Dear Readers,
I just attended the groundbreaking for the Flint Cultural Center Academy – a new, public, nonprofit charter school that will serve students in grades K-5 starting in fall, 2019. So exciting! The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has committed up to $35 million to cover the project’s design, construction and startup costs. My City will follow this project that will be so important to the future of education in our community and beyond.
We’re watching Flint’s revitalization and have updates on two Downtown projects in the works: The Marketplace, which will combine retail space and housing; and renovation of the old Genesee County Savings Bank structure to build a Hilton Garden Inn hotel. The momentum of progress in Flint is heating up this summer!
Early summer fun officially started with The Party at the Flint Institute of Arts – such a great event! MCM snapped a lot of faces there. Our Summer Fun Guide has info about the music, food and arts to be enjoyed in our communities. Of course, Back to the Bricks and The Crim are world-class events happening in August, and we hope to see you there.
Summer means spending time outdoors, and Genesee County Parks are the place to be! It’s the state’s largest county park system with over 11,000 acres and more than 40 locations. The GCPR is celebrating 50 years of providing spaces for people to enjoy Michigan summers.
When I think of summer, I think about ice cream! How adorable are the kids on our cover, enjoying a sweet treat in the heat? MCM visited several local places to get a scoop.
We love ice cream – but not as much as we love our pets. My dog sleeps under my desk at the office, pretty much all day. When he’s not sleeping, he’s collecting treats from the My City staff. We have a section devoted to furry friends, which includes the winner of our “Out of This World” Pet Contest and features written by local experts: Michelle Goetz of The Four Paws Hotel and Day Resort, and Joe Hendricks, DVM of Briarwood Veterinary Hospital (both in Grand Blanc). Our thanks to both of them for their contributions.
Some of the most-read stories in MCM are about people giving back – we never seem to run out of them. Read about the Dress Shirt & Tie Program at Quinn Chapel AME Church, Flint’s oldest black church. Something as simple as owning a shirt and tie can make such an impact on a young man’s confidence. What a fantastic way to give back.
Enjoy your summer … and your My City Magazine!
