For Lanie Nix-Farver and Mike Farver, being CTAs is a natural extension of their love for Flint & Genesee. 

Mike comes from a GM family that is well-rooted in the Flint area.  He grew up in Flint with summers in Au Gres.  After his military service in the Marines, where he lived in California and Japan, he returned to Flint and had a 30+ year career with the Flint Community Schools. 

Lanie, on the other hand, grew up in several states across the country and in the Japanese-American community. Her Japanese stepfather was a doctor in cancer research at Emory University, and her bio-father was a professor at Purdue University. This has given her a great love of education, adventure, travel, and culture of all sorts. She, too, although not enlisted, served as an Army wife, stationed in Texas and Germany. Her family roots are in South Carolina, and she is a proud southern belle and CLEMSON fan.

Although very different backgrounds, Flint is definitely home for both! They are both active volunteers and art lovers who perfectly embody the spirit that makes CTAs so vital to our community. 

“Flint is Flint-tastic! We have everything that Chicago has… BUT the Traffic! I've lived here for 16 years, and I am madly in love with Flint,” says Lanie.

What is something other CTAs may not know about you?
“Most CTAs don’t know that we recently got married!” Mike says.

Mike adds, "I set a world record for pole vaulting when I ran track for Central High School; unfortunately, it was at practice, so it was never recorded!"

“I've attended several colleges, including Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where I studied Interior and Environmental Design,” Lanie says. “I took that and blended it with Real Estate to create a 30+ year career. I've used my real estate, art, and design skills in various ways over the years. I also worked in the hospitality industry for 30+ years, layering my professional worlds to help and benefit the people I served. Since moving to Flint, I have worked in real estate, at Greater Flint Arts Council, and Knob Hill B&B, continuing my love of all those industries. I also continued my education in the Honors Program at Mott, where I was also a Student Government Senator.” 

“I grew up and have lived in Flint my whole life, outside the Marines,” says Mike. “I’ve held a job since I was five years old. I literally had 4 paying jobs all at once when I was 10. I was a paperboy, worked for a plaster guy, cleaned a small engine shop, and cleaned for a fire restoration business! I guess the 1960s didn't have a lot of child labor laws,” Mike says.

He continues, "I had 5 brothers. My dad didn't like us to sit around. He would be proud of me today, as I still don't sit around! I'm always doing something."

What do you like to do in your spare time?
“I like to weld and make art in my spare time,” Mike says. 

“We lift up Flint & Genesee, it's truly what we do!” adds Lanie. “We love to go to ArtWalk in downtown Flint (held on the 2nd Friday of each month), and to Art à la Carte at the Flint Institute of Arts on Wednesdays, which is a wonderful series of films focusing on the arts and community. We take every opportunity we can to experience what Flint & Genesee has to offer."
 

"We also love going to the movies on Tuesdays after free yoga,” they both say almost in tandem.

What is your favorite part of being a CTA in Flint & Genesee?
“We really enjoy showing others our city,” Lanie says. “We like the camaraderie of the CTAs. Another thing is, we are constantly looking for other CTAs and promoting the program to those who are not CTAs, hoping they will go through the training. Being CTAs, we’re around positive people and not naysayers, people who see the positives and possibilities. That positivity turns your soul inside out in a good way.” 

“Yeah, I agree with that,” Mike says with a nod. 

What is your favorite hidden gem in the area?
“I'm going to say something well known, which is Flint ArtWalk, because it is baffling to me how many people who have lived their entire lives in Flint or the Flint area and know nothing about it,” says Lanie. “Our favorite Coney Island is Aldo’s Coney Island on Davison Road. The food is really good, and the servers are amazing," says Mike.

"We also love taking free Tai Chi at Berston Field House, and free yoga at West Court Street Church of God,” says Mike.
 
Lanie adds: "It baffles us too, that Flint has so many free resources and people just don't take advantage of them. We are truly proud of Flint and love living here," she continues, "No other place I have ever experienced has the amount of free or affordable resources that we have here in Flint and the surrounding area."

“Another hidden gem is Cinemark Flint West 14 in Flint Township (Rave Cinemas), especially with their $5 Tuesdays!” Mike adds. 

“Mike’s life has been constant – a true child of the 50s, very solid and focused,” Lanie concludes. “Mine, on the other hand, has, and is, an adventure every day! We balance each other out. What fun!”