legendary Blackface series, but complemented with works from his Barbie and Mein Kampf series.

 

With this donation, it is believed that the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, which is internationally-known for its collection of racist memorabilia, now possesses one of the largest collections of Levinthal’s Blackface originals in the world.

 

Museum officials have catalogued all of the items and are preparing many for public exhibition. A grand opening event is expected to occur in December.

 

David Levinthal

After being contacted by the donor’s representative, David Pilgrim, vice president for Diversity and Inclusion at Ferris and founder and curator of the Jim Crow Museum, immediately knew the magnitude of the impact this gift would bring to the Museum and all who visit.

 

“Levinthal’s Blackface series is a blunt, unfiltered rendering of anti-black representations in the objects once—no, still—found in our homes,” Pilgrim said.

 

“He used his camera to document the ugly representations of African-Americans in the toys, games, and dolls played with by this nation’s children. These images both reflected and shaped attitudes toward black people. Levinthal’s prints will be invaluable teaching tools for the Jim Crow Museum,” Pilgrim added.

 

The Blackface series is a powerful and thought-provoking exhibition of black memorabilia and racist household objects, many of which are currently collected and displayed as part of the Museum’s educational and scholarly mission to use objects of intolerance to examine expressions of racism and promote social justice.

 

David Pilgrim

“This wonderful gift to the Jim Crow Museum and Ferris is one of the most significant gifts that we have ever received,” said Ferris President David Eisler.

 

“This gift reflects Dr. Pilgrim’s internationally-recognized leadership and commitment to educating the public on examining expressions of racism and promoting social justice,” Eisler noted.

 

Aside from the Blackface series, the Museum also acquired notable pieces from Levinthal’s equally impressive Barbie and Mein Kampf series, which Museum officials are eager to display.

 

“Like the Blackface series, Levinthal’s prints from the Barbie and Mein Kampf series will help the Jim Crow Museum—and its companion facility, the Museum of Sexist Objects, explore sexism and other forms of oppression,” said Pilgrim.

 

“Receiving a gift of this size demonstrates the unmatched significance that the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia has on our society. We are grateful for donors such as this who choose to help us in this endeavor to educate and inform,” added Bob Murray, associate vice president of Advancement at Ferris.

 

The gift of Levinthal’s work to the Jim Crow Museum has already started to become known by researchers and scholars.

 

“David Levinthal’s provocative Blackface photographic prints belong in the Jim Crow Museum, a public space that daily critiques demeaning and debilitating stereotypes of African-Americans,” said Henry Louis Gates, Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African-American Research at Harvard University.

 

Levinthal, who has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, has works included in numerous museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, and The Menil Collection.

Cat of the week: Billy

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Billy has turned over a new leaf

By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing

Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet — or few — from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).

 

This big, bold, beautiful boy with the sultry, slight pout initially came to us back in the summer of 2011, a stray that had been wandering around Eastown sowing his wild oats. He tested positive for FIV, so he was transferred to us from Focus on Ferals and headed on down to our sanctuary. He turned out to be such a lovable lug that it was no surprise when one of our volunteers and her husband took a shine to the terrific tabby—and took him home. Billy, Allison and David lived happily together in a home full of love and many other cats, all of whom Billy got along famously well with; even though he was quite large at 15 pounds, he didn’t try to be in charge, instead allowing the little ladies in the household to run the show.

Over the years, Billy (born in late summer of 2008) made a few trips to the clinic to be treated for a common inflammatory condition known as plasma cell stomatitis, something FIV cats are unfortunately prone too. We were able to manage his illness by extracting all of his teeth except his canines, and periodically with steroids . But in late 2016, it was quite apparent that not only was this physical problem starting to really affect his behavior negatively, but the birth of a human baby had also set him off-kilter. Sadly, Billy started lashing out at the others in the home, and misdirected his aggression towards the baby; his folks had no choice but to relinquish custody back to us at Big Sid’s.

When he arrived at the clinic on Dec. 1, he and Dr. Jen had a good, long heart-to-heart and she issued an ultimatum: he had to behave at Sid’s because we were his last chance. We encouraged him to embrace his return with open arms (er, paws) and to make the best of the situation, because if he did, he would experience comfort and camaraderie that would hopefully take the place of the only family he had probably ever known.

We’re not sure exactly how much Billy actually understood, but we’d would like to think that he turned over a new leaf because from the get-go; he has been nothing but a purr-fect gentleman in every sense of the word! When our cat care director learned of his return and got to spend some time with him, she had this to say:

“This cat reminds me of the bar he was initially named for—Eastown Billy’s—as he should be singing the blues, having been returned to the shelter, but NO—he is rocking it! He fit right back in like he had never left the premises, and has been so incredibly sweet to the volunteers and the other cats alike!”

More about Billy

NOTE: A $825 grant from Lil BUB’s Big Fund for the ASPCA will enable Crash’s Landing & Big Sid’s Sanctuary, to fund comprehensive exams for five Big Sid’s Sanctuary cats before going to their new home. Each exam would include a full blood panel, dental care, radiographs, urinalysis, antibiotics and pain medication, if needed. Big Sid’s caters exclusively to cats who test positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) or FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). FIV and FeLV are viruses that can, if they flare up, suppress a cat’s immune system. The shelter takes cats with FIV or FeLV from all over Michigan.

Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.

Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!

Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.

On Tap: Museum Beer Explorers, Ann Arbor brews and Valentine’s Day darks

3-bottom, Beer, Entertainment, Food, Holidays, Local Entertainment, Local Food, ,
A sampling of beers at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Beer Explorers program — yes there is glasses of what you like available for purchase. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

The days are getting longer but we are still in the dark days of winter, despite Valentine’s Day looming. But there are plenty of events on tap on the local beer scene, including some tasty dark brews being poured all over the greater Grand Rapids area.

 

Starting with the next installment of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Beer Explorers program, this time partnering with Brewery Vivant and Pilot Malt House, on Thursday, Feb. 8, when beer fans can take a closer look at malts, and how malt variations affect the flavors of beer.

 

Pilot Malt House is an artisan craft malt house who produces and supplies malts to local craft breweries and distilleries, including Brewery Vivant. (FYI: Malt is beer’s main fermentable ingredient, providing the sugars that yeast use to create alcohol and carbonation. Malt is converted barley or other grains that have been steeped, germinated, heated, kilned, cooled, dried and then rested. So we are told in supplied information.)

 

The Beer Explorers class begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held on the first floor of the museum. Admission to class includes three beer samples, as well as access to the museum’s first two floors. A cash bar will be available; doors open at 6 p.m.

 

Tickets for the event are $10 for members and $20 for non-members. Participants must be 21 and older. For tickets and more information visit grpm.org/calendar .

 

Dark days, dark brews before and after Valentine’s Day

 

Brewery Vivant will celebrate Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14, for those of you not married/dating/smart) with the release of its Fat Packzi beer on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the  brewery in East Town area. This beer is available only for a limited time, according to the brewery. Also on tap is the return of Love Shadow, Brewery Vivant’s bourbon barrel aged Imperial stout — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

 

For more information visit breweryvivant.com .

 

And speaking of dark days … B.O.B.’s Brewery downtown will host its Dark Days events during Grand Rapids Beer Week highlighted by a Stout Out on Friday, Feb. 16, featuring 12 Michigan-made stouts on tap, including The B.O.B.’s own Tiramisu Stout, Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout and New Holland’s Dragons Milk Mexican Spice Cake — me, I’d go for Dark Horse Brewing’s Plead The 5th, before and after the dark day.

 

The Stout Out will include live music and smoked meats in addition to a tap takeover of the Michigan-made stouts. Beer sample tickets are $3 each, with $1 of each ticket sold being donated to Grand Rapids White Water.

 

For more information, visit thebobsbrewery.thebob.com .

 

And for those of you needing to make up for a bad Valentine’s Day …

 

Ann Arbor’s Wolverine State Brewing will be the featured beer selections at a special beer dinner at Blue Water Grill, located on Northland Drive, on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

 

The four-course dinner, with each course paired with a beer, includes: first two courses paired with Wolverine’s Pastoral Winter Lager and Tundra King West Coast IPL, a main course paired with a brew called Massacre 2015, and a desert course of an espresso chocolate torte paired with a brew called, of course, Barista.

