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Crystal Awards Recipients Honored at 2019 Community Reception

Three unsung heroes were honored last week at the 2019 Crystal Awards community reception for their significant contributions to community life in East Lansing.

Crystal Awards nominations are submitted by community members and then reviewed by a community selection committee. Three to four recipients are selected and honored each year at a special event hosted by the East Lansing City Council. This year's recipients are Luke Hackney, Patricia Robinson and Will Kopachik.

For the past 12 years, Luke Hackney has been a tireless advocate for downtown East Lansing. He has dedicated his time, talents and efforts to supporting and marketing the business community in downtown, while also working to keep residents connected to the downtown and the City’s arts scene. Hackney is one of the original founders and the current CEO and president of RetroDuck; a custom screen printing company that has been an anchor small business in downtown East Lansing for 14 years. He has volunteered hundreds of hours of his time and is an integral part of the downtown business community. Find Hackney's full bio here.

Patricia Robinson is the kind of neighbor that fellow neighbors dream about. She and her husband, Ed, have lived in the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood for more than 40 years and, while living there, Robinson has taken an active role in enhancing, supporting and maintaining the neighborhood’s street trees and the nearby community park. She has also been involved with the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association and has actively represented the neighborhood at various municipal meetings. Find Robinson's full bio here.

Will Kopachik is a hard-working community volunteer who has provided his time and expertise to furthering the scientific knowledge and literacy of East Lansing students. He worked countless hours to create a local Science Olympiad team, so that students at East Lansing High School would have an additional science experience that they wouldn’t otherwise have in a normal curriculum. From 2012-2014, he also planned and organized the "Science Palooza" event at MacDonald Middle School. Find Kopachik's full bio here.

It's never too early to nominate someone for a 2020 Crystal Award. Community members can find selection criteria and an online nomination form at www.cityofeastlansing.com/crystalawards.

City Celebrates 2019 East Lansing Emerging Leaders Program Graduating Class

Another amazing group of civically engaged community members recently graduated from the East Lansing Emerging Leaders Program (ELELP). ELELP is a City-hosted program designed for East Lansing residents who are interested in becoming more actively involved in their local government and/or community. Here are a few quotes from members of the 2019 graduating class:

"Emerging Leaders brings residents into the fold of city government, showing them the intricacies and challenges of balancing limited funding with public desire. It's easy to have an opinion when you hear of or see a change happening, but becoming embedded in your community and truly understanding the nuances of local government through programs like Emerging Leaders means having the ability to make informed decisions that benefit a collective good and underscore the success of democracy." - Lisa Biering

"I wish every citizen in every city had the opportunity to participate in a program like the ELELP. It helped shed valuable light on the community I live in and the people that work together to run it, and showed there are other citizens out there that want to be involved as well. It was a great first step towards greater participation." - Andrew Poole

"If you are new to East Lansing, there is no better way to become acquainted with the City, the incredible people who keep it running and the myriad of opportunities we all have to contribute to building a strong, supportive and inclusive community. ELELP is an invaluable, FREE resource we should all be taking advantage of; 100 percent worth the investment of my time. The City employees gave back tenfold." - Abigail Tykocki

The City plans to host another ELELP course in the spring of 2020. Stay tuned for more details!

City of East Lansing, MSU Announce 2019 One Book, One Community Selection

The City of East Lansing and Michigan State University have announced the book selection for the 2019 One Book, One Community (OBOC) program: “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City” by author Matthew Desmond.

Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book transports readers to the poorest neighborhoods in Milwaukee to tell the heartbreaking, real-life stories of eight families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. By living among these families in 2008 and 2009, Desmond is able to provide readers with a ground-level view of one of 21st-century America’s most devastating problems and shine a probing light on the human cost of America’s immense inequality.

Desmond’s book has garnered countless accolades, including being the winner of: the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Nonfiction. More information on the book can be found at http://evictedbook.com/.

As part of the 2019 OBOC program, Desmond will visit the East Lansing-MSU community this August. Community members are invited to A Community Conversation with Matthew Desmond on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Road. Desmond will also speak during the MSU Fall Convocation at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center, 534 Birch Road, on Monday Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. Both events are FREE and open to all community members. Learn more about the OBOC program at https://www.onebookeastlansing.com.

ELPD K9 Unit Welcomes New Handler, Dog

The East Lansing Police Department’s (ELPD) K9 Unit recently welcomed a new team: Officer Staci Sterner and K9 Klif.

Officer Sterner has served as a sworn officer with ELPD since September 2017 and will now serve as the second female K9 handler in the department’s history. Officer Sterner applied to be the ELPD Unit’s newest K9 handler earlier this year and was selected from a pool of four strong internal applicants.

“Staci has proven to be a hard-working, dedicated officer during her time with ELPD,” said East Lansing Police Chief Larry Sparkes. “We were excited to select her for this new role and we know she will do very well alongside K9 Klif.”

K9 Klif comes to ELPD all the way from Poland. He was born on February 9, 2017 and is a Sable German Shepherd. He weighs in at 65 pounds. Klif’s first night home with Officer Sterner was in late March and they began training at the Mid-Michigan Kennels in Eaton Rapids in mid-April. They are scheduled to graduate from the training program by mid-May. Klif is being trained as a dual purpose patrol and explosives dog for ELPD.

The ELPD K9 Unit consists of four teams (one handler and one dog per team). The other three teams include Officer Travis Bove and K9 Quinn, Officer Justan Horst and K9 Ares and Officer Jeff Horn and K9 Scott. Duties of the K9 Unit include assisting in the prevention and detection of crime, bomb detection, building searches, narcotics detection, locating lost or missing persons, providing escort services and tracking/locating persons sought by the police. The K9 Unit is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

East Lansing Art Festival is May 18-19

Community members are encouraged to mark their calendars for the 56th Annual East Lansing Art Festival, which will be taking place May 18-19 in downtown East Lansing. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 19.

East Lansing Named Tree City USA

The City of East Lansing has been named a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 32nd year. City staff and retired forester Mike Vasievich will, once again, be celebrating Arbor Day with a special tree planting at Pinecrest Elementary School. Photos from the event will be posted on the City's Facebook page!

East Lansing Art Festival Call for Volunteers

The East Lansing Art Festival is looking for helping hands to volunteer during this year's festival. Festival volunteers are the smiling faces that welcome patrons to the show and help keep the event running smoothly all weekend long. Volunteers can sign up via SignUpGenius.

Help Make East Lansing Pollinator Friendly

With the arrival of spring, community members are reminded that the City of East Lansing is a Pollinator Friendly Community. Residents can do their part to help protect pollinators by planting pollinator-friendly gardens, cutting back on pesticides and more. Find additional information here.

Recycle Like a Pro in East Lansing

Residents are encouraged to check out the City of East Lansing's Curbside Recycling Guide to recycle like a pro! Curbside recyclers are reminded that the City has a single-stream, bag-free system. Plastic bags should not be placed in carts. Happy Recycling!