Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Pretty as a picture and as quiet as mouse is how Patrice came to us in mid-November of 2018, after having been rescued off of Putnam St. SW in downtown Grand Rapids. Born in late 2016, this stunning but shy tabby and white girl was one of many homeless cats that had been taking advantage of a feral cat feeding station; although she would enjoy meal time on a regular basis, her timid nature kept her tucked away from the humans that tried diligently to live-trap her to get her off of the streets.
Finally, persistence paid off and she was rescued, fixed and sheltered in her rescuer’s home. After a little over two weeks of R and R with a multitude of critters affectionately called ‘The Barnyard’, Patrice was ready to come to see Dr. Jen at the clinic. Initially she tested a very faint FIV+, which was fine as the plan was to eventually house her at our sanctuary. As luck would have it when she came back in a month later for her retest, she had cleared the virus from her system. Although still a bashful beauty, we felt it was time that Patrice head on down to our place for more socialization and schmoozing with our cats and crew.
It took this darling little lady quite a bit of time to settle comfortably in her new surroundings, but the patient, gentle hands of our doting volunteers won her over. As she comes out of her shell more and more, we get to see a sweet side of her that relishes attention; she won’t actively seek it out, but if you approach her while she is napping peacefully in her favorite teepee, she is all about head scratches and pets. In fact, once you start stroking her fur, she can’t get enough and practically begs you not to stop.
Patrice also likes to laze the day away in the comfort of a cozy cubby, where she can observe all of the activity and partake in the more mellow activities as she pleases. She really doesn’t seem to mind the other kitties, but it isn’t necessary she be placed into a home with another cat. We do know that small, rambunctious children would frighten her, so if a family with older, calmer kids falls in love with her, we feel that type of dynamic would better suit her needs. As long as her space is granted and respected and she isn’t forced to become a lap cat (that is going to take time and trust), she and her new family members will get along famously well; she simply needs time to feel safe, secure, accepted and adored for who she is.
More about Patrice:
Medium
Domestic Short Hair
Adult
Female
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
Not declawed
Prefers a home without children
Want to adopt Patrice? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
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.
In his native Congo, Kyezie Bwanangela found himself running for his life ahead of armed militias. Luckily, the young man found safety and eventual refugee status in the United States. The criminal justice major joins us to talk about corruption, leadership, and what is needed to regain democracy.
“A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” – Markus Zusah, The Book Thief
We’ve Got You Covered
The Advances might be gone, but the WKTV Journal is still going strong! Above is the latest WKTV Journal newscast anchored by Monica Sparks and Donna Kidner-Smith. Check it out!
Sharing Her Story
Pamela Benjamin set out from her native New Zealand to see the world. A stop in Sydney, Australia and a chance meeting with a young man by the name of Craig, would change the course of her life forever. Pamela’s story is just one of many featured in the WKTV Voices project. To learn how you can share your story, visit wktvvoices.org.
Detroit Tigers Manager Ron Gardenhire and players presented a special jersey to Kentwood Police Chief Thomas Hillen. (Supplied/City of Kentwood)
According to a 2016 The Atlantic article, those are the states that had the most school closings over a period of 10 years, 2006-2016. While author Hayley Glatter admits the study is not scientific and not all the states, such as Michigan, participated. In fact, only 19 states provided Glatter any data. But her story does reveal some interesting facts about school closings and how different districts handle them.
Actors’ Theatre of Grand Rapids is doing something a little different this month — the family-friendly production “The Burnt Part Boys.”
“Actors’ is known for doing awesome, sometimes controversial productions,” said director Jolene Frankey. “So it is kind of fun to be able to do something that is entirely family friendly. It is a wonderful treat for our awesome core patrons along with providing us an opportunity to reach people who wouldn’t normally come to an Actors’ production.”
Opening on Friday, Feb. 1 (due to the weather), “The Burnt Part Boys” takes place in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia and follows the story of two brothers, 14-year-old Pete and his older brother Jake.
A report over the radio announces the plans of the Pickaway Coal Company to reopen a mine where a collapse and fire killed the brothers’ father 10 years earlier. The spot is called “the burnt place.” Jake has been picked to lead the reopening, angering Pete who vows to destroy “the burnt place.” The announcement leads both boys with friends in tow on a journey of self-discovery with the ghost of the miners following their progress.
“The music is so distinctive,” Frankey said as to what drew her to “The Burnt Part Boys.” To be honest, the songs from the show are not familiar and Frankey added that the show’s “obscurity is its charm.”
“The music is really reflective of what is taking place,” Frankey said. “It is an eclectic blend of various music such as folk and pop, all wrapped into musical theater. It has such an unusual feel yet it is so authoritative. It is not a hokey rendition of the backwoods of the Appalachians.”
There are guitars and banjo to chains and lead pipes all used to create the country- and bluegrass-flavored songs written by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen. The songs, according to The New York Times, “are rousing anthems to dangerous excitements of working the mines.”
Items used in a mine, such as ladders, lights, shovels, are used throughout the production, creating the landscape of the Appalachians with the ghosts of the miners serving as the map the boys follow on their quest to “the burnt part.”
“The Burnt Part Boys” opens Friday, Feb. 1, and runs through Feb. 9 at GRCC’s Spectrum Theater, 160 Fountain NE. Show time is 8 p.m Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and 3 p.m Sunday. Tickets are $24 and $28.For more information or to purchase tickets, visit actorstheatregrandrapids.org.
For a growing number of Americans, the final year of life is marked by pain, depression and other distressing symptoms, a study has found.
Experts said the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, highlights disturbing shortcomings in the U.S. health care system.
Researchers found that between 1998 and 2010, the number of Americans who suffered pain in their last year of life rose from 54 percent to 61 percent.
Meanwhile, the prevalence of depression rose from 45 percent to 57 percent, while other symptoms — such as breathlessness, confusion, severe fatigue and incontinence — either increased or did not improve.
“These findings are troubling,” said senior researcher Dr. Karl Lorenz, of the Pardee RAND Graduate School and the University of California, Los Angeles.
The increase in end-of-life symptoms, Lorenz said, has occurred despite national efforts to improve end-of-life care, dating back to the 1990s.
Those efforts have made a difference. The number of Americans in hospice care doubled between 2000 and 2009, the study noted. Hospice care focuses on easing symptoms and improving quality of life for people with a terminal illness.
But often hospice care isn’t offered until the last few weeks or days of life, Lorenz said.
“It’s often ‘tacked on’ to more-intensive care,” he said.
However, another expert said the findings are not actually about the typical American’s final year of life — because many people with chronic diseases are suffering these symptoms long-term.
“I think the findings are very valid, but the conclusions about what they mean are not,” said Dr. Sean Morrison, who directs the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.
“I think you’d see a high prevalence of these symptoms if you looked at older adults’ last two years of life, or last three, or last five,” Morrison said.
The issue, he said, is that more and more Americans are living longer with chronic ills — from heart and lung disease, to painful arthritis, to Alzheimer’s disease. At the same time, the health care system has grown increasingly specialized and “organ-specific,” with less focus on primary care.
“We’re doing a very poor job addressing the multiple health conditions so many older Americans have,” Morrison said. “We’re focusing on treating organs, and not on improving people’s quality of life.”
Morrison said the health care system — including medical schools — needs to pay much more attention to palliative care.
Palliative care refers to therapy that focuses on easing physical or psychological symptoms, rather than curing a disease. Hospice care, which is intended for people with a limited time to live, is one form of palliative care.
Other forms, though, can start as soon as a serious medical condition is diagnosed, and given along with treatments aimed at battling the disease. Usually, a team of providers, including nurses, nutritionists and social workers, is involved.
But Morrison said that to many people, including doctors, “palliative” is synonymous with dying. So it’s often not offered, even if it’s locally available.
“Other research shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans do not have access to high-quality palliative care,” Morrison said.
The current findings are based on a periodic health survey of older Americans. Between 1998 and 2010, slightly more than 7,200 study participants died, and their family members were asked about symptoms their loved one had suffered in the last year of life.
Over time, problems like pain, depression, periodic confusion and incontinence grew more common. Other symptoms, such as fatigue and severe weight loss, held fairly stable.
Lorenz said part of the increase could be due to awareness. More doctors may be asking family members about those symptoms — which would be a good thing, he said.
But the fact that pain and other distressing symptoms are so common is disturbing, he said.
Morrison agreed. “This really is an indictment of the health care system,” he said. “And the public should be outraged.”
He and Lorenz suggested that older adults ask their doctors about any palliative services available for their symptoms — at any point in the course of a disease.
Medicare covers hospice care, and many Medicare Advantage plans pay for other palliative services, Morrison noted.
But relatively few research dollars, he added, go into palliative care. “We invest so much in finding disease cures,” Morrison said. “We should also be investing in making life better for the people living with these diseases right now.”
By Laura Nawrot, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Carolyn Parkhurst takes us behind the scenes in the filming of reality television show “Lost and Found” in her book of the same title. The object of the show is to successfully complete a worldwide scavenger hunt in a two-person team to win a million-dollar prize. I was skeptical about the plot since I am not a fan of reality television and didn’t think it would work well as the setting of a book, but I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I identified completely with the members of the various teams as they struggled with personal issues that arose as the competition’s heat increased. Parkhurst also raises several questions in this story that force the reader to do some self-reflection without taking away from the story itself, which I think helps the reader feel more involved.
