From the Editor
In a world where we relish the new, the innovative and the improved, it is important not to overlook those things that endure. This month's stories look at three organizations that are still here because of the fortitude of the people involved and the necessity of their mission.
The Douglass Community Association, the subject of our cover story, is one those organizations. Created more than a century ago to address the social, recreational and cultural needs of segregated Black soldiers stationed at Camp Custer (now Fort Custer) during World War I, the Douglass has become a critical community hub for Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood and beyond. As its new executive director, Stacey Randolph-Ledbetter is carrying on the association's original mission of providing a safe and uplifting space, but she is doing so with an eye and elbow grease toward helping the organization evolve to meet the needs of a new century.
In our Back Story profile of Sherri Welsh, we see how determination is key to an organization's endurance. Welsh founded Sherri Welsh & Associates in 2002, and it has grown into a successful executive talent search firm for small to mid-sized companies. And as the recently elected chair of the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), which advocates for and supports more than 33,000 Michigan small businesses, Welsh is advocating for Michigan small businesses that face significant challenges threatening their longevity.
Finally, we see how artist Elaine Unzicker creates works that will last years beyond their use. Unzicker creates chainmail jewelry and other items, including beautiful dresses for Wellspring/Cori Terry Dancers to wear when performing at the YWCA 140th Anniversary Gala this month. Made of thousands of stainless steel links, these creations are not only works of art, but they, like the chainmail armor of centuries ago, will last long beyond this event.
Enduring isn't just about longevity; it's also about impact. When I consider the number of people who have come through the doors of these organizations through the years, there's no doubt that these entities' impact is lasting. Many of those people will come back years later to support the organizations or implement the lessons they learned from them in their everyday lives. Lasting 10 years, let alone a century, is no easy feat for any organization, but the people we meet in this issue who've helped their organizations endure show that their common qualities are believing in the necessity of their mission and putting in the hard work to achieve it.
Left to right: Morgan Rogalke-Scime, Charles S. Ofstein, Tyler J. Stewart, William B. Millard
Jordan Bradley
For this issue's Back Story, Jordan spoke with Sheri Welsh, a true entrepreneur at heart and in action. "Sheri is such a passionate supporter of small businesses — hers and others' — that she really had me considering there for a minute what kind of business I would most like to run," Jordan says. Jordan is a frequent contributor to Encore.
Lem Montero
Lem, who wrote this month's article on artist Elaine Unzicker and her chainmail creations, believes everyone has incredible stories to share. For most of his professional life, Lem has shared the stories of the people and organizations of Kalamazoo through articles, photographs, videos and the occasional cartoon. He is currently the news and content director for Public Media Network, where he and his teammate, Dan Stephens, are working on a companion video for this story.
Robert M. Weir
The November 2008 issue of Encore featured a cover story by Robert about husband and wife Victor Ledbetter and Stacey Randolph-Ledbetter who were, respectively, a captain and a lieutenant in the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. "I have followed the careers of the couple as they serve the Kalamazoo community in ways that center on social justice, inclusivity and equality," he says, "so I am, in this issue, privileged to once again highlight the current work of Stacey RandolphLedbetter, who retired from KDPS in 2017 and is now the executive director of the Douglass Community Association." Robert is a frequent contributor to Encore
Publisher encore publications, inc
Editor marie lee
Art Director alexis stubelt
Photographer brian k powers
Contributing Writers
jordan bradley, elizabeth rae bullmer, lynn houghton, marie lee, lem montero, robert m. weir
Copy Editor/Poetry Editor margaret deritter
Advertising Sales janis clark kimberly juwong
Distribution ron kilian robert zedeck
Office Coordinator kelly burcroff
Proofreader hope smith
Encore Magazine is published 12 times yearly. Copyright 2025, Encore Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to:
www.encorekalamazoo.com 117 W. Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Telephone: (269) 383–4433
Email: Publisher@encorekalamazoo.com
The staff at Encore welcomes written comments from readers, and articles and poems for submission with no obligation to print or return them. To learn more about us or to comment, visit encorekalamazoo.com. Encore subscription rates: one year $36, two years $70. Back issues $6, $12 by mail. Advertising rates on request.
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by those interviewed and published here do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Encore Magazine or the official policies, owners or employees of Encore Publications
First Things
Something Nostalgic
Relive the '80s with Thomas Dolby
The '80s icon that brought us the song "She Blinded Me with Science" and then became a technology innovator and professor at Johns Hopkins University will perform and share reflections on the 1980s music scene at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 at Bell's Eccentric Cafe.
After Thomas Dolby's successful foray into new wave music in the '80s, he founded Beatnik, a software company whose technology was used to play internet audio and later phone ringtones. Since 2018, Dolby has led Peabody's Music for New Media program at Johns Hopkins University.
Tickets are $36.59 and available at events. bellsbeer.com.
Something Cultural
El Concilio celebrates Day of the Dead
You can enjoy Mexican traditions, food and music at the local Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead) celebration Nov. 1, hosted by El Concilio at the Kalamazoo Expo Center.
This free event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., marks a traditional Mexican holiday honoring loved ones who have died. For more information, visit elconciliokzoo.org.
Something Merry
Kalamazoo kicks off holiday season
The jolly season in Kalamazoo will officially begin Nov. 22 when the Maple Hill Holiday Parade brings floats, giant balloons, marching bands and Santa too to downtown Kalamazoo.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. at Lovell and Jasper streets, travels west to Park Street, north on Park to Michigan Avenue, east on Michigan to Pitcher Street, and south on Pitcher to Lovell. If you can't watch it in person, you can see the parade livestreamed by the Public Media Network at publicmedianet.org.
The next weekend, on Nov. 28, Bronson Park will be all aglow for the city's official Tree Lighting Ceremony. The festivities run from 5–7 p.m., with the tree lighting at approximately 6 p.m.
Something Fun
Spelling bee amuses adults, aids kids
S-I-L-L-Y and F-U-N are words that spell out what the annual Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee is all about.
This year's competition is planned for Nov. 19. You can watch as adult teams of two compete to be the top spellers. Each pair and their six cheerleading teammates will also compete for honors in the categories of best costumes, most creative cheer, most enthusiastic cheer and audience favorite.
The event raises funds for Ready to Read, a Kalamazoo Public Library program that encourages parents and caregivers to read to kids by providing free books for children from newborns to 5-year-olds.
The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee will take place from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Western Michigan University's Fetzer Center, 2251 Business Court. Tickets to watch the event are $35 and available at kpl.gov/great-grown-up-spelling-bee.
Something Handmade
Find unique wares at several events
If you're looking for unique items created by artisans and makers, you'll have a plethora of opportunities to do so this month. Several markets and events featuring handcrafted items are scheduled, including:
• Kalamatopia, an outdoor market, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 7 on the North Kalamazoo Mall, by the Radisson Plaza Hotel
• Holiday Market, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Nov. 22 and 28–29 at the Kellogg Manor House, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive
• Holiday Craft Show, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov. 22 and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center
• Portage Holiday Market, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Portage Parks & Recreation Building, 320 Library Lane
• Jerico Faire, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov. 29 at Jerico, 1415 Fulford St.
• and Bizarre Bazaar, noon–5 p.m. Nov. 30 at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.
For more information, including event websites, see entries under "Miscellaneous" in this issue's Events of Note, on page 24.
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Five Faves
Filling stations that provided more than fuel
BY LYNN HOUGHTON
These days a trip to a gas station is mainly to fill up your tank or charge your electric vehicle. But for years, going to a gas station meant not only getting fuel but maybe also having your oil changed or procuring a new set of drinking glasses. Kalamazoo's first filling station opened in 1912 and was connected to an auto dealership. As the number of automobiles in the city grew, so did the number of gas stations. By 1924 the city directory listed 31 gas stations, and by 1942 that number had reached 152 — comparable to the number of grocery stores in the city at the time. With that much competition, gas stations had to be creative to attract customers. These are a few of my favorite filling stations from our city's past:
355 E. Kalamazoo Ave. Windmill Service Station 924 E. Michigan Ave.
In 1926, Benjamin Rose opened a tire store on the northwest corner of East Kalamazoo Avenue and Porter Street. Four years later this Mission Revival structure, which provided a home for the Quality Tire Co., was completed. It was built of cream-colored and red bricks and boasted steel girders and a green tile roof. Although it primarily sold tires, it also provided amenities such as lubrication and brake service and sold gas from its seven pumps. It is not known exactly when the establishment stopped being a service station, but subsequent owners of the building sold radiators, water softeners and home appliances. In 1995 the building became part of Bell’s Eccentric Café, and the former tire store and gas station now houses Bell’s General Store.
This is definitely one of the most unusual gas stations ever to exist in Kalamazoo. In 1928, Otto Gerline, owner of the brass foundry in the photograph, opened the station, located on East Michigan Avenue east of downtown. The station was designed by the architectural firm Rockwell LeRoy and Manuel Newlander, and its exterior featured a windmill design that had four rotating blades decorated with blue and yellow lights. A separate building provided lubrication, with drive-through service. Souvenirs distributed at the station's grand opening included photographs of Gerline and his saxophone. Large advertisements promoting the station’s services were published in the Kalamazoo Gazette on a regular basis, and the station's blue lights could be seen from a distance. The station was listed in the Kalamazoo city directory in 1938 but not in 1939.
