Category Archives: Citizen Journalism

New online app empowers returning citizens transitioning out of prison

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The Calvin Prison Initiative is now in its third year with a current enrollment of 57 students. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

By Jacquelyn Hubbard, Calvin College

 

There are many resources and services in the Grand Rapids area that are available to citizens transitioning out of prison and back into society, but these are not always easily accessible or made known to such citizens. How can these returning citizens find what they need when they don’t know where to start? Where can they go for assistance, and how will they get there? Whom can they call to set up appointments beforehand?

 

According to Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program assistant Julie Bylsma, returning citizens discover these resources primarily by word-of-mouth, or from their parole officers.

 

“Some [parole officers] tell them a lot about Grand Rapids and are interested in seeing them succeed; others just give them a document with phone numbers,” Bylsma said. “But they need something that actually shows them information and helps them understand how to get there.”

 

After two years of working on a solution to this issue, CPI and the Henry Institute at Calvin College have created the Returning Citizens Resources online application: a user-friendly, interactive, spatial map of resources and services in the Grand Rapids area to empower returning citizens in their transition out of prison and into society.

 

Returning Citizens Resources app

 

The process of creating the app began with an idea from political science professor and Henry Institute director Kevin den Dulk following a church discussion group meeting he attended on restorative justice.

 

“A returning citizen joined us one evening and I asked about the greatest challenges he faced when he got out of prison. He noted the nitty-gritty problem of tracking down where to find services; information was fragmented among a variety of groups, and those groups often didn’t know what others were doing,” den Dulk said. “I realized that was a problem we could tackle through some intrepid data-sleuthing and geographical work.”

 

Thus, in fall 2015, the work began with den Dulk reaching out to geography professor Jason VanHorn to propose his idea.

 

“Kevin approached me and said he was interested in issues of justice. He told me he was working on an interplay between civil service and organizations that are friendly for re-entry services,” VanHorn explained. “He then asked me, ‘Could you map those?’ And that simple question led us to the next steps of truly exciting research.”

 

Photo courtesy Calvin College

VanHorn then approached Julie Bylsma, a senior biology student at the time, who was taking Intro to GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and who he knew was also interested in criminal justice. Bylsma had begun her work with the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) in fall 2015 as well, and she agreed to begin collaborating with VanHorn and den Dulk on the project. She worked on the project through spring 2016 in Advanced GIS, and with Jon Gordon, who was a research fellow of the Henry Institute at the time, gathering most of the data. Bylsma also worked with VanHorn and den Dulk the following year in a research position through the Henry Institute up until the application went live in August 2017.

 

From the beginning, the goal was to make the app a one-stop resource for returning citizens to find everything they might need to smoothly reenter society. The categories of resources and services included in the app are: housing, employment, food & clothing, legal assistance, counseling services, welcoming churches (and organizations), transportation, and other services.

 

“We wanted it to be as easy and simple as possible for the users,” VanHorn said. “You don’t see technical jargon and geography vocabulary on there, which could easily be the case.”

 

Henry Institute & CPI

 

As the director of the Henry Institute at Calvin, den Dulk believes the institute is well positioned to oversee this kind of project. The institute provides resources for scholarship; encourages citizen involvement and education; structures opportunities to disseminate scholarly work; seeks avenues to communicate and promote information about Christianity and public life to the broader public; and motivates and trains future scholars and leaders.

 

“We have a sweet spot for projects that have research potential while also addressing real-world problems,” den Dulk said. “On this project, for example, we can serve a disadvantaged group through research, especially by using spatial analysis, or mapping, to identify ‘service deserts’ for returning citizens.”

 

One of the ways the Henry Institute takes on projects like these is through a program called the ‘Civitas Lab,’ which pairs students as paid assistants with faculty who have both technical knowledge and great passion.

 

“Bylsma and VanHorn are the dynamic pair who brought these pieces together, applied the necessary technical know-how, and got the map out to the public,” den Dulk said.

 

The Calvin students at Handlon Prison are already excited to use the new app.

 

“In talking with the Handlon students, a few of them have told me that their cellmates or friends in the prison who are getting out have been looking forward to using it. One person used it in his parole plan, as you have to have a re-entry plan,” Bylsma said.

 

The Calvin Prison Initiative offers inmates an opportunity to earn a bachelor of arts in ministry leadership degree. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

“When we met with prisoners at Handlon and they saw the app for the first time, their reactions were very positive,” VanHorn added. “They indicated overwhelming appreciation for the work, and that it would be a very valuable resource not only for returning citizens, but also for their families who can aid them in the transition back into society. It was really encouraging.”

 

Hopes for the app

 

Bylsma, Den Dulk, and VanHorn each have high hopes for the app, as there has already been great feedback from the Handlon students. They hope the mission and goals of the app don’t stop in Grand Rapids, though.

 

“I’m hoping the project paves a way for replication across the country and places around the world, because I think it’s possible,” VanHorn said. “Our overarching hope is to enable independence and an ability to choose in these returning citizens.”

 

“Right now [the app] is limited to Kent County, but we are working to secure funding to grow into as many Michigan counties as we can, and perhaps inspire similar work in other states,” den Dulk added. “I am most excited by the prospect that the map becomes a go-to resource for the post-release life-planning of returning citizens and their families. I’m also excited that we can start using our data to understand why there is often a mismatch between the locations of services and returning citizens.”

 

Bylsma believes providing this resource for returning citizens is an important piece in pursuing criminal justice.

 

“If [returning citizens] want to be successful, we want to give them the tools to become successful. It’s up to them to use the resources, but why would we ever handicap re-entering citizens from using them? If the resources are out there, and people are willing to give that assistance, it shouldn’t be that hard for them to find those services,” Bylsma said. “We would love to see prisoners come out and be able to get the help they need within a matter of hours or days, and the continuing help as well when they have their immediate needs met so they continue to be successful.”

 

The future of reentry assistance

 

VanHorn is working with MDOC (Michigan Department of Corrections) and other organizations to see how they can get the word out about the app. The app is the first of its kind; a few organizations have collected information for re-entry, but this is the most comprehensive resource for returning citizens with pins displayed and direct links to contact information. There is great hope from the creators of the app that their efforts will be duplicated.

 

“The court gave them punishment, and they served their time, so now we have to trust that they want to succeed and need to allow them to do so—we can’t tie both of their hands as they’re already walking into a terribly difficult situation,” Bylsma concluded. “It’s much different than someone starting their life over; this is often relearning adulthood. If we really gave them the chance to prove themselves without handicapping them in the first place, I believe we’d be impressed.”

About CPI

Eric Boldiszar shakes hands with Calvin College provost Cheryl Brandsen during the 2017 Convocation ceremony for the Calvin Prison Initiative students. (Photo courtesy Calvin College)

A partnership between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) is a unique program that provides a Christian liberal arts education to inmates at Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. This five-year program results in a bachelor of arts degree from Calvin College. The program equips inmates with the knowledge and skills required to be community leaders. The hope is that through this endeavor, not only will lives regain hope, but prison culture will be transformed, and justice there will become not merely retributive, but restorative.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

30th anniversary edition of Lighthouse Map now available

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By Jeremy Witt

West Michigan Tourist Association

 

Lighthouse lovers, get ready to plan your next lighthouse adventure! The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) is excited to announce the release of the 2018 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.

 

To celebrate this year’s 30th anniversary edition of the Lighthouse Map, WMTA has partnered with the Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a two-night stay at Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington. Interested parties are invited to enter to win this prize at the WMTA website: https://www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/win-a-stay-at-big-sable-point-lighthouse/

 

The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map, or request that a free copy be mailed to them. https://www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/

 

Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.

 

While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.

 

Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.

 

Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact Travel@WMTA.org for more information. The Lighthouse Tour Map also is available at the WKTV station, 5261 Clyde Park SW.

Summer Camps in West Michigan offer myriad fun activities

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Photo courtesy of Compass College of Cinematic Arts

By Jeremy Witt, West Michigan Tourist Association

 

It’s nearly that time again! Get your child involved in some fun and meaningful activities — consider a summer camp!

 

Make a movie this summer with the Film and Acting Summer Camps at the Compass College of Cinematic Arts in Grand Rapids! Learn from professionals how to act on camera and make films when the camp runs from June 18th to 22nd for ages 13 to 18. Film Camp students will write, shoot, and edit your own short film with guidance from seasoned filmmakers. In Acting Camp, you’ll learn on-camera acting techniques with a film actor as your coach and then star in a film produced by Film Camp. At the end of the week, walk the red carpet at the film’s premiere for family and friends on the big screen!

 

The Downtown Market in Grand Rapids has three-day and four-day summer camps for the young foodie in your life. Each camp has a distinct theme, ranging from Michigan’s fruits and vegetables to creating and utilizing a backyard farm. Sign up today for what Downtown Market cleverly calls their “Simmer Camps”!

 

Tiny dancers at the Grand Rapids Ballet dance camp (photo courtesy of GR Ballet)

The Grand Rapids Ballet has a variety of camps that are all centered around dance. Their Ballet School has programs for ballet, young dancers, boys ballet, and summer intensive training. They also have two Adaptive Dance programs: Explorer Dance (for children with Down syndrome) and Dancing with Parkinson’s (for adults with Parkinson’s disease). These Adaptive Dance classes allow students to experience the joy of dancing who may otherwise not have the opportunity to do so. Summer camps at the Grand Rapids Ballet are both fun and accessible for everyone!