Parkhurst tells her story from multiple perspectives by writing in the voices of the various characters. The drama produced by several points of view heightened the tension. If you’re in the market for a different kind of plot, you may want to consider Lost and Found.
By Kristen Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
Stephen King is a divisive author — you either love him or hate him — but there aren’t many people who fall in the middle. I think that to really appreciate King’s work, you need to look past his reputation to see the themes in his writing: friendship, loyalty, steadfastness, a sense of fun. In many of his books, he spins modern day morality tales, only in his version, instead of wearing a scarlet A on your chest, something a little more sinister may happen to you. The great thing about King is that he never takes himself too seriously and in between the chaos and horror he creates, he will often throw in a laugh out loud moment.
In his latest work, Cell, King lets us in early on what is wrong with society today: we spend too much time talking on cell phones and not enough time talking to each other face to face. And what happens to people who spend too much time on their cells? The pulse, a frequency transmitted through their phone, fries their brains and they turn into zombie-like creatures who want to kill all the remaining unaffected people or “normies.”
The story follows down-on-his-luck illustrator Clayton Riddell, who after the pulse bands together with other normies to get back to his Maine hometown to find his estranged wife and son. As the very fabric of civilization falls down around him, Clayton and his travel partners struggle to maintain their humanity and hope. Their journey from Boston to Maine is not only a physical journey, but a mental one as well. They start out in denial of what has happened to their world but by the end of their journey they have come to the understanding that the world in which they now live is a very different place.
This is a classic King novel — fast moving, gripping and graphic. He writes relatable characters in realistic scenes. (Who would expect the apocalypse to happen as you were buying an ice cream cone? Who wouldn’t try and call a loved one in an emergency?) In the end his message is clear — bad things can happen when we start to lose touch with our humanity. And maybe cell phones aren’t all they are cracked up to be.
The 25th anniversary season of the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival will continue when actors from Nassau in the Bahamas visit the Allendale Campus to perform one of the most critically acclaimed productions ever presented in the Bahamas.
The festival’s “Bard Beyond Borders” series will present performances of “Sizwe Banzi is Dead” January 31 and February 1 at 7:30 p.m. and February 2 at 2 p.m. in the Linn Maxwell Keller Black Box Theatre, located in the Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts. A condensed version of the production will be performed during Grand Valley’s Arts at Noon series on January 30 from 12-1 p.m. in the Cook-DeWitt Center.
All performances are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Louis Armstrong Box Office at (616) 331-2300.
Written by Athol Fugard, “Sizwe Banzi is Dead” is set in the landscape of South Africa’s apartheid era, a time of institutionalized racial segregation that spanned from 1948 until the early 1990s.
The story confronts the struggles faced by people of color during that time and addresses broader questions of human worth and identity. This is done through the lens of a man getting his picture taken in a photography studio.
“Sizwe Bansi is Dead” was originally featured during the 2014 Shakespeare in Paradise Theatre Festival, and these performances will reunite the director and the original two cast members.
“This is a special offering to celebrate something which acknowledges that theater is a global communicator and that we can all connect through it,” said Karen Libman, professor of theater. “We are excited to offer our students and the community the chance to see high-quality theater that they might not necessarily see otherwise.”
Grand Valley’s history with the Shakespeare in Paradise Theatre Festival dates back to 2011 when Bard to Go, the university’s traveling student Shakespeare troupe, was first invited to perform at the festival. Bard to Go also performed at the festival in 2017.
While at Grand Valley, the Shakespeare in Paradise Theatre Festival actors will also facilitate theater workshops and classroom visits for students.
The Bard Beyond Borders series will continue in April with performances by a Shakespeare company from Egypt.
Last Thursday evening, siblings David, Thomas and Jennifer Driver, students at Endeavor Elementary, sat at the kitchen table in their Kentwood home coloring little circles in booklets.
“Did you read this morning?” mom Julie Driver asked David, a third-grader. “I know Thomas read this morning. Did you read at school, Jennifer?”
Kent District Library is a proud sponsor of SNN
This is Mission: READ!, a county-wide incentive program aimed at getting kids to read every day. The Driver children were among the first participants to sign up for the program, launched at Kent County public libraries on Jan. 7.
The mission is simple: For every day of reading, participants fill in one space in a Mission: READ! booklet. For every hundred spaces filled, they receive a small prize and a planet sticker to place on their Mission: READ! solar system poster. At 500 spaces, they receive a book. When 1,000 spaces are filled, they receive a tablet reader.
“I re-read a book called, ‘Who was Muhammad Ali?’,” said David. “I also read an autobiography about… I can’t remember… oh, Kareem-Abdul Jabar!”
Third-grader David Driver fills out his Mission: READ! booklet. Each spot colored represents a day on which he read
“With this program, we’re just asking, ‘Did you read today?’ If you read today, you can mark it in your booklet,” Ward said.
Mission: READ!What: An incentive program that encourages children to read every day for 1,000 days. Participants are rewarded with stickers, prizes and a book along the journey, and will receive a tablet reader upon completion of the program.Who: Open to students in kindergarten through third grade.How to sign up: To get your child started on the mission, visit any public library in Kent County. These include the Cedar Springs Public Library, the Sparta Township Library, any Grand Rapids Public Library location or any Kent District Library location.Information: Mission: READ!
One Small Step
The daily step is small enough, but diligence is required to complete the giant leap of a 1,000-day mission. The Driver children had read every day since receiving their booklets. Driver and her husband, Blake Driver, are raising eager readers. How have they managed?
“As parents, it’s about embracing what they love to read versus maybe what I want them to read,” said Driver, who found herself encouraging classics like “Old Yeller” and Choose Your Own Adventure books. “We had to learn that their interests were maybe different than what we wanted them to read. We wanted them to read this classic chapter book and they were like, ‘But we love graphic novels!’, so we’ve had to explore with our kids.”
Driver said Kentwood KDL branch librarians Mr. Greg and Ms. Hennie help her children find materials they enjoy. While this is one way they help patrons, librarians also have been trained to help students with Individual Reading Improvement Plans — or IRIPs. An IRIP is a document that identifies areas for improvement and lays out a plan to remedy deficiencies as identified by student assessments at the start of the school year.
“It’s important that schools and parents understand that the library is here to help,” said Lindsey Dorfman, director of branch services and operations for KDL’s 19 branches. “If students are struggling with reading, they can come to any one of the public libraries and staff are ready to give them tools and resources and support.”
As part of Mission:READ!, librarians are equipped with booster packs: curated books and activities designed to strengthen a student’s reading skills in specific areas pinpointed by an IRIP. These include phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.
Participants can sign up for Mission: READ! and find booster packs at the Cedar Springs Public Library, Sparta Township Library and any location in the GRPL or KDL systems. Participation is limited to students in kindergarten through third grade. The program targets them because it is largely a response to a looming challenge: implementation of the third grade reading law.
GRPL Youth Librarian Bridget Ward stands in front of a Mission: READ! display at the main branch.
3…2…1… Countdown to the Reading Law
The law, passed in October 2016 and set to take effect this fall, requires all third-graders to be within one year of grade level proficiency in reading, or risk being held back in school. Recent test scores revealed that only 46 percent of Michigan third-graders passed the English language arts exam. While the law allows exemptions for holding a student back, educators and community literacy partners are taking the challenge seriously.
Beth Travis is the principal at East Kelloggsville Elementary, a K-3 building
Beth Travis, principal at East Kelloggsville Elementary, says reading has always been a focus for teachers, but the law has added some urgency to their work.
“We’re a K-3 building so our teachers have been working very hard with all of our students, and they always have,” said Travis. “With the new third grade reading law there are some new constraints put on us, obviously, and what we want to do is make sure our students are getting the best education they can.”
The Kelloggsville Public Schools district, Travis said, is ideally positioned for Mission: READ!, as it has a KDL branch in its high-school building. All students in the district — Young 5s to 12th grade — have library cards and opportunities to visit the library with their class. KDL will be at the school’s Jan. 28 assembly to pitch Mission: READ! to students.
The program’s solar system theme, coincidentally, works well for Kelloggsville’s mascot, a rocket.
One of the biggest strengths of Mission: READ!, said Travis, is it empowers parents to help their children become proficient, and reinforces a family’s efforts to read at home, a recommendation in IRIPs. (The third grade reading law also mandated the IRIP, which has been required since last school year.)
“Not every student comes to school with the exact same abilities and the same background,” said Travis. In addition, she said, “Not every parent feels like they know exactly what’s best for their kids to read at home, so this helps guide them. It’s a great partnership for us.”
First-grader Jennifer Driver counts the days she has read so far
We Have Liftoff
In the first five days of the program alone, KDL had 71 children sign up for MIssion: READ! GRPL hadn’t yet tallied their numbers, but Ward said the librarians were getting the word out and were very excited every time a new child signed up.
“Ideally,” said Dorfman, “students will sign up in kindergarten and complete the program by third grade, the year by which they should be proficient.”
“There’s an urgent need to help these kids,” said Mark Raffler, English language arts consultant at Kent ISD. “When kids love to read, everything else in school comes more easily and with greater effectiveness. The results of good reading habits carry throughout their schooling and into adult life.”
While the program’s first finishers are still 900-some days away from meeting their goal, plans are already in the works to help students maximize their use of the ultimate prize: the tablet reader. When they earn the tablet, said Dorfman, students will receive a one-on-one consultation with a librarian who will teach them how to access the library’s e-book platform and check out books that they can read on the tablet.
“Essentially, we’re giving them a library in their hands for completing the program,” Dorfman said.
