Page 545 – Second Wave

Kalamazoo revels in commencement visit from President Obama

By Newsroom

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June 10, 2010

Members of the Kalamazoo Central 2010 graduating class accepted their diplomas, marched across the stage and shook hands with the President of the United States. Every graduate got to shake his hand. Many shared a hug with him and in return heard a word of advice. President Barack Obama had just delivered the commencement address, a reward for the high school that bested 1,000 others to win the White House's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. The president said the win showed the nation what has been accomplished at Kalamazoo Central. His address concluded a day that included a surprise visit with seniors before the ceremony and a visit with Democratic Party donors. Kalamazoo residents gathered in a number of locations across town to see the ceremony on the big screen. The day's events were heavily reported by the national press corp. Some of the coverage: Boston Herald, Detroit Free Press, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, FOX, New York Times, MTV, MSNBC, USA Today, Time.com, MSNBC and Washington Post. The capacity crowd of more than 5,000 gathered in Read Fieldhouse on Western Mchigan University's Campus. The president offered advice, telling grads their success depends on "how hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you're willing to reach. Because true excellence comes only through perseverance." And he suggested that the anonymous donors who created the Kalamazoo Promise -- a program that pays tuition for state college education for all graduates of Kalamazoo Public Schools -- did it because they believed in the potential young people in the community. "And because of their faith that you would use this gift not just to enrich your own lives, but the lives of others -- and the life of our nation." Obama asked the 2010 class "to pay them back by seeking to have the same kind of impact with your own lives; by pursuing excellence in everything you do; and by serving this country that we all love. "I know you can do it. After all, you are the Giants -- and with the education you've gotten here, and the chance you have now to continue it, there is nothing that you can't accomplish."Writer: Kathy Jennings

Benton Harbor Safe Summer 2010 offers jobs and more for young people

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 10, 2010

Programs in Benton Harbor could provide as many as 5,000 summer opportunities for young people in the community.An initiative called Safe Summer 2010 is designed to improve economic and job development opportunities for youth and young adults throughout the summer.More than $250,000 in reallocated or new program funding has been identified for these programs. Funding is made possible through various state and federal programs in addition to local donors.Partners in the initiative are Harbor Shores Community Redevelopment Inc., Michigan Works!, the Consortium for Community Development, Whirlpool Foundation and Whirlpool Community Relations, the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor, Cornerstone Alliance and many others. "As we are working our way through rough times," says Benton Harbor Mayor Wilce Cooke, "activities to engage young people in both recreational and job training will set the stage for future opportunities for them as individuals, as well as for the economic development efforts underway for the community as a whole."Safe Summer 2010 will include programming for recreational activities, such as summer youth sports and transportation to Jean Klock Park, job training and workplace experience.Michigan Works! will provide opportunities for local youth to gain summer work experience and prepare them for their future careers. "Today's employers are requesting skills and talents that come from specific experience, training and education. For six years, our Youthworks! Summer Jobs program has provided these opportunities. This year, despite funding challenges, we've enrolled nearly 200 Benton Harbor youth into the program." said Todd Gustafson, Executive Director of the Michigan Works of Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The Benton Harbor Area Schools announced its summer lunch program and the locations and times for serving meals to area students. "This program helps to provide students a healthy diet, which is an essential part of their development and well being," said Dan McGinnis, President of the BHAS School Board. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Jamie Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance

Shuttle service will connect neighborhoods and beach

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 10, 2010

A free shuttle service to link the neighborhoods of Benton Harbor and Jean Klock Park will be offered in partnership with Dial-A-Ride, making a trip to the beach a whole lot easier this summer.The Jean Klock Express will run in continuous loops of 16 stops across Benton Harbor from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. The route begins at Calvin Britain Elementary and some of the stops are Benton Harbor High School, McCord School, Morton Hill, The Boys & Girls Club, The Golf Club at Harbor Shores and Jean Klock Park. The full schedule is here. In accordance with normal Dial-A-Ride rules, all riders under the age of 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.The service, which began May 18, will continue through Labor Day. The Consortium for Community Development, Cornerstone Alliance and the Whirlpool Foundation are working with Harbor Shores and the City of Benton Harbor to provide recreational and educational opportunities for the youth of the community. "For me, it's all about the kids. To make a difference in the lives of our young people is the foundation of re-building any community," says Marcus Robinson, President of the Consortium of Community Development and Harbor Shores Trustee. Harbor Shores is Lake Michigan's first beach and golf resort community, just 100 miles east of Chicago in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. The community's central amenity is an 18-hole, public Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that offers stunning views of Lake Michigan. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Ron Eng, Harbor Shores

