By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Frank Wu joins us to discuss growing up Asian American in very-white suburban Detroit. He shares the chilling impact of the 1982 Detroit murder of Vincent Chin on the Asian-American community. Finally, he calls for strengthened coalition building across the diverse Asian populations of the U.S.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
On Jan. 23, 2019, Dr. Jen’s co-worker, Allie got a text from a friend who had come across this bedraggled but beautiful intact boy near Burton and Division. She promptly got him out of harm’s way and dropped him off at Allie’s so she could bring him in to the clinic the next morning for evaluation.
The fabulous, yet filthy 4-1/2-year-old fella (born in the summer of 2014) was suffering from a nasty skin infection on his back, severe yellowing of his fur from being outside for so long, a puncture wound above his left eye that was causing it to swell, and a smaller one in the inner corner of his right eye. Antibiotics, multiple baths and, of course, long-overdue neutering got him on the right track, but if truth be told, he was still quite smelly (male hormones!), so he hung out at the clinic for a few days before Dr. Jen sent him down to our sanctuary. At that time, given his obvious history of tussling, it wasn’t a surprise that he tested FIV-positive
Over the course of the next four weeks, Hoobastank hunkered down and settled in seamlessly, abandoning whatever tomcat tendencies he may have had:
“This gorgeous guy is a super-friendly and sweet big pile of fluff. When he first came to us, he tended to get picked on a little, but the others seem to have been leaving him alone. He’s a bit docile when it comes to too much action around him, but over time he is getting better.
“He loves napping up by the kitchen window, which is ironic because he really doesn’t care for what we serve in the kitchen—he just prefers his dry kibble and Temptations. Due to his slight timidity, he may do best in a home with no other pets where he doesn’t feel threatened. Kids would be perfect for him, or retired couple or person who would have plenty of time to spend one-on-one with him.”
When Dr. Jen retested him at his one-month recheck at the clinic, he came back FIV-negative. It appears that the bite he received caused his body to produce antibodies to the virus as it was introduced into his bloodstream, but thankfully his immune system was strong enough to fight the infection off. This is fantastic news as adopting out a cat from Crash’s historically has been much easier than from Big Sid’s, though we pride ourselves on just how awesome our Sid’s Kids are and promote the heck out of them.
Regardless of his viral status, Hoobastank is a favorite of ours and we have no doubt that finding him his forever home will not be difficult. Just look at that fabulous face this super friendly guy has—and it can be all yours for loving and snuggling!
Want to adopt Hoobastank? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
TJ Rogers joins us to talk about Freedom House Detroit and the everyday challenges facing asylum seekers in the United States.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Wyoming resident Brenda R. is no stranger to the strays that populate her neighborhood; in fact over the years we have taken in quite a few wayward souls that thankfully fell under her care. She contacted Dr. Jen right after Valentine’s Day 2019 when an emaciated, darling but dirty intact male (born in late summer of 2017) crossed her path. The poor boy had obtained a bite wound to his tail when he tried to hang out with two feisty females that didn’t take kindly to his intrusion on their food bowls.
Part of the reason Crumbs was so skinny and felt as though he was starving was due to the fact he had internal tapeworms, so Dr. Jen treated him for the nasty little buggers, tended to his wound, got him neutered, tested, vaccinated and all spiffed up. A few days later Dr. Jen sent him on down to Crash’s, where he IMMEDIATELY became a volunteer favorite, so she enlisted the help of his new BFF’s to enlighten everyone on just how awesome he is:
“Crumbs is an adorable little guy that quickly became friends with everyone. He tends to hang back when there’s a lot of commotion but is right there underfoot when he knows there’s food involved. He doesn’t mind being picked up and held, he loves playing with laser toys, and enjoys his naps cuddled up next to his friends. He’d do great in any home, especially one with kids.
“Crumbs is a very happy and social boy. He loves being around people and gets along great with all of his buddies at the shelter. The only thing he likes more than being the center of attention is endless bowls of canned food. I can’t think of a home where he wouldn’t do well, he’s just that perfect.”
About three weeks into his stay with us, our beloved buff-and-white boy fell ill with symptoms of Calici virus, a highly contagious respiratory illness that unvaccinated cats are very susceptible to. He developed an acute fever and painful tongue ulcers that caused excessive drooling, but even in the thick of it all he surprised us all by pounding down bowl after bowl of delicious canned food.
Since he was hospitalized at the clinic again (for narcotics to control his discomfort and antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection) Dr. Jen opted to retest him a week earlier than planned, and discovered that the bite wounds he had sustained prior to his arrival had transmitted the FIV virus to him. When it was time to send him back to our facility, he took up residence on the other side of our building, officially becoming a Sid’s Kid.
No worries though, as Crumbs once again made instant furry friends, and even when he was so sick with Calici, he wanted to be in the middle of everything. Although it bummed us all out to learn of his new viral status, we have no doubt that our charming, outgoing little fella is going to get himself adopted, as he hasn’t an ounce of mean coursing through his veins, and he absolutely loves everyone he comes into contact with.
It is no doubt crummy (we couldn’t resist) all that has befallen our buddy here, but in true form he takes whatever comes his way in stride and is absolutely thriving indoors, where he was always meant to be.
Want to adopt Crumbs? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By WKTV Staff
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives . . .”
~ Carl Sagan
Because red is just so overrated. Seriously, though, Paint the Town Purple offers an opportunity to check out the artwork of some of the talented and creative students of Wyoming High School. But hurry, because it all goes away this Thursday. Go here for the deets.
On Wednesday, April 17, WKTV will be featuring, via the NASA channel, the launch of the newest Northrup Grumman Cygnus Cargo Craft, the S.S. Roger Chaffee, to the International Space Station. For more info, go here.
Get involved! The Kentwood City Commission has approved a resolution to establish an advisory committee that will review and prioritize improvements to Kentwood’s parks, trails and recreational programming to align with the needs of the community. Here’s your chance to do your part! Go here to learn more.
That’s how much an entire NASA suit costs — just ONE suit, mind you — and 70% of that is just for the backpack and control module. And you thought a Birkin bag was expensive.
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, we spend some time with the director of the City of Kentwood’s important and unique Adaptive Recreation Program. Then we have the video version of a podcast we produced bringing together three guests who are knowledgeable and passionate on the subject of sustainability … a word that means much more than simply recycling.
First up In Focus is the City of Kentwood’s Adaptive Recreation Program, a program with the stated goal “to help people with disabilities live meaningful, healthy and adventurous lives.” With us is the program director Katelyn Bush, who work with Kentwood’s Parks and Recreation Department organizing programs for seniors and adaptive populations.
Then In Focus is a special In Focus episode where three guests discuss the multifaceted topic of sustainability — from re-imagining manufacturing to reducing landfill waste to supporting a vibrant equitable workforce. Visiting our studios, each with unique perspectives on the subject, are Kentwood City Commissioner and community advocate Emily Bridson, Janay Brower of Public Thread and Kari Bliss of Padnos Recycling and Scrap Management.
For a link to the audio podcast, click here; for a link to the WKTV’s Facebook “The Whole Picture Podcasts” interview video, click here. (If you’d like to give us some feedback on our special In Focus podcast, please contact Ken Norris at ken@wktv.org.)
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
By Virginia Anzengruber, Fountain Street Church
The Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series will conclude its sixth season at Fountain Street Church on Sunday, May 5th. The concerts, curated and hosted by West Michigan jazz mainstay Robin Connell, pair the spontaneous wonder of jazz with the acoustic and architectural beauty of the century-old, neo-Romanesque sanctuary in downtown Grand Rapids. As the church celebrates its 150-year Anniversary in 2019, Connell will welcome fellow Michigan musicians Elgin Vines on bass and Alain Sullivan on saxophone.
Vines has been described as one of the most sought-after jazz bassists in West Michigan. As a student at Norfolk State University, he paid his tuition by gigging along the Virginia Beach strip and was a member of the house trio on the daily Morty Nevins Television Show for three years. After graduating, he went on the road with The New Direction for eight years, and then in 1972 settled in Grand Rapids to play for the Bennie Carew Trio and work as a technologist for Amway. In 2005, the West Michigan Jazz Society named him their Musician of the Year.
