Together, Keegan Russell and Keenan Miller keep the beat as the band K-Rock. The musicians were nominated by Autism Support of Kent County because “they show others what is possible when individuals are given a chance to shine.”

Community Action of Allegan County is looking for more volunteer drivers like Steve Riley, who gives seniors rides to and from their appointments. He also delivers food to people in need at least once a month.

“Music feeds the soul, feeds the brain, and it can be a wonderful way to commune with people,” says Joanna Steinhauser, concertmaster of the 'K Phil,' a multi-generational, Kalamazoo College community orchestra. “Students can sometimes live inside a bubble in college, but this gets them out of that bubble and to share something beautiful with the community.”

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.

It often takes months of experimentation to find an effective psychotropic drug. Up to half of patients with major depressive disorder do not respond to the first antidepressant prescribed. Kalamazoo's Genemarkers is among those offering a promising tool to address that issue: a test that can result in prescribing drugs with greater accuracy.