Stoneleigh Hospice Residence is tuned in to world music

No one is better equipped to know what immediate family members of Hospice patients need better than those family members themselves.

A public computer station
with Internet access at the
Stoneleigh Residence.

That’s why Hospice of Lansing’s Stoneleigh Residence is outfitted with so many comforts and conveniences – many were suggested by family members and several were donated by friends and family as well.

Mini refrigerators in patients’ rooms. DVD players. Bird houses. Solar lights in the serene landscaping.

A grant from the Capital Region Community Foundation helped the Stoneleigh Residence add another convenience suggested by the adult son of a Hospice patient: Free Wi-Fi. The woman’s son was dedicated to staying by his mother’s side in the residence; however, the demands of his job required him to work remotely. Without Wi-Fi at Stoneleigh, he had to leave every time he needed Internet access.

REACH Studio Art Center keeps creative juices flowing

Art lessons aren’t as ubiquitous as they were a couple of decades ago.

Programs that encourage creativity are often among the first ones cut from budgets, leaving kids — and adults— with little exposure to making cool, creative stuff.

But not at REACH Studio Art Center. The nonprofit neighborhood space for arts education and civic engagement keeps arts and creativity front-and-center for Lansing’s REO Town residents and beyond.

Lunch and dignity

My visit to the Southside Community Kitchen today delivered a combination of expected and unexpected finds.

Expected: Friendly volunteers working to prepare lunch for an indeterminate number of guests at the Christ United Methodist Church on Jolly Road in Lansing. Rows of pie slices lined the kitchen counter, waiting to become dessert.

Unexpected: Round tables of eight set with paper place mats, plastic ware wrapped in paper napkins and secured with a dark green wrapper. A grand piano in the back corner of the room, being played as lovely background music. Volunteers acting as servers for the guests.

That's right: No one stands in line to wait for food at the Southside Community Kitchen, executive director Anna Thiel explained. "It's more dignified," she said.