Sullivan is a 19-year-old jazz saxophonist, bandleader, composer/arranger, and woodwind instrumentalist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He currently attends the University of Michigan, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry toward pre-medicine, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in jazz studies under the tutelage of its esteemed faculty, including Andrew Bishop, Ellen Rowe, Dennis Wilson, Robert Hurst, and Benny Green. He has performed in a wide variety of musical settings, including jazz settings of all types and several pit orchestras for musicals, doubling on flute and clarinet. He has played frequently throughout Michigan, across the country, and in Germany and Denmark. In 2018, he was presented with a YoungArts award, which is given to just a handful of young artists in multiple disciplines.
Connell herself is a prolific jazz pianist, vocalist, and educator who received the 2017 Musician of the Year award from West Michigan Jazz Society for her widespread collaboration with other artists and her continuing work on the Jazz in the Sanctuary series. Whether solo or in a group, she performs regularly throughout the region.
General admission to Jazz in the Sanctuary is $15 online or at the door. College students may show ID for $5 admission. Tickets and additional information are available at fountainstreet.org/jazz.
Fountain Street Church is an independent house of worship with an open pulpit and a 150-year history of progressive action in the heart of West Michigan.
For more information about Fountain Street Church or the Jazz in the Sanctuary concert series, please contact Conor Bardallis, Events Manager, at cbardallis@fountainstreet.org or 616-459-8386 ext. 221 or Virginia Anzengruber, Content and Communications Manager at vanzengruber@fountainstreet.org.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Holy moly, did it take a long time (and a massive effort) to corral this badly injured boy and convince him (and others) that he needed to be taken in out of harm’s way.
About two years ago, this three-year-old, intact male (born in early 2016) took to wandering around a Wyoming apartment complex, befriending a few of the residents who let him in from time to time. Then in the summer of 2018, he was terribly traumatized, most likely the victim of a nasty cat fight that caused his initial neck wound.
It seems that some of the residents had taken a shine to our boy, but instead of seeking medical care for him, they let nature take its course and went so far as to insist that he needed to stay put as ‘their’ outdoor cat; they would miss him too much if he were gone. Finally, his skin had progressively been damaged over the harsh, horrible winter we had, and he was brought in for long overdue medical attention.
Dr. Jen has smelled a lot of foul things in her career as a veterinarian, but this matted, chronically abscessed and necrotic skin flap was a doozy! Once anesthetized and prepped for surgery, the good doctor gently cut away the nasty, useless chunk of skin that was overlaying a 4-5 cm open wound, with another full-thickness hole present beneath. After flushing and debriding the wound site, Dr. Jen started this kitty on broad-spectrum antibiotics and pain medication, then set about neutering, conducting internal and external parasite control, administering vaccines, bathing (repeatedly to remove layers of grime), and testing.
It was no surprise that Donut tested positive for FIV, a transmissible feline virus acquired from deep puncture/bite wounds, disheartening but not unexpected. By the time he was done being brushed and blow-dried, he looked like a million bucks, albeit one missing a huge section of flesh.
Although his recovery was routine, the next morning Dr. Jen was not greeted by the happy, hungry hunk she left the night before, but a depressed kitty with an elevated respiratory rate who was lying in his feces—and very subdued while she re-bathed him. Dr. Jen was concerned about a reaction to the drugs used to sedate him or, more importantly, an underlying cardiomyopathy, so she ran a specialized test that showed elevated levels of an enzyme we can see in cats with heart disease.
Thankfully, after a course of subcutaneous fluids and the passing of a very large bowel movement laden with roundworms, this guy immediately perked up, his breathing resumed normal, and he was back to filling his face. A few days later, Dr. Jen sent him off to Sid’s with a vial of topical Silvadene cream in tow to be applied to his skin defects twice daily. Although an instant fan of belly rubs, Donut was understandably weary of any sort of human contact involving his head, so there was a bit of a learning curve for everyone involved. However, over the course of the next four weeks, his healing plugged along at a good clip, and although he will sport one heck of a scar, overall he really is none the worse for wear.
The majority of the time Dr. Jen spent with Donut was at the clinic, so she wanted to get a more in depth summary of his personality and observations made by his caretakers for his biography:
“I can’t say enough good things about him,” said one volunteer. “He absolutely loves all the comforts of indoor life. He’s crazy about wet food, treats, and humans. While taking care of his neck wound, he’s been nothing short of a gentleman, just sits and waits patiently for the treats at the end. He really does love people, knows his name already, and is starting to follow us around. He was slow to venture out of his safe place/room, but he knows he’s safe now, and has been strutting around with confidence. He can be a little selfish and push his way through when I’m interacting with him and a few of the other cats, but he’s not aggressive about it; he’s just trying to make upon for lost time.
“Donut has come such a long way since he came in. He has turned into a very sweet boy who absolutely loves his new life of luxury. He can still be pretty reserved and prefers to snuggle up in a cubby, but if you sit and talk to him or offer him a few treats he will come right out for attention. He loves canned food more than anything else and probably will eat until he explodes if you let him! He doesn’t seem to care at all about the other cats, so he could probably live with or without them. He would do great in a quiet home without kids, one where he could be the center of quiet, gentle attention.”
Now that you have read all about this amazing creature, ‘do-nut ya wanna’ take him home and make him your very own?
Want to adopt Donut? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern
ken@wktv.org
After dedicating three seasons to the South Christian High School Lady Sailors varsity basketball team, senior guard Sydney Cleary was recently recognized as an AP All-State honorable mention athlete.
Cleary has helped lead her team to back-to-back district titles by being a steady ball handler and floor leader, while also being a playmaker that’s not afraid to take the shots. Cleary led the team in assists all three years she was on varsity, averaging five per-game her junior year, and setting the school record with 13 in one game.
“I like to pass the ball a lot and get my teammates the opportunity to score as much as I can” Cleary told WKTV after their 2019 district title win. “But I also work on my own game when I need to and when my team needs it from me.”
This is not the first time Cleary has been recognized for her on-court skills, as she was named one of the top 100 girls basketball players in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press. Cleary was also named to the second team Advance All-Area her junior year, and has earned All-Conference honors.
“Sydney is a good decision-maker and smart player,” South Christian head coach Kim Legge previously said about her star point guard. “Sydney is a true point guard, she is a solid ball-handler and sees the court extremely well.”
Two other local girls earned AP All-State honors, both from East Kentwood.
Senior guard Alona Blackwell made the Division 1, Second Team All-State. Blackwell is a strong perimeter shooter, who was a four-year starter with the Falcons. As a freshman she was named the Freshman Player of the Year in Grand Rapids. Blackwell led the team in assists back-to-back seasons and finished her junior and senior seasons as the Falcons’ leading scorer. She averaged 16.9 points and six assists per game her junior year, which earned her All-State Honorable Mention. During the summer of 2018, Blackwell was named Grand Rapids All-City Female Basketball Player of the Year. She will be continuing her basketball career at Oakland University next year, after receiving offers from Penn State, Minnesota, Akron, Marquette and Eastern Michigan.
The other player from East Kentwood is Mauriya Barnes, who was named to the Division 1 All-State honorable mentions. Her sophomore year she helped East Kentwood make a run to the Breslin Center, where they fell just short in the championship game to Flushing High School. During her junior year, she helped lead her team to their first undefeated regular season. Barnes averaged 11 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals per game as a junior. She has committed to play basketball at South Carolina State next year.
There are six boys from local teams to earn AP All-State honors, coming from East Kentwood, Wyoming High, Godwin Heights, South Christian, Potters house, and Tri-unity Christian.
The lone player to make First Team All-State from their respective division is Bennett Sinner of Division 4 Tri-unity Christian. Sinner is a 6-foot-1 guard, who averaged 13 points and 6.5 rebounds a game for the Defenders. Sinner led the charge for the Defenders, who made a run to the state semifinals this season.