 

The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre has summer camps that give students the chance to spend an entire week learning about theatre while having a blast making new friends. They’ve made some fantastic additions to their extremely popular summer camp program this year, so you’ll want to take a look at their new offerings for the season. Camps range from age 4 all the way through high school!

 

Summer fun happens at the Grand Rapids Public Museum! Join them and explore the wonders of science, history, culture, art, and fun! For nine weeks this summer, kids ages 4 to 14 can use the museum as a learning lab, experimenting and growing, all while having a great time in one of the area’s most history-rich and “cool” environments.

At The Critter Barn (photo courtesy of Critter Barn)

 

The Critter Barn in Zeeland offers a one-of-a-kind Critter Camp class for students who are eager to engage in animal care. Work through the entire farm with the barn’s staff and return to volunteer throughout the entire year. These camps are available for ages 8 to 15.

 

 

On the shelf: ‘The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt’ by Caroline Preston

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By Tallulah Stievers

 

In 1920, Frankie Pratt graduates from high school and receives a scrapbook as a gift. Intent on becoming a writer, she attends Vassar College, and finds work in New York and Paris. Told through Frankie’s eyes, the life of a young woman trying to find her place in the world comes to life. The remarkable thing about this book, however, is the way the story is told.

 

The entire book is formatted as Frankie’s scrapbook. It is filled with ephemera such as post cards, letters, magazine ads and more. The story of her life is told through her scrapbook entries and the style of the 1920s is vivid. The reader wants to be able to touch the items in the scrapbook, to ask Frankie questions, and to see the story from the viewpoint of other characters. But this is Frankie’s story and we see her world only from her perspective through what she shares in her scrapbook.

 

This is a fun book and a quick read, but you will linger, looking at the beautiful and detailed layout of each page.

Does gardening contribute to daily physical activity recommendations?

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Explore the different ways that gardening activities can help you meet daily physical activity recommendations.

By Tyler Becker, Michigan State University Extension

 

It’s that time of year again. Gardening and landscaping season is upon us. Time to go into the shed and dust off your shovel and go down to your local hardware store to get prepped for growing season. You may be excited to start gardening, but at the same time, maybe you are reluctant because you remembered how sore your muscles were from your first day last year. If you are one of these people, you will not be surprised to hear that gardening activities count towards physical activity recommendations.

 

Heavy gardening activities can strengthen your body.

Gardening and landscaping provide numerous physical and mental benefits. One physical benefit of gardening and landscaping is that you burn calories. This could contribute to weight management by helping you use up some of the energy from the food you consume. The amount of calories used depends on the activity, intensity and duration.

 

You may already think of gardening as a physical activity, one that provides cardiovascular or aerobic exercise for your body, but did you know that some gardening activities can contribute to the muscle- and bone-strengthening guidelines?

Gardening can help strengthen your body

Heavy gardening, which requires you to use a lot of your muscles can help with overall strengthening. Think of bending down to pick up something heavy, digging holes or making a paver wall. Overall, the type of activity and intensity is key. The activity has to be more strenuous than simply bending down to pick up a dropped glove; think of picking up pavers or a bag of mulch. Strive for an intensity in which you are sweating and may not be able to keep a conversation going with someone. Some other activities that may count towards muscle- and bone-strengthening, including shoveling, raking and pushing a wheelbarrow.

Modify gardening and landscaping activities to exercise your whole body

One easy way to include additional musculature (exercise different muscles) during gardening is to switch hands periodically when doing tasks like raking or shoveling. Another method is to change the activity you do every 15 to 30 minutes. An example could be pulling weeds for 15 minutes and then switching to dumping bags of mulch around your trees or bushes. It is likely you already have a rhythm down, but simply going from one activity to another in this way, can incorporate more musculature and increase the number of calories burned. Plus, this approach can break up the monotony of performing the same activity over and over again.

Tips for reducing pain and soreness.

Do you avoid gardening because it makes you feel too sore? There are a number of ways to prevent or even alleviate pain while gardening and landscaping. First, always use proper form during activity regardless of what it is. Moving with proper form helps you avoid pain and injury. For example, if you are picking something up from the ground, keep your shoulder blades back and down, and bend and lift with your knees, not your back.

 

Always listen to your body. If you “overdid it” one day, you probably should take it slow the next day. Also, there are a number of garden tools available that can help alleviate any potential or existing pain. Your local hardware store may have gloves and garden utensils designed for those with arthritis-related issues. Using garden tools as simple as knee pads or foam pads can help lessen any potential knee pain. You should also take breaks here and there while gardening just as you would if at the gym. Try sitting down for five minutes and rehydrating with water. Lastly, be sure to stretch after gardening. This can help not only improve/maintain flexibility but improve muscle recovery too.

 

Remember, if you do not currently garden or landscape, start slow and ease into it; especially if you are focusing on using it to contribute to daily physical activity recommendations, including muscle- and bone-strengthening exercise.

 

Michigan State University Extension has a number of resources including the Master Gardener Program for those considering gardening, and those who have been gardening for a while.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

5 Local Things You Need to Know: Headlines for the week

Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, Community Health, Education, Health, Local Business, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Our Cities, Senior Living, Tech Trends, Upcoming Events, , , , , ,

By WKTV Staff

victoria@wktv.org

Kentwood Fire Department annual report highlights funding, manpower, emergency calls

Kentwood Fire Department Chief Brent J. Looman presented, and the City Commission accepted, the department’s 2017 annual report at the commission’s April 9 regular meeting, with highlights including funding, manpower and last year’s emergency calls.

 

For the complete story, click here.

 

School News Network: Wyoming Public Schools selects one of its own for top spot

“Dream big, work hard and make it happen”: That’s the mantra of Craig Hoekstra, a familiar face in the district, who this week was selected as the new superintendent.

 

For the complete story, click here.

 

Kentwood to hold Community Clean-Up Day this week
Kentwood Public Works Department oversees the city’s recycling center.

The City of Kentwood is sponsoring a Community Clean-Up Day for residents wanting to spring clean their homes and yards. The Community Clean-Up Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., will allow residents to bring general debris, gently used items for donation, household hazardous materials and electronic devices to be recycled.

 

For the complete story, click here.

Good mental health habits for kids

May is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Children can have mental health challenges just as adults can. As a matter of fact, over 2 million children in Michigan experience mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety and depression.

 

For the complete story, click here.

Employment in the Digital Age — free computer literacy workshops available

West Michigan Works! is now offering a free workshop to help individuals gain basic computer skills. Computer Literacy helps attendees become comfortable using a computer, accessing the internet and using email — all of which can help you find, apply and qualify for a new job.

 

For the complete story, click here.

‘Festival of Faith and Writing’ creates new conversations

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Calvin College sophomore Pete Ford is on Festival’s student committee and is one of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing’s five Hudson-Townsend Student Fellows (photo courtesy Calvin College)

By Matt Kucinski, Calvin College

 

Pete Ford graduated from high school in 2014. He took a couple of years off. And, in 2016, he again began exploring the possibility of going to college.

 

Ford stepped onto Calvin’s campus for the Festival of Faith & Writing in April. The rest is history.

The door to Calvin

“That opportunity to wander around the campus during the Festival and to see the thought process and the desire to have conversations at Calvin, that’s really the reason I decided to come here,” said Ford, a second-year literature major.

 

Now, in just two years, Ford has gone from curious observer to helpful guide. Ford was on Festival’s student committee and is one of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing’s five Hudson-Townsend Student Fellows. One of his responsibilities was getting to know the speakers’ work and helping write bios for the website and program.

Renowned speakers, attentive audience

Those bios highlight a diverse, impressive group of writers, including the likes of Edwidge Danticat, a celebrated Haitian-American author who just won the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature; Pulitzer prize-winning poet Marie Howe; New York Times best-selling young adult writer Kwame Alexander, and Peabody Award-winning producer and host of the podcast Strangers, Lea Thau, to name a few.

 

Lisa Ann Cockrel, director of the Festival of Faith & Writing, is always excited to welcome new faces to Festival. And she says the three-day gathering can have a profound impact on speakers who hang around for a while.

 

“What I hear from them is a kind of happy shock that a place like this exists. They often comment on the attentiveness of the audiences, the types of nuanced questions people ask about their work, the respectful engagement with faith from lots of different perspectives,” said Cockrel.

Digging deeper

For a number of writers, the Festival provides readers who are uniquely engaged with the spiritual and moral implications of their work.

 

“When Joyce Carol Oates was here, she told Jennifer Holberg that she can pretty much predict how every book she writes will be reviewed before she writes it. And rarely if ever, do those critics think deeply about faith and religion in her work. But it’s there, even if folks aren’t paying attention to it. And it’s there in the work of many ‘secular’ writers,” said Cockrel.

 

“A lot of the writers who come here are grateful that there’s a place where we’re thinking about the religious elements in their work and also where that engagement doesn’t come with judgment. Instead, we read with open hearts and a spirit of inquiry. And I think this goes back to the best of the reformed tradition that doesn’t feel like it has to be afraid of the world—a tradition that encourages us to engage other people’s creative literary witness to being alive with curiosity and care because every square inch is God’s.”