Heiney and Altland Filling Station
526 S. Burdick St.
This small gas station, which was owned by Oliver Heiney and John Altland, was completed around 1931 as a Conoco station and sat on the northwest corner of West Walnut and South Burdick streets. It was typical of what could be found in many neighborhoods in the Kalamazoo area during the early to mid-20th century. Four gas pumps were more than sufficient, and one of the services the station offered was greasing, a process of lubricating all moving parts of a vehicle separate from those lubricated by oil or fuel. Over the years this station had many owners. It stopped being a gas station around 1965 but remained the site for other businesses. It came down in 1976 and is now a parking lot.
Triangle Service Station
315 E. Water St.
This gas station, originally called the Colonial Oil Co., was located at the intersection of East Water Street and East Kalamazoo Avenue. At its opening on Nov. 29, 1930, it offered seven gallons of gas for $1, plus souvenirs for everyone, including ladies and children. The name of the station changed over the years, but the name that stuck the longest and was the most appropriate was the Triangle Service Station. Lester Rice, who stands proudly in this photograph, owned the station for 32 years. Along with gas and greasing services, the station might also have a used car or two for sale and offer premiums like drinking glasses. Moving into this space in 1993 was Water Street Coffee Joint, where customers still fill up but in a different way.
Seydel Brothers
702-704 W. Michigan Ave.
An article in the Kalamazoo Gazette in September 1930 announced the impending completion of the area's 12th Dixie Courtesy Station. Located on the northwest corner of Allen Boulevard and West Michigan Avenue, the Mission Revival-style building fit in well with surrounding structures. Five years later, Erwin Seydel, who sold tires, and his brother Hardy, who sold automobiles, purchased the Dixie Courtesy Station, renamed it, and began offering a wide variety of services, including auto repair, wrecker service and vulcanizing, a process of repairing tires. Erwin continued to own the station until 1966. It later became a used car lot, then a restaurant and then a sign business. The building still exists and is currently vacant.
Helping you manage trees
About the Author
Lynn Houghton is the regional history curator at the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections, located in the Zhang Legacy Collections Center. There, she works with researchers and students of all ages. She is the co-author of Kalamazoo Lost & Found, a book on Kalamazoo history and architecture, and has written a number of Five Faves features for Encore She also participated in the PBS series 10 That Changed America, about the history of architecture and urban planning, and has led a series of walking tours in Kalamazoo and other parts of Kalamazoo County. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from WMU and a master’s in library and information science from Wayne State University.
'Precision and Freedom' Chainmail creations designed for movement, not battle
BY LEM MONTERO
As the dancer rolled her shoulders back, the flow of her chainmail dress followed her movement, its metal links trickling down her torso like a waterfall as the dancer smiled in awe into the dressing room mirror.
“It feels like it’s a part of me, and not a costume,” marvels Alexis Smith, rehearsal director and dancer with Wellspring/Cori Terry Dancers. “I feel the life of the metal.”
The dress's creator, Elaine Unzicker, lowered the tape measure in her hands, stepped back and beamed, barely containing her excitement. Soon the chainmail dress would be flying across a stage for a fantastic cause.
Unzicker received a Master of Fine Arts in jewelry and sculpture in the 1980s. A professor encouraged her to explore new techniques, so she enrolled in a four-day chainmail workshop. She began experimenting with metals of different colors, surprising the instructor, and by the end of the workshop, Unzicker realized she had found her path.
She spent the next 35 years experimenting with various techniques and forms: chainmail necklaces, chainmail earrings, chainmail bracelets and even chainmail shirts.
“For me, chainmail is softer,” says Unzicker. “I work on the softness of it and the playfulness of it because I really want to see movement in it. But I also want it to be comfortable when worn, and so I work in a small ring pattern and a small, thin gauge of wire. Both of those things make it be as soft as it can possibly be.”
Not for battle
Chainmail invokes images of armored knights fighting firebreathing dragons, so the light and airy feel of Unzicker’s work always surprises those who touch it.
Above: Artist Elaine Unzicker, center, with dancers Sarah Holcomb, left, and Emma Kent, right, wearing chainmail dresses created by Unzicker. Top right: Dancer Emma Kent shows the movement created by the chainmail dress as she leaps. Bottom right: Unzicker creating chainmail in her studio. Photos and video stills courtesy of Public Media Network.
While her pieces can’t be worn into literal battle, six dancers will be wearing her chainmail dresses to champion a great cause: the YWCA Kalamazoo’s 140th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 14 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott, which will celebrate the organization's 140 years of advocating for community, equity and justice.
The black-tie event will feature, among other highlights, live music and unique performances including the one Wellspring created for the evening based on Unzicker’s metal dresses.
The gala presented Unzicker with a hard deadline that was much earlier than the Nov. 14 event in order to give the dancers time to rehearse wearing the stainless steel dresses. Each dress takes 30 to 50 hours to complete, not including the one-on-one time she spends with each dancer.
“Every dancer that I spoke to had a different body shape, different height and different build, and that is informing the
piece that I’m making for them,” Unzicker says. She knew right away what would work with some dancers, while others were “an open palette” requiring her to get to know the performer to divine the dress.
“Movement is what I really wanted to focus on in this particular project,” Unzicker explains. “I don’t often get to see the movement, or have the movement be the focus in my work. This time, the movement is the focus. Now I’m thinking about not only how it fits the dancer, but how the dancer moves with it.”
Unzicker measured dancer after dancer while her husband, Keith, helped by taking notes and photographs and assisting his wife with this high-pressure project in any way he could. Despite the volume of work facing them, they remained cheery and calm with
each dancer, the joy of the process clearly offsetting any visible stress.
Each dancer reacted with wonder and excitement as Elaine draped the metal across their torsos. It’s one thing to have a costume fitted to a dancer; it’s quite another to have a custom chainmail piece — essentially, a hand-crafted piece of art — created specifically for you. Weeks before they will first leap into the air with the dresses, the dancers were already visibly elated.
Getting 'yeses'
Unzicker works from a spare bedroom in her home with a dress form to keep her company. Her hands expertly weave each pre-coiled steel strand into its neighboring strand. In real time, each dress may take up to 50 hours of focused craftsmanship, but in actuality, it’s 50 hours plus nearly four
Learn more about Elaine Unzicker's work
Kalamazoo’s Public Media Network is working on the video version of this piece. It will include an interview with Elaine Unzicker and clips of Wellspring’s dancers wearing the chainmail dresses. The video will be posted shortly after to the date of the gala to include footage of the finished dresses. Be alerted when the video comes out by signing up for PMN’s newsletter at PublicMediaNet.org.
To learn more about Elaine Unzicker and see her work, visit TheUnzicker.com.
decades of experience. She calls this project Precision and Freedom. In her studio, the “precision” becomes obvious as she surgically closes jump rings with needle-nosed pliers. The “freedom” comes later when the dancers take over.
“It’s been a big dream for me to do this,” she reflects. “I’ve known about the movement (of my dresses) for a long time, but in order for a single artist like myself to do a project like this, you have to have other people who say ‘yes.’”
The creation of the seven chainmail dresses was made possible by a grant from the Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative (KADI), a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, one of the many "yeses" lifting up Unzicker's work.
“I think that artists now, in this time in our lives, working in collaboration is really important,” Unzicker says. “It makes a bigger splash. It shows people that we, as artists, are here. No matter what, we’re going to keep creating because that’s who we are. And creation brings people together. Look how many people are coming together because of
140th Anniversary Gala
What: Black tie event celebrating the YWCA's 140th year with food, live music and performances
When: 7–11 p.m. Nov. 14
Where: Delta Hotel by Marriott, 2747 S. 11th St.
Cost: $140
To register or for more information visit YWCAKalamazoo.org.
this project. That’s very powerful, and it shows how much we can do as a group.”
Artists bravely charge like armored knights with lances to fight turmoil with beauty. The YWCA Kalamazoo, like so many other nonprofits, has suffered the loss of government funds, making its already challenging mission that much more difficult. Artists have responded by using their creativity to do what they could to help the YWCA Kalamazoo and, by extension, the thousands of women and children who trust their lives to the organization.
Unzicker understands how her chainmail dresses will also give the dancers added power. Wellspring’s dancers are already fierce and armor cladding will only intensify their ferocity. Sometimes a battle can be beautiful.
“I know that I’m changing and growing from the project just because somebody said yes,” says Unzicker. “So if we get a lot of 'yeses' as an artist, then more art can come forward and out, and that’s more beauty for everybody.”
Access to the arts is essential for everyone. The arts enrich our lives, cultivate empathy and understanding, and help shape a vibrant future for all.
During this season of giving, please consider supporting the ACGK, so we can continue to promote, support, and create opportunities for artists and art organizations in our community.
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YWCA Kalamazoo
Dancer Sarah Holcomb in a chainmail dress created by Unzicker.