For more local school news, visit the School News Network website.
The Driver siblings — David, Jennifer and Thomas — were among the first children to sign up for Mission: READ!
Thomas Driver fills in spots in his Mission: READ! booklet
Proclaimed as “the most Russian of all Russian composers” by Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was one of Western classical music’s most illustrious romantic composers. From the bombastic 1812 Overture to the enchanting Nutcracker ballet, Tchaikovsky’s music never fails to sweep listeners off of their feet.
The Grand Rapids Symphony’s Tchaikovsky Festival will celebrate the music of Tchaikovsky with a program featuring four pieces by the 19th century composer including At Bedtime, Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, Andante Cantabile for Cello and String Orchestra, and the Symphony No. 4 in F minor.
The Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series concert is led by music director Marcelo Lehninger. The orchestra will be joined by the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus and cellist Andrei Ioniţă, winner of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
The Grand Rapids Symphony also will perform at the ‘Tchaikovsky Festival” set for Feb. 8-9. (Supplied)
Join in the festivities on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8-9 at 8 p.m. at DeVos Performance Hall.
The Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus is sponsored by Mary Tuuk. Romanian cellist Andrei Ioniţă’s appearance is sponsored by the Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.
Organized in 1962 with the guidance and support of Mary Ann Keeler, the Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus attracts singers, ages 18 to 80, from all walks of life across West Michigan. In its 57th season as an affiliate of the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Chorus has joined the Symphony in performances of Mozart’s Mass in C minor and the Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops.
Tchaikovsky’s music has a wide range of style and emotion, drawing inspiration from folk music to composers like Haydn and Mozart. With his Variations on a Rococo Theme, Tchaikovsky attempted to embody the simple elegance of 18th century music.
He had a reverence for Mozart in particular, as he told the Petersburg Life newspaper in an 1892 interview. “I was 16 when I heard Mozart’s Don Giovanni for the first time. For me, this was a revelation: I cannot find words to describe the overwhelming power of the impression which it made on me. It is probably due to this fact that of all the great composers it is Mozart for whom I feel the most tender love.”
Andrei Ioniţă, born in 1994 in Bucharest, began taking piano lessons at the age of 5 and received his first cello lesson three years later. His Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2015 launched his flourishing career as a soloist and has performed in concert halls around the globe.
The San Diego Union Tribune declared that, “Ioniţă displayed an uncanny sureness of intonation and a beauty of tone, no matter how far his fingers traveled on the strings or how high his lines soared.”
Besides the popular Variations on a Rococo Theme, Ioniţă also will join the Grand Rapids Symphony for the Andante Cantabile for Cello and Orchestra, an arrangement of the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s first string quartet, which was performed at a concert honoring author Leo Tolstoy.
Of all late 19th century composers, Tchaikovsky had a knack for writing beautiful and eloquent melodies. The main melody of the Andante Cantabile is a Ukrainian folk song, but the secondary melody is Tchaikovsky’s, and the two melodies combined created music that brought Tolstoy to tears at its debut.
At the time he wrote his Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky had just entered a disastrous marriage that would end in divorce less than a year later. It comes as no surprise that his tumultuous personal life is reflected in the theme of his symphony.
In a letter to his friend and supporter, Madame von Meck, Tchaikovsky revealed the meaning behind his Fourth Symphony. “The introduction is the germ of the entire symphony, its central idea. This is Fate, the force that prevents our hopes of happiness from being realized, that jealously watches to see that peace and happiness not be complete or unclouded. Successive new themes express growing discontent and despair. A sweet vision appears but bitter Fate awakens us. Life is a continuous, shifting, grim reality.”
The composer was pleased with the symphony and considered it to be some of his best work. Though in another letter to von Meck, Tchaikovsky couldn’t help but wonder of the fate of the symphony itself. “What lies in store for this symphony? Will it survive long after its author has disappeared from the face of the earth, or straight away plunge into the depths of oblivion?”
Tchaikovsky would undoubtedly be pleased to know that fate has been kind to his symphony. Not only has his music survived, but it is celebrated to this day.
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
Tickets for the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 am – 5 pm at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across the street from Calder Plaza). Call (616) 454-9451 x 4 to order by phone. (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 before the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.
Special Offers
Full-time students of any age can purchase tickets for $5 on the night of the concert by enrolling in the GRS Student Tickets program, sponsored by Calvin College. Discounts are available to members of MySymphony360, the Grand Rapids Symphony’s organization for young professionals ages 21-35.
Students age 7-18 also are able to attend for free when accompanied by an adult. Free for Kids tickets must be purchased in advance at the GRS Ticket office. Up to two free tickets are available with the purchase of a regular-price adult ticket. Go online for more details.
Symphony Scorecard provides up to four free tickets for members of the community receiving financial assistance from the State of Michigan and for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, whether on active or reserve duty or serving in the National Guard. Go online for information to sign up with a Symphony Scorecard Partner Agency.
Many Michiganders are helping pollinators by planting flowers that provide nutrition and habitat for our birds and bees. Pollinators across the country are experiencing population declines: annual honey bee losses range around 40 percent, monarch butterfly populations have experienced severe declines and some of Michigan’s native pollinators are becoming endangered, like the rusty patched bumble bee, which was listed as an endangered species in 2017 and hasn’t been seen in Michigan since 2001. A key cause of pollinator decline is a loss of habitat. It is essential to plant flowers and restore habitat if we want to have healthy pollinator populations in our state.
Anyone can provide pollinator habitat by planting flowers, and there are many programs that promote and incentivize planting for pollinators. This year, two organizations expanded their programs to include Michigan, providing seeds to individuals and organizations interested in helping pollinators. Check out the two programs below as well as the resources at Michigan Pollinator Initiative to help establish pollinator habitat.
Project Wingspan collects and distributes seeds for monarchs and the endangered rusty patched bumble bee.
The Pollinator Partnership has joined forces with several organizations and agencies to launch their new initiative, Project Wingspan, and they need your help! The project will be collecting seeds throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. They have put a call out for enthusiastic seed collecting volunteers in all six states to help identify and collect milkweed and other common nectar plants. As a seed collecting volunteer, you will be provided with training and will be making valuable contributions to supporting migrating monarchs and the imperiled rusty patched bumble bee.
No seed collecting experience is required, but basic plant knowledge is preferred. Training and seed collection will start in spring 2019, but you can get on the list now. To sign up as a seed collector, email Amber Barnes at ab@pollinator.org with your name, city, state and preferred email address or fill out the online form. You will be added to their volunteer contact list and more information will follow soon.
The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund ‘Seed a Legacy’ program provides seeds to landowners for restoration and feeding bees.
The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to establishing high quality pollinator habitats. Their Seed A Legacy Pollinator Habitat Program provides a unique opportunity for the managers of private, public and corporate lands to establish high quality pollinator habitat. They develop mixes that are focused on different pollinators: monarchs, honey bees and native pollinators. You can apply to receive seeds for free or for a discount. They have a lot of information on how to successfully establish a habitat, and they have put a lot of work to make sure their seed mixes have high value to pollinators.
Chris Stapleton will continue his extensive, sold-out “All-American Road Show” through 2019 with newly confirmed performances this summer and fall. The shows will kick-off July 9 at Allentown’s PPL Center and will makes its way to SMG-managed Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Friday, August 16, at 7 p.m. Guest openers include Brent Cobb and The Marcus King Band.
Stapleton Fan Club pre-sales will begin Tuesday, January 29 at 10 a.m. local time. For more information visitwww.stapletonfanclub.com.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place® box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. A purchase limit of four (4) tickets will apply to every order. See Ticketmaster.com for all pricing and availability.
Fans on Van Andel Arena’s email list will have access to a presale on Thursday, January 31 at 10:00 a.m. In order to receive access, sign up to the list by January 30. Sign up for the email list here.
Citi is the official presale credit card of Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show” tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase presale tickets for U.S. dates beginning Tuesday, January 29 at 10:00 AM local time until Thursday, January 31 at 10:00 PM local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visitwww.citiprivatepass.com.
The newly confirmed shows follow yet another monumental year for Stapleton, who is nominated in three categories at the 61st GRAMMY Awards: Best Country Album (From A Room: Volume 2) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Millionaire”) as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for his performance on Justin Timberlake’s “Say Something.” Additionally, last year, Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year (for the fourth-straight year), Single of the Year (“Broken Halos”) and Song of the Year (“Broken Halos”) at The 52 Annual CMA Awards, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year (From A Room: Volume 1 as both artist and producer) at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards, Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist and Top Country Album (From A Room: Volume 1) at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards and Best Country Album (From A Room: Volume 1), Best Country Song (“Broken Halos”) and Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”) at the 60th GRAMMY Awards.
Released in December 2017 on Mercury Records Nashville, From A Room: Volume 2 takes its name from Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (the capital “A” in “From A Room”) where it was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Along with Stapleton on vocals and guitar and Cobb on acoustic guitar, the album features Morgane Stapleton on harmony vocals as well as longtime band-members J.T. Cure on bass and Derek Mixon on drums.
In addition to his work as a solo artist, Stapleton is also featured on Justin Timberlake’s “Say Something.” The music video—which was filmed in a single shot at L.A.’s historic Bradbury Building—has been viewed over 287 million times. Watch here.
Meet Pamela Benjamin, who shared her experiences with VOICES back in November of 2017. Benjamin’s animated personality made an already interesting saga that much richer.
