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With Police and Fire millage increase on the upcoming May 7 ballot; WKTV looks back at “A day in the life of a Kentwood firefighter” series

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Kentwood Firefighters Andy Biederman (left) and Jeff Bouwkamp shared their stories with WKTV last year for Voices from the Front Line. This story features four highlight reels from that program. This clip’s topic: “Not always fires; medical calls as well.”



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org



“When you’re young, you see the big red fire engines, you see the lights, you hear the sirens … and that’s what captures you,” said Kentwood Fire Department Lieutenant Jeff Bouwkamp, a firefighter for over 30 years. “You work here and you start to see the impact that you make, and it kind of gives you satisfaction. It makes you feel good.


“This is the greatest job in the world. I still feel that to this day.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: With the City of Kentwood voters to consider a dedicated millage increase to provide critical support for police and fire services on May 7, WKTV is posting excerpts from an important series from last year called, “Voices from the Front Line: A two-part look inside the life of a Kentwood firefighter.” WKTV spent an afternoon at Kentwood Fire Station 3 on Eastern Ave. as part of a documentary where we interviewed Lieutenant Jeff Bouwkamp and Engine Operator Andy Biederman. We talked about many details of their job as a firefighter … from the most routine calls to the most dangerous, and all things in between.


As the city of Kentwood has continued to grow, the demand for police and fire services also has risen. Since 2010, Kentwood’s population has grown by 11.5%, rising from 48,707 residents in 2010 to 54,303 residents in 2020. If approved, the dedicated millage increase would enable Kentwood’s Police and Fire departments to hire additional staff members and maintain response times to meet growing needs for police, fire and emergency medical services.


Kentwood Firefighters: “Helping people in need.”



Below are excerpts from our detailed conversations last year with these two Kentwood Firefighters:

Andy Biederman, Engine Operator (a Kentwood firefighter for over five years):

What are your duties as Engine Operator?

Basically, I’m in charge of this whole engine behind me; I have to know everything that involves the engine. From the engine itself; the motor to the water pump to all the tools that are on it … how much hose we have on it. It’s a pretty extensive job and I have to get water supply for the firefighters in the fire. We carry 500 gallons on it, so it goes pretty quick. We have a 1,500 gallon-per-minute tank or pump. So it’s a pretty fast-paced job.

Jeff Bouwkamp, Lieutenant (a Kentwood firefighter for over 30 years):

Talk about your responsibilities as a Lieutenant and the shift breakdown?

As the lieutenant here, I’m assigned to Engine 53. We have five people at this fire station; two lieutenants, one equipment operator, two firefighters. I manage day-to-day operations. I make sure the calls get run appropriately, get handled, that we do our jobs, and everything’s done correctly … and that we have a good time and everybody goes home safe at the end of the shift.


We run three different crews through our three different shifts. Each shift consists of two lieutenants, one equipment operator and two firefighters. We work a 24-and-a-quarter hour shift starting at 6:45 in the morning and get done at seven o’clock the next morning, that gives us about 15 minutes to overlap and do a little shift exchange. And then we get 24 hours off. Our second day is another 24-hour shift and we get the fourth day off, and then we work the fifth day. So, we work three out of five 24-hour days, and we get four off at the end. It comes out to about 10 days of work a month. 


Talk about the physical and emotional toll. How do you deal with the stress and anxiety?

ANDY:

Something that they’re trying to promote and push better is the whole mental health situation in the fire service. And with any kind of first responder or police officer they have seen a lot of suicides in this job, just due to the amount of stress and types of calls that we see, it starts building up. The older firefighters out there typically used to hold their feelings back, suppress them and not talk to anybody, when really that’s not beneficial. It’s easier to talk to somebody and get that information out to help you help other people. So it’s been a growing trend just to help talk to somebody and go that route.

JEFF:

We’re always watching each other … we’re that close. I pay close attention to the people that I’m working with because they’re very important to me. Because at one point or another we’re going to do something, we’re going to be out there together. I’m going to be relying on them, they’re going to be relying on me. We have to be there for each other. And I think the mental health aspect is a huge deal. So, I’m watching out for each one of the people here and each person is watching out for the other ones, because you may pick up on something and that’s huge, because yeah, that never used to happen. Or I can’t say never, but that really wasn’t in the forefront. People don’t talk about it.



Many youngsters dream of being a firefighter or police officer. What age were you when you thought of this as a career, and was there someone who sparked your interest?

ANDY: 

I grew up in the Chicago area and I have a cousin that works for the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department, and ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to do that. We also had some close family friends who were firefighters in our local department where I used to live in Evanston. I would go there after school and the firefighters would basically treat me like I was one of their kids. After school, when my parents were still working, I would hang out at the firehouse until they were done working. I was immersed in that whole environment, my whole childhood. And that’s something I never wanted to leave.


When you see a fire truck go by, you think they’re going to a fire, and you don’t necessarily understand that they might be going to a cardiac arrest, or they can go into something else that isn’t necessarily a fire. It kind of adds a different perspective because every time you do see it, typically they are going for a true emergency. So, with that kind of in the back of your head, it changes your perspective about how it’s not always with just the fires that we change lives. It’s also the medical calls that we go through as well. You want to make a difference.

