Encore January 2020

Collaboration builds ‘attainable homes’

January 2020

Twelve Baskets feeds the hungry

All Ears Theatre: So much to love

Meet Ryan Wieber

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

Mattie Jordan-Woods The Northside’s Force for Progress

Kalamazoo Public Schools are reaching higher!

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EDITOR'S NOTE ENCORE

From the Editor W

e hope this issue of Encore feels to you like a ray of sunshine amid the doom and gloom of January.

While there is always an abundance of interesting people to profile in Encore, sometimes we have to go back and revisit someone we’ve featured before because they just keep doing great things. That’s certainly the case with this month’s cover subject, Mattie Jordan-Woods.

The executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development, Mattie first graced Encore’s cover in February 2005. At the time, she had been at the helm of NACD for 18 years and people she encountered in her role described her as “fearless,” “a human whirlwind” and “absolutely purposeful.”

Fourteen years later, she is still the force to be reckoned with when it comes to improving the lives and community of her beloved Northside neighborhood. She has led the way in getting the neighborhood a grocery store and other businesses, building affordable senior housing, and securing land that will allow neighborhood residents to own businesses and live and work in the neighborhood.

As she eyes retirement in two years, it is impossible to imagine the Northside without this 4-foot-9 dynamo.

This issue also highlights other folks doing good things in their communities, including the Kalamazoo Attainable Housing Program, a cooperative effort of local homebuilders and nonprofit housing agencies to build eight to 10 new homes each year in several of the city’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. We also meet the people behind Twelve Baskets, a volunteer-driven food pantry in Portage.

As Encore highlights the good all around us this January, may you be warmed and inspired.

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Collaboration builds ‘attainable homes’

Twelve Baskets feeds the hungry

All Ears Theatre: So much to love

January 2020

Meet Ryan Wieber

Southwest Michigan’s Magazine

Mattie Jordan-Woods The Northside’s Force for Progress

Publisher

encore publications, inc.

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CONTRIBUTORS ENCORE UPCOMING SHOWS Jan 11 Sherlock Holmes & The Red-Headed League Jan 25 The Ugly Duckling

2020 SEASON BEGINS JAN 11TH! All Ears Theatre presents 11 FREE shows in the style of radio's “Golden Age” (comedies and dramas) each season. Actors, musicians and sound effects artists perform on stage before a live audience!

JANUARY – MAY 2020

Feb 8 Ira Park, Detective & His Hawaiian Mystery Adventure Feb 22 Grandma’s Garden of Eaton

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

6:00 pm @ the First Baptist Church For full season schedule, visit: KalamazooArts.org

Funding provided by

Your legacy and your wealth are about more than money.

They empower and protect the people and causes you love.

Chris Killian

Chris enjoyed talking with Mattie Jordan-Woods, who is recognized as one of Kalamazoo’s most fearless and ferocious advocates for minorities and the Northside neighborhood.

“I found her to be both disarming and intense, a woman whose energy is immediately felt when she walks in the room,” Chris says. “As I drove away, I remember thinking that if we had just a few more Jordan-Woodses in our town, some of our most pressing issues would get handled very quickly." Chris, who also wrote about the Kalamazoo Attainable Housing Program for this issue, is a travel-loving freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press and Kalamazoo Gazette and on radio station WMUK.

Marie Lee

As the editor of Encore, Marie makes it a point to do as many of the interviews for our Back Story features as she can, because she relishes getting out from behind her desk to meet the people making things happen in Kalamazoo. Talking with Ryan Wieber, the director of the Kalamazoo Public Library, was no different. “Ryan blows the image of the stereotypical bespectacled, shushing librarian out of the water. He knows that libraries are so much more important to this community than just as a repository of books, and the new initiatives the library has introduced make it even more of a community treasure.”

Lisa Mackinder

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When a group of 50 people came up with the idea for Twelve Baskets, a nonprofit food pantry in Portage, they faced many obstacles, but businesses and residents rallied together to make it a reality. For this month’s issue, Lisa sat down with Joann Wespinter, secretary of the board of Twelve Baskets, and stopped by the pantry on a stock-up day to witness the volunteers in action. “The many volunteers worked like a welloiled machine and with smiles on their faces,” Lisa says. “You can tell that they love giving both time and love to their clients.” You can read more of Lisa’s writing, including updates on subjects she’s written about for Encore, at lisamackinder.com.

January

CONTENTS 2020

FEATURE Mattie Jordan-Woods

After 32 years, this 4’9" dynamo is still a force for progress for the Northside

20

DEPARTMENTS 4 From the Editor 6 Contributors

Up Front

8

12

First Things — Happenings and events in SW Michigan

Five Faves — The best things about All Ears Theater as it launches its new season

16

Enterprise

26

Good Works

38

Back Story

Building Hope — Builders, nonprofits team up to create ‘attainable homes’

Helping the Hungry — Twelve Baskets offers fresh food and a store-like setting

Meet Ryan Wieber — He’s making it easier for everyone to access the Kalamazoo Public Library’s resources

ARTS 32 Events of Note

On the cover: Exectutive Director of the Northside Association for Community Development Mattie Jordan-Woods. Photo by Brian Powers.

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FIRST THINGS ENCORE

First Things Something Musical

Whitney Houston tribute comes to Miller The musical legacy of Whitney Houston will be brought

to life in The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston starring Belinda Davids at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at Miller Auditorium.

This critically acclaimed tribute show features the breathtaking vocals of Belinda Davids, who has performed alongside the likes of Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole and Monica and was featured on Fox TV's Showtime at the Apollo. With the accompaniment of a live band, backing vocalists and choreographed dancers, plus state-of-the-art sound, lighting and theatrical effects, this tribute to one of the world's most revered singers has been described by reviewers as “mindblowingly spot on.”

Tickets are $28–48 and Encore readers can get 15% off by purchasing through this link: millerauditorium.com/ encore.

Something Green

Dig into some wicked plants If you think poison ivy is the meanest green thing lurking in your yard, a new exhibit coming to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum this month may change your mind.

Wicked Plants: The Exhibit, which opens at the museum Jan. 25, explores evildoers of the plant world. Based on author Amy Stewart's best-selling book, Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, the exhibit features interactive displays about the world's most villainous plants, including some that may be lurking in our own homes and backyards.

The exhibit runs through May 17, and admission is free. For more information, visit kalamazoomuseum.org.

8 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

ENCORE FIRST THINGS

Something Theatrical Civic stages Tick, Tick … Boom!

You’re turning 30, watching your friends making big bucks while you are waiting tables trying to write the Great American Musical. So what do you do? Write a musical about it.

That’s the story behind Tick, Tick … Boom, being staged by the Civic Theatre Jan. 10-26 at the Parish Theatre.

This autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Awardwinning composer of Rent, is the story of the composer on the brink of turning 30, his fear of falling into oblivion and the sacrifices he made to achieve his big break in theater. Because of its “authentic New York City language,” it is suggested for audience members 13 and older.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10, 11, 17, 18 24 and 25 and 2 p.m. Jan. 12, 19 and 26.

Tickets are $17–$27.50 and available at kazoocivic.com.

Something Good

Gala supports LGBTQ+ community In the dead of winter, you really need a reason to

get gussied up and go out, so here’s one: OutFront Kalamazoo’s Winter Gala, set for 7–11 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St. This annual event, which encourages attendees to “dress to impress or come as you are,” is a fundraiser and awards ceremony for OutFront Kalamazoo, an organization that aims to provide a just, inclusive and supportive environment in Southwest Michigan for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions.

