Karen Church, CEO of ELGA Credit Union, has been selected as Cityzen of the Year! She is the third person MCM has recognized as one who is an advocate for the community and goes above and beyond to make it a better place through volunteerism and service. And this is a very special year for Church, as she will retire in February 2022. Church sat down with MCM to talk about her love for her community, her years with the credit union, her service in the City of Flint and plans for the future. “I’m a little bit sad,” Church admits. “ELGA CU has been my life for 45 years.”
Born and raised in Flint, Angela Hood-Beauregard, Executive Director of the Flint & Genesee Literacy Network (FGLN) is proud to be a product of Flint Community Schools. She has traveled the world but chose to work and live in Flint. In her position with FGLN, she is able to share her passion for the importance of reading and literacy. The leader of the FGLN since 2019, Hood-Beauregard is currently pursuing her PhD at Michigan State University. “I am a lifelong student and working with the network was the perfect opportunity to merge my passion for learning into making a difference,” she shares.
Growing up, Royce Stephens learned a thing or two about the motivating effect that sports could have on youth. “My father was the leader of my Boy Scout troop and he would teach us from the handbook for the first half of our meeting and allow us to play basketball for the second half,” he says. “When he stopped letting us play basketball, kids stopped coming. He used basketball to provide an incentive to education.” While playing basketball at Hamady High School, Stephens learned the hard way when he decided to sit out his junior year and in doing so, suffered a drop in his grades. “I realized how important sports were to me and I knew what I had to do. I turned it around quickly,” he adds.
Student at Central Michigan University (CMU), 19-year-old Flint native Lydia Taylor has been named one of the top finalists in the seventh annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge, a global competition for students that was designed to inspire creative thinking about science.
Jashell Mitchell is perfectly content to work in the background – in fact, that’s the whole point. “It’s in the name of the foundation. We like to work behind the scenes,” she says. “We want the focus to be on those we support. We would rather be invisible.”
I’ve always been very creative, so as a kid, I liked pretending to teach in imaginary classrooms, visualizing working in an office or photographing the planet for National Geographic. I also loved the art of Walt Disney. As a part-time position to help pay for my master’s degree, I did have the chance to open and work at the Disney Store at the Genesee Valley Mall. Sharing the magic of Disney was so enjoyable, I stayed on for over ten years. Much of what I learned through that experience stayed with me and helped shape my leadership style.
The Sparkle Pink Girls Club is a nonprofit organization with a mission of building confidence and self esteem in girls aged 3-13, and empowering them to make better, bigger choices that set them up for a powerful life. Founded in 2007 by Deria Brown of Flint, it has grown to become a national organization with chapters in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Nevada.
It’s becoming the norm. Seemingly every year, DTV News (located in Davison High School), is a winner of some award or other, going all the way back to 2002. The station has won multiple awards from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) and was named “Station of the Year” four times by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB). In 2010, Randy Scott and co-workers received an Emmy® from the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their documentary entitled “Rx for Trouble.” For their efforts this last school year, the station won 21 awards from MIPA in such categories as School Promo, Live Sports/Event Coverage, Diversity Coverage, News Story and more. The station is managed by Randy Scott and Amy Lesko. “We have one of the top programs in the state and nation,” says Scott. “It’s truly a testament to the commitment and effort of our kids.”
Class is back in session! The much-anticipated, upcoming semester(s) have educators and students alike brimming with excitement and anticipation. Not only will class formats closely resemble the style of years past, schools will be offering new programs, curricula and grand openings. MCM reached out to our local colleges for an overview of what’s new for the 2021-22 academic year. Take a look at what each one has to offer … what a great time to be a student!
A Flintstone through and through, Leo Robinson II grew up in the city and understands its struggles. So, after becoming a pastor while working in Oakland County, he knew what he had to do. “I was called home,” he says. “My heart is for Flint. I moved my entire family back – my wife of 17 years Miosha, and my five children. This kid from Flint wants to do whatever he can to support all of the good in the city.”
Flint Public Library is kicking off the final phase of fundraising for its $30.6 million transformation project with a public campaign, “Transform Our Treasure,” according to a recently released press statement. The final $300,000 needs to be raised through this campaign.
