Copper Shores Podcast

Big things are happening on the Swedetown Trails!  This episode's guest is Dean Woodbeck, board member of the Swedetown Trails Club, the nonprofit behind the beloved Swedetown Trails in Calumet. This week marks a huge milestone for the trail system: the Swedetown Trails Club just launched its crowdfunding campaign, and the community is already showing up in a big way — over $26,000 raised in t...

The Copper Shores Podcast is back with a preview of 2025 GivingTuesday! In this podcast host Michael H. Babcock introduces the 60 causes the community can choose to support, interviews two of the new nonprofits and dives into GivingTuesday Live. The first guest is Jason Mack from the Superior Fab Lab . Mack talks about how much the Superior Fab Lab has grown over the years, and how they have big p...

Amanda Andress, Farm-to-School Coordinator and English Teacher at Adams Township Schools join the Copper Shores Podcast to talk about the district’s upcoming Harvest Feast on Saturday, October 4, 2025, all of the hard work that students have put in, and the school garden project that started it all. In 2024, Adams Township Schools joined Copper Shores’ Farm-to-School Pilot Program to further explo...

Celebrity guest Patricia Summersett , best known for voicing Zelda in “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” joins us on the latest podcast for a dive into Geek U.P. lore and legends. Summersett tells us how she grew Geek U.P. from the ground up alongside Shanna Porteen, owner of Black Ice Comics in Houghton. This mini-con charity event mirrors larger conventions across the county, while keepin...

Please be aware that this episode includes topics that some listeners may find distressing, including mental health, suicide, suicidal ideation, depression and loss of life. Callisto Cortez, Youth Development Specialist at Copper Shores Outreach & Education and Andy Kalcich, Mental Health Professional and School Social Worker at Copper Country Intermediate School District get together on the l...

There is a record number of new partners participating in #GiveCopperCountry , and Copper Shores Community Health Foundation is excited to help introduce them to everyone. With GivingTuesday donations opening on November 12, 2024, these new partners are eager to get their messages out and bring in donations.  In this episode, listeners are introduced to Oak House, Calumet Art Center, From the Grou...

There is a record number of new partners participating in #GiveCopperCountry , and Copper Shores Community Health Foundation is excited to help introduce them to everyone. With GivingTuesday donations opening on November 12, 2024, these new partners are eager to get their messages out and bring in donations.  In this episode, listeners are introduced to Let’s Eat Community Meals / Let’s Rebuild, R...

The latest episode of the Copper Shores Podcast is all about the new Farm to School program, and includes special guests Karyn Juntunen and Meghan Jaszczak! For over a decade, there has been a growing interest in Farm to School initiatives in the Copper Country. However, implementing these programs has presented numerous challenges. Now, with the support of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Copp...

Copper Shores is shining a spotlight on a vital community event that’s close to the hearts of many: the 8th Annual Suicide Prevention Walk . This walk stands as a beacon of hope and solidarity, reflecting the collective commitment to addressing mental health challenges and supporting one another. This year’s event is on Saturday, September 14, 2024 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ray Kestner Waterfront Park i...

In the latest episode of the Copper Shores Podcast, listen in as Danielle Thoune, a recent graduate of  Getting Ahead , a  Bridges Out of Poverty  class, tells her life story and how she found herself face-to-face with the realities of poverty.  As a child, Thoune grew up in a classic nuclear family, financially comfortable but not wealthy. Despite seemingly cushy beginnings, it wouldn’t last. As...

With sunshine and a light breeze blowing in from Lake Superior, Baraga State Park officially opened their brand new playground on July 3, 2024 at a lovely ceremony in front of a few dozen partners, campers and park employees. The new park features nature inspired designs and ADA-accessible equipment. The playground was funded in part by Copper Shores Community Health Foundation’s  2024 Community R...

It's Sexual Assault Awareness Month here at Copper Shores and the Copper Shores Podcast is ready to talk about what's happening here in Michigan's Copper Country! This episode's featured guest is Rachel Lamppa from Copper Shores Victim Support .  In The episode, Lamppa discusses all of the things happening including the crowdfunding ask for a new piece of equipment for our SANE nur...

