11/6/24 C & G Special Edition — Oakland by C & G Newspapers

NEWSPAPERS Special Edition

Kirk Gibson unveils plans for wellness center for Parkinson’s patients in Farmington Hills

BY CHARITY MEIER cmeier@candgnews.com

FARMINGTON HILLS — Kirk Gibson may have just knocked another one out of the park as he unveiled plans to open a wellness center in Farmington Hills for people living with Parkinson’s disease Oct. 1.

“I want people to know there is something you can do about it, having this disease and its symptoms, and we’re here in this community. We’re going to stay here, and I hope the community will support us in any way they can, because there are so many people in this coun-

GIRL SCOUTS ‘WASTE TO WONDER’ ART ON DISPLAY IN ALCHEMI

BY TAYLOR CHRISTENSEN tchristensen@candgnews.com

ROYAL OAK — Restaurants in the U.S. produce around 22 billion to 33 billion pounds of food waste annually, according to moveforhunger.org, which said that around 85% of that food that is unused gets thrown out while only a small percentage is reused or donated.

Girl Scout Troops 89911 and 8907 from southeastern Michigan worked with Amanda Koss, an artist, to help reduce food waste by creating an art piece using the food waste.

The girls and Koss got involved in Waste to Wonder, an initiative in collaboration with Ecosphere Organics, to create art from food waste.

The girls created watercolors using pigment created from local farm-to-table restaurants’ food waste. Waste to Water is also a part of the Detroit Month of Design.

The group shared their creation at an artist reception on Sept. 24 in conjunction with Detroit Month of Design, where a few local Royal Oak farm-to-table restaurants were attending.

Alchemi, located at 215 S. Main St. in Royal Oak, saw the piece created by the Girl Scouts and decided to purchase it for $150 to put on display in the restaurant. Koss donated the money to the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan.

Alchemi donated lemon peels to the initiative, which were used in the art piece.

“By reducing waste, you make the world a more sustainable place,” said Chef Johnny Prepolec, owner of Alchemi.

Prepolec said that Alechemi has a mission statement based around sustainability, and the restaurant pledges to reduce food waste through an international program based out of Singapore.

“We collect our food waste, and we weigh it every

Kirk Gibson addresses guests during the announcement of the Kirk Gibson Foundation’s plans for a wellness center for Parkinson’s patients in Farmington Hills Oct. 1.

Photo by Liz Carnegie

Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan in the Girls Empowerment Program worked with artist Amanda Koss to create this piece using food waste.

Photo by Donna Dalziel

‘IT WAS INCREDIBLE’ TROY RESIDENT SETS WORLD RECORD IN POWERLIFTING

BY JONATHAN SZCZEPANIAK jszczepaniak@candgnews.com

TROY — By the looks of an Instagram video showing 22-year-old Troy resident Angela Kattula take the stage prior to her world record-setting squat at the USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals, you’d say she was the most confident person in the building.

Animated and feeding off the crowd’s energy, Kattula approached the bar looking like she’d already set the world record before even squatting.

On the inside, it was a different story.

“I always tell people that if I’m really hyping myself up for a lift, it’s probably because I’m not that confident, and I’m trying to create more hype for myself,” Kattula said.

Squatting 487.2 pounds, Kattula set the USA Powerlifting world record Sept. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bringing home first place in her junior division (ages 20-23) and second in the open category, which is all ages. Kattula also benched 231.5 and deadlifted 441 in the competition.

It was a fulfilling moment for Kattula, whose first Raw Nationals appearance in 2023 was clouded by a lingering back injury that kept her from competing at 100%.

“There were days where 225 was really painful for me or really impossible to get off the ground for a good six months,” Kattula said. “At nationals, I still ended up deadlifting 415, but that was a 50-pound jump from anything I did in training. Even in training, getting up to the numbers I was at was a lot of work, a lot of physical therapy, and a lot of going up and down in weight for many sessions. It was pretty bad.”

Kattula ended up earning second in her age group last year, but finally working her way back to near 100% had the 2020 Troy Athens High School graduate primed for a breakout 2024 campaign.