Always an independent soul, Benjamin had traveled by ship from New Zealand to Australia on her way to Canada when she was 25 years old. She never got further than Sydney, where she met future husband Craig, who had stopped by Benjamin’s group house to give her friend, Tina, a flute lesson. Benjamin was in the kitchen baking a cake at the time.
“I gave him a piece of cake and he asked us to the movies,” said Benjamin. Tina and another man joined them.
That night, the course of Benjamin’s history changed. During dinner, the second man read her palm and asked Benjamin if he could speak to her privately.
“He told me that Craig and I would be happily married for a long time and have two children,” she said. “I told him, ‘Don’t be stupid, we just met at lunchtime.'”
The Benjamins have now been married over 40 years and have three children. (Nobody’s perfect, not even palm readers.)
The Benjamins emigrated to the United States — and Grand Rapids, specifically — in 2003 so that Craig (affectionately called “CB”) could accept a job offer at Grand Valley State University teaching Big History, an academic discipline which examines history from the Big Bang to the present.
“We came here because there were no jobs for professors in Australia,” Benjamin said. “Craig went from being a professional musician and high school band director to teaching Big History at GVSU.”
Benjamin found the move challenging in several respects, the most drastic of which was the threat to her independence. Although Craig had an H-1B visa, Pamela was dismayed to discover that her status as his spouse was essentially that of a ‘nonperson’. She couldn’t check out library books. She couldn’t get a driver’s license. Everything was different, including the grocery store; nothing looked familiar.
She felt isolated. Making art helped. So, too, did writing. But something more was needed. Something warm and fuzzy.
“I got a puppy,” said Benjamin. “It was a lifesaver.”
Today, Benjamin holds citizenship in three countries — New Zealand, Australia and the United States. She and Craig travel the world; she continues to make art; and she chronicles her life, family and their journeys on her blog.
Sink, check. Toothbrush, check. Shower head? Yes, add the shower head to your checklist of things to replace or clean in the bathroom. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
You no doubt think that stepping into your shower will wash away dirt and germs, but a new study shows your shower head might instead dump nasty bacteria on you that may cause lung infections.
Most people know to keep their bathrooms clean, especially the toilet and sink. But researchers discovered that places in the United States and Europe where germs called mycobacteria are found in abundance in shower heads are the same places where bacterial lung infections are most common. In America, that includes parts of Southern California, Florida and New York.
“We live in a world covered in bacteria, and the bacteria in our shower heads follow some interesting geographic trends, and can be altered by our water source and water chemistry,” said study lead author Matthew Gebert.
“We’re exposed to microbes constantly in our day-to-day lives, some beneficial, some innocuous and a few potentially harmful,” Gebert explained.
He’s a research associate at the University of Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
Bacteria thrive in shower heads and water distribution systems. Although most of these bacteria are harmless, some can cause lung infections, he said.
Still, just because mycobacteria live in your shower head doesn’t mean you’ll get sick or are more likely to get a respiratory infection, Gebert added.
In fact, researchers can’t say that a person with a respiratory infection got it through showering, but understanding the sources of mycobacterial exposure is important.
“We don’t want people rushing home and throwing away their shower heads or obsessively cleaning them every day, nor should anyone change their showering habits—swallowing the water is OK,” he said.
For the study, Gebert and his colleagues analyzed shower heads from homes around the United States and Europe, and found an abundance of bacteria. The kind of germs varied by location, and by the chemistry of the water and where it came from.
An interesting finding was that homes whose water was treated with chlorine disinfectants had high concentrations of certain germs, the researchers noted.
The study was published recently in the journal mBio.
“I don’t think there are necessarily any negative implications from the study,” Gebert said. “But because bacteria that can cause illness live in our shower heads, it’s important to understand how people can be exposed to them.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, noted that bacteria grow in wet places like shower heads.
“This is a reminder to clean your shower head, which nobody does,” he said, though “most of us are likely to tolerate mycobacteria and not get sick from it.”
Bacteria in shower heads won’t cause an outbreak of lung infections, but people who are run down or who have a compromised immune system or a chronic condition may be vulnerable, Siegel suggested.
Bacteria also live on your toothbrush and in your sink—any moist surface, he said.
Siegel recommends cleaning your shower head every week or two with a disinfectant that contains ammonia to be sure you kill all the germs nesting there.
“Add your shower head to the list of things in the bathroom that need cleaning,” he said.
The average job search process takes over six weeks and can be longer depending on the industry and level of the position. If you’re unemployed, you need to make job search your full-time job to get the fastest results.
West Michigan Works! provides free services to help you at every step of the job search process. There are also things you can do at home to stay productive. Here are some tips and at-home resources to make the most of your time when looking for work.
Collect everything you need. Take some time before you start searching to pull together the details of your employment history. This will make filling out an application and creating a resume faster and easier.
It is also helpful to have a list of action words available to describe the work you have done in the past. We recommend a list of 139 action words provided by indeed.com. You can access it at http://bit.ly/139ActionVerbs.
Become a LinkedIn pro. UseLinkedIn to network, learn about companies and find job openings. Start by making a list of 30 companies where you’d like to work. Follow them on LinkedIn for updates, job postings, news, etc. Many employers use LinkedIn to recruit; if you follow them, you will see job openings as soon as they are posted. Once you land an interview, research the company online to gather information to reference in your interview.
Need help creating a LinkedIn profile? Check out this article from Money magazine: http://bit.ly/MoneyLinkedIN.
Practice makes perfect. The more you do something, the easier it gets. This is true for finding a job. You can use YouTube videos to practice a variety of job search skills like communicating effectively on the phone and using body language to make a good impression during an interview.
Check out the Linda Raynier and Work It Daily channels on YouTube for short, to-the-point videos that can help you get your next job!
If you are looking for assistance exploring career options, building your resume or preparing for an interview, West Michigan Works! can help with this and more. Find free workshops near you at westmiworks.org/calendar.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GFIA) set an all-time passenger record for 2018, marking the sixth straight year that the Airport has seen record-setting growth.
In 2018, 3,263,234 passengers flew in and out of GFIA, an increase of 16-percent from 2017. The record-setting year was capped in December with an increase of 17-percent year-over-year. With 273,673 total passengers, it marked the busiest December ever. This was the first time the Airport served more than a quarter-million passengers in the month of December.
“We had originally projected to hit the three million mark in 2020. To have that much growth in 2018 was a tremendous accomplishment,” said GFIA Interim President & CEO Brian Picardat. “Wecouldn’t have done it without our outstanding staff, our loyal passengers, and all of our airlinepartners and airport tenants.”
Additionally, the Airport has processed over 2.5 billion pounds of cargo since 1967. Cargo totals for 2018 hit 91 million pounds – a 3-percent increase over 2017.
Helping spur the passenger growth, the Ford Airport added six new routes in 2018. Frontier Airlines began nonstop service to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Denver International Airport (DEN), Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and Tampa International Airport (TPA). American Airlines began new nonstop service to Miami International Airport (MIA) and Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
GFIA has invested in new facilities to accommodate the growing traffic by recently beginning construction on Phase Two of the Gateway Transformation Project – a remodel of the ticketing and baggage claim hall. The Apron Reconstruction Project, a $30 million project that will repair the terminal apron – the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, and refueled, will resume in the Spring.
Allegiant announced they were adding an aircraft base in Grand Rapids which is set to begin operation in June. They have also added three new nonstop destinations to begin in 2019. Service to Sarasota-Bradenton (SRQ) will begin in April. Service to Nashville International Airport (BNA) and Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) will begin in June.
“We continue to grow our air service and facilities. On average, airports our size have nonstop service to 17 cities. We are now serving 29,” said Picardat. “We are increasing our capacity andworking to accommodate more routes for our passengers.”
For Ollie, timing and technology came together to make possible the operation, and its happy outcome.
Ultrasound reveals a problem
Kimberly and her husband, Anthony, had no clues of the drama ahead as they prepared for the birth of their second child. They looked forward to welcoming a younger sibling for their 5-year-old son, Elliott.
At 20 weeks, Kimberly had a routine ultrasound near her home in Holland, Michigan. Because the baby’s kidneys and bladder were enlarged, Kimberly’s doctor referred her to the maternal fetal medicine specialists at Spectrum Health.
A few days later, the Lotts visited Dr. Romero and she performed another ultrasound. It, too, revealed enlargement of the bladder, kidneys and the ducts that connect the two.
“It looked like the baby had an obstruction, most likely below the bladder,” she said.
That tiny piece of plastic saved his life.
Kimberly Lott Ollie’s mother
It was hard to get a detailed picture. A developing baby generally floats in amniotic fluid, which aids visualization of the anatomy. But in Ollie’s case, there was essentially no amniotic fluid. Dr. Romero could not even see if the baby was a boy or girl.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum HealthBeat
The lack of fluid can lead to damage of the urinary tract, kidneys and lungs.
“The baby releases urine to the amniotic cavity, and then the baby swallows and breathes the fluid, allowing the lungs to develop,” Dr. Romero explained. “Low amniotic fluid can result in underdevelopment of the lungs—pulmonary hypoplasia, a life-threatening condition.”
In the early stages of pregnancy, the placenta creates the amniotic fluid. The kidneys take over the job after week 17.
By retaining urine, the blockage in Ollie’s bladder disrupted that cycle. Later tests showed he had posterior urethral valves, which means he had extra flaps of tissue in the tube through which urine leaves the body.
Depending on the degree of the obstruction, the condition can be fatal.
‘We will try it’
The Lotts, reeling from the news of their baby’s prognosis, struggled to comprehend the options laid out for them. They could wait and let nature take its course, loving their child for his brief life on earth.