The event includes dancing, food, silent and live auctions, entertainment and awards honoring local individuals and businesses that support LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Tickets are $65 until Jan. 5, or $75 after Jan. 5, and $35 for students. For $200, you can become a host and receive two tickets, drink tickets and your name on the host list. For more information or to buy tickets, visit bit.ly/382OzQe.

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FIRST THINGS ENCORE

Something Ethnic

Celebrate Chinese New Year Experience

some Chinese culture at the 2020 Chinese New Year Gala, set for 7-9 p.m. Jan. 25 at Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave. One of China's most important celebrations, the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a traditional time for family reunions. In China, the seven-day holiday features banquets, parades, fireworks and red lanterns.

The local gala, hosted by the Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo and Western Michigan University’s Confucius Institute, will feature a multi-faceted stage production, including Chinese singing and dances, opera, folk music, martial arts, dragon and lion dances and live painting.

Tickets are $8-$14 and can be purchased at cagk.org or Pacific Rim Foods, 229 W. Kilgore Road. Admission is free for children under age 4.

Something Eclectic Arkansauce to play at Bell’s

Phil Clarkin

If you are looking for improvisational guitar, banjo and

mandolin paired with powerful harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, then you’ll want to be at Bell’s Eccentric Café Jan. 24 when Arkansauce takes the stage.

The four-piece string band from northwest Arkansas plays a genre-hopping blend of bluegrass, newgrass, folk, Americana, country, blues and funk. The show begins at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $12. Tickets are available at etix.com and Bell’s General Store, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.

Register for Courses and Trips Lifelong Learning for adults 50-plus. wmich.edu/olli or (269) 387-4200.

10 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

Something Original

Farmers Alley explores motherhood Described as “motherhood in stories and song,” the Farmers Alley Theatre production of Does Anybody Have a Map? will explore the joys — and not-sojoyous moments — of being a mother.

The brainchild of local actresses and mothers Julie Nemitz, Nancy Stefanick, Whitney Weiner and Denene Mulay Koch, Does Anybody Have a Map? offers a relatable and heartfelt look at motherhood through original monologues, music and film.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 and 18 at Farmers Alley Theatre, 211 Farmers Alley. Tickets are $25. For more information or to buy tickets, visit farmersalleytheatre.com or call 343-2727.

Something Classical

Meredith Truax

Rising Star Wei Luo to perform Pianist Wei Luo, recognized by New York City classical radio station WQXR as one of 19 artists to watch in 2019, brings her talents to Kalamazoo with a 4–6 p.m. recital Jan. 19 at the Wellspring Theater, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall.

Luo, who was named the 2018 Gilmore Young Artist, returns to Kalamazoo as part of the The Gilmore’s Rising Stars Series. She will perform Poems, music that she commissioned and was written specifically for her by pianist and contemporary American composer Marc Neikrug. In addition, she will perform pieces

by Schubert, Ravel, Mozart, Chopin and the late Russian composer Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev.

Tickets are $25, or $7 for students 7 and older. For tickets or more information, visit thegilmore.org.

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FIVE FAVES ENCORE

Five Faves

Producer notes best things about All Ears radio shows by

RICK FONTAINE

This month All Ears Theatre begins it 19th season — and

my 11th with this talented group. Having performed, written and produced for this fantastic troupe (serving alongside Don Ramlow, Jeff Mais and Sharon Mais), I was asked by Encore to name my five favorite things about an All Ears Theatre show.

I like it all, but here are specific reasons why:

Donald Ramlow

Our Co-Creators and Writers Old-time radio (OTR) was the original “appointment” programming. Night after night, the entire country would join together to listen to and laugh at Jack Benny or thrill to the secrets of The Shadow. More than 20 years ago, Donald Ramlow and Rick Hughey, a couple of guys with a passion for the classic OTR broadcasts, asked a really good question: What if Kalamazoo could host a resurrected art form, staging classic and brand new audio-only scripts in front of a live audience? Before long, a local team of collaborators — the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo, WMUK 102.1 FM, Education for the Arts, Brown & Brown Recording Studios and the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation — created a new stage for audio theater. No scenery, no props, no costumes. Just very talented actors presenting sometimes silly, sometimes scary, but always engaging, voices behind microphones, flanked by equally talented sound effects artists and musicians. For 18 seasons, our local writers have been whisking us off to faraway places where even animation and the latest CGI cannot go — the boundless fringes of our own imaginations!

12 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

Our Actors and Sound Effects Artists

It may look like cheating, listing both of these in the same entry, but it confirms the fact that our characters are inhabited by two sets of performers: voice actors and sound effects artists. On the one hand, our actors bring a wide array of theater experience and ridiculous amounts of versatility. Indeed, part of the fun of an All Ears show is watching to see how many voices might pour out of a single actor. On the other hand, sound effects artists play key roles in bringing characters to life.

How menacing is the villain? Listen for his heavy, ponderous footsteps.

How anxious is the person under threat? Listen how urgently she fumbles as she picks up a telephone to dial for help. These artists are also incredibly sharp, intuitive performers with amazing outside-thebox thinking. Ever try to create the sound of a bow and arrow with a rubber band, dowel rod and punching bag?

ENCORE FIVE FAVES

Our Audiences It is the energy of our live audiences that brings a show to fruition. Most importantly, it is the audience’s imagination that brings along all of the evocative landscapes, the crazy contraptions and the excitement of the unknown. There is nothing quite as funny, or indeed as scary, as the things that surprise us in our own minds. When you join an All Ears Theatre audience, you are engaging with us through your laughter, gasps of delight and keen imagination.

Our Composers and Musicians As someone whose own scripts have come to life at All Ears Theatre, I’ve witnessed Hal Hobson-Morse and his band of composers and musicians do more to make our stories “real” than anyone else on stage.

The writers and actors create alternate universes that are strange and exciting, and the musicians are the pilots who take us there. Setting, mood, character, scenery — all are formed from their instruments.

Nothing sweeps us away and convinces us of the world we’ve just been transported to quite like the inventive music these artists deliver.

About the Author Rick Fontaine is the co-executive producer of All Ears Theatre, which begins its 19th season at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 at First Baptist Church of Kalamazoo. The group will perform every other Saturday through May, presenting 12 new shows.

Our Recording and Playback Engineers Without Lester Batts of Sound Solutions, Martin Klem of Kalamazoo Recording

and our like-minded friends at WMUK 102.1 FM, All Ears Theatre would not have the legacy it enjoys today. Thanks to these folks, our posterity continues well beyond our live performances. Audiences have two chances to catch our shows: live and via subsequent radio broadcasts. And much of our audience prefers to catch both. After all, a live performance provides a behind-the-scenes perspective of its production elements, while listening to it on the radio brings out all of the nuances captured by the recording and playback engineers.

About the Broadcasts You can listen to All Ears Theatre every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on WMUK 102.1 FM. Current season shows air the first Sunday of the month, and classic favorites air on the remaining Sundays. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 13

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ENTERPRISE ENCORE

Building Hope

Builders, nonprofits team up to create ‘attainable housing’ CHRIS KILLIAN

A

recently launched homebuilding program is set to change the face of some of Kalamazoo’s most economically challenged neighborhoods while placing families in need into homes of their own.