In Division 1, East Kentwood’s Ja’Moni Jones was named to the Second Team All-State. Jones is a 6-foot-1 junior point guard who was ranked as the number 36 high school player in the state of Michigan by the Detroit Free press. Jones is ranked as the fifth best high school basketball prospect in Michigan, in the 2020 class by PrepHoops.
The other four players remaining earned All-State honorable mentions.
Menalito McGee out of Wyoming High School earned an honorable mention in Division 1. McGee is a 5-foot-7 junior point guard, who set a school record for single-game points, scoring 37 against Northview. McGee also holds the school record for most three-pointer’s made in a single game, with seven on Nov 30, 2018 against Grandville, surpassing his previous record of six. McGee is also second in single-season three’s made with 67 in the 2017-2018 season.
Two honorable mentions come out of Division 2. Those players are Jamaal Bailey of Godwin Heights, and Luke Schrotenboer of South Christian.
Bailey landed First Team All-Conference honors this season, after helping lead Godwin Heights to an OK-Silver conference championship, going 12-0 in conference play.
Schrotenboer is a 6-foot-4 small forward and senior leader for South Christian, helping lead them to a second straight district title, and this year, a regional title. Schrotenboer has received an offer to play basketball at Cornerstone University.
The final honorable mention is Ben Clark from Division 3’s Potter’s House. Clark was the Puma’s senior captain, who averaged 12 points per-game his junior year and was First Team All-Conference two year in a row. Clark led the team to a 19-2 record this season and an appearance in the District 75 championship game.
U.S. veterans return from duty with knowledge, skills and abilities that employers are looking for in their workforce. Here are some transferrable skills that veterans bring to civilian jobs:
Veterans who need help translating their military skills, qualifications and experience to their job search can visit a West Michigan Works! service center to be connected to a veterans representative.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
By Drew Dargavell, WKTV Sports Intern
ken@wktv.org
This year, the student-athletes were honored at halftime of the boys high school basketball championships at the Breslin Center at Michigan State University. And among those students awarded was Wyoming High School’s Avery Robinson III.
“It was a great experience, not only being surrounded by all those fans, but also meeting other scholar athletes. It was incredible.” Avery said to WKTV after being honored at the Breslin Center.
“It’s great to be recognized for all the hard work I’ve put in for the past four years,” Robinson said. “But I also feel like it’s a representation of how great the Wyoming community is and all the hard work they put in to their students and their athletes.”
To be eligible for this award, the student must have a 3.50 GPA or better and have earned a varsity letter in an MHSAA-sponsored sport — and Robinson is gifted both athletically and academically.
He lettered in three sports including track and field, tennis and golf. He was varsity in track all four years and was the school’s only pole vaulter. In tennis, he played No. 1 singles, and finished in first place at two invitationals this past season and was named all-conference in the OK-Gold division. Avery was even named the West Michigan Fox Motors Athlete of the Week in October 2018.
Robinson tries to go above and beyond in all of his sports, activities and academics, according to track coach Brent VanEnk.
“Every time we’re at the meet he says ‘What do you need me for coach?’ and especially as a high school coach, that’s great to have,” VanEnk said about his lone pole vaulter. “I couldn’t think of anyone better, especially in this school, to get that award.”
Not only does he work hard in athletics but Robinson excels in his studies as well, accumulating a 4.15 GPA, while taking a total of nine AP classes during his junior and senior years.
He is also very involved in extracurricular groups and community service. He is the President of the school’s National Honors Society, an officer of the Key Club, a drum major for the marching band, a participant in the science olympiads, and he qualified for state in Business Professionals of America.
“Time management is very important,” Robinson said on juggling his academics and extracurriculars. “Keeping priorities, I usually try to do one thing at a time and strike a balance by scheduling and organizing.”
The next step for the soon-to-be Wyoming grad is choosing a four-year university. He has several offers on the table, but is still in the decision-making process. He hopes to pursue social sciences and possibly go the pre-law route.
A Life of Leadership explores the extraordinary life of Grand Rapidian Ralph W. Hauenstein. COL Hauenstein was a leader in the West Michigan community, remembered for his role as a journalist, his military and intelligence service, his dedication to the Catholic faith, his entrepreneurship, and his philanthropy in Grand Rapids. Hauenstein left a lasting legacy in the United States and around the world.
Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1912, Hauenstein’s family moved to Grand Rapids when he was 12 years old and he graduated from Central High School in 1931. He was a public servant from his early years starting as a boy scout. Hauenstein was curious, inquisitive, and an exceptional storyteller, which led him to his first job as a police reporter for the Grand Rapids Press and later as a city editor with the Grand Rapids Herald.
Hauenstein joined the U.S. Army in 1935, serving first with the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1941 he began working as an intelligence officer in Iceland and rose to the rank of colonel. During World War II, he was promoted to Chief of Intelligence for the European Theater of Operations under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. An important part of his experience was the liberation of the German concentration camp at Dachau. His WWII experiences opened his eyes to the need for ethical, effective world leaders.
Hauenstein saw first-hand that many countries face food shortages. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids and became an entrepreneur in international trade and food equipment manufacturing, designing equipment to make Goldfish Crackers. His success in business allowed for substantial philanthropic contributions in Grand Rapids. He gave generously to many local causes and established the Grace Hauenstein Library at Aquinas College, Mercy Health Hauenstein Neuroscience Center and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.
The exhibition highlights Hauenstein’s extraordinary life, his contributions to our nation and community, and his legacy of leadership. Interactives allow visitors to test out writing a headline for the newspaper on an antique typewriter and try their hand at cracking a secret code. Photography from around the world brings visitors face-to-face with Hauenstein’s impact globally.
Ralph W. Hauenstein: A Life of Leadership is included with general admission to the Museum, and located on the Museum’s third floor.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of: The Hauenstein Family and The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Images and objects on loan courtesy of Brian Hauenstein unless otherwise stated. The images in this exhibition were first digitized for public display by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Thank you also to the National Cryptologic Museum, NSA, Washington D.C.
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By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
We are very fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with local shelters and rescues, as they will contact us if they come across a Feline Leukemia-positive stray in need of placement. We are also fortunate that we have the financial ways and means to test each and every cat that comes through our door upon arrival, versus having to wait to see if a cat’s status is negative after someone comes in and falls in love with a kitty.
Sadly, such was the case with Pudge, a FABULOUS five-year-old fella (born in November of 2013), who ended up at Harbor Humane Society back in November of 2018; none of his caretakers knew he was harboring the contagious retrovirus until someone had fallen head over heels for him. The potential adopters opted not to take a very disappointed Pudge home, probably because they had other cats that weren’t vaccinated against the disease, which is completely understandable, but sad nonetheless. And since he was now in another category, the shelter was unable to house him any longer and contacted us for help in a hurry.
So Pudge packed his little bags and made the trip from West Olive to Wyoming on Jan. 17, 2019, arriving with such an eager attitude and the brightest eyes that he was pawsitively intoxicating! He sported only two-thirds of his tail, which believe it or not made him even cuter.
However, his mouth was nothing but an inflamed, rotten mess (something that is very common in leukemia kitties), so Dr. Jen had to take him to surgery to remove every tooth present behind his canines. No worries though, as he rebounded without any issue whatsoever and has had no trouble consuming any and all types of food given to him.
The next day Dr. Jen happily sent him down to Big Sid’s, our sanctuary for FELV and FIV kitties—and what an impression he made instantaneously! We have two very important words for you: PUDGE HUGS!
“Pudge has become an instant volunteer favorite with his hugs—he will literally climb you like a tree and never let you go. The only way you can put him down is to hand him to another person. He is learning to play nice with the other cats and I actually caught him wrestling with Tinker and Stavros this week. He would do great with older kids and would probably like a buddy to play with.”
