View this email in your browser eNewsletter | April 2023 Please join us this afternoon for a very exciting culinary event - the Food For Thought Cooking Competition,   5 to 7 p.m., with an awards ceremony scheduled for 6:30 p.m., on April 13 at the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building, 418 E. Walnut St., downtown Kalamazoo. The competition is generously sponsored by the Kalsec company. Culinary students submitted appetizer recipes and an explanation of how their creations relate to food science. Participants in Food for Thought have been paired with a research chef or food scientist from Kalsec to create an appetizer to be sampled by guests at the event. Guests will be entitled to a variety of student-created appetizers and two drink tickets. Tickets are $75 for two or $50 each and will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance. Proceeds will help fund culinary scholarships to provide the highest level of educational opportunities for students. April is Community College Month. This month-long campaign was designed to increase awareness about the impact that Kalamazoo Valley Community College graduates have on the communities we serve. Kalamazoo Valley provides access to affordable, high-quality post-secondary education for people from all walks of life. The credentials earned by our students prepare them to fill in-demand careers in healthcare, skilled and professional trades, technology and new media or for transfer to four-year institutions. National Community College Month is our opportunity to remind you about the huge impact the college makes on the vitality of Southwest Michigan. Many donors are reporting that they are in a good position to expand their philanthropy. The KVCC Foundation is able to provide more than $540,000 annually for student scholarships yet demand out paces our ability to provide financial assistance.  So that more students can achieve their educational goals, please consider making a gift in support of Kalamazoo Valley's student scholarship fund during Community College Month. Hear the Cronenwett family explain why they chose to establish a scholarship to benefit Kalamazoo Valley students.  Join us for these remaining Community College Month events: April 13 | Kalsec/Kalamazoo Valley Culinary Student Competition "Food for Thought" Culinary students compete for scholarships and other prizes provided by Kalsec. April 21 | Automotive Department Open House Noon to 6:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Texas Township campus behind the auto labs. Cars, bikes, and motorcycles will be on display. Meet some of the future professionals of the automotive community, have lunch, tour the labs, and meet with prospective employers. April 29 | Statewide Astronomy Night Astronomy Night at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the evening of Saturday, April 29. FREE Planetarium shows and special guest lecture. April 30 | Commencement, 2 p.m., WMU's Miller Auditorium Local Business Leader Scott Betzler Named Kalamazoo Valley Distinguished Alumni Scott Betzler, president of Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, has been named Kalamazoo Valley Community College's 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Betzler, a 1990 graduate of the college, continued his education at Ferris State University and graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mortuary Science in December 1992. That same year he became a licensed funeral director and Vice President of Betzler Funeral Home. Always an innovator, Betzler achieved many firsts throughout his career.  In 1999, through his leadership, Betzler Funeral Home became the first in Michigan to offer pet cremation services. In 2002, he hired and trained one of the first in the country funeral home therapy dogs.  In 2003, Betzler became the first Life Story Funeral Home in the country and in 2006; he developed and built the Life Story Center on Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo. The Life Story Center was innovative in its design, revolutionizing the celebration of life concept by featuring a home-like setting, large gathering areas and a commercial kitchen.  In 2008, he became president of Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes. In 2017, Betzler Life Story Funeral Home became the first funeral home in the state licensed by the State of Michigan in food service. Always ready to share his experience and passion with other professionals, he continues to speak at professional conferences and mentor other young professionals. He is community minded, having served as past board member of the Kalamazoo Humane Society. He is active volunteer with the Mattawan Schools and is a member of the Oshtemo Rotary Club.  Scott is the secretary of the Notre Dame Club of Kalamazoo and serves on the board of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. He is married to another Kalamazoo Valley alumnus, the former Julie Ballard, and together they have two children.  Betzler credits his time at Kalamazoo Valley with much of his success.  In addition to being dedicated to his studies, he played golf and received the college's Alfie Award from then coach, Dick Shilts. The award recognized those who displayed character, humility and team play. Betzler joins a long line of other Distinguished Alumni Award recipients. The award was established in 2013 and has recognized George Todd and Eva Ozier, among others. He was honored and received his award during the KVCC Foundation's Alumni Taps on Tuesday event on April 11 at the Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health Building on the Bronson Healthy Living Campus. In commenting on the award, KVCC Foundation Executive Director Linda Depta said, "Although we considered a number of nominees for the award, Scott stood out as uniquely qualified for this recognition. Together with the entire KVCC Foundation Board of Directors and college President, L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D., we extend our hearty congratulations to Scott and are grateful for his leadership, passion and commitment to serving others." For more information about the KVCC Foundation and the Distinguished Alumni Award, visit the KVCC Foundation webpage. For photos of the April 11 Alumni+ Taps and recognition event, go to Flickr.   Save the Date for the Kalamazoo Foodways Symposium! The annual Kalamazoo Foodways Symposium will be both a virtual and in person event. The Kalamazoo Foodways Symposium inspires and empowers the greater Kalamazoo community to honor our agricultural history and heritage cuisines, celebrate good food and work together to build a just and healthy future for all. Register for live virtual sessions and see the complete schedule at www.kalamazoofoodways.org. This year's theme is Food and Media. A virtual keynote address was held on Monday, April 10 with food media authority Emily Contois, Ph.D. An outdoor celebration on Saturday, April 15, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Kalamazoo Valley's Food Innovation Center, features food vendors, art, music, youth workshops, a special foraging workshop by Gabrielle Cerberville (@Chaoticforager) and more! Watch the Foodways video here.  