 

The cost of the beer dinner is $45 per person.

 

For more information on the dinner and Blue Water Grill, visit thegilmorecollection.com .

 

 

For more information on Wolverine State Brewing, visit wolverinebeer.com .

 

Rescheduled spacewalk featured this month on WKTV Government 26

3-bottom, WKTV Projects, , , , ,

 

 

 

 

WTV Government 26 will be broadcasting two special live events next week, the launch of ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship and a spacewalk from the International Space Station.

 

On Sunday, Feb. 11, NASA will cover the launch of the Russian ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship. The unmanned Progress 69 cargo craft will launch to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Coverage will be begin at about 3:30 a.m. with the launch scheduled at 3:58 p.m.

 

Coverage will continue with the docking of the ISS Progress 69 Cargo Ship at 6:30 a.m. with the docking scheduled for 7:24 a.m. The cargo ship will be delivering food, fuel, and supplies.

 

On Thursday, Feb. 15, NASA will be showcasing the ISS Expedition 54 U.S. Spacewalk #48. This was the spacewalk that was scheduled to take place in January. Astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Norishige Kanai will stow and reposition a pair of Latching End Effectors (LEEs). The LEEs are robotic hands attached to the tip of the Canadarm2 that grab and release cargo ships and external station hardware.

 

According to NASA, during the 6.5-hour excursion, the spacewalkers will first move an older LEE from a bracket on the Mobile Base System on the truss to the Quest airlock. It was removed from Camadarm 2 during a spacewalk last October. Next, a degraded LEE detached from Canadarm2 during the lat U.S. spacewalk on Jan. 23 will be moved from an external stowage platform to the Mobile Base System.

 

Coverage will being at 5:30 a.m. and the spacewalk will start at approximately 7:10am.

 

For more information on NASA TV or the International Space Station, log on to www.nasa.gov. NASA TV can be seen on the WKTV 26 Government Channel on Comcast and on AT&T U-verse 99 Government Channel 99.

Metro Health, City of Wyoming enter into agreement for helipad at Gezon Fire Station

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, , ,

 

The new Metro Health – University of Michigan Health helipad located at the Wyoming Fine Station and Training Center on Gezon Parkway.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Drivers heading down Byron Center Avenue just south of Gezon Parkway may have noticed some large red balls on the utility lines.

 

Those balls are there to help mark the new helipad site at the City of Wyoming’s Fire Station and Training Center, located at 2300 Gezon Parkway. The Wyoming City Council approved an agreement with Metro Health – University of Michigan Health for the helipad at its Monday night meeting.

 

“I went out there and saw it all painted up, and it’s pretty impressive,” said Mayor Pro Ten Sam Bolt just before the vote which was unanimously in favor of the agreement.

 

The helipad is about 100 feet by 100 feet located behind the Fire Station and is visible from the Family Fare located next door. The helipad includes lighting, signage and wind cones.

 

The large red balls marking the utility lines which were put in preparation for the Metro Health – University of Michigan Health helipad.

The agreement is for one year with possible extensions. The agreement allows for ambulances, emergency vehicles and personal access through the Fire Station and Fire Training Center driveways to the helipad site. Metro Health — University of Metro Health contractors, employees, maintenance providers as well as patients would have access to the site as needed, according to the agreement. The hospital is located just a half mile south of the helipad at 5900 Byron Center Ave. SW. The hospital is required to carry liability and property damage insurance.

 

Councilmember Kent Vanderwood said he has been talking to friends who work at the hospital about the partnership between Metro Health and University of Health, which is just a year old in January.

 

“I’m talking to everyday employees who work there and they feel really, really good about it,” he said “So I think this is another step in that direction making it even better, stronger.”

 

City Manager Curtis Holt indicated there is a need for the helipad as he said he received a request from the hospital to use it for an emergency on Saturday before the agreement had been approved. Holt said he did give the go ahead with Wyoming Public Safety Director James Carmody indicating during the meeting that, to his knowledge, the helipad was not used over the weekend.

On the shelf: ‘The Whites’ by Richard Price (writing as Harry Brandt)

Books, Entertainment, Reviews, , , ,

By Grand Rapids Public Library

 

Price’s retro NYPD police procedural skips back and forward from the early “run and gun days” of the ’90s, to 20 years ahead, as a police group known as the Wild Geese lurch into middle age.

 

They’ve left the bad old days behind them (almost, kind-of — ok — never), as they continue on with new jobs, and struggle with past collateral damage. Because while they got the job done, and close relationships were forged, mistakes may have been made…

 

Detective Billy Graves is the only member of the Wild Geese still on the force, exiled to the Night Watch, after a fatal shooting. The world has definitely worn him out, and as he catches his reflection in a security camera he sees a man, “football burly but slump-shouldered, his pale face with its exhaustion-starred eyes topped with half a pitch-fork’s worth of prematurely graying hair. He was only forty-two, but that crushed-cellophane gaze of his combined with a world-class insomniac’s posture had once gotten him into a movie at a senior citizen’s discount.”

 

Once a month Billy’s old crew gets together for dinner, and talk often turns to the “whites”, the ones who got away with murder and eluded capture. As ill-fated an obsession for the Wild Geese as the whale was to Melville’s captain of the Pequod…

 

Price says that he “likes to use crime as a backbone” in telling his stories, which are more literary, psychological, and nuanced than I was expecting in a detective novel. We pay attention to one-on-one murder in a way that few other events command, and once Price has our attention he turns a spotlight on the everyday tragedies and triumphs of our lives. Nature or nurture? Society or our own inescapable biology? Ahab or Macbeth?

 

Blitzkrieg plotting, fine characterization, and dialogue are Price hallmarks, with side characters that lend an absurd touch of dark humor. Map out a few nights that you can stay up late, because once you get started, this is a novel you can’t put down.

GRAM’s popular ‘Andy Warhol’s American Icons’ exhibit will end its run this Sunday

Entertainment,
Grand Rapids Art Museum (supplied).

Organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Andy Warhol’s American Icons showcases Warhol’s vision and celebration of America by bringing together paintings, prints, photographs, and films that create a handbook of American cultural icons.

 

“One of the Museum’s first exhibitions in its new building was Rapid Exposure: Warhol in Series in spring 2008. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 10th anniversary at 101 Monroe Center than by bringing back key works by this quintessential contemporary artist,”  commented GRAM’s Director and CEO Dana Friis-Hansen during the Oct. 28 grand opening of the American Icons exhibit.

 

American Icons spotlights iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe, Sitting Bull, Muhammad Ali, Liz Taylor, and one of the most famous Grand Rapidians, Gerald R. Ford. Products and symbols can be icons as well; the exhibition includes Warhol’s well-known Campbells soup can screenprints and an important early painting on loan from the Whitney Museum of American art, Green Coca-Cola Bottles (1962), among other symbols of America. American Icons draws on artworks from GRAM’s collection, as well as works from private collections and other public art institutions throughout the country, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Andy Warhol Museum, and the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

 

More on the exhibit and hours: http://www.artmuseumgr.org/2017/04/07/andy-warhols-american-icons/

 

School News Network: Teachers Tell Their Stories, To Help Other Teachers

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Gladiola Elementary School Principal David Lyon shares how he works to create an equitable environment for students.

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

“What inspires you to come to school every day and teach children?” interviewer Rosie del Valle asked Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach Kristi Baumbach.

 

Baumbach, who had answered previous interview questions without hesitation, paused. “Now, I’m crying,” she said, as del Valle, web content coordinator for community initiatives for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, and her film crew took a break from recording.

 

After gathering her thoughts, Baumbach answered the question.

 

“The kids inspire me when I walk down the halls and they smile and are excited to see me, when they are excited to come into my classroom and are excited to learn,” she said, her voice still shaky.

 

Kristi Baumbach, a Gladiola Elementary intervention math coach, tells her story as a teacher for EDNET, a new website for teachers.

