By Rose Carver

SAM AND BECKY MISURACA ENTERED INTO THEIR RETIREMENT WITH THE CHILDREN in their community in mind. Their organization, Building Beds 4 Kids, serves the Metropolitan Detroit area in building and delivering beds to those in need.

This 501c.3 organization is entirely volunteer-based, and gives a priority to families in the foster-care system, families who have faced homelessness and those who are starting over. Their focus, however, is always on providing beds for children and youth, ages 2-18.

The organization built hundreds of beds last year, despite the couple’s complete lack of carpentry skills, since they are never in short supply of knowledgeable volunteers.

“I’m lucky that I knew what a hammer was,” Sam said. “With the help of volunteers, I have picked up a better understanding of carpentry along the way.”

SAM IS A RETIRED BUSINESSMAN, AND BECKY, A RETIRED NURSE.

“My wife and I have been community volunteers for a long time,” Sam said. “We saw a very large number of kids who didn’t have beds and we said, ‘Okay, we are going to start our own organization.’”

The couple receives requests from community organizations and churches, and said they have given the most support to the Pontiac and Detroit area, where there is the most need.

Because of the pandemic, their altruistic retirement plan has been operating on a much smaller scale. The organization does accept donations, but Sam said there is one very important way community member can support the work that they do: “The best way that people in the community can be involved is to be considerate of their neighbors and help their neighbors,” Sam said.

In his humble fashion, Sam says Building Beds 4 Kids operates like a family.

(248) 965-4990 | info@buildingbeds4kids.org

AS FOUNDER, OWNER, AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR, Dr. Paul Benson sets the tone for the Be Well Medical Center. The practice reflects the philosophy that Dr. Benson has developed over the course of 40 years dedicated to his profession and his patients.

Family Practice

As a family medicine practice, Be Well Medical Center provides primary medical care for people of all ages, treating many common conditions from diabetes to high blood pressure, while also maintaining relationships with other health care providers and facilities for people who need more specialized care.

Dr. Benson refers to his practice as “your neighbor-hood medical center with a heart,” because he is committed to the principle that while ideal patient care requires keeping up with the latest relevant advances in medical knowledge, treatments, and technology, it also requires never losing sight of the human side of medicine. A family practitioner especially – who often maintains lifelong relationships with patients, in some cases across multiple generations in a family – needs to manifest virtues including patience, being a good listener, and compassion in order to provide the best care.

Be Well Medical Center offers evening hours four days a week, as well as some Saturday hours for patients’ convenience. Their staff of health care providers and support staff are all highly capable and have been trained by Dr. Benson to reflect his practice’s philosophy.

Helping people live healthier lifestyles, and preventing health problems rather than waiting for them to arise before addressing them, requires good communication between doctor and patient. To facilitate this, Dr. Benson contends, a family practice must create an atmosphere of honesty and trust, where people feel comfortable speaking frankly, asking and answering questions, providing information, admitting concerns and fears, etc., even when it comes to personal and potentially sensitive aspects of their life and health.

Sexual Health

If there is something that sets Dr. Benson and Be Well Medical Center apart from many other family practices, it is his conviction—informed by decades of experience—that sexual health is an under appreciated and underemphasized aspect of health care.

As defined by the World Health Organization, “Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual Dr. Benson refers to his practice as “your health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, [and] the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence.”

A family doctor, Dr. Benson contends, must not regard addressing the sexual health of his or her patients as optional or as of minor importance. Not when we live in a time when—just to mention a few relevant and concerning points—there are more than 110 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in this country, the lifetime risk of contracting HIV for African American men who have sex with men is approximately 50%, the long-declining rates of gonorrhea and syphilis have in recent years reversed direction and risen, approximately half of all new STIs each year occur among people 24 years of age and younger, and studies show that people tend to drastically underestimate their likelihood of contracting HIV.

Addressing sexual health with one’s patients has multiple components: sexual history discussions, sex education, and STI testing. Dr. Benson maintains that if you are the physician responsible for providing a person’s primary medical care, taking your patient’s sexual history should be as much a routine part of your job as taking their blood pressure or asking about their allergies. A sexual history should be taken on a new patient’s initial visit, whenever the patient receives a routine preventive exam, and whenever there are indications of an STI.