 

And this type of engagement creates a unique dynamic and pushes the writers and readers into spaces oft not explored. In fact, Cockrel said that multiple speakers who have spent 24-plus hours at Festival, have told their audiences they rewrote their presentations after being on campus.

Something about Festival

“There’s something that happens at the Festival of Faith & Writing where we still surprise each other in that space,” said Cockrel. “It’s a place for people to make genuine connections with people around stories and poems that have enlarged their vision of what it means to be human and a person of faith.”

 

And Cockrel hopes that each and every person who comes to Festival leaves having experienced some moment of communion.

 

“I think that fundamentally there’s this irony at the center of reading—it’s something you do mostly alone, but yet it is this radical act of seeking communion, because you read to seek connection to something outside yourself, whether that’s another person’s story, or the natural world, or God. And I hope that you could map those kinds of possibilities for connection onto the Festival,” said Cockrel.

 

Students like Ford have experienced that connection at Festival, and for him, it provided a pivot point in his life, pointing him towards an English major.

 

“It’s not a conference,” said Ford, “it’s a party where literature is celebrated.”

 

“That’s what’s great about Festival,” said Cockrel. “You sometimes wander into a talk or reading or interview you aren’t sure you’re interested in … and love it.”

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

School News Network: Video featuring parents encourages more to get involved

Citizen Journalism, ,

By Erin Albanese 

School News Network

 

“I am Godwin,” said parent Kristina Berry.

 

“I am Godwin,” said parent Glenn Tran.

 

“I am Godwin,” said parent Serida Scott.

 

“Soy Godwin,” said parent Veronica Soto.

 

Parents’ voices unite in an uplifting video that shares their experiences in the district and encourages others to get involved.

 

Godwin Heights is celebrating parents’ involvement in everything from helping their children with homework to volunteering in schools and in athletics. The district’s Parent Action Council, which includes parents and staff members, recently created the video for the district website.

 

Veronica Soto said she benefits from being involved at Godwin schools and helps serve as a liaison to other Spanish-speaking parents

Goals of the PAC are to engage parents in their children’s education, increase achievement among English learners and connect families and children with school and community resources.

 

“We want to be able to support parents and for them to feel empowered. We value that relationship,” said Director of Instruction Michelle Krynicki.

 

Soto, mom to Marla, a senior; Carlos, a seventh-grader; and Valeria, a third-grader; is happy to help spread the message.

 

“We, as parents, are mirrors and we reflect the importance to our kids in setting examples,” she said, translated from Spanish by Lysette Castillo, the district’s parent and community liaison. Soto is known as a “star volunteer,” regularly lending a hand at the high school, middle school and North Godwin Elementary School.

 

Parents are encouraged to volunteer even if they don’t speak English, which is a common barrier that can cause parents to feel intimidated, Krynicki said.

 

“You don’t have to be here every day, but can you be a reading buddy? Can you make copies and put packets together? Could you put labels on fliers? There are lots of ways to be involved.”

From left, Duane Bacchus, high school Kent School Services Network community coordinator, and Lysette Castillo, the district’s parent and community liaison, talk with Veronica Soto during a Parent Action Council meeting

 

Powerful Voices

 

With filming by Duane Bacchus, high school Kent School Services Network community coordinator, and Noah DeSmit, who works in the Grand Rapids Community College media department, parents in the video speak about the  benefits of being involved, for themselves and their children. A diverse group, they represent the multi-cultural district.

 

“We have some parents who are very involved. We feel like they experience a great benefit from being involved,” Bacchus said, about the idea for the video. “The discussion came up, ‘What can do to get more parents to experience what these parents now do?

 

“Someone spoke up: ‘We need to get those parents to speak out. We need to get them to share their stories. … Let’s get parents to have a voice.”

 

“I’ve benefited because I’m more involved with what’s going on in school,” Soto said. “I know what’s going on and I’ve been able to collaborate and get to know the staff and the people in the school.”

 

Castillo said Soto serves an important role for the district as a conduit to other Spanish-speaking parents. “She is the informed that informs the rest,” Castillo said.  “The parents talk to her and she brings it to us.”

 

Martha Ibanez, mother of Jose, a sophomore; Emma, a fourth-grader; and Kevin, a third-grader, is also a great example of a parent who makes a difference in the schools, staff members said. While too shy to be in the video, she helped plan it as a member of the PAC.

 

“My children are aware I’m present, and even though I don’t speak English the school finds a way to communicate everything going on,” she said. “It has benefited me to be more informed about what’s going on in their education.”

 

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

Martha Ibanez chats with Mindy Lange, an English language-learner teacher

Don’t miss Heritage Hill Weekend Tour of Homes May 19-20

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By Heritage Hill Association

 

Tour one of the country’s largest urban historic districts and help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Heritage Hill Association. The Annual Heritage Hill Tour welcomes you inside seven restored private houses and three historic buildings on Saturday, May 19 from 11 am–5 pm and Sunday, May 20 from 12 pm–6 pm.

 

Tour offers an interior view of stunning turn-of-the-century homes, each uniquely styled by current owners. An elegant Greek revival, amazingly modern Queen Annes, a Chateaux mansion, a Craftsman beauty, a creatively converted 1900 carriage house, and more await you. It’s a celebration of the grandeur and art of the past fused with present-day livability. We’ve come a long way since 1968 when 75% of the neighborhood was slated for demolition.

 

Advance tickets are $18 and are available at the Heritage Hill Association office or at www.heritagehillweb.org. To obtain tickets by check, send to the Heritage Hill Association, 126 College SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Tickets the weekend of the tour are $25. Free shuttle bus transportation for the tour is provided between featured properties.

 

Heritage Hill dates back to 1843 and was named by This Old House as one of the “Best Old House Neighborhoods” in the country. Its 1,300 homes represent Michigan’s finest collection of 19th and 20th century American architecture.

 

Click here for a pdf of this year’s tour flyer.

Good Mental Health Habits for Kids

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Courtesy Cherry Health

By Mandy Dahms, RN, Registered Nurse Care Manager

 

May is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month. Children can have mental health challenges just as adults can. As a matter of fact, over 2 million children in Michigan experience mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety and depression. In order to decrease this number, it is very important to provide our children with whatever there is possible to promote good mental health. The following are some simple suggestions to promote the mental health of a child:

  • Make sure that your child gets regular exercise, balanced meals, plenty of sleep and has time for relaxation.
  • Talk about your child’s troubles with them. Let your child know that their concerns are important to you.
  • Be a role model. Talk about your own feelings when possible, apologize, and don’t express anger with violence.
  • Provide your children with unconditional love. The love, security, and acceptance trio are the foundation to children’s good mental health.
  • Praise your children for the little and big things they do for the first time and/or well, encourage them to make the next steps and help them explore and learn about new things.
  • Surround your child with supportive teachers and care takers.
  • Bring fun and playfulness into your routines. Families tend to stick to routines and forget to have fun. If your child seems stressed or overwhelmed by the routine change it up; for example, every Friday night your family goes to the library – change it up and go to a movie, play games or simply find something different to do.

Children can live happy and productive lives that are filled with love, harmony, and great mental health, but it will take us adults to help them in this direction!

 

Reprinted with permission from Cherry Health.

On the shelf: ‘The Almost Moon’ by Alice Sebold

Books, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Reviews, , , ,

By Kristen Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

So who hasn’t wanted to kill their mother from time to time? In Sebold’s latest novel, the narrator, Helen Knightly, murders her elderly mother in the first sequences of the book. The shocking act against her elderly mother seems both random and unemotional. She seems to feel nothing after committing the act, and her ill-fated attempts to cover up her actions only indicate that they came from a subconscious place within her.

 

As The Almost Moon unfolds, the story of Helen’s beautiful, yet mentally ill mother becomes clear. Her whole life, Helen and her father cater to her mother’s agoraphobia, the entire neighborhood is hostile to them, and Helen becomes her mother’s only link to the outside world. Both her childhood and adult life are overshadowed by her mother’s metal illness, and every action that Helen takes is based on what her mother would think or feel.

 

While not as gripping as Sebold’s first novel, The Lovely Bones, The Almost Moon examines how mental illness affects an entire family, how we can allow our past to color our future, and how if we are not ultimately true to ourselves, we end up living our lives for others. Above all else, what one should take away from this book is that if you are going to kill your mother, it might be a good idea to brush up on a few CSI episodes first.

 

 

Employment in the Digital Age — free computer literacy workshops available

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By West Michigan Works!

 

Are you uncomfortable using a computer?

 

Are you intimidated by the thought of learning how to use a computer?

 

Has it kept you from advancing in your current job or applying for a job with better pay?

 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone!  A recent study found that 26% of adults in the United States aren’t able to use a computer at all and two-thirds are unable to access and use information through computers and computer networks.

 

Employers in every industry have a growing need for workers who can use computers to successfully do their jobs. However, the number of workers with the necessary skills is not growing at the same rate. This means that increasing your computer skills could make it easier to find a job and earn a higher wage! But where do you start?

 

West Michigan Works! is now offering a free workshop to help individuals gain basic computer skills. Computer Literacy helps attendees become comfortable using a computer, accessing the internet and using email — all of which can help you find, apply and qualify for a new job.