Improved math, reading will better chances of employment

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 10, 2010

Sometimes getting a job requires training in the basics.The Workforce Development Center, a new project offered at the Northside Association for Community Development in cooperation with Kalamazoo Valley Community College, will offer such training.Mattie Jordan-Woods, the NACD's executive director, says she knows skilled technicians in automotive mechanics and other trades who lack the basic math and reading skills to gain certification in those professions. In the one-year pilot program, participants will learn about a variety of jobs and what it requires to apply for them. They will determine their existing skills and what skills they need to better qualify for employment. They also will be able to create a customized learning program for each student.Participants will be able to learn at their own pace and one-on-one tutoring will be available. "It will get people on the path to a job," Jordan-Woods says. "For people to work themselves out of a low-income or poverty situation, they need to have solid math, writing and reading skills."William Willging from the M-TEC of KVCC will oversee the project.Two tutors will be based at the NACD, located at 612 N. Park St., to provide one-on-one, computer-based instructions that will raise the basic mathematics and reading skills of neighborhood residents.The training is free to all participants. It is funded by a $7,000 grant from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. KVCC President Marilyn Schlack says she sees the Workforce Development Center as a stepping stone to what is being envisioned in the evolving Arcadia Commons West concept for the redevelopment of downtown Kalamazoo, and a positive influence on adjacent Kalamazoo-core neighborhoods.Among the missions of the NACD are job creation, neighborhood revitalization, and financial independence for residents. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Tom Thinnes, Kalamazoo Valley Community College

College leaders band together to evaluate programs

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 10, 2010

By working together the presidents of six Southwest Michigan community colleges and Western Michigan University expect to create stronger higher education opportunities for students across the region.To foster that cooperation, they have formed a consortium.An example of the type of programs that may grow out of the consortium are two pilot dual-enrollment programs serving aviation and engineering students at Kellogg Community College who plan to earn bachelor's degrees from WMU. This program has launched in the past 18 months.Similar programs and opportunities are already in stages of formation and implementation with the other community college partners.The consortium partners are: • Dr. G. Edward Haring, president, Kellogg Community College;• Dr. Robert P. Harrison, president, Lake Michigan College;• Dr. David M. Mathews, president, Southwestern Community College;• Dr. Dale K. Nesbary, president, Muskegon Community College;• Dr. Marilyn J. Schlack, president, Kalamazoo Valley Community College; and• Dr. Gary Wheeler, president, Glen Oaks Community College.Next comes a series of meetings between officials at the individual community colleges and WMU, in which specific academic programs and ventures will be examined and tailored to the needs of students."We all agree that there is potential for enormous benefit to our students if, as a group, we are thoughtful and creative about how we leverage existing resources to meet the needs of the populations we serve," Dunn says. "This is our commitment to work closely together to ensure students have the opportunities they need to realize their goals." Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cheryl Roland, WMU

Borgess doctor prescribes reasons to love Kalamazoo

By Kathy Jennings

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General

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June 10, 2010

If you could live anywhere in the world would you choose Kalamazoo? Dr. Firas Al-Ali has. Second Wave editor Kathy Jennings talks to the neurointerventionalist about why he really likes it here.

Resale shop helps those in need

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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June 9, 2010

A resale shop that donates its proceeds to an emergency shelter has moved into bigger quarters, reports the Herald-Palladium.The move to 510 W. Main St. in Benton Harbor triples the space available to 6 Degrees Resale Store, according to manager Sally Sovinski. Excerpt: "We were very packed, so we moved to a much bigger space," she said. Emergency Shelter Services, at 645 Pipestone St. in Benton Harbor, provides housing and other services for families who otherwise would be homeless. Proceeds from 6 Degrees Resale Store support the work of ESS. Client families in need of items such as clothing or furniture can pay for them by working at the store. In addition to helping ESS clients learn job skills, the store employs workers through the Michigan Works Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Program. For details on a fundraiser for 6 Degrees Resale Store set for June 10, read the rest of the story. Source: Herald-Palladium