JEFF:

This is all I’ve ever wanted to do is be on the fire department. I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I used to hang out with Brent Looman, we were buddies growing up, and now he’s the fire chief in Kentwood. His dad was on the fire department and we would see him going to calls and we’d hear about them and that just kind of caught me. As I grew up it never left me.


I’ve had a few different jobs; worked as a plumber, worked in a factory. Nothing beats the fire department. This is the greatest job in the world. I still feel that to this day.


Kentwood Firefighters: “5,000 calls last year: 13 per day.”



How does being a firefighter blend in with your family life?

JEFF: 

Last year, we ran almost 5,000 calls, and two years ago we ran over 5,000 calls. If you break that down for all of our shifts, we have half a day where we don’t run a call, and we can just be crisscrossing all over the place. So, we always have to be ready. In the beginning, it was a little difficult because my family was … ‘Well, you coming over for Thanksgiving? … uh, you’re coming over here for Christmas, right?’ If you have to work, they don’t quite understand that because people have Thanksgiving off, or maybe they have Christmas off. They don’t understand the schedule right away. That’s a little bit of a work in progress.


When your spouse needs help with the kids or whatever, and you’re not around, and you’re not going to be around until the next day, it makes it a little different. But you start to learn to adapt to that. One of the nice things is that we have days off during the week where my kids have done things with school, and I’ve been able to go on field trips with them. I’ve done things that some other dads aren’t fortunate enough to do. If I do work on their birthday, we’re going out on another day for their birthday. We’ve done Christmas almost a week early and a half a week late.


Let’s talk about the dangers of being a firefighter. When I walk through the doors at my office I don’t have to worry about saving lives or putting out fires. How often are you and the team put into dangerous, life-threatening situations? 

ANDY:

Every call we go to could potentially be life threatening or dangerous. We definitely don’t really know what we’re getting into once that alarm goes off. We’ve had times where we’ll get dispatched for a fall, and when we get there it’s a cardiac arrest. So, we have to be on our toes and be able to adapt to every different kind of situation. It’s no different if we get a burning complaint for somebody in the campfire in their backyard. And then when we get there, it’s a structure fire. Each call has its own different type of variables. It’s hard to pinpoint what’s going to be life threatening, or what’s going to be, you know, your run of the mill call, because I think these calls can turn into something that they’re not.



Kentwood Firefighters: “Dangers and Safety.”

WKTV Voices from the Front Line: A two-part look inside the life of a Kentwood firefighter

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Kentwood firefighters Andy Biederman (left) and Jeff Bouwkamp at Fire Station 3. (WKTV/Cris Greer)



By Cris Greer

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


EDITOR’S NOTE: WKTV recently spent an afternoon at Kentwood Fire Station 3 on Eastern Ave. as part of a documentary we produced called “Voices from the Front Line,” where we interviewed Lieutenant Jeff Bouwkamp and Engine Operator Andy Biederman. We talked about all the details of their job as a firefighter … from the most routine calls to the most dangerous, and everything in between. This is Part 1 of a two-part series on our very interesting and informative conversation below.

Andy Biederman, Engine Operator (a Kentwood firefighter for five years):

What are your duties as Engine Operator?

Basically, I’m in charge of this whole engine behind me; I have to know everything that involves the engine. From the engine itself; the motor to the water pump to all the tools that are on it … how much hose we have on it. It’s a pretty extensive job and I have to get water supply for the firefighters in the fire. We carry 500 gallons on it, so it goes pretty quick. We have a 1,500 gallon-per-minute tank or pump. So it’s a pretty fast-paced job.






Jeff Bouwkamp, Lieutenant (a Kentwood firefighter for 30 years):

Talk about your responsibilities as a Lieutenant and the breakdown of shifts?

As the lieutenant here, I’m assigned to Engine 53. We have five people at this fire station; two lieutenants, one equipment operator, two firefighters. I manage day-to-day operations. I make sure the calls get run appropriately, get handled, that we do our jobs, and everything’s done correctly … and that we have a good time and everybody goes home safe at the end of the shift.


We run three different crews through our three different shifts. Each shift consists of two lieutenants, one equipment operator and two firefighters. The three shifts makes 15 people. We’ll run Engine 53 and Medic 53 out of the fire station. We work a 24-and-a-quarter hour shift starting at 6:45 in the morning and get done at seven o’clock the next morning, that gives us about 15 minutes to overlap and do a little shift exchange. And then we get 24 hours off. Our second day is another 24-hour shift and we get the fourth day off, and then we work the fifth day. So, we work three out of five 24-hour days, and we get four off at the end. It comes out to about 10 days of work a month. 


Talk about the warning system of alerting firefighters for calls:

ANDY:

When you’re a new guy here, you don’t want to miss a call. So, it’s all important to hear that call when it goes off. If you don’t wake up for that call it’s a bad day. A lot of it is just being excited to be here. We have a lot of new guys here and they want to run the calls so they’re going to wake up for them. There’s a study about when the alarms used to go off, they’re very loud and like an abrupt alarm. But now they’ve realized with the study that a gradual tone is easier on your heart.


If you hear that loud tone at 3 in the morning, you’re automatically gonna start getting an increased heart rate, you’re already starting to kind of get some anxiety, if you will. So, the gradual tone will help reduce that which is beneficial for everybody.

