May 2024

Recently, on social media, there have been many dire requests for new volunteers, a necessity to keep our many non-profits running. Munising area is a small community and existing volunteers, many of whom are veterans, are becoming unable to participate; therefore, new volunteers are needed. If you are looking to become involved, Facebook is a good place to start by joining community groups like Munising Informed and others.

Mental health > physical health Before we get into it, let’s just address the elephant in the room. Yes- they are both extremely important, and without one, the other will suffer too. BUT, from personal experience, and experience with thousands of people over my career, I can confidently say that if you had to choose one to prioritize, it should be your mental health.

HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (HOPE AACR), a national nonprofit organization whose members provide comfort and encouragement, through animal-assisted support, to persons affected by crises and disasters, is conducting an extensive 3-day training workshop for 8 dog/handler teams and 1 team leader from around the Midwest May 17-19, 2024. Two of those teams are from the Upper Peninsula and are being trained thanks to a generous donation from the Superior Health Foundation. These dog/ handler teams will be newly certified crisis response dogs and will be trained to work in high stress situations, noisy and often crowded environments to provide comfort and emotional support for those affected by crisis or disaster. They create a special bridge for those who are isolated or shut down due to trauma.

The Alger Regional Community Foundation’s Board of Directors has recently approved the following scholarships to students who have graduated from a high school in Alger County and who are continuing his/ her education at an institution of higher learning in the medical related field.