1/31/24 C & G Special Edition — Oakland

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

LOCAL NONPROFITS AIM TO END HOMELESSNESS BY FURNISHING HOMES

BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Humble Design is turning houses into homes with its unique approach to ending the cycle of homelessness.

It all began in 2009 when Treger Strasberg, the CEO and founder of Humble Design, was new to the Detroit area. Upon discovering that her new friend, a mother of two, was homeless, she helped the family find a new place but soon realized that it wasn’t enough. The family was sleeping on the floor, and that was a thought that Strasberg could not bear, so she got to work.

Strasberg began collecting items for the family by looking to other friends for donations. Through this process, she was able to furnish and decorate the space in a way that reflected the family and instilled confidence.

Since 2009, the nonprofit has grown from its Detroit origins to serve Chicago, Cleveland, San Diego and Seattle. Humble Design has fur-

Chill in downtown Royal Oak at the annual Winter Blast

BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com

ROYAL OAK — Winter is not over, and the Winter Blast is going to prove it in downtown Royal Oak in February.

Hosted by Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, patrons can expect live music, free ice skating, ice sculptures, a zip line, food trucks and the addition of a medieval fair.

The event will be taking place Feb. 2-4 in and around Centennial Commons and the Royal Oak city center.

This event is literally based off the winter weather, according to event producer Jon Witz.

“We’re going to be working with Mother Nature,” he said. “If it’s cold enough before the event, not only will we make a ski hill, but we’ll add a tubing run, so you might see that pop up.”

See WINTER BLAST on page 6A

ABOVE: After escaping an abusive relationship and facing homelessness, Humble Design transformed Shaniece’s place into an inspiring space where she can raise her daughter. TOP: Last June, Humble Design decorated Shaniece and her 1-year-old daughter’s home, providing a safe and comfortable environment for the two.

Middle school sports — to cut, or not to cut?

BY MARY BETH ALMOND malmond@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — Cutting students from middle school sports teams is a topic that’s sure to spark debate, especially among parents.

Supporters of no-cut sports say the goal of school-based athletics should be to encourage inclusivity, allowing students of all athletic types to contribute to a team while learning personal growth and development, healthy communication, and a team-oriented work ethic.

Those on the other side of the fence argue that cuts are necessary to prepare children for the disappointments experienced in adulthood and to assure the space, time and resources that each team needs won’t be spread too thin.

Most, if not all, public schools in the area offer students the opportunity to try out for, or be automatically welcomed on, a middle school sports team.

Bloomfield Hills Schools offers several athletic opportunities within its two middle schools.

“We’ve had both cut and no-cut sports since before my taking over as the athletic director 18 years ago,” said Mike Cowdrey, the athletic director for Bloomfield Hills

Schools. “At the middle school level, we have as large an offering as any middle school that I’m aware of.”

The district, Cowdrey explained, looks at roster sizes when determining if a sport should be cut or no-cut.

“It’s a cut sport strictly based on roster size and what we can handle as a team, effec-

tively work with, and participate in a game,” he said. “For our middle school basketball, we carry 15, because we have a rule in the middle school league that we play in. The first half is actually three periods, not two, and the first period you play your starting five, the second period you play your next five, and the third period you play your third

five. That is based on talent and ability level. Then in the second half, which is only two periods, you play whoever you’d like. Even though it is a cut sport, everyone on the team plays at the middle school level in our league.”

A few of the teams students must try

See SPORTS on page 10A

State legislators propose measure to create fund for highway sound barriers

‘NOISE POLLUTION IS GROWING RIGHT ALONGSIDE THE SIZE OF OUR INTERSTATES’

BY BRENDAN LOSINSKI blosinski@candgnews.com

TROY — On Jan. 10, Michigan state Reps. Tom Kuhn and Sharon MacDonell introduced a plan to establish a fund for sound barrier construction along state highways on which excessive highway noise has become an issue.

The plan of Kuhn, R-Troy, and MacDonell, DTroy, would create a noise barrier fund in the state treasury to offer grants or loans to local authorities for noise barrier construction. Applicants seeking funding would undergo a review process where proposed projects would be scored based on criteria including project cost, residents affected and existing noise at the site. The legislation mirrors a similar plan introduced last fall by state Sen. Michael Webber, R-Rochester Hills.

“Noise pollution is growing right alongside the size of our interstates,” Kuhn said in a press release.

“Our common-sense plan creates a process for local municipalities to seek state funding and secure peace and quiet for people living near busy roadways.”