The Food Innovation Center is located at 224 E. Crosstown Parkway in downtown Kalamazoo. Mini-Exhibit Opens Showcasing Sorority's 50 Years of Local Service  You are invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday, April 23, from 1-3 p.m., for the Kalamazoo Valley Museum's pop-up mini-exhibit that celebrates a half century of contributions in the area by the local chapter of national women's service organization Delta Sigma Theta local Sorority, Incorporated, which was founded 110 years ago at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a historically Black college. Visitors to the public event will learn about the chapter's history in the Kalamazoo community and its plans for the future.  The "50 Years of Service, Scholarship, Sisterhood & Social Action: The Kalamazoo Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta" exhibit will be open through June 25. "The museum is so pleased to hold this celebration of Delta Sigma Theta's 50 years of service to the community," said Lexie Kobb, assistant museum director. "Celebrating significant community milestones is an important part of our mission to document and share the stories of our area and the people who live here." Admission is free to the exhibit and to the museum.   Enjoy Free Planetarium Shows at Statewide Astronomy Night on April 29 Learn more about the amazing telescopes of today with free planetarium shows and speakers when Statewide Astronomy Night comes to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on Friday, April 29 from 5 - 8:30 p.m., in a program suitable for adults and teens. Telescope designer and expert Kevin Iott will deliver the keynote address at 7 p.m. Find more information at kalamazoomuseum.org. Admission is no charge to the event and to the museum. In addition to activities on the ground floor, there will be presentations in the planetarium. At 5:15 p.m., take in a live tour of noteworthy stars and constellations visible in the evening in early May. At 6 p.m., the Fiske Planetarium of Colorado will premiere "5000 Eyes: Mapping the Universe with DESI," which discusses how astronomers are using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak, Arizona, to map the distribution of galaxies and structure of the universe. Wrapping up the evening at 8 p.m., Eric Schreur, the museum's retired planetarium coordinator, longtime amateur astronomer and lifetime member of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society, will host a remote observation in the planetarium. He will connect via live video from his Sternegarten Observatory with a "tour" of his observatory, telescope, camera system and control room. Following this 10-minute introduction, he will direct his telescope to observe and identify features found on the moon. Kalamazoo Valley Represented by Staff and Students at Taste of West Michigan Culinary Event  Kalamazoo Valley Community College Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food Systems and ValleyHUB food hub staff recently participated in the 'Taste of West Michigan' reception at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Kalamazoo. The reception was part of the Food Marketing and Supply Chain Conference hosted by the Western Michigan University Food Marketing and Supply Chain Management programs.   Featured speakers included Albertsons and Kellogg's CEOs and speakers from Mark Anthony Group, Pepsico, Graphic Packaging International, Dom's Kitchen & Market, Amazon, Meijer, and more. More than 450 people attended live, and many more attended virtually.   Following opening sessions, attendees were treated to 'A Taste of West Michigan.' The reception aimed to show off some of the outstanding food businesses in West Michigan. Many graduates of Can Do Kalamazoo, a business incubator in West Michigan, did tastings of their products, including West Michigan Pasta and Provisions, Papa's Peanut Brittle, Aunt Nay's Cookies & Treats, Eli's Doces, and Sweet Food Soul. Kalsec and Brick and Brine representatives also did culinary samplings.    Director of Culinary and Brewing Education and chef instructor Chef Stephanie Hughes-Winfrey and her team of students prepared two tastings: a creamy asparagus soup and a caramelized onion, gourmet mushroom, and herbed-chevre crostini. One of the goals of the tasting was to demonstrate the possibilities of utilizing local foods. As a result, many items, including asparagus, mushrooms, and onions, were locally sourced through ValleyHUB.   ValleyHUB also sourced mocktails from Corner Store Mocktails, a local Kalamazoo producer, and cold-brewed coffee from Café Rica, a family-owned business in Battle Creek. Both businesses are graduates of the Can Do Kalamazoo business Boot Camp and now partner with ValleyHUB to distribute throughout the Kalamazoo area.    Rachel Bair, director of sustainable food systems, and Josh Bartz, outreach and  communications coordinator, attended the event. They shared about the role of food hubs in a local food system and how ValleyHUB connects local farmers and food makers with market channels they may not otherwise have access to, including K-12 schools, hospitals, and early care and education centers. "Leaders in the food industry see local businesses as sources of innovation and resilience within the larger system," said Bair. "We were proud to highlight the great work happening in Kalamazoo as part of this national event."   Learn more about Kalamazoo Valley's Culinary Arts and Sustainable Food Systems programs, and ValleyHUB today! Attention Kalamazoo Valley Alumni and Community Job Seekers Are you looking for a job? Could you use some help polishing your resume and interview skills? Kalamazoo Valley's career-jobs webpage may have just what you need! Whether in Michigan or another state, a job search using these links could reveal the job you're looking for. One local employer recently told us they posted 20-plus jobs at Indeed that included positions in North and South Carolina. Make an impact. Although the past two years marked a time of widespread change, the overarching trends in philanthropy are positive: individuals, companies and groups continue to invest in the causes they care about. Through planned giving, you can create a lasting impact on your community and make a difference for the future generations to come. If you are interested in learning how you can help students, contact Linda Depta, Foundation executive director, at 269.488.4821. Donate

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