Lewis Reed & Allen P.C. attorneys
Front row, center: Richard D. Reed Middle Row (L-R): Michael A. Dombos, Stephen M. Denenfeld, Lana M. Escamilla, Jennifer Wu, Kimberly L. Swinehart, Adam D. Bancroft Back Row (L-R): Wesley J. Todd, Ronald W. Ryan, David A. Lewis, Christopher D. Morris, Michael A. Shields, Thomas C. Richardson
'A Pillar of Hope and Resilience'
Under new director, Douglass Community Association continues to thrive
BY ROBERT M. WEIR
A desire to see a century-old Kalamazoo organization endure is what originally drew Stacey Randolph-Ledbetter to the helm of the Douglass Community Association, but it was the people the organization serves that made her stay.
“I’m one who likes to help others become the best they can be and help them in whatever small or large way I can to fulfill their dreams,” says Randolph-Ledbetter with a blend of confidence and humility. "I like everybody winning in life."
In 2022 she joined the DCA as its interim executive director for what she anticipated would be “a couple months,” she says, noting that she accepted the job for “the opportunity to assist at a historical organization that has served and survived over 100 years.”
Guiding the Douglass Community Association's next century are board members including, back row from left, Dr. Deveta Gardner, Robert Terrentine, Victor Ledbetter II, William Alexander III, William Alexander II, Toney Patterson Sr., Pastor Carl Page and Mark Hill; front row, from left, Verlanda Shaver, Antonia "Toni" Kennedy, Stacey Randolph-Ledbetter, Wendy Fields and Katrina Morrow.
In July 2024 the DCA board removed the word “interim” from her title. She is the organization's 23rd leader and the fifth woman to hold that position.
This role is an interesting culmination of Randolph-Ledbetter's career and life experiences, which include serving for 26 years as a Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officer and working as a consultant in the fields of diversity, implicit bias training, and security. She says she has a love for people and a penchant for building positive relationships, networking and making things happen.
“I consider myself to be a servant leader who tries to make that happen for others when I can,” she says.
From policing to policy
Randolph-Ledbetter was born in Highland Park and raised in Detroit. She earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice and sociology in 1991 and a master’s in public administration in 1999, both from Western Michigan University. Serendipitously, as an undergrad, she volunteered at the DCA as a tutor.
When hired by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, she embraced a path in community policing, whereby police officers are assigned to a particular neighborhood and become familiar with its residents. Assigned to Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood, she often visited the DCA, speaking to youth and assisting with programs and activities.
Community policing is a “special niche and a little bit different because officers get to establish positive relationships and not just respond to 9-1-1 calls when things are frantic and people are stressed,” she says.
The positive community relationships she nurtured in that role became foundational for the rest of her career, which included attaining the rank of captain in 2015.
It was after she retired from KDPS in 2017 that she became a consultant in diversity, implicit bias training, and security and worked in the areas of racial healing and law for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) in Kalamazoo, an organization focused on healing racism in communities and institutions.
'A necessary place'
The endeavors of TRHT and her work in community policing dovetail nicely with the Douglass Community Association's mission “to create a culture of equity and inclusion that transforms the lives of Northside residents and beyond through effective, efficient and quality opportunities.”
The DCA was established on July 1, 1919, to address the social, recreational and cultural needs of segregated Black soldiers stationed at Camp Custer (now Fort Custer), in Augusta, during World War I. It was named for Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), the wellknown Black escapee from enslavement who became a social reformer and statesman and
is recognized as the most important leader of the movement for Black civil rights in the 19th century.
In 1964, the DCA was known as a social service agency "serving individuals in the Northside neighborhood, as well as the greater Kalamazoo community, as a center for social, recreational, and community development activities,” according to its website. After working out of other locations in the Northside neighborhood, it moved to its current facility, at 1000 W. Paterson in 1982. The Douglass Community Center is a large facility with a gymnasium, multipurpose room, meeting rooms and offices, some of which have been renovated during Randolph-Ledbetter’s tenure.
"We call it ‘the new Douglass,’” she says. "We would love for (people) to come by. If people or donor organizations have any connection with the Douglass and haven’t been here in a couple of years, please come and see the renovations we’ve done."
During the year, the Douglass Community Center offers educational programs, community service events, a Halloween Trunk or Treat event, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, and a weekly Saturday breakfast program called Breakfast with Mr. Toney. The center was one of four inaugural early-voting sites in Kalamazoo County for the 2024 primary and general elections, serving Precincts 7 and 9. It also has hosted a Kalamazoo Warrant Clinic, organized by Mothers of Hope to help those convicted of a misdemeanor or traffic violations to meet with a judge to try to have their record cleared.
“The Douglass Community Association is a safe, welcoming and vibrant hub for the neighborhood,” says Mark A. Hill, DCA board vice chair, a sentiment echoed by another board member, Carl A. Page, the former pastor of Kalamazoo's New Life Fellowship Church of God in Christ and now pastor of Greater Fountain Church of God in Christ in Ann Arbor.
“Throughout its history, DCA has been a pillar of hope and resilience, addressing local needs and uplifting underrepresented voices," says Page. "Our ongoing commitment strengthens neighborhood pride and inspires collective progress rooted in faith, empowerment and service.”
The DCA building is home to nine other independent public service organizations: Bent Not Broke, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kalamazoo, Community Action, the Great Lakes Center for Autism Treatment and Research, the Helen L. Fox Gospel Music Center, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP, Michigan Works! Southwest, and Smile Savers Mobile Dental Health Service.
Charles Parker, the co-founder and director of a youth service organization that holds its annual summer youth basketball league at the Douglass, says it “is a necessary place, a Northside mecca, a beacon of hope, a trusted and safe place that’s very important to the young people we serve. Children of many ages come here, and parents allow their children to come here. They trust us.”
To that end, the DCA has several programs geared to youth.
In August, the DCA launched the Frederick Douglass Movie Club for boys, in which participants attend movies that inspire conversations about social justice, respect and responsibility, and gun violence prevention, with the latter being relevant because all of the participants are related to or know someone who has been a victim of gun violence.
A related workshop that same month gave a group of 25 middle school and high school students exposure to careers in the medical field. Bronson Healthcare trauma surgeon Dr. Sandra Medinilla and trauma injury prevention coordinator Christina Cameron presented information on treating patients with gunshot wounds. Participants roleplayed as victims and medical personnel, using medical instruments to treat people who had been shot in the simulation.
Many of the DCA's youth field trips explore a variety of career options by taking students to public events where they meet Black doctors, attorneys, judges and business leaders.
“We assist with trying to mold our young people to be responsible adults. We’re very serious about respect and accountability and about exposing them to opportunities and professions they might not be thinking about,” says Randolph-Ledbetter. “Some of these successful people grew up on the
Northside, like our young people today, so the girls and boys interact with them and realize their expanded possibilities. This helps them see who and what they can be.”
The DCA executive director says she even encourages some young people to think about “running the Douglass one day.” Invoking history
The Douglass Community Association makes a point of invoking its namesake in its programming. “We want young people and the community to know his history,” Randolph-Ledbetter says.
Scenes from the Douglass, clockwise from top left: One of the organization's former locations in the Northside neighborhood; preparations for the Breakfast with Mr. Toney program; a WMU student reads to kids at Breakfast with Mr. Toney; students and adults play together in the Chess Club; a packed house at a DCA community event; and a basketball game in the DCA gym before it was renovated.
The history of Frederick Douglass was the focus of the Douglass Day of Racial Healing on July 1, the DCA’s 106th anniversary. The event, which attracted 80 people, was presented in collaboration with Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy & Action in the Community (ISAAC) and the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study
of Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University. It started with a session called "Breakfast & Bonding," designed "to recognize our shared humanity and build relationships and celebrate the rich history of the Douglass Community Association,” says Randolph-Ledbetter.
Another event, Douglass Week, was established by Randolph-Ledbetter in 2024 and occurs in mid-February to coincide with Frederick Douglass’ Feb. 14 birthday. It includes daily events that honor Douglass, including a Youth Day and a luncheon for military veterans.
“As a veteran of the United States Army, I am honored to be part of an organization whose roots were founded for veterans,” says Antonia (Toni) Kennedy, the secretary/ treasurer of the DCA board.
History is also invoked through the efforts of the Lewis Walker Institute's Karika Parker. Raised in the Interfaith Homes community,
in the Northside neighborhood, Parker began to go to the Douglass in 1985, at age 10. Today she partners with the organization to share Black history and preserve community memory through presentations and collaborative projects. In one of those projects, Parker invites local military veterans and former Kalamazoo County law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS personnel — or their families — to submit biographies of their lives and careers.
Key partners and supporters
The Lewis Walker Institute is an “ongoing community partner” with the Douglass to “implement youth-based programs, culturally sustaining education initiatives and community-engagement efforts that uplift Kalamazoo residents, with a focus on supporting Black and Brown youth and
families,” according to the Institute's director, Bianca Nightengale-Lee.
Last November the Walker Institute, the DCA and WMU's College of Education and Human Development created an opportunity for students majoring in education, most of whom were White women, to converse with members of the Northside community and the DCA board and staff.
