Lee Van Roth

Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center is ready to kick off the holiday season with its upcoming Holiday Art Fair. Lee Van Roth will give a preview of the fair with Riverside Executive Director Liz Warren.

It’s been a busy and productive year for the Ypsilanti-based food justice nonprofit Growing Hope. It has expanded existing programs, updated its farm, renovated its incubator kitchen and received several awards. On top of all these changes, the organization has also found time to focus on advocacy work. Lee Van Roth talked more about these many achievements with Growing Hope's Executive Director, Julius Buzzard.

The state of Michigan recently introduced the concept of "3P Learning," which involves problem-based, project-based and place-based learning in STEM education. Now, a 3P Champions Collaborative Learning Initiative is in place, and both Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) and the Lincoln Consolidated School District are participating. Lee Van Roth discussed the challenge and what it may bring to both districts with YCS Director of STEM Innovation Kelly Mickel.

Extreme heat, wildfire smoke and power outages are becoming more and more familiar parts of summer in Washtenaw County each year, and a growing network of local officials, health professionals and community organizers is working to help Ypsilanti residents do more than simply weather the next emergency. Lee Van Roth spoke about the actions being taken to protect residents with the director of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Desirae Simmons.

School is officially back in session for Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) students, but summer didn't keep some students and teachers away from the classroom. YCS's Grizzly Learning Camp gives students opportunities to explore their interests and further their education through hands-on projects and field trips. The camp's coordinator, YCS teacher Tiffany Powell, talked about the camp and the partnerships behind it with Lee Van Roth.

For more than four decades, the Ypsilanti Heritage Foundation (YHF) has hosted its annual Historic Homes Tour. This year, the foundation is turning its attention to Ypsilanti’s Southside neighborhood with the theme "Harvesting Our History." Lee Van Roth gave a preview of the upcoming tour with YHF member Delrhea Byrge.

For years, Ypsilanti resident Lonnie Brammer has watched app-based delivery drivers navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods with little information about where they are headed. After five years of development, Brammer has launched Courier Mates, a web-based application designed to help delivery drivers track and share information about delivery locations with other drivers. Brammer talked about the app and how it may change the delivery industry with Lee Van Roth.

The Ypsilanti District Library is bringing in new stories for its ongoing Ypsilanti Farmers & Gardeners Oral History Project. Among the storytellers is Shalina Nicohl Rankin, a local herbalist and founder of Fiery Maple Wholistic Healing, Inc. Shalina shared her contribution to the oral history project in a conversation with Lee Van Roth.

University Musical Society (UMS) is returning to Ypsilanti's historic Freighthouse this fall with another season of performances and community events. This year's residency brings back some familiar Freighthouse favorites, while also introducing some new experiences with the hopes of, once again, creating a very welcoming musical atmosphere for folks in and around the Ypsi community. Lee Van Roth gave us a preview of the upcoming season with UMS Vice President of Learning and Engagement, Cayenne Harris.

The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has launched an updated website. The redesigned site, launched at the end of July, allows businesses and nonprofits to create and manage their own profiles, improving their visibility in online searches while contributing directly to a community calendar, job board, and volunteer listings. Lee Van Roth talked about the DDA's new online endeavor with the authority's coordinator, Danya Youssef-Agha.