Thriving, Together

Jim Nigro is a retired McKay Press executive and former Greater Midland trustee, whose 11 years on the board included helping guide the organization through the building of the new Community Center. Greater Midland President and CEO Terri Johnson sat down with Jim to talk about his journey from Cleveland to Midland, his role in leading McKay Press into the digital age, and the heart and soul he and his wife, Kate, have put into serving Greater Midland. They also discuss how, since his Parkinson’s diagnosis, Jim has found a supportive community in the Rock Steady Boxing program – going from “reports to support.” Terri: Let’s start by talking about your background. How did you come to live in Midland and work for McKay Press? Jim: Back in 1998, my wife Kate and I were living in Cleveland with our six-year-old and our one-year-old. A boss I’d had, Elsa McNamara, became president of McKay Press, and she needed a vice president of sales and marketing. She asked if we’d be willing to move to Midland. I thought Michigan was a great state. I said, “Kate, let’s make it a five-year stop. We can go camping as a family, because Michigan has so much to do outdoors.” She went a little reluctantly, because we were comfortable in Cleveland. But almost thirty years later, we’re still here and we’ve absolutely loved it. I’ve been retired for three years now, and I love that, too. How can you not love Midland? There is so much to do. I’ve heard it described as a town of about 50,000 people with the amenities of a city of 500,000, but since so many people work at the same companies and know each other, it can feel like a fishbowl of 5,000! Terri: Can you tell us more about Kate and your children? I know that Kate has had a strong marketing career and has been such a valuable contributor to Greater Midland as a member of the Tennis Center board of directors. Jim: Yes – back in Ohio, she was actually my boss at a company called Advo. She took a hiatus to raise our children, and she got back into the workforce by starting her own small marketing agency. In Midland, she was hired as director of marketing at the Midland Center for the Arts, worked for Bolger + Battle after that, and then joined Dow, eventually becoming global communications director. My son Mike lives in Detroit and absolutely loves it. My daughter Kelly and my son-in-law Luke are living with us while they line up a house in Chicago – so my granddaughter Louise, who is 18 months old, is here as well. We’ll soon have our own spaces again, but Kate says I’m really going to miss having my granddaughter here. She’s 100% right, because waking up and seeing her big smile every morning is the best! Terri: From a professional perspective, you and I worked together so much through the relationship between McKay Press and Dow. My favorite time of year was when McKay handed out personalized calendars. [Laughs] Jim: Yes, I miss those personalized calendars! They were a huge hit with customers and really demonstrated the technology of digital one-to-one printing. Terri: People have their devices now! Jim: Somewhat related to that – one of the biggest things Elsa and I did was recognize that the digital age was coming. We shifted our capabilities so we could marry a database with the imaging, because we knew long print runs on big web presses were going to be a thing of the past. That also included ramping up direct mail, which McKay now does a considerable amount of. So, yes, we put a different face on McKay as we prepared it for more precise, targeted marketing in the new age of digital communications. I worked with great people on our senior leadership team as well as our department managers and, of course, our very capable operators. We had great leadership throughout my tenure. Today a woman is in charge of operations, which is a first for McKay Press, and I think that’s fantastic. Terri: Let’s shift to Greater Midland. You became a member of our board of trustees in 2014, a role you held for 11 years. What did you think of Greater Midland before that, and did you look at it differently once you became a trustee and got to look “under the hood”? Jim: I knew it was a staple of the community, because when I first came here, it was the first place I joined to get exercise. I remember listening to folks in the sauna, and that’s how I learned some of the things going on that weren’t in the newspaper. I knew people really cherished being able to go to a facility like this, work out, and be part of a community. So, I knew Greater Midland was special from the get-go. It was hard not to recognize, as a trustee, that many of our assets were old and inefficient. As examples, the Community Center roof was leaking, the pool was in constant disrepair, and many spaces weren’t being utilized sufficiently. For the sake of our bottom line, we had to do something about it. The new building initiative was a breath of fresh air. And I’ll just say this: I don’t think we could have had a better leader at that time than you, Terri, because you did a brilliant job navigating us through the entire process. I had always looked up to you, including when you were a trustee previously, because you were so involved and engaged. You made solid, tough decisions and asked the insightful and sometimes tough questions. Terri: Wow, thank you, Jim! When I joined as CEO and had the honor of working in the organization, it was a challenge to shift from being a trustee to reporting to the trustees and facilitating the meetings. But after every meeting, you would send me an email, and it would always be supportive, even if it raised topics like “think about this” or “consider doing this.” You truly cared and were engaged. Kate also took this approach on the Tennis Center board, putting her heart and soul into it. It’s really “the Nigro way,” where you don’t just check the box by going to a meeting – you take those responsibilities seriously. Tell us about how you’ve become a regular at the Community Center through our Rock Steady Boxing program – which, for readers who might not know, is a non-contact boxing class that helps people with Parkinson’s disease and related diseases to manage their symptoms and remain independent. Jim: I am a longtime member of Midland Rotary. A