A lot has changed since a young girl from the Midwest saved up her money to buy her first plane ticket to Italy. Six trips to Ethiopia later, Stephanie Schlatter is decorating the pallet of her life with philanthropy, service, and a little bit of paint. When...
Recent Profile Articles
Advocating One Job at a Time
Empty shop windows, scarcely trodden side streets, and defeated, jobless families are icons of Michigan's economic turmoil as of late. But Norton Shores native Amanda Shunta never had plans to leave West Michigan; instead she's making plans to improve it. As the Vice...
All About the Attitude
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it's a buyer's market, thus is the daily livelihood of Katie Karczewski. As a wife, mother, business owner, volunteer, survivor and friend, Katie K. embodies optimism and change similar to the city she has called home for...
Never a Dull Moment
As a mother of three, Melody VanderWeide knows keeping kids active, entertained and stimulated takes variety. She put her multitasking know-how to good use in founding the ever popular, ever updating website for all things kid-friendly, GRKids.com. Melody was a high...
Making Her Mark
Deana Brownlow’s journey to becoming a business owner began with a tiny footstep—but oddly enough, it wasn’t her foot. It was her young son’s footprint that was the impetus for Captured in Clay. “Years ago, when we were living in another state, I knew a potter...
Helping Moms Bloom
When Sara Binkley-Tow had her first child ten years ago, her initial intent was to be a working mother. “My husband and I tried to make it work, with us both working,” recalls Sara. “He even worked from home part of the time. But it just didn’t work for us, so I left...
Dani Vilella is on a mission to make West Michigan a safer, healthier place for women
As an entrepreneur, volunteer, and community organizer, Dani Vilella, Public Affairs Manager for Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan, is passionate about the social climate of West Michigan. Community service was a pillar of Dani’s early education....
Noddea Moore Skidmore: This West Michigan Woman is All About Community and Culture
Noddea Moore Skidmore moved to West Michigan in 1997 to attend Grand Valley State University, and had an on-again/off-again love affair with the area for a few years while she studied and traveled. In 2004, Noddea accepted a programming position at Aquinas College and...