The legislators secured $10 million in the state budget to fund two sections of sound barriers in Troy, which many residents had complained was an ongoing problem. The proposed program would create a new fund allowing additional communities to apply for sound barrier funding without having to wait for the next state budget. MacDonell said that other states with similar initiatives have been successful in improving the quality of life by lowering noise levels.

“Rep. Kuhn, Sen. Webber, and myself have heard

LEFT: Bloomfield Hills Public Schools middle school students play basketball, which district officials said is a cut sport due to allowable roster sizes. ABOVE: Middle school students in the Bloomfield Hills Public School district take off during a cross country race, which is a no-cut sport. Photos provided by Bloomfield Hills Public Schools

Homes

from page 1A

nished more than 2,800 homes for more than 8,100 individuals exiting homeless shelters. According to its website, “Families who have benefited from Humble Design have had a 99% success rate of remaining in their homes.”

“Facing housing instability in one way or another is destabilizing, and it does affect mental health. That foundation of stability and a home that really works for you, it’s almost immeasurable,” said Chris Tull, the executive director of Humble Design Detroit.

Tull said that Humble Design’s clients come through its network of approximately 26 social service agencies and shelters that Humble Design partners with in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, including Lighthouse in Pontiac and Cass Community Social Services in Detroit. Typically, a caseworker working with an individual or family will make the referral to Humble Design after the individual or family has secured a place to live.

After the intake process, Humble Design schedules the client for the “deco day,” which can be up to three to four weeks out. Once the client has been scheduled, the designers begin talking to the client directly to get design ideas. The team of designers utilizes donated items to create furnished spaces for their clients.

Oakland County resident Ashley D., a mother of four, turned to Humble Design about five years ago after exiting a shelter. She described her family’s experience with Humble Design as ‘not just a home makeover, but a whole life makeover.’

She said that it felt like her family had returned to a new house after the designers were done.

“I couldn’t believe they could do all that so quickly,” Ashley said. “They even had dinner cooking for us in the kitchen, which I was not expecting. They had a new slow cooker and food in the kitchen, so I didn’t even have to cook dinner. It was just a wonderful experience.”

Ashley said she was impressed with how the designers made use of the space and managed to remember the small details that she had mentioned to them, down to the framed photo of the band Kiss in her children’s room, and the dainty trinkets on her dresser.

“It gave the kids comfort and me comfort, and I was able to focus on other things. I guess that’s how we were able to stay so long, because they were able to relax more,

and I got a better job,” Ashley stated.

After renting the house, she purchased the home on her birthday a few years ago.

The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan is a stone’s throw away from Humble Design in Pontiac, said Robert Boyle, the furniture bank’s executive director.

“It’s kind of a little coincidence, the gentleman who owns their building; I know him because he was the one who sold us ours many, many years ago,” Boyle said.

The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan has been around since 1968 and, like Humble Design, serves Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Similar to Humble Design, the Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan also works with a caseworker to connect those in need with gently used furnishings for their living spaces. However, the Furniture Bank operates slightly differently than Humble Design; The Furniture Bank does not offer interior design services and only provides basic furnishings and housewares. The clients pay around 10 to 15 cents on the dollar of the resale value of the furniture to help keep operations going.

“You may pay $200. But for $200, you’re gonna get a dining table and four chairs, three mattresses, three box springs, a couple of dressers, a sofa and a living room chair. And very often, our referral partners have the dollars to cover that through grants,” Boyle stated.

Both nonprofits expressed that there is a great need for these kinds of services.

“We’ve doubled the numbers of families that we’re serving on an annual basis,” Boyle said. “And coming out of the pandemic, with the expiration of the eviction moratorium and high inflation, we’ve seen referrals tick up another 30% over the past few years. So the need is really like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

In 2023, the Furniture Bank helped just over 2,000 families and provided about 18,000 items valued at $1 million. Humble Design Detroit furnished 151 homes in total last year, which impacted 485 people; 306 of those people were children and 15 were veterans.

Twin beds for children are a highly desired item for which both nonprofits expressed a need.

“We take a lot of pride in getting kids into beds. A lot of times, the bedrooms and beds we put kids in are often the first bed or bedroom they’ve ever had,” Tull said. “I think if you asked anybody here at Humble,

See HOMES on page 6A

LOCAL ATHLETIC DIRECTOR RECOGNIZED

WATERFORD — Waterford School District Athletic Director Allison Sartorius was recently recognized as the Athletic Director of the Year by the Oakland County Athletic Director Association, an organization in Oakland County that supports the success of interscholastic athletics and promotes inter-school relations, according to a press release from the Waterford School District.