The Kalamazoo Attainable Homes Partnership (KAHP), a cooperative effort of local homebuilders and nonprofit housing agencies aims to build eight to 10 new homes each year for a decade in several of the city’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“This is just the right thing to do — and to do it the right way,” says Jeffrey Tafel, chief executive officer of the Homebuilders Association of Western Michigan, which is joining hands with Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services (KNHS) and Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) to make the program happen. “It’s a program that’s good for Kalamazoo.”

The new construction will be in the Eastside, Edison, Northside, Vine and West Douglas neighborhoods, where most of the city’s 350 vacant lots are located, Tafel says. It is hoped that the new construction will help stabilize the housing market in these neighborhoods and generate a modest increase in property values in adjacent areas.

Brian Powers

by

‘Good for the city’ At first, it was difficult for Tafel to find builders willing to construct homes within the funding constraints of the program, which worked out to about $140 per square foot. The average cost for the kind of construction seen in the program’s homes is $200 per square foot, he says.

Above: Among the participants in the Kalamazoo Attainable Homes Partnership are, from left: Dan Martz, Martz Home Builders; John Keverne and Miles Freed, Wausau Homes; Matt Milcarek, KNHS; Kevin Osborne, Osborne Construction; Aaron Hovestadt, LandMark Homes; Troy Freed, Wausau Homes; and Matt Lager, KNHS. Opposite page: Views of a new home’s kitchen and bathroom finishes.

16 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

ENCORE ENTERPRISE

the city’s Foundation for Excellence program, according to LISC. Program advocates are hoping for a similar level of funding for 2020.

So far, four new homes have been built, and 10 vacant lots spread out over the five neighborhoods have been identified for construction in 2020. Several lots are in need of significant rehabilitation before construction can take place, such as the removal of driveways hidden under decades of debris. In some cases, homes on these lots were torn down and the debris buried on site rather than being hauled away.

Low cost, high quality

Many builders expressed an interest in participating but couldn't swing the costs. Tafel listened, and when a $15,000 flat construction fee was established — which would allow builders to at least break even on their labor costs — several homebuilders signed on, including LandMark Homes, Osborne Construction, Wausau Homes and Martz Homebuilders.

“We tried to at least make it worth their while,” Tafel says. “There was a benevolent motivation behind their wanting to get on board. They know it’s good for people and the city. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in.”

Tafel says the total number of new homes proposed to be built — up to 100 — is what’s needed to see a positive impact on the local economy.

“We can only build so many a year,” he says.

Funding sources for work done in 2019 included a $312,000 line of credit loan taken out by KNHS, a $150,000 recoverable grant from LISC and $90,000 from

Brian Powers

But when construction does commence, lower costs won’t mean lower quality.

KAHP homes will have 50-year roofs meant to be nearly maintenance-free. Scratch-resistant vinyl flooring

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 17

Brian Powers

ENTERPRISE ENCORE

Above: Part of the team behind the construction of new KAHP home on Stockbridge Avenue is, from left: Matt Lager, KNHS; and Troy Freed, Miles Freed and John Keverne of Wausau Homes-Kalamazoo East. Center photo: Matt Milcarek (KNHS), left, and Jeff Tafel, CEO of the HBA of Western Michigan, with a sign explaining the project.

Far right: The finished Stockbridge home boasts a generous pantry.

decreases maintenance costs as well, and LED lighting, plenty of insulation and energy-efficient appliances mean lower monthly costs, with KAHP shooting for $100 utility bills in the winter.

“We are aiming to keep costs low… but in no way does that mean we are skimping on quality,” Tafel says. “We want these to be Parade of Homes-quality homes.”

“There has been enormous interest” in the program, says Matt Lager, executive director of KNHS, which helps between 300 and 400 low-income people annually with a variety of services related

New ‘Attainable Homes’ Four new homes have been built or are under construction through the Kalamazoo Attainable Homes Partnership (KAHP).

The addresses, neighborhoods and builders are: • 610 McCourtie St., Vine Neighborhood, Osborne Construction & Maintenance, LLC • 1032 Sherwood Ave., Eastside Neighborhood, LandMark Homes of Michigan • 1403 Stockbridge Ave., Edison Neighborhood, Wausau HomesKalamazoo East • 1318 W. North St., West Douglas Neighborhood, Martz Home Builders, LLC

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to homeownership, from credit counseling to the securing of bank loans. “A bunch of the people we are helping here at KNHS are looking for homes but not finding what they’re looking for. These are the best houses out there for the price range.”

Lager says vacant lots are like “missing teeth” on a block, an indicator that there might be issues with the real estate market in that area. But when those spaces are filled with new homes, the market begins to stabilize, he says.

“The homebuilders’ desires to move into the city and do this work for less than they would normally earn is purely because they believe in this community,” he says.

“We couldn’t have done this without their expertise. It’s been refreshing to work with them.”

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New Year.

New Dreams.

Same Golden Rule.

One challenging reality is that the houses will almost certainly sell for less than the cost to build them, Lager says. While the houses are expected to cost between $160,000 and $180,000 to build, they will most likely sell in the $130,000-$140,000 range, says Marie Frank, marketing director of the Homebuilders Association of Western Michigan. The median home value in the city in October 2019 was $119,900, up more than 11 percent from the year before.

Lager says that not only is new housing stock needed in these neighborhoods, but there is reason to believe that there will be reasonable increases in property values on the blocks where these homes are built.

“Ten years from now we will be patting ourselves on the back,” he says.

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Brian Powers 20 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

'I’m Not Going Anywhere'

After 32 years, Mattie Jordan-Woods is still a force for the Northside

by

CHRIS KILLIAN

W

hen Mattie Jordan-Woods started her job as the executive director of the Northside Association for Community Development, she told herself she’d be at the job for two years. That was in 1987.

Now, some 32 years later, the fiery, feisty advocate for one of Kalamazoo’s most economically challenged neighborhoods is still at it, working behind the scenes and in the public eye — sometimes up to 70 hours a week — to better the lives of the approximately 6,000 people who call the Northside neighborhood home.

“I fell in love with the Northside,” says Jordan-Woods, now 63. “It’s as if I am married to this community. And I’m still in love.”

Jordan-Woods comes from a Chicago family of nine brothers and sisters. The family moved to Three Rivers when she was 12 years old. Often homesick that first year, she would take the bus to Chicago every Friday and stay with relatives there before begrudgingly returning home Sunday evening.

Jordan-Woods, who still lives with her husband in a home she built in the Northside neighborhood in 1996, describes herself as “the runt” of her family. She was a small, skinny girl who would have to stand up for herself and not back down from anyone in order to survive.

“I was always told, ‘You are going to have to stick up for yourself,’” she says. “Mama said, ‘I can’t make you love yourself. You gotta look in the mirror and tell yourself you love yourself.’”

Mama was Eva Rodgers, and her advice has come in handy throughout JordanWoods’ life.

After seeing television footage of busing programs that sought to desegregate the city’s schools, she had thought there were a lot of black folks in Kalamazoo. But when she arrived at Kalamazoo Central High School in 1972, after her mother moved the family here, she was hit with a different reality.

Despite the cold, Mattie Jordan-Woods proudly poses outside affordable senior housing the NACD built in the Northside neighborhood.