“We had frank conversations about developing and encouraging young students who come from cultures and life experiences unlike theirs,” says Randolph-Ledbetter.
“We told them, ‘Praise the positive. Don’t discourage. Don’t condemn. Don’t assume. If a child is sleeping in class, don’t chastise or punish but dig to the core. Maybe they take care of younger siblings at home. Maybe things are happening in their home and they can’t get any sleep at night. Maybe school is their safe place to eat and rest.’”
Deveta Gardner, DCA board chair, recalls coming to the Douglass as a young woman herself. “I was fortunate to meet and learn from many community pillars and pioneers,” she says. “As a college student who returned home
in the summer, I participated in art and exercise classes weekly. I learned the importance of volunteering and paying it forward.”
Likewise, Charlae M. Davis, ISAAC’s executive director, has “wonderful memories” of playing basketball for many years at the Douglass gym. Thirty years later, she calls the Douglass as “one of our neighborhood villages” and is “thankful that DCA’s community services continue for our youth, families and adults to foster healthy and connected communities.”
Randolph-Ledbetter says "people make a lot of negative assumptions about the Northside, about some people living in poverty, but we have great success stories, great residents, great potential and genuine support.”
That support includes individuals and organizations that provide funding, sponsorships, donations and/or volunteer work to the Douglass, which had $1.5 million
in expenditures last year, according to the organization's 2024 tax filing. Funders of the Douglass include local banks and credit unions, foundations, higher-education institutions and local businesses.
“Over 75 organizations have collaborated with us on various events and initiatives,”
Randolph-Ledbetter says. “They understand our importance to the community, and they want us to sustain and continue serving.”
'From the heart'
The DCA staff of 14, ranging in age from 21 to 80-something, are equally committed. “People who work here do so from the heart. They know and love this community,”
Randolph-Ledbetter says.
Toney Patterson, who has been with the DCA for 40 years and currently works as a youth specialist, started his Breakfast with Mr. Toney program in the summer of 2024 because he heard many children say they were hungry. Patterson also mentors boys,
practicing basketball with them in the gym and holding rap sessions on various topics.
Last fall these young men served chili and bottles of water to unhoused people at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in downtown Kalamazoo.
Douglass Executive Director Stacey Randolph-Ledbetter reading to kids at the Kalamazoo Public Library's Party in the Park.
Randolph-Ledbetter says one of the young men gave his belt to someone who was using his hands to hold up his pants. “I’m talking about young people who we give things to because they don’t have much but who also have a heart for giving what they can to other people," she says. "They’re not forced to participate as a required component of being on a team or being involved in something special. They just want to help people.”
Patterson says that at the outset of his work with the Douglass in 1980, he did so “to help my community.” Today, he says, “I absolutely love what I do. The youth give me happiness, laughter and hope for the future.”
'The next 100 years'
Looking to the future, Randolph-Ledbetter hopes to see the Douglass expand its services. Recent focus group sessions brought out desires for enhancements such as more meeting rooms, rental space and recreation areas, an auditorium, a commercial kitchen, top-of-the-line technology, audio-visual capabilities, expanded hours, and workshops teaching life skills.
“We own the land next to us, to the west,” Randolph-Ledbetter says. “It would be nice if we can build there as we get the new Douglass ready for the next 100 years.”
Randolph-Ledbetter's work at the DCA has had a ripple effect on the community, and her contributions haven't gone unnoticed. Last year she was honored with the Humanitarian Award by the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP.
She is fond of the use of “Humanitarian” in the award title because, she says, “'human' is in it. Human. That’s everybody. If love and compassion and empathy could exist for every human, society would function better in many respects.”
TheArts
Taekyeom Lee:Designed, Printed& Fired
Nov. 15–March 8
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
This exhibition will showcase South Korean artist Taekyeom Lee's innovative practice of combining 3D printing with traditional ceramic making.
Lee is an associate professor of graphic design at Indiana University, Bloomington.
KIA hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5–$10.
Continuing Exhibitions
Richmond Center for Visual Arts
Faculty & Staff Exhibition, through Nov. 22
In Our Wildest Dreams, by Sara Strong Gulpker, through Nov. 22
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper, through Jan. 11
Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review, through Jan. 25
LynnSures:Glancing attheUnseen
Nov. 7–Jan. 14
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
Mixed-media works examining the juncture of geology, physics and the origins of humans will be featured in this exhibition.
Sures, a Washington, D.C., artist, is coauthor of Radical Paper: Art and Invention with Colored Pulp (2024), which was awarded a 2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award.
A reception for the artist will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 at the KBAC, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A. She will present a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11 in Room 2008 of the Richmond Center for Visual Arts, at Western Michigan University.
For more information, visit kalbookarts.org.
VISUAL ARTS
Knowledge
Nov. 7
Art Hop
Art that explores the theme of knowledge and the fusion of learning and creativity will be the focus of this month's Art Hop in downtown Kalamazoo.
This free event, organized by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, runs from 5–8 p.m. and features a variety of artists’ works as well as live music and the chance to visit downtown businesses.
For a brochure showing Art Hop sites and providing information about participating artists, visit kalamazooarts.org.
Kalamazoo Improv Festival
Nov. 6–8
Crawlspace Theatre
More than 20 improv teams from the across the Midwest will bring their comedy chops to this annual laugh fest. Three sessions will be held each evening — at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. — with three teams performing in each session.
Tickets are $22 for a single session, $55 for a day pass, or $110 for a three-day festival pass and are available online at crawlspacecomedy.com.
Love’s Labour’sLost
Nov. 6–9
Festival Playhouse
This reimagined version of Shakespeare's lighthearted tug-of-war between love and intellect has been described as a "groovy, glitter-drenched romp" set in the 1970s.
It will be staged at Kalamazoo College's Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6–9 and 2 p.m. Nov. 9. Tickets are $6–$27 and available at festivalplayhouse.kzoo.edu.
AVery
Kalamazoo Christmas
Nov. 20–Dec. 7
Farmers Alley Theatre
TheColoredMuseum
Nov. 7–16
Civic Theatre/ Face Off Theatre Company
This play by George C. Wolfe — composed of 11 satiric sketches or "exhibits" — offers a journey through Black American experiences, tackling stereotypes and historical struggles with humor and insight.
It will be staged in the Civic's Parish Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7–8 and 14–15 and 2 p.m. Nov. 9 and 16. Tickets are $17–$32 and can be purchased by calling 343-1313 or visiting kazoocivic.com.
Full of Kalamazoo references, this holiday comedy was written by Michigan playwright Robert Hawlmark. It focuses on Felice, a corporate executive who journeys back to her small hometown, where she's forced to evaluate her life and priorities.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20–21, 28–29 and Dec. 4–5 and 2 p.m. Nov. 29–30 and Dec. 6–7. Tickets are $22.50–$54.50 and available by calling 343–2727 or visiting farmersalleytheatre.com.
FallConcertof Dance
Nov. 21–23
Wellspring/Cori
Terry & Dancers
Three diverse choreographic works created by Wellspring's founder and former artistic director, Cori Terry, during her career will be spotlighted in this production, along with a new piece choreographed by the current artistic director, Marisa Bianan.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21–22 and 2 p.m. Nov. 22–23 in the Cori Terry Theatre, in downtown Kalamazoo's Epic Center. Tickets range from $5.72 to $43.14 and are available at wellspringdance.org.
TheHouse ThatWill NotStand
Nov. 14–23
WMU Theatre
A Creole mother and her daughters navigate a world in transition in this play that captures the magic and tragedy of life in 1836 New Orleans for free Black families.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14–15 and Nov. 20–21 and 2 p.m. Nov. 16 and 23 in Western Michigan University's Shaw Theatre, in the Gilmore Theatre Complex. Tickets are $7–$22 and available by calling 387-6222 or visiting wmich.edu/theatre.
AChristmasCarol
Nov. 21–Dec. 22
New Vic Theatre
This annual production tells the classic Charles Dickens story about a man who discovers the spirit of Christmas after visits by ghosts on Christmas Eve.
Show times are 8 p.m. Nov. 21–22, 28–29, Dec. 3–5, 10–12, 18 and 22 and 2 p.m. Nov. 23, 30 and Dec. 14. Tickets are $40 and available at thenewvictheatre.org.
DANCE
The Nutcracker
Nov. 22
Miller Auditorium
This beloved ballet featuring sugar plum fairies and the Nutcracker Prince will be performed by Ballet Arts Ensemble, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus.
Show times are 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 22. Tickets are $5 to $50 and available at kalamazoosymphony.com.
Continuing Productions
Ghost Stories , through Nov. 1, New Vic Theatre
Disney’s Frozen Jr. , through Nov. 2, Civic Theatre
Cats , through Nov. 9, WMU Theatre
TheArts MUSIC
WMU School of Music
Throughout the month
Various venues
A full slate of concerts by faculty, students and guest artists is on the schedule for November at Western Michigan University. Unless otherwise noted, the performances will be in the Dalton Center Recital Hall, and tickets are $6 to $18:
• Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II , an opera performance, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7–8
• University Symphony Orchestra, 3 p.m. Nov. 9
• Student Composers, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, free
• Dasol Um, pianist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Dalton Center Lecture Hall
• Keith Kirchoff, pianist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13
• Big Band Swing Concert, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14
• Bronco Marching Band, 3 p.m. Nov. 16, Miller Auditorium
• 11th Annual Midfest, University Concert Band & Middle School Honor Band, 7 p.m. Nov. 18, Miller Auditorium
• Interlochen Trio, chamber music, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19, with pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.