She exploded out the gate in May, winning the Michigan Ladies of Iron competition

BIRMINGHAM PLANS PARKING GARAGE MAKEOVER

BY MARY GENSON mgenson@candgnews.com

BIRMINGHAM — Parking garages are not usually known for being aesthetically pleasing. Though the structural design of a parking garage is complex, there is often little to no interior design added to brighten up the gray concrete.

However, the city of Birmingham is planning on making all five of its parking structures more welcoming to visitors by beautifying the space with new paint and lighting.

“We are making an investment in these parking garages to improve them, and I think it is wise investment to make sure that they are not only structurally, but they are improved to the consumers eye,” Parking Systems Manager Aaron Ford said. “We want people to feel like they are safe and welcoming and inviting.”

The Chester Street parking garage, located at 180 Chester St., is currently undergoing structural repairs to address Amaricans with Disabilities Act compliance, waterproofing and more. These repairs will run until next August. The city plans to add interior design renovations to it and the other four structures. The Chester garage will be the first to see the interior design improvements.

“Obviously, with the importance that they have to our community, we

Troy resident Angela Kattula readies for a squat at the USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals Sept. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Photo provided by Angela Kattula

See KATTULA on page 10A

The Chester Street garage in Birmingham is currently undergoing structural repairs.

Photo by Patricia O’Blenes

Future Leader Dogs stand together with their raisers in public. Raising puppies that will become seeing eye dogs is one way people can volunteer at Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Volunteering an option for those seeking to bond with animals

BY DEAN VAGLIA dvaglia@candgnews.com

METRO DETROIT — For those who seek to build bonds with animals, getting a pet is one way to go. But not everyone has the time or space to commit to a furry friend for years.

For those whose love of animals runs against their time or spatial commitments, volunteering may be a better approach.

Volunteering at an animal shelter is one way to help a variety of animals. At shelters like the one operated by Macomb County Animal Control, volunteers are able to work with or for the benefit of animals in many roles including working at adoption events, photographing pets, grooming animals, walking dogs, taking part in the feline friends group and helping greet people as they arrive.

“For people who can’t have an animal at home, I think it is the best of both worlds here because it is really hands-on,” Macomb County Animal Control operations assistant Lori Hampton said. “You can take dogs for a walk. You can help with enrichment. There are so many opportunities here that are just like owning a pet at home.”

Volunteers tend to vary in the pet-owning backgrounds, ranging from those who have never owned an animal to those who have spent their whole lives around them. Volunteering at the shelter allows people to interact with a wider number of pets than they may be used to. Aside from cats and dogs, the shelter houses birds, reptiles, pigs, rabbits and other such animals. Volunteers can also see what being around more common pets is like.

“A lot of (volunteers) are animal lovers,” Hampton said. “Perhaps they have recently lost a pet, and they are not ready to make

that commitment to them, so it is very fulfilling to them to come in and fill that void of having a pet at home. They are also able to take pets for pets’ days out. A lot of our volunteers will take them to Metro Beach or Partridge Creek to socialize them.”

Getting involved with Macomb County Animal Control as a shelter volunteer involves filling out an application available at macombgov.org/departments/animal-control and going through orientation.

For those who are able to keep animals at home but may not be able to have pets for long periods of time, volunteer opportunities through Rochester Hills-based nonprofit Leader Dogs for the Blind can be a way to make connections with four-legged friends.

“We have more volunteers than we do team members, so we really could not do what we do without them,” said Christina Hepner, Leader Dog’s digital marketing manager. “The things that (volunteers) do for our mission is incredible. Volunteers really mean the world to us, and we are so thankful for them … They’re really essential to what we do every day.”

Leader Dog’s volunteering opportunities with animals fall into two categories: raising puppies and hosting a breeding dog.

“Raising a future Leader Dog is when you have the dog for 12-15 months and you’re going through basic obedience (training) with that dog,” Hepner said. “You’re teaching the dog to sit and stay and basic obedience, and you have so much support. You don’t have to have ever had a dog.”