JEFF:

We used to get a phone call from dispatch and now we’re on the 900 megahertz system. We have a station alert from the Kent County Communications Center, which is the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. They dispatch us; they hit a button and it transmits over our intercom. And then they’ll say Medic 53 or Engine 53 and tell us what we have and they’ll give us the address and then we just get up and go out.




Many youngsters dream of being a firefighter or police officer. What age were you when you thought of this as a career, and was there someone who sparked your interest? 

ANDY: 

I grew up in the Chicago area and I have a cousin that works for the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department, and ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to do that. We also had some close family friends who were firefighters in our local department where I used to live in Evanston. I would go there after school and the firefighters would basically treat me like I was one of their kids. After school, when my parents were still working, I would hang out at the firehouse until they were done working. I was immersed in that whole environment, my whole childhood. And that’s something I never wanted to leave.


When you see a fire truck go by, you think they’re going to a fire, and you don’t necessarily understand that they might be going to a cardiac arrest, or they can go into something else that isn’t necessarily a fire. In joining the fire service, you learn that. And it kind of adds a different perspective because every time you do see it, typically they are going for a true emergency. So, with that kind of in the back of your head, it changes your perspective about how it’s not always with just the fires that we change lives. It’s also the medical calls that we go through as well. You want to make a difference.


JEFF:

This is all I’ve ever wanted to do is be on the fire department. I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I used to hang out with Brent Looman, we were buddies growing up, and now he’s the fire chief in Kentwood. His dad was on the fire department and we would see him going to calls and we’d hear about them and that just kind of caught me. As I grew up it never left me.

Kentwood Fire Chief Brent Looman. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)




I’ve had a few different jobs; worked as a plumber, worked in a factory. Nothing beats the fire department. This is the greatest job in the world. I still feel that to this day.


When you’re young, you see the big red fire engines, you see the lights, and you hear the sirens, and that’s what captures you. You work here and you start to see the impact that you make, and it kind of gives you satisfaction. It makes you feel good.


You’re helping somebody who’s in need, helping them with something that they can’t take care of themselves.



Talk about the tight-knit camaraderie you have here at the Fire Station: 


ANDY:

It’s kind of nice that everybody knows each other by their first name; they know their families. We’ve all interacted outside of work, which is huge, too, because that also helps build that camaraderie. At a bigger department sometimes you don’t necessarily know everybody. 

JEFF: 

We get together for different things. During the summer we get together for picnics and whoever can get together for our shift. And we also have a nice Christmas dinner together. We’ll do stuff like that off duty or on occasion we’ll go to a hockey game or a baseball game or whatever. And that’s a special thing because a lot of times the spouses and the families get involved. But what I would tell people is, even when I worked as a plumber, I worked at a good place. But we didn’t have near as much fun as what we have here.


The closeness that we have is just great. Other jobs, I didn’t know how many kids they had or how old they were. I know these guys, I know their kids and I know their families. They come in and we have a good time; we laugh, we joke around and that’s a special thing.


How does being a firefighter blend in with your family life?

JEFF: 

Last year, we ran almost 5,000 calls, and two years ago we ran over 5,000 calls. If you break that down for all of our shifts, we have half a day where we don’t run a call, and we can just be crisscrossing all over the place. So, we always have to be ready. In the beginning, it was a little difficult because my family was … ‘Well, you coming over for Thanksgiving? … uh, you’re coming over here for Christmas, right?’ If you have to work, they don’t quite understand that because people have Thanksgiving off, or maybe they have Christmas off. They don’t understand the schedule right away. That’s a little bit of a work in progress.


When your spouse needs help with the kids or whatever, and you’re not around, and you’re not going to be around until the next day, it makes it a little different. But you start to learn to adapt to that. One of the nice things is that we have days off during the week where my kids have done things with school, and I’ve been able to go on field trips with them. I’ve done things that some other dads aren’t fortunate enough to do. If I do work on their birthday, we’re going out on another day for their birthday. We’ve done Christmas almost a week early and a half a week late.



Kentwood’s Engine 55 at Fire Station 3. (WKTV/Cris Greer)



A day in the life…

JEFF: 

Our shift starts at 6:45 a.m. We get in our uniform, get our gear and put it by where we’re going to be for the day. We do a little shift exchange with the off-going crew and then we do our vehicle checks. After we do vehicle checks we have a shift meeting and a schedule comes out for the day. We get all of our errands run. We work three shifts, but what we’ll probably do is go grocery shopping the first day for the whole week, and get that out of the way.


We do our station cleaning: kitchens, hallways, bathrooms, showers, all of that. We do any training that needs to get done; a lot of online training, especially for our EMT license. The first of every month I get inspections so the lieutenants will go out and do inspections. We take the crews out; we get to go through buildings in the city. That’s really nice because you get into places that you don’t normally see. We see things that may become problematic and help them get that straightened out; it’s more of a safety inspection. After lunch, we finish up our daily duties. About three o’clock we work out for about an hour; we’ve got a treadmill and some free weights, elliptical and a whole host of things. We usually eat after 5 o’clock.