• Birds on a Wire, a new-music ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, free
• Luciana Souza, jazz vocalist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21
• University Percussion Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22, free
• University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, 3 p.m. Nov. 23, Miller Auditorium
• Jazz Combo Student Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24, free
To purchase tickets, visit wmich.edu/ music/events.
Connecting Chords Music Festival
Throughout the month
Various venues
The Connecting Chords Music Festival continues this month with an eclectic lineup of artists. The scheduled performers, times and locations are:
• Sarah Aroeste, a singer/songwriter performing Sephardic music, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 16, Congregation of Moses, 2501 Stadium Drive
• Nobuntu, a female a cappella quartet from Zimbabwe, 4 p.m. Nov. 2, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St.
• Robert Mirabal + ETHEL, a Pueblo flutist and a string quartet, 7 p.m. Nov. 13, Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College
• Djangophonique, a quintet that performs a jazz style pioneered by Romani artist Django Reinhardt, 7 p.m. Nov. 21, Bell's Eccentric Cafe, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.
• Messiah Sing, a free sing-along to Handel’s Messiah, 4 p.m. Nov. 30, First Congregational Church, 345 W. Michigan Ave.
Unless noted otherwise, tickets for each performance are $5 to $22 and available at connectingchordsfestival.com.
Northern Lights
Nov. 2
Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra
The youth orchestra will perform its annual Dr. John E. Francis Memorial Concert at 3 p.m. at Chenery Auditorium. The program will feature selections from Max Bruch's Swedish Dances and Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in D Major Tickets are $5–$15 and available at kjso.org.
Brahms&the Schumanns
Nov. 15
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Internationally acclaimed pianist Avery Gagliano will join the KSO to perform passionate works by Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann as well as a new piece by composer Kenedea Lee that was inspired by pianist and composer Clara Schumann. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Miller Auditorium. Tickets are $5–$68 and available at kalamazoosymphony.com.
Bobby Watson Jazz Show
Nov. 13
Crawlspace Theatre
The multi-Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer, bandleader and producer will perform at 7:30 p.m. at Crawlspace, 315 W. Michigan Ave. Watson was trained formally at the University of Miami and performed with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, contributing to 14 Jazz Messengers recordings. Tickets are $10 to $25 and available at crawlspacecomedy.com.
HonorYour Elders
Nov. 16
Kalamazoo Philharmonia
Pieces by composers whose works were inspired by artists who came before them are featured in this concert, which will begin at 3 p.m. in Kalamazoo College's Dalton Theatre, in the Light Fine Arts Building.
Tickets are $3–$7 and can be purchased at the event. For more information, visit philharmonia.kzoo.edu.
Dasol Um
Nobuntu
Reginald Dwayne Betts
Nov. 12-13
Multiple venues
LITERATURE Polaris
This poet, lawyer and 2021 MacArthur Fellow will discuss his work at two free public events when he visits Kalamazoo this month.
Betts, the author of a memoir and five poetry collections, founded Freedom Reads in 2020 with a grant from the Mellon Foundation. To date, the organization has opened more than 500 Freedom Libraries in 50 adult and youth prisons across 13 states.
Betts will discuss his latest poetry collection, Doggerel, which explores themes of Blackness, masculinity, vulnerability and intimacy through the lens of dogs, at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Western Michigan University Multicultural Center, in Room 1021 of the Trimpe Building. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the discussion.
At 6 p.m. Nov. 13 he will give a talk at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts titled "The Ways That Paper Leads to Freedom." His lecture will draw on his own story of being incarcerated at age 16 and discovering the liberating power of poetry while in prison.
To register to attend these events, visit kiarts.org/betts. Information on related events Betts will offer for college students, as well as a book discussion on Betts' poetry collection Felon (at which he will not be in attendance), can also be found at kiarts.org/betts.
Mary Ann Samyn & Shonda Buchanan
Nov. 22
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
These two Michigan poets will read from their works at 7 p.m. as part of the center's Poets in Print series.
Samyn is the author of seven collections of poetry, including The Return from Calvary and Air, Light, Dust, Shadow, Distance. She teaches in the MFA program at West Virginia University.
Buchanan is an associate professor in the English department at Western Michigan University and teaches poetry as a tool for healing and recovery. She's the author of three poetry collections as well as the award-winning memoir Black Indian
For more information, visit kalbookarts.org.
The brightest star in the northern night sky, flickering tip of the Little Bear’s tail, guiding sailors and survivors home, cannot be seen at all from below the sash of equator cinching Earth to her orbit.
And those who rely so completely on this North Star to navigate their way will never see the Southern Cross nor Southern Crown. I can see Venus shimmering beyond the unblinking eye of the moon, from the end of my driveway in Michigan. On a clear night, in hunting season, I will find Orion’s belt. I will point and name, and for a moment I will believe that naming means knowing a thing at all.
-Elizabeth Rae Bullmer
Bullmer is a Kalamazoo poet who has been writing since age 7 and whose work has appeared in a variety of journals. She is also a licensed massage and sound therapist, facilitator of writing and healing workshops, and mother of two. This poem is from her new chapbook, Skipping Stones on the River Styx, which was released earlier this year by Finishing Line Press.
Samyn
Buchanan
PERFORMING ARTS
THEATER
Plays
Ghost Stories — Spooky stories, through Nov. 1, New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St., 381-3328, thenewvictheatre.org.
William Shakespeare's Love’s Labour’s Lost — Reimagined as a 1970s romp, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6–9, 2 p.m. Nov. 9, Balch Playhouse, Light Fine Arts Building, 129 Thompson St., festivalplayhouse.kzoo.edu.
The Colored Museum — Journey through Black American experiences, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, 8, 14 & 15, 2 p.m. Nov. 9 & 16, Parish Theatre, 405 W. Lovell St., 343-1313, kazoocivic.com.
A Very Kalamazoo Christmas — A woman evaluates her life & priorities, Nov. 20–Dec. 7, Farmers Alley Theatre, 221 Farmers Alley, 343-2727, farmersalleytheatre.com.
Musicals
Disney’s Frozen Jr. — Civic Youth Theatre presents the tale of princesses Elsa & Anna, 2 & 5 p.m. Nov. 1, 2 p.m. Nov. 2, Civic Auditorium, 329 S. Park St., 343-1313, kazoocivic.com.
Cats — The Broadway classic with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 & 6–8, 2 p.m. Nov. 2 & 9, Williams Theatre, WMU, 387-6222, wmich.edu/ theatre.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical — A musical version of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, 7 p.m. Nov. 7, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m. Nov. 8, Miller Auditorium, millerauditorium.com.
The House That Will Not Stand — A Creole family navigates grief & racial change in 1836 New Orleans, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14–15 & 20–21, 2 p.m. Nov. 16 & 23, Shaw Theatre, WMU, 387-6222, wmich.edu/theatre; for audiences ages 12 & up.
A Christmas Carol — Annual production of the Dickens story, 8 p.m. Nov. 21–22, 28–29, Dec. 3–5, 10–12, 18 & 22, 2 p.m. Nov. 23 & 30 & Dec. 14, New Vic Theatre, 134 E. Vine St., 381-3328, thenewvictheatre.org.
DANCE
WMU Student Dance Concert — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 & 15, 2 p.m. Nov. 15 & 16, Dalton Center, WMU, wmich.edu/dance/events.
Wellspring Fall Concert of Dance — Presented by Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 & 22, 2 p.m. Nov. 22 & 23, Cori Terry Theatre, Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, wellspringdance.org.
The Nutcracker — Performed by Ballet Arts Ensemble, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra & Kalamazoo Children's Chorus, 2 & 7 p.m. Nov. 22, Miller Auditorium, kalamazoosymphony.com.
A Celtic Christmas — Irish dance, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29, Miller Auditorium, kalamazoosymphony.com.
MUSIC
Bands & Solo Artists
Greensky Bluegrass — Jam-infused bluegrass music, 8 p.m. Nov. 1, Wings Event Center, 3600 Vanrick Drive, wingseventcenter.com/events.
Shawn Mullins — Folk-rock, 8 p.m. Nov. 1, Franke Center for the Arts, 214 E. Mansion St., Marshall, thefranke.org.
Bell’s Eccentric Cafe Concerts — Charlie Hunter Trio, Nov. 7; Nathan Graham & Noah Guthrie, Nov. 13; Thomas Dolby, Nov. 15; Noah Gundersen w/ Nate Bergman, Nov. 16; Luke Winslow-King w/ Graham Parsons, Nov. 20; Djangophonique, 7 p.m. Nov. 21; Emo Nite, Nov. 22; all shows at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382–2332, bellsbeer.com.
Sarah Aroeste — Singer/songwriter performing Sephardic music, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 16, Congregation of Moses, 2501 Stadium Drive, connectingchordsfestival.com.