Puppy-raising volunteers are backed by a counselor from the organization and the wider community of fellow Leader Dog volunteers. After the 12-15 months are up, the dog is returned to Leader Dogs for the Blind to begin its formal training to serve as guides

Photo provided by Leader Dogs for the Blind

single day,” he said. “We calculate our carbon footprint, how many carbon emissions we are reducing while we are producing food, and we have to have outreach in the community as well as education for our staff to support those goals.”

Prepolec said Alchemi has been doing this for around two years and that they continue to reduce carbon emissions.

Because of the mission of his restaurant, Prepolec said he felt compelled to buy the art piece created from food waste that came from his kitchen.

“I’m saying, ‘Wow, this is cool. This is art that was produced from our food.’ And so I bought one relatively large painting down there, and it’s hanging in the gallery room,” he said.

Koss said the materials used included hibiscus powder, coffee powder, grapefruit powder, salmon peel rind and more.

The Girl Scouts were able to learn more about food waste preservation and how it can help the environment by touring New Lab in downtown Detroit, where Ecosphere Organics does its work.

“I learned that food waste can be used to make new stuff, so it’s not really waste,” Harmony Johnson, a Girl Scout in the eighth grade, said in a prepared statement.

Koss has been creating art for around eight years and has been professional for five.

Volunteering

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for people with visual impairments. Some dogs are deemed “career changed,” meaning they may become a different kind of service dog or become available as a pet.

Puppy raising can be done as a singlehousehold endeavor or it can be done by a group. Primary and secondary raisers can split rearing responsibilities, while corporate volunteers and some college campuses can raise a puppy as a team. Puppy raisers are given the opportunity to name their puppy as well.

Hosting breeding dogs allows volunteers the opportunity to live with a matured animal for a number of years and is more in line with traditional pet ownership.

“Once a breeding dog retires, they actually become a permanent member of your family. They retire and they get to be your house dog,” Hepner said. “We specifically need hosts who will host a Leader Dog

Koss works as an art curator, and she has a studio in Dearborn.

“Part of my goal as an artist is to help other people; it’s not just for adults or kids,” she said. “It is kind of where things just flow and feel right.”

Koss said she has a passion for working with others to share art and collaborate on different projects. She does art curation for Crain Communications and said that she has seen the Girl Scouts at their campus a lot.

“The idea kind of popped into my head to see if they would be interested in collaborating, and they were very open to the ideas that I have,” she said. “This is our second project together. We did a mural with the same group of girls over the summer in July.”

Koss hopes that through this project and sharing her love of art with young people that the Girl Scouts learn about community and how art can impact one’s life.

“A lot of my work is about pulling people together, and I hope they can use art as an outlet, an emotional outlet,” she said. “Especially as teenagers, it gives them an extra piece to an emotional tool belt that you need growing up.”

Emily Basnaw, an eighth grader, said she learned a lot about sustainability and working together.

“I learned a new technique allowing two artists to work together to create one piece of art — by trading their work and finishing what the other started — to create a collaborative piece of work,” she said.”

mom, and the responsibility of that is about two years and the dog will have four litters in your home.”

Prior whelping experience is not required, and the Leader Dog vet team and breeding department are on standby to help volunteers, though ample space and the ability to provide regular exercise and care for the dogs is required. Puppies are kept for seven weeks after birth before being brought to the campus. Volunteers are also able to volunteer for a partial period; they can be non-whelping or specifically whelping volunteers, as well as host a breeding dog for a limited amount of time.

To volunteer with Leader Dogs for the Blind, interested people are asked to attend monthly informational sessions on the first Wednesday of each month for puppy raising and the third Wednesday for breeding dog hosting. Applications are available at www. leaderdog.org/volunteer.

Informational sessions are held remotely and in person at the Rochester Hills campus.

YOGA MOVES MS HOLDS ANNUAL EVENT

FRANKLIN — Yoga Moves MS will celebrate 20 years at the Gratitude Gala on Saturday, Nov. 16, at The MINT, 27000 Evergreen Road, in Lathrup Village. The main event will begin at 6:30 p.m., with a PreGlow Party at 6 p.m.

Yoga Moves MS is a local nonprofit founded by Director Mindy Eisenberg, a Franklin resident. The organization helps people with neuromuscular conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and neuromuscular conditions. While the organization has no official brick-and-mortar location, it offers over 70 students per week free adaptive yoga virtually and in-person at local churches, synagogues, yoga studios and schools.