Computer Literacy at West Michigan Works! in Kent County*
  •  121 Franklin St SE, Grand Rapids – Monday, May 7 and 21, 10 am to noon
  • 215 Straight Ave NW, Grand Rapids – Friday, May 11 and 25, 2 to 4 pm

*available at other locations — find workshops near you at jobs.westmiworks.org/calendar/

 

With the basic skills learned in Computer Literacy, you can take advantage of a variety of other free workshops to help you explore careers, search for jobs and create a resume using a computer.

 

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

As temperatures begin to rise, so do car interiors

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Precautions for those with heat sensitivities and weakened immune systems.

By Pam Daniels, Michigan State University Extension

 

Even mild external temperatures can quickly raise the temperature inside a closed vehicle to dangerously high levels.

 

Sitting in a closed up car for 10 minutes can cause the body’s core temperature to climb. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) report that very high body temperatures can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs, as well as heat stroke or death. For individuals with chronic disease, weakened immune systems, the elderly or the very young (and pets), high temperatures coupled with heat sensitive immune systems can rapidly become dangerous.

 

Michigan State University Extension offers the following information to help you and your family stay safe:

  • When outside temperatures are in the 60 degree Fahrenheit range it will cause the temperature insides a closed car to rise well above 110 F.
  • The temperature inside the car does not have to hit 100 F for a person to be at risk.
  • The inside of a closed vehicle acts like a greenhouse, trapping sunlight and heat making the inside of the car much hotter than the air outside. Even when outside temperatures are mild, anyone sitting in a closed car for a short period of time (20 minutes) is at risk of hyperthermia (body temperature greatly above normal).
  • Child safety – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers valuable tips on preventing heat stroke to children in parked cars. They have also investigated various alarms and reminder technology equipment for cars that help reduce heat stroke fatalities.
Take precautions
  • Avoid leaving anyone unattended in a closed vehicle. Rolling down the window two-inches or even half way, won’t help cool the interior temperature.
  • Lock your cars while at home. Children have died from getting into cars, for whatever reason, an then becoming confused and trapped inside the vehicle.
  • Always check the car seats before leaving the vehicle. Making a visual check of the car a part of your routine can help make sure that no child or pet is left unintentionally in the car. Use notes, colored stickers or some type of reminder system so when you exit your car you check the backseat.
Learn the laws
  • Become informed by learning about your state’s vehicle code. Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles and/or contact any local law enforcement agency.
  • Keep a watchful eye and if you sense that a child or pet is left unattended in a vehicle and is in danger, don’t hesitate to seek help. Do not go in search of the car owner. Dial 911 and let the authorities handle the situation.

For more information on health and wellness visit Michigan State University Extension.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Wyoming’s spring carnival set to open this Friday

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It’s time to celebrate spring, which the City of Wyoming plans to do by hosting its annual spring carnival at Lamar Park.

 

The carnival opens on Friday, April 27 and runs through Sunday, May 6, at Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW. Carnival times are Monday through Thursday from 4 – 8:30 p.m.; Friday from 2-8:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from noon – 8:30 p.m. 

 

“What says family fun like a spring carnival?” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, director of community services for the City of Wyoming. “The carnival is a great opportunity for the community to come out and celebrate the change in seasons in a fun and exciting atmosphere.”

 

The carnival will feature entertainment for all ages, including games, prizes, and carnival fare favorites. A spectrum of rides will be available for carnival-goers, from crowd pleasers, such as a carousel and Ferris Wheel to the adrenaline-inducing Mega Drop and Wipe Out.

 

Proceeds from the carnival support City of Wyoming parks and recreation services and the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance or GWCRA. Funds raised support youth scholarships and youth and family programming through the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department. The GWCRA distributes funds to the community through its annual grant awarding process.

 

The spring carnival is made possible through the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department. For more information, call the Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department at 616-530-3164.

How long does home-preserved food last?

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Know the shelf life of home-canned and frozen food to avoid food waste and maximize nutrition.

By Kara Lynch, Michigan State University Extension

 

Don’t let your preserved food go to waste — enjoy it when it tastes great and is nutritious.

May brings flowers and seed magazines stuffed into your mailbox. It is also the perfect time of year to start planning your garden with canning season in mind. Preserving food is a great way to avoid wasting food when you have more fresh produce than you need right away. Just make sure you are able to use all your canned or frozen food within the recommended time.

How long do home-canned foods last?

If foods are preserved correctly, they are safe for years but the quality and nutritional value decreases with the passing of time. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends only preserving enough food to last one year. So that your home-canned foods taste great and are nutritious when you decide to eat them.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a planning guide (page 32) that may be helpful when working out how much food to can or freeze to meet your needs for the year.

Choosing the right canning equipment

It is critical to can foods safely using the right equipment. Use a steam canner or water bath canner for high-acid foods and a pressure canner for low-acid foods. Just within the last couple of years, atmospheric steam canners have been approved to use with high-acid foods. It is also important to use research-based recipes and follow directions carefully. Research-based recipes can be found in updated Ball Blue Books, So Easy to Preserve, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving. Michigan State University Extension also offers an online home food preservation course.

How long do frozen foods last?

Frozen foods lose moisture the longer they are in the freezer. If the food was correctly frozen and kept at it zero degrees Fahrenheit it is safe indefinitely, however the quality and nutritional value deteriorates, just as it does with canned foods. The USDA has developed the Food Keeper app for smartphones, as well as a website, that lists the shelf life of various foods.

Tips for using up preserved food
  • Home preserved food makes great gifts. If you do have a bountiful harvest, can the extra produce, put a pretty label on the jars and share with your loved ones.
  • Are you in need of an appetizer but don’t have time to make anything?  Pull the dilly beans from your pantry or get the pepper jelly out and combine it with cream cheese to make an amazing dip.
  • Consider your home preserved foods when planning your meals. This helps ensure that you are using up your stored items in a timely way and creates less waste. As you make your grocery list, you may notice cost savings as you pull from your pantry rather than purchasing additional food.
  • Use your home preserved foods in the search cue when looking for a recipe online. This will bring up unique, nutritious recipes utilizing your preserved items. Use pickled beets in a salad recipe, add frozen peas to a casserole, try frozen peaches in a peach cobbler, top cheesecake with home preserved jams, the list is endless.

Michigan Fresh is a Michigan State University Extension initiative that provides information on safely storing and preserving a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. MSU Extension also offers a range of food safety and food preservation classes, in person and online. Contact your local MSU Extension county office to learn more about available classes.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Grammy nominated musician performs at Van Singel’s Cool Jazz program

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Alphonso Horne with the Byron Center Jazz Orchestra. Horne performs with the group on Friday.

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center finishes its 2017-2018 season with two-time Grammy-nominated trumpeter Alphonso Horne in “Cool Jazz” on Friday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. Horne played and recorded with Marcus Roberts and has performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, and Michael Feinstein. He’ll be joined by Edye Evans Hyde and Max Colley III, along with the nationally recognized Byron Center Jazz Ensembles. The performance is underwritten by Owen-Ames-Kimball, Inc and TowerPinkster Architects.

 

The Byron Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by Marc Townley, has competed at the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah, Georgia every spring since 2014. The Jazz Orchestra has also competed at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center in New York.

 

Reserved seats are $18.50 for adults and $11.50 for students. Reserve tickets in person at the Van Singel box office or by calling (616) 878-6800, Monday through Friday, 12 noon to 5 pm. Tickets are also available at www.vsfac.com.

 

The Van Singel Fine Arts Center is located at the east end of the Byron Center High School complex, at 8500 Burlingame SW (84th Street and Burlingame SW) in Byron Center, just 1.5 miles west of US-131. The Van Singel features free, easy parking and curbside handicap parking is available.

 

Tips for reseeding lawns in spring

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Turfgrass damaged from de-icing salts used during winter may need reseeding. Photo credit: Kevin Frank, MSU

By Kevin Frank, Michigan State University Extension, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences

 

Maybe spots of your lawn died last summer; maybe spots were killed from de-icing salt, dog spot or snow mold over the winter. Regardless of the cause of death, as spring finally arrives seeding dead areas in lawns is a common weekend activity.

 

In the next several weeks as temperatures warm, there might be some areas that are the victim of grub feeding. If you’re reseeding following grub damage, Michigan State University Extension recommends waiting about one to two weeks after applying a grub insecticide before reseeding. For all reseeding, it is safe to apply fertilizer at the time of seeding. For new establishment, a starter fertilizer is recommended. Starter is a fertilizer that has a nitrogen to phosphorus ratio of 1:1 or 1:1.5. A starter fertilizer application at seeding will prove beneficial in getting the young turf seedlings going. Application rates for a starter fertilizer at seeding are approximately 1 pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Starter fertilizer for new establishment is permitted under Michigan’s fertilizer act. Make sure to follow label directions, contain all fertilizer on the area to be seeded and off the driveway, and keep a minimum of 15 feet from any surface water.

 

Make sure to keep the seeded area moist throughout establishment. Depending on what Mother Nature supplies, a new seeding may require watering several times a day. A good mulch cover will help the area stay moist so the site may be watered less frequently. Water lightly when irrigating; there is no need to see water standing or running off the site.