“Pudge absolutely loves people, and his trademark hugs are the best. When trying to put him down he’s been known to be a little bossy and has grabbed at faces—I would recommend being with older kids that respect his occasional outbursts. He can’t help it, he’s just happiest when he’s being carried around by as many volunteers in one shift as possible! He does pick on the others on occasion, but once you correct him he’s fine. I call him the Eddie Haskell of cats (though many people won’t get the reference). He’d do great in a home with another cat, a dog, and older kids.”
So there ya have it in a nutshell, why we are all so smitten with this big kitten. It is a hoot to stop in and see him being carted around in the arms of visitors who cannot get over how affectionate and adorable he is. We don’t think he viral status is going to hinder him from getting a happy home of his own, as his personality is so big and he is simply too amazing to pass up!
Want to adopt Pudge? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Just looking at his name, one can tell that Marcelo Lehninger was destined to be a citizen of the world. The child of a Brazilian violinist and German pianist, young Marcelo grew up with two constants in his life: global fluidity and music. Today, he unites his passions on a third continent as music director for the Grand Rapids Symphony. Join us for an uplifting conversation about life, love, and music!
WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org
WKTV Community Media’s cable channels began this week the airing of a new program called Breathe In The Grand, which will run Mondays at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. The program is hosted by Pamela Keim, and the latest episode of the show features local celebrity Mike Knuble, a professional hockey player from Kentwood.
National Hockey League player Mike Knuble, a 16-year veteran of the NHL who started his NHL journey here in West Michigan, shares his local connection with Pamela Keim, of Grand Tap Media.
According to supplied information, Knuble talks about East Kentwood High School, playing Canada, death of his dad at the age of 15, University of Michigan, being traded by the Detroit Red Wings, playing in the Big Apple (New York City) and playing with legendary Wayne Gretzky, social media and today’s coverage of sports, coaching, and being in the NHL Hall of Fame.
Part 2 of the interview will air the following week, Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9.
For more information visit grandtapmedia.com .
For a complete list of WKTV cable television programming, visit here.
By WKTV Staff
“Do not put all your eggs in one basket.”
― Warren Buffet
Sheesh. Was that a long winter or what? Time to get out and celebrate — and here are some fun ideas. The Mad Hatter Tea Party, an Enchanted Spring Party with Mermaids and Unicorns and family pet photos with the bunny are all in store at Woodland Mall — and the fun starts this weekend. Shoppers will also find the latest spring fashion trends to freshen their wardrobes. Read more here.
Mark your calendar for April 4-5 — and get down to Wealthy Theatre for Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival (GRLAFF). This year, GRLAFF will showcase eight feature-length films from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, plus Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), a 2018 Oscar-winning film from Chile. More info here. En español aqui.
Rock climbing, art, bounce houses, swimming, and fitness are just a few of the family–friendly activity options available at The Salvation Army Kroc Center during Spring Break 2019. More here.
The first year scientific literature described fainting goats.
Need to file for unemployment? Looking for a new career? Interested in job-training opportunities? West Michigan Works! can support you throughout the process of searching for, applying for and getting a job. Ready to visit? Here are some recommendations to make the most of your trip!
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
By Emily Hunsberger, Tertulia
Maybe you’re looking for a break from scrolling through tiny images and social media posts on your smartphone screen. Maybe you watched Roma on Netflix and have some lingering questions.
We’re more connected to the world than ever, but we consume foreign media in isolation; what’s missing is context. Enter the Grand Rapids Latin American Film Festival (GRLAFF) — ‘Cinema Without Borders’
Winner of the 2018 Grandy for Outstanding Art Event (Judge’s Choice), GRLAFF is returning for its ninth season to provide opportunities for dialogue across cultures and to enrich the social fabric of our community. GRAFF offers the West Michigan community a platform in which to engage with some of the most recent, award-winning films from Latin America — through striking imagery and long-form storytelling on the big screen, and also face-to-face interactions with film directors, local speakers, and fellow Festival attendees.
“I’m excited to see how audiences will respond to what we have planned for 2019,” said Mayra Fortes, a Grand Valley State University professor and co-chair of the GRLAFF Organizing Committee.
“Every year, more and more people from the community attend the Festival, and the organizers love to hear how much they enjoy the event — from the films themselves to the discussions and the food,” Fortes added.
This year, GRLAFF will showcase eight feature-length films from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, plus Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), a 2018 Oscar-winning film from Chile.
Friday evening, festival-goers can interact with Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, a director from the Dominican Republic, after the showing of his film Cocote. Cocote is the story of Alberto, a kind-hearted gardener who returns home to attend his father’s funeral, but quickly faces a dilemma when he realizes that he’s been summoned by his family to avenge his father’s murder.
On Saturday evening, audience members will meet Daresha Kyi, the co-director of Chavela. The award-winning documentary, a co-production between the United States and Mexico, is a portrait of the beloved Costa Rican singer Chavela Vargas, whose interpretations of Mexican ranchera songs endeared her to audiences, even as her unconventional life challenged societal norms.
Panel discussions will follow several of the features, and local experts will weigh in on some of the themes brought to light in the films. GRLAFF 2019 will also revive a tradition — screening a selection of award-winning short films from Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela on Saturday at noon in the main auditorium.
Latin American-style refreshments prepared by local restaurants will be available both days, and festival-goes can mingle with directors, speakers, and fellow audience members in the lobby.
The Festival is free and includes kids’ programming — an animated film from Colombia, El libro de Lila (Lila’s Book), on Saturday morning in the main auditorium and a series of live puppet shows both afternoons in the Koning Micro-Cinema.
Visit the Festival website and follow the Festival on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates, using the handle @GRLAFF and the hashtag #GRLAFF2019.
By Kate Kocienski and Darci David
People with autism, dementia, PTSD and similar conditions often experience sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation. A big barrier for these folks is sensitivity to overstimulation and noise — the norm for environments at public spaces like the Grand Rapids Public Museum and John Ball Zoo.
What to do?
Well, thanks to passage of the Kent County millage in November 2016, funding was made available for the Grand Rapids Public Museum and John Ball Zoo to help highly sensitive individuals enjoy their experiences. The duo partnered with KultureCity — a nonprofit based in Birmingham, Alabama — to make their organizations, including all of the programs and events hosted, sensory-inclusive. The goal: to promote an accommodating and positive experience for all guests with a sensory issue.
To obtain sensory-inclusive certification, JBZ and GRPM employees underwent training by leading medical professionals on how to recognize guests with sensory needs and how to handle a sensory overload situation. Sensory bags, equipped with noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards and weighted lap pads will be available to guests beginning in early April at the GRPM and in May at John Ball Zoo.
Families can prepare for visits to JBZ or the GRPM by downloading the free KultureCity App where one can view what sensory inclusive features are available and where they can be accessed. Also on the app is the Social Story which will provide a preview of what to expect while visiting.
“Having the opportunity to collaborate with KultureCity and the Museum to offer sensory kits to our guests embodies the Zoo’s value of diversity within the culture, talents, and experiences of our communities,” said Peter D’Arienzo, CEO of John Ball Zoo.
“We strive to be a place where all people feel welcome,” said Dale Robertson, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
In late October 2018, Dr. Jen received a call from a couple up in Howard City who were desperate to help this poor kitty who had hobbled into their garage with a severely injured foot. Unable to find anyone to assist them over the weekend, they set up shelter for him and tried tending to his left rear foot—it was swollen to three times normal size.
Dr. Jen took the 18-month-old (born around May of 2017) into her care on the 30th with not a day to spare. It appears that something was tied or wrapped around his foot over bones of the tarsus (above the ankle) and since there is no fat to cushion anything that constricts, the binding ate through his flesh and tendons, exposing bone in its traumatic path.
Poor kitty!
By the time this beautiful boy arrived, Dr. Jen was concerned that his foot was damaged beyond repair and that amputation would be in his future. Luckily, when she debrided the wounds the tissue bled; that means a healthy blood flow would hopefully allow for adequate healing over time. Since the metatarsal bones were exposed in several places, Dr. Jen embarked on rounds of creative bandaging, heavy-duty antibiotics and, of course, narcotics and anti-inflammatories to control the swelling and pain.
