be ART ful

my favorite word. But then again, I never wanted one so it was just fun talk. This past fall, my sister and I were reminiscing about how long our father has been gone and the next thing I knew we both said; “we should find dad’s signature and have it made into a tattoo.” Ohhhh did we just say that out loud? My sister and I thought it would be such a cool idea, but both of us were adamant that we never really wanted one. That night I prayed about it as I couldn’t get it out of my mind and the next day I texted her; “I will if you will!” We decided the timing was serendipitous. We to several people, including both of my daughters, who have tattoos, for recommendations on who we should choose as our artist. We couldn’t find any paperwork with his signature or something that he had signed “Love Dad” but we did find “Love Jack” on cards and letters. One letter in particular brought me to tears, as I had never read it before, that he had written to his Aunt and Uncle about me when I was going to college. His penmanship was so beautiful that I knew this was the one we should use.

My sister agreed and we made our appointments for the anniversary of his passing to get mine done and she wanted to get hers done on the anniversary of his birthday. We were both there to support each other. My sister chose to get her tattoo on her foot. That way, he’ll always be with her every step of her life journey. I got mine on my left wrist as our dad was left-handed and I wanted to look at it every day and up close for the rest of my life. I really love that we both did this to honor our father. After all this time, I hope somehow he knows how much we still love and miss him every single day. xo -Bridget

Email: bridgetfoxkzoo@gmail.com

Social: https://www.instagram.com/ bridgetfoxkzoo

Love Muffins began as a simple act of sharing a favorite family treat (carrot cake muffins) with friends and neighbors. This quickly spread to customers describing their muffins as “the best carrot cake I have ever tasted!”

Eileen Pawlicki bakes Love Muffins at the Kalamazoo Nonprofit Advocacy Coalition (KNAC); a shared kitchen, located inside the First Baptist Church in downtown Kalamazoo. “I feel fortunate to be part of the small business community at KNAC,” says Pawlicki.

The delicious signature carrot cake muffins are topped with their famous whipped cream cheese frosting. The menu has expanded to meet the desires of their valued customers, adding walnuts and golden raisins to their signature muffins is an option, along with a combination of cheesecake and carrot cake. All of these decadent flavors are also available in cake form.

I became interested in Love Muffins, when I noticed their table cards at Studio Grill in downtown Kalamazoo. I noticed a customer that ordered one eat every crumb and knew this was a story I needed to investigate.

After meeting with Eileen, I took home a muffin and saved it for dessert that night. I was going to just eat half of it and save the other half for the next day, which didn’t happen! The carrot cake was the perfect combination, moist on the inside and slightly crisp on top – the whipped cream cheese frosting was not only divine, but it was ample enough to have frosting with every bite of cake! I have to agree with the other customer’s comments, in that it was truly the best I’ve ever had!

Pawlicki, a local educator, found herself unemployed during Covid and was home with her 16-year old daughter. The duo decided to keep busy by baking their families’ favorite recipe to give to their Milwood neighbors as a special treat.

Neighbors began asking to order the muffins and requested cakes as well. Word spread quickly and Eileen realized that this simple “act of love,” was the impetus for her future. She embraced the challenge of becoming a business owner and opened Love Muffins on July 2020.

It’s a labor of love and a family effort,” says Pawlicki. Beginning with her late mother’s (Kathy’s) recipe. Her daughter, Helen perfected the whipped cream cheese frosting recipe by adding a secret Ingredient and has helped her mom from the beginning. Eldest daughter, Savannah, who has an accounting degree and is a master with numbers – keeps her mom on track with information to determine pricing, production goals, etc. She also helps with marketing and branding. Her niece, Monica Kioshi, designed the logo.

What Pawlicki enjoys most about her business adventure has been all of the connections that have formed - connecting with customers, wholesalers, suppliers and others that she’s been fortunate enough to come into

Round Up!

Let your change create change for older adults in need of support in our community.

The small change from your daily purchases can add up to a meaningful impact for older adults in our community. When you connect a credit or debit card to our Round Up donation program, your change from each purchase is automatically donated to Milestone Senior Services to support older adults and adults with disabilities in living independently at home.

www.MilestoneSeniorServices.org

(click on the donate button)

269-382-0515 x114 contact with.

Pawlicki appreciates the local support she has received. She was the recipient of two local grants, which provided funds to grow her business.

Score Kalamazoo has been a great resource, offering free small business mentoring. Many local businesses have also shared their expertise.

Pawlicki is amazed at how nice and supportive people are on social media, “they give me inspiration everyday,” she says.

In turn, she supports local by purchasing her carrots from Crisp Country Acres in Holland that are shred at Valley Hub, a social enterprise food program at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Try Love Muffins and see if they are “the best carrot cake you’ve ever tasted.” Muffins are available to order online and are also available at these local retailers, in Kalamazoo: Schultz’s Treat Street, Tiffany’s Wine & Spirits, Midtown Fresh Market, Town & Country, Harding’s Market (Stadium Dr.) and Studio Grill, and in Portage at: Chocolatea, Coffee Rescue, H & B Market, Lake Burger Tavern and Harding’s Market (Westnedge). In addition, look for them at the Lunchtime Live events held every Friday at Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo this summer. Gift certificates are available. For more information visit their website lovemuffins.us, email: lovemuffins.mi@gmail.com or call (269) 216-1302.

Jackie Merriam

Guys Who Give (GWG) is a group of men with a desire to inspire and who are committed to making a difference in their local communities. The Mission is to reach out and help local charities with the funds for the great work they are doing in the community. Collectively, the group can make a powerful impact to the local community and donates over $10,000 per quarter and $40,000 annually per market.

This mission is accomplished by 100+ men each contributing $100 (tax-deductible) at the quarterly events to benefit a chosen local charity that changes each quarter. All charities and organizations up for consideration must serve the county of the local chapter; the idea is to keep it local and have an impact that WE can SEE.

Guys Who Give brings a lot of good into our world and their efforts are making a big impact on our local communities. Events are full of energy