Attend Oct. 12 Career Fair for a Chance to Win a Free iPad

Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement/Public Service
Male & Female Drug Testers - Van Buren County Specialty Courts

Culinary/Brewing (Sustainable Food Systems)
Multiple culinary and hospitality openings - Greenleaf Hospitality and Millennium Restaurant Group
Server/Wait Staff - Bilbo's Pizza
Delivery Driver - Imperial Beverage

Education
Multiple positions - Portage Public Schools (parapro, playground supervisor, food worker, etc.)
Multiple preschool and daycare opportunities - Various companies
Substitute Teachers and Paraprofessionals - EDUStaff

Engineering & Skilled Trades
Electrical Engineer Lab Technician - Gentex Corp
HVAC Installer- Haven Heating & Air Conditioning
Welder/Fabricator - Walinga USA
Michigan Certified Technician - Monro Auto Service & Tires Centers
Tooling Technician & Maintenance Tech - Summit Polymers Inc.
Package Handler Warehouse - FedEx Ground
Plant Operator - Bronson Healthcare Group
Cabinet Fabricator - Woodsmiths Inc.

General Studies
Michigan Army National Guard
Court Services Specialist - 8th District Court

Health Careers
Medical Scribe positions - IscibeMD & Helix Scribe Solutions
Dental Hygienist - several postings
Multiple direct care worker, home health aide, care companion openings - Various companies
LPN/RN - Friendship Village

Human Services/Social Sciences/Public Services
Skill Building Technician/Outpatient Services Tech - Residential Opportunities, Inc.

Study Tips Session Offered for Valley Athletes  

Valley athletes from all five sports this month attended the "Student-Athlete Study Table Kickoff," a first-ever event to hear from representatives from Kalamazoo Valley Community College departments with resources to assist academic success, including the Learning Center, Office of Student Access, the Libraries and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. They also received study tips from Aaron Williams and Jeff Stone, pathway advisors for Student Development Services, organizers of the program. Remarks were made by President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D, Provost Paige Eagan, Athletic Director Russ Panico, Vice President for Campus Planning and Operations Dannie Alexander and Associate Vice President for Student Development Services Nkenge Bergan. The ice-breaker allowed athletes in different sports to get to know each other better. 

Valley Basketball Teams Volunteer at Beyond the Backpack
Thank you to Kalamazoo Valley's women's and men's basketball players for volunteering at the Beyond the Backpack school readiness fair held Saturday, Sept. 9 at Bronson Park in downtown Kalamazoo. Nearly 800 families attended! We enjoyed meeting many of them at the college's information table. Kalamazoo Valley Community College was one of the sponsors of this annual program, where youth not only enjoy fun activities, but can get school supplies, vision screenings, athletic physicals, emotional health services and more to set them up for success for the academic year. It is the signature project of Collaboration Kalamazoo, a group of area nonprofit leaders dedicated to youth-serving and community-unifying events. More photos can be found here.

Expect important programming this fall from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Highlights include: 

• Mental Health First Aid training | Nov. 1 | 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | TTC Room 4380 
• safeTALK suicide prevention workshop | Nov. 14 | 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | AWH Room 207 

 Ableism will be explored through workshops and a film showing: 

• Ableism 101 | Oct. 10 | 1- 2:30 p.m. | Virtual (link to come) 
• The "Crip Camp" documentary (rated "R" for adult themes) | Oct. 11 | 1 - 2:30 p.m. | TTC Room 4370 & 4380
  The film is about a groundbreaking teen summer camp that inspired some of its alumni to join the disability rights movement. 

For questions, email Trice Batson, diversity and inclusion director. Learn more at www.kvcc.edu/diversity/. 

