Author Archives: Danielle Beard

When COVID-19 hit our state, and various financial assistance became available, the Michigan Municipal League launched a new program called ServeMICity to help MML members navigate this new funding. And now that the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is approved and additional support is heading your way, ServeMICity will continue to help your community. The League hopes your community … Read More

At the MML Foundation, we believe that a civically engaged community is key to sparking and sustaining positive change and growth in Michigan’s cities. As 2020 continues to bring hardship and uncertainty, we see deepening divisions highlighted in the news, and a sense of hopelessness, as individuals, over the state of our world. Despite that, we have seen neighbors coming … Read More

Chances are good you have heard that famous 2,500 year-old quote from a colleague or relative. You may have even uttered it to help yourself or a coworker process yet another major shift in a project that seemed so straightforward and simple when you started. We all know this game. Our job, as professionals, is to gain new tools and … Read More

May 30 through June 5 of 2020 is Porch Placemaking Week. At the MML Foundation and the Michigan Municipal League, we have been working with placemaking for a long time. The new threat of COVID-19 has us (and a lot of people, especially MML members) thinking about what the future of public spaces looks like. So far, reports from countries … Read More

To curb the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, Governor Whitmer announced that garden centers inside stores over 50,000 square feet could no longer serve customers in person. (You can read the full executive order here.) This order caused some confusion and upset for people in Michigan as many have turned to backyard gardening to make sure they have food to … Read More

The stay-at-home order has made such a difference for so many staying healthy during the pandemic, but, if we’re being honest, it’s been hard. We’ve felt disconnected, and sometimes bored. We miss our friends, our families and our coworkers. We miss being part of a social fabric that is made strongest through our connections with people in our community. Since … Read More

There were a record number of recipients for the Tim Doyle Scholarship this year. This scholarship assists elected officials in attending Michigan Municipal League training. Six officials from five communities – Allen Park, Grosse Pointe Farms, Frankenmuth, Saugatuck and Westland – received scholarships to attend the League’s Elected Officials Academy Weekender training that took place in Frankenmuth last month. The … Read More

In honor of International Women’s Day, we want to recognize and thank the women who dedicate their time and talents as MML Foundation board members. The women on our board are leaders in their industries and in their communities. Here’s how they work to make sure more people love where they live. Jenifer Acosta Jenifer Acosta’s work in real estate … Read More

The Michigan Municipal League Foundation awarded Alayna Knarian of Bad Axe, Michigan the George and Judith Goodman Scholarship to support her studies in public administration at Grand Valley State University. The George and Judith Goodman Scholarship is committed to building the pipeline of future local leaders in Michigan and encouraging traditionally underrepresented populations to enter the field of public service. … Read More

Fostering civic engagement is critical to the work that municipalities do. It often requires time and resources that can pose barriers to doing it effectively. And that’s why innovative approaches and cross-sector collaboration are needed. Flint recently won the esteemed Engaged Cities Award for its leadership in implementing inventive and inclusive civic engagement efforts. Neighborhood stabilization through blight removal was … Read More