A discussion of sexual health should include educating the patient with current information regarding HIV and other STIs and their prevention, including addressing appropriate condom use with any sexually active patient. Individuals deemed at risk for STIs should be encouraged to get tested regularly, every 3 to 6 months depending on the degree and nature of the risk.

Sexual health is a matter close to Dr. Benson’s heart. He has been on the forefront in the battle against HIV since before the terms “HIV” and “AIDS” even existed. He has seen far too many lives damaged and lives lost as a result of inadequate communication, education, and understanding of risk concerning sexual matters. In addition to being board certified in Family Medicine, he is accredited as an HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

Dr. Benson has published extensively in medical journals, has been the principal investigator for many therapeutic drug trials in the HIV field, and is a national speaker on many health-related issues. He has served as President of the St. John Oakland Physicians Organization, as well as of the local Berkley Rotary Club. Dr. Benson’s pledge to the community is that Be Well Medical Center will always be open and welcoming to those of all races, genders, ages, orientations, etc. All people who walk in the door are respected, valued, and accepted as deserving of individualized care.

By Jenn Goeddeke

LAURA ROCK IS AN OUTSTANDING LOCAL ACTIVIST/FEMINIST with a passion for passing on her message to others.

Recently elected as a precinct delegate in Oakland County, she has been busy spreading the information on various candidates and encouraging everyone to get involved in local politics: To get out and vote! In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rock teamed up with other volunteers and they made masks for two months solid. Together, they created over 1000 masks and gave them all away. Unfortunately, the project came to a halt after going through three sewing machines.

Rock provides inspiration to others beyond the political arena. Her goals include “finding a middle ground politically so that both parties can work with each other and form compromises. We need to come together as a community, help our neighbors out and make things work better overall.”

Rock is also a recovering addict, a suicide survivor and a liver-transplant recipient (in 2008). Essentially, Rock describes herself as a ‘champion’ for recovering addicts. Her own personal recovery has involved attending support groups (such as AA), and individual therapy plus some psychiatric treatment.

ROCK IS ADAMANT ABOUT REMOVING THE STIGMA IN SOCIETY regarding mental disease and addiction. She is involved in efforts to resolve clashes between mental health issues and the justice system because she firmly believes that many people substitute alcohol and drugs for actual treatment. For some, this may be due to a lack of affordable health care options. Rock is optimistic that many non-violent crimes that hinge on mental health or addiction issues may eventually be decriminalized.

In her spare time, Rock sings in a band called Old Empire. Due to the current pandemic restrictions, the band meets once a week to rehearse via Zoom. Also in the band is Rock’s fiancé, Gabriel Dodson, who is another precinct delegate. They spent 82 days in a row performing songs online, but then, according to Rock, they just “ran out of juice!”

Meanwhile, the band helped raise over $1,700 for Oak Park’s beloved Forgotten Harvest. Additionally, Rock volunteers for a few other projects, including Voices of Michigan, Six Feet Over, Planned Parenthood and Her Choice Advocacy. In Rock’s own words: “I will never stop the conversation regarding justice and reform!”

I HAVE SPENT THE VAST MAJORITY OF MY LIFE IN AND AROUND OAK PARK, and I consider myself blessed to represent my neighbors, friends, and family that reside in this community.

Growing up, I regularly visited my grand-parents who chose Oak Park as their home when they relocated from Canada in 1969. My grandfather, a union electrician, moved here with my grandmother to work on the Fermi plant. But it was the people of Oak Park and the sense of community that inspired them to stay. The kindness of residents, the beauty and affordability of neighborhoods, and the quality public amenities kept my grandparents in Oak Park for the duration of their lives.

The teachers, neighbors, and friends I met in Oak Park helped shape me into the person I am today; from the educators at Norup to my neighbors on Harding Street. As an adult, I owned my first home in Oak Park because I was drawn to the diversity of the city’s residents, neighborhoods, and businesses; I knew that Oak Park would be a perfect community for me to thrive.

