Bekah TenBrink, founder and director of LIFT Teen Center—a free, out-of-schooltime program to support 6th through 12th graders in Leelanau County schools—gave the commencement address at Suttons Bay High School’s graduation ceremony on May 29. Here is the text of her address.
The comedian and clown Patch Adams was onto something when he said, “Humor is an antidote to all ills.” Leelanau County residents Skip Pruss and Jim White may disagree on politics, but Pruss drew a chuckle from White when he joked, “I’m known as the shit man in Lansing,” during their conversation about septic policy earlier this month. They shared a table and bantered during a Common Ground meeting on May 13 at the Friendship Center in Suttons Bay. The monthly gatherings, which were held from January until May and will resume this fall—prior to November’s national midterm elections—are an attempt to break through the caustic national political divide and give citizens of different backgrounds an opportunity to break bread together, discuss local political issues, and find common ground.
Bekah TenBrink’s dream of building an after-school program for Leelanau teens continues to grow. LIFT Teen Center has expanded from the Suttons Bay area into Suttons Bay and Northport schools, with Leland on the brink. TenBrink said discussions continue about adding other county schools. “We hope to be at every single school in Leelanau County,” she said. LIFT has helped chaperone field trips, work with the school’s Career Day and college visits, and other special events, such as rock climbing at the Elevate climbing gym in Traverse City. “We fill in the gaps,” TenBrink said.