As athletic director, Sartorius oversees the athletic programming for multiple teams, with over 1,600 student-athletes participating at the middle and high school levels, according to the release.

“Allison has demonstrated great leadership within the Waterford School District, in her league, our county and across the state of Michigan,” Tim Donnan, the president of the association, stated in the release.

Sartorius, an alumna of the Waterford School District, has served as athletic director for approximately 10 years.

Before becoming athletic director, she was an educator and a coach in the Waterford School District for eight years, working as a middle school teacher, a high school coach and an interim assistant principal, according to the release.

“Our student-athletes, as well as athletic programming and facilities, routinely receive local and statewide recognition. I attribute that success to Allison, who does a tremendous job of ensuring we are offering comprehensive athletic programming while enforcing the importance of academics,” WSD Superintendent Scott Lindberg stated in the release. “Couple her expertise with her genuine love of athletics and Waterford Township, and it’s a win-win for our entire WSD community.”

Sartorius also shared some thoughts.

“Ensuring our student-athletes have the best opportunities available to them is a passion of mine, so to receive acknowledgment for this work is extremely fulfilling,” she stated in the release.

Sartorius and her husband, Michael, have three daughters who are Waterford School District student-athletes, according to the release.

MSGCU accepting applications for scholarship programs

METRO DETROIT — Michigan Schools and Government Credit Union is accepting applications through Feb. 27 for its annual scholarship program.

Credit union representatives are offering 33 scholarships of $2,500 each to help local students and educators reach career goals, and 14 scholarships of $2,000 each to support future first responders.

Scholarship applications can be submitted online at msgcu.org/scholarships. Nonmembers are welcome to apply for an MSGCU scholarship and must become a member if selected as a scholarship recipient.

DNR EXPECTS BIG FISHING SEASON

STATEWIDE — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has high hopes for the 2024 fishing season based on the fall 2023 fish stocking efforts.

The DNR was able to stock 14.5 tons of fish across 103 locations across the state.

“It was another outstanding fall fish stocking season that will provide enhanced fishing opportunities throughout Michigan,” said Ed Eisch, assistant chief of the DNR Fisheries Division, in a DNR statement. “When added to our successful spring and summer stocking efforts, that brings the total for 2023 to more than 10.4 million fish stocked in Michigan’s waters.”

Six species of fish — brook trout, coho salmon, lake trout, steelhead strain rainbow trout, walleye and muskellunge — are raised at six state and three cooperative fisheries. The fish are released at specific times and locations, with most fish released in the spring.

ROYAL OAK WHISKEY

FEST

RETURNS FEB. 17

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak Whiskey Fest will take place 6-10 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Royal Oak Farmers Market. Patrons can expect to sample different brands of whiskey as well as enjoy a live musical performance by Cosmic Groove.

A variety of ticket packages are available now at royaloakwhiskeyfest.com.

A Michigan DNR fish stocking trailer releases musky fall fingerlings into Van Buren County’s Round Lake.

Winter Blast

from page 1A

On the other hand, if the weather turns out to be warmer than expected, Witz said that the festival could substitute skiing and tubing for carnival rides.

The Winter Blast began in Detroit and moved to Royal Oak in 2022.

“I would say I think the festival was growing with our new home in Royal Oak. We’ve been able to deliver pure winter fun with free admission,” he said.

The event will showcase many different activities, but a unique activity coming to this year’s blast will be the medieval fantasy event hosted by Rick Faire Activities.

Witz said the decision to bring a Renaissance theme to the Winter Blast was due to inspiration from Winter at Valade, in Detroit, where he saw some medieval characters and how much people enjoyed them.

Rick Faire Activities is a personal business, run by Rick Smith, who with friends hosts events such as this one to entertain adults and children.

At the Winter Blast, Smith is going to be setting up a Renaissance-style town, including bringing horses to the event, which will be used in fully armored knight games, and people will be able to participate in quests.

The horses and knights will also be available for photo opportunities, and knights will talk about the history of knighthood.

“The quest activity is an all-ages interactive scavenger hunt,” Smith said.

“There’s going to be signage to find the quest master. ... The quest master sets up the story of what we’re doing for this event, and with that they’re going to be given a scroll of information to go through and complete their adventure.”

Smith will be bringing some of his best-known cast members from the Michigan Renaissance Festival, which will, according to him, encourage some “die-hard Rennies to show up.” Some might even be in costume.