Baumbach, a 14-year teacher in Wyoming Public Schools, is among a group of Kent County educators being interviewed for teacher profiles for the Educational Network of Greater Grand Rapids initiative. The film crew is also spotlighting teachers in Grand Rapids, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee and Kentwood. Several, including Baumbach, are involved in Leading Educators, another Doug and Maria DeVos initiative.

 

The major components of EDNET, as it’s known, include teacher leadership, principal support, and new teacher induction. It launched its teacher leadership work in partnership with Leading Educators in May 2017.

 

The EDNET website, to launch in April, will serve as a tool for educators by educators. It will include teacher profile interviews such as Baumbach’s, which document educators’ personal stories, from the moment they knew they wanted to teach, to where they are now.

 

“The website is an underlying foundation for all of the work — a place to bring educators from across the districts together to collaborate and learn from each other so that we can work together to support all children,” said Ashley Johnson, program officer for education for the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, which focuses exclusively on local education practice.

 

The site will also include extensive research and data on education, blogs, and “Teacher Tactics” — effective strategies — submitted by educators from all over the world. Teachers will have ways to contribute content, ask questions and comment.

 

It’s an effort built out of the desire to come together, said Johnson, a former middle and high school teacher in Washington, D.C., who knows how isolating teaching can be. While talking to educators in the five local districts, a strong desire for a “nexus of collaboration” became clear, she said. “They wanted to talk with each other, listen to each other.”

 

Jennifer Blackburn, a Gladiola elementary first- and second-grade teacher, said she wants to serve as an advocate for her students.

Learning You’re Not Alone

 

Baumbach, who has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels and with English-language learners, said she’s happy to share her story.

 

“For a long time I thought some of my struggles were just me,” Baumbach said. “As I’ve moved throughout my career and grown, I realized that other educators share that same experience. I wanted to voice that for people who maybe didn’t realize they are not alone.”

 

Baumbach said she sees the website as a great potential resource.

 

“Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in what’s not going well. But to slow down and say, ‘We do great things. Kids here do great things’ — to celebrate and highlight it and focus on that is cool.”

 

Several other Gladiola educators told their stories, including what drew them to the profession, what makes their district unique, their goals, and what advice they would give first-year teachers.

 

During his interview, Principal David Lyon spoke of the need for equity in education, for awareness of implicit bias and how it is rooted in the U.S. In serving Gladiola, a school with a large ELL population and high percentage of low-income students, he said he works to see potential in every child and teach them to aim high.

 

“Goals for this year are that we continue to grow our sense of having high expectations for all children,” Lyon said. “There is plenty of research that shows if you set a low expectation, that’s exactly where they will grow. If you set a high expectation they will grow to that too.”

 

Lyon said he’s excited to be part of the EDNET initiative.

 

“The phrase that sticks in my head is ‘We are all in this together, alone,’ because we walk into our classrooms and then whatever struggles we are having, we are figuring out by yourself,” he said. “But if you get that opportunity to hear a similar story and hear from somebody else what inspired them, it just gives you that support even if it wasn’t necessarily face-to-face.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

The EDNET team interviews Gladiola Elementary intervention math Kristi Baumbach

Pianist Akansiima a guest for Jazz in the Sanctuary at Fountain Street Church

Entertainment, Local Entertainment

 

By WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

 

Fountain Street Church’s Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series continues this week with special guest Ivan Akansiima, on piano and guitar, joining series host Robin Connell and bassist Chris Kjorness on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m.

 

Connell is a pianist, vocalist and recently honored at the West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2017 Musician of the Year.

 

Akansiima — who lives in Holland, Mi., but is originally from Kampala, Uganda — studies music at Hope College and Western Michigan University, and has a growing reputation in the Western Michigan area and on the national music scene.

 

The final concert in the series will be Sunday, March 11, also at 3 p.m., when Connell is joined by special guest pianist Dave Proulx and bassist David Rosin.

 

General admission tickets are $10 ($5 for students) and available at the door or by visiting

fountainstreet.org/jazz .

 

WKTV also produced a video on local jazz featuring Connell.

 

Sunday Night Funnies begins its 10th year at new location, Wyoming’s Woody’s Pressbox

Entertainment, ,

Starting Feb. 11, the Sunday Night Funnies begins its tenth year of stand-up comedy at a new location- Woody’s Pressbox inside Spectrum Lanes, 5656 Clyde Park SW.

 

 

“We are very excited to have the Sunday Night Funnies returning as a featured show in the Grand Rapids area and very honored that Brian B. has chosen Woody’s as the venue,” says Mike Eaton, Jr. Partner/Operations at Spectrum Lanes. “We look forward to a long and successful relationship with Brian and the Sunday Night Funnies!”

 

 

“I’m ecstatic to have the Sunday Night Funnies call Woody’s Pressbox our new home,” says Brian B. creator and host of the Sunday Night Funnies. “It took me almost a year to find the right location to continue the show. I had several offers, but none of the others seemed like a good fit. The Spectrum Lanes complex is a great entertainment venue. Having stand-up comedy there on Sunday nights is a win-win for both of us. The show’s regular customers will be introduced to the entertainment options Woody’s/Spectrum Lanes has to offer and they will bring a whole new audience to the Sunday Night Funnies.”

 

 

The adult comedy show also airs on WKTV twice a week: Thursdays at 1:30 a.m. and Sundays at 12:30 a.m.

 

 

The Sunday Night Funnies are the creation of Grand Rapids stand-up comedian Brian B. The Sunday Night Funnies are a free weekly live stand-up comedy performance featuring a variety of comics from Michigan and around the country.

WKTV ‘VOICES’ is back at Marge’s Donut Den this Saturday, Feb. 10

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Upcoming Events, , ,

By Victoria Mullen, WKTV

 

Wyoming-Kentwood Community Media’s VOICES: a community history project powered by WKTV has one time slot left, at 2 pm, for its Second Saturdays at Marge’s appearance at Marge’s Donut Den (1751 28th St SW, Wyoming, MI) Feb. 10. Second Saturdays at Marge’s offers a great opportunity for folks to grab a cup of joe, enjoy a donut and share their favorite stories and memories.

 

The project’s mission is “to collect, share and preserve the narratives of people in our community”—of our lives; of people from all walks of life. VOICES travels throughout the West Michigan area—with a focus on Wyoming and Kentwood—to gather the narratives that make us human—our experiences, sorrows, triumphs and tragedies. We believe that we all benefit from knowing each other’s background; the shared bond that helps us build community. It’s a free public service, offering a comfortable video recording studio with a relaxed atmosphere.

 

High-tech video and audio equipment records the conversations and memories of our neighbors, friends and family— any story from anyone—that make up the fabric of our lives and our community. Participants share their hardships and successes, of what shaped them and their families into the kind of people they are today.

 

Conversations usually take place between two people who know and care about each other. They can be friends, family or mere acquaintances. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants are provided with a link to their conversation on Facebook, to share or do with as they like.

 

Conversations can be “life reviews,” conducted with people at the end of their careers. Or they can focus on a specific period or a specific event in people’s lives, as with war veterans or survivors of an earthquake, flood or hurricane.

 

All VOICES conversations are audio- and video-recorded to provide participants with a link to their conversation and for possible airing on Channel 25 in Wyoming, Kentwood and Gaines Township (U-Verse Channel 99).

 

The project launched at ArtPrize Nine in September 2017, welcoming scores of visitors to tour our renovated 1958 Airstream® mobile studio and learn more about the oral history project.

 

To reserve a time to tell your story, go here.

Wyoming Parks and Recreation offers adult softball leagues

Sports, ,
The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department is taking registrations for its spring softball leagues. (WKTV)

Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department is offering multiple softball leagues, including coed and men’s, for community members to participate in this spring.

 

The department is looking for community members who are interested in joining their adult softball leagues. Registration for adult slow-pitch softball is currently open for the spring season.

 

“We work to provide quality programming to Wyoming citizens of all ages,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, Director of Community Services. “Our adult softball leagues are a great way for individuals to stay active, work as a team and have fun.”