 

Avoid applying herbicides this spring, i.e., no fertilizer plus crabgrass preventer or weed-and-feed products. Young seedlings don’t tolerate herbicides very well and the guideline is usually to wait three “real” mowings before applying any herbicides or in some cases at least 60 days. Real mowings mean you’re actually cutting grass, not just running over the area to trim down any weeds.

 

Dr. Frank’s work is funded in part by MSU’s AgBioResearch.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Feel Like You Belong: Fred Lessing–Lessons from the Holocaust

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By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong

 

As a boy, young Alfred Lessing was like most other children in his native Netherlands. He played with friends and loved his family. But there was one difference: he was Jewish. So when the Nazis overran his country in 1940, his mother sprang into action. Her one goal: save the family from extermination. In this three-part interview, Dutch immigrant Fred Lessing talks of love, hiding, and what we can learn from human atrocities. Interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Cat of the week: Sly Cooper

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Sly Cooper is a confident boy, always on the prowl for and soaking up all of the attention he can get.

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 Big Sid’s Sanctuary. 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).

 

Early October, 2017 brought us a treasure trove of wonderful cats, all of whom Dr. Jen named after pirates of some sort (she loves themes). Our volunteer Alana had been trying her hardest since June to catch this wily fella who had been hanging around her west side neighborhood for ages, getting beaten and banged up — but he just didn’t trust her enough. Finally he gave in and she brought him in to the clinic to assess his issues: flea infestation and skin inflammation from the biting little buggers, a variety of abrasions, infection between his toes and a fatty growth on his belly that had her worried he had suffered more serious trauma. He also tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus.

 

He was painfully shy, scared of his own shadow and especially of his new indoor surroundings. Once Dr. Jen treated his ailments and allowed him to recover from his neuter and acclimate for a few days, she sent Sly Cooper on down to Big Sid’s, into the capable and loving arms of our volunteers who were ready to show him what safety and security was all about.

 

For the few first weeks, Sly (born in the fall of 2014) spent most of his time hunkered down inside of a kitty teepee; though he would accept pets from the peeps who sought him out, he wasn’t going to venture out on his own for attention. However, slowly but surely, he gained confidence and shed his former scaredy-cat self, emerging as a confident boy who is now out and about constantly, looking for and soaking up all of the attention he can get from his human caretakers and visitors.

 

The transformation was incredible to observe, and it warms our heats to see him engage the activity that once frightened him so; what a complete turn-around! We are soooo looking forward to packing this guy’s bags and sending him into a home where he can be showered with the TLC that was missing from his life for so very long. Now that Sly has experienced how fantastic affection is, he cannot get enough!

More about Sly Cooper

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.

Study gauges concerns about climate change in Great Lakes coastal communities

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Participating in outdoor recreation appears to have impact on climate change beliefs.

By Heather Triezenberg, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University Extension; and Julia Whyte, Michigan State University graduate student

 

Greater involvement in outdoor recreation activities was associated with people identifying with the “Cautious, Concerned, and Alarmed” categories on climate change beliefs. Photo: Todd Marsee, Michigan Sea Grant

Coastal communities and sensitive coastal ecosystems experience a variety of weather-related impacts that are influenced by changing climatic conditions. Michigan State University professor Patricia Norris with students Brockton Feltman and Jessica Batanian have published their findings on Northern Michigan residents’ opinions about climate change in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

 

The study, funded by Michigan Sea Grant and partners, replicated the “Six Americas of Global Warming” to understand survey respondents in the Grand Traverse Bay region. The “Six Americas” framework assesses individual beliefs about, concern about, and level of engagement with climate change to characterize belief typologies on a spectrum of:

  • Alarmed
  • Concerned
  • Cautious
  • Disengaged
  • Doubtful
  • Dismissive

Range of responses

The authors found nearly 70 percent of those living in the Grand Traverse Bay region, an area dominated by agricultural land use and highly dependent upon natural resource tourism, were categorized as “Cautious, Concerned, or Alarmed” about the issue. Furthermore, the percentage of individuals in the “Doubtful” category (almost 10 percent) was lower than the 2012 national average (13 percent), but the percentage of those in the “Dismissive” category (15 percent) was higher than the 2012 national average (8 percent). The authors attributed this rather large range of responses to the fact residents were surveyed during the summer immediately following the “polar vortex” during the 2013-2014 winter months, and individuals in the area are very attuned to local weather changes.

Outdoor recreation plays role in awareness

There is also evidence that different sociodemographic characteristics are associated with the “Six Americas” categories. For example, the authors found that greater involvement in outdoor recreation activities, higher levels of education, and lower levels of income were associated with the “Cautious, Concerned, and Alarmed” categories. On the other hand, males and older individuals tended to be more dismissive of or disengaged with climate change than their counterparts.

 

Perhaps encouraging people to participate in outdoor activities, appealing to residents’ sense of altruism, providing practical environmentally friendly alternatives, or considering different approaches to informing community members about climate change will all be useful strategies to prepare for an uncertain future.

 

Michigan Sea Grant helps to foster economic growth and protect Michigan’s coastal, Great Lakes resources through education, research and outreach. A collaborative effort of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant is part of the NOAA-National Sea Grant network of 33 university-based programs.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

On the shelf: ‘That Went Well: Adventures in Caring for My Sister’ by Terrell Harris Dougan

Books, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Reviews, , , ,

By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

Just a wonderful read!

 

The cover of That Went Well shows an exuberant little girl in a fancy pink dress and party hat, giving the camera an all-out smile. And the back flap shows two beautiful, gray-haired ladies hugging. Between the covers Dougan lets us in on how life with a sister whom doctors advised “be institutionalized” has gone.

 

Their parents became trailblazers in what was then a new world of rights for people with mental disabilities, and when they died, Irene’s sister took up the call. Terrell invites us to laugh, (because what else can one do?), but we learn a lot about making compassionate care taking decisions along the way.

 

If you liked Riding the Bus with My Sister, by Rachel Simon, you may enjoy this small book by Dougan. I loved both of these books, as examples of important lessons one can learn from others. They’re warm, compassionate, and hilariously funny.

 

 

 

Call for entries for first-of-its-kind prize to propel careers of women artists

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Susanne Mitchell, Waiting (from the Silence of the Ordinary), 2015, 2015, oil and mixed media on canvas, 65 x 60 in.

By Marguerite Curran, Muskegon Museum of Art

 

Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.Women who paint in the figurative realist style are invited to apply for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest ever offered solely to women painters.

 

The call for entries runs from April 13-Sept. 28, 2018. Details are at www.thebennettprize.org.

 

Endowed by art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt at The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Bennett Prize aims to spotlight women artists who are, or seek to become full-time painters but have not yet reached full professional recognition.

 

“The Bennett Prize is seminal at this moment when it’s harder than ever to pursue a career as a painter or artist of any kind,” said renowned American painter Alyssa Monks. “Artists are being pushed to the fringes and art markets are making it more and more difficult for any artists to feel secure.” “A prize at this level of value and seriousness can propel an artist’s career at a time when so many quit or lose faith or stamina,” Monks said.

 

The winner of The Bennett Prize will create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which will first be shown at the Muskegon (Michigan) Museum of Art and then travel the country.

 

The Prize is also designed to create opportunities for the public to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in the increasingly popular style of figurative realism.

 

“Women are creating important figurative realist paintings that should be seen by a wider audience,” Bennett said. “Figurative realist painters portray the diverse human form, and have much to say in a society struggling to understand human differences, including race, gender and social status.”

 

American painter Aleah Chapin echoed those thoughts. “A prize such as this is a microphone for women’s thoughtful and unique voices,” Chapin said. “We paint because we have something important to say. When the world listens, that is life-changing. The Bennett Prize amplifies that voice, telling the world that what women have to say is valid.”

 

Bennett and Schmidt, of San Antonio, Texas, have endowed a $3 million fund at The Pittsburgh Foundation to ensure the prize will be awarded every two years in perpetuity. “The Pittsburgh Foundation has a history of funding artists whose work and unique perspectives might otherwise be overlooked,” said Maxwell King, foundation president and CEO. “The Bennett Prize establishes an ongoing mechanism for recognizing and elevating the work of women painters.”

 

A four-member jury, including renowned realist artists Maria Tomasula and Andrea Kowch, will select 10 painters from among the entrants. The 10 finalists will each receive $1,000 to participate in an exhibition opening May 2, 2019, at the Muskegon Museum of Art, where the winner will be announced.

 

“The Muskegon Museum of Art looks to showcase innovative programs, and we expect The Bennett Prize to be a tipping point for the artists’ careers,” said Kirk Hallman, executive director of the museum.

 

The winner will receive $25,000 annually for two years, so she can devote the time necessary to mount a solo exhibition, which will open in Muskegon in 2021 and then travel the country.

 

The Bennett Prize is not open to hobbyists, students or artists who have been paid or received an award of $25,000 or more for any single work of art.

 

Schmidt and Bennett are among the country’s top collectors of figurative realist art and are committed to seeing that talented women painters receive long-overdue recognition.

 

“We’re aiming to help ensure that there are as many paintings by women as men in museums, commanding the same prices and critical esteem,” Schmidt said.