Some of us will finish up projects after five, but normally that’s our downtime. We’ll watch movies and play games or whatever. And then after 5 o’clock we have to make sure that throughout the day no matter what we’re doing we’re freed up for alarms or medicals or whatever may happen. At night, you really don’t sleep well here; it’s more resting between calls. You never know when you’re gonna get a call … that’s always on your mind. It’s really hard to just relax. Sometimes you run a couple calls at night, sometimes you’re up all night.

Can you explain the certifications and training necessary to be a firefighter, and how much time you spend keeping up on that training and equipment?

JEFF:

About 3 o’clock we work out for about an hour; we’ve got a treadmill and some free weights, an elliptical and a whole host of things. We do an annual physical agility test and that has eight different things that we have to accomplish within a set time. That has to do with swinging a sledgehammer a certain amount of times within a time limit, pulling some holes and hooking up pieces of equipment, carrying equipment up and down a set of stairs.


We make several trips to know your physical strength and your cardio. There’s another one where we use a mannequin full of heavy stuffing and we’ll drag that a certain distance around, in certain ways, and then come back. We do that annually. We’ll go to a doctor to make sure we’re physically fit to do the job. To work here we have Fire 1 and 2, which is the minimum that they would give you if you were to just apply at a department.


And then we’re also all EMTs. Certain people that we’ve hired have gone past that and have gotten a paramedic license. We do not operate as paramedics, but we’ve hired people who are paramedics. We also have a certification in hazardous materials. I have Ropes 1 and 2 for high and low rescue, and I have trench rescue and confined space.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Please look for Part 2 of this series on Friday. To watch the entire program, click here: “Voices from the Front Line”

Second storytelling night scheduled at The Stray for April

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

A storyteller takes the stage during the February WKTV Voices Storytelling Project. (WKTV)

A chance meeting. A lesson learned and applied. An observation.

 

These were all some of the stories that were shared during the first WKTV’s Storytellers Project that was held in February at Wyoming’s The Stray, 4253 S. Division Ave.

“I moved among the crowd to see their reaction and it was really nice to see how much people were enjoying themselves,” said founder and host Donna Kidner Smith.

In fact, The Stray was packed on that snowy, cold day in February, to listen to about 14 local storytellers share a 5-6 minute story from their life. It was such a success that a second storytelling event has been scheduled for Friday, April 15. The program will be at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

The idea for the project came from Moth Radio Hour, which airs on NPR stations across the nation. The program features storytellers who share stories that honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and satisfies a human need for connection.

“This time there will be a theme,” Kidner-Smith said, adding that the theme is “That didn’t Go as I Had Planned.” There will be about 12 storytellers including Kidner-Smith.

The Stray’s menu features a selection of coffees and non-coffee items such as tea, hot chocolate and Brix soda. There is also a lunch menu of sandwiches and salads and in the evening, the offerings include flat breads and a selection of beer and wine.

For those who missed the February event or would like to get a sneak peek as to how it all goes, can watch the February WKTV Voices Storytelling Project at 9 p.m. Tuesday, 7 p.m. Wednesday, and 10 p.m. Saturday on Comcast Channel 25.

 

WKTV also will be recording the April 15 event as well.

WKTV Voices brings live storytelling to the Wyoming, Kentwood communities

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Detroit author William Kienzle often would say that every person has a good story. Local resident and WKTV volunteer Donna Kidner Smith is hoping to encourage people to share their stories.

The Stray Cafe, located at 4253 Division Ave., Wyoming, is where the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project will take place on Feb. 24. (Supplied)

This month, on Feb. 24, Smith will be the host of the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project. The program will take place at Wyoming’s The Stray, 4253 S. Division Ave., at 7 p.m.

The idea for the project came from Moth Radio Hour, which airs on NPR stations across the nation. The program features storytellers who share stories that honor both the diversity and commonality of human experience, and satisfies a human need for connection.

“I thought this is such a wonderful program and wondered why we didn’t have a local version,” said Smith, who teaches a story making class at Grand Valley State University.

Stories were the essential way that traditions and information were passed from people to people and generations to generations, Smith noted. It is an art form as well as an important way that communities stay connected.

In the fall, a friend invited Smith to attend a musical program at the newly opened The Stray.

“I saw the place and knew it would be perfect for this event,” Smith said.

Hunter VanKlompenberg, who oversees the programming at The Stray said they felt like the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project seemed like a good fit as well.

The logo of The Stray Cafe features immortalizes the family pet. (WKTV)

“It sounded like a cool idea,” VanKlompenberg who with his parents, Chip and Karen, and his partner, Victoria LATeano, own The Stray. Chip VanKlompenberg is the president. Karen VanKompenberg is the creative director, Victoria LaTeano is the cafe manager and Hunter VanKlompenberg is the music and arts manager.

The coffee house officially opened in September, but the foursome had been working on the project for well over a year, VanKlompenberg said. They selected the location on Division Avenue because of its high traffic but also the building, located at 4253 Division Ave., provided enough space for the group’s vision. That vision was to create a coffee house that would offer live music and other programs as well as a place for local artists.

Work from local artists are on display and available for purchase. Plans include artist studios in the back of the building and there will be a patio space come spring.

Currently, The Stray features the café in the front of the building. The menu features a selection of coffees and non-coffee items such as tea, hot chocolate and Brix soda. There is also a lunch menu of sandwiches and salads and in the evening, the offerings include flat breads and a selection of beer and wine.