 

A 10-game season for the coed league is offered Monday-Friday and Wednesday-Thursday for men’s leagues. The fee is $475 per team. Additional men’s league, offered Mondays and Tuesdays, will be a 12-game league and with a $530 cost per team. All leagues include a single-elimination tournament at the end of regular season.

 

The registration deadline for adult softball is Monday, March 19. For more information, or to register your team, please contact Recreation Programmer Kenny Westrate at 616-530-3164 or westratek@wyomingmi.gov.

 

About Wyoming Parks and Recreation

 

The City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department is committed to creating community through people, parks and programs by providing services, facilities and activities for the citizens of Wyoming and the greater metropolitan area. For more information about other Parks and Recreation special events or programs, please contact the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department at 616-530-3164 or parks_info@wyomingmi.gov or visit our web site at: www.wyomingmi.gov.

Festival of the Arts: A look at the various volunteer opportunities

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , ,

 

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

It was a desire to get her daughter more involved in the community, and for the opportunity for herself to give back, that had Becky Richard signing up to volunteer at Festival of the Arts’ face painting booth.

 

That was 13 years ago and Richard has gone on to co-chair face painting, serve as the 2016 Festival co-chair with Tim Jacobson, and is now the chair of volunteer recruitment for the organization.

 

Festival of the Arts Volunteer Recruitment Chair Becky Richards talks to Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

“I brought [my daughter] down and we talked to one of the the chairs of face painting and signed up to volunteer,” Richard said. “I’m so glad I did because its really like being a part of a big family.”

 

It takes a small village to put on the annual Festival of the Arts which marks its 49th year in 2018. The dates for the event which always happens the first weekend in June are June 1, 2, and 3 in downtown Grand Rapids.

 

“It takes over 500 slots just to fill our kids activities for the weekend,” Richard said, adding that kids activities includes face painting, kids paint-in, Mad Hatter, and Chalk the Walk. There also are many other volunteer opportunities beyond just kids activities such as stages, the Festival store, Festival Regional Arts, headquarters, production, and clean-up. Those operating the individual food booths are responsible for their own volunteers so the Festival organization does not handle volunteers for specific food booths, however; there is a food booth committee that does work with the various booths.

 

People are able to volunteer for what fits in their schedule, whether it be a couple of hours or all weekend. Volunteers have the opportunity just to help out or do what Richard did, and expand their role by co-chairing an activity. It really all depends on what the person wants to do, she said, adding it is just about getting involved and just having some fun.

 

Richard also noted that volunteering can look good on college applications and resumes since it teaches life skills such as cashiering, merchandising, organizing, and working with the public.

 

All ages are welcomed. Students under 18, should have parents’ permission. Groups are welcomed from service organizations to companies that encourage employees to do community outreach.

 

“The great thing about Festival is you don’t need any experience at all,” Richard said. “If you’ve never volunteered for a Festival before; if you’re not artsy; if you’ve never painted a face — it doesn’t matter. Just come down and have some fun. Really there is something for everyone.”

 

For more about Festival of the Arts or how to volunteer, visit festivalgr.org.

Employment Expertise: Find your next career with this online tool!

3-bottom, How-To's, Non-Profits, , , , , ,

 

By West Michigan Works!

 

West Michigan Works! recently released their 2018 Hot Jobs List. The jobs on this high-demand list:

  • have significant openings in the current job market,
  • are expected to see considerable growth in the next five years, and
  • can lead to self-sufficiency through living wages and opportunities for advancement.

Staff at West Michigan Works! service centers use this information to help guide job seekers to occupations that local employers need to fill and have the potential to become successful, long-term careers.

 

Job seekers who visit one of their service centers can get a print version of this year’s list. However, the online version is sortable and full of interactive perks that can help you target your next job or career.

 

Not sure which career is right for you? Many of the jobs on the list have links to videos that give viewers a taste of the daily tasks and activities performed in that occupation. The videos are a great tool to explore careers and see which ones fit your talents and passion.

 

Do you have skills that will transfer to a hot job? Each job is linked to its corresponding career profile. These profiles provide in-depth information on the type of knowledge, skills, abilities and education needed for the job.

 

Need additional training to qualify for an occupation? Any occupations that meet the criteria for Michigan Works! training scholarships are clearly identified with a blue box. Contact your local service center to find out if you qualify.

 

If you’re in the market for a new job or career, don’t wait to check out the online Hot Jobs list at http://jobs.westmiworks.org/hot-jobs-2/!

 

Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.

GR Ballet’s first 2018 MOVEMEDIA program embraces diversity of modern ballet dance

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, , , ,

 

 

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

 

Modern dance, some say, is the perfect medium to delicately explore topics of emotional and social importance due to its ability to mix human, often non-verbal movement with unique if not jarring music.

 

It can be beautiful and uncomfortable at the same time.

 

So Grand Rapids Ballet upcoming MOVEMEDIA: Diversity two-installment dance program, the next in its yearly MOVEMEDIA contemporary dance series and premiering this week, Feb. 9-11, seems a perfect vehicle to introduce diverse works by a diverse group of choreographers on the subject of diversity.

 

Grand Rapids Ballet artistic director Patricia Barker. (Supplied)

“The MOVEMEDIA series was created specifically with this idea in mind: The ability to use dance and mixed media as a vehicle to address topics that are germane in today’s world,” Patricia Barker, Grand Rapids Ballet’s soon-to-depart artistic director, said in supplied material. “It’s also important to provide minority choreographers an outlet to create new works and make a mark on the dance world, so we’re very excited to see what they bring to the stage.”

 

Both the Feb. 9-11 program and March 23-25 second program will be presented at the ballet’s Peter Martin Wege Theatre in Grand Rapids. Tickets are still available.

 

MOVEMEDIA: Diversity features six new world premiere works by young choreographers: Jennifer Archibald, Norbert De La Cruz III and Loughlan Prior in the first program, and Olivier Wevers, Uri Sands and Danielle Rowe in the second.

 

Their pieces, according to supplied material, will focus on issues including autism, gender inequality, individual non- conformity, bullying, mental health, medical ethics, the right to love, and more.

 

Jennifer Archibald (Supplied)

Archibald is the founder and artistic director of the Arch Dance Company and program director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives and she is a graduate of the Alvin Ailey School. Her new work is titled “Vapor” and will explore the devaluation of individuality.

 

Norbert De La Cruz III (Supplied)

De La Cruz, who was born in the Phillippines, is a graduate of The Juilliard School and was named one of Dance Magazine‘s Top 25 to Watch for 2016. His work, “The Return of Balance” examines the roles in life we are expected to play and how that differs from our own personal reality.

 

Loughlan Prior (Supplied)

Prior, is an Australia/New Zealand native currently in residence at Royal New Zealand Ballet and the creative director of Prior Visual. He is also an award winning film maker whose work has been shown at the Cannes Film Festival. His work is titled “They/Them” and explores the “fluidity of gender in our new society.”

 

As part of the two-program MOVEMEDIA installment, Grand Rapids Ballet will partner with several local organizations in order to create “wrap-around” programming to help extend the messages to the public, according to supplied material. Those organizations include Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, Be Nice, Arbor Circle, and Out on the Lakeshore.

 

Tickets for MOVEMEDIA: Diversity can be purchased at the Grand Rapids Ballet box office at 341 Ellsworth Avenue SW, online at grballet.com or Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 616-454-4771 x10.

 

Girls, boys basketball on WKTV featured games schedule this week

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Education, Kentwood Public Schools, Sports
WKTV offers on-demand viewing of Wyoming and Kentwood sports events as well as government meetings, including the monthly Government Matters meeting. (WKTV)

WKTV staff

ken@wktv.org  

 

As basketball playoffs loom, the WKTV sports truck will be out twice this week for featured game coverage, and both games will have conference title implications.

 

First, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, we will be at East Kentwood High School for a girls basketball game as the Falcons place their undefeated record (7-0 in OK Red Conference; 15-0 overall) on the line when they host Caledonia (4-3, 11-3).

