“The complexity of health care needs within the schools is increasing,” HealthBar CEO Nathan Baar says. HealthBar is that new front door to health care for students in districts that had previously gone without school nurses — a critical connection to health care for students.

Many in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula live in areas with a serious lack of resources, facilities, and practitioners for pregnant people, new parents, and infants.

Last year, Lowell United Methodist Church started small by providing gift bags for four groups of essential workers. The church not only reached their goal of raising $700 for the effort, but once the word spread in a grassroots way, that number reached $3,000 and they ended up recognizing more than 2,000 people in Lowell and surrounding communities.

In October, the Marquette County Board of Commissioners approved $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the Marquette County Childcare Business Lab Pilot, a business startup and growth accelerator program for potential home-based childcare businesses.

From buying a car to getting groceries, these necessities cost more when they need to adapt to someone who uses a wheelchair. Lucia Rios explains the hidden costs of living with a disability. 

A declining labor force means more talent development is needed. Other issues targeted for the current state of the labor market include childcare shortage as well as racial and ethnicity gaps.

Last year demand for Ride YourWay grew nearly ten-fold. The company now has seven wheelchair-accessible vans and one ambulatory sedan to serve clients from Muskegon to Kalamazoo.

Inspired by a visit from the Artrain USA program in 1976, LowellArts hasn't slowed down since. The nonprofit has been connecting artists and audiences in the little town of Lowell for decades.