If that weren’t enough, this big-footed fella tested positive for FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). It took about a month for his injuries to heal, leaving only the slightest scar behind, which in itself is utterly amazing.
Yeti walks without a limp and appears to have no residual pain or numbness—he is actually quite athletic and graceful. He can best be described as one of our most chill and relaxed residents —we often find him snoozing all day long in one of our cozy cat cubbies. When people come to find him (as they often do), he gently rolls over and asks for belly rubs, which have become his meaning for existence.
This young man has slowly become what we call a ‘big fish in a small pond’, as he is likely to chase away other kitties when they attempt to steal the spotlight from him. Since he may have the propensity to nip to ward off furry space invaders, we feel it would be best if Yeti became the only cat in his household, but we think he wouldn’t mind a dog as long as the canine was a bit on the lazy side like Yeti.
Dr. Jen is quite enamored by this guy—heck we all are —and by spending time with him at the clinic during phases of his recovery, she can attest to the fact that whoever takes him home and makes him one of their own is going to have one of the most affectionate, adorable feline companions on their hands. He is certainly a people pleaser and would love to find himself in a home where he could be the center of attention.
Want to adopt Yeti? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By WKTV Staff
“I don’t really go out partying, but I’m definitely a social butterfly.”
~ Eliza Doolittle
The fluttering you hear at Meijer Gardens this time of year? It isn’t your heart beating with excitement — it’s the butterflies! There’s still time to get a good dose of gorgeous — the winged ones are on display until April 30 during the 24th Annual Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition. More here.
Hope you’ve cleared your calendar for this weekend. About 40 teams will compete at the FIRST Robotics event this Friday and Saturday. This includes host team East Kentwood’s Red Storm, Wyoming High School’s Demons, Potter House’s Tactical Hams, and the community team Code Red the Stray Dogs. Fun stuff! Go here for further details.
Gina Mancha was displaced from a long career in automotive manufacturing and needed to find a new career. As a dislocated worker, Gina was eligible for services through Michigan Works!. Read her success story here.
See?
Gina Mancha was displaced from a long career in automotive manufacturing and needed to find a new career. As a dislocated worker, Gina was eligible for services through Michigan Works!. With guidance from a career coach, she completed a career portfolio—a collection of documents that highlights experience, skills and accomplishments—and soon secured an entry level position at Spectrum Health in the Environmental Services department.
Eager to advance at Spectrum, she applied to an apprentice program for sterile processing technicians through West Michigan Works!. She attended an information session and learned about the assessments she would need to take for acceptance in the program. It had been a long time since Gina had taken any tests or attended classes, but she was persistent and spent hours practicing and preparing for the work ahead.
Gina’s hard work and practice paid off; she was the only candidate to complete and pass all of the tests and became the first sterile processing technician apprentice at Spectrum Health.
Gina attended classes at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) while working as an apprentice at Spectrum Health. She credits the apprenticeship for giving her a new set of skills and confidence to start her second career at age 50. Gina successfully graduated from the apprenticeship program last spring and has been promoted from an apprentice to a sterile processing technician with Spectrum Health.
Gina, Spectrum Health and GRCC were recently honored by the Michigan Works! Association and state lawmakers as 2019 Impact Award winners. The awards recognize workforce achievements in communities across Michigan.
Employment Expertise is provided by West Michigan Works! Learn more about how they can help: visit westmiworks.org or your local Service Center.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
In mid-December 2018, a ‘rescue regular’ came across this stunning black-smoke-and-winter-white tom cat hanging out near one of her feral feeding stations in downtown Grand Rapids. Never one to leave an unneutered male behind, she promptly got him corralled and into CSNIP, then took him home in the hopes of helping him acclimate to indoor living by setting him up in one of her many kitty condos.
Try as she might, the fearful 5-year-old (born in early 2014) just wouldn’t adjust to her gentle touch and soothing voice, and returning him to the not-so-great outdoors was out of the question.
So when she brought him in two months after his rescue for Dr. Jen to evaluate, she agreed to letting us give it a shot at Crash’s, since we have droves of doting volunteers who are pros at working diligently with the most timid of kitties. Maybe with the collective efforts of so many, Burdock would emerge from his cocoon, start to relax and enjoy life a little bit.
A month into his stay with us at Crash’s, he is still a work in progress, just as we expected him to be. Burdock is ever-so-painstakingly slowly starting to feel comfortable at the shelter, but he still terrified and very wary of people. He gets quite nervous when you climb up to the cat walk where he is hiding out, but he will let you pet him if you approach him calmly and quietly. We have caught him out walking around a few times in the middle of the day, but as soon as he sees anyone he is right back up to the cat walk; to try to socialize him we have been carrying him around the shelter with him in our arms.
His metamorphosis is going to require a great deal of patience, but we believe that he does have it in him to come out of the safety of his shell of self-preservation, overcome his fear and evolve into a confident cat. He’s not aggressive in any way, just intimidated by the other cats and his new surroundings, so we will give him all the time in the world and let him set a pace he is comfortable with. We can’t begin to imagine what on earth happened to him before he was rescued, but we have years worth of neglect to make up for, and a slow and steady approach is going to be paramount with Burdock.
We are all going to be by his side, coaxing him every step of the way until one fine day, he realizes the potential he has harbored within himself all along; what a grand day that will be for all of us!
Want to adopt Burdock? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Marcel “Fable” Price talks of his challenging youth, a teacher who saw promise in him, and the redemptive power of poetry. As Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, Michigan, he uses his platform to empower area youth, call out public policies that marginalize brown and black people, and advocate for mental health services.
By K.D. Norris
It has been more than 28 years since the December night Richard “Richie” Hitchcock disappeared after an evening out at the Riverfront Lounge in Allegan. Despite an extensive initial search, and a dogged effort by family and friends to find out what happened to Richie, there has been no clues as to his fate.
Over the years, individuals and groups, usually led by Richie’s cousin, Kellie (Yunginger) Boers, and Richie’s brothers Steve and Andy, have tried many things to get information, only starting with a current $5,000 reward for information on the case. Over the years, they have posted flyers, painted information on rocks for people to find and inquire about, they have hooked up with the stock car racing community to keep the effort alive — despite knowing that Richie is most likely no longer alive.
Continuing that effort, on Saturday, March 23, Boers and others will hold a fundraising dinner to raise another $5,000 for the reward, pushing it to $10,000 total, at the Allegan Eagles (#2315) 110 Chestnut St., Allegan. The dinner will run 1-5 p.m., with include a chicken dinner with fixings, with live music, silent auction and raffles.
After almost three decades, the effort continues to give Richie’s family and friends a little peace by finding and putting Richie to peaceful rest.
“The reason we have never given up on searching for Richie is because we love him. He deserves to be looked for … He deserves to be found,” Boers said to WKTV. “We don’t deserve to suffer this loss nor grieve a family member whom we cannot find, but Rich didn’t deserve to serve out 28 years of his family not knowing where his final resting place is.”
Boers, in fact, has turned her lessons learned, skills and passion for right to becoming a advocate for all missing persons.
Richie “is the reason I became an advocate,” she said. “When I started investigating and searching for him, others saw what I was doing and referred people to me to ask how they could do the same for their families. … I am blessed that they think that highly of the work I do. I do it from my heart and soul.”
But front and center in her efforts, in her mind and heart — in the heart and mind of many — is always finding Richie.
“He is the reason we team up together, his brothers Steve and Andy and I, to help others who have missing loved ones,” Boers said. “We don’t want them to have to wait 28 plus years like we have.”
The group’s efforts over the years, while always continuing, have had some notable ideas.
There was an effort last spring to put pictures and information of his, along with other missing persons, on rocks, an effort called “Allegan Sticks and Stones.” The stones are left in random places for people to find and enquire about.
There are also race cars owned and driven by Boer’s local friends who race at “local tracks like Kalamazoo, Springport, Galesburg, New Paris, all over the state now … even up to Onaway … It’s gained momentum over the last about 4 years so we just keep printing them if they are willing to put them on their cars,” she said.
