Thriving, Together

It’s a familiar scene for many parents: Their young one, perhaps excited at first about the idea of swimming at a pool or beach, becomes hesitant or fearful when the time comes to take the plunge. It’s a healthy and normal uncertainty – and one that Greater Midland Director of Aquatics Tyler Miller says is commonly seen in camp and class settings, as well. “What you might see is a resistance to following our prompts,” Tyler says. “If we’re asking them to jump in the water, or even something simple like walking down the steps, they’re hesitant. Depending on the child, some of them become very upset, others may become silent.” While not every child who overcomes that fear will follow Tyler’s path – who swam competitively at Saginaw Heritage High School and SVSU before starting a career in aquatics – he is living proof that beginning at a young age can be beneficial. Using a pool in the backyard, his parents made an early effort to get him used to swimming without floaties, leading to increased water comfort and safety as he got older. When your child struggles to get acclimated to water, though, it’s only natural to want to keep them comfortable. Fortunately, avoidance is not the only path. As Tyler shares below, kids can ease into the water in ways that are fun and encouraging, rather than stressful. Starting very early isn’t essential, but it definitely helps. “The earlier you start, the better. It becomes a natural thing the child is familiar with. There are things you can do at home in a bathtime setting to get kids used to having water on their head and in their face – some parents will use a colander, or even simply pour water over the back of their child’s head. Or you can practice blowing bubbles. For a more structured setting, Greater Midland offers classes for babies and toddlers to do with a parent or caregiver.” For kids already uncertain, it’s all about small wins. “All children start from different spots. Something one child might find easy can be the biggest challenge for another. Coming up with a small reward for being brave or being willing to take a certain step definitely helps. When we teach swimming at the Community Center, we do everything as a progression, so you have those baseline skills like getting in the water, blowing bubbles. For a child who is afraid, we’re not asking them to go underwater on the first day!” Group classes bring a beneficial social aspect. “A class setting can be helpful, because a child will have peers around that they can watch. They can recognize: ‘My classmate was able to do that, and they’re okay – maybe I’ll give that a shot!’” Building positive experiences, rather than avoiding the water, pays dividends. “In my adult swim classes, the people who are the most fearful typically had two or three bad experiences in the water and then didn’t touch the water for years or decades. So, trying to get your child in a positive environment where they're safe and know that nothing bad is going to happen to them is really important.” Parent or caregiver involvement can help – and the adults learn a lot, too. “In our parent-child curriculum, we teach parents how to support their child in the water and how to best hold them so they can do different movements. We also cover water safety topics, like how to put on a life jacket, how to fit one properly. There are also ways adults can act that set the right tone. If the child goes underwater unexpectedly, you can act like it’s not a big deal. They'll be able to tell if you're anxious, so making sure you stay calm makes a big difference.” Remember that for even the most fearful kids, transformations happen. “I’ve seen many success stories. I had a mom stop by my office just a week or two ago – her son has been doing swim lessons for about a year now. When he was five, he had a really negative relationship with the water because he had almost drowned. After a year of lessons, he's now swimming with his family on vacations, going down water slides, and is just totally comfortable in the water.” Consider swimming classes through Greater Midland (learn more at https://greatermidland.org/programs): · Aqua Babies (ages 6 months – 1.5 years), Guppies (ages 1.5 – 2.5), and Goldfish (ages 2.5 – 3.5). An adult must be present with each child. · Learn to Swim – classes for ages 3-16, divided by age and ability. · Private and Semi-Private Swim Lessons – one-on-one instruction to improve technique, endurance and form. · Adult Learn to Swim – Lessons for ages 18+. · A variety of fun aquatic-themed classes through Greater Midland summer camps.

