West Bloomfield synagogue will train Jewish leaders on providing behavioral health support
A new initiative at The Shul seeks to provide more tools for Jewish community leaders to better offer behavioral health support to their community.
PreK for All a good way to disrupt the preschool-to-prison pipeline
Good preschool programs yield tremendous social and economic advantages such as higher high school graduation rates and reduced chances of criminal behavior.
Recent Michigan housing legislation incentivizes more housing developments
As part of the Make it in Michigan Strategy, the state of Michigan has new finance tools and opportunities to convert vacant land into housing via the Transformational Brownfield Fund and tax increment funding. The State Land Bank Authority and Michigan Community Capital are working with state, local, and federal organizations to develop attainable workforce housing in their communities.
Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health: Building trust and improving health
Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health partners with community mental health providers in Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties.
Northside director says ‘We the people’ will continue to push for justice, liberty, and tranquility
As a youth, she was known to stick up for other kids. Now she has a neighborhood of 11,000 to protect and tend. Elizabeth Washington, the Northside's new director, declares she will be working to increase "contributions and opportunities" for all.
Access to free training boosts number of certified Early Childhood Educators in Battle Creek
“I have been looking for love for my whole life. Just somebody to unconditionally love me and the kids give me that. I can’t wait to go to work every day to see those kids.”
A tale of two cities: South Bend has been where Kalamazoo is now and the future is promising
'Quieting' downtown streets is a noisy process. Change can be unsettling. Ask any Kalamazoo resident. But South Bend, Ind. has completed the transition of urban one ways to two ways. The results are encouraging: downtown reinvestment, beautification projects, and increased community pride.
Wimee the Robot to help celebrate National Reading Month at Willard Library
“I think we’re ahead of our time. We had an earlier mindset of creating and inspiring kids to see their words become images and that’s when we built Wimee, a robot with the personality of a young kid."
Community holds vigil after shooting inside beloved Battle Creek coffee shop
Gun violence rocks a community, especially when it takes place inside a well-loved establishment. In Battle Creek on February 15, 2024, an officer was wounded and a Texas man shot dead in a police altercation in Cafe Ricá. Residents, clergy, and local leaders organized a vigil to offer healing and support.
Pilot program in Jackson County aims to support preschoolers’ mental health through mindfulness
A new study will test whether and how mindfulness-based food-body-mind interventions can optimize young children's cognitive function and behavioral health.