WMU med school plans move forward with appointment of interim dean

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

Dr. Jack R. Luderer has been deeply involved in the development of Western Michigan University's medical school initiative. Now he's heading it up.Luderer became interim dean effective June 1. He has served the past five years as executive director of WMU's Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center, a life-sciences research center that assists startup companies. A national search for a founding dean was launched in February. It will likely be several months before one will be in place to lead the school.Luderer, a board-certified medical specialist in internal medicine with sub-specialty certification in clinical pharmacology, has a background that includes positions as a clinical vice president for Pharmacia Inc. and Upjohn and vice president for research at WMU. In addition to serving in his BRCC role, he has spent the past two years working with WMU President John M. Dunn and the Kalamazoo medical community to develop a new school of medicine. The Kalamazoo initiative has filed a letter of intent and has been awarded applicant status with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the group that accredits medical schools in the United States and Canada. A school of medicine in Kalamazoo has been under discussion and in the planning stage since late 2007. During a November 2009 meeting, Dunn announced a $1.8 million anonymous gift made to provide seed money for the next steps in the development process, including the search for a dean.Dunn says with this appointment Luderer's full attention will be on two goals: maintain existing momentum toward obtaining the money necessary to found the school and bringing the search for dean to a successful conclusion. The initiative is collaboration with Kalamazoo's two major hospitals -- Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare -- as well as other interested medical organizations in West Michigan. Writer: Kathy Jennings Source: Cheryl Roland, WMU

Work begins on 38-unit, $3.4 million senior housing community in Kalamazoo

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

An estimated 120 new construction jobs are expected now that Presbyterian Villages of Michigan has broken ground on a $3.4 million senior housing community in Kalamazoo. Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM) received a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build the 38-unit senior apartment community at Sage Street south of Stone Brook Road. The funds are intended to help low-income seniors live safe, independent lives and promote construction jobs.The development will offer one-bedroom apartments of approximately 600 square feet as well as a community room, laundry facilities, lounge areas and library/internet cafe.Potential residents are 62 years of age and older and have a gross annual income of $22,000 or less for one person and $25,150 or less for a two-person household. Rent is based on 30 percent of residents' adjusted gross annual income and the remaining rent is covered by HUD. Roger Myers, president and CEO of Presbyterian Villages of Michigan, says he is pleased to offer this opportunity to the Kalamazoo community. "It reflects our mission to extend a hand to all seniors of all faiths throughout Michigan." The Village is PVM's 25th senior living community in the state. Results of a market study from Community Research Services LLC, show the development is needed because the primary market area for the project will experience a 17.9 percent increase in population of seniors age 62 and older by 2013 and a county-wide increase of 25.5 percent for the same demographic.PVM, headquartered in Southfield, is a faith-based, multi-site nonprofit that offers continuing care retirement communities, including apartments, assisted living, and skilled nursing, subsidized senior housing and market-rate senior housing. Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Dawn Dyer Magretta, Presbyterian Villages of Michigan

The idea behind 4th of July barbecue is serious entertainment

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 3, 2010

The Boiling Pot Music Festival is about fun. It also has a mission.In its first year, Kalamazoo's newest outdoor celebration will bring together at least 40 musical acts, 30 artists and a full complement of forums designed to get people talking about areas of importance to the community -- agriculture and food security, energy, education, housing, human security, green space and transportation. Spiritual, mental and physical wellness also will be addressed. The July 3-4 festival is at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo. Matthew Lechel, event coordinator for the I.D.E.A. Association, says the festival can capitalize on what's already happening in the local music and arts scene. "We want to harness the social capital that's already being created as the community comes together and then take it to the next level," Lechel says. Boiling Pot also is a play on words for organizers trying to stir the pot of ideas regarding where creative energy needs to be focused in Kalamazoo.On white boards displayed throughout the festival community members will have a chance to "map" organizations and projects already happening in the community within eight identified sectors. Natural partnerships will be identified and information on a long-term project involving the community is expected to emerge. Art projects from seven previous events sponsored by the I.D.E.A. Association will be on display at Boiling Pot and eight new pieces will be made in the pavilion by those attending the festival.And because sustainability is important to the organizers a greening team has been assembled to make sure no paper, plastic or food from the public or vendors at the event ends up in a landfill.The Boiling Pot Festival is presented by The Strutt and The I.D.E.A. Association. Ticket prices, a schedule of events and a list of artists are available here.Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Matthew Lechel