Today’s the day that Metro Health — University of Michigan Health’s name officially changes to University of Michigan Health – West.
The new name, announced earlier this year, serves two purpose. It describes the organization’s role as part of the state’s top-ranked health system, University of Michigan Health. And it emphasizes a focus on West Michigan, where the organization had been working to advance healthcare for eight decades.
Peter Hahn, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Metro Health – University of Michigan Health (Supplied)
Visible changes will be gradual as physicians and staff receive new lab coats and uniforms, and correspondence and signage are updated for multiple sites across West Michigan. The transition is expected to continue into 2022. Throughout the process, the experience for patients will be seamless. Patients will not need to change anything in the way they connect with services.
“University of Michigan Health-West will have the same progressive, patient-focused culture as when we were known as Metro Health or Metropolitan Hospital or Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital,” said Dr. Peter Hahn, president and CEO, University of Michigan Health-West. “Our founding physicians would be proud of our identity today, as part of one of the world’s greatest health systems.”
Metro Health was found in 1942 as the Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital with a home on Lake Drive converted to serve the new facility. In 1957, the hospital moved to Boston Street in Grand Rapids. In 1985, the hospital’s name was changed to Metropolitan Hospital.
In 2003, construction began on the the Metro Health Village in Wyoming and in 2005 the hospital changed its name to Metro Health.In 2007, the Metro Health Village was open and two years later, the hospital began relationships with the University of Michigan Health in several areas: cancer, neurosciences, pulmonology, cardiology, endocrinology, pediatric cardiology and pediatric endocrinology.
The former Metro Health became the premier affiliate of University Michigan Health on Dec. 15, 2016.
“As we approach the fifth anniversary of the affiliation, the name change reminds us of what our relationship with University of Michigan Health has made possible,” said Hahn. “Sept. 27 will become another important milestone of our long, proud legacy of innovation, compassion and excellence.”
Gradual changes will take place with new signage and other details. (Supplied)
Recent years have see the addition of multiple services and capabilities, including more outpatient care sites, certification as a comprehensive stroke center, and groundbreaking regional partnerships to advance cancer and cardiovascular care. Earlier this year, the state grand approval to launch Michigan’s first new open-heart surgery program in nearly 20 years.
“These accomplishment are bringing world-class care close to home for the patients we serve across West Michigan,” Hahn said. “This really is a testament to the dedicated staff across our organization, as well as visionary leadership through the years that made us who we are today. Together, they have set the stage for an even brighter future as University of Michigan Health-West.”
The 208-bed acute-care osteopathic teaching hospital serves 250,000 patients and 61,500 emergency patients a year, with more than 500 physicians on staff. UM Health-West operates 30 neighborhood outpatient centers and offices in West Michigan.
Jaeger, and The Jaeger Foundation founder Jonathon Jacobs. The non-profit works to provide services dogs like Jaeger to other veterans. (The Jaeger Foundation)
What West Michigander James McCloughan went thorough in Vietnam in 1969-70 was no laughing matter — and he has the scars and Congressional Medal of Honor to prove it.
But local non-profit The Jaeger Foundation will be holding a “Special Farces” comedy night Oct. 8 in Muskegon to help provide McCloughan with a service dog as part of the foundation’s continuing efforts to provide service dogs to veterans and first responders who need them.
James McCloughan is presented the Congressional Medal of Honor for service in Vietnam — specifically in the May 13-15, 1969, battle of Tam Kỳ and the Nui Yon Hill — by then Secretary of Defense James Mattis (U.S. Defense Department)
“Mr. McCloughan is a true American Hero,” Jonathon Jacobs, chief executive officer of The Jaeger Foundation, said to WKTV. “He was an Army Medic in Vietnam. Mr. McCloughan took two blasts of shrapnel to his back and was shot through the arm and still never quit and kept going back for more wounded.”
The Jaeger foundation was born out of a need to provide service dogs to veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD and other disabilities, Jacobs said. And the planned comedy night is one of many ways the foundation raises money to do so.
One event is the Special Farces Comedy Competition, which will be held at Back Alley Comedy Club in Muskegon, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on the Back Alley Comedy Club website at backalleycomedyclub.com and the event page on Facebook.
The night will feature 9 stand up comics, battling head-to-head for the title of “Funniest Comedian”, as well as other prizes. The night will also include a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. The Jaeger Foundation also has t-shirts and decals on their website to raise funds to pay for the purchase and training of the service dogs.
For Jacobs, the goals of the foundation — even the foundation’s name — is personal.
Jaeger, at rest. (The Jaeger Foundation)
“The foundation was created in 2019 after going through to the journey to get my own service dog,” Jacobs said. “Naturally the foundation was named after my Service Dog, Jaeger. After reaching out to many programs, and not fitting within the limits of their program, we decided to start the foundation with the goal of getting service dogs in the hands of veterans and first responders with as little red tape as possible. So far we’ve helped about 15 People to receive service dogs at no charge to them.”
And “Mr. McCloughan” certainly deserves a service dog for all he has done, during wartime when he earned his Medal of Honor, and for what he has done for the community in West Michigan.
McCloughan was born in South Haven in 1946, was a four-sport varsity athlete at Bangor High School and went on to wrestle and play football and baseball at Olivet College. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a teaching certificate in 1968, he accepted a teaching and coaching position with South Haven Public Schools. Three months later, McCloughan was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 22.
James McCloughan with a military dog in Vietnam, likely dated 1969. (U.S. Defense Department)
His service in Vietnam — specifically in the May 13-15, 1969, battle of Tam Kỳ and the Nui Yon Hill, which earned him his Medal of Honor — was nothing less than heroic. And deserves a completely separate story. (Which is detailed here.)
Following his service in Vietnam, McCloughan returned to his teaching and coaching profession. In 1972, he earned a Master of Arts in counseling and psychology from Western Michigan University, and then taught sociology and psychology at South Haven high until his retirement in 2008 earning him the Michigan Education Associations’ 40 years of Service Award.
He was also the recipient of the Wolverine Conference Distinguished Service Award for 38 years of coaching football and baseball in addition to 22 years of coaching wrestling.
He was inducted into the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1993, Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame 2008. McCloughan was also a Michigan High School Athletic Association wrestling official for 25 years.
That’s part of the message of “Created by Circumstance,” a collaboration between the Grand Rapids Ballet Company and Dégagé Ministries as part of ArtPrize 2021, which continues through Oct. 3 in downtown Grand Rapids.
Three performances of the six-minute show — created by GRB professional dancer Gretchen Steimle — are planned beginning at 5:30 tonight (Sept. 22), with additional shows Sept. 24 and 26.
The goal of the show, and collaboration, is to share a message of hope, help and awareness, said Thelma Ensink, executive director at Dégagé Ministries.
She said more than 800 people a night experience homelessness in Grand Rapids.
“It’s such a variety of circumstances that places someone in that position,” Ensink said. “I am constantly amazed at the stories I hear from the people we serve; some have Masters Degrees and above, and then experience a traumatic event in their life or struggle with mental health or whatever it may be… All of us are vulnerable to being in this position.”
“Created by Circumstance” offers a glimpse into the lives of those experiencing homelessness in the Heartside neighborhood.
Steimle, a member of the Grand Rapids Ballet, began the project last winter, where she communicated with staff, as well as musicians Thomas and Isaac, who knew first-hand of the resources that Dégagé provides the community.
She was at first “overwhelmed with the idea” of creating an artistic piece of work from their struggles.
Gretchen Steimle, a member of the Grand Rapids Ballet, was the creative force behind “Created by Circumstance.” (Supplied)
“I can only create from my perspective,” Steimle said, “so I really tried to find the ways we were connecting, and the commonality we were finding together in what we shared.”
And what they shared was “hope, and dance, and music, and art, and all of those things that all humans experience,” she said.
The six-minute, music and movement piece includes four dancers from the Grand Rapids Ballet Company, as well as saxophone and vocals from patrons Isaac and Thomas, who have been served by Dégagé.
Words in the piece are actual testimonials and quotes from patrons, as well as songs and rhythms.
“It’s really this big, community movement piece,” she said.
It’s a testimony of an organization that strives to keep up with the demand, especially after being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to ongoing services, Dégagé added new services such as job creation for patrons, hotel stays, extended shelter hours and PPE, according to reps.
In 2020, Dégagé served more than 60,000 meals, provided more than 7,200 loads of laundry, nearly 6,000 showers, and helped 52 women move into housing.
To see their community work turned into art is an awesome experience, Ensink said.
“I love that ballet and homelessness came together,” she said.
“That isn’t something you often think about as coming together…. Dance is an ancient art form, and I love that dance is expressing homelessness, It’s raw, it’s human. And that’s what homelessness is, it’s raw and it’s human.
Grand Rapids Ballet dancers and musicians Thomas and Isaac will perform “Created by Circumstance,” an ArtPrize 2021 entry. (Supplied)
“I love that dance is expressing this in such a beautiful way. I think people will be truly moved by this performance.”
As for ArtPrize, “Created by Circumstance” is included among other artist entries as a recipient of one of ArtPrize’s curatorial grants.
Each of the three performance locations also will include a QR code for visitors to scan with a chance of finding cash prizes ranging from $250 to $1,500 each to award to any participating artist which would directly impact Dégagé by supporting its mission.
In addition, Ensink said Dégagé is expanding and is in the middle of a $7.3 million capital campaign. Each performance will have information about the campaign available via QR codes.
Ensink hopes ArtPrize attendees will see all the good things they do for the community through their ministry.
“We are all people created in God’s image, and we are all connected,” she said. “We all have the potential of being friends, of being neighbors and of being a community that supports one another.”
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He’s an early adopter of Social Media and SEO expert. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
The six-minute performance will be done at three different locations in the city on Sept. 22, 24, and 26. (Supplied)
Ever wanted to se if you can outrun a jet airplane? Probably not. But you can run with the jets and support a local non-profit as, after a pandemic pause in 2020, the popular Runway 5K will return to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport on Saturday, Sept. 25.
And the Ford airport’s two commercial aviation runways will still be operational during the race.
Register is still available to be one of the 1,200 walkers and runners given the rare opportunity to compete on an actual airport runway. For more information and to register, visit triviumracing.com/event/grr5k2021/.
The course will begin north of the economy parking lot, looping on taxiway Juliet and runway 8L/26R, the Airport’s general aviation runway, before ending back at the parking lot.
A runner during the 2019 Runway 5K. (Supplied)
Race-day registration and packet pick-up begins at 7 a.m., with the race starting at 9 a.m. A one-mile fun run will begin at 9:05 a.m. Awards for the top three overall males and females, as well as age groups, will be presented at 10:15 a.m.
The race is being hosted by Trivium Racing, with this year’s charity partner being the Family Hope Foundation — a Jenison nonprofit which provides resources, activities, support and funding for therapies to families of children with special needs in West Michigan.
“The true impact of 2020 is beginning to come to light,” Jane Eppard, executive director of the Family Hope Foundation, said in supplied material. “Many children with special needs lost ground due to disruptions in school and routine in the past year. This was clearly evident in the 25 percent increase in scholarship requests we received this spring.
“The opportunity to be the charity partner for this year’s Runway 5K and the support it will bring to families in our community is deeply appreciated and gives the organization hope.”
In 2019, the Runway 5K raised nearly $14,600 for charity.
“We are delighted to welcome West Michigan back to the Airport for this year’s Runway 5K,” Torrance A. Richardson, president and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority, said in supplied material.
“We are also honored to support the good work of Family Hope Foundation, which provides therapy scholarships, family fun, advocacy, education and resources to families of children with special needs. We encourage runners and walkers of all abilities to come out and see the Airport from a perspective you will only get once a year.”
Registration includes a T-shirt, post-race snacks and beverages, awards for top finishers and other giveaways.
Katie Pew Wolters admitted she thought raising $40,000 was a monumental task for the dream of having a model apartment that showcased how people with disabilities can live independently.
“Now they are raising $2.5 million,” said the former executive director of the Grand Rapids Center For Independent Living which became Disability Advocates of Kent County.
The $2.5 million is for the Disability Advocates’ new expanded headquarters which the organization celebrated the start of construction on Sept. 14. The 8,600-square-foot facility, located in the future Special Olympics Michigan facility, 160 68th St. SW., will including a new Occupational Therapy home accessibility center.
Kate Pew Wolters, the first executive director for Disability Advocates, said she remember the challenges of raising $40,000 for the organization’s first model apartment. (WKTV)
“The $40,00 we raised was for a model apartment which was a corner of our office,” Wolters said. “It is nothing like what is being planned now. It had a bed and a very small kitchen but it was designed so people with disabilities would learn about being independent.”
The new Occupational Therapy home accessibility center builds on the initial concept that Wolters and her staff had in the early 1980s. (Diability Advocates was founded in 1981). The center will be a place where people with disabilities explore ways to renovated and retrofit their homes so they can be more independent. It will serve as a “test space” showroom where persons with disabilities, their families healthcare, and design professional and building contractors can explore options for a safer home, including models and adaptive equipment, something that is not offered anywhere in the region.
Disabilities Advocates Executive Director David Bulkowski said the center will be a national model where people can come “hang out and try new things to make themselves more independent.”
“The Home Accessibility Center is a response to a demonstrated need,” said Disabilities Advocates Development Director Peggy Helsel. “Often people ask, ‘What does that mean?’ When we talk about universal design and home, we are giving people a real-life model home to experience what a universally-accessible space can look.”
Through corporate sponsors and private fundraising, Disability Advocates have raised $1.75 million of the $2.5 million for the project. The organization launched its public campaign for the remaining $750,000 on Sept. 14. Bulkowski noted that they have received a matching challenge grant of up to $50,000 from the Frey Foundation to help get things rolling.
Disability Advocates of Kent County’s new headquarters will inline the Occupational Therapy home center. (WKTV)
“Dreams can come true even from 36 years ago,” Wolters said. “I am very excited about this opportunity. We knew we needed to keep going until we got it done.”
Disability Advocates will be one of nine disability organizations occupying the former South Christian High School, which is currently being transformed into the largest Special Olympics trading and inclusion center in the world. Special Olympics launched its own public phase of capital campaign in July to raise $20 million for the retrofitting and construction of the 127,000-square-foot facility that was once the South Christian High School.
Wolverine Building Group is the general contractor with Disabilities Advocates allocating 40-percent of its construction budget on engaging with local minority-owned contractors which include DHE Plumbing, Monte Christo Electric, and Grand Rapids Fire Suppression. Mathison l Mathison Architects is the architect. A move-in date has been set for April 22.
Thom Antor is a busy man. It is fairly evident when calling his cell phone as the voicemail is full. But despite being busy, he returns every call.
“That was a long few minutes,” said the District 2 Kent County Commissioner with a laugh. It was 40 minutes ago that he said he would call back in a few.
It happens when you are organizing one of the area’s biggest events that honors veterans, this Saturday’s annual Freedom Cruise, which attracts thousands of classic cars, motorcycles, and military vehicles. The people come with one purpose, to honor those who have served.
“It is just an amazing thing to see all these cars and people line up along the route, honoring those who have served,” Antor said.
The event is a 30-mile route that takes participants through the northern portion of Kent County. The route starts in Sparta and then heads to Algoma Township. It continues to Comstock Park, making its way through Alpine Township and finally returning to Sparta.
“The drive goes through the Comstock schools where there will be veterans there from World War II, Vietnam and other wars,” Antor said. “The school has students there and the band really does an incredible job celebrating the veterans, especially as the cruise moves through.”
Leading off the Freedom Cruise are a couple of large sedans and a black bus that carries the Gold Star Families. A Gold Star Family, an honor that no-one wants, is an immediate family member or members of a fallen service member who died while serving in a time of conflict.
Before every Freedom Cruise Honor Ride, there is a ceremony to recognize a fall hero. The event takes place at 1:30 p.m. at the Sparta High School football field, 475 W. Spartan Drive. The ceremony recognizes a local Gold Star Family with a special portrait of their fallen service member. This year, the solider being recognized is Army Sergeant First Class Richard J. Herrema, who died in 2006 at the age of 27. His parents are Mary and Richard Herrema of Hudsonville. WKTV will be covering this year’s event and producing a show to air on WKTV at a later time.
The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes with the cruise leaving from the Sparta High School.
“The most important thing we want these families to know is that we will never forget,” Antor said. “It is a promise we make to those families and we have had families say this has really made a difference to them.
“They have been to programs offered by the military, counseling and other things, but what has really touched them has been the Freedom Cruise and to me that is far more important than writing checks to help veterans or helping to improve the quality of life.”
“This all started with my dad,” Antor said. “He had gotten to a point where he could not live on his own and we did not have a lot of choices for him.”
A classic car makes its way through the Freedom Cruise. (Supplied)
Antor’s family had their father move into the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans and made the commitment that someone would be with him everyday while he was there.
“It was during that time that I started walking around the facility and seeing that there were some needs,” Antor said. “I talked to the director and he said what they really needed was help with the band shell, which had been a popular thing but was in need of repair.”
So Antor made the commitment to raise the funds for the band shell. He hosted the first Freedom Cruise in 2014.
“We raised enough money (around $70,000) to repair the bandshell along with provide some infrastructure and writing,” he said.
The popularity of the Cruise encouraged Antor to continue hosting the event, now in its eighth year. It also lead to the development of the Finish the Mission Veteran Relief Fund, which expanded it services to help serve as a support gap to veterans.
“If they need something, help with bills or repairs, then we provide a check to the organization that will be doing the work,” Antor said, adding that all veterans receiving assistance are first vetted to make sure they do not qualify for other existing programs before Finish the Mission steps in.
So because of the veterans — and especially the Gold Star Families — Antor does not mind being so busy that he cannot always get to his phone. That goes double this year as the Freedom Cruise falls on 9/11, a day the nation will be remembering and honoring those who died in the World Trade Tower and Pentagon attacks and died thwarting the hijacking of United Flight 93.
“We should always remember what they did,” Antor said.
Recently, the United Veterans Council of Kent County expanded its annual awards from one to three.
The organization will continue with its Veteran of the Year Award but has also added two new awards, Association Member of the Year and Raising Up Veterans, which is a non-veteran award.The Council is seeking nominations for these awards with the deadline being Sept. 14.
The purpose for the expansion, according to Harold Mast, who is serving as the UVCKC spokesperson for the awards, is to recognize and show appreciation for what veterans have done and are now doing outside of the service to their country.
“I think it is a very important thing for our community to recognize veterans,” Mast said. “Particularly today and in the past couple of weeks or last several weeks, recognizing what the military has done, what the military is going through and how much our citizens rely on the military for.”
The Veteran of the Year Award is presented to a veteran who is dedicated to helping veterans and goes beyond what is expected. It is not what the veteran did during their service but rather what they have done after that service. Mast said, who used the the 2019 award recipient as an example. Bob Green, a veteran living in Kentwood, has done a lot for AMVETS and has been instrumental in recognizing veterans, especially those in nursing homes, through pinning ceremonies.
The new Association Member of the Year Award is similar to the Veteran of the Year, but focuses on the Council’s associate group’s such as veteran organizations’ auxiliary groups. The Raising Up Veterans is for those non-veteran residents who help with programs and other veteran-related activities.
Mast said the Council puts out a call for nominees and then the member veteran organizations of the UVCKC nominate candidates who are then blind judge by a panel. The recipient of the award is announced at the Council’s Oct. 23 banquet.
All nominees must be a resident of Kent County and need to be nominated by a Council member organization. Mast said many of the council organizations are willing to work with any resident interested in nominating someone for an award. To nominate a person, Mast said he recommends residents visit the UVCKC website, www.UVCKC.org, where the nomination forms are available along with a list of member organizations. Residents may also contact Mast at hamast@comcst.net.
TheUnited Veterans Council has been serving Kent County for more than 70 years by hosting such events as the Veterans Day and Memorial Day parades, supporting Gold Star mothers, and erecting and maintaining the monuments in Veterans Park. The Council is formed from groups such s the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, Fleet Reserve Association, Marine Corps League, Order of the Purple Heart, and DAV, just to name a few.
Cora, a one-eyed, 9.5-year-old dog was all to find her fur-ever home in the Empty the Shelters: Big Dog and Cat Crisis campaign. (Supplied)
By Brittany Schlacter BISSELL Pet Foundation
More than 1,800 dogs and cats found forever homes over the course of six days through the emergency “Empty the Shelters: Big Dog & Cat Crisis” event with BISSELL Pet Foundation. The event was hosted in 97 shelters in 29 states. BISSELL Pet Foundation aided shelters experiencing overcrowding by sponsoring reduced fees for harder to place pets, including adult cats and large and senior dogs.
Approximately 808 adult cats and 997 large or senior dogs were adopted during the event hosted Aug. 16-22, 2021, including 33 cat and 49 dog “foster failures,” (when a foster family plans to adopt the pet) and a total of 1,887 animal lives were touched because of the effort.
Since Jan. 2021, BISSELL Pet Foundation has helped find homes for 12,427 pets and provided $927,100 in direct funding to the shelter partners through “Empty the Shelters.”
“With shelters struggling with overcrowding across the country, the adoptions through this emergency ‘Empty the Shelter’ have opened up space to help another 1,805 pets in need,” said Cathy Bissell, founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “We thank our partner shelters for the incredible work they did to help these pets find families, and of course a heartfelt thank you to all of the people who chose adoption and gave these pets a second chance at life.”
While thousands of lives were saved, here are just a few notable adoption stories from throughout the country:
Cora, a one-eyed, 9.5-year-old dog in Cummings, GA, found a fantastic home to live out her golden years after four months in the care of Animal Ark Rescue.
A diagnosis of kidney disease didn’t stop Sassy, the 14-year-old calico from Carsonville, MI, from securing her forever home during Sanilac County Humane Society’s event.
Houston Humane Society adopted out one of their longest residents during this emergency Empty the Shelters. Shelby, a six-year-old dog, found her family after 150 days at the shelter.
Retired Chaplain John Hooglund, from Holland Home at Breton Woods, produced this work as part of veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
Veteran Jurgen Nitzsche produced this work as part of veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
A scene from veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
Kent County Veterans Services had planned an in-doors Yellow Ribbon Gala this week to unveil the selected works of more than 100 local veterans created during veteran art workshops in 2020 and 2021, and led by local artist Pamela Alderman. But pandemic concerns caused that to be canceled.
But Alderman will still be showing off selected works which inspired and are included as part of her Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize work at an event Saturday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., behind Grand Valley State University’s L.V. Eberhard Center, on the Blue Bridge, in Grand Rapids. The program starts at 10:30 a.m.
The event will include Alderman’s Yellow Ribbon sculpture, made in collaboration with several veterans, as well as other individual art pieces made by veterans during the art workshops and also led by Alderman.
There will be live music performed by singer/songwriter and Navy veteran Drew Nelson. There will also be snacks and activities for kids, and county Veterans Services Officers on site to answer questions and set up future appointments for veterans and their families. Additionally the Veterans Services office will have a pop-up shop for making Kent County Veteran ID cards.
But the stars of the show will be the works of the veterans and how their works — and their stories — inspired Alderman’s work.
Pamela Alderman, the lead artist of the veterans art project which led to the Yellow Ribbon ArtPrize entry, with her son, who is in her first year in the military. (Supplied/Pamela Alderman)
“The community veteran ArtPrize work took two years to develop,” Alderman said to WKTV. “Over 100 veterans participated. Some families participated with three generations.”
About 14 veteran art workshops were held throughout the pandemic, some indoors and some outdoors in the Veterans Services parking lot. Some art supplies were event delivered door to door.
“The finished work (Alderman’s sculpture) showcases four Kent County veterans pieces, but on Saturday, we will highlight the work of over 100 veterans and family members, plus loved ones,” Alderman said.
The Saturday event will also highlight how Yellow Ribbon evolved into a bigger ArtPrize project with Michael Hyacinthe from [Has Heart] at Veterans Memorial Park. This ArtPrize venue, co-curated by Hyacinthe and Alderman, will host the work of 21 veteran entries along with the Yellow Ribbon work.
For Alderman, the two-year project was as much a passion as a project.
“I’m a veteran wife. My husband served as a Naval Officer for 20 years,” said. “I’m also a Blue Star Mother. My youngest son is training as a Navy pilot, and son-in-law also serves as Navy helicopter pilot.”
Artworks tell veteran’s stories
One of the works to be displayed, an abstract vision including a helicopter flying, was created by retired Chaplain John Hooglund from Holland Home at Breton Woods.
According to suppled material, Hooglund worked as an U.S. Army chaplain for 30 years. In Vietnam, he travelled by helicopter with two gunships. Stateside, he helped integrate church services across racial and gender lines. At the Pentagon, he worked with more than 1,400 chaplains — and assisted them in performing their most difficult duties.
“Once, when he walked into a bar wearing his chaplain’s uniform to deliver some sad news, the father burst into tears as soon as he saw him,” Alderman relayed to WKTV in an email. “Those kinds of experiences still follow John decades later.”
Another work, another abstract vision of a flag and a service member saluting, was created by Jurgen Nitzsche, who detailed his service in a statement relayed by Alderman.
“I served in the U.S. Army 394th station hospital unit for six years,” Nitzsche said. “In 1969, I was honorably discharged … During my time in service, I learned mechanical engineering and people skills, which helped me to become an engineer and plant manager. I believe the military is a great start in life for any young person. I’m 80 years old, and I am proud to have served in the United States Army, to help keep our country free and safe.”
Many local veterans groups helped
In addition to the support of Kent County Veterans Services, Alderman also thanked several local groups for their assistance with the workshops and with her project.
Among the groups supporting the project were 92 For 22 and the Kent County Veterans Treatment Court; Ottawa-North Kent Blue Star Mothers and Marne American Legion; Blue Star Mothers of South Kent and American Legion 305; Blue Star Mothers of Ionia, Kent and Montcalm and Ray I. Booth American Legion; Grand Rapids Home for Veterans; Holland Home; Finish the Mission; WINC: For All Women Veterans; and the GVSU Veterans Upward Bound Program.
The extension on foreclosure and eviction suspensions ends Saturday with some residents facing the fact that the mortgage payments they paused during the pandemic will need to be paid back. (pxhere.com)
With the federal extension on foreclosure and eviction suspensions set to end Saturday, representatives from Home Repair Services of Kent County says now is the time to communicate with your lender to work out a payment plan.
“What we’re seeing is a lot of people just hearing ‘call in’ and ‘pause mortgage payments’ without really understanding that eventually that money has to be paid back somehow,” said Rodrigo Ortiz, Housing Counseling and Education Program Manager at HRS. “It’s not something that’s forgiven.”
For example, a person who was making a $1,500 house payment but decided to ‘pause’ their payments for the last 12 months would owe $18,000 in back mortgage payments on top of the regular mortgage payments they now must pay. That hurdle, according to Home Repair Services Executive Director Joel Ruiter, can be challenging.
“It is important to be communicating with your lender and to start exploring possibilities and find solutions to avoid eviction,” Ruiter said.
Home Repair Services of Kent County is a non-profit program that works with homeowners to help educate them on their options before they lose their home along with providing classes on how to care for and improve a home. HRS is available to any resident in Kent County or counties that touch Kent County (Newaygo, Ottawa, Ionia, Barry, Muskegon, Allegan, and Montcalm). All of the HRS housing counselors are certified by the Housing and Urban Development to provide West Michigan homeowners a lifeline of counseling and education.
“We are willing to contact the lender and see what can be done,” Ruiter said, adding that in our example, HRS would see if the amount could be added on to the end of the loan. “You might go from paying on it for the next 25 years to 30, but you would still be in your home.”
Ruiter said they are not certain what the impact will be once the extension has expired. According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, there where 342,000 Michiganders unemployed as of November 2020 compared to 190,000 the year before. About 21,500 residents are in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming area.
“In 2008 we had the tsunami of foreclosures,” Ruiter said. “It will be interesting to see what will happen next week and in the future. It will be a little different as it probably will not be as deep as 2008, but there are still going to be some folks who have gotten swept up in delaying those payments.
“It has been a challenging year and we know there are folks in the community who are facing the possibility of losing their home. When you lose your home your cost of living goes up because rents have gone up plus the upheaval of having to move. Then there is the amount of time it takes to get the credit you need to purchase another home and then the market barriers of just reentering the housing market. It really adds up which is why we just want people to stay in their homes.”
Taxes have never been suspended during the COVID pandemic as they pay for much of the local infrastructure and schools. (pxhere.com)
Property Taxes Were Never Exempt
Kent County Treasurer Peter MacGregor said he too wants people to stay in their homes which is why he works with Kent County residents who are delinquent on their property taxes. The county does not have anything to do with mortgages.
One thing many people do not realize is that property taxes were never exempt during the pandemic with people expected to pay the taxes as it goes toward funding local governments, schools and other millages such as the senior millage.
Kent County Treasurer Peter MacGregor (Supplied)
“What happens is when a property owner has been delinquent, the county then pays the local city or township the missing property taxes and then we become the enforcer to collect those taxes,” MacGregor said. The process can take up to three years before the county will foreclose on a house which means those who have not paid property taxes during the pandemic would face foreclosure in 2023.
“I often get calls just before the foreclosure is to happen asking for help,”MacGregor said, adding that people should not wait until then to reach out. “Communication is key.
“There are people who outright can’t pay their local taxes right now because they are struggling. Work with me to make an arrangement so that in two and half years I am not foreclosing on your home.”
Kent County residents who are delinquent on their property taxes can reach out to MacGregor, who is able to grant extensions however, MacGregor pointed out that he does have to follow statute and that there is interest that can accrue on delayed payments.
“I am here to help and I would much rather help than foreclose on a home,” MacGregor said. “To be honest the county does not want your house.”
In fact, MacGregor said his office has had about a 92/93 percent success rate in helping resolve delinquent property taxes.
For those in need of property tax assistance, contact the Kent County Treasurer’s Office at 616-632-7500. For mortgage assistance, Home Repair Services of Kent County, located at 1100 S. Division Ave., can be reached at 616-241-2601.
It is a City of Grand Rapids alleyway which will eventually bear the name of a local Latina woman and which the Latino Community Coalition hopes “will honor our rich history and the women to whom many families owe their legacies here in Grand Rapids.”
But the Latino Community Coalition knows that a woman who made an impact in Grand Rapids may well have lived and had family anywhere in West Michigan.
“Gentrification and displacement has been a significant factor shaping our migration story in Grand Rapids,” a spokesperson for the Latino Community Coalition Committee said to WKTV. “We encourage nominations from families across West Michigan and invite you to submit stories of your loved Latinas.”
“La gentrificación y el desplazamiento han sido un factor importante que ha dado forma a nuestra historia de migración en Grand Rapids. Alentamos las nominaciones de familias de West Michigan y los invitamos a enviar historias de sus amadas latinas.”
For information in Spanish see this. Para obtener información en español, consulte este.
The Latino Community Coalition is seeking nominations from the Latino community for a Latina women after whom they will be naming an alleyway downtown as part of the Downtown Grand Rapids alleyway activation initiative. They are calling their effort “HERencia.”
“We hope our community can help us by bringing forth a Latina woman who has passed on, but whose memory lives on in the minds and hearts of her family members,” according to an announcement this week from the coalition. “We want to honor the point of origin to which their family can trace their roots here in Grand Rapids.”
Instead of relying on accomplishments, awards and other merits, the group hopes to celebrate women who were the first in their family to set roots in Grand Rapid.
“We hope to elevate the stability they brought to their home, how they anchored the family for generations to come, and all the milestones and accomplishments for those generations we can now celebrate,” according to the coalition. “Her story is our story, and it will be archived at the Cook Library Center for future generations to always remember her. This alley will honor her life and legacy.”
The Downtown Grand Rapids alleyway activation initiative is meant to create permanent physical representation of our community in public places.
The Coalition is partnering with the Downtown Grand Rapids Inc on the project, as well as the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, which is located next to the alley which will bear the name.
“Grand Rapids Community Foundation is proud to partner with the Latino Community Coalition to honor the legacy of local Latina women who have helped shape our community,” Diana Sieger, president of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, said in supplied material.
As part of that effort, the Latino Community Coalition is holding an online event July 20. Go here for the Facebook event details.
People in local Latino communities who would like to nominate a Latina from their family, neighborhood or community are encouraged to do so online in English or in Spanish at bit.ly/herenciaGR.
Nominations can also be submitted by visiting partnering agencies which can assist with filling out paper applications, including The Other Way Ministries, the Hispanic Center of West Michigan, the Latina Network of West Michigan, La Casa de la Cobija, Garfield Park Neighborhood Association, Isabel Media Studios, and the Grandville Ave Arts and Humanities.
The deadline to submit applications is July 31, after which the Latino Community Coalition will choose finalists and gather further information from each family, before making a final decision.
Brian Hartl, epidemiology supervisor for Kent County Health Department, talks about its mobile unit and why it is part of the effort to reach under vaccinated populations. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Kent County Health Department’s mobile COVID-19 vaccination unit’s community outreach effort last week happened to be at a south Grand Rapids neighborhood, but it could have been — and could yet be — to any under-served, under-vaccinated neighborhood including ones in Wyoming and Kentwood.
Kent County Health Department nursing staff and mobile vaccine unit visited the Great Giant Supermarket in south Grand Rapids last week. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The health department, which initially led the effort to establish mass vaccination sites, is transforming part of its efforts to team with local community groups and offer vaccination availability to persons not yet served — as they did July 8 when its nursing staff and mobile vaccine unit visited the Great Giant Supermarket, at 1226 Madison Ave. SE, for the first of four Thursdays in July, each from 1-3 p.m.
“We are finding more and more, with people who are kind of on the fence about vaccination … We have heard that it needs to be convenient for them,” Brian Hartl, epidemiology supervisor for the health department, said to WKTV. “So we have the mobile unit out, at a couple different locations each week.”
And why the selection of the south Grand Rapids location? The answer if two-fold: low vaccination rates and hesitancy to get vaccinated by the black community, and the partnership with a trusted community group.
A Kent County Health Department nurse gives a COVID-19 vaccination shot. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“This area has a low vacation rate, we know that from our data,” Hartl said. “And we really want to partner with community organizations that are in these neighborhoods and are trusted by the residents.”
In the case of the south Grand Rapids area, that “trusted” community organization is Seeds of Promise — a group who’s expressed goals include “building local resident leadership and trust, deep listening to community voices, and meeting the needs and wants that are expressed by the neighborhood.”
Ron Jimmerson, executive director of Seeds of Promise, said teaming with the health deportment meets all three of those goals.
Ron Jimmerson, executive director of Seeds of Promise. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
“If we are going to service the people, we have to be able to bring the services to the people,” Jimmerson said to WKTV. “Many of our residents, over 50 percent of them, don’t have WiFi. They don’t have iPhones. So it was very difficult fo them to get signed up, and get transportation, and go to somewhere outside their community. So the residents wanted us to bring the service, the vaccinations, to the community.”
At last week’s event, Jimmerson praised the owners of the Great Giant Supermarket for allowing the mobile vaccination clinic to set up for several weeks. But the effort was not focused just on the people that would be shopping at the store, as its location is also in a neighborhood with a homeless population.
“The other concern that the residents had was that we have a large homeless population in this location, in this area,” Jimmerson said. “We want to be able to serve them, and work with other organizations to bring this service to them.”
The Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines will be available at all the mobile vaccine clinics, according to the health department. Appointments are not required and there is no charge for the vaccine. More information on vaccine locations can be at vaccinatewestmi.com/clinics.
For a person with sickle cell disease, a blood transfusion remains one of the most effective and proven treatments, according to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. So imagine heading to the hospital and possibly not being able to receive that treatment.
This is what many West Michigan hospitals and blood clinics are facing as blood donations have dropped “to critically levels” since the COVID pandemic, according to Kent County Health Department’s Administrative Health Officer Dr. Adam London.
“Donations have been down certainly due to the pandemic,” said Versiti Area Vice President and Director of Donor Services Dawn Kaiser, during a recent interview on A Matter of Public Health podcast, hosted by the Kent County Health Department. “We were down about 40 percent in 2020 and into 2021 because of high schools, colleges, and university not hosting — kids are at home learning — and that is where we get our brand new donors and about 40 percent of our blood.”
The same is true for many businesses, with people working from home, making it difficult for organizations to host mobile drives.
One such Versiti blood drive partner that has faced those struggles has been SpartanNash which has hosted blood drives at its offices and distribution center, both located in Byron Center, since 2015. The grocery company received the Beacon of Hope award in 2019 from Versiti for its blood drives which in had collected 560 donations treating about 1,680 patients that year. In the past six years, SpartanNash employees have donated more than 2,000 pints of blood.
According to Versiti Blood Center, it receives about 60 percent of its blood from mobile blood drives hosted by local businesses and other organizations. (pxhere.com)
“We have been a longtime Versiti blood drive partner,” said SpartanNash Community Engagement Specialist Courtney Carlson. “With COVID, we discovered we just couldn’t do that as our distribution center was overloaded with supply chain issues and the risk of safety, we had to cancel our drives, especially during the COVID time.”
SpartanNash was able to host a drive in March of 2020, just as the state was starting to shutdown. But like many manufacturing and distribution centers, visitors were not allowed in to the SpartanNash distribution center and many of their office workers worked from home.
As the world resets itself and more employees return to work, events like blood drives can happen, according to London.
“Blood donation sites are a very low risk place in terms of COVID,” London said during the A Matter of Public Health podcast. “I am not aware of any outbreaks associated with a blood draw event and the majority of the blood we have in our blood supply comes from the sort of community events at churches and schools and places of work. We really need those places to step up and allow Versiti and other blood banks to come in and do their important work.”
SpartanNash hosted offsite blood drives over the past several months but next week will be having its first onsite blood drive since the pandemic at its distribution center. While the offsite donation drives helped, Carlson said it is much easier for employees to donate at their work place since they can simply take an hour, donate, and then get back to work versus having to drive to another location.
As for safety, Carlson said they have confidence in Versiti which requires face masks, has temperature checks before donating, cleans between donors, and works at making everyone comfortable.
“We are hoping that by letting the community know that we are hosting mobile blood drives at our facilities that it will inspire other work places and organizations to do the same,” she said.
London noted that about one in several people visiting a hospital will need blood and that the shortage is critical.
While O-type is always needed, blood from a diverse pool is very important, Kaiser said.
“Everybody has an A, B, or O blood type. Everybody is pretty familiar with that,” she said. “There is also about an alphabet after that most people don’t know. So a little more specific type.”
For African-Americans, 44 percent of them have a blood type called RO in addition to their A, B, O blood type. According to the Centers for Disease control, one our of 365 African-Americans have sickle cell anemia with the major treatment being blood transfusions. A person with sickle cell anemia may have 10 to 15 units of blood in a month and because of that need, would benefit from blood from someone with the same or similar ethnicity, according to Kaiser.
“That is why we are asking communities of color to roll up their sleeves and give back to their communities,” she said.
To host a blood drive or to donate, visit Versiti’s website, Versiti.org.
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, which operates seven branch locations in the Grand Rapids area including the SpartanNash YMCA in Wyoming, announced this week that it has been awarded $189,000 from the Michigan Department of Education to provide summer learning opportunities for children in summer programs.
The grant is part of a larger $2.3 million given to Michigan YMCAs to “deliver a coordinated program which supports children, families, and schools while they recover from the pandemic and prepare for a successful return to the school year,” according to the announcement.
“The YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids is excited to expand and enhance our existing day camp program,” Nicole Hansen, district executive director of community engagement and youth development, said in supplied material. “Through intentional math, science, literacy, and social-emotional curriculum, we will ensure the youth in our community have an engaging summer full of education and connection.”
YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids is still accepting registrations for day camp programs. To sign up visit grymca.org/summer-day-camps. (Camp leaders are also still needed to staff the day camps. Applicants can visit grymca.org/careers for more information.)
The YMCA’s summer programs will “focus on fun, keeping kids safe, active, fed, and engaged with other children and adults.” The funding from the Michigan Department of Education allows YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids to offer traditional camp programs that are “enhanced to address the unique academic needs created by the pandemic,” according to the statement.
“The Y is prepared to work with schools to overcome the challenges facing students, families and communities,” Fran Talsma, executive director for the Michigan Alliance of YMCAs, said in supplied material. “To effectively combat COVID learning loss, in- and out-of-school learning needs to be connected and seamless.
“We have the capacity and expertise to support schools and help achieve positive outcomes for students. The Y is ready to meet the academic, social-emotional, physical, and nutritional needs of children and is committed to strong collaborations to improve the academic success and overall well-being of children.”
In addition to the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids’ branch locations, it also operates YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin, community outreach programs, and childcare sites. For more information visit grymca.org.
At the testing planned HIV testing site, certified test counselors will be onsite to answer questions and connect residents with additional services. (CDC)
In honor of National HIV Testing Day on June 27, the Kent County Health Department (KCHD) and the Grand Rapids Red Project will hold a free HIV testing and education event on Thursday, June 24, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The event will take place in the parking lot across the street from the Kent County Sheldon Complex, 121 Franklin St. SE, Grand Rapids.
Certified test counselors will be onsite to provide testing, answer questions, and connect residents with additional services, according to a KCHDS announcement. There will also be music, food and free gifts.
HIV self-testing is also an option. Persons interested in self testing for HIV at home, visit here to find out how to order a free HIV testing kit.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the KCHD recommend everyone know their HIV status,” April Hight, KCHD public health program supervisor, said in supplied material. “This knowledge is essential for getting helpful therapy and for protecting others from the virus.”
More than 1 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and one in eight people are infected with HIV without realizing it, according to the CDC. Nearly 40 people are diagnosed with HIV in Kent County every year, according to the KCHD announcement, and “the only way for a person to know their status is to get tested.”
HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, attacks the cells that make up the body’s immune system. HIV can make it difficult for an infected individual to fight off diseases and, left untreated, it can develop into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome — AIDS — which can be fatal.
Individuals who are at risk for HIV infection can take PrEP, a daily pill that is 99% effective at reducing the risk for HIV infection. PrEP is available at the KCHD Personal Health Services Clinic. For more information about PrEP or if you would like to be tested, call 616-632-7171.
Lori Gresnick, recreation program coordinator, City of Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, discusses why the city added an early season food truck rally this year, at the May 19, 20231 event at the Kentwood City Complex. (WKTV)
The City of Kentwood and GR8 Food Trucks’s new early-season Food Truck Festival, the first of two this summer season, had some rain showers but plenty of family fun as well on Saturday, June 19.
On Juneteenth, June 19, the Kent County Black Caucus had a presence at the Kentwood food truck festival, attended here by Kentwood City Commissioners Maurice Groce and Betsy Artz. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The “kickoff” of the Summer Food Truck Festival’s two-event schedule took place in the parking lot of the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard. L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. To wrap up the summer season, another food truck festival is scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the same location.
The free-to-attend community event had 16 food trucks — with even more planned for the September event, Lori Gresnick, recreation program coordinator, City of Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, said to WKTV.
There was also live music, a beer tent and food available for just about every taste.
There was also several community booths including the Kent County Black Caucus, as the day was also Juneteenth, attended early to by Kentwood City Commissioners Maurice Groce and Betsy Artz.
More information about the Summer Food Truck Festival is available at kentwood.us/SummerFoodTruckFestival. For a slideshow of photos from the event, see below (and click through).
The Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Georgetown Seniors, will host the 22nd annual Spotlight on Seniors Health and Fitness Expo on Tuesday, May 25 — this year as an outdoor event.
According to an announcement from the city, the free event will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Kent District Library – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. It will feature 40 vendors representing a variety of senior-oriented businesses, free health screenings for balance, blood pressure, stroke risk and more, as well as door prizes and free snacks and lunch.
“Our Spotlight on Seniors Expo offers a great opportunity for seniors and other community members to connect with one another, learn about local resources that can help them live healthy lives and celebrate successful aging,” Lorraine Beloncis, Kentwood Parks and Recreation assistant director, said in supplied material. “We are grateful for Georgetown Seniors and our sponsors in helping us provide this wonderful community event every year.”
Participating vendors include professionals in fields ranging from physical therapy and assisted living to home improvement and health care, according to the city’s statement.
“The challenges we have all faced over the past year during the pandemic make an event that promotes health, fitness and connections that much more important,” Pam Haverdink, director of the Georgetown Senior Center, said in supplied material. “We are pleased to partner with Kentwood Seniors on this expo and we are thankful to our vendors, who help make this fun and popular for residents in both communities.”
Among the sponsors of the Spotlight on Seniors Health & Fitness Expo are Health Alliance Plan (HAP), Health Bridge Post-Acute Rehabilitation, and Rivertown Ridge Senior Living. Other sponsors are Humana MarketPoint Inc., Laurels of Hudsonville, Sheldon Meadows, The Care Team, United Healthcare and We Care 4 U @ Home.
While limitations on in-person group experiences continue due to the pandemic, The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies knows there has been no break in the need for supporting veterans recovering from the sometimes hidden wounds of war.
So Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center and its partners, including the Kent County Veterans Services office, will go virtual this year as the Hidden Wounds of War Conference — this year with the conference theme of “Moral Injury” — will be held Thursday, May 6, and will be delivered online using Zoom.
“The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies hosts the Hidden Wounds of War Conference as a community service effort to build awareness and educate the community about treatments and resources available to our veterans,” Brent Holmes, acting director of the center, said to WKTV. “The Hidden Wounds of War Conference stems from a Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies event that has held in June 2008. Through the years, the Hauenstein Center has partnered with veteran organizations to be able to host this impactful conference.”
U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest depart a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter prior to an advisory meeting with Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Hanson, Afghanistan, June 13, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
And one reason for a presidential studies center to be focused on support of war veterans? It is presidents who send them to war.
“We desire to be more effective in serving those who serve and have served our communities and nation,” Holmes said. “Veterans, first responders, families, and communities struggle with the aftereffects of this service. Too often suffered in silence, the psychological trauma experienced by our men and women in uniform brings the hardship home. By embracing honest discussion and strong networks of support, winning the battle against these challenges is possible.”
The schedule of events for the day begins with opening remarks at 8:30 a.m., then moves into general session at 9 a.m., with Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock discussing “Moral Injury.”
Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock is Senior Vice President for Moral Injury Programs at Volunteers of America and a Commissioned Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). (Courtesy/GVSU)
Moral injury refers to suffering due to moral emotions such as shame, guilt, remorse, outrage, despair, mistrust, and self-isolation, according to supplied material. It emerged as a concept among Veterans Affairs clinicians working with military combat veterans beginning in 1994.
This session will offer some of the factors in human beings that can lead to moral injury by examining how conscience is shaped; presenting several definitions of moral injury, both clinical and cultural/religious; identifying the range of morally injurious experiences that disrupt moral identity; and explaining the relationship of moral injury to other trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
After a short break, there will be morning break-out sessions between 10:30 a.m. and noon, including sessions titled “Military Sexual Trauma”; “Military Culture, Families, and Relationships”; and “Suicide Prevention” — where participants “will gain an understanding of the scope of suicide with the United States and within the Veteran population and will know how to better identify a veteran who may be at risk for suicide.”
After a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m., there will be another general session with Dr. Nakashima Brock. The lecture will, among other topics, explain what constitutes recovery from moral injury and discuss validated programs for supporting recovery from moral injury. In addition, it will discuss strategies as yet to be validated but that seem promising, including the role of congregations and community organizations.
After another short break, there will be more afternoon break-out sessions from 2:30-4 p.m., including sessions titled “Community Resources”; another session on “Suicide Prevention”; and one on the local “Kent County Veteran Treatment Courts”, which will discuss trends and policies of such courts, and the courts’ mission — “Participants will leave with an understanding of the methodologies used in program development and operations and how KCVTC enhances public safety and enhances the community’s return on investment.”
This last weekend, reacting to Michigan’s Clean Slate Act coming into initial effect on April 11, two expungement resource fairs were held in West Michigan — “expungement” is the setting aside of a person’s record of criminal convictions for certain “lower level” crimes including older marijuana possessions offenses no longer even considered crimes.
The expungement resources fairs, held in Grand Rapids and Benton Harbor, are part of a wide-ranging series of actions being taken as part of the state’s criminal justice reform, specifically the Clean Slate Act, with actions by groups ranging from the office of Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, to Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School, to the Black & Brown Cannabis Guild.
A photo from a previous Clean Slate Act expungement resource event promotional material. (Black & Brown Cannabis Guild)
“At both (expungement resource) events, volunteer attorneys and law students will assist registrants who appear to be eligible with filling out their expungement applications and give them general instructions on the expungement process,” Kamau Sandiford, a Kentwood based lawyer serving as WMU-Cooley’s Access to Justice staff attorney, said to WKTV before the events.
The resource fairs were co-hosted by the Black & Brown Cannabis Guild, a group which, among on other advocacy efforts, seeks to gain cleared criminal records for persons imprisoned for crimes related to outdated cannabis laws.
“As the United States moves away from the criminalization of cannabis … there remains the fundamental injustice inflicted upon those who have suffered criminal convictions and the consequences of those convictions,” as the guild states on its Last Prisoner Project webpage.
Even before the expungement resource fairs, Sandiford and WMU-Cooley Law School associate dean Tracey Brame have been hosting training sessions for attorneys on the new law including for the the Grand Rapids Bar Association and Legal Aid’s Spring Training Session early this year.
During the presentation, according to the WMU-Cooley website, Sandiford explained that under the new law, the state will be required to have an automated expungement program in place by April 2023.
That “automated expungement” system is, however, a cause of some concern from Kent County’s top criminal prosecutor.
“The Prosecuting Attorney’s Association of Michigan was generally supportive of the Clean Slate bills,” Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said to WKTV. “If someone has truly reformed their life and are doing well after past criminal convictions we did not see a problem in giving them a chance to have a clear record.
“If anything is wrong with it, I think the idea that we are going to have a computer system that is going to be able to ‘automatically’ clean convictions off records in two years is highly unlikely,” Becker continued. “The state is littered with computer programs/systems that were supposed to be developed and operational in a certain time, that took much longer than anticipated and never worked as promised. I fear something similar will happen here.”
Despite such concerns, the law will came into effect and the state is already working on a pilot program to aid people who have been hampered in their employment opportunities due to their past convictions and employers being able to gain access to such records.
Law’s history and state interim action
While Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the “Clean Slate” bill package into law in October of 2020, the efforts to move it forward started much earlier, driven in part by studies that showed not only the individuals involved but society as a whole benefits from such actions.
According to the state’s Michigan Courts website expungement “can help more people have the opportunity to find good jobs and secure safe and affordable housing. A ‘clean slate’ can help strengthen families, communities, local economies across the state, and promote public safety.”
Also, a 2020 study by two University of Michigan Law School professors found that those whose criminal records are set aside experience “a sharp upturn in their wage and employment trajectories.” The study stated that job seekers obtained employment at an increase of 11 percent and their income rose by 25 percent in two years.
And the state is not waiting for 2023, for the automated process to come into effect, to start aiding those persons with criminal records to better gain employment.
Last week, the state announced the launch of a $4 million investment in a “Clean Slate Pilot” program to assist “returning citizens” — convicted persons returning to the community and the workforce — with setting aside a conviction, through which the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) will awards funds to Michigan Works! Agencies to support local workforce efforts until the expungement system is in place.
“My goal since day one of taking office has been to build fundamental reforms to make our communities safer and improve the people’s outcomes going through our criminal justice system,” Lt. Gov. Gilchrist said in supplied material. “The bipartisan Clean Slate legislation fundamentally changed Michigan’s criminal history expungement laws, for the better … (and) the Clean Slate Pilot program offers a stop-gap for expungement services until the Clean Slate law goes into effect.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signing “Clean Slate” bill package into law on October 12, 2020. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is in b background. (Office of the Governor)
As part of the pilot program, returning citizens can get an order setting aside their conviction and, according to the state announcement, “can legally state on any job or school application that they have never been convicted of or arrested for that crime.”