AS I REFLECT ON OAK PARK IN HONOR OF OUR 75TH BIRTHDAY, I have fond memories that span the course of my lifetime, and I look forward to sharing them with my own children. I am humbled and honored to serve all Oak Park residents – my neighbors and friends – as our state representative in Lansing. My passion for public service and helping others is undoubtedly a result of my upbringing in and around Oak Park, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Happy Birthday, Oak Park! You’ve never looked better!

Robert Wittenberg
State Representative

MY FAMILY HAS DEEP ROOTS IN AND AROUND OAK PARK.

My grandfather owned the Sunoco gas station at 8 Mile and Coolidge for several decades, which became an Oak Park landmark known for its reliable service and hard-working mechanics. My father paid his way through college as a mail carrier up and down the streets of Oak Park neighborhoods and my mother was a summer counselor at Oak Park Parks & Recreation in the 1970s.

ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES GROWING UP WAS WALKING WITH MY GRANDPARENTS from their Southfield home down to Oak Park Boulevard to play on the trains at Oak Park Park. When I ran for State Senate in our district in 2018, it was an incredibly nostalgic feeling to canvass in the neighborhoods around what is now Shepherd Park and passing by those same trains. I’ll admit that, even as an adult, I had to climb onto those trains to relive that experience I had as a little kid.

Oak Park is renowned in our region as a strong community with vibrant neighborhoods, friendly residents, and an honest government.

Growing up around a community with these attributes have shaped my desire to serve and it is an honor to advocate for our shared values every day in the State Senate. I’m proud to represent this community as it celebrates its 75th birthday and am excited to join with Oak Park community members as we usher in the next 75 years! n

Jeremy Moss
State Senator
Michigan’s 11th District
Representing Southern Oakland County
Assistant Democratic Leader

FOR THE PAST 16 YEARS, NANCY QUARLES HAS REPRESENTED OAK PARK in a variety of capacities, including in the Michigan state legislature and as county commissioner for Oakland County’s 17th District.

“Electric ideas have transformed Oak Park in the last few years. That, and the residents’ sense of community will ensure success into the future,” Quarles said, as she looks forward to the city’s 75th Anniversary and anticipates the city’s COVID-19 pandemic recovery. “We will move forward again with our positive momentum because of strong leadership and our community base.”

Quarles points to the balance between the social and residential aspects of the city that Oak Park has worked so hard to achieve. She sees economic development and the residents’ connection to the city as the foundation for success for the next 75 years.

“We will get back to growing our small businesses and restaurants, which were thriving before COVID-19,” she said. “We have been drawing a new energy from our sister cities, and we have done well keeping our sense of community

HISTORICALLY ONE OF THE METRO DETROIT AREA’S BEDROOM COMMUNITIES, Oak Park has been growing into more of its own. Since Quarles was elected Oakland County Commissioner for the area in 2010, she has seen new elected officials come in with ideas and energy for change. They have prioritized teamwork with the community, anchored by neighborhood block clubs.

Quarles has witnessed the difference block clubs have made and the way they add vibrancy to the community.

“They hold festivals and picnics, as well as beautification projects and Music in the Park concerts that benefit all of Oak Park,” she said. “They always have something going on. I have always loved the fireworks in Shepherd Park.”

“One of my favorite events is the Fourth of July parade,” Quarles remembered. “Residents line the streets and everyone gets involved – from the kids in the school bands, to the classic car lineups to the organizations, like the Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Association, that march each year. It is the epitome of community.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, sponsored by the Oak Park Board of Education, is another event that demonstrates a spirit of community, according to Quarles. It draws people together and gets school kids involved in celebrating King’s philosophy. She said, “It’s a very special event.”

EMBRACING THE CITY’S DIVERSITY, including its strong Jewish, African-American, Chaldean and Arab populations, is another essential factor in Oak Park’s success. They bring a rich, eclectic mix, and according to Quarles, “they have a lot of respect for each other’s traditions and cultures, for diversity.”

“In my 16 years representing Oak Park, it has been my privilege to see all of the positive growth and changes that have brought us to this 75th anniversary,” she said. “If I had one wish for the future, I would like the citizens to continue their strong sense of community. Oak Park will continue to thrive because of its people.”