 

Then, on Friday, Feb. 9, we will be at Kelloggsville for a boys basketball game when the Rockets (4-2 OK Silver, 10-2 overall) will host Wyoming Lee (1-5, 4-9).

 

Currently, each Tuesday game will be broadcast that night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Each Friday game will be aired that night on WKTV 25 at 11 p.m. and repeat Saturday at 11 a.m. The games can also be seen on AT&T U-verse 99.

 

All games, as well as other high school sports and community events covered by WKTV, are available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com .

 

For a complete schedule of all local high school sports action each week, any changes to the WKTV feature sports schedule, and features on local sports, visit wktvjournal.org/sports/

 

The rest of WKTV’s February featured game broadcast schedule includes:

 

Tuesday, Feb. 13 — Boys basketball, Wayland at Wyoming

Friday, Feb. 16 — Girls and boys basketball, West Michigan Aviation at Zion Christian

Saturday, Feb. 17 — Boys hockey, South Christian/BC at East Kentwood

Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Boys basketball, Muskegon Oakridge at Tri-unity Christian

Friday, Feb. 23 — Girls and boys basketball, East Grand Rapids at Wyoming

Saturday, Feb. 24 — Boys Hockey, FH Central at East Kentwood

 

The complete schedule for local sports events includes:

 

Monday, Feb. 5

Boys/Girls Bowling

Wyoming @ South Christian

Belding @ Godwin Heights

FH Northern @ Potter’s House

Wyoming Lee @ Tri-unity Christian

NorthPointe Christian @ Kelloggsville

Girls Basketball

Potter’s House @ NorthPointe Christian

 

Tuesday, Feb. 6

Girls Basketball

South Christian @ Christian

Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights

Holland Calvary @ Potter’s House

West Michigan Lutheran @ West Michigan Aviation

Muskegon Catholic Central @ Zion Christian

Caledonia @ East Kentwood – WKTV Featured Event

FH Eastern @ Wyoming

Boys Basketball

Christian @ South Christian

Godwin Heights @ Kelloggsville

Holland Calvary @ Potter’s House

Kalamazoo Heritage Christian @ Grand River Prep

Zion Christian @ Maple Valley

East Kentwood @ Caledonia

Calvin Christian @ Wyoming Lee

Wyoming @ FH Eastern

Muskegon Orchard View @ Tri-unity Christian

Boys Swimming

South Christian @ Christian – Quad Meet

 

Wednesday, Feb. 7

Boys/Girls Bowling

Zeeland @ South Christian

Godwin Heights @ NorthPointe Christian

East Kentwood @ Rockford

Hopkins @ Wyoming Lee

Wyoming @ Unity Christian

Kelloggsville @ Belding

Girls Cheer

Godwin Heights @ Belding

Wyoming Lee @ Belding

Kelloggsville @ Belding

Wyoming @ Zeeland West

Boys Wrestling

Kelloggsville @ Godwin Heights – Team Districts

Wyoming Lee @ West Catholic – Team Districts

Wyoming @ East Kentwood – Team Districts

 

Thursday, Feb. 8

Boys Bowling

Grandville @ East Kentwood

Boys Swimming

East Kentwood @ Rockford

Girls Basketball

Tri-unity Christian @ Fruitport Calvary Christian

Boys Basketball

Tri-unity Christian @ Fruitport Calvary Christian

 

Friday, Feb. 9

Girls Basketball

Wyoming @ South Christian

Hopkins @ Godwin Heights

Potter’s House @ Covenant Christian

Algoma Christian @ West Michigan Aviation

Wellsprings Prep @ Grand River Prep

Zion Christian @ West Michigan Lutheran

Boys Basketball

Wyoming @ South Christian

Hopkins @ Godwin Heights

Potter’s House @ Covenant Christian

Algoma Christian @ West Michigan Aviation

Wellsprings Prep @ Grand River Prep

Heritage Christian @ Zion Christian

Wyoming Lee @ Kelloggsville – WKTV Featured Event

Boys Hockey

South Christian @ Christian

East Kentwood @ Chelsea

Girls Cheer

East Kentwood @ Caledonia

Kelloggsville @ Caledonia

 

Saturday, Feb. 10

Boys Hockey

Christian @ South Christian

East Kentwood @ Chelsea

Boys Wrestling

Individual Districts @ Byron Center

Individual Districts @ Grand Haven

Individual Districts @ Belding

Boys/Girls Bowling

Godwin Heights @ Muskegon Mona Shores

Wyoming @ Muskegon Mona Shores

Girls Dance

East Kentwood @ Davenport University – Davenport Invite

Girls Cheer

Wyoming Lee @ Lakewood – Valentine Cheerfest

Wyoming @ Delta Plex

Boys Basketball

Tri-Unity Christian @ Lansing Christian

Girls Basketball

Tri-unity Christian @ Lansing Christian

 

Monday, Feb. 12

Boys/Girls Bowling

Unity Christian @ South Christian

Wyoming Lee @ Godwin Heights

West Catholic @ Potter’s House

East Kentwood @ Hudsonville

Zeeland East @ Wyoming

Kelloggsville @ Hopkins

Girls Cheer

Wyoming Lee @ FH Northern – NorthStar Invitational

Wyoming @ FH Northern – NorthStar Invitational

 

Wyoming Director of Police and Fire Services James Carmody announces his retirement

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After an award-winning career spanning more than four decades, Wyoming Director of Police and Fire Services Chief James E. Carmody has announced his retirement, effective April 26.

 

Chief James Carmody

Chief Carmody has served in his role since 2006, leading a team of nearly 130 full-time personnel, including 86 sworn police officers and 29 full-time firefighters. During his tenure with the department, he has built a strong foundation of community trust and led his team to serve and protect the public during natural disasters, organized crime and medical emergencies, among others. Carmody also developed innovative programs improving the department’s ability to address key issues, while bringing a hands-on approach to police services.

 

Under his leadership, the City of Wyoming:
·       Consolidated police and fire services into a single Department of Public Safety, improving efficiencies while expanding services and saving money
·       Worked to secure accreditation for the Department from the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies, making Wyoming one of the few CALEA-certified departments in Michigan
·       Developed cross-training of City employees so they can serve as on-call firefighters, supplementing full-time firefighters as needs arose
·       Directed safety and recovery efforts during two tornadoes that did significant property damage in the City
·       Instituted a community policing model that placed officers in every Wyoming school every day of the school year in an effort to build relationships
·       Built stronger relationships with the business community by developing an after-hours program of checks and visits

 

“Chief Carmody has been a significant asset and leader not only within our City offices, but especially for our residents, whom he has built countless positive relationships with,” said Wyoming City Manager Curtis Holt. “I’m deeply honored to have served with him for more than a decade and am incredibly proud of his accomplishments and contributions to improve Wyoming.

 

“Jim has become a personal friend as well over the years, and I know that I speak for all of us at the City in wishing him the best as he begins his next chapter.”

 

With more than four decades of law enforcement experience, Carmody began his career as a police officer in Port Huron in 1975, where he held positions of increasing responsibility – up to a major – until joining the City of Wyoming as chief. In 2013, he managed the development of a joint public safety department and was named public safety director with responsibilities for both police and fire services in Wyoming.

 

“The departure of Chief Carmody is tremendously bittersweet,” said Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll. “He has exemplified superb professionalism and leadership during his time here, while bringing an incredible amount of energy, passion and commitment to his profession, his City and his department.

 

“We wish him well as he transitions into his retirement and thank him for his remarkable service throughout the years.”

 

As it begins its search for Carmody’s replacement, the City plans to look first at internal candidates before expanding beyond the department.

 

In his letter to Wyoming’s City Council, Carmody wrote: “…I leave you with an organization that is at the top of its game. The police and fire services that are provided to the residents and visitors of the City of Wyoming are second to none. You have, without question, some of the very best public safety professionals who work extremely hard every day for you and the people of this City.”

 

During his career, Carmody has received multiples awards and recognitions for exemplary service. Most recently, Carmody was recognized as Michigan Police Chief of the Year in 2016 by the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.

