Bob Hoffman: The Art of Being Nice
It’s the most ordinary of settings; the post-work commute. You’re merging onto the highway, traffic is at a standstill, you finally move your foot off the break and — someone cuts you off. There are your typical reactions: honk, shake your fist, grab your cell phone and dial the nearest contact to let them know the world’s biggest idiot is...
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Caring About Women Locally: Shari Murgittroyd
Feminist. Loaded with connotations, it’s a word some women might shy away from. Not Shari Murgittroyd. Feminist is a word she closely identifies with, and it’s a word that she believes, if more people knew its true meaning, they would identify with too. For the true meaning, Murgittroyd says to look no further than a dictionary. “I ask people to do themselves...
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Dr. Laura DeLind: Reconnecting Places and People
Photo by Jeremy Herliczek When asked who comprises her family, Dr. Laura DeLind began with the answer one might expect: her husband Doug, daughter Jody and son David. She then went on to describe a group she also considers her family: the staff and volunteers at the Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing. “I find that neighborhood just fascinating, full of...
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Cover Story: Matters of the Heart
Laura Bone Proves That a Broken Heart Doesn’t Mean a Broken Spirit Watching Laura and Ashley Bone laugh and joke as their puppy Lexi runs around their living room, it’s hard to imagine either of the fun-loving, bright-smiled sisters having a care in the world. But life wasn’t always so happy for the Bone family. On June 21, 1993 Laura Bone...
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Neeshan Mehretu – Nourishment for the New Year
On the day of our interview, Neeshan Mehretu slipped on brightly colored rainbow knee socks beneath her black riding boots. As Mehretu flitted around the kitchen preparing a fresh batch of peachy quinoa pudding (recipe on page 21), it seemed befitting that under her polished black wardrobe would lay a pair of funky stockings. Her bright personality shined...
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Cover Story: Amy Denyer-Grey
Plenty of Reasons to Celebrate the Season Amy Denyer-Grey has never bought her dad a Porsche for Christmas. But that never got in the way of him asking for one. While Denyer-Grey and her sister Debbie were growing up outside of Metro Detroit, she said that during the holidays her family would pile into the car and head to her grandma’s where they’d dine...
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Mary Welsh: A Lifetime of Celebrating in Style
Mary Welsh knows a thing or two about celebrations. As former owner of the Evergreen Grill in East Lansing and current assistant manager of the State Room at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center, Welsh has dedicated her career to making sure her customers celebrate in style. From the perfect place setting, to an eye-catching centerpiece, to a menu...
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Lisa Williams: Saving Our Home Sweet Home
Around 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13, Lisa Williams received an exciting phone call: a great blue heron had been rescued near Marshall, Michigan, and was on its way to the wildlife rehabilitation center where she currently is stationed as the director. The great blue heron was wrapped securely in a white terrycloth towel and tucked into a navy blue animal...
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Heather Strang: A Jane of All Trades
It has been a unique journey filled with competition, travel and self-discovery that led Jackson National Life Insurance Company Vice President Heather Strang to where she is today. Valued personally and professionally by her coworkers, Strang seems perfectly at home in Jackson’s impressive headquarters building in Lansing. But one must not be fooled by...
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Dr. Sonja Norris
Building Bridges and Impacting Young Lives Meeting Needs Walking through the hallways of Sparrow, Dr. Sonja Norris is greeted with smiles and familiar faces at every corner. She knows the place well because she is often there performing sedation dentistry on some very young patients. Dr. Norris DDS, PLLC practices general dentistry, but what sets her apart...
Continue ReadingPractical, Proactive & Protective: Olson is Eco-Chic
It could be that tiny fairies or Mother Nature herself dropped a little “green” dust on our budding environmentalist when she was just a baby. Whatever the case, Tonia Olson has been doing what is right for the world around her since she was a young girl. The proverbial apple didn’t fall far from the generational tree. Olson was preceded first by grandparents...
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Joanie Brogan: Fighting for the Family Dinner
If Joanie Brogan believes one thing it’s this: her family is just like every other family. They keep schedules and routines; they bicker and fight; their children have rules and responsibilities. There’s really nothing unusual about the house they keep or the cars they drive. The Brogan’s are just your average, loving family. With 10 children. Brogan...
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