 

Women artists appear ready for the challenge of making that happen. “The Bennett Prize validates and encourages artists who are placing all their chips precariously on their dreams,” Chapin said. “A prize like this tells them that what they are doing is valuable and important – to go ahead and buy that big canvas and big tubes of paint and spend time making the thing you want to exist. It’s worthwhile.”

Updated 2018 hop management guide available to Michigan hop growers

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By Erin Lizotte, Michigan State University Extension 

 

Updated management reference available for Michigan hop growers through Michigan State University Extension.

 

In an effort to assist hop growers in making pesticide and nutrient management decisions, an updated “Michigan Hop Management Guide, 2018” has been created and is available at the Michigan State University Extension Hops page. The packet includes an updated list of registered pesticides, nutrient management recommendations and a guide to seasonal pest occurrence in Michigan.

 

As the growing season approaches, please sign up to receive MSU Extension’s Hop & Barley Production Newsletter, and follow the Michigan State University Hops News Facebook page for up-to-date information. Finally, please sign up for the new MSU Hop listserv for an interactive discussion of all things hop-related. To subscribe:

  • Send an email to: listserv@list.msu.edu
  • Leave the “subject” line blank
  • In the body of the email, type: SUBSCRIBE Hops
  • You will receive a confirmation email directing you to click on a link (this is to avoid spammers). Click on the link.
  • To send an email to the list once you have joined, just send it to: hops@list.msu.edu

To protect yourself, others and the environment, always read the label before applying any pesticide. Although efforts have been made to check the accuracy of information presented in the “Michigan Hop Management Guide,” it is the responsibility of the person using this information to verify it is correct by reading the corresponding pesticide label in its entirety before using the product.

 

Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. Information presented here does not supersede the label directions.

 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2015-09785. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888.678.3464).

On the shelf: ‘The Dirty Life’ by Kristin Kimball

Books, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Reviews, , , , ,

By Kristen Krueger-Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

You’re a vegetarian journalist living in New York City. You are assigned to write an article about an organic farmer working in Pennsylvania. Within 24 hours of meeting the farmer, you are eating sausage, working the fields, slaughtering a pig and falling in love.

 

Author Kristin Kimball’s life changed when she interviewed that farmer. As their relationship bloomed, so did her understanding and respect for agriculture. Soon, she gave up her career, cute shoes, and NYC apartment and started an organic farm, Essex Farm, with Mark in upstate New York.

 

This memoir chronicles the first year of getting the farm off the ground—from buying plow horses to till the fields, hand milking the cows twice a day and developing a sustainable CSA—all while planning a wedding. Kimball brings to life the daily back-breaking work of running a farm, the cycle of life and death, and how community can support and uplift one another.

 

Her writing is rich and you feel that you are on the farm with her. When I was done with the book, I missed Essex Farm and Kristin and Mark. I wanted to know how their story continued to unfold. This book will make you appreciate what you buy at the farmers market even more.

 

5 Local Things You Need to Know: Headlines for the weekend

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Wyoming: Community Clean-Up Day Saturday

One of the events the City of Wyoming hosts is its annual Community Clean-Up Day.

The City of Wyoming, through the support of the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, will have its annual Community Clean-Up Day Saturday at Grand Rapids First, 2100 44th St. SW.

 

The site will be open form 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Residents need to have a picture ID with them or proof of residency. Residents will enter east off of 44th Street to the northeast entrance of the church. For the full store, click here.

Wyoming: Flamingo Avenue to get trees

Mayor Jack Poll reads a proclamation at last year’s Arbor Day event.

This Saturday, the Tree Amigos and student volunteers will plant 24 street trees in the City of Wyoming. Planting will begin 9 a.m. in the 4200 block of Flamingo Avenue SW where ten Wyoming residents have signed up for the project. For more on this story, click here.

Kentwood: EK student makes her stage debut

East Kentwood student Ania Powell makes her Civic Theatre debut with “Akeelah and the Bee.”

Ania Powell makes her Grand Rapids Civic Theatre debut in “Akeehal and the Bee,” which opens on Friday and runs through April 29 at the Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. For more on the story, click here.

Wyoming and Kentwood: Record Store Day is Saturday

This Saturday, April 21, is the annual Record Store Day in the Grand Rapids area and, quite literally, around the world. It is a day to celebrate small music stores but also to celebrate records — music on vinyl. For more on the story, click here.

Public Museum: “Water’s Extreme Journey” coming to a close

Water’s Extreme Journey is open now at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) taking visitors on a quest for clean water through an experiential maze! But the exhibit is only open through April 29. For more on this story, click here.

Employment Expertise: Driven to succeed

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

By West Michigan Works!

 

Would you have a reliable way to get to work if you didn’t have your own car?

 

Do you live and work somewhere you can easily access public transportation?

 

If the answer is no, how would you maintain a job?

 

Millions of Americans lack reliable transportation. For individuals that don’t have a car or can’t afford or access public transportation, finding a job and showing up every day is a challenge.

 

Sean Phillips knows that struggle first-hand. Sean had a low-paying job that didn’t bring in enough money to support himself and his family; having enough money to pay for essentials—such as gas for their car—was a common difficulty. Being able to afford the training needed to qualify for a better-paying job seemed impossible.

 

Sean decided to take a step toward creating a new life. He came to West Michigan Works! to get help removing the obstacles that were keeping him from opportunities to better support himself and his family.

 

Sean received training funds to attend Tri-Area Trucking School. The funding allowed him to get books and other resources needed for the courses. He also received mileage reimbursements to ensure that he could get to and from his courses. After he successfully completed training, his family received additional transportation supports that allowed them to get a second vehicle. The vehicle support allowed both him and his wife to maintain full-time jobs.

 

Sean is now a Certified Class A & B Commercial Driver and is employed full time with a successful delivery and warehousing company.

 

“I want to thank Michigan Works for the supports they provided. I was able to earn my CDL and further my skills, knowledge, and confidence so I could get a new job at this stage in my life.”

 

Do you face obstacles to finding and keeping a good-paying job? Visit a service center to find out how West Michigan Works! can support you.

World-renowned Polish pianist joins Grand Rapids Symphony for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Senior Living, Upcoming Events, , ,
Guest pianist Rafał Blechacz will perform 8 pm Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, in DeVos Performance Hall.

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, Grand Rapids Symphony

 

Music lovers and concert goers often ask classical musicians to name their favorite composer. Typically, the answer leads to the music of whomever they’re currently rehearsing or performing. Or to composers who wrote often or wrote well for their chosen instrument.

 

For conductors whose job it is to see the big picture, the answer sometimes is surprising.

 

“Often people ask me who my favorite composer is. I don’t know how to answer that,” said Grand Rapids Symphony Music Director Marcelo Lehninger. “But if I were going to a desert island, and I had to choose one composer, I probably would pick Chopin.”

 

That might come as a surprise because, while figures such as Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss were great composers as well as great orchestrators, Frédéric Chopin was a great composer whose skills at arranging for orchestra were, at best, only adequate.

 

Yet the Polish-born musician, one of the greatest pianists of all time, revolutionized composition and piano performance to a degree that no one else has ever done.

 

“He completely changed the way you play the instrument,” said Lehninger, a pianist. “No one else, not even Paganini, did that for his instrument, the violin.”

 

Grand Rapids Symphony celebrates the music of Chopin with guest pianist Rafał Blechacz at 8 pm Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, in DeVos Performance Hall. The program titled Chopin & Dvořák is part of the 2018 Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, centered in Kalamazoo.

 

Joining the Grand Rapids Symphony for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is Blechacz, the 2014 Gilmore Artist of the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Guest artist sponsor is the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.

 

The concert is in partnership with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Concert Sponsor is Merrill Lynch.

 

The ninth concerts of the 2017-18 Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series also include Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 in G Major. It opens with Canto, a brief work by contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg.

 

Joining the Grand Rapids Symphony for Chopin’s Piano Concerto in E minor is Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz, the 2014 Gilmore Artist of the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. The concert is in partnership with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Guest artist sponsor is the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.

 

Not only is Blechacz a fellow Pole, he was the winner of the 15th International Chopin Competition in 2005, becoming the first Polish pianist to win the competition since Krystian Zimerman in 1975.

 

And not only did Blechacz win the top prize, he won all four of the additional prizes for best performance of a polonaise, a mazurka, a sonata, and a concerto with orchestra. No other pianist in the 91-year history of the event, held once every five years in Warsaw, has ever captured every award in the competition.

 

Lehninger, who made his Grand Rapids Symphony debut in February 2015 conducting Dvorak’s popular Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” will lead the Grand Rapids Symphony in Antonin Dvorak’s sunny Symphony No. 8

 

The concerts open with Adam Schoenberg’s Canto, which in Italian means “I sing.” One of the most frequently-heard composers in today’s concert halls, Schoenberg composed the brief work as a lullaby in honor his son, Luca, who was born in 2013.

  • Inside the Music, a free, pre-concert, multi-media presentation sponsored by BDO USA, will be held before each performance at 7 p.m. in the DeVos Place Recital Hall.
  • The complete Chopin & Dvorak program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, May 28, 2018, at 1 p.m. on Blue Lake Public Radio 88.9 FM or 90.3 FM.
Tickets

Tickets start at $18 and are available at the GRS box 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 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)

 

Tickets are available at the DeVos Place ticket office, weekdays 10 am-6 pm or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.