 

Carmody received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and his master’s degree from the University of Michigan. He also graduated from the FBI National Academy, the Michigan Police Executive Development School and the Michigan Law Enforcement Leadership Institute.

 

Carmody has served as longtime assessor with CALEA, evaluating departments across the country and in Mexico. He has also served on Michigan District 5 MACP as executive board alternate representative. In 2017, he was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission.

 

Carmody sits on the interview panel for Congressman Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, reviewing high school students who have applied for appointment to West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy and the nation’s other military service academies. In January 2016, Carmody represented the MACP and Michigan’s law enforcement community when he attended Pres. Barak Obama’s final State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.

 

A passionate advocate for law enforcement, he has taught several police executive training classes that focus on topics ranging from suicide prevention to officer-involved shootings.

 

Carmody and his wife, Ralene, will continue to make their home in Wyoming.

On the shelf: ‘The Rook’ by Daniel O’Malley

Books, Entertainment, Reviews, , , ,

By Kristen Krueger-Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library

 

It is not very often that I finish a book and want to run out and tell the world about it. When I finished The Rook a year ago, I immediately encouraged everyone I knew to read it. I am still talking about this book. It is that good.

The book starts Myfawny (rhymes with Tiffany) Thomas waking up in a body that is not her own. In a park. During a rainstorm. Surrounded by dead people wearing rubber gloves. Luckily the former owner of the body left her a letter instructing her on where to go and what to do. Ultimately, Myfawny is given a choice—to start a new life or to continue to live the life of the body’s former owner. Choosing the later, she discovers that she is a high ranking official (a Rook) in the Chequy, a secret government agency that protects Britain from supernatural threats.

O’Malley, a MSU graduate, deftly combines science fiction and humor. Even if science fiction isn’t your thing, read it anyway. The writing moves quickly and the story and characters are completely engaging. By the end of the book, I wanted to call him up and yell at him for not having the next book written. So what are you waiting for? Go read this book.

Second meeting for Gezon Master Plan set for Feb. 8

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Thursday, Feb. 8 , Wyoming residents will get their first look at three design concepts for Gezon Park.

 

At 6:30 p.m. at the Metro Health University of Michigan Health Conference Center, 2225 Main St. SW, the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department will present the design concept.

 

For the past couple of months, the city has been collecting residents’ input, first through an online survey and then with a public meeting in January, about what amenities residents would like to have at the park.

 

The survey results indicated a mix of desired uses with the top ones being nature/natural trails, walking, playgrounds and splash pads.

 

For the complete survey results, click here. For the Jan. 18 public meeting presentation, click here.

 

Gezon Park, which was a city-owned well field, encompasses about 94 acres between Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. It has entrances from both Gezon Parkway and 52nd Street. Baseball fields and restrooms are located near the parkway entrance and the 52nd Street entrance has playground equipment and walking trails. Most of the park remains vastly undeveloped, said Wyoming’s Community Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt.

 

Mark Robertson, with Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio, the company that has been working with the city on the park design, said of the existing 94 acres, about 52 acres are available for development due to the existing water tower and other natural land features.

 

After the meeting, a proposed Gezon Park master plan will be presented to the Wyoming Planning Commission for its approval. The plan will then be presented to the Wyoming City Council for its final approval.

School News Network: ‘If I Can Do It, You Can Do It’

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By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

Dressed in red, resemblant of flaming hot sauce, Kentwood’s Bowen Elementary fifth-grader Yoe Shi Yar played David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who founded Huy Fong Foods, Inc.

 

“I was born in 1945 in Soc Trang, Vietnam. I am 72 years old. I speak Vietnamese. I have the best job in the world: making hot sauce!” Yoe Shi-as-Tran said, enthusiasm evident in his smile. “I immigrated to the United States in 1979 after the Vietnam War.”

 

Yoe Shi continued his first-person story of Tran, the entrepreneur who created a Sriracha sauce now known around the world for the rooster image on the bottle.

 

Thaw Kyar Eh presents on Tin Moe, a Burmese poet and teacher.

Yoe Shi, who moved to the U.S. from Thailand at age 6, and 16 other immigrant and refugee elementary students from Kentwood Public Schools, emulated successful business owners, politicians, judges and entertainers during the recent iLEAD Student Wax Museum Exhibition at the East Kentwood Freshman Campus. Students pretended to be wax figures, coming to life for visitors.

 

The students, who attend several elementary schools, spent three months and many hours on the after-school research project, which was focused on narratives and experiences of American figures who come from immigrant and refugee backgrounds.

 

In doing so, they learned about possibilities and the potential to build on the strengths of heritage, culture and language in their own lives, said Glenwood Elementary ELL teacher Amina Mohamed.

 

Empowering Through Role Models

Mohamed started iLEAD, which stands for Institute for Leadership, Empowerment, Activism and Dialogue.The students made up the program’s first cohort.

 

“iLEAD is specifically focused on centering the narratives of refugees and immigrants, and bringing awareness to how refugees and immigrants are an important fabric in American culture, and the impact they have had here in America,” Mohamed said. “I think many people don’t realize a lot of the famous people we see on TV do come from immigrant and refugee backgrounds.”

 

She said she wants to provide students with role models, through examples of those who have embraced opportunities and overcome challenges. She knows the immigrant experience personally: She grew up in the United Arab Emirates, her mother is from Kenya and her father is from Somalia.

 

“My goal is to have the students feel empowered to know they should be proud of their culture, heritage and language, and not view those things as a deficiency,” she said. “They are things to be proud of and to build on. Just because they come from a different country or their parents come from a different country does not mean they are not Americans.”

 

Mulonge Kalumbula, Grand Rapids Public Schools curriculum supervisor, introduces Bowen Elementary fifth-grader Yoe Shi Yar as a winner of the presentations

‘I Love All of Them’

 

Meadowlawn fifth-grader Siyani Mahadevan researched rapper/producer/activist Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, or “M.I.A.” “She’s a singer and artist and she really worked hard,” Siyani said. “She had a song on the Billboard Hot 100.” Like M.I.A, Siyani is Sri Lankan.

 

“We have to work really hard too, to become good at something,” said Siyani, who hopes to become a doctor when she grows up.

 

Students presented their projects — including facts and photos of the immigrants they portrayed — to judges who are successful immigrants and refugees themselves: Leela Dhakal, a Bhutanese business owner; Anh Tran, owner of Liaison Linguistics in Kentwood; Mulonge Kalumbula, Grand Rapids Public Schools curriculum supervisor; and Sau’l Ulloa, West Michigan Works! refugee career counselor.

 

“I’m very surprised the students put this many hours of research into this,” said Tran, a refugee from Vietnam whose translation businesses serves 120 languages. “I love all of them.”

 

Her advice to the students: “Study hard and do not let anything deter you, because America is the land of opportunity. If somebody pushes you down, get back up again.

 

“If I can do it, you can do it.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

School News Network: Thinking by Design, Solving Problems and Having Fun

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By Linda Odette

School News Network

 

Want to know how to prevent accidents in the winter on major highways? Getting refugees without transportation to the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood? How to water your garden from rain water in a more efficient way than you are now?

 

A solution to a winter driving accident is explained by Santiago Galaviz, left, and Omar Lopez (Photos courtesy of School News Network)

Area students can help. Students from local schools designed their solutions to these problems typically handled by adults, and showed off their work at the first Design Thinking Showcase presented recently by the Kent ISD Career Readiness Team.

 

Design thinking is about imagination, throwing out wild ideas, not being afraid of failure and a process for reaching solutions, says Eric Kelliher, Kent ISD Career Readiness consultant. It’s where career education involves not just businesses but the community, and it’s being taught to teachers and students in multiple grades all over the Grand Rapids area.

 

At the Steelcase Town Hall, students set up their projects at tables and told visitors how they worked. Those exhibiting had won contests in which teams from their schools came up with ideas for solving a problem.

 

The winners were invited to the showcase, where teachers, assistants and more than 50 students showed their work to about 100 parents and business people. Each student was awarded a $100 gift certificate.

