nonprofit

What we’d once hoped was going to be a short little dance number, COVID-19 has turned into a dance marathon. Deb Polich of Creative Washtenaw and WEMU’s David Fair talk about the state of arts + creative industry, now 18 months into this pandemic, on this edition of "creative:impact."

Thanks to an anonymous donor and facilitation by local grassroots organization SolarYpsi, several churches and nonprofits in Ypsilanti have received or will soon receive new solar installations.

WEMU's Lisa Barry and Sarah Rigg from Concentrate Media talk with Dave Strenski from SolarYpsi about the impact that is having on the Ypsilanti area community.

On this edition of "On The Ground Ypsi," Lisa Barry and Sarah Rigg talk with Jerard Delaney, aviation program coordinator for Eastern Michigan University, about how students benefit from one of several partnerships the university has that give them more hands-on experience as part of their degree.

Hannah Palmer just started her senior year at Eastern Michigan University, but before she even graduates, she is finding purpose in her own personal pain by creating "The Sunflower Project."

She talks with WEMU's Lisa Barry about the goal of the mental health nonprofit and how she hopes to help those dealing with mental health challenges, beginning by sharing her own struggles and finding ways to support others who do as well.

This week, "Art and Soul" is about the visual arts in our community.  WEMU's Lisa Barry is joined by state and local arts leader Omari Rush and Amina Iqbal of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation to talk about the art opportunities provided by the foundation and what new opportunities lie ahead as we emerge from the past year in a pandemic.

Larry Nisson is a former psychotherapist who has been making glass art in Ann Arbor for over 30 years.  He decided a few months ago to commission local glass artists to make glass art, so he could give it away to local nonprofits to "anchor them in positivity" at this difficult time.

Lisa Barry talks with him about his idea, the inspiration behind it, and the reaction to his glass art giveaway.

The pandemic, and its impact on the economy, has forced some nonprofits to close.  Others are just hanging on.  The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation has partnered up to bring the services of "Catchafire" to the area, and it is making a difference.  In this week's "Washtenaw United," WEMU's David Fair talks with the foundation's Chris Lemon about how the partnership with Washtenaw Coordinated Funders and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund is creating a path forward. 

Restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 health crisis have to started to ease up recently.  Many nonprofit organizations, including the Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti, are introducing new safety procedures in their work.  The center's community outreach and youth development manager, Kamilah Davis-Wilson, joins WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg to discuss their new ways of serving the public in this week's installment of "On the Ground-Ypsi."

The United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC) has committments for more than 600 thousand dollars in its effort to raise money for non-profits and those in the service sector.  This week, it will begin setting priorities on how best allocate that money with a plan to get the money back into the community as quickly as possible.  UWWC Vice President of Impact and Advocacy Bridget Healy provided the latest information in her conversation with WEMU's David Fair on this week's installment of "Washtenaw United."

Seeing a need for more partnerships and support for younger school students in Ypsilanti, Tim Wilson helped create "Washtenaw Promise."  It's an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit that seeks to remove barriers to success and increase opportunities for children to thrive, starting in early childhood.

WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with Tim and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg about the focus of her story in this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

A student-run tech shop at Eastern Michigan University does more than help the general public repair computer problems.  It also provides an opportunity for low-income residents to own a computer.  As 89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan reports, by-and-large, the work takes place while Hidden in Plain Sight. 

2019 has officially begun, and it's time to make some resolutions on how to handle dangerous chemicals, like PFAS.  In this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair talks to Gillian Miller, senior scientist at healthystuff.org, about some tips to make 2019 a more ecologically friendly year.

Several empty buildings, such as the old Smith Furniture building, could be found throughout Ypsilanti.  Thanks to the Michigan Advocacy Program, small business owners and nonprofit organizations are ready to breathe new life into these structures.  In this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi," WEMU's Patrick Campion and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg talk about these business developments with Ann Routt, co-director of the Michigan Advocacy Program.

In this week's "creative: impact," WEMU's Patrick Campion and Arts Alliance president Deb Polich sit down with Aileen Rohwer, who is executive director of Great Lakes Performing Artists Associates, a nonprofit agency that represents artists and venues in the Great Lakes region.

Michigan non-profits are looking into an innovative way of fighting human trafficking.  The idea is to take advantage of free advertising on Google.

The Washtenaw Coordinated Funders has awarded $4.5 million in human services funding to nonprofits in our county.