Ice sculptures are another element to this event, and according to Ice Creations owner Chad Harston, there will be around six to eight pieces for people to enjoy.

Coming from Ohio, the Ice Creations team plans to create some fantastic sculptures for the event.

One of the biggest pieces will be one centered around the recent success of the University of Michigan football team.

“We’re going to do a big University of Michigan display,” Harston said. “It’s going to be about 8 feet high, so 15 to 20 blocks of ice.”

If the Detroit Lions have a successful outcome throughout the next few weeks, they plan to have a giant Detroit Lions display up for the ice show too.

Witz is particularly hopeful for this.

“We might make a 30-block Detroit Lion sculpture. If the Lions are heading to the Super Bowl during Winter Blast weekend, you will be seeing one of the biggest lions on ice you have ever seen,” he said.

They already have some Honolulu-blue lights ready to go if that is the case.

The Winter Blast will be held 4-11 p.m. Friday Feb. 2, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Feb. 3 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 4. For more information on the Winter Blast, visit winterblast.com.

Homes

from page 4A

that is probably the most gratifying thing that we’re able to provide. When kids see their bedroom for the first time, they generally are charging straight to the bed.”

Humble Design accepts gently used mattress donations and monetary donations for beds. Through its Beds for Kids program, the Furniture Bank was able to raise $30,000 last year with help from local foundations.

“We want families to feel good about the homes that they’re living in and themselves so they can live happy, stable, dignified lives, the way many of us do and many of us take for granted. So if people have things that they can donate, please, there’s a lot of great organizations. The Furniture Bank is one of them, Humble Design is another, and there’s all kinds of others out there. Please make sure that before you just put something in good repair out on the curb, make sure you try to give it to somebody who could really, really use it,” Boyle stated.

For more information on Humble Design, visit humbledesign.org/detroit. To learn more about The Furniture Bank of Southeastern Michigan, visit furniture-bank.org.

Highway

from page 3A

from a number of people in our community that just couldn’t stand the overpowering noise coming from I-75 in Troy,” MacDonell said in a press release. “Our plan gives communities across Michigan access to sound barriers and much-needed relief from noise pollution.”

“I am proud to work with my House colleagues to jointly introduce this bill in both chambers,” Webber said in a press release. “Advocating for highway noise abatement needs to be a continued priority for our state. … The current process of residents appealing to their state legislator to advocate for sound wall funding within the annual state budget isn’t practical or sustainable — a formal funding model is needed. … It was my understanding from (the Michigan Department of Transportation) that federal dollars are historically used to build sound walls and that this project would not have qualified for federal funding because the original I-75 corridor project was already completed. My bill would fix this situation in the future.”

Webber said the legislation is modeled on a Minnesota law, since that is the only

other state with a mechanism set up to fund sound wall construction from the state level and not just from federal dollars. He said his legislation would create a fund within the Department of Treasury to be administered by MDOT in order to support qualifying noise abatement projects where sound walls currently are not located.

Kuhn said that this proposed fund stemmed in part from the efforts of Troy residents to secure a sound wall along I-75 after the road work there resulted in significantly more noise. He added that he hopes this proposed fund will find bipartisan support in Lansing.

“The $10 million allocation was for sound barrier projects specific to I-75 in Troy. Our plan would create a fund in the state treasury for other communities to apply and receive funding for sound barriers,” he said via email. “The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure for further action, which I hope the Democratic majority will take up later this spring.”

Several of the Troy residents who have spent years pushing for more sound walls in Troy said that this legislation is desperately needed in communities like theirs and that the new action is evidence that their pleas have not fallen on deaf ears.

“This could help people with similar problems that we had here in Troy,” said Gail Morrell, one of the leaders in the efforts to secure more sound walls in Troy. “We still have some areas that could benefit from additional sound walls in Troy. We are still waiting to see. I think someone has finally realized that this kind of construction is causing people living near the work to suffer. I’m glad our voices were heard and they are taking this a step farther and maybe helping people in the future.”

She hopes that their longtime efforts and the red tape they’ve had to go through

Main Office: 13650 E. 11 Mile Road

Editors:

will be worth it if it has spurred legislators to take action to prevent other communities from having to experience the same obstacles.

“Fixing these projects that they messed up is so expensive, and they are affecting so many people. You need something like this fund to help,” said Morrell. “It’s a great idea. Hopefully, it looks out for everyone and he is able to get it passed. It took us a couple of years to get to a place where we could get a wall, so it’s great that, if this passes, others won’t have to go through the same long process.”