This year’s Gratitude Gala is Yoga Moves MS’s 13th annual Leadership Recognition Dinner. Multiple honorees will be recognized during this event that will celebrate the Yoga Moves MS community and MS

leaders. New this year is a “Tin Can Auction,” a “Wine Pull” and a “Treasure Box.” The attire is “Saturday Night Chic.” Tickets can be purchased at cbo.io/tickets/ymms24/tix24.

RAISE A GLASS TO NATURE CENTER

TROY — The annual Nature Uncorked Wine and Beer Tasting Fundraiser will benefit the Stage Nature Center 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Troy Community Center, 3179 Livernois. The event is for ages 21 and older and will feature beer, wine, hard cider and hors d’oeuvres. The night will include a silent auction, $20 wine pull, a 52-card raffle, and spin the bottle. General admission costs $45 per person to attend 6-9 p.m. VIP admission costs $60 per person and includes a pre-glow reception 5-6 p.m. with premium appetizers, deluxe craft cocktails and a first peak at the auction. Tickets can be purchased at troynaturesociety.org/natureuncorked or by calling (248) 688-9703.

DETROIT AUTO SHOW TICKETS ON SALE

DETROIT — Tickets

now on sale for the Detroit Auto Show.

The public show is scheduled to take place from Jan. 11-20 at the Huntington Place in Detroit.

The show is set to feature a lineup of new products, along with emerging technologies, hands-on experiences and educational programming.

The show will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 11-14, 1-8 p.m. Jan. 15-16, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 17-19, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 20. Tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for children 3-12, and $50 for a family pass, which covers two adults and three children. Children 2 and younger can enter for free.

According to a press release, tickets for Charity Preview, a “Motor City signature event” that helps raise money for children’s charities, cost $400 each or $700 for a pair. It is scheduled for 5-9 p.m. Jan. 10. Industry Days, which features “exclusive industry access,” according to the release, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 15 and Jan. 16. Tickets are $40. For more information, visit detroitautoshow.com.

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

BIRMINGHAM — While the brain still may be in fall, it is already time to start planning for holiday fun. Tickets are already on sale for the Birmingham Youth Assistance’s annual Breakfast with Santa event on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Families are invited to join the fun at The Regency Room at The Townsend Hotel, 100 Townsend St. in Birmingham, for a full-sit down breakfast, a personal visit with Santa, animal balloons made by a clown, and a Seaholm High School Symphony Ensemble performance. Each child attendee will receive a craft goodie bag.

Seatings are available at 9 and 11:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased for $35 for adults and $25 for children ages 2-10. Children under 2 get into the event free. Purchases can be made at birminghamyouthassistance. org/event-details-registration/breakfast-with-santa-4.

Once I get the right diagnosis for the cause of your heel pain, I will provide you with a tailored treatment plan, which outlines exactly how we can ﬁx your heel pain and keep you free from future foot pain. If you are ready, call me for an appointment to start your journey back to normal life, free from heel pain.

File photo by Brian Wells

Photo provided by Yoga Moves MS

Wellness center

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try who need help. Let’s help each other, do some teamwork.” Gibson said.

“Movement really matters. Everything that happens in this organization is going to be focused on various types of movement. The program is going to be holistic and I think that’s going to be the key to our success and it’s going to be unique in the metro Detroit area,” said David Stickel, of the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease.

Programs at the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness will be focused on physical and emotional well-being and the intersection of the two as well as cognition and speech. Parkinson’s patients will be working in meaningful group activities, Stickel said. He said they will have the opportunity and the support to work as a team.

“To be pushed by teammates and encouraged along the way, I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor Kirk’s lifetime experience working with teams, encouraging teams, making teams believe and helping teams win,” Stickel said.

The center will be a location for not

only people with Parkinson’s disease to gather, but their family and friends as well. Stickel said it will be like a “neighborhood or a clubhouse.” He said those affected by the disease will be able to focus on rest and relaxation.

“It’s going to be their place,” said Stickel.