 

Making winter roads safer sounds like what state of Michigan engineers would solve, but an East Kentwood High School team didn’t let that intimidate them. They were students of physics teacher Laura Sloma, and had been studying the physics (like “Why didn’t the cars just stop?”) behind a 193-car pile-up in 2015 near Galesburg. Next they split into teams to create solutions to the problem, and were judged by three Michigan Department of Transportation engineers.

 

The winning solution involved posts and lights placed a few miles apart on the highway. A red light would show up five miles before the pile-up; a flashing red light would show up three miles before; and a solid red light would be at the two-mile mark. The four-member team’s model showed miniature cars and light poles, plus a video of the 2015 crash.

 

One of the team’s first ideas was to outfit cars like army tanks.

 

“You throw out every idea possible, even crazy ideas,” said team member Enrique Lopez, a junior. They moved on to the lights and poles idea, which would be much simpler and cost less. Research behind the final solution involved talking to an accident reconstructionist and people who had at least 10 years of driving experience on winter roads.

 

Just like in the real world, the work wasn’t easy. “You have to come up with things quickly,” said Lopez, admitting it was stressful.

 

“It really helped to be applying physics to something that had real-life application,” said Sloma, the physics teacher. “The design thinking process you can apply not only to problems like this, but other problems they’ll find in their careers. It was awesome thing to watch.”

 

Scarlett Lee reacts to winning a $100 gift certificate

A Shoe, a Dog and Keeping the World Cleaner

Zachary Reep rescued a Doc Marten shoe from being thrown away and his partner Sophia Senz picked up a tacky, chipped, ceramic dog planter at a thrift store. They planted herbs in these and other recycled items to show how “stuff” doesn’t have to be dumped in landfills.

 

“We can try to make a statement and say this stuff can be repurposed and doesn’t have to serve just one purpose it was made for,” said Zachary, a junior at Kent Innovation High School.

 

“It holds liquid,” Zachary said of the dog. “Why not? Plus, nobody’s going to want that dog.”

 

The students even made tea out of the herbs they planted.

 

“Rather than put the trash in the parks, we figured out how to put the parks in the trash,” said Zachary, who liked how the project connected to real life. “We wanted to show people they played a part in the environment. Everybody’s involved in it, and everyone can make a change.”

 

His favorite part of design thinking was the brainstorming and throwing out wild possibilities: “It was fun to find out what worked and didn’t work.”

 

One idea that didn’t make it to the drawing board was a portable garden on wheels. “It was unrealistic and had nothing to do with trash,” Zachary explained.

 

 

Thinking Behind the Showcase

The design thinking teacher training and contest were funded by grants from United Way and other businesses.

 

Zyair Sims tells how the Crestwood community would be able to get to the Refugee Education Center as Dante Hamilton looks on.

“This program met and exceeded our expectations,” said Kelliher, the career readiness consultant. “The teachers did a phenomenal job of embracing this program. It helped students see the connection between education and the real world with problem-solving and critical thinking.” He expects the event to be held again next year.

 

Crestwood Middle School took on the challenge of finding rides for refugees to the Refugee Education Center in Kentwood. “There are a high number of refugees at school,” said student Zyair Sims, standing by a model of the Creston area. Kentwood Public Schools has about 1,800 refugees and ELL students, who speak more than 60 languages and represent 90 countries.

 

The students’ first idea was to transport people to the center using Uber, but the cost was too high. Language arts teacher Lakesha Keuchler, coach of the seventh-grade team, says she saw the group’s “a-ha” moment when it decided to figure out how to bring the center to the people instead of the people to the center. Students asked community spots like the library, grocery stores and businesses to provide meeting places for users of the center, and those organizations agreed to do it.

 

Watering the Garden

Sand Lake Elementary fifth-graders from Tri-County Area Schools built a system last year to use rainwater from the roof of the administration building to water the school’s garden. This year, with design thinking, they took on how to get that water to the garden more efficiently than by watering it with a hose.

 

One of their goals was to create a system that didn’t use electricity. Students designed a system of PVC pipes with holes to run above the garden. Water collected from the roof went into 50-gallon barrels and was pumped into the garden.

 

The scope of building the assignment surprised student Mason Walkwitz. “I thought it was going to be a tiny school project,” he said. “We just started in class, then had competition at school, and now we’re at Steelcase.”

 

Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.

Local artist Edye Evans Hyde featured performer at Museum’s next ‘Concerts Under the Stars’

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Edye Evans Hyde

The Grand Rapids Public Museum continues the 2018 Concerts Under the Stars series on Thursday, Feb. 8, hosting local jazz vocalist Edye Evans Hyde for a fully immersive audio and visual experience in the Chaffee Planetarium.

 

Hyde has been singing jazz, blues and pop music for more than 30 years in West Michigan, Los Angeles, Asia and Europe. Hyde was the 2011 West Michigan Jazz Society Musician of the Year. Over the years, she shared the stage with world-renowned blues singer Linda Hopkins, pop singer Michael Bolton, vocalist Maria Muldaur, actress Connie Stevens, the late Ray Charles, and Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval.

 

Each concert features a live custom light show on the planetarium’s dome that complement the various genres throughout the series. The recently renovated planetarium boasts state-of-the-art technology with 4k visuals and surround sound, for an amazing immersive concert experience.

 

Concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

 

Tickets are $10 for GRPM members, $12 for non-members if purchased in advance, and $15 for non-members on the day of the concert. Tickets are currently on sale at grpm.org, by calling 616-929-1700 or at the Museum’s front desk.

 

The 2018 Concerts Under the Stars Series will continue Mar. 1 with one-woman-band Jes Kramer, Mar. 22 with alternative folk by Dan Rickabus, and will close on Apr. 12 with the alternative rock sounds of Major Murphy.

Grand Rapids Symphony unveils its 2018-19 season with something special for everyone

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Grand Rapids own and Calvin College Alum Michelle DeYoung performs with the Grand Rapids Symphony as part of the symphony’s 2018-2019 season.

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

Grand Rapids Symphony

 

The Grand Rapids Symphony unveiled its 2018-19 season with classical blockbusters, eminent soloists, pop/rock music favorites, great films and much more.

 

Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet

The Classical Series led by Music Director Marcelo Lehninger welcomes world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and rising star violinist Karen Gomyo to DeVos Hall for a season of music including Beethoven’s stirring Symphony No. 7, Rimsky-Korsakov’s sultry Scheherazade, Schubert’s beautiful “Unfinished” Symphony No. 8, and Rachmaninoff’s mighty Piano Concerto No. 2.

 

Three-time Grammy Award winner Michelle DeYoung, a mezzo-soprano who was born in Grand Rapids and attended Calvin College, returns to DeVos Hall for the first time in 12 seasons. Also meet Marcelo’s mother, Brazilian pianist Sonia Goulart, who’s enjoyed an international career as a concert artist. will be performing with the Grand Rapids Symphony.

 

The Pops Series under Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt features jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli playing the music of Paul McCartney; trumpeter Byron Stripling with ragtime, jazz and blues; and singer and pianist Tony DeSare with great songs of Frank Sinatra.

 

Enjoy many nights at the movies with live music from the Grand Rapids Pop accompanying Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Johnny Depp in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” and Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone.”

 

Cirque de la Symphonie will return for Christmas for the 10th annual Cirque de Noel. Local soloists will include violinist and concertmaster James Crawford and principal oboist Ellen Sherman.

 

For more on the 2018-2019 season, click here.

 

Season tickets are on sale now with select concerts also on sale to subscribers. Subscriptions are available at a discount of up to 50 percent off select series and seats for new package orders. Current subscribers have until February 28 to renew their subscriptions. Single tickets will be available beginning July 31.

