Manchester Wellness Coalition May meeting: WAVE use is up, suicide prevention panel, & CRC moves for the summer
by Colleen A. McKenney
The Manchester Wellness Coalition (MWC), part of the 5 Healthy Towns, met on June 2, 2026, for their May monthly meeting that was moved for the Memorial Day holiday. They will still meet on June 23 for their regular June meeting as well. The coalition members explained that anyone is welcome to the MWC meetings and can become a voting member if they attend over 50% of MWC meetings. Meetings are held monthly (except for July, November, and December) on the fourth Tuesday of the month at noon in the Village Room of the Manchester City Hall and Library building.
During the meeting, coalition members discussed a recent grant paying a freelancer to write articles on wellness-related topics for the Manchester Mirror. The coalition discussed several topic areas they would like to have covered for the Mirror including events and programming they have ongoing and upcoming. Members discussed shorter “spotlight” articles as well as longer detailed articles that could focus on their big initiatives and projects like their Safe Routes program for school safety (a program supported by MSU and the Michigan Fitness Foundation grant funding).
The Manchester Wellness Coalition discussed some of their priority focus areas as: youth wellness and programming with the schools, senior services and senior centers, community walkability, and safe school routes. They discussed grant funding opportunities coming open that their programming may be eligible for and opportunities they plan to apply for.
The members then discussed a survey Chelsea Hospital is conducting that MWC is supporting as it supports MWC goals of proactively identifying community needs. They asked members to spread the link and word about the survey and encourage their contacts to take the survey. Participants that complete the survey are entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card. The survey closes at the end of July so those interested in taking the 10-15 minute survey and/or participating in upcoming focus groups are asked to reach out to Autumn Orta at Autumn.Orta@trinity-health.org. Additional information about the survey is included in this edition of the Mirror as a separate article.
The members then discussed a project being conducted jointly by Washtenaw Alive and Manchester SRSLY that supports youth mental health. SRSLY requested a $500 grant from MWC which was voted on and approved during the meeting. The funding request was to pay for snacks and refreshments for their event. The event will be a panel discussion including youth and older adults about life challenges and navigating them. The event is currently in its planning phase, and more details will be forthcoming regarding time, date, and location. SRSLY is seeking volunteers to participate in the panel and attend the event and will put out a call for those interested in the near future. The event is tentatively scheduled for early Fall.
For the Senior Center update, Mayor Pat Vailliencourt informed the members that their building façade work and funding has been approved and work will begin Monday, June 8.
Shasta Angell, the WAVE representative on MWC, updated the members that the WAVE bus usership is strong and increasing and that Manchester (of the participating communities) showed the most growth in use, in the previous month. Shasta encouraged members to spread the word that WAVE is suggesting riders use the WAVE bus for an upcoming movie night for seniors on June 24, also mentioning that WAVE rides are free to residents aged 60 and over. This includes WAVE door to door services.
Carol Wotring, the CRC representative on MWC, updated the members about the CRC move out of Riverside Intermediate building on Friday and Saturday June 5 and 6. She asked that the following information be shared widely: The Manchester Community Resource Center (CRC) is temporarily relocating this summer due to renovations at Riverside Intermediate School. Beginning June 9, CRC will be operating out of Klager Elementary School, 405 Ann Arbor St. Visitors should enter from Dutch Drive, where signs will guide them to CRC’s entrance. All programs will continue as usual. Summer hours: Mon., Wed., Thu. 9am–4pm; Tue. Noon–7pm; closed Fri. Questions? Contact CRC at 734-428-7722 or info@manchestercrc.org.
The next Manchester Wellness Coalition meeting is at noon in the Village Room of City Hall on June 23. All interested area residents are encouraged to attend and are welcome to join!
A grant from 5 Healthy Towns paid for this reporter to attend this meeting and write this article
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