Features

Longform Vibrant Futures

Early Education Community of Practice brings unified message to state focus on early childhood care

The Community of Practice has expanded to 30+ Michigan organizations focused on early childhood. Members have access to a variety of resources and experts and are able to provide solutions and mobilize quickly.  

Partner Content Accommodations can help create a successful visit.

Simple accommodations can eliminate barriers to health care

Because equal and quality access to care is so important, making sure medical practices improve access and accommodations for people with autism is a crucial goal of the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM).

Longform Cyclists gear up for a ride with Programs to Educate All Cyclists.

Adaptive recreation helps people with disabilities enjoy outdoor recreation

Parks systems across Southeast Michigan are working to eliminate barriers and make outdoor recreation a more easily accessible experience for residents with disabilities.

Special Report Special report graphic

Special report: How can Michigan fix a guardianship system that fails some kids and older adults?

Guardianship is designed to protect those who can't care for themselves, but it doesn't always work that way. Advocates are pursuing a variety of solutions to improve the system.

Longform Corktown Health staff

CDFI funding helps Corktown Health expand services for Detroit area's LGBTQ residents

Corktown Health has evolved and grown from offering end-of-life services during the HIV/AIDS epidemic to providing primary care for the LGBTQ community. Through financial support from IFF, and through partnerships with local organizations including MiGen, the health network continues to provide a life-changing impact on the patients it serves.   

Longform Shelby Coolbaugh, administrative assistant for the Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (MLTCOP), and Salli Pung, state long term care omubdsman for MLTCOP.

Michigan ombudsman program advocates for residents in long-term care facilities

The Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program improves quality of care and quality of life for people living in nursing homes, homes for the aged, and adult foster care homes. 

Feature Story Danielle Atkinson

Mothering Justice "Mamas' Agenda" addresses childcare and early childhood education

A grassroots policy advocacy organization, Mothering Justice provides mothers of color in America with resources and tools to make equitable policy changes. One of its agenda items is early childhood education.

Feature Story Sterling Heights resident Alex Delavan, out of the van and into the world.

Getting neighborly: Meet Sterling Heights' resident musichead, living the van life

Alex Delavan has gone great lengths (and distances) to keep his home in Sterling Heights, so much so that he keeps his second home parked in his driveway here on Albany Drive.

Feature Story Albany Drive in the springtime.

PHOTOS: How this unconventional traveler views home in Sterling Heights

Why this traveling musichead keeps coming back home. As he puts it: “I mean, I’m willing to live in a van three days a week so that I can keep my life here.”

Partner Content URC

How Michigan universities are at the forefront of advancing AI technology

Artificial Intelligence offers enormous opportunities across industries, but universities in Michigan are aware of the need to implement the technology responsibly and are leading the charge on how to do so.

Longform Dr. Theresa Hastert (right) helped develop the Michigan Community Outreach to Address Financial Toxicity (MI-COST). Ali Fakih (left) is a research assistant with MI-COST, and Cornelius Wilson (center) sits on its Community Advisory Board.

Here's how Michigan organizations are working to reduce cancer treatment's crushing financial burden

In Michigan, several efforts are underway to help cancer patients prepare for, manage, and alleviate the financial struggles associated with treatment.

Feature Story The Om Garden

Trending in 2024: 10 unique wellness spaces in Metro Detroit

Self-care might conjure images of cream-covered facials with cucumbers laying ever-so-gently on the eyeballs, but unique Michigan businesses are bringing new things to the world of wellness. From mindfulness to medical treatments, here are 10 spaces that have taken Metro Detroit by storm. 

Development News x

Downtown Farmington announces plans for new park at historic site

“This project is a great example of bringing historic and modern elements together for the benefit of a community,” says Dan Gilmartin, CEO and Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League. “A historic area will now also include modern amenities and a universally accessible design to ensure that everyone can enjoy the space and have the opportunity to foster connections with those around them.” 

Development News The “Two Bears” sculpture by Marshall M. Fredericks in front of the Sterling Heights Public Library.

'Learn, build compassion and break down barriers': Human Library exhibit coming to Sterling Heights

“This program really embodies the spirit of empathy and inclusion that are part of our community’s core values,” says Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor.

Development News More than two billion pounds of food are dumped in Michigan landfills each year, per the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE).

In local efforts to eliminate food waste, ‘Southfield and Wixom are pioneers’ as new programs debut

"EGLE expects other cities to follow in the footsteps of the work initiated by these progressive communities,” says Jeff Spencer, a manager in the EGLE’s Materials Management Division.

Longform Small-Kristen

How data collection is playing a key role in advancing health equity

A new push to gather health care data about people with disabilities is spotlighting a disparity in health care equity that is often overlooked by the medical community. 

Feature Story Veronica Bilicki oversees the Patient as Caregiver program.

Henry Ford Health program helps unpaid caregivers stay healthy

The Patient as Caregiver project helps unpaid caregivers carry on in their roles, reducing the amount of hired care needed and helping people age at place in their homes.

Longform Kimberly Singh (right), Michigan Oral Health Coalition board member and chief community and governmental affairs officer for My Community Dental Centers, chats with Dental Assistant Kortney Jones.

Oral health care is inaccessible to many Michiganders. This coalition is working to change that.

The Michigan Oral Health Coalition brings together a multitude of Michigan oral and general health partners to collaborate on improving oral health for all Michiganders, especially those who have barriers to access. 

Feature Story Indigo farm

Agritourism: How small farms in metro Detroit are finding solutions

“I don’t believe that we would still be farming without diversifying,” says Dory Hill, co-owner of Crooked Creek Farm Dairy in Romeo. Agritourism income in Michigan jumped from $USD 20 million in 2017 to $56 million in 2022 as small farms are finding new ways to survive.

Feature Story Oak Park Library

Oak Park to showcase new public library redesign this weekend

Oak Park is finishing a library redesign after community input, and will hold a public open day on April 7.

 
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.