The seating area is a mix of tables and sofas, all of which Karen, an artist and interior designer, found searching social media sites, according to VanKlompenberg. The design is definitely a homey, welcoming feel which is an ideal setting for the live performances.

In evening, The Stray Cafe offers flat breads and a beer and wine selection as well as its regular offerings off coffee, teas, and sandwiches. (Supplied)

“We try to create a listening atmosphere, building an intimate connection between the artist and the audience,” VanKlompenberg said, adding the focus is on the performer, giving the person a chance to get feedback from the audience and the audience and opportunity to learn about the performer. VanKlompenberg said the response has been positive with both the performers and audience members.

Smith was one of those audience members who felt that welcoming vibe and found the opportunity to really make a connection, which is something she wants to do with the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project.

“The program is about connecting with the community, our community,” Smith said. “I hope people will share their stories and those who come will listen, learn and laugh with our storytellers.”

About 13 community members have signed up to share story vignettes that will be about four to six minutes in length. The entire event will be recorded by WKTV and aired on Comcast Channel 25 at a later date.

Smith said the goal is to host the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project on a regular basis. She is currently working to gather a group of storytellers for the next event, which will be announced. Those interested in participating in the WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project can connect with Smith at kidnersmith5@gmail.com.

The Stray is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live performances are usually on Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m. The WKTV Voices’ Storytelling Project will be on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. For more about The Stray, visit thestraycafe.com.

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — The stories of local Muslim Americans, in their own words

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By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Hamza Khan, one of several local Muslim American young persons who WKTV interviewed as it prepared for its series of video interviews “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, is in many ways an archetypal American success story in the making.

His family is of Pakistani heritage, but he was born in West Michigan after his parents immigrated more than 20 years ago. He was raised and attended high school locally and is currently a Michigan State University student, studying neuroscience.

And, as we learned when he agreed to host a short documentary based on the series of WKTV Voices interviews, he is poised to be a success in his chosen education/career field but also possesses a modern youth’s sense of humor.

When, during the filming of his documentary segments, a WKTV staff member commented that he was “very good” on camera — his quick retort was … “Well, if this neuroscience thing does not work out.”

During the past several months, preparing for the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, WKTV has been interviewing local Muslim Americans — from university professors, to local Islamic religious leaders, to immigrant and American-born citizens, including young people such as Khan.

WKTV’s goal was to let them tell their own stories.

This short documentary is a synthesis of those interviews.

For the complete WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 interviews, visit WKTVvideos on YouTube.
 

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org.

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20: Local kid, college student, patient defender of Islam; the many roles of a young Muslim man

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Loie Ghannam, In Focus. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Continuing WKTV Journal’s series “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, Loie Ghannam was born locally and is a Grand Valley State University student studying supply chain management and non-profit administration. His family is of Palestinian heritage and his parents immigrated to American 25 years ago.

He, however, was born and raised in Grand Rapids — “My Palestinian heritage, very proud of my Palestinian heritage … (but) I really have known nothing but Grand Rapids,” Ghannam said to WKTV.

And all his life, it seems, he has needed to defend his religion and his heritage, and dispel the misguided perception of some that being Muslim is somehow akin to being a terrorist. But it has not always been easy.
 

“I was a baby when 9/11 happened,” Ghannam said. “It was something that really set the stage for Muslims, not just in the United States but, I guess, in the West. What I’ve been told, my whole life, is that because of this you are going to be put in certain situations that might be a little difficult. You are going to be, sometimes, confronted in public. You are going to have questions asked that might not be comfortable.

“It has always been ‘This (9/11) happened, but always make sure you distance yourself from it.’ And that is simply because it got to a point where, for the lack of a better term, your safety depended on it.”

Ghannam, however, says as he has grown he often welcomed the opportunity to discuss Islam, his heritage and why 9/11 must not define an entire religion. (See the video clip above.)

For the complete WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 interview, including Ghannam’s view of the historic and continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, visit WKTVvideos on YouTube.

 

Loie Ghannam, on set at WKTV Journal In Focus. (WKTV)

This special WKTV Voices project presents video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades. Following previous background interviews dealing with American Islamic history, global politics, and the current Islamic world, WKTV has presented the voices of Muslim community leaders and, most importantly, local Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11.

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org. You can also search Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the Hashtag #voices9/11at20.

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20: Kentwood ‘working family man’, yet Muslim who sometimes feels like an outsider

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By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Continuing the WKTV Journal In Focus series “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, Hamid Elmorabeti, who was born and raised Morocco, leads a classic American immigrant family.

He and his family live in a quiet neighborhood in Kentwood where everybody had great lawns and kids ride their bikes. After first operating a trucking company with his family, he now works in truck maintenance. His wife, Mirsada, also works locally, and their son, Marwin, attends Kentwood Pubic Schools.

In our interview, Elmorabeti talks about his and his family’s journey to West Michigan and American citizenship, about that fateful 9/11 day 20 years ago when his wife advised him to not leave the house, and about how things have gotten better for local Muslims as that tragic day has become more history than nightly news.
 

The Kentwood family of Hamid Elmorabeti, at home prayer during COVID-19 mosque closure. (Courtesy of Elmorabeti Family)

But Elmorabeti, who has deep roots in the community — decades-long roots, admits he often still feels like an outsider.

