One of the hardest things people have had to endure during the COVID-19 pandemic was not seeing loved ones who were hospitalized. People were dying in the hospital without any loved ones near them for comfort. Bryan Bender’s daughter, Ashley, is a nurse at a Genesee County hospital. After experiencing the frontlines firsthand, she told Continue Reading
When the pandemic hit, Deria Brown, owner of Glam Boutiques, was forced to close both of her small boutique locations. But the loss of income didn’t diminish her charitable spirit. Deria, who also founded Sparkle Pink Club for Girls, focused on the positive and stepped into her true calling and passion: serving the community in Continue Reading
When Debasish Dutta became chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint in 2019, his first goal was to tackle enrollment, retention and graduation. He lobbied the University of Michigan to provide UM-Flint with the tools to attack this issue. As a result of his leadership, UM-Flint now has access to a pool of $20 million to Continue Reading
In her 30s, Dr. Laurie Easter is the youngest anesthesiologist in her group at the Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc. During the surge of COVID-19 cases, she covered the shifts of older colleagues who were immuno-compromised or had other health issues that put them at greater risk of contracting the virus themselves. She worked Continue Reading
Angie Essenburg has been a forensic interviewer at Voices for Children Advocacy Center for more than a decade. In that time, she has been the ears, voice and caring heart for more than 3,000 child survivors of abuse, neglect and human trafficking. In 2020 alone, Angie has interviewed hundreds of children (even during the stay-at-home Continue Reading
As director of operations and human relations at Carriage Town Ministries (CTM), Nic Gatlin has been key to CTM’s response and continual operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has worked to maintain CTM’s mission of offering a safe emergency shelter and nurturing place. During a pandemic, CTM found ways to quarantine residents inside their main Continue Reading
Teachers throughout the region have had to prepare for a school year full of unpredictable unknowns. Maria Gonzalez, a teacher at Holy Family School in Grand Blanc, has played a pivotal role at her school in developing flexible plans to keep all teachers and students learning with as little stress as possible. Her duties have Continue Reading
The Goss siblings are only teenagers, but they’re already veteran philanthropists. Sheridan, 18, Addisyn, 13, and Jaxon, 16, have dedicated themselves to serving Genesee County’s most vulnerable residents since founding their own nonprofit five years ago. They were inspired to take action after reconnecting with their grandfather, who had been estranged from the family for Continue Reading
Lifelong Flint resident Jerrid Heidel realized a dream when he bought the downtown Blackstone’s restaurant in August 2019. He had not yet rebuilt his financial reserves before a nightmare scenario occurred in March — the statewide shutdown of restaurants. But rather than sulk, Jerrid decided to do some good. He and Blackstone’s chef Jay Drekmeyer Continue Reading
Sharlene Howe’s Howe Art Studio in Swartz Creek has a comfortable, welcoming ambiance where people can enjoy themselves with no barriers. But the COVID pandemic proved insurmountable, and she was forced to close the studio for in-person instruction this spring. That’s when she pivoted. She learned how to use Zoom, and with no experience with Continue Reading
