Kayaks, canoes, or just a tube to float in are great ways to enjoy a day on the water. We’ll take you to three different venues in the Great Lakes Bay Region that will connect you with nature, exercise, and most of all — fun.
The Midland Center for the Arts is a cultural landmark, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Terri Trotter has served as the president and CEO of the Center for over five years. Trotter shares with Catalyst her thoughts on what the center means to the community, how COVID-19 and last year’s disaster have changed how the Center has provided programming, and what’s planned for this summer.
The outdoors is a way of life and is big business in Michigan, including the Great Lakes Bay Region. Mike Avery has worked in broadcasting, promoting the outdoors for most of his 40 years in the business. Avery shares with Catalyst his thoughts on what the outdoors means to our region, COVID’s impact, and why hunting and fishing are a way of life for him and many others.
The community of Coleman has been a food desert for several years since the local grocery store closed. Now, a collaborative effort has led to the opening of a new market featuring fresh produce in what’s become a hub in the community.
Financial challenges, the pandemic, and a devastating flood all happened in the first year on the job for Northwood University president, Kent MacDonald. The native of Nova Scotia shares with Catalyst how the university has responded, what role a university should have in a community, and who his mentors have been over the years.
There’s still one month of winter left to enjoy. Get outside and explore Midland’s outdoor offerings: The Midland City Forest, Emerson Park, The Pere Marquette Rail Trail, and The Chippewa Nature Center, to highlight a few.
Diane Brown Wilhelm has served on Midland’s City Council for almost 10 years. Her primary job is working as a senior program project manager for Accenture. Brown Wilhelm reflects on what led her to serve on the City Council, what challenges are facing the City, her mentors, and what it means to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
COVID-19 has created many challenges for the education system, including a shortage of substitute teachers. Midland schools are taking steps to solve that problem.
Mike Hayes, a longtime community leader, is now at the helm of Midland’s minor league baseball team. He looks at what’s ahead for the Loons in the era of COVID-19 and he looks back at how the team has been a catalyst in the region 15 years after it was first announced that baseball was coming to Midland.
A woman who works behind the scenes stepped out front to coordinate the response to perhaps the greatest disaster in Midland County’s history.
Our Partners