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 21

Brian Powers

“Just because you’re black don’t mean you gotta be poor,” Jordan-Woods recalls.

“Mama always said, ‘Focus on your education. It’s the most important thing.

Once you get it, it can’t be taken away from you.’”

After Jordan-Woods graduated from Western Michigan University in the late 1970s, she began working at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home, where she attended to children from all races, many of whom had suffered intense forms of abuse and trauma prior to being lodged in the facility.

“I saw such misery in that home,” she says.

It was hard to work there, she adds, but “the experience was one of many that made me want to advocate for those in need.”

When her mother died in 2009 after a decade-long bout with cancer, Jordan-Woods was shaken but resolute.

“My mother brought me to this community and this neighborhood,” she says. “I am not going anywhere, which means my mama hasn’t left.”

Good deeds for those in need

Jordan-Woods’ accomplishments over the years have been many.

Along with a diverse group of individuals, government entities and nonprofit groups, she was instrumental in building a space to house a grocery store and other retail enterprises on the Northside in 2003, after

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“I was the only black person in most of my classes,” she says. “Talk about culture shock.”

When she told her mother that she was struggling with a teacher who was prejudiced toward African-Americans, the solution her mother offered was straightforward and simple.

“She said, ‘Mattie, then make her mad and get an "A" in the class.’ I would think, ‘Don’t call on me because you think I don’t know the answer and try and make me look foolish, because I know the answer — and some extra information too.’”

Her mother kept anyone who might have a negative influence on her children out of their home. Transgressions by the children were met with swift consequences, not because Rodgers was mean, but because she wanted her children not to stray from the path that would lead them to realizing their full potential. In many ways, the attitude of toughness in the face of adversity that shaped her mother also molded JordanWoods into the woman she is today.

“I had a mother who was stern but loved me to death,” she says. “I am who I am because of her.”

She made Jordan-Woods volunteer so she wouldn’t be ashamed of being poor.

When they were still in Chicago, she’d take her children to black neighborhoods where well-cared-for homes were surrounded by manicured lawns, and she’d tell her children,

the area had lived through years of being a food desert. The building, at 215 N. Park St., had been the home of a couple of chain grocery stores that closed. Since 2010, it has housed the Park Street Market.

The Northside Association for Community Development owns the $3.7 million building and collects $100,000 in rent annually from

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For 32 years, Jordan-Woods has led revitalization efforts in Kalamazoo’s Northside neighborhood.

the grocery store, Jordan-Woods says. The money that remains after taxes and other expenses are deducted fills the association’s coffers, to be used for development and programming in the neighborhood.

Jordan-Woods made sure there was a clause in the store’s lease that requires employees at the store to be hired from the neighborhood.

“That was probably one of our biggest accomplishments,” she says of her work at the NACD. “You can’t have a community without a store where people can buy food.”

The building also serves as an economic stimulus to the neighborhood, where she says $10 million of development occurred from 2003 to 2008, including the opening of a new $4.2 million Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety station.

In recent years, she helped prevent several vacant lots in the neighborhood from being developed into a liquor store, instead securing funding to build affordable housing for seniors.

Her decades-long advocacy for the neighborhood and her tireless, don’t-take-

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Controlling the land

Some of Jordan-Woods’ proudest accomplishments have not been aimed at catching the public’s eye.

Brian Powers

no-for-an-answer attitude mean she is on a first-name basis with the city’s power brokers and high-level municipal officials.

Of her ability to get things done, she is not exactly a paragon of humility.

“If I want to do something, I am going to do it and nothing is getting in my way. Period.”

“She’s been such an example of tenacity,” says former Kalamazoo mayor Bobby Hopewell. “At times, that can rub people the wrong way and challenge their ability to work with her, but it has driven her to breathe new life into the Northside neighborhood.”

Hopewell remembers a time he was in Jordan-Woods’ “crosshairs” when he was younger and the two of them served on the Northside Association for Community Development’s board of directors. Hopewell used an expletive at her after a meeting where they had a disagreement. That was a mistake, he says.

“She said, passionately, ‘Don’t you be swearing at me, boy.’ I deserved that,” he says.

“But I would stand beside her, behind her, in front of her. She’s become one of my biggest champions and biggest challengers, but it made me a better mayor. With so many issues to attend to, she kept me focused on the Northside, on the neighborhood she loves.”

Quietly over the years she has helped several individuals and families negotiate the often-complicated process of purchasing a home. She has brought together teachers and parents whose children were struggling in school to organize new efforts to ensure the children’s success.

“Those of us who know better should do better,” she says. “I am a human being, and I have made mistakes. Sure, there are some things I shouldn't have said along the way, but I am not going to cower. I am not going to stop fighting for what I believe in.”

She does display humility, though, in recognizing the cooperative spirit that exists in Kalamazoo, as well as the payoffs that can come only from hard work.

“People tell me sometimes, ‘Oh, Mattie, you’re so powerful.’ Excuse me? I work 70 hours a week sometimes. Gimme a break,” she says. “Plus, it’s not just me. One of my favorite aspects of this city is how we work

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Jordan-Woods, left, discusses NACD initiatives with staff members Shawntel Lindsey, center, and Amin Finch.

together, how we can cooperate when we see a problem that needs addressing.”

That cooperative spirit is going to be needed if the Northside neighborhood is to retain its identity and burgeon into a thriving community, Jordan-Woods says.

“Some people think this area is crime-ridden because it’s black. Those people — I can’t help them,” she says. “Come up here and see all the good people who live here, work here, go to church here. Have an open mind.”

Yet Jordan-Woods is concerned about a relatively unspoken trend taking place in and around the Northside: the slow creep of gentrification, with large, well-funded firms developing land near the neighborhood and building residential developments that are priced for a demographic different from the folks who live in the neighborhood.

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A project at 508 Harrison St., near Kalamazoo’s riverfront, in which 120 apartments and mixed-use commercial space were planned for this year, is an example of this, she says. The project has since been delayed.

Jordan-Woods knows the best way to retain the soul of the Northside and ensure that the neighborhood has a stake in its future is for residents to own their own homes and land and develop businesses themselves.

"We're focused on securing land that will allow residents to own businesses and live and work in the neighborhood," she says, because “those that own land control what happens.�

She cites as an example a commercial property on the Northside that had been on the market for more than the association could afford. The owners had built their businesses in the Northside community and “they wanted their property to stay with this community,� so they told her to make an offer, she says.

She did, for nearly half the asking price, and now that property is the site of affordable housing for seniors, developed and managed

by the Northside Association for Community Development. A one-bedroom there rents for about $400.

Ensuring a legacy

One thing Jordan-Woods can’t stand is people coming in from outside the neighborhood who, even with their good intentions and generous gifts, wind up taking the reins and telling neighborhood leaders and residents how best to utilize resources meant to better the lives of community members. “We know how best to utilize resources,� she says.

An example of the neighborhood planning to use resources wisely is an old 16,000-square-foot warehouse at 1505 N. Burdick St. Jordan-Woods says it is the perfect place to house a host of ventures, including a year-round hydroponic vegetable farm and space to recycle old materials into usable, sellable items. “Poor folks can do things to help stave off the effects of climate change too,� she says.

