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.

An awesome twist on "Can we have class outside today?"

Remember when you were a kid in school and you'd look out the classroom window and wish you could be "out there" instead of cooped up at your desk?

So you'd plead with your teacher, "Can we please have class outside today?"

For some Lansing-area students, having class outside is a reality.

And this is what $13,781 buys you for an outdoor classroom.

That's what the Capital Region Community Foundation granted to Annie's BIG Nature Lesson, a program that immerses children, teachers and parents in the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

Started in 1999 by Michigan Teacher of the Year Margaret Holtschlag, this program is unrivaled in the experience it gives kids. For one week, a class uses community resources as its classroom — in Lansing, that's at Woldumar Nature Center, a nonprofit environmental education organization situated along the Grand River and boasting more than five miles of trails.

"Kids spend so much time tuning out," Holtschlag said. "To do their homework, they have to tune out the TV in the other room, tune out traffic, tune out other people in the family. Here, we're asking them to tune in."

Random rant on enthusiasm

During a bout of insomnia last night, this fell out of my brain:

Enthusiasm is underrated. People who don’t – or can’t, or refuse to – get excited about things frustrate me. How can you go through life feeling ho-hum and blasé about the world around you all the time?

Abused women find a safe home at EVE's house in Lansing

In a brightly painted room filled with comfortable couches and lots and lots of chairs, you might think you were in someone’s home for a tea party.

Instead, you’re in a meeting room at EVE’s house.

EVE — or End Violent Encounters — provides shelter and supportive services to the victims of domestic violence. Their offices are housed, literally, in a nondescript house on a nondescript street.

That’s the point.

Haven House keeps families together when it matters most

Imagine losing your home. You, your spouse and your children are on the verge of being homeless.

You look around for a shelter where you can find temporary housing and get some help getting back on your feet.

But men aren’t allowed in the shelter. Only women — and only boys younger than 12.

So your family has to split up at a time it matters most to stay together for support.

That’s the case for many families in search of temporary housing, but not if they can find help through Haven House in East Lansing.

LAAN’s food pantry provides unique service

Food pantries across our region provide valuable help to people in need of groceries to feed themselves and their families.

But add to the equation someone in the family dealing with HIV or AIDS and suddenly nutritional needs go beyond the general to the very specific.

Since the late 1980s, the Lansing Area AIDS Network’s Food Pantry Program has been serving clients in a personal and vital way.

At a typical food pantry, clients are given pre-selected grocery items. But at LAAN’s pantry, clients can adjust their grocery list based on their nutritional needs.

Side effects from medications means careful attention to diets. Going in to a regular food pantry, clients often can’t ask for grocery adjustments to help with that attention — whether because of pantry rules or clients’ concern for their own privacy.

“People are encouraged to tell us what they can and can’t tolerate,” said Nancy English, auxiliary services coordinator for LAAN. “We accommodate everyone as best as we can.”

Kids with disabilities thrive on horseback

A classroom aide pushed what looked like a cross between a stroller and a wheelchair into the riding stable. In it sat a tiny, pink-clad girl who looked half asleep, eyes gazing at nothing.

After a few seconds, the little girl realized where she was and sprung to life, jumping out of the chair and running over to Janet Gross, program manager at the Beekman Therapeutic Riding Stables.

“Good morning, Faith! Are you ready to ride?” Gross asked.

Faith bounced up and down enthusiastically as Gross located a riding helmet small enough to fit the girl’s head.

Once she was suited up, volunteers helped Faith get situated on Flash, one of Beekman’s three ponies ridden by the littlest kids. She grabbed hold of the reins and said, “Horse!”

And just like that, Faith was in her element.

Helping kids find their voices through photography

“I wish my mother would write to me saying, ‘I love you, Joslin. I miss you.When you come see me again, I’m going to give you the largest kiss in the world.’ I wish she would write, ‘I miss you’ as many times as you can fit into a letter because we are not a happy family right now.”

Joslin was just 9 years old when she wrote that letter to her incarcerated mother.

On any given day, more than 1.5 million children in the U.S. have a parent serving a sentence in a state or federal prison, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

To help a portion of those kids, Lansing’s NorthWest Initiative runs the Children with Incarcerated Parents or Relatives Program, with help from a grant from the Capital Region Community Foundation.

More than just 'Grandma'

Who couldn't use an extra grandma?

The Foster Grandparent program was developed in the 1960s by Sargent Shriver and was designed to attract low-income seniors to volunteer work. Qualifying "grandparents" are given a small stipend to offset the cost of volunteering -- transportation, food, perhaps a new outfit -- and in return they give their time to local classrooms and students.

But the program means far more than that.

A quick, happy note about self-esteem

I love it when something like this crosses my desk:

I wanted to send you a huge "THANK YOU" for allowing my son the opportunity to attend the YMCA. Brad can walk to the DeWitt Y and goes to "work out" every single day. He has lost 20 lbs and feels so much better about himself.

You have no idea how grateful we are that Brad has this opportunity. His attitude has changed drastically.

Brad was able to take advantate of a 3 mo. membership thanks to you. We appreciate this so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Brad was one of the many kids who benefitted from the Capital Region Community Foundation's "Invest in Youth" grant to the local YMCA. I love that Brad is having great success and I love that his mom took the time to thank us for it and share a little of her son's story. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside on a bright, sunny day.