fellow Rotarian, Tom Erickson, who has Parkinson’s disease like me, asked me whether I was familiar with the Rock Steady Boxing program. He said it’s a great program because you get to mingle with people who have the same neurological disease, build community, and get exercise tailored specifically to Parkinson’s. I thought that sounded great, so I gave it a whirl. Valerie Faber, the wellness director for the Community Center who facilitates Rock Steady Boxing, was so supportive. I went to my first class, and I felt like these are fun and interesting people, and they’re my kin, because we all have this disease. That’s how I got involved. The way I see it, I went from getting reports to receiving support. As a trustee I was seeing the numbers. But now, as somebody with Parkinson’s who has specific needs, I’m feeling the support from Greater Midland staff and this Parkinson’s community. I knew that Greater Midland was a gem as a trustee, but this experience has really opened my eyes – we’re truly amazing. The staff and trainers are so incredibly invested in my wellness. It’s like family, and I don’t think I can say that about any other organization I’m involved with. Terri: Yes – and it’s the type of thing you can’t see on a financial statement. You have to experience it. The participants in Rock Steady Boxing have nicknames, and yours is “Bobcat.” How did that become your nickname? Jim: I went to Ohio University for a graduate program, and they’re the Bobcats. But I actually had the nickname as an undergrad at Baldwin Wallace College, where I was a wrestler. They had these colonial buildings, and to strengthen our grip and forearms, we would actually climb those buildings. Can you imagine? [Laughs] I did that with one of my wrestling partners, Greg, who was also one of my fraternity brothers. We climbed basically every building on campus. Terri: I love that. [Laughs] What advice would you give Greater Midland to have even greater impact? How can we be even better? Jim: That’s a great question. You do a wonderful job communicating what’s going on and getting the voice of the customer. And everyone here is so passionate about helping others. If there’s one thing we might consider for Rock Steady Boxing, it’s talking more about our conditions. Asking each other: “How do you handle this?” or “Does this happen to you?” It’s a fantastic program, and the instructors are the absolute best, but I might recommend building in more information sharing. I recognize that Rock Steady is a national program that has a specific curriculum which the trainers need to stay within, but I think more information sharing could benefit all of us. Terri: That’s great feedback. I really like that idea! You know, my heart gets full when I hear you talk about what you’ve given to Greater Midland, and how you have found this supportive community now. From your perspective, you can see what it’s doing for you, and that’s a great thing. Jim: Rock Steady Boxing is my only Parkinson’s community. I don’t have any other group like this, so it serves a purpose in terms of networking with people who understand what we’re going through. When I was first diagnosed, I was reluctant to continue getting involved in certain things, and to share the reason why, because I was afraid of labels. Now it’s like, who cares? People can learn from me, and I can learn from others. Everybody carries something. Terri: And are you feeling good? Jim: Thank you for asking. I have good days and better days. That’s my pat answer to that question, Terri. I’m not letting in the bad! To learn more about how the Rock Steady Boxing program is helping people in our community and how you or a loved one can get involved, visit our Rock Steady Boxing page .

Most of us view gratitude as something to express every once in a while, such as during a holiday like Thanksgiving or when something particularly good happens to us. But gratitude can be much more than that. Rather than an occasional moment of appreciation, it can be a daily perspective that keeps us grounded and helps us deal with life’s challenges. And it’s something you can easily start right now. Tad Hupfer, LMSW, is an outpatient therapist with Family & Children’s Services who specializes in working with seniors. Every Wednesday, he provides free counseling at the Community Center to people age 65-plus. While gratitude is something he often discusses with his older adult clients, it’s something that can benefit people of any age. Here’s how Tad says we can approach the concept of gratitude in a way that brings real change to our lives. Expand your idea of what gratitude can be. Gratitude has a strong connection to mindfulness, the practice of paying closer attention to our senses and thoughts. When we do this, we can go beyond the big things we’re typically grateful for and find much more every day to bring us happiness – even if it’s simply the taste of an orange or the sight of a clear blue sky. “Gratitude is more than just an acknowledgment of what you appreciate in life, like family, friends or good health,” Tad says. “It’s a consistent mindset that allows us to be present in the moment, feel the support of those in our lives, or just appreciate the small details the world has that can give us sparks of joy.” If you’re feeling “stuck” in negative thoughts, use gratitude as a way forward. Our minds have a bias toward negative thinking – we dwell on the bad things. Using a mindful gratitude approach, we can take a moment to recognize that we’re having these thoughts and then draw our attention to things that bring us peace. “When dealing with a trauma like losing a loved one, or even just having every little thing go wrong for us in a day, our minds will, of course, focus on this as the most pressing issue,” Tad says. “I use gratitude and mindfulness practices with clients who are stuck in these thoughts for a long period, particularly when it begins to interfere with their daily lives – this practice can help us better appreciate what we have.” Start with a simple “reset” of your focus to try gratitude today. Gratitude is not a complicated task – it’s something you can begin with a small exercise. “One practice that I use is what I call active mindfulness,” Tad says. “I literally reset my