Tony Stamas is a name many in the Midland area know from his service as a state senator and representative, and his current role as president/CEO of the Midland Business Alliance. Through every step of his career, including his ongoing role as a member of the Greater Midland board of trustees, he’s been a tireless advocate for our community. Greater Midland President/CEO Terri Johnson spoke with Tony about growing up in Midland, his journey in public service, and his continued passion for making our communities great places to live and work. Terri: Can you talk a bit about your background and your family history here in Midland? Tony: I’m a lifelong Midlander, I grew up in the Bullock Creek area. My family has owned Pizza Sam's in Midland for 66 years. I say we're the prototypical American immigrant story – Greeks who came here and opened an Italian pizza shop! My dad did an amazing job, and now my brothers, my sister and her husband have ownership in it, and it continues to do very well. I went to Bullock Creek High School, to Michigan State, and ended up serving in the political arena for some 30 years, while always living in Midland. I took an opportunity to come back with the Midland Business Alliance (MBA) about eight years ago. While I loved where I worked in Lansing, it was great to be home on a daily basis! Terri: Tell us about your wife Sara and the kids. I've had the pleasure of knowing Sara for a very long time – we worked together at Dow. Tony: Sara also grew up in Midland, went to Midland High, and was one of seven kids. A lot of times people will say, "I didn't realize she was a Kuehne – which is her maiden name – because with her six siblings, they kind of know everybody around here. She's had a great career at Dow for 25 years. Our son is 20 and is studying to be a diesel mechanic. He loves all things repairing and tools, and he could not be more different from his dad in that way, but he's good at it and he loves it. Our daughter is a junior at Dow High School and is starting to look at college options. Terri: What is she leaning toward studying? Tony: She has talked about nursing, which she'd be great at. There's certainly a huge need. So, she's exploring areas in that field. Terri: When did your political career begin? Was it right after attending Michigan State? Tony: Back in high school, my senior year in a government class, our teacher – Mr. Wagner –invited our state representative, Mike Hayes, to speak to our class. Mike is an amazing person who has made a difference in so many ways in our community over the decades. He gave me his card and said, "If you're ever in Lansing, look me up." Fall term of my freshman year at Michigan State, I took the bus over to the state Capitol and started volunteering. I worked as a page for a year, worked for Congressman Bill Schutte, and had a chance to work with Congressman Dave Camp, as well. They were great people and great mentors. It was a wonderful experience. A couple of years out of college, I ran for county commissioner. I won the election by 24 votes and served as county commissioner for eight years. That led me toward serving in the Michigan House of Representatives for four years, and then the state senate for eight years. Afterward, I went to work for then-Governor Rick Snyder at the Michigan Department of Community Health, served as chief of staff for a friend of mine who was state senate majority leader, went to work with the Small Business Association of Michigan – then the opportunity with the MBA presented itself, and as I said, it's good to be home every day! Terri: During my work at Dow, I followed your path because you have been such an advocate for our community. You could probably go around this community and point to things you helped establish or had impact on. It's been quite a journey. Tony: It really has. I've been so fortunate to represent Midland and other counties. People here are looking to find solutions. We're working on that now, for example, with building flood resiliency for our infrastructure. You can do some amazing things by being creative with your solutions. This is home, so being able to help means a great deal. Terri: When the announcement came out that you had joined the MBA, I thought, “what a great set of experiences to bring into an already great organization.” The MBA was built through what had been the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, Midland Tomorrow and some other groups, correct? Tony: That’s right, it combined a number of legacy organizations: The Midland Chamber, Midland Tomorrow, MITCON – which provides tech support for nonprofits and other businesses – and CBM Services. Our mission is the same even though we do different things. We want to help businesses, give them opportunities, help those that are struggling to find solutions, and attract new businesses. I think our response to recent crises has shown the wisdom in the vision of those who brought the MBA together. When you have a global pandemic, there's no book on the shelf for how to deal with that. And then a month and a half later, when you have a dam breach, there's no book for that either. It was all hands on deck – how do we help the businesses in Sanford and Midland that are dealing with both the flooding and the pandemic, or help neighborhoods out in the Bullock Creek area and Poseyville Road? Everybody rallied, working with the foundations and the community. You can't always make people whole, but you're trying to help them navigate through incredibly challenging times. Terri: Being part of your board, I've seen the record-setting engagement – and I don't mean that just as a scorecard. The number of members, participation in events, ribbon cuttings … there are records being set at the MBA, which means Midland is continuing to thrive. Tony: It is exciting, and it represents a high level of engagement and energy. Our Young Professionals group, for example, has around 300 members, and the work they do throughout our community is amazing. There are challenges, but people are very optimistic and I think we have a strong path forward. Terri: You've been a board member at Greater Midland for a number of years. What does Greater Midland as an organization mean to you personally? Tony: Growing up, I worked at the pizza shop when I was younger. The older guys there – the ones I looked up to – they were going to the Community Center for basketball and other activities. Parents would take their kids to camps there. It was a wonderful part of growing up in this community. Over the years, Greater Midland took that vision and expanded it – with the North Family Center and Coleman Family Center, or working with businesses in the community … In some ways it’s similar to the MBA, where each part of the group is helping communities in different ways, but have that shared mission. And the new Community Center facility has been amazing, you can see it making an impact on families. It’s a credit to the whole team's leadership and the community support that made it possible. Terri: We have a great example of the MBA and Greater Midland working together around the North Family Center, where we were able to install new broadband as part of a larger connectivity project you’re leading with others in the community. A lot of people in that part of Midland County might not have the same access others take for granted. In fact, we’d heard that mobile medical units that used to park at North Family Center had stopped coming because they couldn't access the wireless they needed. Tony: Yes – when I was on a tour there, I saw some of that, and thought that if you don't have that connectivity, it's a huge burden. You can work from anywhere on the globe, but you have to have connectivity, or it creates real hardship. Working with you and your team, and the Midland Area Community Foundation, the solution ended up not being that big of a lift. For about $5,000, we worked with the local internet service provider to create much stronger connectivity for the facility. So, staff could send reports to the state, or people could even sit in the parking lot and turn in a term paper to Delta College or SVSU. Terri: There is the corporate membership partnership between the MBA and Greater Midland, as well. Tony: That’s right. Healthcare costs continue to go up, so we're trying to recognize that and find ways to take care of our great team. We partnered with Greater Midland so that our employees have access to membership. I thought people would like that opportunity, but it's far exceeded what I imagined! Employees and their families are using it regularly, and we’ve had increasingly positive survey responses about it when we’re checking in to see how employees are feeling. I like that when we talk to our business partners about Greater Midland, we can say that we’re actually doing this and we’ve seen the impact. We’re a real-life example. Terri: As a Greater Midland board member, where do you see our opportunities over the next stretch? We're 108 years old – you don't get that old by luck. What should we be focused on to stay relevant and sustainable? Tony: I think continuing to listen to the community is so important. When you go out and have conversations, sometimes you hear affirmation of what you thought, or sometimes you think "boy, that's not what I thought at all," and sometimes you hear ideas and suggestions. We've got a great community that's very engaged, thoughtful and passionate. When you find out how you can continue to best serve people, then you can make the case for it, and people will step up and help you address the challenge and the opportunity, which is one of the great strengths we have as a city and county. Terri: One final note before we close. When I hang up my hat at the end of my career, I think one of my top five moments – maybe even number one – was the ribbon cutting for the new Community Center. Working with your team, we put it out there, and you don't know if you're going to get ten people to come. That day we had 400 to 500 people, and the energy was just incredible. Tony: It was wonderful! The community genuinely came out for that one – people who'd lived here for decades, people new to the community, neighbors, people from around the county. They were excited about the vision and the new facility. It was an affirmation of the work Greater Midland has done and continues to do. Terri: In a time of so much uncertainty, when you see the community rally around and invest in something new like that, it says: we're here to stay. It continues to show that everyone is leaning in. Tony: There are lots of ways to define success, and that’s definitely one of them, and you also see people showing up and using the facilities. As a community we’ve made an investment, and you want to make sure people are using it and engaged in it. And we’ve seen that exceed expectations. It shows the experiences people are having are very positive! To learn more about the MBA and its efforts in the community, visit https://mbami.org. Read more about Greater Midland’s impact over the past year at our newly released 2025 Annual Report.

There's a certain kind of summer job that doesn't feel like work – one where you're outside, active, and genuinely having fun. For college and high school students, a counselor role at Greater Midland summer camps can be exactly that. And the same qualities that make it a great job also make it a great experience for the kids attending. It's an environment built around energy, safety and belonging. Alec Finch knows this better than most. Six years ago, while majoring in education at the University of Toledo, he was drawn to a counselor position with Greater Midland because it offered something most summer jobs can’t: a dynamic, outdoor experience working with kids. What followed was two summers as a counselor, one as a lead counselor, and now the role of Full Day Camp Director. When he’s not working with Greater Midland camps, Alec is a special education teacher at Dow High School – he recently earned his master's degree in special education from Alma College. That kind of growth is exactly what Greater Midland camps are designed to foster, for campers and counselors alike. For Kids: A Safe Place to Thrive All Summer If you're a parent weighing your summer options, here are some areas where Alec sees Greater Midland camps standing out. • A great balance of energetic and low-key. "The camps are very active with a lot of time outdoors, but there is a wide variety of activities, so there is always something that connects with each camper," Alec says. "The staff put together both high-energy programming as well as more laid-back games or crafts. And at the full day camps, there is a field trip each week." • Personal attention and safety emphasis. "While everyone is having fun, it's also a very safe environment. There's an excellent ratio of counselors to kids, so we can pay closer attention to what kids need and ensure everyone is participating safely." • Fun and engaging themes. According to Alec, the team evaluates themes each year, rotating new ideas in and familiar ones out. Themes include sports and aquatics, STEM learning, cooking and baking, and even movie/show themes like Star Wars and Pokemon. "We're always trying to keep things fresh and interesting for kids.” • Locations that work for you. Greater Midland summer camps are held at the Community Center, Coleman Family Center and North Family Center, providing an option close to home within Midland County. For Counselors: Real Leadership, Real Responsibility, Real Fun For students looking for a summer job that's anything but ordinary, becoming a camp counselor at Greater Midland might be exactly what they're looking for. • Keeps you moving, keeps you coming back. "Being a counselor with Greater Midland is very active and very fun," Alec says. "It gave me a chance to work with a big age range – now from ages 4 to 13 – and to work alongside other counselors who were enjoying the experience as much as I was. It's just a blast, which is why I do it and why we see so many returning counselors each year." • A challenge that builds leadership skills. Counselors are responsible for managing large groups of kids and making sure they’re safe and having fun – Alec sees that responsibility as one of the biggest opportunities of the role. "It can be a challenge, but this is a real chance to grow as a leader." • An organization that invests in you. "When I have returning counselors, I try to give them more responsibilities – going into lead spots or assistant lead spots." That added experience can pay dividends in the working world. One of his former leads went on to become a preschool teacher, and Alec says he remains in touch with her for ideas. Whether you're a young adult looking for a rewarding summer job or a parent searching for the right place for your child this summer, Greater Midland has something to offer. View current job openings and apply at https://greatermidland.org/jobs. Browse summer camp options and sign your child up at: https://www.greatermidland.org/camp-overview.