llie Sevick never knows where or when she will be reminded of how her passion impacts the lives of others. “One day, I was taking my mother to the emergency room,” she recalls, “and suddenly in the midst of all that, someone started yelling my name – ‘Mrs. Ellie! Mrs. Ellie! I just earned my

ot many organizations leave the starting gate with a whopping $5 million project. But that is exactly what Communities First, Inc. did with their Oak School Project. The project involved converting an old school building into apartments for low-income senior citizens. CFI is a mission-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that started in 2010 and has been

licia Lewis woke up from a nap and knew immediately that something wasn’t right. “I was only 24 weeks pregnant when my son Kaidyn decided to make his entrance into the world,” she remembered. At the age of 40, with a history of miscarriages and one ectopic pregnancy, Alicia had been considered high-risk from the

he brainchild of Norman Bryant, the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame has been recognizing and preserving the achievement of African American athletes in the Flint area since 1983. “Flint is a sports town,” says the founder, “and it always has been. We have such a rich history of athletes here, dating all the way

  ll around the country, sex and labor trafficking is on the rise – and Michigan is one of the top five states where this activity is proliferating. According to a report released by the Michigan Commission on Human Trafficking, sex trafficking is the exploitation of a person for commercial sexual activity through force, fraud

  aliyah Dietlin, an eighth-grade student at Madison Academy, knows what it’s like to be bullied. A shy, quiet girl, she was being picked on and talked about by some students at her school. “It really upset me,” she said. “I was ready to go home and cry and just be by myself.” Instead, she

tanding in front of Judge Jennie Barkey is not like standing in front of other Genesee County judges. In her Mental Health Court, every defendant is known and understood, expected and encouraged. This court, the first of six now instituted in the state of Michigan, is providing an alternative solution to the sickening practice of

No one wants to experience depression or suicidal thoughts during the holidays, yet for many people who have a mental illness, these feelings are a tragic reality. Fortunately, help during this and other times of the year is only a phone call away… Based on past experience, everyone at Genesee Health System (GHS) is gearing

Twenty years of service. Gunnery Sergeant Dave Smith, USMC Retired, grew up in Flint, the son of Tom and Sandy Smith and a graduate of Powers High School. When he enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corp at just 17 years old, he had to obtain his parents’ permission. “My mom went berserk,” Dave remembers, “but

  The plight of the mentally ill in America is heart-wrenching. Often discriminated against for their sickness, people with mental health problems have limited access to health care resources. Without support and treatment, their conditions often deteriorate until they unknowingly commit a crime and are incarcerated. Jails and prisons are becoming pseudo psychiatric facilities, housing

Sitting in a chair, Loyd Case slowly extends his leg out in front of him before bending it back to its starting position. He smiles, proud of the level of mobility he has achieved following recent knee replacement surgery. As a Vietnam veteran, Loyd is able to receive free physical therapy services at the University

Michigan School for the Deaf has shared a long, illustrious history with the city of Flint. While many early institutions for the deaf were created to protect their charges, the mission at the Flint school has always been to prepare its students for life in the world, not shield them from it. Today, MSD continues