Or they could see if a shunt could be placed in utero in the bladder.
“It sounded kind of far-off,” Kimberly said. “I didn’t know if that was going to work. It seemed weird. But we said we will try it.”
First, they had to see if Ollie was a candidate for surgery. The maternal fetal medicine team had to make sure Ollie’s kidneys still worked and could produce urine. The surgery would not benefit him if the kidneys were so damaged they could not function.
I was so scared. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
Kimberly Lott Ollie’s mother
Dr. Romero performed a bladder tap, using ultrasound to guide her as she placed a long needle through Kimberly’s uterus and into Ollie’s bladder.
From that tiny sac, she withdrew about a teaspoon of urine.
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum HealthBeat
“I felt it. It wasn’t good,” Kimberly said. “That first bladder tap was the worst. My whole uterus contracted. I was crying. I was upset. I was swearing.”
And most difficult of all: She had to repeat the bladder tap the next day. The second test would show if the bladder filled with urine again, indicating Ollie still had functioning kidneys.
Kimberly didn’t hesitate.
“I wanted to do everything I could do,” she said.
Daring to hope
The tests showed good renal function, so Dr. Romero performed the surgery. Kimberly was 23 weeks pregnant.
Using a larger, hollow needle, Dr. Romero placed the shunt into Ollie’s grape-sized bladder.
The tube, called a pigtail catheter, curled into a loop on each end. She placed one end coiled up inside his bladder. The other end looped in a circle outside his body, along his belly.
Urine flowed through the catheter from the bladder to the amniotic sac, bypassing the blockage.
For the rest of the pregnancy, Kimberly returned for repeated follow-up tests to make sure the catheter remained in place. Babies often manage to pull them out.
With each visit, Kimberly worried about whether the shunt still worked, whether her baby was growing.
“I was so scared,” she said. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
As the weeks progressed without problems, she began to be hopeful. She stopped researching palliative care options and started reading about kidney issues. A few weeks before the delivery date, she finally allowed herself to buy a few baby outfits for him.
Throughout the pregnancy, the maternal fetal medicine team also monitored the growth of Ollie’s chest.
“We were all worried about how his lungs were working,” Dr. Romero said. “We noticed his chest was growing, so we hoped his lungs were growing, too. But we wouldn’t know until the baby was born.”
They planned to induce labor at 37 weeks. But three days before the delivery date, an ultrasound showed a drop in fluid levels. The catheter was not visible on the scan. The maternal fetal medicine specialists decided to deliver him that day.
That night, Dr. Romero performed a C-section, and Anthony Oliver Lott was born. He weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces.
“He came out and just started wailing,” Kimberly said. “It was such a relief to us.”
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum HealthBeat
On his belly lay the coiled catheter that had been so elusive on the last ultrasound.
“Everyone was pointing at it and saying, ‘There it is! It’s in there,’” she said.
It didn’t take long to see it was still doing its job.
Ollie’s lungs managed to avoid major damage. In the children’s hospital neonatal intensive care unit, he didn’t need to be on oxygen.
His kidneys sustained major damage, but that had been expected.
‘We can deal with that’
Kimberly gave Ollie a bottle as her son Elliott played a computer game nearby. She talked about the challenges her infant son has already faced in his short life.
Five days after birth, he underwent surgery to remove the valves that blocked his urethra. Tubes were placed in his kidneys to drain urine from them. And he had a port placed so he can have dialysis in the future.
He will need a kidney transplant eventually. Kimberly hopes she will be able to give him one of hers.
He also has a feeding tube to make sure he gets enough nutrition. Children with kidney disease often have poor appetites, Kimberly explained.
Ollie’s health challenges don’t faze her. She just marvels at her son’s bright eyes and alert gaze, his wiggly arms and legs, his sweet smile.
“When he came out and all that was really damaged was his kidneys and urinary tract system, I said, ‘This is manageable. We can deal with that.’ There’s lots of kids in the world who have kidney disease and they are fine.”
She looks to his future with hope.
“He’s a little fighter,” she said. “He has been since the beginning.”
Photo by Chris Clark, Spectrum HealthBeat
She opened a small bottle and tapped out a plastic tube, curled at both ends: the catheter that had been implanted in utero.
“It saved his life,” she marveled. “That tiny piece of plastic saved his life.”
Ollie’s progress is also deeply rewarding to his physicians.
“This is why you go into medicine, because you want to save lives,” Dr. Romero said. “You want to do good for people.”
She credited Kimberly and her doctor with seeking specialized care as soon as the problem with his bladder appeared. The timing was crucial to the success of the shunt surgery.
Dr. Quiroga praised the Lotts and their vigilance in managing Ollie’s complex health issues, during pregnancy and after birth.
“The family is awesome,” he said.
As for Ollie, he said, “He’s doing great. He’s surprising us. He’s keeping us busy but he’s doing well.”
Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.
When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate; when in charge, ponder.
James H. Boren
New menu item?
Hey, baseball fans, want something new to nibble on? The Whitecaps are asking for food item suggestions. Submit your ideas by Feb. 1st. Winner gets a sweet suite. More info here.
Where do they come from? Where do they go?
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport keeps growing and growing and growing. We’re talking millions of travelers. Our question is, why? More info here.
You can’t be too careful
Just ask Roger Stone. Seriously, it couldn’t hurt to shred all those important papers. Metro Health offers shredding bins Jan. 31st and Feb. 1. More info here.
Fun fact:
It can’t be done
You can’t:
sneeze with your eyes open
hum while holding your nose closed
kill yourself by holding your breath
But, hey. Maybe you’re talented and can prove the experts wrong.
Spatial awareness, also known as geometry, includes knowing about shapes, space, positions, directions and movement. All children need opportunities to play with blocks and puzzles. To help teach the concept of spatial awareness with young children, use puzzle and block play vocabulary as your child plays: above, below, in front of, next to, rectangle (all shapes), rhombus, edge, corner, face and side. “The block that is red is above the block that is blue.”
Playing with puzzles helps build spatial awareness skills. A child is required to determine which piece goes where and then manipulate the piece to get into the shape. Puzzles also help develop problem-solving skills by recreating patterns.
Use math talk: “Jason went under the climber and Suzie is on top of the climber.” “You are sitting next to the dog/cat/your sister.” “Some of the blocks are round and some of them are triangles.”
Play with shape sorters. Talk with the child about the color and number of sides.
Have the child crawl through a tunnel or be in a space where they can see both ends.
Play games like “Pat-a-Cake” and “This Little Piggy.”
Play with puzzles with knobs.
Boys and girls need exposure to blocks. Girls may play differently with blocks, but it is very important that all kids have access to blocks. It will be the foundation for success in future geometry classes.
Other resources from the National Association for the Education of Young Children:
Be careful with your ticker when temperatures plummet. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
By Health Beat Staff
Winter is here and isn’t leaving anytime soon.
That means it is time to take precautions when exercising or spending any length of time outside.
We asked Thomas Boyden, MD, a Spectrum Health Medical Group preventive cardiologist, for tips on keeping your heart healthy during this time of year.
“Individuals with a known heart condition or heart disease should be particularly careful when shoveling snow or breathing in cold air during the winter,” Dr. Boyden said.
Five tips for helping your heart stay healthy and warm this winter:
If you have any questions or concerns before engaging in outdoor winter activities, consult your physician first.
Wrap a scarf around your mouth and nose so the cold air is warmed before it reaches your lungs. This eases strain on both your heart and lungs.
Limit shoveling to the level of activity you are already used to. If you haven’t been active for months, don’t engage in this vigorous, weight-bearing activity. Too much exertion increases the risk of a heart-related episode.
If you feel any tightness or pain in your chest, stop shoveling or walking in the cold and seek medical attention.
Try to maintain your exercise routine throughout the winter by finding warm, indoor places to walk such as the mall, health club or senior center.
This advice isn’t just for people with a known heart condition, Dr.
Boyden said. A long, cold winter can be challenging for otherwise
healthy people as well.
Bundle up, stay active and be smart when it comes to winter heart health.
SpartanNash President and CEO Dave Staples was one of three people named as an officer to The Right Place, Inc. board of directors.
“SpartanNash has been a long time partner with The Right Place and we greatly appreciate and respect their leadership and commitment to driving economic growth in West Michigan,” said Staples, who will be serving as treasurer to the The Right Place, Inc. board. “West Michigan has been our company’s home for more than 100 years, and this area is unique and fortunate to have so many exceptional companies committed to making our community a better place to live, work and prosper. It is an honor to continue our partnership and volunteer my talents as treasurer.”
SpartanNash’s headquarters are located at 850 76th St. SW, Byron Center, with a distribution center located off of Clyde Park in Wyoming.
Also named as a 2019 officer to The Right Place Inc. board of directors were Sean P. Welsch, PNC Bank’s regional president for Western Mich, who will serve as chair, and Mitch Joppick, the Grand Rapids managing partner for PWC LLP, who will be serving as vice chair.
The new officers were announced last week along with several other board of director positions for The Right Place, Inc. Those positions included:
Executive Committee Appointments:
Bill Pink, President, Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC)
Matt Becker, Managing Partner, BDO
Tina Freese Decker, President and CEO, Spectrum Health
New Appointments to the 2019 board of directors:
Ron DeWaard, Partner, Varnum
Steve Downing, President and CEO, Gentex Corporation
Krista Flynn, Regional President – West Michigan, Chemical Bank
Tina Freese Decker, President and CEO, Spectrum Health Systems
Andi Owen, President & CEO, Herman Miller, Inc.