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Sports

from page 3A

out for include travel basketball, tennis, soccer and volleyball, to name a few.

Over at Lakeview Public Schools, Sean Zaborowski, the executive director of athletics and operations, said that, typically, sports that do cuts have roster limitations, which is what makes cuts necessary. At the middle school level, boys and girls basketball and volleyball have cuts, while football, cross country, wrestling, swim and track do not have cuts.

“Parents typically understand that there are limits to roster sizes and know that, in a sport like basketball or volleyball, we can only carry 12-15 players,” Zaborowski said in an email.

When asked if the district had ever considered registering two teams for the same school in the same age group, Zaborowski said it’s not something they could do because of the league they are in.

“The league that we play in, our middle school league, they don’t do that, so we can only have one seventh grade team and one eighth grade team for football, basketball, volleyball and those sports,” he said.

Whether a student makes a team or doesn’t, all Bloomfield Hills district coaches have individual meetings with each student to share the news.

“For every coach in our district, the worst thing they have to do is make cuts,” said Cowdrey. “They absolutely hate it, because it’s hard to tell a young person who came out there and tried and wanted to be

on the team that, unfortunately, they didn’t make it.”

When sharing unfortunate news, coaches try to explain where a student may have come up short and give them examples of the areas in which they may need to get better so they can improve their chances for the next tryout session.

Some may opt to try out for a no-cut sport — like football, cross country, swimming, diving, wrestling, track and field, lacrosse, and more — which also allows students to travel to compete against other schools. No-cut sports are a great opportunity for students who want to try something new, without the stress of tryouts.

Since no-cut teams are typically larger, there is no guarantee that each student will get equal playing time, but they are guaranteed a spot on the team.

“Our football team, which is a non-cut sport at the middle school level, while everyone may not play in the game, if both teams have enough kids on their teams, we have a halftime game where those kids who are not starters or are not large contributors to the actual game get to play a shortened game at halftime so they get to participate as well,” Cowdrey said. “That’s something we’ve done for a long time.”

Many schools across the state, including Bloomfield Hills, are seeing a decreased number of student football players.

“Some of those halftime games have been lessened and are not actually taking place because teams might not have enough on their team to do that,” Cowdry noted.

When there are large roster sizes in sports, like football and track, Zaborowski

said Lakeview coaches try to ensure that participants get some time in the games each time they play.

“At the middle school level, many of the sports rules in our league have requirements for players to get into the games for a minimum amount of time. This helps parents at least see their child participate in the games each time they play. For the most part, the parents appreciate knowing their child will be participating in each game if they are on a sports team,” he wrote.

Within the Bloomfield Hills district, all students also have the opportunity to join one of the middle school no-cut intramural sports teams — including basketball, soccer and volleyball — which do not compete against other schools.

Because Lakeview Middle School — like many other middle schools in the area — runs four sports seasons, students are able to try multiple sports at the middle school level.

“As an example, our boys basketball season and wrestling seasons do not occur at the same time, so a player could try both sports in the same school year,” Zaborowski wrote.

If a student gets cut from a school team, they have the option of trying out a no-cut sport at the middle school or playing recreationally, if they still want to pursue playing the sport they were cut from.

“If a player were to get cut from volleyball — which is a fall sport — the coaches typically encourage them to try another sport, which could be cross country that also happens in the fall,” Zaborowski said in an email. “If a player were to get cut from basketball — as an example — the coaches have encouraged them to try to still play, and there are local options that allow players to participate … such as the St. Clair Shores Parks and Recreation basketball league that starts in mid-January.”

Whatever the sport or team composition, Cowdry agrees that students learn a number of things by participating in athletics — like teamwork, time management, how to deal with adversity, hard work, dedication and many other life lessons.

“Most importantly, athletics is an extension of the classroom, so we’re learning life lessons through sports. We would like to win some games along the way, but really that’s not our goal,” Cowdrey said.

City of Keego Harbor Board of Review

The City of Keego Harbor Board of Review will meet on the following dates for the purpose of reviewing the 2024 property tax assessments.

Organizational Meeting: Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Monday March 11th, 2024: 9:00am - 12:00pm and 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Thursday March 14th, 2024: 1:00pm - 4:00pm and 6:00pm - 9:00pm

An appointment should be scheduled in advance for the Board of Review, please contact Oakland County Equalization Division prior to February 28th, 2023, Toll free at 1-888-350-0900, or 248-858-0773. Written appeals must be submitted to Oakland County for Board of Review by Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Published: C & G Newspapers Oakland County Special Edition 01/31/2024 0002-2405