The location at 31440 Northwestern Highway is centrally located. He said the center will be able to reach 2.7 of the four million people that live in the tri-county area within a 30-minute drive. According to Stickel, they should be able to access 8,000 people with a Parkinson’s diagnosis in the area and he believes that will go up.

The disease normally hits people in their mid-to-late 50s. The disease affects the central nervous system and causes issues with balance, movement, speech, and breathing and cognitive impairments.

“They are quite often embarrassed by their symptoms,” said Steve Annear, CEO of the foundation. “So, this center is about getting them out of that and being socially stimulated and meeting other people who are going through the same thing.

The center will incorporate some ideas used by In Motion, a center for Parkinson’s patients in Cleveland that the foundation partnered with. The center will feature a

walking track and offer boxing, yoga, food, music and workout rooms. The foundation hopes to open the center in mid-2025. There will be no cost for the services.

“We hope what comes of this is that people will have a better life,” said Annear. “That’s what we want.”

“This will be great for people, especially because there is such a range of people who are suffering with Parkinson’s, depending on which stage they’re at. So, I’m assuming a center like this will be able to help meet their needs, and people have so many questions, and while Google is helpful, I think people talking to each other, who are there with the people suffering from Parkinson’s that are going through the process, will be helpful,” said Kenny Fenchel, of Novi, whose father, Michael, died from the disease in August.

He said his father used to take a boxing class in Novi for people with the disease and really enjoyed it. He recalled that walking became a struggle for him, and that although Parkinson’s patients need to keep exercising, there was always a concern that if he were to get too tired walking, it would be challenging to get him back home. Fenchel said a center like this would have offered a solution to this predicament, as he would be at a facility where there are people there to help.

“I’m thinking you’d feel a lot more supported in a place like this,” Fenchel said.

Fenchel said he feels that a place like this would have truly benefited not only his father, but his mother who cared for him as well. He said his mom would have been much more into a center such as this than she was the support groups that were available to her at the time, because it would allow them to get more done.

“Because you realize that you’re not alone in terms of helping someone, because I think it can be exhausting as people’s conditions start to drop. I think knowing that you’re not the only person dealing with this is really helpful,” said Fenchel.

He said that when his dad died, they requested memorial tributes be donated to the Kirk Gibson Foundation.

“It’s cool to see the money in action,” said Fenchel of his donations to the cause. “Sometimes you donate to something and you know it goes there, but you don’t know what it is actually being used for, whereas with this, there’s a building and it’s going to help people, and I think that’s great.”

13650 E. Eleven Mile Rd. Warren, MI 48089

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Library spotlights Native American history and culture

BY KATHRYN PENTIUK kpentiuk@candgnews.com

SOUTHFIELD — The Southfield Public Library honored Indigenous People’s Day with a presentation by Darla Van Hoey, the president of the Southfield Historical Society, the day after the holiday, Oct. 15.

With National Native American Heritage Month just around the corner, the library has more Native American educational programming coming up, including Deborah Choate Shepherd’s presentation, “Stories from a Native American Woman,” which will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road; and Rosebud Schneider’s presentation, “Agriculture and Food Security Among the Anishinaabe Tribes of Michigan,” which is part of the library’s Gardening Guru series and will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25.

Van Hoey’s presentation, “The Potawatomi of Southfield and the People of the Three Fires,” focused on the traditions and culture of the Potawatomi people.

Van Hoey shared that the four compass points are significant in Potawatomi prayer, ceremonies and throughout daily life. Since the east is the direction in which light comes, it represents birth and rebirth. It is considered the direction of guidance and leadership, and gives way to new understanding and open-mindedness. South is the direction of the sun at its highest point. It represents

Garage

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want to make sure that they look good, that people feel comfortable using them, that there’s ease of ingress and egress, that there’s sufficient lighting so people feel safe, that they’re clean and well maintained and that, maybe through this, will have some artistic flair or something along the lines to make them even more attractive to users,” Assistant City Manager Mark Clemence said.