 

Tickets are available at the GRS ticket office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm, at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616-454-9451, ext. 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $4 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)

Coffee with a Cop program helps to bring neighbors, officers together

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Sgt. Brian Look (center) and Office Ben Durian (left) meet with Bayberry manager Shake Broukian and residents Joyce Driesens, and Sandra Moulds (Photo by Catherine Kooyers)

There was standing room only at the Coffee with a Cop held in the Bayberry Farms Village Community Room on Wed., Jan. 31, following a residents’ meeting. Wyoming police officers and residents gathered together in a friendly, sometimes serious, often jovial, respectful manner. Over coffee, cake and ice cream they discussed the roles of officers and citizens, current citywide concerns, neighborhood concerns as well as a question and answer session. Who knew we had so many secret comedians in Wyoming!?! The officers will be holding gatherings like these across the city on a regular basis.

 

As an officer said, with so much negativity in the news, many people see a cruiser and immediately think the worst or become fearful. We, at Bayberry, hope to soften that in our community. These coffees will allow residents to see the human side of officers, get to know who is covering their area, who to go to with concerns or compliments. Meanwhile, the coffee allows officers to meet the people they represent and protect while seeing that many in the community do appreciate and support law enforcement. July of 2016, Bayberry Farms Village suffered a serious fire that displaced many residents. Firefighters and officers were there to breakdown doors and help. So this also allowed many residents to reconnect with heroes they saw in action that day or have met at other times. I will add as a victim of that fire, seeing the firefighters and first responders I knew as we fought together to get residents to safety was comforting and welcomed. We hope to share that same sense of peace with those who see an officer pull up in a cruiser…not fear.

 

The issue of people with fall buttons (alarms that alert a company in an emergency) came up and some wondered how LEOs get in if their doors are locked. On a lighter note, it was made clear these LEOs do not hesitate or mind kicking down a door or breaking a window to save a life. The officers made it clear, if they know someone is in need of help — they WILL get in. That struck a chord with many. You see, after the Bayberry fire, there were dozens and dozens of damaged doors as firefighters and officers risked their lives knocking them down as the fire and smoke raged. In the end, they did a thorough search and rescue of trapped, hiding people and pets so all were accounted for.

 

With seniors, medications were a top concern. Of course one should be careful with what they order online. Many top drugs are made in areas  that were hardest hit by hurricanes. Many drug production plants were damaged or destroyed, impacting the quality of items in their production system. That could mean some of those drugs entering Michigan are cheaper but it also means they may have been contaminated, exposed to extreme heat, spoiled or worse.  So, it is wise to deal with a reputable company now more than ever.

 

One of the most discussed concerns was disposal of old or unneeded medications and prescriptions. The discussion started with the fact that a medicine is only to be used by the person it is prescribed for. It is not to be shared with family or friends, no matter how well-intended. In fact, some stories were shared about people who meant well, but those meds ended up harming the person they were meant to help. Clearly, prescriptions are not inherited by family when someone dies or does not need them any longer. Those must be disposed of.

 

So then, how does one dispose of meds in Wyoming if they do not go in the sewer system or the dumpster? Surprisingly, quite a few people did not know and thanked us afterwards for the information. The officers conscientiously advised of the hazards of dumping materials, like prescriptions, down the toilet…how those end impacting the water system. That requires extra testing and treatment to clean the water and keep it safe. Many residents were surprised to learn just how state-of-the-art water testing is in Wyoming, to the point they can track chemicals back to their sources. in most cases. Like one person dumped paint in the sewer system and that was traced back to the actual home. So, the officer discussed the preferred method of disposal is to removal all labels and identifiers, then take the meds to the Wyoming Police Department, Walgreens or Family Fare. Those places have programs in place to safely collect the meds and properly dispose of them.  They are NOT accepted at the fire stations, despite rumors to the contrary.

 

There was also considerable discussion about registering all cell phones with the new Smart 911 system. This way assistance is faster during a crisis. From the meeting: bottom line, if not registered yet, do it!

 

Bottom line, this was a fantastic opportunity for the police and citizens to sit, chat, discuss mutual issues of concerns, express compliments and work together for a safer, calmer community. Bayberry residents thank the officers who visited and Chief James Carmody for helping to arrange for this to happen.

WKTV Journal: Smart 911, a visit from Bob O’Callaghan, and a call for Festival volunteers

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In this newscast , we join the City of Kentwood as officials and residents observe Martin Luther King Day with a special ceremony at the KDL Kentwood Branch and a food drive for its Little Free Pantry. Mayor Stephen Kepley talks about the city possibly expanding the pantry program.

 

The celebrations continued at Lee High School as the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools inducts three new members to its Hall of Fame.

 

Also, we head over to the Kent County Emergency Dispatch Center, where Emergency Communications Center Manager Matt Groesser talks to us about the Smart 911 program that was launched last year.

 

In studio, Wyoming-Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce CEO/President Bob O’Callaghan stops by to talk about the Chamber’s 2017 accomplishments, what’s up for 2018, and this year’s Chamber Award Winners.

 

Also Festival of the Arts Volunteer Chair Becky Richard comes to our studio to talk about the various volunteer opportunities available at the event which this year takes place June 1, 2, and 3 in Downtown Grand Rapids.

 

The WKTV Journal airs on WKTV Channel 25 Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and Fridays at 10 a.m.

 

 

Frontier Airlines announces service to Philadelphia, starts in April

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Low-Cost carrier, Frontier Airlines, is growing at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) with new, low-fare flights to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) beginning on April 9. This new non-stop flight option will operate two times a week and bring the number of destinations Frontier serves from Grand Rapids to four.

 

The new service would run on Mondays and Fridays, departing from Philadelphia at 8 a.m. and arriving in Grand Rapids at 10:08 a.m. The flight would department Grand Rapid at 10:58 a.m. and arrive in Philadelphia at 12:51 p.m.

 

In addition to Philadelphia, Frontier currently operates nonstop flights to Fort Myers (seasonal service) (RSW) and Orlando (MCO) and will begin flights to Denver (DEN) on April 8.

 

“The Grand Rapids community has embraced our Low Fares Done Right service since our return just six weeks ago.” said Josh Flyr, vice president of planning and revenue management. “We are delighted to reduce the cost of flying to and from West Michigan even more. Our introductory fares represent an 80 percent reduction to the current cost of flying from Philadelphia from Grand Rapids.”

 

“We are thrilled to hear Frontier has had a successful first few months in our market and that the airline is adding more service,” said Gerald R. Ford International Airport President & CEO Jim Gill. “Service to Philadelphia starting in April will be perfect for spring break and summer travelers looking to check out the historical offerings of downtown Philly; and in return we hope to attract Philly’s population to explore West Michigan during our beautiful summer months.”

 

“We offer not only amazing low fares but a reliable and friendly service that allows customers to customize their travel experience to their needs and their budget,” Flyr continued. “This empowers more people than ever in West Michigan to fly. This is what our Low Fares Done Right philosophy is all about.”

 

 

Mental health issues — Be Nice program, Network180 funding — on latest WKTV Journal: In Focus

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WKTV Staff

news@wktv.org

 

On this week’s episode of In Focus, host Ken Norris and WKTV Journal drills down into two important mental health issues in Kent County, first with the Be Nice youth mental health program, and then with the director of Network180, the county’s mental health provider and an organization currently cutting services due to state funding issues.

 

Christy Buck, executive director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, talks about the foundation’s Be Nice program, an effort to reach into local schools, and to reach local students on a personal level, with the message of how they can become part of the solution to youth suicide.

 

The program Be Nice is based on four elements/actions corresponding to the letters in NICE: Notice, Invite, Challenge and Empower. And, Buck stresses in part of the interview, the challenge part is a two-way challenge.

 

“It is absolutely a two-way challenge, and that sometimes is the sticking point, where, if I don’t challenge that person and empower them” then they will not respond, Buck said. “They need to understand, it is a physical illness. If you want to get better, you have got to take some steps towards that. You cannot force people. But when someone sees that you care enough to notice and invite (discussion), it leads to empowerment.”

 

Also on the program is Scott Gilman of Network180, and he talk about what impact a current funding crisis will have on the people they serve. For WKTV’s latest story on the funding issue, visit here.

 

 

The entire episode of “WKTV Journal: In Focus” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel.

 

The episode will continue its two week run Today, Thursday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. and conclude its run Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, Feb. 7, also at 6:30 p.m., on WKTV channels but all interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal: In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVVideos.