A Recipe for Abundance: Kalamazoo artists, food vendors, musicians, unite to reimagine community
"A Recipe for Abundance" is a free community event in Kalamazoo using art, food, and music to inspire connection, care, and local resilience.
Theresa Coty O'Neil's Latest Articles
Never too late to take the plunge: Kalamazoo club teaching adults to swim
The Kalamazoo Masters Swim Club is expanding access to swim education through its grant-supported Adult-Learn-to-Swim program, offering low-cost lessons to help adults gain confidence in the water. The program promotes physical and mental wellness while building a more inclusive and connected swimming community.
What does it mean to be a Climate Voter? More than you think
"The vast majority of Michiganders not only believe in climate change, they are concerned about it. There's no way you get to 72 percent of Michiganders without crossing partisan lines."
Day Tripper: The Gilmore Car Museum is a jaunty trip down memory lane — car person or not
Whether you come from Kalamazoo or Battle Creek, the Gilmore Car Museum delivers on a scenic, country drive and a rewarding destination. The 90-acre campus features over 400 pristine, well-cared-for automobiles, affordable diner fare, and to top off the visit, a choice of ice creams — custard or Plainwell.
Beyond belief: How faith communities are lighting the way on climate change
In this first installment of our Sacred Earth series, we speak with Dr. Cybelle Shattuck, whose combined interests in sustainability and religion have helped her identify how faith institutions engage, support, and undertake earth care.
Kalamazoo youth climate action group calls attention to endangered snowpeople
"Here in the Midwest, making snowpeople is a quintessential part of childhood, and Kalamazoo youth are not ready to see that tradition end thanks to climate change."
OutFront’s Faith Alliance: An allyship sailing in Kalamazoo for 15 years
As part of our series, Faith in Action, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, Southwest Michigan Second Wave speaks with local religious leaders and OutFront Program Manager Dell Darnell about the 15-year-old Faith Alliance, a group comprised of 14 local religious leaders devoted to allyship. Faith Alliance is currently focused on OutFront's upcoming celebration, Trans Day of Visibility, and Host Homes, a volunteer-based housing program for LGBTQ+ youth aged 13 to 18.
Paths to Dignity: Kalamazoo’s Junior Symphony premiers concerto for the unhoused
The Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra is world-premiering Paths to Dignity, a violin concerto for the unhoused by composer and Grammy-award winning conductor Lucas Richman and featuring well-regarded violinist Mitchell Newman on Sunday, Feb. 19.
Kalamazoo Bahá’Ãs encourage Meaningful Conversations to promote spiritual growth, community action
As part of a monthly series, Faith in Action, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, Southwest Michigan Second Wave speaks with Kalamazoo area Bahá’í about their online series, Meaningful Conversations, and the value of spiritual inquiry as a basis for community transformation.
A new path for New Day: Kalamazoo church partners with DNR to share land with nearby neighborhoods
For New Day Church, the DNR, and more than 500 homes surrounding the church’s untamed 18 acres off Nichols Road, a unique partnership represents a new way of collaborating on restoring and sharing a scarce resource of undeveloped land in Kalamazoo.