focus and thoughts in my mind, and I tell myself to acknowledge my surroundings and find the beauty in them. Looking at nature, the architecture of a building I am in, seeing others smiling and enjoying life … This helps me see that life is more than what I am struggling with. It helps me pull out of those sad thoughts and instead focus on the now.” Express gratitude to another person to lift both of you up. Acts of kindness and appreciation bring happiness to others while helping draw your own attention to the joy that person brings to you. “One of the simplest yet most effective things you can do is small random acts of kindness,” Tad says. “When you tell someone ‘I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you and am thankful to know you,’ it can make a person’s day, or even be the thing that pulls them from a very dark place. When we practice this, it has a dual purpose: we are not only helping boost other people’s spirits, it can also help us by showing how simple positivity can change lives.” Here are a few other small ways to work gratitude into your daily life: End your day with three good things. Before bed, name three things that went well today, even small ones like a good cup of coffee or a phone call with a friend. Slow down for one bite or sip. Pick one moment during a meal to really pay attention: the warmth of your tea, the crunch of an apple, the smell of fresh bread. Link gratitude to something you already do. Choose a daily routine, such as brushing your teeth or waiting for the coffee to brew, and use it as a cue to think of one thing you’re thankful for. Revisit a happy memory. Look through an old photo, a letter, or a keepsake and take a few minutes to remember the people and moments connected to it. If you are age 65 or older and want to schedule a Wednesday counseling appointment with Tad Hupfer, contact Family & Children’s Services at 989-631-5390. No referral is needed, the appointment is free, and counseling takes place in a private room at the Community Center. If you are under 65 and would like to find a counselor near you, visit the MI Hope Portal . Whether you’re working through grief, navigating a major life transition, managing anxiety, or just want someone to talk to, we encourage you to take advantage of these valuable community resources.

If you’re looking for a way to introduce your child to swimming or to help them progress beyond the basics – even if they aren’t looking to swim competitively – Greater Midland’s Learn to Swim series offers the perfect fit. Below, we’ll help you understand how the program works and progresses, so you know what to expect when you sign up. Who Teaches Learn to Swim Community Center swim instructors come from a wide range of backgrounds, which helps us find the best fit for each specific class. Instructors teaching our higher levels have competitive swimming experience, so they’re comfortable coaching the technical details of each stroke. Instructors teaching our beginner levels have experience working with children and know how to help young swimmers feel safe, confident and heard. Every new instructor completes at least three hours of training on our program, skill instruction, and Greater Midland’s values and goals. From there, they shadow an experienced instructor, then lead classes with their trainer alongside until they’re ready to teach on their own. How the Program Works Learn to Swim is offered throughout the year as part of our seasonal program schedules, and as a Summer Camp option. While the name “Learn to Swim” is consistent across the board, your child’s specific class will focus on areas relevant to where they are in their development – it advances along with their skills from ages 3 to 17. On the first day of any Learn to Swim class, your child is assessed by Greater Midland aquatics staff to see where they are in their skill set. They are then sorted into groups by age and ability, so their class provides the appropriate focus areas. Since our staff handles this assessment, you simply register for the day/time slot that is most convenient for your family’s schedule, and we do the appropriate organizing from there. Classes are divided into P1-P2, and L1-L5: P1-P2: Water comfort and confidence. For children who are getting acquainted with the water and need to become comfortable with being in the pool, having water on their face, and brief submersion. Instructors work on areas like blowing bubbles and floating. While this is often younger kids, it applies to any child beginning their swimming journey. As with any Learn to Swim class, water safety is covered as well. L1-L2: Independence and basic skills. This is for children who are more comfortable in the water and can begin moving toward swimming on their own. Instructors work on areas like freestyle swimming, which begins as a “doggy paddle” and progresses toward alternating overhand arm strokes along with a flutter kick L3: Stroke development. Here, children work on refining their freestyle swimming, understanding rotary breathing (turning your head to the side to breathe), and trying the backstroke. L4-L5: Endurance and stroke mastery. For these top-level classes, children learn additional strokes (butterfly and breaststroke), work toward mastering the backstroke, and gain endurance so they can begin swimming independently for longer periods. Options for the Youngest Swimmers For babies and preschool age children, Greater Midland’s Aqua Babies, Guppies and Goldfish classes provide a head start on basic comfort and safety in the water. Aqua Babies and Guppies (covering up to age 2.5) require a parent or guardian present, while Goldfish (up to age 3) does not. These classes help prepare children to step into the Learn to Swim series. How to Sign Up Greater Midland’s Programs Page contains direct links to registration for all open aquatics programming. This page is also updated each Summer, Fall and Winter with a brochure of that season’s programs, which also contain direct registration links. Once you have created a login for Webtrac (our registration software), you can sign your child up for classes. Every great swimmer starts somewhere, and Learn to Swim meets your child right where they are. Sign up today and watch their confidence grow.