Orchestra, Chamber, Jazz, Vocal & More
Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra — 3 p.m. Nov. 2, Chenery Auditorium, 349-7557, kjso.org.
Nobuntu — A cappella quartet, 4 p.m. Nov. 2, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 247 W. Lovell St., connectingchordsfestival.com.
Julian Avendaño — Pianist, 5:30–7 p.m. Nov. 7, Crescendo Academy of Music, Epic Center, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 12, 345-6664, crescendoacademy.com.
Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II — Opera performance, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 & 8, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Dede Alder — Singer/songwriter & percussionist, 2 p.m. Nov. 9, Parchment Community Library, 401 S. Riverview Drive, parchmentlibrary.org.
University Symphony Orchestra — 3 p.m. Nov. 9, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Student Composers — Recital, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Dasol Um — Pianist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Dalton Center Lecture Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Robert Mirabal + ETHEL — Pueblo flutist & string quartet, 7 p.m. Nov. 13, Stetson Chapel, Kalamazoo College, connectingchordsfestival.com.
Keith Kirchoff — Pianist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Bobby Watson Jazz Show — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Crawlspace Theatre, 315 W. Michigan Ave., crawlspacecomedy.com.
Big Band Swing Concert — University Jazz Orchestra & Jazz Lab Band, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Saturdays with Stulberg — Online recital, 10 a.m. Nov. 15, stulberg.org.
Brahms & the Schumanns — Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra performs, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, Miller Auditorium, kalamazoosymphony.com.
Bronco Marching Band — 3 p.m. Nov. 16, Miller Auditorium, wmich.edu/music/events.
Honor Your Elders — Kalamazoo Philharmonia performs, 3 p.m. Nov. 16, Dalton Theatre, Light Fine Arts Bldg., Kalamazoo College, philharmonia.kzoo.edu.
11th Annual Midfest — University Concert Band & Middle School Honor Band, 7 p.m. Nov. 18, Miller Auditorium, wmich.edu/music/events.
Interlochen Trio — Chamber music, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19, Dalton Center Recital Hall; pre-concert talk at 7 p.m., wmich.edu/music/events.
Birds on a Wire — New-music ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/ events.
Luciana Souza — Jazz vocalist, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
University Percussion Ensemble — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/ events.
University Wind Symphony & Symphonic Band — 3 p.m. Nov. 23, Miller Auditorium, wmich.edu/music/ events.
Jazz Combo Student Showcase — 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24, Dalton Center Recital Hall, wmich.edu/music/events.
Messiah Sing — Sing-along of Handel’s Messiah, 4 p.m. Nov. 30, First Congregational Church, 345 W. Michigan Ave., connectingchordsfestival.com.
COMEDY
Kalamazoo Improv Festival — Featuring 20+ comedy teams, 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Nov. 6–8, Crawlspace Theatre, 315 W. Michigan Ave., crawlspacecomedy.com.
FILM
Nowhere — A pregnant woman flees a totalitarian country in a shipping container, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St., dormousetheatre.com.
Dog Movie & Puppygirl — Double feature with director Q&A, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Dormouse Theatre, 1030 Portage St., dormousetheatre.com.
Chuck Bentley's 50th Feature Film Celebration — Free screening of the local filmmaker's new film, We Tell Stories, Part I, 6 p.m. Nov. 16, GQT Kalamazoo 10, 820 Maple Hill Drive, chuckbentleyproductions.com.
VISUAL ARTS
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 S. Park St., 349-7775, kiarts.org
Exhibitions
WashiTransformed:NewExpressionsinJapanese Paper — Works by 9 Japanese artists, through Jan. 11.
Kirk Newman Art School Faculty Review — Showcasing 50 Southwest Michigan artists, through Jan. 25.
Taekyeom Lee: Designed, Printed & Fired — 3D printing with traditional ceramic making, Nov. 15–March 8.
Events
Art Bridges Access for All — Free admission on Thursdays, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Discussion of Faculty Review — Participating faculty discuss the exhibition, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6; registration encouraged.
Washi Collage with Collage Crew Kzoo — Collage making with Japanese handmade paper, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 7 & 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 8.
Washi Community Day — Learn origami & Japanese calligraphy, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Nov. 8.
ARTbreak — A Gift to the City She Loved: Genevieve Gilmore’s Bequest, noon Nov. 12; registration encouraged.
TheWaysthatPaperLeadstoFreedom— Reginald Dwayne Betts discusses his solo show Felon: An American Washi Tale, 6 p.m. Nov. 13, KIA Auditorium; registration encouraged.
Sake Tasting — History & tasting of Japanese sake, 3 p.m. Nov. 15, KIA Auditorium; registration required.
Book Discussion — Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon: Poems, 2 p.m. Nov. 19, KIA Meader Fine Arts Library; registration encouraged.
Teacher Appreciation Night — Presentation on KIA resources for educators, 4–6 p.m. Nov. 21; registration encouraged.
Richmond Center for Visual Arts Western Michigan University, 387-2436, wmich.edu/art
Faculty & Staff Exhibition — Through Nov. 22, Albertine Monroe-Brown Gallery.
In Our Wildest Dreams — Works by Sara Strong Glupker, through Nov. 22, Netzorg-Kerr Gallery. Other Venues
Portage Community Art Award Exhibition — Works by Kathy Mills, through Nov. 7, Portage City Hall Atrium, 7900 S. Westnedge Ave., portagemi.gov/ calendar.
Art Hop — 5–8 p.m. Nov. 7, downtown Kalamazoo, 342–5059, kalamazooarts.org.
Northside Art Experience — Monthly showcase of local musicians & artists hosted by Ed Genesis, 7:30–9:30 p.m. Nov. 8, Northside Association for Community Development, 612 N. Park St. LynnSures:GlancingattheUnseen— Mixed-media works, Nov. 7–Jan. 14, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A; reception, 5 p.m. Nov. 7; workshop, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 8, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center; lecture, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Room 2008, Richmond Center for Visual Arts, WMU; 373-4938, kalbookarts.org.
LIBRARY & LITERARY EVENTS
Comstock Township Library 6130 King Highway, 345-0136, comstocklibrary.org
Wild Mushroom Identification — How to identify wild mushrooms, 6 p.m. Nov. 3; registration required.
CTL Writers — Group writing discussion, 10 a.m. Fridays.
Bob’s Burgers Trivia Night — Teams of up to 4 individuals compete, 6 p.m. Nov. 12; registration required.
Engineering Extravaganza with the Air Zoo — Hands-on activity stations, 10–11:30 a.m. Nov. 15. Pride Book Club — Discuss Eli Clare’s Exile & Pride, Disability, Queerness & Liberation, 6 p.m. Nov. 19, in person & online; registration required.
Young Adult Event: Let’s Split Up — Spoof horror game for ages 18–24, 5 p.m. Nov. 22; registration required.
Adulting 101: Air Fryer Basics — 6 p.m. Nov. 24; registration required.
Kalamazoo Public Library 553-7800, kpl.gov
Kalamazoo Writers — Monthly gathering for literary writers, 4 p.m. Nov. 4, Van Deusen Room, Central Library.
No Shelf Control: A Graphic Novel Book Club — Discuss Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel, 6 p.m. Nov. 4, Boardroom, Central Library.
Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors — Part II of this information series by the Alzheimer’s Association's Michigan Chapter, 1:30–3 p.m. Nov. 5, Eastwood Branch; registration required.
Family Portraits — A professional takes portraits & shares them digitally during open hours, Nov. 8, Children’s Room, Central Library; register for a time slot at 553-7804.
Relax & Meditate with Tai Chi — Introduction to Tai Chi, 11 a.m. Nov. 8, Oshtemo Branch; registration required.
Exquisite Hair Care — Techniques, styles & hair care, 6 p.m. Nov. 10, Eastwood Branch.
Page Turners Book Club — Discuss Richard Flanagan’s Question 7, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Oshtemo Branch.
Mary Calletto Rife Youth Literature Seminar — Online event with authors G. Neri, Emmy Kastner, Lisa Wheeler & Loren Long, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Nov. 14; registration required.
Taste & Talk: Coffees from East Africa & Central America — Learn about & sample coffees, 11 a.m. Nov. 14, Oshtemo Branch.
Music & Memories — Engaging older adults, particularly those with memory loss, through music, 11 a.m. Nov. 14, Oshtemo Branch.
Classics Revisited — Discuss Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master & the Margarita, 2:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Boardroom, Central Library.
Blanket Tying — Create a tie blanket without sewing, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Eastwood Branch; registration required.
Dungeons & Dragons Game Night — Beginner to experienced levels, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Central Library; registration required.
Senior Breakfast — Breakfast & conversation, 10:30–noon Nov. 21, Eastwood Branch.
Bujo & Chill for Teens & Adults — Chill music & bullet journaling, 10:30 a.m.–noon Nov. 22, Oshtemo Branch.
Yoga with Apral — 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24, Eastwood Branch.
Friends of KPL Annual Gift Book Sale — Books, DVDs & CDs, noon–6 p.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 28–Dec. 27, Friends of KPL Bookstore, Lower Level, Central Library, kpl.gov/ friends.