Jim Teets, CEO, ADAC Automotive
Mark Washington, City Manager, City of Grand Rapids
1964 The Tribute comes to DeVos Performance Hall April 18. Tickets go on sale Friday. (Supplied/Steven Gardner)
By Mike Klompstra DeVos Performance Hall
They’ve been called the “born again Beatles.” 1964 The Tribute recreates a Beatles concert exactly as it was in 1964, from the haircuts, the voices, the suits, the boots, to the vintage instruments. If you miss The Beatles, don’t miss 1964 The Tribute in DeVos Performance Hall , on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Rolling Stone magazine has named them the #1 Beatles show, and they have seven straight sellouts at Carnegie Hall.
Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, January 25 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets will be available at the DeVos Place® and Van Andel Arena® box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Prices are subject to change.
“1964” focuses on the quintessential moment in history, when The Beatles played before a LIVE audience. The Beatles toured the world in the early 1960’s, but now only a precious few remain who saw them LIVE; who felt the “mania” that brought them to world acclaim. Today, all that remains are a few scant memories and some captured images in pictures and on poor quality film and video. “1964” meticulously re-creates the “MAGIC” of those LIVE Beatles’ performances with artful precision and unerring accuracy.
Volunteers and workers comes together every Tuesday to make Paul’s Mom’s Cookies.
By Micah Cho WKTV Contributor
Susan Schur lived on the streets of Grand Rapids for eight months. Now, thanks to the partnership of Dégagé Ministries and Paul’s Mom’s Cookies, she has a steady job and an apartment.
“Dégagé helped me reinvent myself after being homeless,” Schur said.
Founded in 1967, Dégagé Ministries looks to serve homeless women in the Grand Rapids area. Men and women in need of assistance can visit Dégagé for food, hygiene, and legal services. Only women, however, can stay at the “Open-Door Women’s Center,” a homeless shelter for women in crisis.
Employing women that come through the shelter, Paul’s Mom’s Cookies gives women the opportunity to work for a real business and make a wage, something that’s difficult for homeless women.
“We were able to use those women to come in and pay them a fair wage and teach them the trade of baking the cookies,” said co-owner Cindy Knape. “So to us it was a win-win because we’re not just giving money to a charity, but we’re helping it from the ground up.”
Knape, along with co-founder Chris Mason, started the business out of Knape’s home kitchen and sold their cookies at the Rockford Farmers Market. After the cookie’s popularity took off, it was time to find a new place to start baking. Now, 20-30 volunteers and employees pack Trinity United Methodists Church’s kitchen on Tuesday mornings producing more than 1,500 cookies.
“A year ago it took us three hours to bake 800 cookies and now its three hours to bake 1,500,” said cookie business manager Zenobia Taylor-Weiss. “So, we’re getting good at what we do”.
Taylor-Weiss has noticed the different types of relationships that have been formed between the volunteers and the women from the open-door program. Because of the situations some of the women have gone through, Taylor-Weiss says there is nothing better than a strong support system.
“The community that’s been created here… It’s been really beneficial to everybody,” said Taylor-Weiss.
Community has been especially beneficial to Schur. With an apartment and job, Schur is also a strong believer in the community that has been created at Paul’s Mom’s Cookies.
“The volunteers and the rest of the workers are fabulous, I have great relationships with all of them,” said Schur. “I have their phone numbers and I can call them at any time if I have any questions and I just love it.”
Paul’s Mom’s Cookies can be found in Forrest Hills Foods, 4668 Cascade Rd. SE; Kingma’s Market off Plainfield, 2225 Plainfield NE; and the Bridge Street Market, 405 Seward Ave. NW.
By M. Christine Byron, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch
East Grand Rapids writer Liesel Litsenburger’s novel The Widower weaves together the stories of several characters living in a small northern Michigan town. The widower, Swanton Robey, is trapped in his grief over his young wife’s death. Joseph Geewa came to work in Robey’s orchards after twenty years in prison. Geewa’s niece, Grace Blackwater, harbors a secret love for Robey. Ray Ford, the local emergency medical technician, questions his role in the “lifesaving business” when his wife leaves him for another man. Other characters have their own secret lives, which manage to intertwine in the most unexpected ways. Past and present lives, loves and losses are interwoven in a lyrical way.
The novel is set in motion when Joseph Geewa finds a baby abandoned in Robey’s apple orchards. Geewa and Robey set out on a quest to find the baby’s mother. The emotionally fragile men are ill-equipped for a road trip with an infant, but find in the journey a quest for redemption and an unspoken bond of shared grief.
Litzenburger’s stories and essays have appeared in magazines, journals and anthologies. She has taught writing at several colleges and universities including the University of Michigan and the Interlochen Arts Academy.
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW)
On Sept. 17, 2018, a super nice gal on the northwest side of Grand Rapids contacted Dr. Jen for help in placing a kitty she had rescued a week prior that turned up Feline Leukemia-positive. Although the rescuer was totally in love with the beautiful and bubbly teenager (born in February of 2018), she wasn’t comfortable adding a cat with this virus into her furry household; FELV+ can be transmitted through saliva (grooming, shared dishes) and blood (fighting), so unless a resident cat is fully vaccinated against the virus, it isn’t smart to intermingle the two.
Dr. Jen was more than thrilled to open our sanctuary doors to this little lass, and thankfully she did at that point in time as Juanita was terribly anemic; both antibiotics and steroids were started for a blood parasite that is common in stray cats who have either been flea infested or are immuno-compromised
Ten days later, Dr. Jen’s treatment was deemed a smashing success, and she was able to spay kitty, but another 10 days after that, Juanita came down with a highly transmissible respiratory infection (calicivirus) and was quarantined until her oral ulcers healed—poor girl could not catch a break! But no worries, as jovial Juanita is a sturdy, saucy kitty who is bound and determined to take what comes her way and kick it to the curb.
Ten days later, Dr. Jen’s treatment was deemed a smashing success, and she was able to spay kitty, but another 10 days after that, Juanita came down with a highly transmissible respiratory infection (calicivirus) and was quarantined until her oral ulcers healed—poor girl could not catch a break! But no worries, as jovial Juanita is a sturdy, saucy kitty who is bound and determined to take what comes her way and kick it to the curb.
Ten days later, Dr. Jen’s treatment was deemed a smashing success, and she was able to spay kitty, but another 10 days after that, Juanita came down with a highly transmissible respiratory infection (calicivirus) and was quarantined until her oral ulcers healed—poor girl could not catch a break! But no worries, as jovial Juanita is a sturdy, saucy kitty who is bound and determined to take what comes her way and kick it to the curb.
Since her arrival at Big Sid’s, it is safe to say that she has taken the place by storm, and that everyone (human and feline) is quite enamored by her:
“Juanita — what a little doll! She is such an outgoing little girl. She quickly made friends with just about everyone, and she and Eros have been seen chasing each other around the last few days, that is when she isn’t snuggled up napping with Gordo. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her pint-sized body. She loves to hang out up high on her favorite cat walk either looking down at everything going on when she isn’t directly involved in the activity.”
“If anyone is looking for a playful kitten-like cat, she would be perfect. She will require LOTS of feather toys as they are her absolute favorite.”
In all honesty, Juanita would be just about the perfect cat companion if it weren’t for the darned virus that could hold back her chances of being adopted. Cats with FELV can and often do live healthy, happy lives, and we have known dozens upon dozens over the years who have thrived, living well into late adulthood, so her viral status isn’t an immediate threat. Yes, certain living circumstances are required to house cats like Juanita, and education is key to understanding what the virus is all about and what to watch for as she ages, but she and all of our resident Sid’s Kids are some of the most loving, agreeable and affectionate cats around, and each of them deserves to end up in a home of their very own.
We know for a fact that Little Miss Sunshine here is going to add so much joy to her adopter’s life because she is simply so easy to fall hopelessly in love with and a hoot to engage, interact and play with!
More about Juanita:
Small
Domestic Short Hair, Black
Young
Female
House-trained
Vaccinations up to date
Spayed
FELV+
Not declawed
Good in a home with other cats, children
Want to adopt Juanita? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
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.
Some bystanders may avoid performing CPR on women because they fear hurting them or even being accused of sexual assault, preliminary research suggests.
In two new studies, researchers tried to dig deeper into a puzzling pattern that has been seen in past research: Women are less likely than men to receive bystander CPR if they go into cardiac arrest in a public place.
One study confirmed that real-world phenomenon in a controlled setting: It found that even in “virtual reality” simulations, participants were less likely to perform CPR when the virtual victim was female, versus male.
People performed CPR on 65 percent of male victims, but only 54 percent of females.
A separate study, which surveyed 54 adults, turned up some possible explanations.
Respondents said bystanders may worry about hurting a woman while doing CPR chest compressions—or fear being accused of sexual assault. Some said people also might believe women’s breasts get in the way of CPR.
The respondents also cited a long-standing misconception: Women are less likely to have heart problems than men.
But the reality is that heart disease is the leading killer of U.S. women and men alike, according to government figures.
And when cardiac arrest strikes, CPR can be lifesaving, regardless of sex, said Dr. Sarah Perman, who led the survey.
People in cardiac arrest need immediate chest compressions, said Perman, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.
“Providing this lifesaving procedure for women should be normalized and not sexualized,” she said.
In the United States, more than 356,000 people suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year. Only about 11 percent survive, according to the American Heart Association.