“Yes, sometimes I do,”  Elmorabeti said in the interview. “Society, they choose how they look at us. We try as hard as we can to fit in. But sometimes it is really hard. I remember one time I was driving a truck … ”

This special WKTV Voices project presents video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades.

Following previous background interviews dealing with American Islamic history and global politics, we now present the voices of Muslim community leaders and, most importantly, local Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11.

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org. You can also search Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the Hashtag #voices9/11at20.

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20: Kentwood Muslim American couple work for American dream, remember fateful day

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WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 Interview Kentwood residents Aamir and Halima Ismail. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Continuing WKTV Journal’s series “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, a modern American family working hard to attain the American Dream — who just happen to be Muslim.

Aamir and Halima Ismail are residents of Kentwood and members of Islamic Center of West Michigan. Aamir works as manager of financial systems for Amway and Halima works as a school improvement administrator for Grand Rapids Public Schools. The couple have two children, teenage boys Ibrahim and Da’ud , both of whom attend Kentwood Public Schools.

This special WKTV Voices project presents video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades. Following previous background interviews dealing with American Islamic history, global politics, and the current Islamic world, we present the voices of Muslim community leaders and, most importantly, local Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11. (If you have a story to tell us, contact Ken@wktv.org.)

The Ismails — she was born in the United States while he emigrated from Pakistan — have worked hard and prospered in West Michigan. They love the diversity of students in Kentwood Public Schools and live here partially due to that diversity.

But it does not mean they haven’t had to have “that talk” with their sons, a talk to prepare them in case they face any discrimination or other forms of bias.
 

“I think we have had to explain to them that there are matters of the faith and what they do represents the faith, and so I think we have used that to our benefit to help them see what they do is a representation of the faith, ” Halima Ismail said in the interview. “They haven’t necessarily come to us with instances of hostility but they have been encouraged to explain their faith, have been interested in sharing that information with their school and in their classes.

“But we do feel that, as parents, we have had to sit down (with them) and say ‘If you feel bullied, if this happens, if you are in the hostile environment, to walk away and speak to an adult.’ That is something, we have had those conversations.”

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org. You can also search Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the Hashtag #voices9/11at20.

Aamir and Halima Ismail on the set of WKTV Journal In Focus June 2021. (WKTV)

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20: leader of oldest local Muslim mosque, Islamic center saw local support in days after

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WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 Interview Imam Dr. Sharif Sahibzada, Islamic Center of West Michigan

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Continuing WKTV Journal’s series “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, Imam Dr. Sharif Sahibzada, the spiritual leader and director of the Islamic Center of West Michigan, the first mosque and Islamic center in West Michigan, dating from 1985.

He has a wide-ranging perspective on the local Muslim American community as his mosque has often been the local landing point for Muslim immigrants from all over the world. But he also has a unique experience associated with the September 2001 attacks on America as he arrived just  months before that terrible day.

However, his strongest memory is not one of the bias he and his fellow local Muslims faced in the immediate aftermath, but the support he and they received.
 

Imam Dr. Sharif Sahibzada (WKTV)

“Overall, and in general, our host community, the Christians, they welcomed us, spoke with us,” Dr. Sahibzada said on the set of the WKTV interview. “There was one example at that time, there was one church, on Kalamazoo and 36th Street … they invited our whole community over for a dinner.”
 

This special WKTV Voices project presents video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades. After initial background interviews dealing with American Islamic history, global politics, and the current Islamic world, we will present the voices of Muslim community leaders and, most importantly, local Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11.

Among the topics Dr. Sahibzada discussed was the history of his mosque and Islamic center, his journey here to West Michigan and his Kashmirian background, and how the local Muslim American community is not just immigrants from the Middle East but of such diverse backgrounds as Bosnian and Somalian.
 

He also talks about his deep belief that God brought him to this place and this time 20 years ago, and brought him here for a reason.

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org. You can also search the web with the Hashtag #voices911at20.

WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20: GVSU professor details Muslim-American social, political challenges and changes

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WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 interview with GVSU professor Dr. Dr. Gamal Gasim. (WKTV)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

Continuing WKTV Journal’s series “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”, Grand Valley State University professor Dr. Gamal Gasim visited the studios to give some background on Muslin American culture and politics in the two decades since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Among several topics discussed was the current increase, if still small, influence of Muslim American political power.

“Like many other minorities who were subject before to discrimination in this country, from African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, Irish-Americans … other ethno-religious groups, Muslim Americans felt that in order for them to protect their civil rights, and to advance their own causes, they needed to engage politically, throughout the political process,” Gasim said.

(An “ethno-religious group” is defined as an ethnic group whose members are also unified by a common religious background.)

This special WKTV Voices project presents video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades. After initial background interviews dealing with American Islamic history, global politics, and the current Islamic world, we will present the voices of Muslim community leaders and, most importantly, local Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11.

Dr. Gasim’s field of study is comparative politics and Middle Eastern Politics. WKTV first met Dr. Gasim when lectured at the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan on the subject of the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen, and he has written or contributed to many scholarly works, as well as articles for the Huffington Post, Al Jazeera and the Arab Daily News. He has also extensively studied and written on the subject of Muslim American culture and politics.

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org.