They will also be able to state that they have not been convicted of that crime on applications for public benefits, housing or employment.
“Before this legislation and this pilot program, there were many barriers in place for returning citizens,” Susan Corbin, LEO director, said in supplied material. “These barriers to seeking criminal record expungement include a lack of information, time constraints, cost of retaining a private attorney and fear of the criminal justice system. With the Clean Slate Pilot program, Michigan Works! Agencies will help these citizens overcome many of these barriers and guide them on a path to success.”
The Clean Slate Pilot Program funding will be awarded to all 16 Michigan Works! Agencies throughout the state with each of the agencies providing localized efforts.
For more information on the Clean Slate pilot program, visit here. To contact the local Michigan Works! office visit westmiworks.org.
Details of Clean Slate Act eligibility
Setting aside a conviction is the process that clears a public criminal record. In Michigan, there is one process to set aside a conviction on an adult record — often called expungement — and a different process to set aside a juvenile conviction, called an adjudication.
In WMU-Cooley promotional material for the recent expungement fairs, it was explained that individuals will be eligible for expungement after a waiting period of 10 years for certain felonies, or seven years for certain misdemeanors. Most traffic offenses will be available for expungement except DUIs, offenses causing injury or death, and offenses while operating a commercial vehicle.
Additionally, those who qualify for automatic expungement can have no more than two felonies and four 93-day misdemeanors expunged during their lifetime.
The Clean Slate Act also specifically allows individuals convicted of low-level misdemeanor marijuana offenses to apply for expungement, as “the law creates a presumption that these offenses were based on activities that would not have been considered crimes on or after Dec. 6, 2018.”
Crimes that will not be considered for automatic expungement include, according to supplied material, “assaultive crimes; serious misdemeanors; crimes of dishonesty; offenses punishable by 10 or more years imprisonment; violations related to human trafficking; and crimes committed against minors, vulnerable adults, injury or serious impairment, or death.”
With the much-anticipated Christian McBride’s jazzy WinterFest Music Festival back on the schedule, St. Cecilia Music Center announced today an initial 2021-22 concert schedule — beginning with the Sam Bush Band bringing their folk-rock sounds to town in October — as the music center “fully intends to bring live-audience concerts back to Royce Auditorium.”
Christian McBride (Supplied/SCMC)
Live in-person concerts have been suspended since March 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions but initial plans have St. Cecilia featuring more than a dozen evenings of performances by jazz, folk and chamber music artists in what will be the music center’s 138th season.
But St. Cecilia executive and artistic director Cathy Holbrook said she is not only looking for live acts on the stage but live people in the audience.
“We are thrilled and thankful to begin again in 2021-2022 with live concerts featuring most of the artists who were scheduled to appear this past season and had to be sidelined due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Holbrook said in supplied material. “We so missed seeing our loyal supporters and music lovers in person and we’re looking forward to hosting a year of celebration with live music again.”
The St. Cecilia folk series kicks off the season, but chamber and jazz will not be far behind.
The Acoustic Café Folk Series will feature six concerts including the Sam Bush Band on Oct. 6, Rodney Crowell on Nov. 12, Leo Kottke on Nov. 19, the Milk Carton Kids on Dec. 2, 2021 and Watkins Family Hour on December 16. In the new year, singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin will perform in the spring on May 12, 2022 — and more Acoustic Cafe Folk concerts may be announced later.
Marc Cohn (Supplied/SCMC)
However, one summer 2021 Acoustic Cafe Folk Series concert is currently planned as a stand-alone concert and will feature Marc Cohn appearing on Aug. 21 — with tickets currently available.
SCMC and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary season of partnership CMS players will perform three concerts: “From Prague to Vienna” on Nov. 18 (in a program planned for April 2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19) with CMS co-artistic directors David Finckel and Wu Han on stage. The program also featured two 2022 concerts, “Romantic Perspectives” on Jan. 27, and “The Jazz Effect” on March 31.
The jazz series’ headline event will be WinterFest, featuring seven-time Grammy-winning jazz bassist McBride “with some of his most talented musical collaborators for a three-evening festival in Royce Auditorium,” Feb. 24 -26, 2022.
Other artists scheduled for 2022 as part of the jazz series will include saxophonist Joshua Redman on Jan. 20, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater together with phenomenal jazz pianist Bill Charlap on March 10, and acclaimed trombonist, composer and producer Delfeayo Marsalis with his Uptown Jazz Orchestra on April 14.
“These great artists are looking forward to getting back out on tour to perform in front of live audiences and to bring music back to concert stages in the U.S. and worldwide,” Holbrook said. “We are looking forward to this new season, especially in light of the inability to host live audiences within our beautiful hall last season.”
Subscription tickets for the 2021-22 series are now on sale, with individual concert tickets to go on sale June 1. For more information visit scmc-online.org.
Matt Diener, State Director of the Michigan Fellowship of Christian Athletes, believes that if 2020 and the pandemic have “taught nothing else, it’s that the human spirit is more capable and enduring than we ever imagined.” And he has many stories to prove his point.
And one of the stories that has and continues to encourage and grow hope in others is that of Major League Baseball legend — and one of life’s ‘overcomers’ — Darryl Strawberry.
So it is fitting that the Kent County Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ annual FCA Pro Athlete Event (formerly known as the Pro Athlete Breakfast), scheduled for Saturday, April 10, at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, will include a talk by Strawberry.
This event, free and open to all members of the community, will be used to create awareness of ministry outreach and to raise funds to support programs and activities associated with the Kent County FCA, according to a FCA statement.
“We are excited for attendees to hear the powerful story of how God has worked in Darryl’s life, and to highlight the ministry of FCA that has been serving the local sports community for over 65 years,” Diener said in supplied material.
Strawberry is a former 8-time MLB National League All-Star status, with four World Series Titles, a National League home run leader, and was 1983 National League Rookie of the Year.
While incredibly successful in his career, Strawberry’s personal life was plagued with addictions, abuse, divorces, cancer, jail-time, and other issues. Strawberry, however, is widely known to have found redemption and restoration in Jesus Christ, and “lives to share the wisdom and grace of his experience with others,” according to the statement.
This event will also feature several local leaders within the Michigan FCA organization to share their experience with the ministry, as well as their vision and hope for future growth.
FCA is the largest Christian sports organization in America and focuses on serving local communities by engaging, equipping, and empowering coaches and athletes to know and grow in Christ.
Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
The Rev. Billy Graham once said, “A coach will impact more people in one year than the average person will in an entire lifetime.”
The FCA and Calvary Church “have worked hard to ensure proper distancing and a safe environment” under current COVID protocols. Since seating is limited, online registration is highly encouraged. To register online visit michiganfca.org/proathlete.
WKTV Journal In Focus recently talked with Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack, who late last year was named to co-chair Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new state initiative, the Black Leadership Advisory Council. Go here for the story.
Dr. Afriyie Randle
Talking with ‘Dr. Randle’ about dementia
In a recent “Medical Moments with Dr. Randle”, she talked about the different stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, and how early detection can help in assuring your loved one is cared for properly. Go here for the story.
Feeding America West Michigan currently owns 30 trucks, that drove about 418,000 miles in 2019, according to the organization. (Feeding America WM)
Talking with a local non-profit ‘Feeding America’
During a recent visit to the studio of WKTV Journal In Focus, Feeding America West Michigan looked back on 40 years of helping to feed those at risk of hunger after experiencing a 2020 that presented both challenges and opportunities. Go here for the story.
(Not so) Fun Fact:
20
There are at least 20 invasive species of plants being battled in Kent County by landowners and the Kent Conservation District. Jessie Schulte, of the Kent Conservation District, worked with WKTV to explain the problem and a District-led strike force. Video on the issue.
Treetops Collective is hosting a four-part speaker series, “Women are Resilient,” beginning today, on International Women’s Day, March 8, and continuing throughout the month of March.
One of Treetops Collective’s core values is a “posture of listening” that recognizes that “each person is an expert of their own experience,” according to supplied material. As a practice of this value, the Women are Resilient speaker series is “an invitation to learn from the strength, creativity, and leadership displayed by women throughout West Michigan who are engaged in transformative work and relationships.”
All four events will take place online and are free to the public.
According to the Treetops Collective website the group’s focus is making West Michigan a place “where refugee women can sink their roots down and flourish with their families for generations to come.”
Also, the March program includes a special opportunity to support local businesses and the work of Treetops Collective by purchasing a cocktail kit for our final celebration of women entrepreneurs.
This series is supported by the partnership of Eastern Kille Distillery and Emme’s Plantain Chips.
St. Patrick’s Day runs were a common-place thing in March before 2020 … and COVID-19. Hopefully things will change in 2021, including having a local Shamrock run. (Creative Commons/from a Baltimore run in 2019)
The local running club RunGR has had to cancel many events over the last year, but they are planning to keep their St. Patrick’s Day tradition “running” with a 5K run this year as part of the RunGR Shamrock Shenanigans 5K on March 20.
With the safety of participants in mind, the RunGR Shamrock Shenanigans 5K will be using both Millennium and Meadows Parks in Grand Rapids to spread the course and participants out. They also have created registration by 5-minute time blocks, with each block having a registration cap to limit the number of people gather before and after the race, as well on the course itself.
There is also created a virtual participation option for those who may not able to join be present at the starting line.
According to the group’s website, RunGR’s mission is to “bring running to the Grand Rapids community in a way that enables our members to live healthier and happier lives by providing the structure, organization, support, training, guidance, and friendships necessary to push themselves to new limits and achieve their running goals.”
This year’s run will also be a benefit for Riding for Ryan, a program which promotes the safety of young bike riders through visibility and awareness.
“Riding for Ryan’s goal is to provide free bicycle safety flags to kids to help keep them safe as they enjoy one of the most cherished and memorable activities,” according to the RunGR promotional material. “As the temperatures warm-up, it is a good time to make sure kids are visible to cars and other cyclists while enjoying their bikes.”
RunGR’s goal is to raise more than $1,000, and A+ Family Medicine has committed to matching the first $350 of donations.
