The mission for the 2009-2010 Wellness House is to encourage healthy attitudes and behaviors in the Kalamazoo College community by sponsoring events that emphasize the significance of living well. It is both possible and essential to live a healthy life; one does not need to be an extreme athlete nor a fitness guru to be healthy. We will put this statement into action by hosting campus event that appeal to different types of "fitness" levels. These events will encompass what we see as the three main fundamentals of wellness:

Mental/Emotional Wellness - focuses on the psychological aspect of well-being. We want to help ease the stress of K College students by spreading awareness about well-being and promoting a healthy mental state.

Spiritual Wellness - instead of focusing on organized religions, the Wellness House will emphasize meditation and nature to inspire a sense of oneness with our environment.

Physical Wellness - well be represented in events that stress eating healthily and getting fit while having fun.

There are many ways to be well, and the Wellness House wants to explore them with the Kalamazoo College community.

Music & Community House
Location: 1308 W. Lovell Street

The Music and Community Living Learning House aims to make a musical connection both on campus and in the greater Kalamazoo community. Kalamazoo College is fortunate to have many talented musicians, and even more students interested in learning about music. Our mission is to provide a community that would serve as an outlet for their ambitions. With a strong musical community, Kalamazoo College's students will not only have more opportunities, but they will also teach each other more about music. Through this we seek to help musicians improve their talent both individually and within an ensemble. Considering the aesthetic value of music, our house also seeks to use music therapeutically to relieve stress in a healthy manner. These events and others would provide safe and fun events on occasional Fridays and Saturdays. Through the same peer education, the Music and Community House would also serve as an information and music lesson center. Most of all our Music and Community House wants to bring these students together for the benefit of everyone.

The aims of the Artistic Community House are to build community, increase enthusiasm for art as an emotional outlet, and promote the use of art for a variety of purposes in a medley of ways. We will attain each of these goals by hosting art projects on campus throughout the year and have designed our events around one of these three themes. Fall quarter, we will focus on community building, working to enhance the community on campus while encouraging others to actively get involved with the Kalamazoo community as well. For Winter quarter, we intend to encourage the use of art as an emotional outlet. Finally, during Spring quarter, we plan to emphasize art growing out of nature. These activities have been designed to encourage confidence in one's creative abilities and fostering a sense of community. We feel that the process of creating art is more important than the final product. Therefore, the house would be a haven for free-expression, embracing and supporting all members of the campus community, regardless of previous art experience.

Our goal as members of the Interfaith Spirituality House is to promote awareness, tolerance, and understanding of different systems of belief and faith. As individuals from diverse backgrounds, we hope to be leaders and a model of respectful coexistence in the Kalamazoo College community. Through coordination with religious groups on campus and religious leaders in the greater area, we will provide opportunities to educate students of the various spiritual institutions of Kalamazoo, and the amalgam of ideologies that are represented on and beyond our campus. Regardless of personal belief, our house will be a place to come together for discussion and unity.

The Cultural Art and Performance LLHU aspires to transcend social boundaries, assist in the expression of individuality and involve the community in a common creative atmosphere through the universal language of art. We seek to enhance students' knowledge of other cultures and traditions predominantly through the medium of performing arts. We will encourage the personal growth of students by providing creative outlets for reflection and expression. In addition, through our educational programming we will promote the appreciation of the rich cultures of other nations as expressed through a variety of art forms. We, the members of the Cultural Art and Performance LLHU, will use art in its various forms to strengthen the community in which we live through enhancing international perspectives.

Our mission at the Language and Culture House is to enrich the Kalamazoo College community through the exploration, appreciation, and integration of diverse cultures and their languages. In order to facilitate this education we seek to develop a more aware campus community, demonstrate the inextricable link between a culture and its language, and celebrate the gifts of diversity.

The Sustainability LLHU will serve as a model and hub for sustainable living on Kalamazoo College's campus. Recognizing the impact that our collective and personal lifestyle choices have on the environment, we hope to serve as an example of the value and feasibility of a sustainable lifestyle. The house will not only provide an opportunity to combine our individual knowledge of sustainability and environmental concern, but will also serve as a catalyst for experiential learning. We will combine this knowledge and concern, and then bring what we learn to the college community. The house does not see this endeavor merely as a year-long project, but rather as a lifelong venture. What we learn this year in the house can serve as a springboard for internalizing a low-impact lifestyle. Our goal is to recast sustainable living from the novelty it is sometimes categorized as to an approachable and practical necessity for all.

The Local Impact House is comprised of a group of students determined to connect with the Kalamazoo community through involvement in local food, art and business. By establishing lasting relationships with local entrepreneurs, farmers, and artists, our campus will benefit in light of our immediate connections to resources in the Kalamazoo area. We will use our relationships to educate our campus on why using local resources is important. We will strive to foster a strong community between our College and the city as well as within our own house. We will develop an understanding of the importance of supporting local businesses and culture for the benefit of our health, our economy and our community on campus.