WKTV introduces new series — Voices: 9/11 at 20 — with GVSU professor talking history, causes of attacks

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WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 Interview #1 Dr. Abdullah F. Alrebh, GVSU professor

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

WKTV Journal recently welcomed into our studio Grand Valley State University professor Dr. Abdullah F. Alrebh for the premier episode of “WKTV Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later”.

This special WKTV Voices project will present video interviews, and online/print stories, covering a range of personal stories of the 9/11 attacks and their impact over the following two decades. After initial background interviews dealing with American Islamic history, global politics, and the current Islamic world, we will present the voices of local Muslim community leaders and, finally, Muslim American citizens, especially young people who grew up in the age of 9/11.

Dr. Alrebh’s field of study is in Sociology of Religion and Sociological Theory, and he has published a number of academic articles and essays focusing on religion, the Middle East and its social movements, and education.

He is also very knowledgeable about the Arabian Peninsula region and specifically Saudi Arabia — a country forever linked to the 9/11 terrorist attacks as the plan’s leader, Osama bin Laden, who was the initial leader of the pan-Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda, was a Saudi.

WKTV Journal’s “Voices: 9/11 at 20 — Our Islamic neighbors 20 years later” airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (For dates and times on Channel 26, see our Weekly On-air Schedule. For dates and times on Channel 99, visit here). All individual interviews are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos. Online/print stories are available by searching “9/11 at 20” on WKTVJournal.org.

WKTV VOICES guests share diverse global perspectives and memories, enrich the community

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Pamela Benjamin

By Victoria Mullen, WKTV

Pamela Benjamin came to the U.S. from Australia on a spousal visa only to discover she couldn’t even check out a library book.
Angelique Mugabekazi fled the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide when she was five years old, then struggled to survive daily life in a lawless refugee camp.
Grand Rapids native Donna Troost remembers a rubber shortage during World War II and the time her dad had to get permission from the government so that she could ride her bicycle to school.

Angelique Mugabekazi

Three women with very different backgrounds—and one thing in common: Each shared her unique journey with WKTV’s VOICES, a personal and family oral history project. The project’s mission is “to collect, share and preserve the narratives of people in our community”—of our lives; of people from all walks of life.

Oral history—the collection and study of individual histories, experiences of disasters, important events or everyday life—is a tradition as old as civilization itself. Using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews, oral history strives to obtain information from different perspectives, most of which cannot be found in written sources. Some academics consider oral history akin to journalism as both are committed to uncovering truths and compiling narratives about people, places, and events.

Since its launch in September 2017 at ArtPrize Nine, VOICES has collected the conversations of people from a myriad of places, such as Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda, Australia, Spain, as well as the U.S. (California and Michigan (including Wyoming, Grand Rapids, and Lansing).

VOICES’s vintage 1958 Airstream® trailer has been made into a mobile studio

A free public service, VOICES travels throughout the West Michigan region to encourage neighbors, friends and family to tell their stories—the narratives that make us human—of our lives, experiences, sorrows, triumphs and tragedies. We all benefit from knowing each other’s background; the shared bond that helps us build community.

VOICES offers a comfortable, mobile video recording studio with a relaxed atmosphere, and utilizes high-tech video and audio equipment to capture the narratives for posterity. Conversations usually take place between two people who know and care about each other. These can be friends, family, or mere acquaintances. Any topic may be explored, whether a specific event in a person’s life, a childhood memory, a family tragedy—no subject is off limits.

Jimmy King

Those who step inside VOICES’s 1958 Airstream trailer—outfitted as a mobile studio— are welcomed into an inviting atmosphere to sit back, relax, and have a conversation. All VOICES conversations are audio- and video-recorded to provide participants with a link to each conversation and for possible airing on Channel 25 in Wyoming, Kentwood and Gaines Township (U-Verse Channel 99).

VOICES participants find the experience valuable and gratifying.
“I hope that people will listen to my story and learn what it’s like to come from a different country—what we had to do to come to America,” said Lana Lie, who emigrated to the U.S. from Indonesia.

Lana Lie

Jimmy King, who shared his experiences as a young man with autism, said, “The experience was absolutely incredible. They really listened to me and had a genuine interest in my voice.”

Every second Saturday, VOICES is at Marge’s Donut Den at 1751 28th St, SW for ‘Second Saturday at Marge’s’. The next date is April 14. It’s free, just go here to reserve a time.

Snapshots: Kentwood, Wyoming weekend news you need to know

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WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

 

 

Quote of the Day

“The prize and the voting are really just mechanisms. It comes back to building a creative culture in West Michigan.”

        ~ Rick DeVos in a 2011 speech about ArtPrize

 

Don’t Forget to Vote!

 

If you haven’t made it downtown to ArtPrize, there is lots to see including the WKTV VOCIES trailer which is recording artists’ stories for the next two weekends near the corner of Lyon and Monroe. Local filmmaker and longtime volunteer Rose Hammond is showing a trailer of her upcoming documentary “Between the Trees,” about the communities of Woodland Park and Idlewild at the Grand Rapids African American Museum, which is on the short list for best venue. Also check out Kentwood resident Meochia Thompson’s “Hugs” near the city center and Nidal Kanaan’s “Blue Courage” at Flanagan’s Irish Pub, which features the Wyoming K-9 unit. Round 1 voting ends tomorrow at midnight with the Top 20 Public Vote announced on Sunday. ArtPrize runs through Oct. 7.