 

Full-time students of any age are able to purchase tickets for only $5 on the night of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Tickets program, sponsored by Comerica and Calvin College. This is a MySymphony360 eligible concert.

Fast facts about Michigan onions, berries, celery and beets

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Education, Food, Health, Local Food, , , , , ,

By Terry McLean, Michigan State University Extension 

 

Each year the Cultivate Michigan and the Michigan Fresh initiatives promote seasonally available Michigan foods to two different groups of people.

 

Two Michigan State University Extension-led initiatives promote the seasonal use of Michigan’s fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy, focusing on two different audiences. Cultivate Michigan is an institutional food purchasing campaign of the Michigan Farm to Institution Network and has the sourcing, marketing and recipe resources to help schools, hospitals and other institutions find, buy and use local foods. A consumer-focused initiative, the Michigan Fresh program, helps individuals explore the state’s bounty of fresh, locally grown foods from farms, gardens and local farmers markets, with tips on growing, handling and preserving as well as healthful recipes. Both initiatives support farmers, food businesses and consumers, enhancing local economies.

 

In 2018, Cultivate Michigan is promoting four seasonal foods: onions (spring), berries (summer), celery (fall) and table beets (winter) to institutional food service directors. A few fast facts about these 2018 featured Michigan fruits and vegetables:

 

Michigan Onions:

Michigan Strawberries, Raspberries and Blackberries:

  • Berries are rich in Vitamin C, an excellent source of potassium, fiber and phytochemicals
  • Michigan grows berries for both fresh and processed uses, and ranked seventh nationally in strawberry production in 2016
  • In 2009, Michigan produced 43,000 tons of fresh strawberries and 3,000 tons of processed strawberries, generating $6.6 million
  • The raspberry and blackberry industry is relatively small in Michigan, we produced 26,512 pounds of raspberries in 2015

Michigan Celery:

Michigan Table Beets:

  • Table beets are a good source of Vitamin C, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of fiber, Folate, Potassium and Manganese
  • They are closely related to sugar beets and Swiss Chard
  • Michigan-grown beets are available late July to late October

Each year, the Cultivate Michigan team plans field tours featuring the featured seasonal foods for institutional food service staff and others to learn first-hand about the production, processing and distribution of the foods, as well as to network with other food buyers, growers and suppliers. Several tours are planned for the year ahead featuring Michigan onions, summer berries, celery and beets.

 

Both initiatives support Michigan Good Food, a policy initiative of the Michigan Good Food Charter, and several of its goals by the year 2020:

  • Michigan institutions source 20 percent of their food from Michigan sources
  • 80 percent of Michigan residents have easy access to affordable, fresh, healthy food, 20 percent of which is from Michigan sources
  • Michigan farmers will profitably supply 20 percent of all Michigan institutional, retailer and consumer food purchases and be able to pay fair wages to their workers.

The Michigan Farm to Institution Network and Cultivate Michigan are coordinated by the Michigan State University (MSU) Center for Regional Food Systems with support from MSU Extension. Michigan Fresh is supported by MSU Extension and includes a handy Michigan Availability Guide so you know when dozens of popular items are in season throughout the year, including those crops that are produced using season extension techniques, which extends their availability over a longer period of time.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

7th annual GRandJazzFest presented by DTE Energy Foundation announces 2018 dates

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Upcoming Events, ,

Lineup of this year’s performers to be revealed at H.O.M.E. at The B.O.B. on April 30, part of International Jazz Day celebrations

By Molly Klimas

 

GRandJazzFest, presented by the DTE Energy Foundation, returns to Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, this Aug. 18 and 19, for the seventh annual festival. The popular family friendly festival is West Michigan’s only free, weekend-long jazz festival.

 

The two-day festival typically draws thousands to the heart of downtown Grand Rapids for the two-day, outdoor event always held the third weekend in August. In 2017, the event drew more than 10,000 people.

 

“We’re so excited to have the DTE Energy Foundation back for the seventh consecutive year as our presenting sponsor,” festival founder Audrey Sundstrom said. “We could not put on this festival without its support, and the support of all of our generous sponsors and volunteers. Jazz is really about bringing people together. It’s about community. And we’re grateful to the people and organizations that show their love of community by supporting GRandJazzFest,”

 

Holding the festival in the center city allows festivalgoers to enjoy all that downtown offers including restaurants, clubs, museums, microbreweries and shops. The festival typically occurs during Restaurant Week in Grand Rapids. The festival’s location is easily accessible to those who ride the bus, walk or bike, and is close to parking.

 

 “We believe art and cultural events have a direct correlation to a city’s ability to attract new visitors, define a sense of place and community, and contribute to the development of local skills and industries,” said Lynette Dowler, president of the DTE Energy Foundation. “The Grand Rapids community is extremely important to us and we’re proud to be presenting sponsor again. By investing in this hallmark event, the DTE Energy Foundation is helping to boost the local economy and strengthen the vitality of the region.”

 

The 2018 festival lineup will be revealed on April 30 at the House of Entertainment and Music (H.O.M.E.) at The B.O.B. in Grand Rapids. Doors open at 6 pm. The Steve Hilger Jazz Quintet will perform during the evening’s event, which will announce the 10 diverse jazz artists and bands — including a student jazz band and two major headline acts — slated for the 2018 GRandJazzFest. Hilger’s band has performed at past GRandJazzFests, and he also serves as a board member of GR and Jazz.

 

“Jazz is a year-round passion here in West Michigan. We’re excited about a fun evening and a great way to reveal our 2018 lineup to jazz fans on April 30,” Hilger said.

 

Festival organizers have coordinated with International Jazz Day leaders to include the 2018 GRandJazzFest announcement as a sanctioned International Jazz Day event. Grand Rapids city commissioners announced GRandJazzFest as one of the city’s 2018 signature events, a distinction only given to local events proven to be successful and that enrich the community. Previously, GRandJazzFest 2016 received distinction as a Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Signature Event along with two other festivals, ArtPrize and LaughFest.

 

GR and Jazz, the nonprofit, all-volunteer-run producer of GRandJazzFest, is pleased to once again announce a special collaboration with the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). The 2018 festival’s V.I.P. area, which is open to sponsors, will be located on the GRAM front terrace where refreshments and snacks will be provided. Additionally, an outdoor bar will be set up at the base of the GRAM’s front steps adjoining Rosa Parks Circle to offer refreshments for attendees to enjoy during the festival.

 

People can get a taste of past GRandJazzFests by viewing the recap videos at http://grandjazzfest.org/newsroom/video/. More information on the 7thannual GRandJazzFest presented by DTE Energy Foundation can be found at www.grandjazzfest.org. Connect on social media on the festival’s Facebook and Twitter sites, www.facebook.com/grandjazzfest and www.twitter.com/grandjazzfest.

Student photography guides senior citizens in their living space

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Education, Health, Senior Living, , , ,
Calvin senior Lynn Park is one of the students who provided photography for the hallways at Samaritas. (Photo courtesy of Calvin College)

By Hannah Ebeling, Calvin College

 

“I think the ability to take what you are learning in an academic setting and translate that to a real-world situation is such a helpful process,” said Jennifer Hoag, professor of photography at Calvin College. “You have to really think about what is needed and break down the criteria to be successful.”

 

Last fall, an intermediate digital photography class was given the opportunity to do just that.

 

Samaritas, a faith-based senior living home, approached Hoag because they wanted some new artwork for the walls in their memory-care unit that caters to residents in varying stages of dementia. Hoag visited their facility over the summer, and since everything looks similar, she said it was even tricky for her to navigate.

 

Art to help memory-care residents

 

“What Samaritas hoped for were images that could help their residents navigate the hallways,” said Hoag. “I thought it sounded like a really interesting project for students to think about the function of their photographs rather than thinking of them strictly as art.”

 

In groups of four and five, students came up with a theme for each of the facility’s hallways. “Students each approached the project in a very different way,” said Hoag. “Some groups decided they would get together and photograph with each other. Others worked more independently, but together decided how they wanted their photographs to look stylistically and went about it that way.”

 

This opportunity would act as the students’ final in the class. Hoag said she was not sure how the project would be received, but the students loved the idea right from the very start. They appreciated being able to serve in this way and have their work displayed in a setting, while being useful.

 

“I think the experience gave me a good chance to put into practice all of the things we had been learning in class, and with practice comes improvement,” said photography student, Marisa Seifert. “I think it is so important for students to gain this real-world experience and to engage in the community, not only for the personal benefit of experience, but also to benefit those around us who may be in need of certain services or skills. We can learn from them, and they can learn from us.”

 

Students put a lot into this project, said Hoag. Many bought their own props and went as far as baking and decorating a whole cake for the perfect shot. “A group of students even got together to make breakfast for their breakfast-themed collection,” she said. Samaritas plans to put these down the hallway that leads to the dining area.

 

“My favorite part about this project was seeing how my classmates interpreted the assignment in a different way than me,” said Seifert. “All of the photos were unique and beautiful in their own way.”

 

Students use what they learn to serve

 

The staff from Samaritas was very involved in the process and came to talk to the class. “The aging process can often affect the eyes, so they helped us understand which colors to avoid,” said Hoag. “We chose to use brighter colors within a certain spectrum.”

