Features

Feature Story The Strohs (left) check out an exhibit.

Macomb County reptile zoo lets visitors get up close and personal with lizards and alligators

This private SE Michigan zoo's interactive approach is proving to be a popular draw for reptile enthusiasts and curious visitors.

Partner Content AAoM held a back-to-school event at Corner Health in Ypsilanti on Aug. 16.

Health and wellness are the building blocks for a successful school yearAAoM helps little Michiganders with autism be prepared.

Prioritizing children’s health and wellness is the first step toward ensuring they are prepared for a successful school year and able to fully participate in learning.

Feature Story Regina Carter

Q&A with Regina Carter: Detroit dominates jazz masters cohort, set to shine at festival

Three of the four recently crowned 2023 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters are from Detroit and this year’s festival features hometown jazz royalty saxophonist Kenny Garrett, violinist Regina Carter, and drummers Louis Hayes and Karriem Riggins as headliners.

Feature Story Anglers fish from the shore along the Clinton River Spillway.

Macomb boat launch project promises better access to Clinton River, Lake St. Clair

Access to the Clinton River Spillway is limited at the moment for boating and fishing enthusiasts, but the completion of an ongoing construction project promises to change all that soon.

Feature Story X

PHOTOS: Downtown Farmington celebrates National Farmers Market Week

National Farmers Market Week took place this past August 6th through the 12th, and downtown Farmington did not disappoint.

Development News The recently opened 50+ Outdoor Fitness Park at the Sterling Heights Senior Center.

Senior Center, attention to housing among reasons this federal agency commended Sterling Heights

"We are incredibly proud of the results and the commendations received from HUD," says Sterling Heights City Manager Mark Vanderpool.

Longform Michigan's goal is to have the voluntary universal pre-kindergarten for 4-year-olds in place by 2027.

PreK for All: Other states and cities share models for Michigan’s universal preschool program

A wealth of knowledge is available from other states and cities in building a universal preschool program for Michigan.  

Development News The Elementary Mathematics Lab at The School at Marygrove.

U-M's Elementary Mathematics Lab holds first session in Detroit

The annual summer math program for children was hosted at The School at Marygrove in Detroit from July 24-28.

Longform Children at Baxter Community Center in Grand Rapids.

Consultants empower child care providers to meet mental health needs of the youngest Michiganders

The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation program sends trained early childhood consultants to daycare settings and preschools to help caregivers better meet children's needs.

Development News Cannelle by Matt Knio is located at 33304 Grand River Ave. in downtown Farmington.

Cannelle announces much anticipated opening date in downtown Farmington

Chef Matt Knio announced the opening date for the latest location of Cannelle, his award-winning pâtisserie that specializes in French pastries and baked goods.

Development News Construction underway at the Downtown Oxford Community Courtyards & Placemaking project, a 2022 winner of the Consumers Energy Foundation Prosperity Awards.

First deadline approaches for Michigan nonprofits, municipalities to apply for $500K in grants

The Consumers Energy Foundation Prosperity Awards will grant a total of $500,000 to two or more Michigan nonprofits or municipalities for their winning economic and community development projects.

Partner Content womensleadershipgroup

Narrowing the gender gap in municipal leadership

The Michigan Municipal League is working to narrow the gender gap in the leadership posts in municipal government. Its Women's Municipal Leadership Program has helped women across the state rise to higher leadership positions in local government. The program has become a national model. 

Feature Story Fans watch a USPBL game at Jimmy John's Field.

Macomb County-based baseball league connects players with SE Michigan families

Jimmy Johns Stadium in Utica is attracting baseball players from all over the country--and local families are welcoming them with open arms.

Development News The soon-to-be Webster Community Center in Pontiac.

Redevelopment of former school into Pontiac community center receives $12M boost from state

"We are excited to celebrate clearing this milestone on the path to restoring this building into a space that will serve my neighbors for decades to come,” says Coleman Yoakum, Micah 6 Community Executive Director. “Folks like our Oakland County Commissioner Gwen Markham, who grew up in this neighborhood, are always quick to remind me that even when it was a school, this building was a community center. We are excited to play a small role in bringing it back."

Development News The new Mission to Mars playscape in Westland.

Westland looks to become first two-time winner of this statewide placemaking award

The Westland playscape has been named a finalist for the Michigan Municipal League’s statewide Community Excellence Award for 2023.

Longform A group of community health workers were trained as part of the Macomb County Regional Health Equity Advisory Council's work.

Michigan's regional health equity councils pursue long-term efforts to eliminate health disparities

Last year the state formed 11 regional councils to spend about a year addressing health disparities in underserved communities – and they're already set to continue their work beyond that period.

Feature Story Actors Carol Sizer and Bill Klein rehearse "Memory of a Dance," a play about dementia commissioned by the Southwest Michigan-based Region IV Area Agency on Aging to spread community awareness of the experiences of people living with dementia.

PODCAST: Building more dementia-friendly communities

Many people living with dementia don't feel valued or respected in their communities. But some activists in Michigan are working to change that by creating dementia-friendly communities, where the general public better understands dementia and people living with dementia have more opportunities to engage in public life.

Development News The Red Hook is a coffee shop and bakery in Detroit's West Village.

PARTNER CONTENT: Take the small business survey that captures, and elevates, voices of entreprenuers

“Elevate Your Voice” small business survey is an opportunity for the small businesses of southeast Michigan to share their experiences with the New Economy Initiative (NEI) – and an opportunity for organizations to respond to needs.

Feature Story Tepfirah Rushdan and Lindsay Pielack, Co-directors of Keep Growing Detroit

If you want to go far, go together: Nonprofits practice shared leadershipFeature: Nonprofit Journal Project

Read about how Southeast Michigan nonprofits are using collective labor and innovation to move their missions forward through shared leadership models.  

Longform Citizen action team members in the Citizenship for Health program discuss their mission and vision for community issues they want to take action on.

Detroit program engages community members to democratically develop solutions to health disparities

An innovative initiative is chipping away at health disparities in Detroit’s Hope Village neighborhood by looking to community members as leaders and learners in their own lives.

 
Nonprofit leaders across southeast Michigan are contributing their thoughts via journal entries on how COVID-19 is affecting their organization. 
This series is made possible with the generous support of our partners, the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Co.ACT. Click here to read the journal entries.