 

 

 

 

Keeping it Real

 

Missy Young

Self-run cars. Robots taking care of the children. It all sounds a little sci-fi, but it is quickly becoming a reality. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, Switch, Inc. Chief Information Officer Missy Young will discuss artificial intelligence in her presentation “Artificial Intelligence: Keeping the Human in Humanity,” which is part of the Grand Valley State University’s Peter F. Secchia Breakfast Lecture. The program, which is at 7:30 a.m., is at the L. William Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

The Leaves Are Changing – Yea!

 

Henderson Castle and Winery in Kalamazoo

Weather gurus are predicting that the leaves will change later this year with our area being in prime color around Oct. 20. With that in mind,  now is the time to start planning that fall color tour. The West Michigan Tourist Association has a plethora of bed and breakfasts ideas in West Michigan that can make any weekend trip a special adventure. So it doesn’t matter if you stay in Kalamazoo’s Henderson Castle Inn and Winery or Saugatuck’s Sherwood Forest Bed and Breakfast, you are certain to see Michigan in full color.

 

 

Fun Fact:

1.32 Acres

That is the size of the average football field, which is 120 yards in length and 53 and half yards in width. Times the two numbers together and the total square feet is 57,600. One acre equals about 43,560 square feet, making a football field about 1.32 acres. Now that you know this little fun fact, go out and enjoy some football as many local teams will be squaring off tonight. WKTV will be at the Kelloggsville vs. Godwin Heights game, which is certain to be a good match up.

Snapshots: Wyoming and Kentwood fun news you need to know

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WKTV Staff

ken@wktv.org

 

Quote of the Day

 

“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”  — Virginia Satir, family therapist

 

Kentwood artist’s HUG exhibit an extension of who she is

 

Meochia Thompson with some friends in an earlier Hugs campaign.

 

You can find 2018 ArtPrize artist Meochia Thompson giving hugs at church events, retirement homes, or around the community. Now you can find the Kentwood woman downtown embracing strangers during ArtPrize for her entry HUG, a campaign that stands for “help uplift goodness”. To get the details, click here.

 

Stars of one ArtPrize exhibit is the Wyoming Police K-9 unit 

 

Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize piece “Blue Courage” can be found at Flaganan’s Irish Pub.

Inside Flanagan’s Irish Pub in downtown Grand Rapids, you can find food, drinks, and Nidal Kanaan’s ArtPrize entry “Blue Courage.” Photographing the Wyoming Police K-9 unit, Kanaan produced images that ArtPrize attendees will enjoy while stopping in for a quick refreshment. To get the details, click here.

 

WKTV wants the VOICES of not just artists, but the voters as well

Last year, VOICES debuted at ArtPrize Nine, introducing our 1958 Airstream trailer and collecting the stories of winning ArtPrize artists Daniel Oropreza and Sofia Hernandez Ramirez. This year, VOICES will again collect stories from artists. But we are also bringing our Voters Feedback Booth, right next to the trailer, where voters are encouraged to share what they voted on and why. For get the details, click here.

 

 

And today’s fun fact:
3 seconds

 

Hugs follow a 3-second rule. Ever wondered how long a hug lasts? The quick answer is about 3 seconds, according to a 2011 study of the post-competition embraces of Olympic athletes.

 

WKTV ‘VOICES’ is back at Marge’s Donut Den this Saturday, Feb. 10

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By Victoria Mullen, WKTV

 

Wyoming-Kentwood Community Media’s VOICES: a community history project powered by WKTV has one time slot left, at 2 pm, for its Second Saturdays at Marge’s appearance at Marge’s Donut Den (1751 28th St SW, Wyoming, MI) Feb. 10. Second Saturdays at Marge’s offers a great opportunity for folks to grab a cup of joe, enjoy a donut and share their favorite stories and memories.

 

The project’s mission is “to collect, share and preserve the narratives of people in our community”—of our lives; of people from all walks of life. VOICES travels throughout the West Michigan area—with a focus on Wyoming and Kentwood—to gather the narratives that make us human—our experiences, sorrows, triumphs and tragedies. We believe that we all benefit from knowing each other’s background; the shared bond that helps us build community. It’s a free public service, offering a comfortable video recording studio with a relaxed atmosphere.

 

High-tech video and audio equipment records the conversations and memories of our neighbors, friends and family— any story from anyone—that make up the fabric of our lives and our community. Participants share their hardships and successes, of what shaped them and their families into the kind of people they are today.

 

Conversations usually take place between two people who know and care about each other. They can be friends, family or mere acquaintances. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants are provided with a link to their conversation on Facebook, to share or do with as they like.

 

Conversations can be “life reviews,” conducted with people at the end of their careers. Or they can focus on a specific period or a specific event in people’s lives, as with war veterans or survivors of an earthquake, flood or hurricane.

 

All VOICES conversations are audio- and video-recorded to provide participants with a link to their conversation and for possible airing on Channel 25 in Wyoming, Kentwood and Gaines Township (U-Verse Channel 99).

 

The project launched at ArtPrize Nine in September 2017, welcoming scores of visitors to tour our renovated 1958 Airstream® mobile studio and learn more about the oral history project.

 

To reserve a time to tell your story, go here.