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day 
Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October in the United States, in lieu of Columbus Day. This year, it will be on Oct. 9. Indigenous Peoples' Day, at its core, aims to celebrate and honor the past, present and futures of Native peoples throughout the United States and acknowledges the legacy of colonialism, which has devastated Indigenous communities historically and continues to negatively impact them today. More importantly, however, Indigenous Peoples' Day moves beyond the narrative of oppression and honors the histories, cultures, contributions, and resilience of contemporary Native peoples." (IllumiNative, An Advocate's Guide to Supporting Indigenous Peoples' Day) 
 
What is Tribal sovereignty? 
"The U.S. Supreme Court has acknowledged that tribal governments are the oldest sovereigns on the continent - Native American sovereignty predates the sovereignty of the U.S. - and as such, tribes and tribal people maintain some degree of control, though a diminished measure of sovereignty to be sure. Tribal sovereignty includes the right to govern one's community, the ability to preserve one's culture, and the right to control one's own economy. The sovereignty status (tribal sovereignty encompassing Native American military, social, and economic development) of Indian nations still remains today. As sovereign entities, Indian nations are guaranteed the power and/or right to determine their form of government, define citizenship, make and enforce laws through their own police force and courts, collect taxes, and regulate property use." (University of Iowa, "Acknowledgment of Land and Sovereignty") 
 
Learn more about Tribal sovereignty and Indigenous sovereignty here 
 
Where can I learn more about Indigenous nations? 

• The Realities Video Series with Wes Studi 
• Correcting History: How Native Americans Tell Their Own Stories (podcast episode) 
• 22 Books by Indigenous Writers to Read Right Now 
• Indian Country Today (Indigenous news source) 
• What is Tribal Sovereignty? 
• History of the Gun Lake Tribe 

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Museum Offers Two Free Cartooning Workshops on Sept. 30

Ever wanted to try your hand at cartooning? Now's your chance to learn for FREE. Join the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 10:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., for two mini workshops exploring the art of comics and animation in the museum's Mary Jane Stryker Theater. The "Pow! Boom! Wham! Art of the Comics" workshops will be led by professional illustrator Aubrey Jewel Rodgers from Kalamazoo Valley Community College's Center for New Media. The sessions are suitable for children ages eight and up, as well as adults. Comic character costumes are welcome! Between the workshops, museum patrons can attend a meet-and-greet with special costumed characters named Spidey, Spin and Ghosty from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets for the workshops will be available the day of the program at the front desk, first come first served. Meeting the characters will not require a ticket. Admission is free to both the event and to the museum. Visit kalamazoomuseum.org for more details.


The "HeLa" play cast at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum's Mary Jane Stryker Theater last fall.
Film Version of Henrietta Lacks Play Set for Oct. 1
It's a little-known fact that we can thank a woman with familial ties to Kalamazoo for many of medical breakthroughs of modern times, like cancer treatments and the polio and COVID-19 vaccines and more. Learn the late Henrietta Lacks' amazing story from the encore showing of the film version of the "HeLa" stage play on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum's Mary Jane Stryker Theater. At a time when informed consent did not exist, cells were removed from Lacks in 1951 without her knowledge during a medical procedure and later used in experiments worldwide. The play, written by Kalamazoo playwright Buddy Hannah, debuted at the museum last fall before a live audience, thanks to a grant from the KVCC Foundation. Admission is free to the filmed play. Neither advance registration nor tickets are required. Admission is first come, first served.

 
Museum Attendance up 69 Percent
Kalamazoo Valley Museum attracted 81,724 visitors during the just completed fiscal year 2023, up from 25,685 visitors the previous year, representing a 69 percent increase. Museum Director Bill McElhone attributes the spike in foot traffic to a number of factors, among them the museum's quality programs, thanks in part to being able to fill several of its staff vacancies. "I would also credit the increase in attendance to a growing desire by our visitors to return to in-person experiences," McElhone said. He hopes to end the current fiscal year with close to 100,000 guests, which would put the museum back in the range of pre-pandemic numbers. It had 110,383 visitors during fiscal year 2019.
 

Chemistry Day is Oct. 14
At the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the 37th annual Chemistry Day will be held on Oct. 14 from noon to 4 p.m. This free event offers exciting hands-on experiments exploring "Health and Medicine: The Healing Power of Chemistry." The communitywide collaboration includes the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society, area chemists from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and area companies such as Pfizer, Kalsec, Perrigo and Stryker.