Friends of the St. Clair River and the St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission are teaming up to offer the OptOutside Hike Nov. 24 at Columbus County Park. (Courtesy of Friends of the St. Clair River/Facebook)

OptOutside Hike encourages outdoor exploration

Friends of the St. Clair River and the St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission are teaming up to offer a unique way to participate in an alternative to Black Friday shopping.

The OptOutside Hike is planned for 10 a.m. Nov. 24 at Columbus County Park, located at 1670 Bauman Road in Columbus Township.

“Families are encouraged to pull on boots for an adventure and discover why people are opting outside on Black Friday,” a recent press release states.

OptOutside was started by outdoor retailer REI in 2015 to reduce over-consumption. On Black Friday, REI closes its brick and mortar stores, pauses online payments and gives employees a paid day off.

For five years, the St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission and Friends of the St. Clair River have been following in these footsteps.

“This outdoor event offers a relaxed alternative to the pressure holiday shopping sometimes brings,” Friends Education Manager Melissa Kivel said in the release. “We are encouraging people to kick off the holidays with a guided hike set in this beautiful 400-acre county park.”

The hike culminates with a large bonfire with s’mores and hot cocoa. The event is free. For more information, contact Melissa Kivel, at 810-531-6906 or melissa@scriver.org.

EDA awarded $2.5M Small Business Hub grant

The Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County recently announced that it has been awarded $2.5 million through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Small Business Support Hubs program.

The SBSH program aims to strengthen regional ecosystems for entrepreneurs and raise the national profile of Michigan’s small business ecosystem, a recent press release states. The funds awarded will be used for programming and operations to expand the Small Business Development Center’s counseling services across Region 6, grow the Port Huron SmartZone Hub and the affiliated Underground Incubator to serve technology and non-technology small businesses and startups.

Affiliate locations are being established in Shiawassee, Lapeer, Tuscola, Huron and Sanilac counties in order to facilitate business counseling and training services. New co-working facilities are proposed to be launched in Capac and Bad Axe in Huron County by two community foundations.

The EDA of St. Clair County will be expanding its local Emerge Fund to Region 6 and seed it with business grant funds. About $426,000 of the funding will be available to deploy as direct grants to eligible small businesses through the Emerge Fund and other possible small business grant initiatives over the next three years.

Additionally, in order to successfully launch and grow new startups and help existing small businesses flourish, the EDA will be working with multiple service providers throughout Region 6 to provide support services in legal, accounting, patent filing, marketing, consulting and other services crucial to entrepreneurial success.

The EDA will soon be issuing a request for proposals across the six counties to identify potential firms for providing services to startups and small businesses. A cohort of small business entrepreneurs/companies will be accepted into the Hub program — about 60 per year for three years — that will be eligible for up to $7,500 of the grant-funded services from one or more of region’s approved service providers.

“We are excited and grateful to the MEDC for this Small Business Hub grant award that will help us to elevate entrepreneurship throughout the Eastern Michigan region,” EDA CEO Dan Casey said in the release. “There is much to do to get programming, service providers and grant resources ready to deploy quickly. We’re excited about the economic impact this will have on the region. Ultimately, the Hub will help people realize their dream of being self-employed and it will create the next generation of businesses for our communities.”

Funding for the SBSH derives from the federal American Rescue Plan. Michigan’s goal is to strengthen existing entrepreneurial hubs and expand their geographic reach. Other objectives include to support small businesses disproportionally impacted by COVID-19.

For more information about the EDA, visit edascc.com.

New Century Art Gallery awarded $25,000 grant

On Nov. 1, Main Street America and American Express announced the recipients for the Backing Small Businesses Enhancement Grant Program and New Century Art Gallery, based in Marine City, was among the winners.

“This grant will help us continue to build our business and create opportunities for artists in the St. Clair County area,” New Century Art Gallery gallerist and artist Jeanne Burris-Johnson said in a recent press release. “Some of the many plans we have include adding to our classes, continuing community programs like our veterans’ classes or Artist Talks, having another Marine City Art Drift, and working with other businesses and the city of Marine City to build more opportunity for our art community.”

Twenty-five small business owners across the country were awarded $25,000 grants, the release states. The 25 small businesses receiving enhancement grants represent 19 states and Puerto Rico.

Earlier this year, each of the recipients also received $5,000 as part of a 350-member cohort. Including the awards announced in November and the awards granted in the summer, the program will have provided nearly $4 million in grants to 680 small business owners nationwide, more than $2.3 million of that granted in 2023.

In 2021, American Express and Main Street America created the grant program to help economically vulnerable small business owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their businesses. In its first year, the program provided $1.65 million in grants to 330 small business owners across the country.

The program marks the latest effort in American Express’ “Backing Small” initiative to provide financial support and resources to independent small business owners who are serving their communities. Other Backing Small programs include the Coalition to Back Black Businesses and Backing Historic Small Restaurants. Backing Small complements American Express’ Shop Small, a global year-round movement to champion small, independent businesses.

New Century Art Gallery is located at 312 S. Water St. in Marine City. For more information, visit newcenturyartgallery.com or facebook.com/newcenturyartgallery.

LHMC earns ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade

Lake Huron Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care.

LHMC has received this award consecutively since 2018 which makes this the 11th “A” in a row with grading done each spring and fall and is the only hospital in St. Clair County to receive this top grade, a recent press release states.

Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Earning an ‘A’ Grade means Lake Huron Medical Center made a true commitment to put patients first,” The Leapfrog Group President and CEO Leah Binder said in the release. “We congratulate the leadership, board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”

“We are extremely proud to have earned straight ‘A’ grades for hospital safety since fall of 2018 because it reflects the commitment that Lake Huron Medical Center, our physicians, staff and nurses make every day when caring for patients,” LHMC CEO Jose Kottoor said in the release. “We have a culture of safety and processes in place to keep our patients safe, thereby earning the ‘A’ grade consistently for the last several years. Our dedicated staff remains committed to providing the highest quality of care, even in times of crisis, to our community.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public, the release states. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.

As a member of Prime Healthcare, LHMC joins other Prime hospitals across the nation that have achieved award winning accolades for clinical excellence.

For more information about LHMC, visit mylakehuron.com.

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