The structural repairs at the Chester garage are being done by RAM Construction. Their contract was awarded at the Birmingham City Commission meeting June 24 for just under $5 million. However, when it was approved, the new lighting was excluded from the proposal. City officials decided that they wanted interior design professionals to provide input on the lighting and paint additions, rather than the city staff coming up with it themselves.

preparing for the future, as well as loyalty and sensitivity toward others. West represents self-acceptance and a spiritual connection with nature. The north is considered the place of winter and represents the wisdom of the elders and survival.

Van Hoey’s presentation also explained the Seven Grandfather Teachings, “Which is their philosophy of living, and what guides them through life,” she said. The teachings include humility, truth, wisdom, love, bravery, respect and honesty.

Van Hoey added that in 2018, Barbara Talley helped secure a $500 grant from the Michigan Humanities Council that the Southfield Historical Society raised money to match the grant and create a permanent exhibit on the Potawatomi in the Southfield Historical Museum, 26080 Berg Road.

“Where did this group of Potawatomi end up? Because in 1827, the Treaty of St

See NATIVE AMERICAN on page 9A

After receiving direction from the City Commission in July, city staff drafted an invitation to bid interior exterior design services. A firm will be selected to carry out the city’s goal of making parking garages more inviting for residents and visitors.

Five bids came back by the August deadline, ranging in price from $67,700 to $224,187.

“Components such as the painting and the LED lights were budgeted for as part of the repairs, but specifically, the services for hiring a design consultant were not budgeted,” Ford said.

Since the design consultation portion of the project was not previously budgeted for, city staff will have to ask for a budget amendment at a City Commission meeting.

The bids will be formally presented to the City Commission Nov. 18 meeting. To watch meetings online, visit bhamgov. org/about_birmingham/city_government/ watch_a_city_meeting.

NEAR LEFT: Darla Van Hoey, president of the Southfield Historical Society, presents the history of the Potawatomi people in Southfield at the Southfield Historical Museum, 26080 Berg Road. FAR LEFT: The Potawatomi exhibit at the Southfield Historical Museum has a display of Native American objects and artifacts, such as sweetgrass, arrowheads, black ash baskets, and more.

Photos by Liz Carnegie

Native American

Joseph said, just remove them all,’ she said. “Some, we believe, probably went and joined other Potawatomi bands. They may have joined up with some other Odawa bands or Ojibwe bands, and then part of our program talks about the 12 sovereign nations with federally recognized sovereign nations in the state of Michigan.”

“We talk about a lot of things, of how they contributed to what we have, where did they come from? They are still here, and that’s the topic of the November talk, because Deb Shepherd is the granddaughter of an Ojibwe woman and a Cherokee man, and she’s very active in her Anishinaabe beliefs.”

Van Hoey expressed the importance of learning about Southfield’s Native American history and emphasized that they are still here.

“I think it’s important to come to Deb’s program because she has a more personal viewpoint and expresses it so well.”

“I worked at that library, so it’s kind of a little homecoming for me to come there and do it,” Shepherd said. Shepherd’s storytelling will focus on her experience growing

up as a Native American in Detroit and the negative impact that residential schools had on Native Americans. Shepherd is a Madison Heights resident and does Native American-centered storytelling throughout metro Detroit at churches, schools and libraries. While studying library science at Wayne State University, Shepherd discovered how empowered she felt when she shared the stories of her Native family.

“One of the classes I took was storytelling, but before that, I was already visiting schools and talking to kids, but I had to construct a story, and so I ended up putting together not only the story of the people but the story of my grandmother into one big story,” she said. “And so I’ve been doing it for groups ever since then.”

Shepherd said that growing up, neither the histories of the Cherokee nor the Ojibwe were taught to her in school. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she began to learn about the history of her heritage. She expressed that she didn’t learn about the Trail of Tears until she was an adult and moved to Georgia.

“I do feel a lot of emotion around it, but when I’m doing the story itself, I just feel very pleased and honored that I get to tell this story. I am surprised how many people

don’t know about the boarding schools.”