Ansel Adams (American, 1902-1984), “Half Dome, Merced River, Winter from The Photographs of Yosemite Suite” (Silverprint photograph, 1938. Gift of the Friends of Art, 1989)
This year, the Muskegon Museum of Art is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Friends of Art, an independent non-profit organization established in 1921 that promotes the study of art and supports the museum.
Two exhibitions organized by the MMA recognize the contributions of the Friends of Art, highlighting works of art that the group has contributed to the MMA over the past century — including one exhibit featuring iconic photographs of Ansel Adams which opened Feb. 18.
The exhibit “Friends of Art: 100 Years” features almost 30 artworks donated by the “Friends” to the museum’s permanent collection over the decades.
Tunis Ponsen (American, 1891-1968), “Yacht Club Pier” (Oil on canvas, 1931. Gift of Friends of Art, 1931)
“Visitors will discover a rich diversity of objects along with some of the museum’s most significant works of art, including pieces by James Richmond Barthé and Paul Howard Manship and one of our signature paintings, Tunis Ponsen’s ‘Yacht Club Pier’,” Art Martin, MMA senior curator, said in supplied material.
The exhibition runs through May 2, and includes a video, “Friends of Art 100th Year Anniversary”, which tells the story of the history of the group through the years. The video and exhibition information can be found here.
Also on exhibit as part of the celebration is “Ansel Adams: The Photographs of Yosemite Suite” which features 24 iconic images taken in the 1940s of Yosemite National Park — the location and pictures that defined Adams’s internationally celebrated career.
In preview material of the exhibit, it is stated: “The artistic and technical contributions Ansel Adams made to photography established him as a legendary figure in American art. Seen by millions of viewers during his lifetime, Adams’s images documented the American wilderness, capturing transitory moments of light and weather that gave his subjects an emotive power not previously seen in landscape photography.”
Friends of Art members purchased the photographs for the museum collection in 1989. The exhibition runs through May 9.
Paul Howard Manship (American, 1885-1966), “Flight of Europa” (Bronze on onyx base, 1928. Gift of the Friends of Art, 1944)
The museum is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and closed Mondays. Health and safety measures include limited occupancy in galleries and other public spaces, enhanced cleaning, and mask wearing is required for guests and staff.
Visit muskegonartmuseum.org for museum updates, visitor information, and exhibition information.
Legend if not history has it that following his victory over the British, Gen. George Washington — soon to be the nation’s first president — was celebrated by the masses as the “King of America” but he famously responded by stating that he was “Not a King.”
To celebrate Washington and his also legendary distillery prowess, and almost all presidents, in the month of the President’s Day holiday, Journeyman Distillery again offers a patriotic tribute to our nation’s first distiller-in-chief with its Not a King Rye Whiskey release.
Batch #6 of Journeyman’s Not a King Rye was officially released at the Three Oaks distillery on Feb. 12, but to find where you can get it locally check out journeymandistillery.com/find-your-spirit.
Handcrafted from grain to barrel to bottle, with a mash of 60 percent rye, 35 percent corn and 5 percent malted barley, the limited release is, according to supplied material, “an interpretation of Washington’s original rye whiskey recipe” that “takes drinkers back to the late 1700s with nuanced flavors reminiscent of the spirit America’s original settlers would enjoy.”
“The Crossing” has Jeff Daniels as Gen. Washington. (crop of publicity poster)
Aged 3 years in 30 gallon barrels, it’s the makings for a perfect Old Fashioned or Manhattan, with a twist of history, we are told. The offered-up mixology is a drink called “The Founding Father (2 oz. Not a King Rye Whiskey and 1 oz. Amaretto, shaken over ice and strained into a clean or ice-filled rocks glass, then finished with an orange peel.)
Me, on a cold February night, I say find the movie “The Crossing” — a fine period piece starring the great Jeff Daniels as the General — on your television, pour a clean shot, and drink with the president.
The Michigan Brewers Guild usually holds big beer festivals each year, including one in Kent Country, and may still yet later in 2021. But this year, as last, things are different. Still the guild is looking forward to sunny summer days on the golf course, with a beer or two at the 19th hole, by announcing plans for three “Great Beer State Golf Outings” coming up this year, the first being local, on Wednesday, June 9, at North Kent Golf Course in Rockford.
The other outings will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, and Saturday, Oct. 9, at Treetops Resort in Gaylord.
“The golf outings we have planned are not intended to replace our larger events and we are hopeful that we will be hosting beer festivals again this year,” Scott Graham, executive director of the guild, said in supplied material. “We are looking for additional ways to raise operating funds for our non-profit trade association, while also getting together with some of our brewery members, allied businesses and beer enthusiasts in a fun and safe way.”
Registration for teams and sponsors the first outing will open in March. Details for all events will be posted soon on MiBeer.com under the EVENTS tab.
Formed in 1997, the Michigan Brewers Guild represents nearly 300 member breweries.
To heck with Punxsutawney Phil, summer is coming
New Holland Brewing is ignoring Punxsutawney Phil’s disheartening winter prediction for 2021 and has released a new style of craft beverage, a Watermelon Spritz — one part seltzer, one part sparkling ale, and a healthy splash of natural watermelon.
New Holland Watermelon Spritz can (Supplied)
If that doesn’t say summer nothing does.
The hybrid beverage, according to supplied material, is the result of brewing a wheat beer that is high in fruity esters, combined with natural watermelon and fizzy seltzer for a “bubbly, crisp and slightly tart” beverage with bold fruit flavor. Watermelon Spritz comes in at a “respectable” 4.3 percent ABV.
Watermelon Spritz hit the market this month in 6 packs of 12-oz. cans — their Summer Ale — a tart IPA — will become available in May in the same way. For more information visit NewHollandBrew.com.
In November 2018, Kent County voters approved the Ready by Five Early Childhood Millage to fund more than $5 million annually, from 2018-2024, to be directed toward community-based early childhood health and support programs. First Steps Kent was selected to lead the program.
In late 2020, the latest round of funding was approved by the Kent County Board of Commissioners, after First Steps Kent and its Resident Proposal Review Committee recommended funding 12 programs — including a focus on parental outreach and involvement.
Continuing WKTV’s coverage of the program and its efforts, and to bring you details of the latest funding and the program’s overall status, we will talk in studio with Joslyn Ward, a Kentwood parent serving on the review committee, and we welcome back to WKTV — this time via Zoom — Annemarie Valdez, First Steps Kent President.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shake hands as they meet for the first time, June 12, 2018, at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. (state.gov)
The World Affairs Council of West Michigan (WACWM) continues its virtual series of special discussions and its Great Decisions Global Discussions 2021 series this week, starting with the rescheduling of a special program on the future of Korea and its alliance with the United States.
The program “The Korean — U.S. Alliance”, originally scheduled to take place in mid- January, was rescheduled to Feb. 4. The program will feature the U.S. Department of State’s Dr. Jennifer Brannon, Sung-hoon Park, of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S., and Korea Economic Institute vice president Mark Tortola. A program of the World Affairs Councils of America in partnership with the Korea Economic Institute, this will focus on broadening and deepening public understanding of Korea and the U.S.-Korea relationship.
While the program was available live is is also viewable as an archive on YouTube here.
The WACWM’s Great Decisions Global Discussions series will be live-streamed to YouTube Mondays from 6-7:15 p.m., starting Feb. 8 and running through March 29. The public is invited and the webinars will be viewable live and as archived on-demand. The cost to the public is $10 per discussion, $60 for a series pass, with prior registration required.
The February series dates, topics and guest speaker are as follows:
Feb. 8, “North Korea: Getting Diplomacy Back on Track” with Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
After a historical summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in 2018, hopes of a change in relations have faded. Now, with a new president in the White House, landslide legislative victories in South Korea, and rumors of an unwell Kim, do new dynamics have the potential to change a perennially thorny situation?
DiMaggio is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Board Chair of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a new think tank she co-founded in 2019, and is currently directing a U.S.-DPRK dialogue that has included several visits to North Korea. As part of that process, she facilitated the first official discussions between the Trump administration and North Korean government representatives in Oslo in May 2017.
Feb. 15, “Have We Learned Anything about this Pandemic?” with Andrew Natsios, director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University.
COVID-19 took the world by surprise, but it shouldn’t have been surprising. The question remains how our global health systems can be more responsive and resilient to pandemics. Professor Andrew Natsios will discuss the structural problems in the World Health Organization that have created dysfunctions laid bare by COVID-19; the need for a global pandemic early warning system and how it might be achieved; and next steps in vaccine distribution in the developing world in light of great power competition and larger global health challenges.
Professor Natsios is an executive professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He was previously a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. He is also the author of three books: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1997), The Great North Korean Famine (2001), and Sudan, South Sudan, and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Feb. 22, “The European Union: The New Agenda Post-Brexit” with Tomas Baert , Head of Trade and Agriculture, European Delegation to the U.S.
Containing 5.8 percent of the world population but accounting for 18 percent of world GDP, the European Union holds enormous influence in the world, driving economic growth, advancing sustainable development, and championing peace and security by promoting democratic norms. While Brexit has been the focus, other key priorities of the Union remain: stabilizing transatlantic relations, continuing response to the COVID crisis, leading in the climate fight, and transforming the digital economy.
Baert, Head of Trade and Agriculture for the European Delegation to the United States focuses on the future of the EU in this presentation. Prior to his work in the U.S., Baert was the Head of Unit for Trade Strategy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade). From 2014 to 2016, he was an assistant to Director-General for Trade, advising on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and WTO negotiations.
Juliana Ludema, communication specialist for Feeding America West Michigan, with host Ken Norris, on the set of WKTV Journal In Focus in January 2021. (WKTV)
During a recent visit to the studio of WKTV Journal In Focus, Feeding America West Michigan is looking back on 40 years of helping to feed those at risk of hunger after experiencing a 2020 that presented both challenges and opportunities.
Juliana Ludema, communication specialist for Feeding America West Michigan, on the set of WKTV Journal In Focus in January 2021. (WKTV)
The local non-profit will be honoring 40 people who have been part of this journey through its “40 Years 40 Faces” series. With us is Juliana Ludema, communication specialist from the organization, and we will talk with her about what food banks do, the history of Feeding America West Michigan, and find out about its efforts before, during and after the current pandemic time of extraordinary local need.
For more information about Feeding America West Michigan, visit feedwm.org.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Feeding America West Michigan, along with its partners and supporters, have been fighting hunger alongside in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula for 40 years. (FeedWM)
Feeding America West Michigan is celebrating its 40th year of fighting hunger alongside its partners and supporters in 2021. And, throughout the year, the local non-profit will be honoring 40 people who have been part of this journey through its “40 Years 40 Faces” series.