WMUK

102.1

Another example is a planned print shop to be housed in a former funeral home across the street from the NACD. “My No. 1 goal is supporting the opening of more minority and low-income businesses,�

Jordan-Woods says. “When people run their own show, they have a stake in the community. When they have a stake in the community, it grows and strengthens from the inside out.�

She sees herself working as the exectutive director of the NACD for perhaps two more years, then starting a for-profit business to make enough money to be able to donate to the association or starting some other venture that seeks to achieve the goals she has worked more than three decades to achieve.

No matter what, she’s not going anywhere. “Somebody has to drive this forward,� she says. “God has put me here and put people around me. Call it what you want, but we are going to keep moving and growing this neighborhood. I’m not foolin’ around.�

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GOOD WORKS ENCORE

Helping the Hungry

Twelve Baskets offers fresh food and a store-like setting LISA MACKINDER

Brian Powers

by

A

large number of volunteers and a high volume of donations — those were two of the needs Joann Wespinter and 50 other members of what was then the Lake Center Bible Church faced when they brainstormed an idea for a new sort of food pantry in 2013. Wespinter had doubts about whether they could make it happen.

“I thought, ‘This will never work … but I’m curious,’” admits Wespinter, whose inquisitiveness pushed her to help launch Twelve Baskets, in Portage. She is secretary of the board at the nonprofit,

26 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

Above: From left, a client is assisted with food selection by volunteers Fred James and Gordon Heikkila. Right: Volunteers Ken Champlin, center, and Wayne Reynolds, right, distribute meat to clients.

whose name is a reference to the biblical story in which 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread were left after Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish.

With a mission to fight against hunger in the community by bridging the gap between need and excess while restoring hope, dignity and

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self-respect, Twelve Baskets now serves approximately 100 families per week from Vicksburg, Portage, Schoolcraft and Three Rivers.

Twelve Baskets, located at 10332 Portage Road, differs from other food pantries in a variety of ways, Wespinter says. Clients find a grocery-store-like setting with stocked shelves, refrigerators and freezers, and healthy options such as meat and fresh produce rather than processed meals like Hamburger Helper. There are even parking attendants and shopping assistants who can answer questions. And while many pantries require proof of income and a birth certificate, Twelve Baskets’ clients need to show only a Michigan driver’s license or identification card, Wespinter says.

“We decided that they’re already feeling insecure or inadequate and embarrassed,” she says, “and we don’t want to do anything to make them feel that way.”

From backpacks to baskets The idea of developing a food pantry came about as a result of Lake Center Bible Church’s program providing backpacks with food to some students at Lake Center Elementary School.

“We thought if the children were hungry, then the parents must be too,” Wespinter explains.

An electrician in the group discussing the possibility of a food pantry offered firsthand insight: He had received food from a food pantry, and he said that most of the time it was food that his family didn’t even want to eat. w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 27

“That hit all of us kind of hard,” Wespinter admits. “And we said, ‘OK, now what can we do different?’ That’s when we came up with the idea of getting shelves, putting food on the shelves, getting shopping carts, (having clients) going up and down the aisles and letting them pick their food based on the size of their family.”

The organizers also wanted to provide healthy food to clients and ingredients to make a “decent meal.”

“That doesn’t mean that we won’t take it (boxed food) if it comes, but we want all the other things that they can do something with,” Wespinter explains. “They can actually make a decent meal. That’s what we came up with, again not knowing if we could pull it off.”

Brian Powers

GOOD WORKS ENCORE

Up and running But things swiftly fell into place. Twelve Baskets became an independent nonprofit organization in 2014. By April of that year,

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it secured a building on Portage Road. After that, the group asked for donations. The community responded — overwhelmingly.

Twelve Baskets received blinds, paint, carpet, furniture, shelves and professional expertise.

“Because there were so many people at that first meeting, we had a guy that was good at plumbing,” Wespinter says. “We had one that was good in electrical (and) one that knew people who (owned) a carpet company.”

By June 2014, Twelve Baskets’ doors opened with fully stocked shelves. Stores like Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Harding’s and Youz Guys Sausage in Portage — among others — routinely contribute to Twelve Baskets. Local farms, including Joe’s Farms in Schoolcraft/Three Rivers, Walther Farms in

Three Rivers and Baily Farm in Three Rivers, donate fresh produce and eggs each week.

Individuals and families also donate. “We have one family that has committed to spending $200 a month on things to bring to the pantry,” Wespinter says. “They always bring the kids.”

Receiving healthy food resonates with Twelve Baskets’ clients. “Some pantries don’t give the variety that Twelve Baskets gives, and for the first time we are able to eat fresh

produce on a regular basis,” says a client named Jane.

Driven by volunteers To keep Twelve Baskets operating, 40 to 50 people volunteer every week, filling a variety of positions.

“We’re always going someplace picking up food,” Wespinter says, “and we’re doing it almost every day of the week and sometimes two or three times in a day.”

Sorting incoming food donations are, from left, Bill Steger, Twelve Baskets board president; volunteers Nancy Brown and Daisy Jones, and Nancy Brutsche, a board member.

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Drivers pick up donations throughout the region, including in Hamilton, Allegan, Wayland, Scotts, Three Rivers and White Pigeon. When the drivers arrive at Twelve Baskets, the items must be weighed and categorized, and perishable food items must be stored in refrigerators and freezers.

“In the meantime, shelves are getting cleaned, floors are getting swept and stock is being rotated,” Wespinter says.

On distribution day, volunteers assist clients with picking out foods based on the size of their family and educating them about foods they aren’t familiar with — like something out of the “fun fridge,” which has cheeses or premade salads with unfamiliar names. People who don’t have much money haven’t tried these kinds of items in the past, Wespinter says, due to their high cost.

“It’s a lot of odd stuff, ” she says, “but it’s fun for people.”

Making an impact Wespinter witnesses how Twelve Baskets impacts clients’ lives every day. For instance, the pantry had a client with four children who worked three part-time jobs and still couldn’t make ends meet, she says. The man came to Twelve Baskets for three years. One day last January he arrived with good news: He had two full-time job offers and wouldn’t need to get groceries at Twelve Baskets anymore.

After further discussion, though, Wespinter discovered he had credit-card debts. She suggested he continue to come to Twelve Baskets for food and use the extra money to pay off his credit cards. Every time he arrived for groceries, he gave Wespinter an update on becoming debt-free. “After three months I just didn’t see him anymore,” she says.

At the same time, Twelve Baskets is changing volunteers’ lives. Wespinter is

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Above: Donated bread products fill the shelves at Twelve Baskets. Right: A client looks at cheese and other prepackaged foods from the pantry’s “fun fridge.”

the first to tell people that volunteering with Twelve Baskets has changed her life, “because things aren’t always as they appear.” It increased her compassion for and understanding of people. “I just see people different now,” she says. “I don’t look at somebody and make an assumption — no

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Growing pains

matter what. There’s times when life is really rough on people.�

Volunteers routinely recruit family members. One volunteer brings his teenage grandkids, and they have embraced the volunteer work wholeheartedly. “The 13-year-old knows so much about what’s going on around here,� Wespinter

says. “You could just turn him loose and he could run it, I swear.�

The organization’s warm embrace of clients has led many clients, such as Carolyn, to become volunteers themselves.. “At first I was very uncomfortable asking for help,� she says, “but the people at the pantry have made me realize that it is OK.�

Twelve Baskets has already outgrown its 2,800-square-foot building where, in the first six months of 2019, it served 8,245 individuals, including 2,620 children, 1,474 seniors and 4,151 other adults. Besides the refrigerated cases that run along one wall, the pantry has a 28-foot-long walkin refrigerator and a 20-foot-long walk-in freezer outside the building. The organization recently acquired the outside freezer, which allowed for removal of many indoor freezers. “It (gives) us more room and should cut our electric bill between $100 and $200 a month,� Wespinter says.

