Voices of Youth: The pros and cons of high school sports

High school sports can boost teens' confidence, mental health, and academic drive — but also bring challenges like time pressure and self-comparison. Students and educators at Loy Norrix High School share candid insights into the rewards and struggles of being a student-athlete.

ALICE Report: Rising number of households struggling to make ends meet

A new report shows over half of households in Albion, Springfield, and Homer Township are struggling to afford basic needs. Stagnant wages and rising costs leave many living just above or below the poverty line.

Jonathan Yarbrough
Back to build bridges: Yarbrough brings homegrown vision to Northside leadership

Northside native Jonathan Yarbrough has been named executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development. Seen as a "connector, bridge-builder, and advocate," he plans to "move the needle" on the neighborhood’s legacy while driving community-focused growth.

Voices of Youth: What grows in a milpa? For these teens, identity and connection

“The milpa is something that literally grounds us as an organization, as we learn and unlearn the ways colonization has tried to disconnect us from our traditions, cultural foods, and ways of surviving; we can use this and apply it to many things like language, art, and history.”

Voices of Youth: ¿Qué crece en la milpa? Para estos jovenes, identidad y conexión

“La milpa es algo que literalmente nos arraiga como organización, mientras aprendemos y desaprendemos las formas en que la colonización ha tratado de desconectarnos de nuestras tradiciones, alimentos culturales y formas de sobrevivir; podemos usar esto y aplicarlo a muchas cosas como el lenguaje, el arte y la historia.”

Cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.
Commmunity mental health partnerships with first responders a win-win for communities

Across Michigan, community mental health (CMH) agencies are redefining crisis response through deep partnerships with EMS, law enforcement, and fire departments. These cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.  

Shelley Roossien, Accessibility and Inclusion Specialist at KDL, leads children through a building exercise.
Inclusive Literacy Alliance fosters early reading in Kent County kids with developmental differences

The Inclusive Literacy Alliance is a collaborative, county-wide effort to improve early reading outcomes for children with developmental differences. Parents, educators, service providers, and advocates are piloting solutions that make early literacy more accessible and effective for children who are blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or autistic.

Nicole Triplett, of Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, and Nicole Parker, of Sisters in Business
Kalamazoo leaders spark regional collaboration to empower Black entrepreneurs

Nicole Triplett, of Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, and Nicole Parker, of Sisters in Business, helped launch a West Michigan coalition that just earned state funding to expand support for Black-owned businesses.

A student and her parents following a dental checkup at the Cincinnati Health Department.
Cincinnati’s school dental clinics bring relief to thousands

Serving 24,000 patients annually, the Cincinnati Health Department dental program brings year-round care to students and community patients through an innovative public-private partnership.

The prescription is delicious: This Battle Creek chef’s home-delivered meals are medicine

In Battle Creek, Stacey Kornegay turns meals into medicine with her Standing Spoon personal chef service, crafting flavorful, health-focused dishes tailored to her clients' needs. What began as a DoorDash detour has grown into a mission to make nutritious, healing food both accessible and enjoyable.

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