Go Brad!

Feeding the belly ... and the spirit

A number of mid-Michigan shelters offer a place for homeless people to sleep at night. That's great. That's necessary. But what do those people do during the day?

Or what about the working poor who need a support system during the day as they move toward what many of us think of as normal life? Where can they go to just "be"?

The Open Door Ministry in downtown Lansing's Central United Methodist Church is a day shelter for the homeless and working poor, but it feels more like a community center. The large dining hall in the church's basement is full of activity from the moment the doors open at 8:30 a.m. each weekday. Coffee, juice, pastries and listening ears are ready and waiting for anyone in need. There's no sign-in sheet. No one's required to show ID or proof of need. Just come in, have a seat, take a nap in one of the recliners or catch up with friends.

Turning $6,400 into $772,702.06

Who wouldn't kill for that ability, right?

Meet Veronica Almaguer, case manager at Cristo Rey Community Center in Lansing, Mich.

Cristo Rey is the only organization in mid-Michigan with one staff member entirely devoted to assisting uninsured, low-income residents with access to free medication. Almaguer is an angel to hundreds of tri-county residents who otherwise would never be able to navigate the intricacies of all of the forms drug companies require to qualify for such assistance.

"If you're not familiar with the system, you're lost," she said. "It can be overwhelming, especially for seniors, especially for those who speak only Spanish."

Veronica evaluates all clients personally and pairs them with the programs they will qualify for.

As a result of the Capital Region Community Foundation's $6,400 grant in 2009 as well as money from other funding sources, the prescription assistance program was able to secure $772,702.06 worth of prescription medication for 1,365 people.

Changing the blogging course

When I began this blog, I had no idea what I wanted to write about, I just knew I wanted to play around with the technology and I figured the blog would create itself.

I tried a couple of approaches, including one I was pretty excited about: The Socially-Conscious Critic. My plan was to write a new kind of movie and television review, focusing on socially relevant -- or harmful -- messages in the media.

When I left my 18-year career in newspapers for a job in the nonprofit world, I assumed I'd have an even greater desire to find an outlet for my pop-culture-fueled interests and writing. Instead, I discovered that was the last thing I wanted to write about. I was very interested in becoming a private consumer of pop culture and media.

Powerful performances make 'Precious' a must-see

Practically before it screened at any film festival - much less reached any theater where regular people could buy a ticket to see it - critics and awards pundits were declaring "Precious" a lock for all sorts of nominations and awards.

Believe the hype.

"Precious" features two of the most raw, heartbreaking performances you'll see all year.

From the opening, misspelled credits (a reflection of the title character's struggle with illiteracy) to the heartbreaking final speech, "Precious," based on the novel "Push" by the mono-named writer Sapphire, is mesmerizing.

Surviving "Survivor"

The show:

"Survivor: Samoa"

The issue:

The reality of reality

The set-up:

After 18 other seasons, you know the drill: A group of strangers is sent to live in a challenging environment, divide into teams and face off in challenges in which the losing team votes someone off the tribe. In this 19th incarnation, the living conditions on Samoa are unusually brutal.

A "Three Rivers" stumble

Since CBS sent the pilot of "Three Rivers" to media outlets earlier in the summer, things have changed.

First, there was the recasting of one character (the role played by Juliette Binoche is now played by Alfre Woodard) -- a fine, harmless change.

But the problem the show faces now is the switch-up of episodes. The one you'll see premiering at 9 p.m. today on CBS is completely new. That in itself is not a problem. The problem lies in the lack of backstory audiences will have about a key character: Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke) is a newbie to the organ donation team. In fact, as the assistant to the transplant coordinator, he's had zero experience in medicine. Mostly, he's been a radio DJ and reporter. He's clearly out of his element.

"Three Rivers": Making a great case for organ donation

The show:

"Three Rivers," debuting Oct. 4 on CBS

The social issue:

Organ donation

The set-up:

"Three Rivers" follows a Pittsburgh organ transplant team as they work to save lives by finding organ donors to match their patients' needs. The title refers to the city's three rivers as well as the three converging storylines in each episode (transplant docs, donor recipients and donor families).

"Drop Dead Diva": Size acceptance or silly?

The show: "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetime

The social issue:

Can a skinny girl find happiness in a world that openly discriminates against fat people?

The set-up:

Deb (Brooke D'Orsay) is a blonde ditz-bomb of a spokesmodel wannabe. Jane (Brooke Elliott) is a dowdy lawyer who's got smarts to spare but is seriously lacking in the self-confidence and style department. On her way to an audition to be a "Price Is Right" model, Deb's too busy putting on lipgloss to notice an oncoming fruit truck, slams into it and is killed. Around the same time, a crazed husband shows up at Jane's law office brandishing a gun, wanting to kill Jane's boss who had an affair with his wife. Jane trips and takes the bullet.

Deb's trip to the hereafter (which owes a good bit to Albert Brooks' 1991 comedy "Defending Your Life") puts her in front of one of heaven's "gatekeepers," Fred (Ben Feldman), who tells her she's a total zero -- no good deeds or bad deeds to her credit. As he struggles to determine what to do with her, she hits a button on his computer and is zapped into Jane's just-dead body.

Skinny Deb wakes up size-16 Jane, with the knowledge of both in her brain.