The nonprofit wants to purchase and renovate the 10,300-square-foot building next door, so the board is working on a fundraising plan to raise $500,000. “We’re working on all the details to actually get a campaign out there and get it announced to the public,� she says.

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2nd Sundays Live: Kaitlin Rose — The singer/ songwriter performs original Americana music, 2 p.m. Jan. 12, Parchment Community Library, 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747.

PERFORMING ARTS THEATER Plays

Sherlock Holmes & The Red-Headed League — All Ears Theatre radio theater production, 6 p.m. Jan. 11, First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan Ave., 342-5059.

Blood at the Root — Dominique Morisseau's play based on the true story of the Jena Six, black students convicted in the 2006 beating of a white student in Jena, Louisiana, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24, 25, 30, 31, Feb. 1, 6, 7 & 8; 2 p.m. Feb. 2 & 9, York Arena Theatre, WMU, 387-6222.

The Ugly Duckling — All Ears Theatre radio theater production, 6 p.m. Jan. 25, First Baptist Church, 342-5059.

Born Yesterday — A 1946 political comedy still relevant in today's climate, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 7, 8, 14 & 15; 2 p.m. Feb. 2 & 9, Civic Auditorium, 329 S. Park St., 343-1313.

Teddy Roberts and the Mouths — Rock 'n' roll tunes, 8 p.m. Jan. 17, Bell's Eccentric Café, 349-7759.

Cousin Avery CD Release Show — Folk-rock band from Kalamazoo, 8 p.m. Jan. 18, Bell's Eccentric Café, 349-7759.

Arkansauce — Genre-hopping four-piece string band from Arkansas, 8:30 p.m. Jan. 24, Bell's Eccentric Café, 349-7759.

Boosie Badazz — Hard Southern-style rap, 8 p.m. Jan. 25, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

Erin Zindle & the Ragbirds — Indie-pop melodies, global-infused beats, rock guitar riffs and folk sensibilities, 9 p.m. Jan. 25, Bell's Eccentric Café, 349-7759.

Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More

Musicals

Pianists Lori Sims and Yu-Lien The — Faculty recital, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-2300.

Tick, Tick … Boom! — Rock musical about composer Jonathan Larson's journey leading to the Broadway blockbuster Rent, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 & 25; 2 p.m. Jan. 12, 19 & 26, Parish Theatre, 405 W. Lovell St., 343-1313.

Craft Music: Pint-Sized KSO — Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's "Salon Orchestra" plays 19th-century excerpts, 8 p.m. Jan. 15, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 349-7759.

Jersey Boys — The true-life story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 & 16, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Georgiy Borisov & Friends — KSO musicians play music by French composer Guillame Connesson, Swedish composer Svante Henryson, and Mozart, 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.

Jan. 19, Sarkozy Bakery, 350 E. Michigan Ave., 349-7759.

Les Misérables — A new production of the classic Broadway musical, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31 & Feb. 1; 2 p.m. Feb. 1; 1 & 6:30 p.m. Feb. 2, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

Other

Does Anybody Have a Map? — Motherhood in stories and song, an original production by Kalamazoo area women, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 & 18, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, 343-2727.

Dinosaur World Live — Interactive dinosaur show for the whole family, 2 p.m. Jan. 18, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

MUSIC Bands & Solo Artists Desmond Jones — Five-piece rock band from Grand Rapids, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10, Bell's Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 349-7759.

OUT — "Fist-pumping and anthemic" music, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11, Bell's Eccentric Café, 349-7759.

32 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

Crescendo Academy of Music Student Recital — 2 p.m. Jan. 19, First Congregational Church, 345 W. Michigan Ave., 345-6664.

Gilmore Rising Star Wei Luo — 2018 Gilmore Young Artist performs commissioned work Poems, by Marc Neikrug, and works by Schubert, Ravel, Mozart and Chopin, 4 p.m. Jan. 19, Wellspring Theater, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, 342-1166.

How to Train Your Dragon: In Concert — Movie with live score performed by the KSO, 3 p.m. Jan. 25, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 3872300.

Western Brass Quintet — 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-2300.

University Jazz Orchestra and University Jazz Lab Band — 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30, Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMU, 387-2300.

Pianist Anna Polonsky, Clarinetist David Shifrin & Cellist Peter Wiley — Fontana presents the trio performing works by Beethoven, Brahms and Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31, with pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.; piano master class at 1 p.m., First Baptist Church, 315 W. Michigan Ave., 382-7774.

COMEDY Colin Mochrie Presents HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis — The star of Whose Line is it, Anyway? and master hypnotist Asad Mecci present hypnosis and improv, 8 p.m. Jan. 17, Miller Auditorium, WMU, 387-2300.

FILM

Napoleon Dynamite Screening with Live Q&A — Screening of the classic movie and a conversation with original cast members of the film, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

VISUAL ARTS Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 314 S. Park St., 349-7775 Exhibits

Resilience: African American Artists as Agents of Change — An exhibition of works from the KIA's permanent collection, through Feb. 2.

Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review — Juried exhibition of works by KIA art school faculty, through March 8.

David Park: A Retrospective — An exhibition of nearly 100 of the artist's paintings and drawings that span his career, from the 1930s to 1960, through March 15.

Natural Forms: Contemporary Works by Japanese Women — Works in ceramics and on paper from the KIA collection are paired with works from private lenders examining the history and innovations of Japanese ceramic making, through March 22.

Events ARTbreak — Weekly program about art, artists and exhibitions: The Photosynthesis Project, talk by sculptor Anna Ill, Jan. 7; Craft in America: California, video about contemporary craft heritage traditions and innovations, Jan. 14; Life, Love, and the Art of Emotion, talk by photographer and jeweler Amelia Falk, Jan. 21; sessions begin at noon, KIA Auditorium.

Sunday Guided Tour — Docent-led tours: David Park: A Retrospective, Jan. 12 & 26; Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Exhibition, Jan. 19, sessions begin at 2 p.m.

ENCORE EVENTS Book Discussion: So Much Longing in So Little Space: The Art of Edvard Munch — Denise Lisiecki leads a discussion of the book by Karl Ove Knausgaard, 2 p.m. Jan. 15.

Get the Picture: Woman with Coffee Pot — Michelle Stempien leads an in-depth discussion of David Park's masterwork, noon Jan. 16.

Unreeled: Film at the KIA — Local filmmaker Kelly Wittenberg discusses her awardwinning film Representative, the story of her relationship with her father, and her film A Hole in the Ground, which weaves together family stories, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23.

Richmond Center for Visual Arts Western Michigan University, 387-2436

17 Days (Vol. 12) — One artist's video work per day is played on 50-inch plasma screens, through May 1, Atrium Gallery.

Dwayne Lowder — Collection of works by former WMU art professor, Jan. 10–Mar. 8, Monroe-Brown and Netzorg and Kerr galleries.

Other Venues Jamari Taylor — Battle Creek portrait artist, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 10, Black Arts & Cultural Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Ste. 202, 349-1035.