 

Once the photos were printed a representative from Samaritas joined the class for their final evaluation and critique. “She was able to walk around and see all the images that were made,” said Hoag. “She was really pleased with what the students came up with and already started talking about doing this again for another section of their facility.”

 

“It’s not often that I get to incorporate a service-learning aspect into the class,” said Hoag. “A lot of the photo assignments are very conceptually and technically driven and are not very collaborative. I loved the idea of having a collaborative project incorporated in the class and at the same time have students think about the function of the project.”

 

The 24 large prints of the students’ work will be mounted and hung at Samaritas Senior Living Home at the end of February.

 

Reprinted with permission from Calvin College.

East Kentwood student makes her acting debut in Civic’s ‘Akeelah and the Bee’

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, , , , ,
East Kentwood student Ania Powell makes her Civic Theatre debut with “Akeelah and the Bee.”

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Ania Powell can relate to Akeelah Anderson challenges of stepping out of your comfort zone in “Akeelah and the Bee,” Grand Rapids Civic Theater’s upcoming children’s production.

 

“I always wanted to act,” said the East Kentwood High School 11th grader during a recent interview. “So I decided you’ve got to start somewhere. So let’s see how it goes.”

 

Her starting point was auditioning for the Civic production, which will run April 20 – 29, and landing the role of Ratchet Rhonda, a schoolmate of Akeelah.

 

“I was really surprised and excited,” Powell said of landing her first role at Civic Theatre. “There were 60 or more people who auditioned and about 12 were called back, so that was pretty exciting as well.”

 

Actually Powell is one of a half of dozen new faces to Civic Theatre in the “Akeelah” production which also reunites actors from the 2017 Civic production of “Ragtime,” including Eddie Stephens, Marissa Baty, Micah Mcdonald, Dona Curry, and Michael Travis.  

 

Also new to Civic is guest director Dwandra Nickole Lampkin, associate professor of theatre and director of Multicultural Theatre at Western Michigan University.

 

“I don’ always jump at the opportunity to direct…I’m an actor first,” Lampkin said. “But in talking with Allyson Paris, associate director at Civic Theatre and co-director for ‘Akeelah,’ I realized this project was something bigger than myself. I thought, here is a theater that wants to commit a spot in their season to a show with a different perspective (both culturally and racially). I not only wanted, but needed to be a part of that. I thought, ‘if Civic Theatre is making this commitment, how can I not?’”

 

“Akeelah and the Bee,” based off the 2006 film starring Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, tells the story of 11-year-old spelling enthusiast Akeelah Anderson. She must overcome many obstacles including her neighborhood in South Los Angeles, the prejudice of those she is competing against along with those of her friends and family, and finally her own self doubts to land a spot and participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

 

Powell said she can understand the challenges Akeelah faced. To be able to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Akeelah had to make a lot of sacrifices, Powell said, and to be part of a production such as “Akeelah and the Bee,” Powell had to make some tough choices as well.

 

“I learned that you have to be very committed to to a production,” Powell said about being in the show. “I usually play softball in the spring for school but I gave that up in order to focus on the show.”

 

Marissa Baty as Gail Anderson, Blessing Ouding as Akeelah, and Eddie Stephens as Dr. Larabee

Rehearsals for a show are almost daily which means a lot of time at Civic Theatre and Powell said learning lines and really getting to know her character has been a challenge.

 

“Akeelah went through a lot of stuff to accomplish what she wanted and she didn’t it let her stop her,” Powell said. “That inspires me as well.”

 

And Powell believes that “Akeelah” can inspire others to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things like she did.

 

“I would tell people that this show is about not being afraid to take that step outside of the box because you never know what it is going be like or if you will ever have the chance to do it again,” Powell said. 

 

“Akeelah and the Bee” is April 20-29 at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, 30 N. Division Ave. The show is recommended for 5th graders and older. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday – Saturday with 2 p.m matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $16-$10. For more information about the show or to purchase tickets, call 616-222-6650 or visit www.grct.org.

Removing dangerous lead paint now free for qualifying homeowners

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Health, Non-Profits, Our Cities, , , ,

By Molly Klimas

 

People who live in the City of Grand Rapids — particularly those who live in homes built before 1978 — probably have lead in the paint inside and outside their homes. Lead is bad — especially for kids, babies and pregnant women. It causes brain damage and learning disabilities.

 

Some key points:

  • Lead poisons people — especially kids — and can cause lifelong problems.
  • Grand Rapids zip code 49507 continues to lead state for most lead-poisoned kids.
  • Prevention is key.

Lead poisoning can be prevented. There’s HUD funding to remove lead paint SAFELY through a program known locally as Get the Lead Out!The program is led by the city of Grand Rapids in collaboration with the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, the Kent County Health Department and the Rental Property Owners Association.

 

Recently, the program was simplified, making participation free for eligible homeowners. The program is available to renters, homeowners and landlords who meet certain eligibility requirements. Repairs typically include new windows and siding.

 

“This is a great opportunity to improve your home and make it healthier,” says Doug Stek, housing rehabilitation supervisor with the City of Grand Rapids. “Sometimes people will attempt to remove lead paint by themselves – scraping and removing the paint – but that can be dangerous and make a bad situation worse. Highly trained contractors work to make homes lead-safe through the Get the Lead Out! program. Think about it: just a week or two to improve your home and, most important, to help the people who live in it.”

 

“I would encourage the community to take advantage of these funds for the sake of our children,” says Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack. “When I ran for office, this was my No. 1 issue. Keeping our kids healthy is crucial — they are our future.”

 

It doesn’t take much lead to create a toxic situation. One gram of lead dust is enough to make 25,000 square feet of flooring hazardous for young children, according to research jointly conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA).

 

“We’re talking an amount as small as the equivalent of a packet of Sweet’N Low — just that small amount is enough to contaminate the floors of a dozen homes in Grand Rapids,” says Paul Haan, executive director of the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan.

 

Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss has made tackling the lead problem a priority. She spoke at length about the issue during her annual State of the City address earlier this year.

 

The Kent County Lead Task Force published its Ending Childhood Lead Exposure in Kent County report in January.

 

“More and more people are learning that lead is bad, but a lot of people still don’t know what lurks in their home and how it can harm children. And many don’t know that there’s funding to help safely remove lead paint. That’s why we are relentless about spreading the word about this critical issue,” Haan said.

 

The Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan has a five-point plan that spans discussions at state, county and local levels. Healthy Homes recommends that

  1. All children under age 6 must be tested, especially at ages 1 and 2. When a child is lead poisoned, the source of poisoning needs to be discovered.
  2. Homes must be tested before more children are poisoned.
  3. Homes must be fixed before more children are poisoned.
  4. Contractors must work lead-safe.
  5. The community must be engaged and listened to every step of the way.

RENTERS, HOMEOWNERS, LANDLORDS: If you live in and / or own a home in the city of Grand Rapids, contact the Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan at (616) 241-3300 or go to gettheleadoutgr.org to learn more. Or, contact the city of Grand Rapids Community Development Department at 616-456-3030. The HUD funding, and the time frame to participate, is limited.

Adoptable pets from Humane Society of West Michigan: Sammy and Cooper

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Non-Profits, Pets/Animals, , , ,
Meet Sammy (left) and Cooper, a delightful bonded pair of felines ready for a new home!

By Brooke Hotchkiss, Humane Society of West Michigan

 

Each week, WKTV features an adoptable furry friend (or few) from various shelters in the Grand Rapids area. This week, we focus on Humane Society of West Michigan, located at 3077 Wilson Dr. NW in Grand Rapids.

 

Humane Society of West Michigan’s mission is to rescue hurt, abused and abandoned animals and find them new, forever homes. The 501(c)3 non-profit organization helps over 8,000 animals annually and is 100% donor-funded by caring individuals and businesses in the community. Additional programs help reduce pet overpopulation, provide assistance to low-income pet owners, behaviorally assess animals and reunite lost pets with their owners.

 

Cooper (10 year old male Domestic Short Hair) & Sammy (8 year old female Domestic Short Hair)

 

Hi everyone! We are Sammy and Cooper. We are a bonded pair which means we have to go home together because we love each other so much! We are a little shy at first but once we get to know you we would love to play “catch the feather” or “chase the shoe string”. We were surrendered to Humane Society of West Michigan because our owner was moving and could not take us with. We are a part of the Silver Paws program for senior shelter pets — which means there is no cost to adopt us!

 

Please come meet us at Humane Society of West Michigan!

More about these fabulous felines:

Sammy

  • Animal ID: 37966188
  • Domestic Shorthair/Mix
  • Age: 8 years
  • Female
  • Size: Small
  • Color: Grey
  • Spayed
  • Not declawed

Cooper

  • Animal ID: 37966176
  • Domestic Medium Hair/Mix
  • Age: 10 years
  • Female
  • Size: Small
  • Color: Brown/White
  • Spayed
  • Not declawed

The Humane Society of West Michigan automatically microchips all adoptable animals using 24PetWatch microchips, which include FREE registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information visit www.24petwatch.com or call 1-866-597-2424. This pet is also provided with 30 days of FREE ShelterCare Pet Health Insurance with a valid email address. For more information visit www.sheltercare.com or call 1-866-375-7387 (PETS).

Humane Society of West Michigan is open Tues-Fri 12-7, Sat & Sun 11-4.