From the Editor

Every month is another opportunity for Encore to bring readers stories about passionate folks who work to make our community a better place. Our July issue is a great example of people doing just that but in very different ways.

There's no doubt that finding affordable housing is a struggle for many in our community, and at time when residential development usually means building big, expensive homes, our cover story this month highlights one developer going in the other direction. Hollander Development Corp., established by Joseph Hollander and now run by his son Matt, is building multi-family housing communities that are not only affordable and attractive, but sustainable too. It's an amazing effort helping not only our community's most vulnerable folks, but the environment as well.

We also feature two very different sporting events being held this month in Portage that each exist because of their founder’s passionate love for the game.

Writer Robert M. Weir tells us about the Continental Base Ball Club of Kalamazoo, a club created by Chris Fusciardi that likes to play "America's game" as it was played in the 1860s. The club is hosting 13 other teams for the inaugural Portage Vintage Base Ball Festival on July 15.

Meanwhile, our Back Story profiles James Hackenberg, tournament director of Latitude 42 Pickleball Fever in the Zoo, scheduled for July 14–16 at Ramona Park. A more recently developed game, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Hackenberg and his wife, Yvonne, are not only Pickleball Hall-of-Famers, but love the sport so much they started the Kalamazoo Pickleball Club and a nonprofit organization called Pickleball Outreach, which has funded the development of new pickleball courts in several local communities.

Finally, we spotlight the Kalamazoo Film Society, whose members have shared their passion for art films, independent films and foreign films with Kalamazoo since 1988 and just this year put local filmmakers in the spotlight through the first KFS Filmmakers Showcase.

This issue is a great chance to sit back and reflect on how people who aren't stingy about sharing their passions have given so much to our region. From green housing to the silver screen, their community contributions have made us all richer.