& NOTES

7A/ WEST BLOOMFIELD BEACON

APRIL 5, 2023

WB Parks announces new senior programming site

WEST BLOOMFIELD — The West Bloomfield Township Parks and Recreation Commission has secured a temporary facility to house all senior programming, according to a press release.

Connect, the township’s senior center, closed its original Orchard Mall location last May after a lease expired. Amidst the search for a new location, senior services were briefly relocated to the Recreation Activities Center and Drake Sports Park.

“Some programs had to be paused due to space constraints,” the release states.

The township has signed a three-year lease to occupy a storefront located within the Simsbury shopping center at Farmington and 14 Mile roads.

The location will be the primary site for all senior programs and events, as well as house senior services staff.

The township hopes to have the new Connect location fully operational by the fall of 2023, the release states, aiding in their goal of “expanding the Recreation Activities Center to include a dedicated space for seniors.”

For more information, call (248) 451-1914 or send an email to mtehako@wbparks.org.

Professional theater company set to open in Walled Lake

WALLED LAKE — The Inspired Acting Company, a new professional theater company in Oakland County, has scheduled a six-show inaugural season.

According to a press release, the nonprofit was founded by West Bloomfield resident Jeff Thomakos, who will serve as producing artistic director of the theater.

“People always need stories,” Thomakos stated via the release. “If COVID taught us anything, it’s our need to hear stories and be a part of a larger community. Theatre gives us both of those things.”

According to the release, in addition to its mainstage productions, IAC will offer a range of educational and outreach programs, with in-person acting classes for adults and children.

The IAC inaugural season is scheduled to open April 21 with “Private Lives,” by Noël Coward, with the production set to run through May 7.

The IAC is located at 1124 E. West Maple Road in Walled Lake.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays.

General admission tickets cost $35 for plays and $45 for musicals. Tickets may be purchased online at InspiredActing.org.

Jewelry raffle scheduled to help support nonprofit

Fund a Life, a nonprofit providing financial relief grants to families and individuals overcoming life-altering and threatening circumstances, is partnering with Cooper & Binkley Jewelers, located in Brighton, for Spring Bling, a $10,000 jewelry shopping spree raffle event to support Fund a Life’s mission of “igniting hope” through the funding of lives in the community, according to a media advisory.

The nonprofit was founded by Mark Howell during a then-Stage 4 cancer battle to help individuals and families emotionally and financially overcome life-altering and difficult circumstances of all kinds, the advisory states.

“The Fund A Life organization was formed with the sole purpose of helping give back and to make a positive impact in local, regional and nation-wide family’s lives in the same way these communities of people have positively impacted Mark and his family’s life.”

According to the advisory, only 100 $200 entry tickets will be sold, with all proceeds going to Fund a Life.

The drawing is set to conclude at 5 p.m. April 13.

To purchase raffle tickets, send an email to SpringFling@Fundalife.org or visit Cooper & Binkley Diamond Jewelers, located at 105 W. Main St. in Brighton.

Jfs Offers Free Chronic Pain Workshop

METRO DETROIT — Jewish Family Service is offering a free six-week workshop to help individuals living with chronic pain. The workshop is set to be conducted by certified leaders, and according to a press release, will teach individuals how to create a personal plan for success, develop problem solving skills, improve communication with health care providers, use the mind to calm the body, make healthier food choices and incorporate physical activity into daily life.

“People living with chronic pain often find it interferes with their ability to manage their health and live life to the fullest,” the release states. “Personal Action Toward Health is an interactive program designed by Stanford University to provide the necessary skills and tools to help you manage chronic pain and live a better life.”

The workshop is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays April 25-May 30.

It is open to adults with chronic pain and other health concerns, as well as caregivers.

Reservations are required as space is limited, according to the release.

For more information call (248) 392.0767 or send an email to jlyons@jfsdetroit.org.