Join Oakland County for a Welcoming Week Celebration

As a member of Welcoming America, Oakland County is participating in a movement of inclusive communities around the United States that believe when everyone feels safe and that they belong, then the community is more prosperous.

In April 2019, Commissioner William Miller delivered the very first Welcoming Resolution to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. This was a pivotal moment because it kicked off what was to become Welcoming Oakland, a consortium of agencies and organizations that operate in the immigrant and refugee space within the county. In early 2020, County Executive David Coulter directed the county to become a member of Welcoming America.

Welcoming Oakland’s roadmap for the county includes participation in Resilience and Emergency Management for Inclusive Communities seminars; working to fill food security needs in immigrant communities; translation assistance; and connecting immigrants in need with much-needed services in the county.

The roadmap to a more inclusive, welcoming, and safe Oakland County with access and open doors for everyone is never far from our hearts.

Welcoming Week Celebrations

Welcoming Week is a time to bring together organizations, communities and neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places. Honor the vast array of cultures that make up the fabric of our communities by attending a local Welcoming Week celebration below:

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Opioid Listening Sessions in Oakland County to Guide Future Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Spending

Addiction to opioids knows no boundaries and affects every demographic in Oakland County, Michigan and in the U.S. Unfortunately, what often begins as prescribed recovery from an injury or surgery all too often has had tragic consequences for friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

In the last 20 years, the Centers for Disease Control reports that more than 645,000 people in the nation have died from an opioid overdose. In the past 10 years, 2,600 people, including 180 in 2021, have died in Oakland County from drug abuse and overdoses.

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An Early Morning Meander

One need not travel far to embrace nature’s way and come home with a smile. That’s what I did this morning to beat the heat and possible storms expected later in the afternoon. As for the words “this morning,” I am referring back to Wednesday, August 9 – a day when the afternoon temperatures flirted with the 90-degree mark. With those thoughts in mind, I armed myself with a mug of iced coffee, my camera, and a notepad and headed off to the 2.2-mile-long River Loop Trail of Independence Oaks County Park expecting to be the only trail user. I could not have been more wrong. I probably encountered two dozen people on my intentionally slow-paced trek and suspect they had the same idea to hike early to beat the afternoon heat.  

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The Woodward Dream Cruise Returns to Oakland County Aug. 19

Classic car

Gather your car club, shine up your classic ride, rev up your engines! The world’s largest one-day auto event, bringing in over a million people and thousands of muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles from around the world, the Woodward Dream Cruise, is returning to Oakland County Saturday, Aug. 19! Kicking off at 9 a.m., travel along the 16-mile stretch of Woodward and cruise through nine Oakland County communities: Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac and Royal Oak.

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