The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
ü 2 days of music (Pages 1/2) ü New recruiter (Page 10)
ü A ‘diverse’ crowd (Pages 2-4) ü ‘Mother of Mine’ (Pages 10/11)
ü Wellness checks (Pages 4/5) ü Ibsen play (Pages 11/12)
ü 98 seekers (Pages 5/6) ü MSU trek (Page 12)
ü ‘Sins of Kalamazoo’ (Pages 6/7) ü Student art show (Page 12)
ü Presidential words (Page 7) ü ‘Job Fair 9-1-1’ (Page 13)
ü Welding Academy (Pages 7/8) ü Honor for Myers (Pages 13/14)
ü Healthful breathing (Page 8) ü PTK inductees (Pages 14/15)
ü Primo percussionist (Pages 8/9) ü Bob Dylan (Pages 16/17)
ü Scanning careers (Pages 9/10) ü Trash team (Page 17)
ü And Finally (Page 17)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Fretboard Festival expands to two days March 29-30
The third Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s salute to the local legacy of “pickin’ ‘n’ singin’,” will be held over two days as a sign of its growing popularity.
Free to the public and nothing to fret about, the festival will host a variety of events on Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. It is sponsored by the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation.
On display will be the craftsmanship of the Kalamazoo area’s skilled makers (luthiers) of stringed instruments, while performers will be making music on these instruments as well. Workshops, lectures and displays by vendors will also spill over into KVCC’s Anna Whitten Hall next door to the downtown-Kalamazoo museum.
Among the performers will be:
♫ The original Americana sound of The Corn Fed Girls.
♫ Gerald Ross, a virtuoso on the traditional Hawaiian steel guitar and ukulele who will also lead a workshop on his specialty instruments.
♫ Patricia Pettinga, Bill Willging and Friends, who specialize in traditional blues and folk music.
♫ The country-and-western twang of The Two Choices Band.
♫ Bluegrass music from The Mossy Mountain Band and Who Hit John?.
Workshops on how to play a variety of instruments and styles of music will be available for those of all skill and interest levels.
Exhibits and demonstrations by manufacturers of guitars, banjos and mandolins are planned, as are lectures about this area’s musical legacy.
Those presenters and the topics will include Joel Mabus (guitar chords), Brian Delaney (swing guitar), Jackie Zito (mandolin), Miles Kusik (classical guitar), and Mark Sahlgren (a guitar retrospective).
The first festival in May of 2006 attracted about 800, according to Jay Gavan, who is again coordinating the event for museum..
It was switched to a March date in 2007 to avoid competing with the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International and future conflicts with the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, as would have been the case this spring.
The 2007 turnout that packed the museum and Whitten Hall led to the decision to move to being a two-day event.
“Ever since the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Co. began making guitars here in 1894,” said Gavan, who has worked for Heritage Guitar Inc. that is still based in the former Gibson woodshop, “Kalamazoo has been famous for this tradition. It is like a mecca. People from all over the world know Kalamazoo for its guitars.
“This is a celebration of Kalamazoo’s legacy of stringed-instrument design and manufacture,” Gavan said. “It invites people to meet instrument designers, learn about their trade, hear live performances by area musicians, and take part in a variety of workshops. And it’s all free.”
In between workshops, performances and demonstrations, visitors will be able to view exhibits.
Among those sharing their knowledge and their wares will be professionals who make Heritage, Robinson, Kingslight, Wechter and other brands of stringed instruments.
Also manning displays will be Aaron’s Music Service in Vicksburg, the Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association, and the Kalamazoo Folklife Organization.
Making its debut at the Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, Elderly Instruments of Lansing.
Gavan said the festival is devoted to guitars, banjos, mandolins, upright bass, and “anything that is considered an acoustic stringed instrument or even an electric stringed instrument that was or still is designed and produced here.”
For more information and events scheduled for the third Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival, call 373-7972.
Or visit this website: www.kalamazoomuseum.org.
Friday’s Diversity conference attracts nearly 350
Walking in the shoes of the impoverished, a portrait of poverty in Kalamazoo by Mayor Bobby Hopewell, insights into the psychological and spiritual lives of gays and other sexual orientations, ethnic differences ingrained in the issue of immigration, and a look at attention-deficit disorder are among the topics to be addressed at KVCC’s fifth annual Diversity Conference.