She added how, through decades of learning more about the history and culture of the Cherokee and Ojibwe, she gets choked up sometimes thinking about what was lost through assimilation. “I just want people to feel connected to the story and realize, I always say, ‘I want you to remember the people of this place who are still here, and they still call their grandmothers Nokomis. They still call the earth Mackinac, and they still have voices that sound like a song.’ Because there’s a very lilting cadence to the spoken Ojibwe language. So that’s what I thought my grandmother’s voice sounded like. I always thought she sounds like she’s singing when she talks.”

Schneider’s talk will focus on her work as a farmer and advocacy promoting Indigenous food and farming practices in Detroit to encourage Indigenous people and minority groups to embrace a seed-to-table and localized diet. Schneider is an enrolled Citizen of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and a recognized descendant of the Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewas and Eastern Shawnee Tribe of OK and Purepecha peoples. She is also the co-Director of education and engagement at Keep Growing Detroit, whose

mission is “to cultivate a food sovereign city where the majority of fruits and vegetables consumed by Detroiters are grown by residents within the city’s limits.”

“Another really big piece of work that I am involved in is getting our Indigenous foods into the hands of Indigenous people and supporting small food businesses and food production around our foods that we want to eat, like corn, maple products and wild rice, and having more access to our traditional Indigenous foods that our bodies very much need to eat.” She added that, similarly to Shepherd, she feels connected to her heritage when she partakes in practices such as farming traditional foods. “From an indigenous standpoint, we have suffered at the hands of colonization and assimilation, and we’ve lost all of these ways. So when Native people are reclaiming these things and reclaiming spaces and land and knowledge and language and culture, it’s huge.”

For more information on the Southfield Public Library’s upcoming events, visit Southfieldlibrary.org.

To schedule a tour of the Potawatomi exhibit in the Southfield Historical Museum, contact Darla Van Hoey at (248) 219-6963.

To learn more about Keep Growing Detroit, visit www.detroitagriculture.net.

Brendan

celebrate her receiving her pro card after finishing top-3 in the USA

Kattula

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and earning the best lifter title for the best score.

Then it was all up to returning to Raw Nationals and reintroducing herself. When she went up for her record-breaking squat, everyone in the building knew exactly who she was.

“It was incredible with just the atmosphere of nationals and the hype,” Brendan Papin, owner of Momentum Powerlifting, said. “She was in the big spotlight session, so it’s primetime, where everybody is watching and they only have one platform going. Anytime you have an American record you’re attempting, they announce it over the speaker, and the whole crowd really gets engaged.”

Papin and Kattula have been friends on the powerlifting scene for a few years, but Papin, who has a Ph.D. in physical therapy, has trained Kattula the last year, helping her rehab with her back injury and guide her in her powerlifting career.

Papin is well-embedded into the powerlifting scene, holding years of experience and competition himself, and his knowledge of the sport is one of the many reasons Kattula refers to him as her mentor.

So when Raw Nationals was on the horizon, it was go time in the gym for Papin and Kattula.

“Generally, we train four times a week,” Papin said. “We’re squatting two times a week, bench pressing four times a week,

and deadlifting two times a week. … I’m a physical therapist too, so my focus is keeping lifters healthy while still providing that most optimal progress as possible. That’s the name of the game.”

With her first-place finish, Kattula earned her pro card, opening doors to other potential competitions for her to take part in.

Who knows what 2025 will have in store for Kattula competition wise, for she is getting married to her high school sweetheart, who got her into powerlifting at Athens, while two of her four older brothers have events of their own, one getting married and the other expecting a baby boy in January.

Kattula is also a personal trainer at Peak Physique Fitness Training in Troy and a powerlifting coach at The Strength Athlete, so her home will always be in the gym, one way or another.

“It’s nice to see both sides of that and being able to offer that perspective, telling my clients that I know what it feels like and it’s OK to be upset about it, but you’re going to come out on the other side of it and be proud of yourself, because I’ve been through that,” Kattula said.

Regardless, there’s no better way to end a year of competing than with a world record, and maybe it will be in danger of being rebroken by Kattula, who said her goal is 500 pounds when she returns to competition.

“It felt very rewarding to come in this time and fulfill what I was hoping to do last year (at nationals),” Kattula said.

Angela Kattula and her trainer

Papin

Powerlifting Raw Nationals Sept. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Photo provided by Angela Kattula

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