Lourin Sprenger | Author

When Small Conversations Spark Big Change

Dec. 6, 2025

The first thing most people notice when they walk into Love Thy Neighbor in Traverse City isn’t the stacks of hand-assembled layettes or the line of donated walkers and wheelchairs. It’s the feeling, an unhurried calm that suggests whoever just arrived isn’t an interruptio… Read More >>

Game On!

Nov. 22, 2025

This year, the best gift might come in a box topped with a bow…and then unfold on a tabletop, in a burst of laughter, strategy, or quiet concentration.

Across northern Michigan, local game shops are bringing people together, not just through cards, dice, and puzzles, but also… Read More >>

Slowing Down: How to Destress in a World Full of Demands

Nov. 8, 2025

In our constantly connected, ever-moving lives, it’s all too easy to get swept up in the waves of work, news, schedules and obligations. We rarely carve space for ourselves—and that’s when stress, anxiety, and burnout creep in.

Northern Express spoke with … Read More >>

Love in Action at Otsego County Food Pantry

Nov. 8, 2025

On an early morning in Gaylord, it isn’t unusual to see Rebecca Brown already moving between volunteers, checking lists, and loading boxes into cars. To her, the work of the Otsego County Food Pantry isn’t about food—it’s love in action.

“My parents tau… Read More >>

From Halloween Costumes to Fresh Starts

Oct. 11, 2025

If you’ve ever walked through the doors of a Goodwill store in northern Michigan—hunting for that just-right vintage jacket or the missing piece to a Halloween masterpiece—you’ve been part of something much bigger than yourself.

“Goodwill Northern Michi… Read More >>

The Power of Housing

Oct. 11, 2025

When the doors of the Traverse City State Hospital closed more than three decades ago, many of its live-in residents were left without stable housing or the support they needed to survive independently. Out of that void came the organization now known as Northwest Michigan Supportive Housin… Read More >>

Healing from the Inside Out with BARC

Sept. 13, 2025

Bruce—a three-year-old boxer—isn’t shy about showing affection (as you can see from the story photo). He greets visitors with an enthusiastic wag, a playful nudge, and, if you’re lucky, a sloppy kiss. Beneath his charming exterior is a story of resilience, one that&r… Read More >>

Building Strong Children, Families, and Communities

Aug. 23, 2025

For more than half a century, northern Michigan’s Head Start, a government-funded program offered through Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency (NMCAA), has been a cornerstone of early childhood education and family support.

“We’re providing comprehensive serv… Read More >>