Slated for Friday (March 28) from 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. on the Texas Township Campus, one of the highlights will be the opportunity for participants to engage in a three-hour simulation designed to sample the daily lives of people who are below the poverty line.
“A Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes,” under the auspices of the Kalamazoo County Poverty Reduction Initiative, is slated for 8:45 to 11:45 a.m. in one of the conference’s two tracks.
As in the past, the college’s yearly conference – this year’s theme is “Diversity: In Our Own Back Yard” – is free and open to the public as well as to KVCC students, faculty and staff.
Pre-registration is required because of space availability.
Conferees not taking part in the morning simulation can attend presentations on the ethnic and culture differences surrounding the question of immigration and the psychological, emotional and spiritual impact of being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Following the lunch break, the tracks will include presentations on attention deficit disorder, how males and females become socialized in the U. S. culture, Mayor Hopewell’s views on the extent of poverty in the Kalamazoo area, and an overview of what it will take in the community to stem this tide.
Among the speakers and presenters during the all-day conference are:
● Immigration attorney Maia Storm
● Theo Sypris, director of KVCC’s program in international studies
● Tracy Hall, a political-science instructor at KVCC
● Psychologist Judy Loudin
● River Artz-Iffland, a community activist
● Kimberly Crider and Maggie Hiatt of the Kalamazoo County Poverty Reduction Initiative
● Michele Novotni, former president of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association
● Mark Orbe of the Western Michigan University School of Communications
● Kalamazoo City Commissioner Don Cooney, who is also an assistant professor of social work at WMU; he will share lectern duties with Mayor Hopewell, director of hospitality services at the Borgess Medical Center and a KVCC alumnus.
● Representatives from the Free Clinic of Kalamazoo, the Kalamazoo Communities in Schools Foundation, Loaves and Fishes, and Kalamazoo County Community Mental Health.
The mission of the Kalamazoo County Poverty Reduction Initiative is to foster collaborative and mutually accountable public-private partnerships that increase both access to and resources for individuals and families living in poverty.
The simulation was crafted to help participants understand what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive from month to month. They assume roles in a variety of families facing crises, such as losing the “breadwinner,” becoming unemployed, or trying to raise children on only a Social Security check.
The scenario includes the spectrum of community resources that might be available to provide the basic necessities of food, shelter and financial support. Volunteers, preferable people who have faced or are facing poverty, are recruited to represent these resources.
After the exercise, there is a debriefing in which participants and volunteer staffers share their feelings and talk about what they have learned about the lives of people in poverty.
For more information and to register, visit http://diversity.kvcc.edu, follow the link on the KVCC home page, or call the registration line at 488-4870.
Sign up for employee-wellness assessments
Linda Howard of Holtyn and Associates is conducting free wellness screenings and counseling through Friday, April 19, for full-time KVCC employees and their spouses who are both new to the college’s program or continuing participants.
While payoffs in the past have focused on one’s personal and individual health, it is now starting to pay off in the pay checks of employees.
The one-on-one appointments include a glucose analysis, an HDL and cholesterol evaluation, a blood-pressure check, a body-composition reading, an assessment of cardio-respiratory fitness, an overall health survey, an individual fitness assessment, and a personal consultation.
Here’s the remaining schedule for 20-minute appointments for health-risk assessments and wellness counseling slated for Room 6044 in the Student Commons near the entrance to the Wellness and Fitness Center on the Texas Township Campus:
A Monday (March 24); Tuesday (March 25); Wednesday (March 26) – all from 9 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
A Thursday (March 27) from 1 to 7 p.m.
A Monday, March 31; Tuesday, April 1; and Wednesday, April 2 – all from 9 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
A Monday, April 14, and Tuesday, April 15 – both from 9 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
With all sessions to be held in Room 128 in Anna Whitten Hall on the Arcadia Commons Campus, appointments are available on:
A Wednesday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Thursday, April 17, and Friday, April 18 – both from 9 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
The 20-minute screenings, which are not available during the lunch hour, can be done on work time. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call Ruth Baker at extension 4492 between 8 a.m. and noon. The other contact between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday is Blake Glass at extension 4177
All full-time staff, faculty and administrators – and their spouses -- are encouraged to sign up for this college-sponsored program, even if previous screenings had not identified any health risks.
