08/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 11:18
Hello and welcome to Focus Macomb. I want to begin this message by personally inviting you all to the annual Macomb County Senior Fun Fest, taking place September 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Macomb Community College's Lorenzo Cultural Center. This is one of my favorite gatherings of the year, and once again, I'll be serving as the emcee. So I hope you can come and say hello. The first 500 through the door receive a free swag bag, and there will be plenty of vendors, refreshments, raffles, community resources, entertainment and more. It's truly a must-attend event. Learn more about the festival here, and if you need transportation, be sure to read our article in this newsletter about SMART's services to and from the college for attendees.
Now, it's that time of year. Summer is winding down and school is heading back to session. There are teachers anxiously awaiting their new classes, and parents sending their children off to grade school or college. We all know that this period can be exciting as it signifies new beginnings and enthusiasm for the future. So I want to wish everyone a successful year. But before we enter this new chapter, I want to highlight our team at Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, who is hard at work coordinating our 'Fueling the Talent Pipeline' initiative. This effort connects employers with the next generation of talent via k-12 school programming. Why do we do this? We need young people to begin exploring career options so we can build tomorrow's workforce. I bring this up because now is the time to get involved in the program. We need businesses from all industries willing to speak in classrooms, host job shadows and organize tours of their facilities. So if you're an employer interested in developing the next generation of talent, sign up or contact our team today.
Of course, with the start of school we also start to see the changing colors of fall. And before you know it, it'll be Halloween! But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are still a few weeks left of the summer season to enjoy outside activities, such as dining by the water, catching music in the parkevents, watching United Shores Professional Baseball Leaguegames at Jimmy John's Field, attending concerts at Freedom Hilland visiting local farmers marketsacross the county. Find all kinds of local fun at www.makemacombyourhome.com, or check out our special events Facebook pagefor all the details and information you need to attend local fairs, gatherings and more.
Thanks and take care,
Mark
Nine Macomb County packaged food and beverage producers were the big winners at the first-ever Best of the Zest Food Pitch Competition. Launched by Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED), the nine companies shared more than $30,000 in grants to aid in the development of their businesses. The winners chose from services offered through county partners, including Macomb Community College, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, MSU Product Center, Pure Michigan Business Connect, Taste the Local Difference and Velocity.
The pitch competition was held Thursday, Aug. 22 at Velocity in Sterling Heights. The goal of the contest was to help packaged food and beverage producers flourish by providing the chance to win grants, or technical assistance, through partner organizations that can help grow a business.
The winning businesses include:
"This was a great contest between a variety of phenomenal new businesses that are really working to establish and grow their footprint in Macomb County," MCPED Director Vicky Rowinski said. "It was exciting to learn more about their future plans, and Macomb County and our partners are ready to provide support in helping them achieve their goals.
All applications that were submitted by July 25 were reviewed and the top companies were invited to make their five-minute "pitch" to a panel of judges, hoping to prove why they were most worthy of being named "Best of the Zest" in Macomb County. Contestants needed to be manufactured, packaged food or beverage producers with 10 or less employees that created products from raw materials, either for distribution or face-to-face sales. They also needed to be either female-owned; minority-owned; veteran-owned; or located in an underserved area.
Learn more about the Best of the Zest competition here.
The Macomb County Health Department's Hearing and Vision Program recently launched an online scheduling system that allows parents and guardians of children ages 3-18 who live or attend school in Macomb County to self-schedule their screening appointment. The scheduling system includes features that provide confirmations by text or email, and reminders the day before an appointment. While all children are encouraged to get screened, Michigan law requires all children entering kindergarten to have hearing and vision screenings prior to starting school.
Appointments are available at multiple locations in Macomb County now through October. Hearing and vision screenings will be administered by Health Department hearing and vision technicians who have been trained by the State of Michigan.
Residents can find the online scheduler at macombgov.org/HearingAndVision. Those who do not have internet access can still call the Hearing and Vision Program to schedule their child's appointment at 586-412-5945. Staff are available Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to take phone calls or answer questions.
