Hidden enchantment: The Hobbit Hole Gallery in downtown Kalamazoo
The Hobbit Hole Gallery in the Kalamazoo Mall’s Devisser Alley transforms a quaint space into one man’s haven for artistic expression.
New state law will help ensure health care access for non-English-speaking Michiganders
Michigan's new Statewide Meaningful Language Access Coordination Act will require public services to be more accessible to non-English speakers.
Podcast a “not-so-clinical approach to conversations surrounding all things mental health.”
Podcast hosted by three friends covers a range of topics like finding a therapist, tips for loved ones, and misconceptions and stigmas surrounding medications.
Community health worker on the job at Vantage Plastics
In order to continue their mission of serving the community through sustainability, Standish based materials company Vantage Plastics is now partnering with the Central Michigan District Health Department (CMDHD) to integrate a community health worker (CHW) on site.
How a teacher regained his independence after losing his sight
Roel Garcia shares how the loss of most of his sight in high school turned his world upside down before he figured out how to adapt to his disability. He graduated from college, became a journalist, and now is a teacher.
Proposed licensure changes aim to ease Michigan’s social worker shortage
Mental health and social work advocates are pushing for legislative change to shift Michigan's social worker licensing process from a test-based approach to a practice-driven alternative that has proven successful in other states.
Author to keynote West Michigan Disability Awareness Day celebration
Author and advocate Jocelyn Dettloff will speak about disability and mental health, the theme of the Disability Awareness Day event on March 22.
What’s behind the big red doors? Sanctuary in the city
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.
What is a social practice artist? Kalamazoo’s Maya James, a movement pioneer, explains
Meet Southwest Michigan Second Wave's newest writer and artist, Maya James, Art Prize Vanguard winner and trailblazer who has been following her own unique path only to discover there is a name for what she does — social practice art. And she may well be a 'mother of a movement' that she invites you to join.
Community Centers in Battle Creek awarded $1.5 million in State funding
Three community centers in Battle Creek were awarded over $1.5 million of State funding to "ensure that more than 100,000 Michiganders already living in poverty have access to better food and living conditions, transportation, and childcare opportunities."