Parchment Community Library 401 S. Riverview Drive, 343-7747, parchmentlibrary.org
Parchment Book Group — Discuss Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, & the Deadliest Hurricane in History, 6 p.m. Nov. 10.
Friends of the Library Book Sale — 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Nov. 15; early admission for $2, 8–9 a.m.
Mystery Book Club — Discuss Colleen Cambridge’s A Murder Most French, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 18.
Portage District Library
300 Library Lane, 329-4544, portagelibrary.info
Kalamazoo County Historical Society — Local history speakers & discussion, 7 p.m. Nov. 3. Muffins & the Market — Stock market trends, 9 a.m. Nov. 6 & 20.
Yoga with Apral: A Gentle Approach — An hour of movement, 4 p.m. Nov. 6 & 20; registration required. Kalamazoo Violin Choir — Create art as young musicians play, 11 a.m. Nov. 8; registration required. Things Aren’t Right: The Disappearance of the Yuba County Five — Author Tony Wright discusses this unsolved case, 6 p.m. Nov. 11; registration required.
Mindful Meditation — The benefits & practice of, 6 p.m. Nov. 12; registration required.
Collage Journaling — Basics of collage as daily practice & meditation, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 13; registration required.
International Mystery Book Club — Discuss Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis’ The Boy in the Suitcase, 7 p.m. Nov. 13.
Documentary & Donuts — View The Gardener, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Nov. 14; coffee & donuts served.
Kalamazoo Macintosh Users Group — Help with Mac computers, programs & accessories, 9 a.m.–noon Nov. 15.
Human Library Sessions — “Human books” share life experiences, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 15; register for a one-hour session.
Kalamazoo Valley Genealogical Society — For those interested in genealogy, 7 p.m. Nov. 17.
Plots & Pages: A Local Writers Group — Discuss the craft of writing, 6–8 p.m. Nov. 18.
Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones — Discuss environmentally friendly landscaping & biodiversity, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
Drop-In Genealogy Help — 10 a.m.–noon Nov. 20.
Saturday Sound Immersion — Wind Willow Consortium plays instruments for a well-being experience, 10:30 a.m. Nov. 22; registration required.
Light Lunch & Literature — Discuss Haruki Murakami’s The Strange Library, noon Nov. 24; registration required.
Richland Community Library 8951 Park St., 629-9085, richlandlibrary.org Engineering Extravaganza — Hands-on learning, 10–11:30 a.m. Nov. 1.
Bridge Club — Noon Tuesdays.
Adult Dungeons & Dragons Bravo Team — New crusade each month, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 5 & 3–6 p.m. Nov. 12; registration required.
Tea Tasting — Learn about & taste different teas, 7 p.m. Nov. 6; registration required.
Beginning Ukulele for Teens & Adults — Learn about the instrument, tuning & simple songs, 1 p.m. Nov. 8; registration required.
Cookbook Club — Sample recipes from B. Dylan Hollis’ Baking Across America, 6 p.m. Nov. 11.
Tea Mocktails — Make mocktails with tea, 6 p.m. Nov. 12; registration required.
Richland Area Writer’s Group — Noon Nov. 14.
Family Game Night — Play board games & enjoy pizza, 5–7 p.m. Nov. 14.
Richland Genealogy Group — Discussion group, 10 a.m. Nov. 20, in person & online.
RCL Book Club — Discuss Monica Wood’s How to Read a Book, 6 p.m. Nov. 20.
Van Buren District LibraryAntwerp Sunshine Branch 24283 Front St., Mattawan, 668-2534, vbdl.org
On a Lighter Note — Book club for adults, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 11.
Adult Book Club — Discuss Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19.
Read It & Reel — 5:45 p.m. Nov. 24.
Vicksburg District Library 215 S. Michigan Ave., 649-1648, vicksburglibrary.org
Bridge Club — 9:30 a.m.–noon Tuesdays. Scrabble Club for Adults — All skill levels welcome, 1 p.m. Nov. 11.
Writer’s Motivational Group — Set goals & report progress, 4 p.m. Nov. 13.
Poetry Circle — Share poetry in a small group, write from prompts or your own inspiration, noon Nov. 21.
Other Venues
First Friday Open Mic — Monthly poetry event, doors open at 5:30 p.m., event starts at 6 p.m. Nov. 7, Fire Historical & Cultural Arts Collaborative, 1244 Portage St., thisisfire.org.
Reading Race Group — Discuss Shonda Buchanan’s Black Indian, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11, SHARE Office, 471 W. South St. Suite 42a, kpl.gov/events.
Reginald Dwayne Betts — The poet discusses his collection Doggerel, 7–8:30 p.m. Nov. 12, WMU Multicultural Center Room 1021, Trimpe Building, 1003 Ring Road South, kiarts.com/betts; registration encouraged.
Poets in Print — Mary Ann Samyn & Shonda Buchanan, 7 p.m. Nov. 22, Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, 326 W. Kalamazoo Ave., Suite 103A, kalbookarts.org. MUSEUMS
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
230 N. Rose St., 373-7990, kalamazoomuseum.org
Exhibitions
Dancing with Life: Mexican Masks — Historic & contemporary masks, through Jan. 4.
Am I an American or Am I Not? Exploring unfair treatment in the U.S., through Jan. 4.
Event
Illustrated Muse(ings) — Artists creating in real time, 1:30 p.m. Nov. 21.
Other Venues
Air Zoo Ghost Tours — Join paranormal investigators Forgotten Souls to uncover Air Zoo mysteries, for ages 16+, 6–9 p.m. Nov. 1, Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Road, 382-6555, airzoo.org.
Winter Wonderland — Outdoor driving experience with lights, music, decorations & indoor activities, 5–9 p.m. on select dates, Nov. 29–Dec. 30, Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Road, Hickory Corners, 671-5089, gilmorecarmuseum.org.
NATURE
Kalamazoo Nature Center
7000 N. Westnedge Ave., 381-1574, naturecenter.org
Candlelight Night Hike — 6–8 p.m. Nov. 7; registration recommended.
Veterans Day Free Admission — Free admission for all, Nov. 11.
Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510, birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu
Fall Migration Celebration — Experts answer questions & identify waterfowl, live birds-of-prey presentation, crafts & games, 1–4 p.m. Nov. 2.
Dessert with Discussion — Lecture on “A Day in the Life of a Seed,” 7 p.m. Nov. 6; registration required.
Birds & Coffee Chat — Online discussion about swans & geese, 10 a.m. Nov. 11; registration required. Other Venues
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society General Meeting — Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the PBS documentary The Creation of the Universe (1985), 7 p.m. Nov. 7, Kalamazoo Math & Science Center, 600 W. Vine St., kasonline.org.
Terra Talks — Free lecture series on environmental stewardship: Oak Savannas as a Model for Native Plants, 6 p.m. Nov. 7; Fighting with Fire, Nov. 14; Portage Parks & Recreation Building, 320 Library Lane, portagemi.gov/calendar; registration required.
Veterans Day Hike — Out-and-back hike of 2.9 or 6 miles, 9:15 a.m. Nov. 8, starting at Fort Custer Trailhead, Fort Custer, Augusta; northcountrytrail.org/ events.
Online Viewing Session — Utilizing the KAS's remote telescope in Arizona, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 15 online (cloud date, Nov. 22); register at kasonline. org.
Audubon Society of Kalamazoo — The Bluebird Box Project, 7 p.m. Nov. 24, People’s Church, 1758 N. 10th St., kalamazooaudubon.org.
MISCELLANEOUS
Kalamazoo Farmers Market — 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays, through Nov. 22; 1204 Bank St., pfcmarkets.com.
Kalamazoo Indoor Flea Market — 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 1, South Room, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., 383-8778.
Kalamazoo Numismatic Club Annual Fall Coin Show — Coins, paper money & memorabilia, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 1, North Room, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 491-0962.
Dia de Los Muertos — Traditional Mexican event honoring departed loved ones, 5–9 p.m. Nov. 1, Main Room, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, elconciliokzoo. org.
Military Antique Show & Sale — 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 2, Room A, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, michmilitaryhistory.com.
West Michigan Harvest Cluster Dog Show — AKC all-breed dog show, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Nov. 6–9, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 616-490-5227.
Kzoo Cat Cafe & Rescue SPAY-getti Dinner — Fundraiser with food, silent auction, raffle & giveaways, 6–10 p.m. Nov. 6, Casa di Amici, 771 Stadium Drive, kzoocatcafe.com.
Kalamatopia — Outdoor market of Michigan artisans, 5–8 p.m. Nov. 7, North Kalamazoo Mall, by the Radisson Plaza Hotel, kalamatopia.com.
YWCA Kalamazoo 140th Anniversary Gala — Black-tie event with performances, food & silent auction, 7–11 p.m. Nov. 14, Delta Hotel by Marriott, 2747 S. 11th St., ywcakalamazoo.org.
Kalamazoo Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo — Reptiles, amphibians, small mammals & exotic pets, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 15, South Room, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 779-9851.
The Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee — Teams compete to raise funds for Ready to Read, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Nov. 19, WMU’s Fetzer Center,
2251 Business Court, kpl.gov/great-grown-upspelling-bee.
WMU Turkey Trot 5K — Run & walk, 8:30–11:30 a.m. Nov. 22; begins at Student Recreation Center, WMU, trisignup.com; virtual option available.
Holiday Market — Handcrafted items by local artisans, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Nov. 22, 28–29, Dec. 6, 13 & 20, Kellogg Manor House, 3700 E. Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, 671-2160.
Kalamazoo Holiday Parade — Marching bands, floats & giant balloons, 11 a.m. Nov. 22, downtown Kalamazoo, kalamazooholidayparade.org.
Holiday Craft Show — 300+ booths, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Nov. 22, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 23, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 903–5820.
Portage Holiday Market — Hand-crafted items, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Nov. 23, Portage Parks & Recreation Building, 320 Library Lane, portagemi.gov/948/ markets.
Tree Lighting Ceremony — 5–7 p.m. Nov. 28, lighting at about 6 p.m., Bronson Park, kzooparks.org.
Kalamazoo Antique Toy Show — Antique, vintage & collectible toys, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Nov. 29, Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 366-1314.
Jerico Faire — Local makers & artists, Nov. 30, Jerico, 1415 Fulford St., hellojerico.com.
Bizarre Bazaar — Handcrafted goods, noon–5 p.m. Nov. 30, Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., 382-2332, bellsbeer.com.
Sheri Welsh (continued from page 30) time off during the day to complete my coursework. I graduated with a full-time job. In 1985 it was tough for college graduates to find jobs, so I was fortunate.
I stayed there for nine years. I transitioned to outside sales for five years, the last stint of which I was placed in by a recruiter. When it was time to do something different, I went to that recruiting firm and said, "Hey I’m looking for something new," and they wanted me to come work for them — and I laughed. It was a commission job. I was married at the time and had two small children. It seemed like a big risk, but it apparently was where God wanted me, because every other door I had been exploring closed and it was the option left. In my sales role I had called on a lot of financial professionals across Southwest Michigan, and so I thought, "I'll start out and develop a practice focused on placing accounting and finance professionals because I know them and I can leverage that." And that's what I did.
How has Welsh & Associates evolved since you founded it in 2002?
We continue to evolve all the time. In my role as a CEO, I'm a doer and up to my elbows in the day-to-day operations of my business, but I'm also its visionary and strategist. Part of my responsibility is looking out over the horizon. What is coming at us next? What is happening in the economy?
What is happening in the industries that our clients work in? What is happening with the evolution of supply chain, human resources, in the executive search and the recruiting industry?
When job boards first came online, people said it would be the death of the recruiting industry. It wasn't. It simply made more information available to more people with more access, but it didn't allow companies to find talent any faster. It just allowed people to send resumes easier and for companies to get inundated with responses that didn't fit what they were looking for.
Today everyone's really concerned about AI, saying it's going to replace our industry. It's not, because we introduce our clients to talent they can't find on their own. Our secret sauce isn't the best technology to go out and scrape the internet for names. It's reaching out, contacting people and inviting them to consider opportunities. It's direct recruitment, and it's the network that we built year over year. It's a spidering effect: The more people you know, the more you do. The more you do, the more you have success, the more people want to work with you.
What are some of the challenges facing small businesses today?
The big challenge for small business owners right now is providing affordable health insurance. Michigan small business has seen double-digit increases in health
insurance premiums the past several years. Double digit. Your bottom line suffers. I think we all know businesses are in business to make profit. If they don't make profit, they cease to exist. There is no easy answer, but SBAM is willing to get in the fight and raise the issue. The worst-case scenario, if you play it out, is that premiums keep going up (and) small businesses say, "I can't afford health insurance anymore," and drop coverage for their employees. We don't want small businesses to have to make those difficult decisions.
What are some initiatives of SBAM?
This fall we launched Nurture Benefits, a program to expand health insurance, life insurance and retirement options for the child care industry. There are not enough child care options so people can go back to work, and child care is not affordable. Part of the reason it's not affordable goes back to benefits.
The cost of running child care operations is really high. Nurture Benefits will help expand access and stabilize child care affordability, making it easier for child care providers to provide benefits for their employees, attract workers and retain those workers, which then allows Michigan's workers to find a place to put their kiddos so they can get back to work. We're super excited about it.
— Interview by Jordan Bradley, edited for length and clarity
Sheri Welsh Entrepreneurship is in her DNA
Sheri Welsh comes from a family rich in entrepreneurial spirit, and she has recently been appointed the chair of the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), which advocates for and supports more than 33,000 Michigan small businesses.
Not only did her parents own their own businesses, but her grandparents on both sides of her family did as well, so the desire to be a business owner is part of her heritage. “Anyone who thinks that being an entrepreneur is not a genetic thing, I would beg to differ,” says Welsh, founder and CEO of Welsh & Associates in Kalamazoo, an executive talent search firm specializing in small to mid-sized companies.
“The ability to control your own destiny and to provide a service or run an operation in a way that impacts other people’s lives and your community positively and gives you the ability to be able to give back to your community in the way that you want to — that is very appealing.”
How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Detroit, and at the end of my fifth-grade year my parents moved to Oscoda to start a business. I graduated from high school there and went to Central Michigan University for four years and then moved to Kalamazoo.
My bachelor's program (in business administration) required an internship to graduate. I was able to finagle — and I do say the word "finagle" — a full-time internship with Gilmore's Department Store in the summer of 1985. They had never had an intern before. I said, "Look, I want to come to work for you. This is what I think I could do for you." At the end of summer they said, "OK, we know that you've got nine credits (left). We'd like to hire you for a full-time position as our special-events coordinator. However, we know you want to finish your degree. How can we figure this out?" I was able to go to Western Michigan University and transfer those credits to graduate from Central. Gilmore's gave me
(continued on page 29)
Keeping Winter Flying: How the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Stays Ready When the Snow Falls
By Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport Staff
When the snow begins to fall in Kalamazoo, those in the region think about flying away to warmer climates. And when the first snowflakes begin to swirl across the runway, most Kalamazoo residents think about delays. But at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO), that’s when our operations and maintenance teams spring into action —ready to keep flights moving safely and on time, no matter what Michigan’s winter throws our way. The team takes pride in keeping the airport open … even if an airline cancels a flight.
Each year, the Kalamazoo area receives an average of 70 inches of snow, much of it fueled by the region’s infamous lake-effect systems rolling in from Lake Michigan. These bursts of heavy, wet snow can arrive with little warning and drop several inches in just a few hours. To meet that challenge, the Kalamazoo Airport has a trained crew of dedicated maintenance and operations professionals.
Preparation starts months before winter’s first flake. Every fall, Airport Operations and Maintenance teams undergo comprehensive winter training, ensuring that every crew member knows their responsibilities, understands safety protocols, and is familiar with the specialized equipment they’ll be operating. The airport’s official Snow and Ice Control Plan — reviewed annually and approved by the FAA — guides everything from deicing procedures to runway reopening standards.
Supporting this effort is a modern fleet of high-performance snow removal equipment, including high-speed
plows, rotary snow blowers, and multifunction brooms capable of clearing runways in tight formation. When snow starts to fall, these vehicles move together in a well-rehearsed “snow parade,” clearing the airfield quickly and efficiently. This coordination ensures that the airport can keep aircraft taxiing, landing, and taking off even in challenging conditions.
Working with lake-effect snow is unlike handling typical winter storms — it’s often heavier, more localized, and can shift direction rapidly. “You can have clear pavement on one end of the runway and near whiteout conditions on the other,” says Bill Scamehorn, Manager of Airport Operations and Maintenance. “That’s why we stay alert 24/7 and communicate constantly during storms.”
All that preparation pays off. Even during some of Michigan’s toughest
winters, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport consistently ranks among the top airports in the state for on-time performance. That’s a point of pride for the team — and a comfort for local travelers.
The work is demanding, often carried out in less-than-ideal conditions and through long overnight shifts, but it’s also deeply rewarding. “When you see a plane take off on time in a snowstorm, you know you’ve made a difference,” says Steve Lumetta, Airport Maintenance Technician.
At AZO, keeping winter flying safe isn’t just part of the job—it’s part of who we are. Through preparation, teamwork, and a little West Michigan grit, we make sure that even when the snow piles up, Kalamazoo keeps moving.
Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Celebrating 100 Years of Impact!
Since 1925, Kalamazoo Community Foundation has taken the gifts our generous donors have given us and placed them into the hands of those who need them most in our community. From awarding millions of dollars to countless local nonprofits to ensuring that our education seekers receive the scholarships they need, Kalamazoo Community Foundation has been our community's foundation for 100 years!
As our centennial celebration continues into 2026, we invite you to join us in all the fun! Visit our website at kzcf.org to learn more about our history and follow us on social media for the latest updates on ways you can stay involved.
Together we are creating a thriving community for every resident in Kalamazoo County – both now and for the future!
To learn more about how your gift can help others, please contact our Philanthropic Services & Development team at psd@kalfound.org or 269.381.4416.