There was even a billboard effort last year, led by a Facebook fundraising campaign.
And on March 23, the effort to get more community support to find Richie will continue with the dinner fundraiser.
For more information on the dinner and the effort, visit the @helpusfindRichardHitchcockpage on Facebook.
By , Spectrum Health Beat
Photos by Chris Clark
In 2013, after a five-year battle, Emmy Rickert lost her Aunt Jodi to breast cancer.
Two weeks later, at age 24, Rickert began fighting the same battle.
Rickert was still grieving the loss of her mom, who died of a brain aneurysm just two years prior. Seven months before her mom passed away, Emmy’s dad endured a heart transplant.
Two weeks after Aunt Jodi died, while Emmy worked as a legislative aide for a state senator in Lansing, Michigan, she felt a bruised area on her chest.
“I felt deeper and felt a lump,” Emmy said. “I was an active 24-year-old who exercised regularly. I wondered if I pulled a muscle or dropped something on it.”
Rickert visited her OB-GYN in Lansing.
“She said, ‘You’re 24, it’s probably nothing,” Rickert said. “’Let’s check back in a month.’”
Still tender from the loss of her aunt, she wanted to be sure. She pushed.
“I really credit my aunt with my life,” Rickert said. “I tell people to be their own health advocate, I really had to push my OB to get it checked further. I didn’t feel comfortable having just lost my aunt.”
Rickert talked her doctor into ordering an ultrasound.
“I remember going in thinking ‘whatever journey I’m about to start, help me to be strong enough for it,’” Rickert said. “I just didn’t have a good feeling about it.”
Shortly after the Friday morning ultrasound began, the technician stepped out and brought the radiologist in. He immediately ordered a core biopsy.
On Monday, while at her desk at work, she got the results.
“The radiologist called me and told me I had breast cancer,” Rickert said. “He seemed quite shaken. He said, ‘I’ve never had to call a 24-year-old to tell them they have breast cancer.”
I remembered back to when I was a child. Whenever I was sick and had to take medicine, (my mom would) say, ‘Alright, I’m sending the soldiers in to kill the bad guys.’ Every time I watched the chemo flow into my body, I thought of my mom and felt her there. I thought, ‘We’re sending the good guys in to kill the bad guys.’
The words rang in her ears. Just like in the movies. But this wasn’t fantasy. Instead, earth-shattering reality.
“My ears started ringing after I heard the word ‘cancer,’” she said. “I didn’t hear anything after. My world was spinning at that point. I didn’t understand why this was happening. I hadn’t prepared myself for those words ‘you have cancer.’ I don’t know if anyone can prepare themselves for that.”
Rickert’s mind whirled. She feared not only for her life, but she feared how she would tell her family about the diagnosis. They had already lost so much. So fast.
Right then, right there, she vowed to have the most optimistic and positive attitude possible.
“Having seen my family go through so much, I knew that was the answer,” she said.
Rickert picked up her younger sister from Central Michigan University. They drove to their family home in Hersey, Michigan, near Reed City.
“I told them, ‘Listen, this is what’s going on,’” Rickert said. “I don’t know the specifics yet, but I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer. I’m going to fight it and I’m not scared. I don’t want you to be, either.”
She soon learned the specifics. They weren’t comforting.
She had triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of breast cancer. She needed surgery right away.
Because her young age and triple negative diagnosis threw up red flags, she underwent a mastectomy on her left breast.
“They came out and told me it had grown an entire centimeter in the two weeks from the ultrasound to surgery,” Rickert said. “But it had not spread to my lymph nodes yet. They said if I had waited even a matter of weeks, it would be a different story.”
Further testing revealed Rickert carries the BRCA2 gene mutation.
Following surgery, Rickert wanted to go home. Home to Hersey. Home to family. Home to friends.
Knowing there was a new Spectrum Health cancer center in Reed City—the Susan P. Wheatlake Regional Cancer Center, one of six Spectrum Health cancer centers, she teamed up with a Spectrum Health oncologist to fight the foe.
But the recommended chemotherapy carried a risk she wasn’t willing to take—infertility.
“The No. 1 fear for me was not losing my hair or being sick during chemo, or even death,” she said. “It was not being a mother. Being a mother has always been my dream.”
She went to a fertility specialist in Grand Rapids, and froze her eggs before commencing chemotherapy.
That decision helped instill a deep resolve. Commitment deepened. She would win this fight. She had to win this fight. For her unborn children.
“That gave me so much hope,” Rickert said. “It gave me the gumption and will to say, ‘I’m going to be a mother now no matter what the fertility outcome is after chemo. That means I need to survive this because I’m going to be a mom.’ I went into it with a suit of armor, with hope and peace.”
Only after her eggs were frozen and safely tucked away did she begin chemotherapy. She felt fear as she watched the liquid drip into her veins.
But she also felt a presence. A presence she missed so very much. Her mom.
“Along this whole journey, I could really feel my mom there,” Rickert said. “I remembered back to when I was a child. Whenever I was sick and had to take medicine, she’d say, ‘Alright, I’m sending the soldiers in to kill the bad guys.’ Every time I watched the chemo flow into my body, I thought of my mom and felt her there. I thought, ‘We’re sending the good guys in to kill the bad guys.’ I think that outlook really made a difference for me.”
Unfortunately, chemotherapy made her sick. Very sick. Aunt Jodi did well through chemotherapy. Not so for her niece.
“I was in bed for weeks at a time,” Rickert said. “My dad and little sister would help me to the bathroom. But I was glad it was kicking my butt because I thought it might be kicking cancer’s butt as well.”
She’s grateful she made the decision to return home.
“Being close to my family and having that support system, being in my hometown and being at Spectrum also made a difference for me,” she said. “I had so many people rooting for me and lifting me up daily. There wasn’t time to feel down. I constantly was uplifted by my doctors and my townspeople, my family and friends.”
After she recovered from chemotherapy, Rickert decided she didn’t want to ever live through the same nightmare. She proactively had her right breast removed.
A year later, she married.
She and her husband, Kelly, conceived naturally. Their daughter, Grace, entered their lives on May 15, 2015.
“I can’t even begin to describe the joy we felt,” Rickert said. “I started to enjoy living. I felt so much gratitude that I survived. Seeing that miracle reminded me even more how precious and fragile life was.”
Having survived her own battle, she turned her energy outward.
“I started to do as many speaking engagements as I could, trying to help as many people diagnosed, or battling cancer, as I could,” she said. “I had gone through this for a reason, and that was to be a bright light for anyone going through this. I felt so driven to let people know there is life after cancer.”
And for the Rickert family, yet another life. Their son, Huck, was born in 2016.
The children were her light at the end of the tunnel, rainbows at the end of her storm. She calls them her little rainbow children.
But she knows storms can return. That’s why she’s not taking a single moment for granted. None of them.
“I know my cancer could return or something else could happen,” Rickert said. “Life is so precious, miraculous and fragile. I’m constantly being in the moment with my family. I’m helping others see that there is life past cancer and there is beauty in the battle because it makes you so much more aware of the fragility of life and the beauty of life.”
Judy Smith, MD, chief of the Spectrum Health Cancer Center, said Emmy is an inspiration to all who know her or her story.
“Her courage and optimism in the face of adversity takes my breath away,” Dr. Smith said. “She is one in a long line of strong women who proudly carry on the legacy of Betty Ford with her candor, willingness to publicly speak of her personal journey, promote screening and early detection and, most of all, help all women take charge of their own destiny.”
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Lucia Rios was born with spina bifida but also with a family who urged her to try to do anything she wanted to. That included trying roller-skating on crutches and attending university in an era when the U.S. was still working to become handicap-accessible. She joins colleague Stacey Trowbridge to talk about stigmas, accommodation, and common-sense tips around disability.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
In late January of 2019, Dr. Jen received an email from concerned cat lovers in Olivet who had befriended a very adorable, outgoing — albeit intact — male who showed up several weeks before. He had taken to hanging out on their back porch, meowing at them through the window, so they put food out for him (and an opossum buddy it seems), and he repaid their kindness by purring, head-butting and rubbing up against the husband and wife.
