Observed on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. It was previously known as Decoration Day, originating in the years following the Civil War. It is a solemn day for all of us to honor those brave servicemen and servicewomen who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Davison wrestler Cam Freeman was hanging on. With the state championship in the balance and a one-point lead, he was on the ropes. His Detroit Catholic Central opponent had turned the tide and was threatening to take the lead with 15 seconds left. Shouting encouragement and watching the clock, Freeman’s Davison teammates were frantic. Scrambling, he continued to thwart his opponent and when the clock struck zero, Davison was once again the best in the state. The team erupted in triumph, jumping and hugging each other. The battle against DCC was over with Davison victorious. For first-year Coach, Zac Hall, it was a fitting end to a trying, yet incredible year. “That match just about gave me a heart attack,” he says. “The last 15 seconds were absolutely crazy! Freeman looked dead to rights, but he’s a Davison Cardinal and he fought through it. That state finals match-up was one of the best of my life. I may be biased but, in my opinion, it was one of the top five best finals of all time – two titans going head-to-head. It was great.”
For artist Donald Cronkhite, every storm presents an opportunity. “In spring, I’m always looking for a good storm. They hold the best cloud formations, colors and contrasts,” he says. Cronkhite, the newest instructor at the Flint Institute of Arts, has a professional eye for the sky. He specializes in cloudscapes painted in such a way to capture all the emotion, drama and mystery of nature. “I want people to look at the world around us in a new way,” he adds. “Clouds are filled with emotion, turmoil and beauty, and I charge my work to express it.”
Rebecca’s Reason, a nonprofit organization, was founded in July 2016 by Sarah Curtis, Executive Director. The mission is to provide financial assistance to families who have lost a child or their child has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. The organization was named to honor the brief life of Curtis’ daughter, Rebecca Anne. This is what happened and how it began.
Charles Weaver, a fifth-grade teacher at Westwood Heights Elementary School in Mt. Morris Township, recently published his first book, Elvis and the Talent Show, which is based on a true story about Elvis Presley entering a talent show when he was a young boy. Published by Fulton Books, it was released in March and while based on a true story, this fiction-based children’s book is enjoyed by young and old alike.
Justin and Alexis Black are founders of Redefining Normal and the company’s initiative, ROSE (Rising Over Societal Expectations) Empowerment Group. Both Alexis and Justin faced adversity early in life. Alexis, a Flint native, entered the foster care system at age 13 and Justin, who is from Detroit, at age nine. The couple is now using their life experiences to help others and have co-authored an award-winning book, Redefining Normal: How Two Foster Kids Beat the Odds and Discovered Healing. The couple recently took time to answer some questions about their companies, the book and the inspiration behind them.
In 1980, Judge Anthony J. Mansour organized the Arab American Heritage Council (AAHC) with the purpose of preserving Arab history and educating non-Arabs about Arab culture. Since then, the AAHC has expanded their services to include immigration services, civic engagement, culture celebration, student support through scholarships and internships, and community enhancement. Current Executive Director, Devin Bathish, is proud to continue and enhance the organization’s presence in the city. “Since its beginning, the AAHC has been an organization dedicated to Flint’s Arab community,” he explains. “It was and still is the only non-religious Arab organization in the city that is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of our heritage, as well as to support and unite all Arab-Americans in Greater Flint.”
With the longer days and warmer weather, nobody wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking dinner. My friend Vera shared a one-pot, stove-top recipe with me — Hacienda Chicken. It is one of her family’s favorite meals. I cooked it last Sunday for my family and it was easy to prepare and delicious.
Elga Credit Union opened its new location in Grand Blanc at 6019 Grand Pointe Blvd. in Grand Blanc Township. This will be the 14th location according to an Elga press release. The full service branch will features four state-of-the-art ATM machines offering extended hours for service.
Genesee County Habitat for Humanity (Genesee Habitat), is proud to announce a Ribbon Cutting to be held on April 30 at 3:30pm at 315 Sylvan Court in Flint. The event acknowledges the launching of the “Almost Home” program and the completion of the townhomes. Genesee Habitat is one of only a few of the 1,200 affiliates nationwide approved for the program. “Almost Home” serves as a safe, affordable living option for families in queue for a Habitat home. The recently completed townhomes on Sylvan Court will serve as housing for the program.
Well of Hope (WOH) is a nonprofit organization located in Flint. It was founded in February 2005 and incorporated in 2006. Since then, the organization has offered programs that help break down barriers to education for children and unify families, according to Chia Morgan, Program Coordinator and Treasurer. Morgan’s father, Will, is the president and her mother, Debra, is also involved in the organization.
Roy Marble, Trent Tucker, Glen Rice, Deanna Nolen, Charlie Bell, Mo Peterson, Mateen Cleaves, Jeff Grayer, Pam & Paula McGee, Monte Morris, Demetrius Calip, Desmon Farmer, Linnell Jones-McKenney – the list goes on and on. The number of exceptional basketball players and teams from the small city of Flint is astounding and an outlier when compared to cities of its size. Basketball and Flint go hand-in-hand and its reputation for the game is legendary. “The city’s reputation in basketball has helped us tremendously and we have players asking to come here,” says Kevin Mays, Team Market Owner of the newly formed Flint United Basketball franchise. “Basketball is a sport synonymous with Flint and we want to continue the tradition. A professional team in Flint just made perfect sense.”
