Michigan

5:15

Exposing Young Kids to Essential Life Skills

They are connecting, serving, and transforming lives in urban and underserved communities across the U.S. Shecara Vardiman, President and CEO of Esteem We Inc., joins host Laurel Hess to discuss the importance of bridging the gap in life skills among our youth and mobilizing professionals to provide life skills training.

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5:08

Building Equitable Communities to Alleviate Poverty

Roughly 16 percent of Michigan residents live in poverty. Jenny Poma, Chief Operating Officer of Lighthouse MI, joins host Laurel Hess to talk about how they are adapting to the changing needs of the community and the importance of transforming lives.

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5:27

Leading the way for Black Female Entrepreneurs

Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. Chinonye Akunne, CEO and Founder of Ilera Apothecary, joins host Laurel Hess to discuss the challenges and barriers she has overcome as a black female entrepreneur.

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5:33

Changing the Narrative About Detroit

Approximately 15.9 million people visit Metro Detroit annually, spending an estimated $4.8 billion. Claude Molinari, President and CEO of Visit Detroit, joins host Laurel Hess to talk about the excitement of Detroit and its 5 billion dollar economic impact.

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5:13

Paying For the Burden of Diabetes

According to the CDC, over 37 million Americans have diabetes. Gene Baker, Board Member of the American Diabetes Association, joins host Laurel Hess to discuss how important it is to prevent diabetes and the impact diabetes has on everyone.

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5:21

Developing The Next Generation of Leaders

According to research, students who are in mentoring programs are: 59% more likely to earn better grades, 52% less likely to skip school and 81% more likely to participate in extracurricular activities. Tim Herrick, Founder and Chairperson of Leader Foundry, joins host Laurel Hess to discuss the importance of creating future leaders.

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5:34

Creating a More Diverse and Inclusive Tech Workforce

They offer free training for a career in IT and are committed to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive tech workforce with 85% of their graduates being people of color. Dr. JR Sledge, Senior Managing Director of Per Scholas Detroit, joins host Laurel Hess to discuss how they are committed to creating a more diverse workforce in the IT field.

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5:21

Improving Lives Through Literacy Skills

According to Pro Literacy, more than 4.3 million adults in the US cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level. Carole McCabe, Executive Director of Washtenaw Literacy, joins host Laurel Hess to discuss how improving literacy skills can impact lives and the community.

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5:47

Creating Accessibility to Entrepreneurs

There are 582 million entrepreneurs in the world. Less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to Black and Brown founders. Monica Wheat, Managing Director of Techstars and Executive Director of Venture Catalysts discusses the importance of creating equitable access to entrepreneurs.

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5:48

Coming Back From the Pandemic Reimagined

A recent study found that the number of U.S. active business owners dropped from 15 million to 11.7 million from February to April. The study cited that Black-owned small businesses were hardest hit, followed by Hispanic- and Asian American-owned small businesses. Dominique Hamlett, Co-Owner of Detroit Dance Center joins host Laurel Hess to talk about how the Comcast RISE award has helped to reimagine the Dance Center after the pandemic.

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5:50

Providing Rides to Medical Care Appointments

In Greater Lansing, 70% of the children who rely on the local subspecialty clinics for treatment of serious health illnesses clinics are on Medicaid. Poor transportation options contribute to their missing 60% of their medical appointments. Pam Riley Miklavcic, Founder and CEO of The Davies Project discusses the importance of getting children to medical appointments and how her organizationis helping to make this happen.

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6:42

Helping Young Girls to Realize Their Self Worth

According to the Michigan census, youth under the age of 18 make up approximately 21% of Michigan’s population. Theresa Randleman, Founder of T. Rose Foundation discusses how she is empowering young underprivileged girls under the age of 18.

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6:06

Bringing a Community Up Through Education

They are preparing students to utilize 21^st century skills. Chris Meagher, Chairman of ITA discusses how ITA is supporting high achievingstudents in economically depressed areas.

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5:56

Conserving the History of Minorities in Media

In 1975, the nation’s first black-owned and operated television station, WGPR-TV 62 went on air and launched the careers of several African American media professionals. Joe Spencer, President of WGPR-TV Historical Society joins host Laurel Hess to discuss the importance of conserving the history of the first black owned and operated television station in the United States.

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6:02

Removing Barriers for Latinos

It is estimated that the Latino community makes up around 24% of the Holland population. Johnny Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Latin Americans United for Progress joins host Laurel Hess to talk about how they are empowering Latinos to make a better community for all.

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4:45

Creating Resources to Better Serve Black Businesses

Black Entrepreneurs only access 3% of $30 Billion in SBA backed loans and 1% of $108 Billion of Venture Capital Invested. Jamiel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (GRABB) joins host Laurel Hess to discuss how they are helping to bridge the gap to capital access for Black-owned businesses.

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MICHIGAN SEGMENTS (81)