Participants should wear comfortable, loosely fitting clothing. Short-sleeve tops are recommended. Fasting is not required, but it is advised not to consume caffeinated beverages two hours prior to the assessment and to refrain from smoking.
The testing is paid for by the college.
All participants must complete a health survey prior to their screening appointment. This can be done by going the Holtyn website, www.holtynhpc.com and following the step-by-step instructions.
98 looking for workers at Employment Expo
The 2008 KVCC Employment Expo on the Texas Township Campus is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 98 potential employers have signed up so far.
It is a no-cost opportunity for students, KVCC alumni and residents of Southwest Michigan to visit with representatives from area businesses and industries, from health-care organizations, human-service agencies, from manufacturers, the military services and the trades to discuss current and future employment opportunities.
Machining, retail merchandising, sales, law enforcement, manufacturing, welding, engineering, health care, inventory control, recreation and summer camps, delivery services, the construction trades, the military, marketing, finances and banking, computer technology, public safety, hotel management and hospitality, electrical technology, human services, broadcasting, communications, and hospital work will be among the career opportunities in the spotlight.
The representatives will gather in the Student Commons to talk to participants about their organizations, the employment prospects, career opportunities, and the chances for internships and volunteer service, both of which look good on a resume. Past expos have attracted more than 1,000 job seekers. Participants are urged to bring along resumes, a preparedness to be interviewed, and be appropriately attired.
Among the prospective employers who have indicated they will be available in the Commons during the four-hour event are:
Stryker Instruments, Sears Roebuck and Co., Kalamazoo Township Police Department, K & M Machine Fabricating Inc., Wil-Care Nursing Referral Agency Inc,
Kazoo Inc., Dana Corp.;
Schupan & Sons Inc., Tendercare of Westwood, Thrivent Financial, Western & Southern Financial Group, YMCA Sherman Lake Outdoor Center, FedEx Ground, Kalamazoo Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, AFLAC, Borgess Health Alliance, Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial Services, Camp Tall Turf, WSI;
Michigan Air National Guard, Advance Employment Service, Educational Community Credit Union, Greenleaf Hospitality Group and Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites, Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division;
Apprenticeships in plumbing, pipe fitting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, Trillium Staffing Solutions, Kadant Johnson Inc., the U. S. Air Force, the U. S. Army, Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services, WQXC and WZUU, the Allegan Department of Human Resources;
WWMT Channel 3, T-Mobile, the Marine Corps, Cumulus Media, Consumers Credit Union, Elite Marketing Solutions, EmploymentGroup, Friendship Village, Helping Hands Across America, the J. O. Galloup Co., The Kellogg Co., Manpower Professional;
Medical Resource Management, Morton Buildings Inc., New York Life Insurance, Reliv International, Right At Home, State Farm Insurance, Stay Home Companions, The Fountains at Bronson Place, Yerasoft;
Battle Creek Health System, Charter One Bank, Genx Corp., Michigan Indian Employment and Training Services, the Michigan State Police, Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., Residential Opportunities Inc., SIR Home Improvements, the U.S. Navy, Wal-Mart Stores Inc;
Accro-Seal, Advantage Private Nursing Service Inc., Aramark Uniform Service, BeautiControl, Best Buy, Creative Foams Medical Systems, Full Throttle RPM, Heartland Health Care Center in Three Rivers, Heritage Community of Kalamazoo, Hewitt Associates, Home City Ice Co., Michigan Department of Human Services, Micro Machine Co., Mobley Solutions, Pepsi Bottling Group, Winship;
AT&T Michigan, AWS, Burlington Coat Factory at The Crossroads, Earth Tech, Farm Bureau Insurance, Heartland Health Care Center of Kalamazoo, LaSalle Bank, the Michigan Army National Guard, Michigan Works!, MW Tux, National City Bank, Planet Beach Tanning Spa, Plas-Tech Mold & Design, Robert Half International, United Nursing Service Inc., the U. S. Postal Service, Vector Marketing, and Vista Asset Management.
More information is available by calling (269) 488-4272 or going to the college’s web page and clicking on “Employment Expo” at the bottom of the screen.
‘The Sins of Kalamazoo’ is ‘Sunday Series’ topic
As with any community of its size, Kalamazoo’s God-fearing citizens were probably matched by a similar number of folks who didn’t fear hellfire and brimstone all that much, and their activities showed it.