Survival is dismal because without emergency treatment, cardiac arrest is fatal within minutes. But quick CPR can double or triple survival odds, the American Heart Association says.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating and cannot pump blood and oxygen to the body. If a bystander performs CPR, that keeps the victim’s blood circulating, buying time until paramedics arrive. Cardiac arrest is not a heart attack, which is caused by an artery blockage that diminishes blood flow to the heart.
“There is still a lot of misunderstanding about cardiac arrest and CPR,” said Dr. Aaron Donoghue, of the American Heart Association and the University of Pennsylvania.
Men and women benefit equally from CPR chest compressions, Donoghue said, adding that the notion that it could injure women is “false.”
As for fears of being accused of sexual assault, Donoghue noted that chest compressions are performed on the breastbone—also called the sternum, it’s the long flat bone in the center of the chest—not the breasts.
“It would be terrible for that fear to deter a would-be rescuer from performing CPR,” said Donoghue, who was not involved in the new studies.
“Doing nothing is always worse than doing something,” he added.
For its pilot study, Perman’s team surveyed 54 U.S. adults. Participants were asked: “Do you have any ideas on why women may be less likely to receive CPR than men when they collapse in public?”
Their answers reflect their personal perceptions, Donoghue pointed out. So, he said, it’s hard to know whether witnesses to cardiac arrest really do act on such beliefs in the real world.
Perman agreed, saying more research is needed to understand why women are less likely to receive CPR. She and her colleagues have already conducted a larger survey, she said, but the results have not been published yet.
For now, Donoghue suggested people educate themselves about cardiac arrest and CPR. The American Heart Association website is one place to start, he said.
Both studies are scheduled for presentation at the upcoming American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The Huizenga Grand Room will be filled with beautiful orchids, competing for ribbons and the coveted American Orchid Society Awards. Purchase an orchid to take home, as well as hard-to-find orchid growing supplies.
1pm — Orchid Growing 101: Learn how to care for your orchid once you get it home: where to place it, how often to water it, when to fertilize, and what to do when it’s through blooming. Presented by: Dawn Durkee, Grand Valley Orchid Society
2pm — Growing Slipper Orchids: Slipper orchids are not just fascinating, they’re easy to grow! Receive tips on growing these lovely orchids in the home. Presented by: Rob Halgren, Little Frog Farm
3pm — Orchid Repotting Demonstration: Learn about how to properly repot an orchid during this demonstration. Presented by: Don Kelley, Grand Valley Orchid Society
Sunday, Jan. 27
1pm — Best Orchids for Beginners: Learn which orchids are the easiest to grow in the home. Presented by: Mei Ling Clemens, Grand Valley Orchid Society
2pm — Miniature Orchids: Discover the subtle beauty and charm of miniature orchids and learn how to successfully grow them in your home. Presented by: Kevin Usted, New World Orchids
3pm — Orchid Repotting Demonstration: Learn about how to properly repot an orchid during this demonstration. Presented by: Tara Rietberg, Grand Valley Orchid Society
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Meet a musical treasure
“Music has always been a big part of my life,” said Bruce Ling, who began playing slide guitar when he was 4 years old and whose father and uncle are both professional musicians. “When I was 8, my band made $5 playing in a basement for a birthday party. I’ve been playing ever since.” Read the story here.
Just the facts, folks
The latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus offers two discussions focused on important topics: improving Michigan’s prison environment and how Calvin College is reaching out to inmates with education and life-changing opportunities, as well as the current opioid abuse and addiction public health crisis and how Kent County is working to address that crisis locally. Go here to read the story.
Common ground… troubled crossroads
Grand Valley’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and the university’s Division of Inclusion and Equity will host a discussion about how Americans can work toward finding common ground for the common good, especially at the troubled crossroads of race and American memory this Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7pm. More info here.
Fun fact:
One month
The time it would take a sloth to travel one mile (.15 mph). Road trip!
By Megan Andres, Grand Rapids Public Library, Seymour Branch
Michael Farquhar, author of history articles in the Washington Post, has turned his eye to the royal scandals of centuries past. Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s troubles look tame when compared to the scandals described in this volume. Subtitled The Shocking True Stories of History’s Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes and Emperors, you will find King Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn, Catherine the Great, Nero and many others, With chapters covering the time periods from ancient Rome and Edwardian England, Farquhar delivers an encyclopedia of raging scandal, recording events of pedophilia, incest, beheadings and more. There is even a chapter on Papal scandals of bygone years.
This book is a definite must read for anyone who loves a good gossip or a bad royal. Read about Caligula, who was quite miffed when his Senate didn’t want to recognize his own horse as a fellow Senator, despite the new laws he had created to include the beast. And to top it all off, he had enough problems at home with his sisters that he made a few of them disappear.
This entertaining book can be found in many formats: book on tape, book on CD, and eAudiobook at the Library. Think that the world is drowning in its own moral decay? Read this book — it will make today look chaste!
Has your spouse or a family member ever told you that you alternate between snoring and gasping for breath while you sleep?
For the sake of your heart, it may be time to seek a solution.
Researchers often identify a connection between obstructive sleep apnea and a number of cardiovascular problems.
Wael Berjaoui, MD, a pulmonologist with Spectrum Health Medical Group, describes sleep apnea as an interference of airflow during sleep. This potentially serious disorder is characterized by breathing that repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, and it’s usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation.
These episodes can prevent restful sleep, often waking a sleeper as he gasps for air.
But there’s also a hidden impact on the heart.
This condition can worsen coronary artery disease. Research has found that patients who have sleep apnea are more likely to have life-threatening outcomes when they have a heart attack.
“Imagine waking up and feeling like someone is trying to choke you. Of course your heart rate and blood pressure will increase,” Dr. Berjaoui said of the association between obstructive sleep apnea and the heart. “Your body thinks it is in distress.”
Research has shown that patients who undergo continuous positive airway pressure therapy will see a decrease in systolic blood pressure, Dr. Berjaoui said, which reduces the potential for progressive damage to arteries and veins, and in turn reduces the incidence of stroke, heart disease and heart failure.
Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is a treatment that uses mild air pressure, delivered through a lightweight mask, to keep the airways open during sleep.
CPAP treatment also can improve the health of people with heart rhythm problems, particularly those with an irregular heartbeat condition known as atrial fibrillation. Up to 80 percent of people with atrial fibrillation also may suffer from sleep apnea, Dr. Berjaoui said.
“It is much harder to control atrial fibrillation or cure it if you don’t treat the (apnea) first,” he continued. “It is important for patients who have cardiac conditions to be evaluated. …Even without all of the symptoms, a patient still could have sleep apnea and it can compromise their ability to effectively manage something like high blood pressure.”
If a patient requires more than two medications to control high blood pressure, for instance, there is at least a 7-in-10 chance the patient also suffers from sleep apnea, even if he doesn’t have the telltale symptoms of loud snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness.
And while there is an association between sleep apnea and cardiac conditions, Dr. Berjaoui pointed out it is not cause and effect.
The important takeaway: Sleep apnea can affect your ability to manage other conditions, including those affecting the heart.
Dr. Berjaoui said if you’re concerned about the impact of obstructive sleep apnea on your heart, you should talk to one of Spectrum Health’s sleep professionals. They can evaluate your sleep patterns in the sleep lab or in an at-home test.
Animals. Music. Nature. The river. These are just four things that Grand Rapids resident, Bruce Ling holds dear.
During his lifetime, the Chicago native has lived in many locales, always near water — from the Calumet River, the Pacific to Cape Cod — currently on the Grand River with wife and musical partner, Becca.
Bruce and Becca sat down with VOICES recently to talk about Bruce’s musical background, his affinity for animals and nature, and life on the river. According to Becca, Bruce is considered a kind of Michigan treasure when it comes to old-time music, being a collector of tunes, and teaching them to younger generations.
“Music has always been a big part of my life,” said Ling, who began playing slide guitar when he was 4 years old and whose father and uncle are both professional musicians. “When I was 8, my band made $5 playing in a basement for a birthday party. I’ve been playing ever since.”
After injuring a finger in an industrial accident, Ling turned from guitar to mandolin and fiddle out of necessity, mastering those instruments in very little time. Ling founded the ‘Hawks & Owls’ band in 1997, so named as a tribute to the many birds of prey that have crossed his path over the years.
In addition to music, Ling has enjoyed stints as a self-employed electrician and volunteer animal caretaker at Blandford Nature Center.
“I was the kid on the block with a menagerie in the basement,” he said. “People would bring me animals and birds that were injured. I could feel bones for a break and crafted popsicle stick splints with some paper medical tape a number of times on wings and legs and whatnot.”
He holds a reverence for all creatures, and it was an encounter with a red-tailed hawk years ago that led Ling to volunteering at Blandford Nature Center back when it had an animal hospital on site; he focused on the care and healing of raptors.
“I learned a long time ago that sometimes if you’re very quiet, a creature will tell you what needs to be done,” said Ling. “Whether it needs to go away and be euthanized with a quick crack and it’s done, or if it needs the energy of healing.”
Living on the river can be rejuvenating, exciting, challenging; the Lings and their neighbors always help each other out. The flood of 2013 wrecked the Lings’ house, and making matters worse, a vandal came in and destroyed the interior; Bruce and Becca were homeless for five months. Then out of the blue, an older couple with a house the Lings had coveted for years made it possible for them to obtain the title to that property.
“It was a karmic thing,” said Ling. “We try to help out where we can and now live just three doors down from the old house, but on higher ground.”