While the group announced its first honored person last week — the Rev. Donald Eddy, who in 1980 worked with Grant-area farmers to get unmarketable fresh vegetables into the hands of the needy and hungry — the local Feeding America is looking for the general public to submit stories and persons who have helped “feed America” locally.
“Countless people have played a role in our 40-year history,” Molly Kooi, Feeding America West Michigan’s communication manager, said to WKTV. “We want to honor 40 of them in our 40 Years 40 Faces series … (and the public can) nominate someone to be featured, or to share your own story.
To share a story or nominate someone, go to FeedWM.org/40-years and click on the share your story button, she said.
People, stories of people feeding people
Rev. Don Eddy (FeedWM)
The Rev. Eddy’s story is a prime example that small actions can make a difference. In early 1980, he saw a truckload of perfectly good carrots being composted on a farm in Grant, according to supplied material. As director of United Methodist Metropolitan Ministries, he knew many people who faced hunger, so he asked the farmers to stop dumping them and said he could ensure the carrots got to families who could really use them.
A year later, on April 23, 1981, the food bank that became Feeding America West Michigan (FeedWM) formed. That small beginning has culminated in the food bank’s current network that serves 40 counties across West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
As the year 2021 goes on, each 40 Years 40 Faces story will be shared on social media (@feedingwestmich) and on the food bank’s website (FeedWM.org/40-years).
The series will feature FeedWM staff — like its longest tenure executive director, John Arnold and current CEO, Kenneth Estelle, as well as board members, volunteers, farmers, donors and others who have been part of the food bank’s ongoing journey toward a hunger-free community. And there are opening for others.
Mobile Food Pantry boxes, undated. (FeedWM)
In addition to the story series, the food bank will release a historical timeline and photo album. The food bank welcomes the public to submit photos here to be included.
“We are excited to share about the food bank’s 40-year journey and honor some of the many people who have been a part of our story,” Estelle said in supplied material. “Our partners and supporters have made and continue to make our work possible.”
Serving local families in need since 1981, Feeding America West Michigan reclaims millions of meals’ worth of safe, surplus food from various sources, according to supplied material. With the help of countless volunteers, the food bank sorts, stores and distributes this food through a network of more than 900 partners to fill hundreds of thousands of neighbors’ plates instead of landfills.
For more information, visit FeedWM.org or call 616-784-3250.
“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
Sam Ewing
MLK Day is coming and local service goes online
Yamiche Alcindor, award-winning journalist and White House correspondent for PBS Newshour, will give the keynote address during West Michigan’s Jan. 18 commemoration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Go here for the story.
Jonathan Thunder, “Quarantine at Gramma’s House”. (Supplied)
Muskegon Art Museum offers Native American art exhibits
The MMA’ is currently offering three exhibits with more than a dozen Native American artists — and as many artistic styles — including “The Art of the People: Contemporary Anishinaabe Artists”,“Jim Denomie: Challenging the Narrative” and “Levi Rickert: Standing Rock — Photographs of an Indigenous Movement”. Go here for the story.
President Donald J. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, shake hands as they meet for the first time, June 12, 2018, at the Capella Hotel in Singapore. (state.gov)
World Affairs Council of West Michigan begins Great Decisions series
The World Affairs Council of West Michigan (WACWM) will begin its “Great Decisions Global Discussions” in February, but a prelude to the series will be presented Thursday, Jan. 14, with a free special mid-day event, “The Korean-U.S. Alliance”. Go here for the story.
Fun fact:
12 percent and 24 weeks
That post-festive period when you start out full of good intentions often never last. In fact, around 12 per cent of gym members sign up in January, and according to the Fitness Industry Association, most people have quit or stop going after 24 weeks. Source.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced this week that it is distributing 3.5 million free masks as part of the state’s Mask Up, Mask Right campaign.
The free KN95 masks provided by MDHHS will be distributed by community organizations, including local MDHSS offices, the Kent County Health Department, Kent County Community Action and Area Agency on Aging of West Michigan.
Even before the expected shipments of the state-provided masks are available locally, several local groups such as the county health department already have masks available.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it is distributing 3.5 million free KN95 masks as part of the state’s Mask Up, Mask Right campaign. (MDHHS)
“We have a limited supply of free surgical type masks available at our main clinic at 700 Fuller NE,” Steve Kelso, spokesperson for the Kent County Health Department, said to WKTV. “If people want those they can simply come to the lobby and they will see a box labeled ‘Mask Up, Mask Right’ and they can remove a box of masks for their household. We expect to receive additional supplies of masks within the next 30 days.”
Kelso also advised people to call 211 to find all Kent County locations where the masks are available, but also stressed that “These are not for businesses to offset their PPE (personal protective equipment) needs. These are for individuals only.”
Some areas of the state will start getting the state masks as early as next week.
“The KN95 masks likely won’t be available until next week,” Bob Wheaton, spokesperson for the MDHHS, said to WKTV. “They are being shipped this week.”
The planned infusion of free masks to the public is part of a continuing effort by the state health department.
“We are urging Michiganders to Mask Up and Mask Right to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities from COVID-19,” MDHHS director Robert Gordon said in supplied material. “Wearing the right kind of mask is important. Today’s distribution of effective masks will help more Michiganders limit the spread of COVID to save lives and get back to normal sooner.”
Masking right includes wearing one of three options of masks that provide stronger protection: three-layered washable cloth face coverings, three-layered disposable masks or KN95 masks. It also includes wearing the mask correctly: having it secured over the nose and mouth and snugly fitting without gaps.
The MDHHS announcement noted that KN95 masks are similar to but should not be confused with N95 masks that are intended for health care workers who are engaged as part of their work in higher-risk settings.
To find additional state distribution sites for masks, visit at Michigan.gov/MaskUpMichigan or call the COVID-19 hotline at 888-535-6136.
Kent County Community Action is one of the many groups are working to help feed local families in need, including Feeding America West (shown here from a 2020 event). (Supplied/Feeding America WM)
Kent County Community Action (KCCA) announced this week that it will conduct a food distribution event on Thursday, Jan. 7, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to support qualified low-income households experiencing food insecurity.
The distribution will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., near the KCCA offices, at 121 Franklin SE, in Grand Rapids. All Kent County residents are welcome.
“This distribution is our way to respond to this crisis as it is our mission to alleviate the causes of poverty,” Susan Cervantes, KCCA Director, said in supplied material. “This distribution is one of our scheduled quarterly distributions and we are pleased we can provide relief to families who are in need during this difficult time.”
Customers who are driving must enter on Jefferson Street with their trunks ready to accept more than 50 pounds of food and must remain in their vehicle. This will enable the distribution to go smoothly and ensure the safety of staff and customers by practicing social distancing, according to supplied material.
The distribution will assist more than 900 households that are struggling to meet their food needs, “especially considering the situations caused by COVID-19.” There will be 20 food items in the packet including but not limited to canned vegetables, soups, pasta, juice, vegetable oil, tortillas, cheese, butter, and pork.
There will not be walk-up service due to the requirement to socially distance. Persons without transportation can be assisted by calling 616-632-7950.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you have accomplished … It’s about who you’ve lifted up. Who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.”
Denzel Washington
Kentwood police Off. Jeff Augustyn was at Al-Bos restaurant as the police force and Lacks Enterprises Inc. paid for a customer’s take out meal. (City of Kentwood)
Kentwood police and Lacks Enterprises
The Kentwood police community services team, led by Sgt. Tim Wierenga, had this idea to “showcase” local small business, to not only offer monetary support to eateries but to provide a little holiday surprise to customers by paying for their take-out meal. Lacks Enterprises Inc. stepped up for the community where they work and their employees eat out. Kentwood police community services team, led by Sgt. Tim Wierenga, had this idea to “showcase” local small business, to not only offer monetary support to eateries — on Dec. 16, Al-Bos and Daniele’s Pizzeria — but to provide a little holiday surprise to customers by paying for their take-out meal. Go here for the story. If you are business which wants to be spotlighted for donating and helping local small business, call Sgt. Wierenga at 616-656-6561.
With the pandemic, Family Network of Wyoming, like many area food pantries, have seen an increase in need. (WKTV)
Family Network of Wyoming
With the increased need, Family Network of Wyoming has been receiving an increase in food assistance requests. So through a holiday season partnership with the Wyoming Family Fare — and donations from the community — Family Network is set to provide holiday meals to area families. Go here for the story. This time of the year, and all year round, donations are needed at www.fntw.org/donate.
Ton Evans pof Bethany Christian Services of West Michigan talks to WKTV about his organization. (WKTV)
Bethany Christian Services of West Michigan
One group working hard to make West Michigan a better community, in a multitude of seen and unseen ways, is Bethany Christian Services. WKTV talked with a representative of the group recently about its efforts to be funded by a new Kent County Community Violence Prevention Grant. But that is just one element of the group’s work. Go here for the story and video. Do you want to find out more about Bethany? Support its efforts? Visit bethany.org.
Fun fact:
Giving is good for the giver
Studies show that giving can actually boost your physical and mental health. From volunteering at a soup kitchen to committing to raise money for a specific charity, health benefits associated with giving can include: lower blood pressure, increased self-esteem, lower stress levels and — maybe most important — greater happiness and satisfaction. Source.
During a recent visit to the studio of WKTV Journal In Focus, we talked with Antonio (Tony) Evans, a vocational trainer for Bethany Christian Services of Michigan, about the history of Bethany and some of its West Michigan services — especially its upcoming work funded by a Kent County Community Violence Prevention Grant.
But for Evans, it is clear that his work for Bethany Christian Services is more than simply providing any one service or fulfilling one grant action requirement.
“In order to work for Bethany Christian, in order to work for Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, it’s not a job, it’s a way of life,” Evans said to WKTV. “You have to be entrenched in it. … Our center is one of those spots where, whatever you need, we are going to help you.”
Bethany Christian Services of Michigan, part of a national group with several West Michigan locations including in Wyoming and Kentwood, has been approved for a Community Violence Prevention grant of nearly $150,000 to, quoting from the group’s application, “take a multi-acton approach at crime prevention by increasing opportunities, information, and activities to those within the south Grand Rapids’ 49507 zip code” — an area that borders both Wyoming and Kentwood.
For more information about Bethany Christian Services, visit bethany.org.
Antonio (Tony) Evans, left, a vocational trainer for Bethany Christian Services of Michigan, recently visited the set of WKTV Journal In Focus and talked with host Ken Norris. (WKTV)
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