Solo Gallery: Carrie Penny — Acrylic and watercolor paintings featuring natural elements, Jan. 12 through February, Portage District Library, 300 Library Lane, 329-4544.

Painting in the Park — Create a masterpiece of your own, 6–9 p.m. Jan. 17, Schrier Park, 350 W. Osterhout Ave., Portage, 329-4522.

LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS Kalamazoo Public Library Telestrellas: Latino Soap Operas — Watch Hispanic telenovelas in Spanish with English subtitles and discuss the films, 6 p.m. Jan. 6, Eastwood Branch, 1112 Gayle Ave., 553-7810.

Page Turners Book Club — Discussion of An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 6, Oshtemo Branch, 7265 W. Main St., 553-7980.

Winter Vitality — Nutritionist and doula Kama Mitchell shares tips and recipes for staying well, 6–7:30 p.m. Jan. 13, Eastwood Branch, 553-7810.

Reading Race Book Group — Discussion of Kindred, by Octavia Butler, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 14, Central Library, 315 S. Rose St., 553-7800. ¡Hola! Hello! — For English speakers practicing Spanish and vice versa, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 15, Washington Square Branch, 1244 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, 553-7970.

Drum and Dance with Rootead — Interactive family drum and dance performance, 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 18, Oshtemo Branch, 553-7980.

Creative Institute performs big-band jazz tunes composed by black musicians, 2 p.m. Jan. 25, Central Library, 553-7800.

Urban Fiction Book Club — Discussion of The Secret Life of Baltimore Girls, by Katt, 6 p.m. Jan. 27, Eastwood Branch, 553-7810.

Art Deco in Kalamazoo — Historian Lynn Houghton introduces the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne styles and their impact on Kalamazoo, 7 p.m. Jan. 28, Central Library, 553-7800.

Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747 Parchment Book Group — Discussion of Becoming, by Michelle Obama, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 6.

Mystery Book Club — Discussion of The Fleur de Sel Murders, by Jean-Luc Bannalec, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 20.

Yum's the Word: Cheesecake — Richard Moncrief of Specialty Cheesecake & Dessert Co. shares tips for better cheesecakes, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 22.

Portage District Library 300 Library Lane, 329-4544

Educate & Caffeinate — Discussion of Brené Brown's talk The Power of Vulnerability, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 20, Oshtemo Branch, 553-7980.

International Mystery Book Discussion: China and Tibet — Jade Dragon Mountain, by Elsa Hart, 7 p.m. Jan. 9.

A Night with the Paranormal — Carl Wickett from the Michigan Paranormal Research Organization shares his adventures and tools, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22, Washington Square Branch, 553-7970.

SciFi/Fantasy Discussion Group: The Hulk — Bruce Banner and his human struggle, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14.

Jazz Speaks for Life: Remembering MLK & the Civil Rights Movement — Jazz and

Jazz Speaks for Life: Remembering MLK & the Civil Rights Movement — Jazz and Creative Institute performs big-band jazz tunes composed by black musicians, 7 p.m. Jan. 17.

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EVENTS ENCORE

Land Bank

Open for Discussion — Discussion of The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai, 10:30 a.m. Jan. 21.

Balanced Nutrition on Balanced Budgets — Hristina Petrovska emphasizes the simplicity of eating well while saving on time and resources, 2–3:30 p.m. Jan. 25.

Other Venues Self-Care Through Journaling — Learn how to organize a bullet journal, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8, Comstock Township Library, 6130 King Hwy., 345-0126; registration required.

(continued from page 16) Willard Wigan, Microsculptor — Artwork so small it must be viewed through a microscope, construction, through Jan. 26. many will be left as green spaces.

Filling in the Gaps: The Art of Murphy “We can sell the property to Darden — Art focused on black cowboys, MUSEUMS neighbors for a very reasonable price, or Darden's personal experiences in Mississippi, Kalamazoo Valley Museum residents on the block can opt to create civil rights heroes and Kalamazoo's African230 N. Rose St., 373-7990 American through March 29. and garden community, space for vegetables or trees Mindbenders Mansion 2 — Puzzles, brainbushes and places to sit Contest and enjoy the Fretboard Festival Play-in — Contest teasers and interactive challenges to test the surroundings,” Boring says. for a chance to perform at the 2020 Kalamazoo brain, through Jan. 5.

Fretboard Festival, 6–9 p.m.

Jan. 10.on North Galilee Baptist Church, WestnedgeAAvenue, hopes 50 to create a the Woodstock: Retrospective Years in — Learn about the context and legacy Making serenity garden on property at 430 W. surrounding theacross Woodstock music festivalThe of Paterson St., from the church.

1969, 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 12, Stryker Theater.

Land Bank Adopt-A-Lot program leases Meet Michigan Author Nick Haddad — The author talks about his book The Last Butterflies, 7 p.m. Jan. 16, Richland Community Library, 8951 Park St., 629-9085.

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Wicked Plants: Exhibit Visit and a creepy properties for The use as green—space Victorian gardens.home and learn about the world's most villainous plants, Jan. 25–May 17. “”When we heard that the property NATURE would be available, we thought it would be a goodNature place for a serenity garden,” Kalamazoo Center 7000 Westnedge Ave., 381-1574 saysN.William Roland, a church elder for outreach ministry and Family Snowshoe Hike — board Explorechairman. a KNC trail on“We snowshoes, p.m. every Saturday in January. want to2make it aesthetically pleasing for peaceful Nerd Nightandata place the Nature Center — To reflection, and members the church commemorate J.R.R. Tolkien'sof128th birthday, take wintery night hike through "Middle willamaintain the garden.”

Earth," So far, there have been 12 Adopt6:30–8:30 p.m. Jan. 3.

A-Lot leases as part of theFeeders Land Bank’s National Bird Day: Winter — Learn tips and tricks about feeding birds from KNC and Community Garden program.

Wild Birds 2 p.m.

Jan. 5.

LastUnlimited, year Boring approached

Ten Plants for Winter Holidays — Learn about residents in the 1500 block of East plants used Avenue, for making essential Michigan where thereoils, were2 p.m.

Jan. 12. three empty lots, and asked if they would Winter SceneryinHike — Aacasual walk in the be interested having garden space woods along the Habitat Haven Trail, 2 there. “They not only agreed but said p.m.

Jan. 19. they would love to take over the building Winter Candlelight Night Hike — Hike the and maintenance,” she says.

Fern Valley Trail, lit with luminaries, 6 p.m.

The result is the Trybal Revival Jan. 25.

Eastside Eco-Garden, with more than Boomers & Beyond: Michigan Snakes — 100 plantings and 28 species of mostly Meet the snakes of KNC up close, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. food-producing trees and shrubs. Funds Jan. 28. for the garden came from the Kalamazoo Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Community Foundation, one of many 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510 Land Bank partners.

Birds and Coffee Walk have — A morning bird walk “The neighbors been great and discussion over coffee, 9–10:30 a.m. Jan. 8. partners,” Boring says.

BirdingAs Basics Workshop Learn best way the Land Bank—and itsthe partners tolook observe birds in the wild, 10 a.m.–noon across the Kalamazoo landscape,Jan. 18; registration required. they see the fruits of their labors — Other new Venues homes, rehabilitated homes and CND Year's Day dangerous Hike — Chiefeyesores Noonday lushShoe gardens where Chapter of the— North Trailthey Association once stood and Country know that sponsors a free guided 2-mile or 4-mile hike, have changed the face of Kalamazoo in profound and lasting ways.