In addition to the Hearing and Vision Program, other online schedulers/online resources provided by the Health Department include:
Traffic safety is no joke. But John K. Abraham, Director of Traffic and Operations at the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR), likes to sprinkle in somecomedy when laying out the nuances and rules of traffic safety. After all, it's been proven that humor improves memory retention and Dr. Abraham's goal is to help keep our county streets safe.
In his humorous and informational articlehe lays out traffic safety, including what to do at a roundabout, the perils of distracted and drunk driving, the importance of the speed limit, seatbelt chronicles and more.
MCDR is also leading the way in creating and implementing innovative solutions for transportation safety. With their recently secured federal grant, MCDR plans to develop a countywide Comprehensive Transportation Safety Action Plan, known as Safe Streets for Macomb County. With community input, this plan will prioritize roadway and infrastructure projects that address safety challenges for county road users and support future funding opportunities for safety projects. Please take a few moments to respond to the transportation safety surveyand share your thoughts about safety in Macomb County.
Back by popular demand, Macomb County Animal Control is hosting their semi-annual free Pet Vaccine Clinic on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10am - 2pm at the Robert A. Verkuilen Building in Clinton Township.
While pre-registration is not required, it is strongly recommended. Those not pre-registered will receive a blank registration form and, once completed, they can get into the line for services. Services will be available while supplies last!
As one of the biggest vaccination clinics of the year, the services below will be offered:
Macomb County dog licenses are required for all resident dogs and puppies ages 4 months and older, excluding those from Eastpointe, Mount Clemens, Sterling Heights and Warren as they have their own license programs.
There are no residency restrictions. Dogs must remain under control on a leash (not a retractable leash) and a snugly fit collar, while cats must be confined in a secure carrier. This is a drive-thru event. Online pre-registrationfor this drive-thru event ends Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m.
As summer winds down and fall activities rev up, MSU Extension is offering a free four-week self-care series on de-stressing, changing negative self-talk, self-compassion, and forgiveness.
These one-hour, virtual sessions are open to any adult and begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, continuing weekly through September 24, 2024. Participants can choose which sessions(s) they would like to attend and should note that these classes are not recorded.
The four classes offered include:
September 3, 2024: Calming Down and De-Stressing
Anger is a human emotion all feel at one time or another because…we are human! Anger is neither good nor bad, it just is. During this workshop participants will be introduced to the effects of stress and anger on the brain and body. Participants will also practice ways to calm down and de-stress when angry.
September 10, 2024: Mindful Self-Compassion
When we lack self-compassion, we may find it difficult to be compassionate toward others. However, self-compassion is often viewed as being self-indulgent or selfish. During this session, participants will discuss the components and benefits of self-compassion and practice an activity to help experience what self-compassion feels like.
September 17, 2024: Changing Negative Self-Talk
Do you ever feel like your thoughts are spiraling in a negative direction? What if we talked to ourselves like we did with a good friend? You can! During this session, participants will learn about the brain's negativity bias and how it affects our stress response. In addition, we will talk about the benefits of positive self-talk and explore other tools for dealing with negative self-talk.
September 24, 2024: Forgiving and Letting Go
How individuals handle their anger and stress affects the people around them. This workshop helps to increase knowledge about anger issues and put healthy relationship skills into practice. This lesson includes ways to begin to explore forgiveness and letting go of past issues that might be weighing heavy on ones' heart.
For additional information about this series and registration details, please visit
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/msu-extension-announces-free-virtual-evening-self-care-series-in-september
The Macomb County Office of Senior Services is hosting its 33rd annual Senior Fun Festival on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., one hour later than previous years. The festival will feature a variety of resources focused on seniors and caregivers, including free health screenings, wellness information, raffles and giveaways! Food and refreshments will also be available, along with other entertainment.
This year, there will be free transportation services to/from the event, provided SMART. Individuals in need of transportation must request and schedule this service in advance with the community where they are living.
If you live outside the service areas listed here, contact SMART about additional transportation options available:
Learn more about the event by visiting https://www.macombgov.org/departments/senior-services/senior-fun-festival.
Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities available.
Thursday, Sept. 19
For more happenings throughout the county, visit Make Macomb Your Home events and stay up to date with the Make Macomb Your Home official Facebook page.