They took to the Charlotte Facebook pages to see if anyone had lost this orange kitty, but the only replies received were that people had seen him around as he had spent the summer at the Sherwood Forest campgrounds begging for handouts. As the weather turned colder, they made him a house on their porch and set him up with heated dishes, but when it dipped dangerously below zero, they were compelled to take him indoors.
Sadly, once he was let back out, he got into a huge fight with another feral in the area; then only a few days later, a dog attacked him; he wasn’t eating well and was looking rough, so they took him in to their vet for treatment—and discovered he was FIV+. Not having the room or cash flow for a fourth cat, and not wanting to entertain the morbid thought of having him euthanized as recommended, they reached out to us for assistance.
Since he was such a gentle cat who wasn’t phased in the least by the presence of the household kitties, even when being hissed at, they felt he deserved every chance at finding himself an indoor home that could better accommodate him. In the meantime, they boarded him at the vet’s office until they could make the trip over to us (the weather simply wasn’t obliging). On Feb. 4th, we eagerly opened our doors to the 3-1/2 year old (born in the summer of 2015), a striking, sturdy hunk aptly named Sherwood.
As is customary, Dr. Jen always does her own medical work-up when a cat enters into our program at either shelter, so she set to work on treating a multitude of issues: a bilateral ear infection with a deep left pinna laceration; an abraded and infected scrotal sac (ouchie!) that made neutering a bit of a challenge; there were small, scabby chin wounds; his upper right canine tooth had also been fractured but didn’t need extracting, thankfully.
By the next morning, he was feeling lots better and Dr. Jen felt he was ready to head on down to our sanctuary to start living the cushy life at the hands of our volunteers who were ready to spoil him. Initially, this 13-pound fella was quite shy, preferring to spend most of his time in one of our cozy cat cubbies, only venturing out primarily at night when the shelter was quiet and calm. But he is starting to settle in nicely and is exploring more readily. His favorite pastime, besides eating, is chilling on one of our many windowsills watching the birds come to the feeders, though he also is quite fond of being spoken softly to and is very accepting of head scratches.
He isn’t quite sure of being picked up yet, and when he gets to feeling overwhelmed by too much commotion, he will hiss and retreat to one of his safe places. We all collectively feel that he would do well in a home with another cat, though it isn’t mandatory, but that small kids would be too much for him. We also think that in time he will become an avid fan of lap lounging, though now he is perfectly content to hunker down here with us where it is safe, warm and canned food flows freely.
Ultimately, Sherwood sure would love to find himself a home of his own, but he is a happy lil’ indoor camper currently loving this new life of his!
Want to adopt Sherwood? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Sharon Wylie, Crash’s Landing
Each week WKTV features an adoptable pet—or few—from an area shelter. This week’s beauty is from Crash’s Landing. Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary rescue organizations were founded by Jennifer Denyes, DVM (Dr. Jen), who is on staff at Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (4245 Clyde Park Ave SW).
Fabulous four-year-old Levon (born in the summer of 2014) came to us in late July, 2018 as a FIV+ transfer from the Humane Society of Mid-Michigan in Montcalm County. Seems that this dapper tabby arrived at their facility in March, but given his viral status, they weren’t making any progress on promoting his adoption; when their shelter space became limited they asked us for help in housing him and giving him better opportunities for adoption exposure.
One of our dual volunteers transported him to the vet clinic where Dr. Jen did her typical intake work-up and happily discovered he was FIV-negative. However as (bad) luck would have it, he was free-roaming in an area with other FIV+ kitties and had suffered a bite wound that no one there was aware of until she examined him (he purred the entire time), so she had to schedule another retest a month later; at that time he retested positive once again.
Cats with strong immune systems can actually clear the infection from their bodies, but since there is no effective vaccine against it, he picked it up once again after three punctures wounds on his tail drove the virus into his bloodstream. So after spending a month at Crash’s, at the writing of his bio he has become a Sid’s Kid; in a month another test will be performed to see where he will take up permanent residence until he can find a home of his very own and stop shuffling around.
The interesting thing is that initially Levon was a tough nut to crack, as he wasn’t a happy camper given the fact that his bite wounds had to be tended to twice daily and were taking their time healing, but once he was moved over to Sid’s he was like a different cat! He hooked up with a few cats with whom he formed fast friendships and began to socialize, versus hanging out on the toddler beds or sitting on the windowsills by himself; though he was quite content to engage in those solo activities, we are thrilled that he has found his niche.
There is more space at Sid’s but there is also a larger population, so we can’t help but chalk up his change in attitude—his finally showing everyone the softer side Dr. Jen was privy to while he was at the clinic—to the fact that his injuries didn’t require further medical attention. Levon also doesn’t have Hamish the Handful to contend with, a tabby that can be quite the terror when he is feeling sassy and saucy (which is most of the time, so he has settled in quite nicely and is no longer trying to become a big fish in a small pond.
Now that he has found his purr again, you get to hear it not just when we approach him, but when he hunkers down next to you. He isn’t fond of being picked up, nor is he one to actively seek out human attention that often, but if given to him he is now happily accepting and affectionate in return, versus trying to high-tail it on outta there. We have no doubt that the more time he spends with us simply getting to enjoy himself as a resident versus a patient, he will fall as in love with his human caretakers as we all have with him.
Levon is a good cat who deserves a home of his own, with good feline company, an older kid or two and perhaps even a mellow dog—and a little Elton John music thrown in there for good measure.
Want to adopt Levon? Learn about the adoption process here. Fill out a pre-adoption form here.
Interested in volunteering at one of the cat shelters? Email volunteer@crashslanding.org.
Can’t adopt, but still want to help? Find out how you can sponsor a cat!
Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary have a common mission: To take at-risk stray cats off the streets of the Greater Grand Rapids area, provide them with veterinary care and house them in free-roaming, no-kill facilities until dedicated, loving, permanent homes can be found.
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Herself the child of itinerant parents, Olivia Sprinkel finds herself transplanted across the Atlantic to New York City. There she guides Fortune 500 companies in achieving big visions for sustainability. Join us for a conversation on expat life, innovation, and charting one’s North Star.
By WKTV Staff
“March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.”
~ Garrison Keillor
The construction industry is a virtually untapped source of high-demand, well-paying jobs for women. Women in Construction Week focuses on raising awareness of the opportunities available in construction and emphasizing the growing role of women in the industry. Read more here.
The gift of song has always been Thomas Carpenter’s saving grace. His deep baritone-bass voice has opened doors many times, and he delights in singing at church, for Dégagé, nursing homes, Heartside Art Studio and Ministry, and other organizations that help the homeless. Read more here.
It’s rare, but you can actually be scared to death. When a person is frightened or perceived to be in danger, the brain triggers a surge of adrenaline, which makes the heart beat faster and pushes the body instantly into “fight-or-flight” mode. It also affects the liver and pancreas, triggers perspiration and pushes blood toward major muscle groups. But don’t let that scare you. Read all about it here.
Spring fever isn’t just a saying — experts say the body’s makeup changes due to different diets, hormone production and temperature.
By Victoria Mullen, WKTV
The gift of song has always been Thomas Carpenter’s saving grace. His deep baritone-bass voice has opened doors many times, and he delights in singing at church, for Dégagé, nursing homes, Heartside Art Studio and Ministry, and other organizations that help the homeless.
He sang when he was in the military. And he even sings on the street.
Music has always been a big part of his life.
“My mother sang when I was little,” said the Detroit native. “I had a sister who was a musician. She and I sang in church. She was an alto who could sing tenor, so we could sing all the parts.”
Carpenter, 62, said he grew up in a God-fearing family.
“We couldn’t hang out in the summer. We had to go to summer school or Bible school. Dad was a disciplinarian.”
When his parents and older sister were eventually diagnosed with cancer, he became depressed and started using drugs. Through a series of misfortunes, he eventually became homeless.