11 a.m.–2 p.m. Jan. 1, Long Lake Outdoor Center, 10370 Gun Lake Road, Middleville, 269-808-7334.

Kalamazoo Astronomical Society Presents Remote Viewing Session — View the night sky in this indoor observing session, 9–11 p.m. Jan. 18, Room 1110, Rood Hall, WMU, 373-8942.

Talk on Beekeeping — Charlotte Hubbard discusses beekeeping and her books, 1 p.m. Jan. 22, Portage Senior Center, 320 Library Lane, 217-0569.

Audubon Society of Kalamazoo — Jeanne and Mel Church speak on "Nature Photography: A Close-Up Look at the Birds, Bugs and Other Critters in Our Local Preserves and Beyond," 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27, People's Church, 1758 N. 10th St., 375-7210.

p.m. Jan. 25, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Jan. 26, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 383-8778.

Downtown Kalamazoo Chili Cook-off — Sample some of the best and most unusual chili in our area, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Jan. 25, downtown Kalamazoo, kalamazoorestaurantweek.com.

2020 Chinese New Year Gala — Chinese singing and dances, opera, folk music, martial arts, dragon and lion dances and live painting, 7–9 p.m. Jan. 25, Chenery Auditorium, 714 S. Westnedge Ave., cagk.org.

Outfront Kalamazoo’s Winter Gala — Dancing, food, silent and live auctions, entertainment and awards honoring local individuals and businesses that support LGBTQ+ inclusion, 7–11 p.m. Jan. 25, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, bit.ly/382OzQe. Downtown Kalamazoo Restaurant Week — Restaurants feature specials with fixedprice menus, Jan. 31–Feb. 9, participating downtown Kalamazoo restaurants, kalamazoorestaurantweek.com or 344-0795.

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ®

MISCELLANEOUS Friday Theme Nights at the Rink: Superheroes and Villains — Dress as your favorite superhero or villain, 7–9 p.m. Jan. 10, Ice Rink at Millennium Park, 280 Romence Road, Portage, 329-4522.

Southwest Michigan Bridal Show — 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Jan. 12, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, swmichiganbridalshow.com.

FOR ALL

Southwest Michigan Ballroom Dance — Monthly ballroom dancing with DJ Dan Stratton, 3:30–6 p.m. Jan. 12, with Kalamazoo DanceSport teaching the cha-cha at 2:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., swmbd.org.

Tales of Ramona Park — Exhibition on the history of Ramona Park, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 13, Portage City Hall, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., 329-4522.

Saturday Flea Market — Used items, antiques, handcrafted items and much more, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Jan. 18, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., 383-8778.

Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — Buy, sell or trade reptiles, amphibians and small mammals, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Jan. 18, Kalamazoo County Expo Center North, 779-9851.

Kalamazoo Dance — Monthly ballroom dancing at 8 p.m. Jan. 18, with rumba lesson at 7 p.m., The Point Community Center, 2595 N. 10th St., kalamazoodance.org.

MLK Community Celebration — 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20, State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., 345-6500.

Harlem Globetrotters — Basketball artistry and family entertainment, 7 p.m. Jan. 22, Wings Event Center, 383-8778.

Traditional Archery Expo — New bows and archery supplies, noon–6 p.m. Jan. 24, 9 a.m.–6 w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 35

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ENCORE BACK STORY RYAN WIEBER (continued from page 38)

After three years at community college, where I studied business but wasn’t that enthusiastic about it, I discovered that Western Michigan University had a program called public history. I had grown up liking to study my family history and the history of the landscape and city around me. I loved looking at old photographs. Public history is a form of history where it's museum work, archival work and historic preservation. All of a sudden, I was engaged and enthusiastic about school.

That led me to the archives world. I quickly discovered that I couldn't get a job upon graduation unless I went to grad school, so I got a master's in library science, with emphasis on archival management, at Wayne State University. I never saw myself ending up as a librarian — I was going to be an archivist. My first job was in the Detroit Institute of Arts research library.

Then I became an archivist at Cranbrook (an education, science and art center), in Bloomfield Hills, which is a beautiful environment with great architecture and a rich history.

But after three years our family was growing and we decided we needed to get back home either to the Lansing area or Kalamazoo. My first day looking for a job I saw an opening for a director at the Otsego

District Library. I had not one day of public library experience in my past but interviewed and got the job. I ended up loving it.

I then became director at Van Buren District Library, which has seven locations scattered from Mattawan to Covert. I was there for four years and then this job opened up in springtime of 2017. I applied and here I am.

What do you like about what you do?

The best part is serving the community and proving the worth, the value, of the library to the community. I love to see the impact that the public library, with all of our resources and all of our programming, can make on individuals and families.

What’s been exciting about your job?

We’ve initiated a couple of new programs that are removing barriers, making it easier for people to get library access and enjoy the benefits of reading and using our resources.

The One Card program gets a library card in every student's hand here in Kalamazoo.

We worked with Kalamazoo Public Schools and found that staff, both at the schools and here at the library, were engaged and willing to make it happen, and happen quickly. We’re in our second year now and it’s gone quite smoothly. About 60 percent of students used their card during the first year, which is pretty good. And it's our goal to keep building that up, you know, every succeeding year.

We also give the opportunity for all school district employees to get a library card too — it doesn't matter where they live, they can come in here and get a library card.

The second thing was kind of a controversial move, but we are going finefree this month. We discovered we had roughly 6,000 patrons in our system who do not come to the library because they're at or above the $10 fine threshold and have been blocked from using the library. We found that residents from a lower socioeconomic level overwhelmingly make up that group. There are a lot of people who, once they hit that $10 threshold, it's just not a choice to pay it.

They don’t come back, and they don’t bring their families to the library.

We're doing it because it's the right thing. I'm excited to see hundreds, maybe thousands, of people coming back into the library. I think it's going to have a big impact here.

What are you reading right now?

I'm a big fan of creepy Stephen King kind of fiction and am reading Dr. Sleep. I'm also a fan of American social history and enjoy reading anything about Abe Lincoln, so Lincoln at Cooper Union, by Harold Holzer, is on my nightstand right now.

— Interview conducted by Marie Lee and edited for length and clarity

w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 37

BACK STORY ENCORE

Ryan Wieber

Director, Kalamazoo Public Library Ryan Wieber wanted to be a truck driver like his dad, but his mom

had other ideas.

“My dad delivered beer in Lansing, and I wanted to do what he did. My mom didn't (want me to), though,” the 50-year-old Weiber says, “so she made sure that I went to college.” There he fell in love with public history.

Three degrees later, Wieber’s career has brought him to the helm of the Kalamazoo Public Library, overseeing the central library and four branches and providing library services for more than 116,000 Kalamazoo residents. Not bad for a guy who admits he didn’t set foot in a public library until he was a senior in high school.

“We lived outside of Lansing, and it just wasn't a habit in my family to use a library, but my parents recognized the value of education and instilled a love for reading in all of us kids,” Wieber says. “We always had books. We were always, always reading.”

How did you end up where you are today?

It's kind of funny, you know. I don’t think many librarians set out to become a librarian. We just end up here somehow.

My story is a good example of that. (continued on page 37)

38 | ENCORE JANUARY 2020

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