“As it turns out, programming a 120-year-old a cappella choral masterwork alongside soul, rap, folk, and spoken word doesn’t just work, it brings together the community in a way that programming doesn’t always when we focus on one genre."
“One of the reasons I enjoy doing native planting is because it sequesters carbon and helps the ground absorb more water. If we’re taking care of the planet, we need to take care of the soil and the creatures on the planet, and native plantings are one of the most immediate visible ways to do that."
Kalamazoo's First Presbyterian Church borders Bronson Park and its weekly Red Door Dinners provide homecooked meals and hospitality for the unhoused and others in need. “Our congregation seeks to live faith as a sanctuary in the city, with the city, for the city, and others far beyond." This story is part of our Faith in Action series, sponsored by the Fetzer Institute.
“It makes me sad that I probably will never experience silence again because I really like silence. I like quiet, and now if I’m out walking in the woods by myself I would like to just be in the quiet."
Who hasn't dreamed of owning their own businesses? Most of us can count on two hands the business ideas we've had. Some budding entrepreneurs have taken their ideas to the next level, seeking out financial support, expertise, and handholding to make their dreams come true.
Winner of Best Noodles in Battle Creek's recent Restaurant Week, and taking home 4th prize in the first regional Food Prize, Suipi's East End Eatery, which opened in May, has added a new Burmese-inspired East Asian flavor to Battle Creek's food scene.
Kalamazoo has many parks and nature preserves. Home yards can be connecting corridors between them, creating a thoroughfare for wildlife, birds, and pollinators. If enough local yards convert even by half to native plants, Kalamazoo could become a Homegrown National Park.
Two Southwest Michigan Latinx businesses feature Mexican and Costa Rican products, sharing elements of Hispanic culture with their communities, thanks in part to nonprofit lender Northern Initiatives.
StoryCorps first came to Kalamazoo in 2007. Since then StoryCorps has had a special connection to WMUK and Kalamazoo, returning for a Military Voices Initiative project and the One Small Step project. During its recent visit, 96 special stories were recorded.
RJ's Printing has been a beloved local business for nearly 30 years. In January, Kalamazoo's Sean Hollins bought the shop from Ralph Jones, keeping the legacy of the only known Black-owned printing business in Southwest Michigan growing as a collaborative "print partner."
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