“One day, someone stopped me on the street and fed me,” said Carpenter. “We went to a revival and I sang, ‘Just a Closer Walk with Me’.”
His singing led to a scholarship at Marygrove College in Detroit where he was a voice major with a concentration in classical music. One of his classmates was Madonna, who was studying to be an opera singer.
“God was trying to help me out,” Carpenter said. “But I got careless and squandered the scholarship.”
Carpenter has lived in the Heartside district for seven years and is thankful to many organizations. Mel Trotter gave him shelter when he was homeless. Dégagé helped arrange his mother’s funeral and transport for her body to go back to Detroit.
He helps out wherever he is needed.
“I had worked at a shelter before, so I had experience,” he said. “I needed to turn the lemons into lemonade, so I volunteered without actually taking a job there. Whatever needed to be done, I just stepped up. And then I went to have surgery on myself at the Veterans Hospital.”
When he came back, Dwelling Place provided him with a low-rent apartment.
“They saw how I interacted with people and developed a position, ‘resident engagement mentor’, so that’s what I’m doing for Dwelling Place.”
He also serves on the board there.
“I work primarily in fund development and resident engagement, and I have a mentor who’s a lawyer as I need to know more about the laws of the land.”
And the First Methodist Church of Grand Rapids, which partners with Dégagé, has opened the doors for him to come in and do special music for their services.
He finds the work rewarding on many levels.
“When someone who has been broken or lost or defocused receives the help from Dégagé, my joy is when that person brings another person,” he said. “Or when I see them putting the same tools and resources to someone who is in the same situation they were in. When I see that, I get charged up.”
Listen to Carpenter’s VOICES conversation here.
Share your story with VOICES. It’s easy — just go here to reserve a time!
By WKTV Staff
ken@WKTV.org
Wyoming High School honored great players past and present as the Wolves hosted their Hall of Fame Basketball Community Night, and hosted Hudsonville high’s teams, for a pair of games and several ceremonies Friday, Feb. 15.
The highlight of the evening was Wyoming Hall of Fame (which includes players from Wyoming Park and Rodgers high schools) inducting Rick Heuvelman, Robin Bolitho, Angel Chan, Roxie Claxton, Dave Greco and Anthony Thomas — as well as the 1994 state semi-final Wyoming Park boys basketball team.
But there was plenty of other events on what was also 2018-19 basketball senior night. On the boys side, four seniors played their final regular season game on their home court. They were Payton Stark, Andrae Wells, Menilek McGee and Zach Fry.
At the halftime of the boy’s game, the 1994 Wyoming Park boys basketball team, led by coach Kelly McEwen, was recognized and honored.
Their 22-5 record won an OK White conference championship, along with a district, regional and quarterfinal championship. According to supplied information, the team was comprised of five seniors and nine juniors, and “they combined defensive toughness and offensive togetherness” to defeat two of the top three ranked Class B teams in the state during its 1994 tournament run, including a dramatic 64-60 victory over a 24-1 Sturgis team. In that game the team made 13 three pointers, which tied a tournament record for 3’s made in a game at that time.
The team included Mike Brown, Marc Drougal, Mark Herrema, Jerry Jordan, Terry Krosschell, Daryl Lamar, Joe McKenzie, Kirk Scharphorn, Shawn Veenstra, Mark Baker, Ryan Baumbach, Joe Burke, Bob Henning and Matt Perez, along with assistant coach TJ Restau and head coach McEwen.
After the conclusion of the boys game that night, the individual Hall of Fame inductees were honored.
Heuvelman is a graduate of Rogers High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and was Athlete of the year at Rogers High School in 1974. He earned All Conference honors in football on offense and defense. In baseball, he was All Conference for two years. Heuvelman went on to play baseball at Aquinas College, where in 1979 he was named to the All American Baseball Team and is also in the Aquinas College Hall of Fame.
Bolitho graduated from Rogers High School in 2001. She was a four year varsity basketball letter winner while averaging 17 points a game. She was a three-year All Conference, All Area player in basketball. In 2001 She was received basketball All State honors and her teams won the conference championship for two of her four years. In softball, she was on three state championship teams. During this time she was All Conference, All Area, and All State three times at three different positions.
Chan was one of Wyoming Public Schools best basketball players. She earned her varsity letter at Wyoming Park all four years and was twice selected to the Associated Press and Detroit Free Press All State team. In 2004 and 2005 She was O.K. Gold All Conference and scored over 1400 points for Wyoming Park. She led her basketball team to Conference Championships and to the State Regional Finals. After high school, Chan received a full ride scholarship to play basketball at Central Michigan University. At Central Michigan she became one of the schools all-time leading scorers.
Greco played for three years of varsity football at Wyoming Park. He was named to the 1979/80 All Conference all Areas football team. His senior year, he was All Area and All State in football at Wyoming Park. In 1981 he was selected from thousands of players throughout the State of Michigan to play in the 1st Annual MHSAA High School All Star at Michigan State University. In baseball, he was a three-year letter winner, two-year All Conference, and his senior year was selected to the All Region Team. As a one-year wrestler his senior year he was 15-8 and a member of the Conference Championship team. He went on to play football in college and he earned baseball scholarship to attend Grand Valley State University.
Thomas was a three sport athlete for Wyoming Rogers High School during the 1990-91 season. He played football, basketball and track, and it was in track and field were he set records and went to MHSAA State Meet. He ran the 100 yard dash, 200 yard dash and the 4X100, 4×200 yard relays. In football, he was a two-way starter and selected to the All O.K. White All Conference, All Area and All State Class B teams at Rogers, and was the leader of the Rogers High School 1994 Class B State quarterfinalist. He went on to play football at Ferris State University.
Claxton was honored as a life-time achievement awards winner. In 1988 she started working in the concession stand at Wyoming Park High School. Since then, she has worked on the Frank Grimm Relays, became a athletic booster, band booster, Hall of Fame Committee member, chaperone, academic booster, Bond Construction Committee member, Title IX Committee member, and volunteered at all athletic events — including keeping scorebook for more than 25 years for the boys basketball team. She received her Master’s Degree from Michigan State University at age 55.
At halftime of the girls game, there was a ceremony for the Wyoming Dance Team Senior/Parent Night. Seniors on the team included Taina Rodriguez, Nicole Rodriguez, Guadalupe Rivera-Parada, Sanae Magoon, Heaven Coleman and Ramatu Kanneh.
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
The latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus offers the owner and brewer at Grand Rapids’ Brewery Vivant discussing plans to expand the brand into Kentwood and also about the state of craft brewing locally and regionally. Then we continue our explorations of the many aspects of legal and illegal immigration, this time with an attorney focused on immigration and foreign worker programs. Both our guests, and their topics of discussion, were brought to WKTV by community advocate Emily Bridson.
First up, In Focus is Jason Spaulding, owner and brewer at Brewery Vivant. The original craft brewery and pub is located in the Easthills neighborhood. Brewery Vivant distributes their products throughout Michigan and the greater Chicago area. We have Spaulding on, in part, because of plans to open a pub and brewery in Kentwood, but we will also talk with him about the state of the “business” of craft brewing locally and regionally.
Then In Focus is Lee Marvin, an attorney at Marvin Law Office. He has served in this role for the past 7 years and specializes in immigration, family law and small business advising. We will talk with him about the legal issues surrounding immigration and foreign worker programs. For a link to his interview video, click here .
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). In Focus is also available on-demand within a week of play at wktvondemand.com. All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
By Alan Headbloom, Feel Like You Belong
Back in Mexico, Mercedes Lopez-Duran got important advice when she started as a restaurant dishwasher: You are the one responsible for your own career trajectory. Taking that guidance to heart, she worked her way up to cook and moved with daughter Paola to the United States. When a Mexican restaurant came up for sale, the intrepid duo took a deep breath, leapt into the void, and never looked back. Today, El Granjero Mexican Grill celebrates 10 years of good cooking in the Bridge Street neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the process, they created a place for locals to feel like they belong.