Copper Shores Bridges is underway, and the first Investigators have graduated from the Getting Ahead program. Cheyenne, a graduate of the first Getting Ahead program, joined  the Copper Shores Podcast to look back and talk about her experiences. Cheyenne originally saw the program as an opportunity to get grocery and gas money to help her family. After spending some time with Bridges Program Direc...

The Copper Shores Podcast is BACK! With a new name and a great new soundtrack thanks to Ontonagon-native Noah Lukkari! Our first episode back - episode No. 70 overall - is actually a special insert episode thanks to our friends at Copper Country Today. We’re calling it our “State of the Foundation” podcast where we hear a little bit about nearly everything happening here at Copper Shores.  Oh - an...

Nonprofit organizations in the U.P. now have another opportunity for funding with the Michigan Nonprofit Relief Fund. Amy Quinn joined us to talk about the opportunity, which ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 to nonprofit organizations in Michigan. Quinn is a member of the statewide committee directing the fund, and the CEO of Grow and Lead, an Upper Peninsula-based organization that works to support...

Portage Health Foundation is considering the construction of a multi-use community wellness campus and is seeking public input from community members in Michigan’s Copper Country. In this podcast Executive Director Kevin Store discusses the project, which is years in the making.  Initial concept is a large-scale multimillion-dollar wellness facility that would be purpose built to provide comm...

In the third and final PHF Podcast episode previewing #GivingTuesday 2022 we welcome Carol Korpela and Cathy Kass-Aten from Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly to the podcast. Kass-Aten is stepping down as the executive director of the Hancock-based nonprofit opening the door for the longtime employee Carol Korpela to take the reigns. In the podcast they talk about the lengthy history of the or...

In this episode of the PHF Podcast we continue previewing #GivingTuesday by interviewing two of the 26 amazing nonprofit organizations who are seeking donations this year. Portage Health Foundation is matching $200,000 once again this year and donations are being accepted now at phfgive.org/givingtuesday .  Copper Harbor Trails Club's Mighty Match We start by talking with Nathan Miller from t...

We’re three weeks away from #GivingTuesday and what better way to prepare than a podcast featuring a couple of the incredible nonprofits focused on making our community a healthier place - unitē Mental Health and Wellness and 31 Backpacks! This year Portage Health Foundation is matching donations up to $200,000 and this episode starts out by taking you through what that means and how it works. The...

This summer Portage Health Foundation staff was joined by Community Health Interns Ally Ronis and Lucy Campbell. The two helped with a number of projects, shadowed PHF staff through many of their daily duties, helped with logistics involved with the Collective CSA Program and write a guest blog post for the PHF website.  In this podcast we discuss their experience and each of them discuss in...

It's been nearly a year since Project Lifesaver launched in Michigan's Copper Country, and with that Portage Health Foundation thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up with the project's lead, Detective Lieutenant Charlie Klein from the Houghton County Sheriff's Office. Detective Lieutenant Klein is the featured guest on the 63rd episode of the PHF Podcast. He mentioned that more than 2...

Welcome to the final episode of our four-part series highlighting the amazing work done at Copper Country Senior Meals! In this episode we visit the congregate meal site in Calumet to meet the staff that makes it happen and a couple of the regulars who find these regular events to be incredibly important to their day-to-day life.  As part of Older Americans Month, CCSM is partnering with the...

As part of Older Americans Month, CCSM is partnering with the Portage Health Foundation for a special series of podcast episodes highlighting what makes Senior Meals such a special organization in Michigan's Copper Country. In the third episode we head out for a delivery route along the shores of beautiful Torch Lake with delivery driver Keith Zerbst. We meet some of the amazing people along the w...

As part of Older Americans Month, CCSM is partnering with the Portage Health Foundation for a special series of podcast episodes highlighting what makes Senior Meals such a special organization in Michigan's Copper Country. In the second episode we meet several staff members as they work through the mealmaking operation. We learn about their thanks board, hear how they produce all of those meals j...

As part of Older Americans Month, CCSM is partnering with the Portage Health Foundation for a special series of podcast episodes highlighting what makes Senior Meals such a special organization in Michigan's Copper Country. In episode 1 we visit with Copper Country Senior Meals Executive Director Kathleen Harter. She's just about one year into her career with the non-profit organization, and in th...