Eastside neighborhoods in Flint will soon have year-around access to healthy food options when Kettering University and the Asbury Community Development Center open in hoop house community garden. The project is made possible by a $25,000 award from the Ford Motor Company Fund to Kettering and the Asbury Community Development center to integrate productive solar […]
Healthy groceries are still on the move. Neighborhoods will welcome the mobile food pantry for a new round of stops in August as the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan in Flint and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services distribute more foods rich in calcium, vitamin C and iron. Every scheduled month the […]
If your corner or sidewalk has a slight sparkle, you can thank 300 young adults who logged more than 1,000 combined hours in a recent Flint beautification effort. The Summer Youth Initiative (SYI), for 14- to 19-year-olds who’ve completed TeenQuest, a pre-employment and leadership training program of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce, participated […]
Carma Lewis knows a thing or two about meetings. She has weekly meetings and monthly meetings. Sometimes she even finds herself at meetings about meetings. Whether the convener or a participant, Lewis, president of Flint Neighborhoods United (FNU), sees her role in the various sessions she attends as one of collecting news to share with […]
There is nothing more illuminating to a city than making sure the police and the community are working together to make it better. That is why Flint’s “Light Up the City and Art Parade” has become an annual tradition. During the monthly summer event, local police officers go into Flint neighborhoods and spend time talking […]
Selfies and summer’s favorite treat – the combination sounds like fun all by itself. Throw in a year’s supply of ice cream as the prize and it’s easy to see why the United Dairy Industry of Michigan’s new contest is generating a buzz. Just by posting an original photo of an “ice cream moment” involving […]
It’s always a win when any neighborhood transforms blight into beauty. In Flint, where the blight battle is being waged citywide, signs of success are visible in safer blocks with boarded homes, some painted with colorful decorations that brighten the community. There also are dozens of volunteer-led, community-coordinated, and collaborative efforts to plant gardens, mow […]
Kids don’t cool down as quickly as adults. Their body temperature rises more quickly, and doesn’t come down as fast, so it’s important for parents to provide plenty of opportunities to “chill” during the hot summer days ahead. Seniors are also at risk. In addition to drinking plenty of water, frozen fruits provide a great […]
For the past 27 years Greg Gaines has been growing Flint-area teenagers into successful, community-oriented adults equipped with vital life skills. Gaines, 68, became director of the Gardening Program PLUS in 1990. At that time he was still employed by General Motors, so he was balancing the two careers. He retired from the automaker in […]
For nearly two years, Kris Wong scoured the market for the best options to buy a house. He looked at single-family homes and researched builders, but after meeting with a local cargo container builder he decided to make the deal to buy one in a week. His new house in Ferndale, slated to be finished […]