Features

TheRide will make changes to its Temporary Service Plan, including adding a modified version of Route 26 to restore services to western Ann Arbor.

Transportation

AAATA to restore additional transit services, introduce new buses with USB chargers

Emily BendaWednesday, November 4, 2020

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority will host multiple virtual town halls to share updates to its Temporary Service Plan, its Title VI program, and new mobile ticketing system, EZFare.

An art project that participants made in the Ann Arbor Art Center's summer art camp.

Arts and Culture

Ann Arbor Art Center launches virtual art camps to entertain kids during fall and winter breaks

Jaishree Drepaul-BruderWednesday, November 4, 2020

A2AC staff decided to launch the camps after receiving positive feedback from parents who enrolled their youngsters in the organization's virtual summer art camps earlier in the year.

Detroit baritone saxophonist Kaleigh Wilder will open Edgefest's next online performance on Nov. 20.

Arts and Culture

Ann Arbor's Edgefest music festival reaches new audiences with all-virtual, six-month event

Jaishree Drepaul-BruderWednesday, November 4, 2020

COVID-19 health and safety concerns prompted organizers to temporarily reinvent Edgefest into an online festival that started last month and will run until March 2021.

Equity

Champions for Change work toward breaking down walls in Washtenaw CountyThe Nonprofit Journal Project

Jenn McKeeTuesday, November 3, 2020

Sometimes, issues like systemic racism can feel so deeply rooted and overwhelming that it’s hard to know where to even begin chipping away at it. But that’s when we must remind ourselves that all journeys begin with a single step.

Partner Content

Kids and Education

Healthy Habits Start Now through collaboration between Livingston and Washtenaw counties

Jaishree Drepaul-BruderTuesday, November 3, 2020

Livingston Educational Service Agency's Healthy Habits Start Now (HHSN) program helps families understand the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables every day and the benefits of being more physically active.

Front row: Event/Fundraiser Coordinator Dominique Johnson, Lahleen Johnson, Community Service Coordinator Hannah Mathia. Back row: Yaw Gayan-Apenteng, Kamela Sisson, Yolanda Ragland, Jordan Diaz, Imani Gayan-Apenteng, Elleona Ragland.

Arts and Culture

After losing son to gun violence, Ypsi couple launches nonprofit to engage youth in arts education

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 28, 2020

Yolanda and Keith Ragland were in shock after losing their 19-year-old son to gun violence in 2017, but they channeled their energy into a vision for an arts education nonprofit that they hope will benefit local children like their son.

Jottful designed this website for Milan-based Heath Farms, which went online for the first time during the pandemic.

Entrepreneurship

Ann Arbor-based Jottful helps small businesses survive pandemic by going online for the first time

Emily BendaWednesday, October 28, 2020

As many activities have shifted online during the pandemic, Jottful has helped small businesses build their first websites – often at no cost to the business owners, thanks to federal funding.

Kids and Education

Wolverine Voices: U-M students on the challenges of dining during COVID-19

Brooke Gronich, Orli Katz, Juee Modi, Sofie Mor, Claire Niedermaier, and Alison WeinbergWednesday, October 28, 2020

In a new series spotlighting U-M student writers reporting on campus issues, we take a look at how the dining hall experience has changed on campus and the ways students hope to improve it.

YpsiWrites' opening celebration in 2019.

Kids and Education

YpsiWrites celebrates first year of community writing programming

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 28, 2020

The community writing center program is a partnership between the Ypsilanti District Library, 826michigan, and Eastern Michigan University's Office of Campus and Community Writing.

An excerpt from a Shakespeare in Prison activity pack.

Arts and Culture

During COVID, Shakespeare in Prison program stays connected to Pittsfield Township inmates via mail

Jaishree Drepaul-BruderWednesday, October 28, 2020

With in-person access to Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility cut off since March, organizers are mailing activity packs to offer prisoners a continuing connection to the program, the community, and themselves.

Entrepreneurship

Washtenaw County Capital Report reveals high demand for local investment

Jaishree Drepaul-BruderWednesday, October 21, 2020

The report found that a majority of local businesses surveyed get their capital from individuals, not banks or venture funds – and they anticipate needing $600 million in capital over the next three years.

Daniel Wall, Kodi Amritt-Wall,and Imani skating with The 78's!! at Eastern Michigan University.

Healthy Communities

Ypsi residents launch community-minded group for roller-skating enthusiasts

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 21, 2020

The new group's spontaneous outdoor skating gatherings are attracting a variety of area residents, from first-time skaters to derby skaters to a grandmother and her two grandkids.

We The People Opportunity Farm founder Melvin Parson.

Healthy Communities

From porch food pantries to produce distributions, grassroots efforts address pandemic-era food need

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 21, 2020

Many grassroots efforts have been launched, and established nonprofits have added more food resources to make sure county residents don't go hungry.

Oxford Instant Office floor plans range from a 130-square-foot single office to a larger 4,500-square-foot space for 20-25 people.

Entrepreneurship

Oxford Companies introduces flexible, short-term office space leases aimed at startups

Emily BendaWednesday, October 21, 2020

Although the program is well suited to how COVID-19 is changing the way people do business, it arose out of feedback the property management company has been receiving for a few years.

October's apple-themed self-care kit included cinnamon sticks, spiced apple tea, crossword pages, chocolates, recipes, a breathing exercise, and instructions for a yoga pose.

Healthy Communities

Ypsilanti District Library creates and distributes self-care kits to help patrons relieve stress

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 21, 2020

Each month's kit will include themed items to promote rest and relaxation, like coloring pages, recipes for self-care items like face masks or bath products, tea, and sweet treats.

A salad bar in the cafeteria at 10 Cents a Meal grantee Boyne Falls Public School.

Healthy Communities

Grass Lake among Michigan school districts using "10 Cents a Meal" program to serve local food

Estelle SlootmakerTuesday, October 20, 2020

The state recently reinstated and expanded the program, which aims to improve children's daily nutrition, build their healthy eating habits, and invest in Michigan's local food economy.

Community Development

Guest Essay: What if nonprofits radically transformed their work and their sector?The Nonprofit Journal Project

Yodit Mesfin JohnsonTuesday, October 20, 2020

Yodit Mesfin Johnson, president and CEO of Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, asks: what if we radically transformed our work and our sector the way families are re-imagining their lives?

Shamar Herron (in red cap) speaks, surrounded by Nate Frazier, Paul Hickman, and Melvin Parson.

Equity

"Getting Real About Race" event challenges Washtenaw County to identify and address racial disparity

Patrick DunnTuesday, October 20, 2020

A diverse group of about 25 local leaders convened Oct. 17 for the free event, which aimed to spark conversation and set an agenda for eliminating racial disparity.

Marquan Jackson, director of the Family Empowerment Program.

Equity

Study finds disparate COVID-19 impacts on jobs, housing, and more for Ypsi-area residents of color

Sarah RiggWednesday, October 14, 2020

Black and Latinx residents have been dealing with a great disparity in health outcomes. But a new study shows the pandemic's disparate effects on employment, housing, education, and a number of other areas.