Listen to Bruce and Becca’s VOICES conversation here.
Share your story with VOICES. It’s easy — just go here to reserve a time!
Every year, many of the 75 percent of smokers who want to quit find motivation in getting a fresh start in the New Year.
Libby Stern, LMSW, TTS, knows that quitting smoking can be a challenge and, for many, it may take several attempts to finally succeed.
“A lot of times it’s like a practice approach,” she said. “It’s not uncommon to make six or seven attempts to quit.”
If you’re seriously thinking about kicking the habit once and for
all, here are a few things that Stern, a smoking cessation expert at Spectrum Health Healthier Communities, suggests will help you get off on the right foot and stay on your path.
Remember what the QUIT acronym stands for:
Quit date. Set a quit date within two to three
weeks. This gives you time to get used to the idea and to make
preparations without allowing so much time that you forget about it.
Having an important date allows you to attach additional meaning to your
quit.
Use medication. Talk with your health care provider
about using a medication to help you quit. There are prescription
options like Chantix and Zyban as well as over-the-counter options like
nicotine replacement patches, gum and lozenges. Figure out what you
think will work for you and prepare yourself. Some medications will need
to be started a week or two ahead of time.
Identify your social support. Find a quit buddy or
someone who will support you along the way. It makes a huge difference
to have someone you can talk to about your quit smoking journey and get
their support and encouragement.
Talk to an educator or counselor. Counseling and/or
formal education can help you to identify your personal triggers and
develop new coping skills. Combining counseling with medications
significantly improves the likelihood of success.
Develop a quit plan for yourself. Keep in mind that, when you quit smoking, you have to change more than the smoking.
Identify how you can change your routine to make quitting easier. For instance, if you always wake up, make your coffee and smoke while you read the paper or watch TV, change it up. Maybe you skip the coffee and paper and go straight for the shower and off to work instead, getting your coffee at work where there is no smoking.
If driving and smoking poses a challenge, get some coffee stirrers, cinnamon toothpicks, sugar-free licorice sticks or lollipops and have them in the car for those times when you have a craving. Changes in your routine can make it easier for you, especially in the beginning.
As a former smoker, Stern knows quitting is hard, but not impossible. Sometimes, students even tell her it was not as difficult as they expected.
Her message to anyone hoping to quit: “There are more former smokers today than smokers. You can be one, too.”
Planning is the key, so make sure you plan ahead for the expected and unexpected. Educate yourself and consider medications that may help.
Only you can decide when you’re ready to quit, but when you are, remember that there are many resources to help you. You can do this—there are more former smokers today than smokers. You can be one, too.
By Ronald Christian Rivera, LMSW, Outpatient Therapist
New Year, new blah… The fact that I put off writing this blog entry (New Year’s inspirational) until the end of January shows my lack of interest for hallmark catchphrases and societally forced transformations. Now, I know I’m coming off as somewhat pessimistic, but I’m the kind of person that thinks we should be seeking growth and transformation in our daily lives and not simply at the beginning of the year. Most of us sprint towards desired changes until we’re faced with obstacles and challenges that our new routines bring about, and in no time we find ourselves right back where we started.
Let me back up a bit and say that I do think there’s something special in regards to the hope and inspiration that a new year brings. For some people it represents a fresh start or a clean slate. If you’re someone that finds that spark for change due to this time of the year, then more power to you. Maybe I should be more embracing of this annual gift.
In treatment we have a scientific phrase used to describe the catalyst for change or universal phenomenon that we refer to as, “whatever works.” So, if kicking off the New Year generates newly found motivation in you to _____________ (insert New Year’s Resolution), then that’s the antidote to ambivalence. Below I have provided a rather commonsensical, yet overlooked, “how-to” guide that (hopefully) may assist in following through with your New Year’s Resolutions for 2016. “May the odds be ever in your favor.”- Katniss Everdeen (I think).
Comprehensive guide to achieving your New Year’s Resolution goals:
Slow and steady wins the race. Set small, measurable, bite size goals that can be reasonably achieved within 1-3 months. This will help you to build off of your daily progress which in turn will provide additional motivation to stick with your plan as you meet short term goals and continue to raise the bar. Example: Instead of saying, “I want to get in shape by summer.” Try, “I’m going to exercise three times a week for the next month and aim to lose 10 pounds.”
Your language matters. There have been some interesting articles that I’ve read throughout the years in regards to how our irrational thoughts can prevent us from taking risks and challenging our comfort zone. Negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts, and self-defeating attitudes can be toxic for anyone who is attempting to make changes in their lives. Even when we have the motivation to try something new and dare to take a leap of faith, our inner critic is right there to remind us of why we shouldn’t. Silencing our inner critic can be challenging, but one effective way to combat that pesky inner voice is by mindfully speaking to ourselves with the wisdom and encouragement that we would give to our best friends. Example: Instead of allowing your friend to dwell on past failures after experiencing a set back on a new business venture, it would be more constructive to challenge their negative attitude by helping them focus on past accomplishments that were only met after overcoming adversity. It is essential that we channel this stream of positivity and affirmation in moments of “self-talk” in order to silence the voice of self-defeat.
Make it fun! This is a big one for me. If the resolution you’re looking to make involves a significant lifestyle change, then it is essential that you have a fun time doing it. We humans love our habits, and man, is it difficult to lose our comforts no matter how destructive or maladaptive they may be. Example: For some of us that might be finding the simple pleasures of adjusting to an early morning routine and for others it could be finding a creative exercise to stay in shape if running or biking are not your cup of tea. The takeaway is this: the more fun or pleasure we get from the activity the more likely our body will crave that we repeat it.
Walking through a beautiful art gallery or scenic art festival is bound to bring out your creative side. Here in West Michigan, an art excursion is always nearby with many museums, galleries, art centers, and annual festivals.
Museums & Galleries
These locales are all about the arts, with each offering something different.
Muskegon Museum of Art
Muskegon County is home to one of the most highly respected art museums in the Midwest, the Muskegon Museum of Art. Throughout the marbled halls of the museum is a full schedule of permanent collection displays, traveling exhibits, and a lovely museum gift shop.
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a museum and art school filled with opportunities to experience, enjoy, learn about, and make art. The KIA offers tours, classes, exhibits, and hands-on experiences for the whole family.
The Art Gallery of Algoma is a public gallery dedicated to cultivating and advancing the awareness of visual arts in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The AGA’s commitment to excellence is reflected in all aspects of its programming. Approximately 24 exhibitions are mounted each year featuring local, national, and international artists. The AGA also boasts an ever-growing permanent collection of 5,000 works of art and an arts-related resource center.
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings currently has Patrick Thomas’ Ephemeral Moments art exhibit on display through February 2019. Patrick Thomas is best described as a representational, landscape, pastel artist. His paintings are executed in soft pastel over watercolor washes on sanded paper. He is a self-taught artist with firm foundations from studies at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Performing Arts & Events
The area is home to many art events, including performing arts. To see even more events in West Michigan, visit our Event Calendar.
Exquisite storytelling through the time-honored art of dance, with the Russian National Ballet’s performance of Sleeping Beauty on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Mendel Center in Benton Harbor. With a company boasting more than 50 dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, the Russian National Ballet will deliver a performance demonstrating the best in ballet artistry during this stop on their coast-to-coast U.S. tour. Before you fall under the enchanted spell of Sleeping Beauty, gather for a kid-friendly pre-show dinner complete with charming surprises.
At Grand Haven’s C2C Gallery
Grand Haven’s C2C Gallery is a venue for the Wine About Winter event on Friday, Jan. 18. Stone Peng will be their featured artist, with wine tasting on location during this fun event. The art continues with First Friday Art Hop on Friday, Feb. 1, where Peng will host a special artist talk
Arts Alive in Coldwater Country is a new initiative hosting gallery exhibitions and organizing art-related community events. In January, Coldwater’s Tibbits Opera House will host Beautiful Chaos, with more Arts Alive events scheduled throughout the year.
Artsy Areas
Some cities or regions in West Michigan draw artists and their works to that area.
Inside Southwestern Michigan’s Creative Connections map, you’ll find 16 creative destinations in Berrien County. To entice you to connect with each one, you’re challenged to a game of Creative Pursuit. The more Creative Connections galleries, museums, and theaters you visit, the more fun you’ll have and the more prizes you can earn. The Creative Connections program runs through April 30, 2019.
Throughout downtown Holland, life-size bronze sculptures dot the landscape. South Shore Village is also the backdrop for a community mural project. These murals depict important scenes from historic Holland, like the early boat-building industry, Holland’s designation as the hometown of four Medal of Honor winners, and the inspiration for L. Frank Baum, who wrote The Wizard of Oz.
Courtesy Holland Convention and Visitors Bureau
Art is brought to life in the Mecosta County area. Their local art center has a large gallery for local and visiting art and cultural exhibits, connected to a gift shop features art and gifts by Michigan artists. This entity is a staple in the Big Rapids community as they offer classes throughout the year such as Beginning Photography and an Open Pottery Studio as well as a place for groups such as Intimate Theater and Novel Tea Book Club to host their activities.
Pick up a brochure and enjoy a year-round self-guided outdoor sculpture tour in historic downtown Hastings. Before, during, or after your tour, take time to shop in Hastings many unique shops and enjoy dining and refreshments at one of the many downtown restaurants and eateries.
More West Michigan Art
There’s even more art in West Michigan, so get out there and discover your inner artist.
