The people of Leelanau County generally seem to understand the virtues of charity, and Kelly Slater of Suttons Bay is a good example of this regional characteristic. Slater said that she has her fingers “in many pies,” and among them are the Traverse City Track Club, Green Suttons Bay, and the Friends of Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library.
Slater was born in Syracuse, New York, and has lived in seven other states besides New York and Michigan before settling down in Suttons Bay. Slater’s path had crossed the Great Lakes state several times before, and her in-laws always owned a summer home in Omena, but she started living in Leelanau County permanently in November 2014.
“I lived in Michigan three different times, so this is maybe the place I keep coming back to,” Slater said. “How can you beat it? It’s gorgeous up here, regardless of the fact that I don’t love winter – I travel a lot to get away from the winter – but I just love it. I love the people of a rural community.”
Immediately prior to moving to Suttons Bay, Slater and her husband were living in Boston, and part of the reason they decided to move to northern Michigan full time was because they were tired of living in the big city. Slater said that she’s followed her children and husband across the country over the course of their thirty-plusyear relationship.
Slater said that she’s been long retired from her original career – biochemistry – but it’s been a very busy retirement. Since moving to the county about nine-and-a-half years ago, Slater has gotten involved with numerous local nonprofits, including the Traverse City Track Club.
For Slater, running is a lifelong passion. She said that she started running competitively when she was nine years old and was a member of her high school’s track club. And even though she just turned 60 years old, she shows no signs of stopping and says she plans to run in the 60+ age group at this year’s Bayshore Marathon.
“I would say, more than anything, that running defines who I am,” Slater commented. “It’s my outlet. It’s my mental release. It keeps me fit, and I get that runner’s high.”
As vice president of the Traverse City Track Club, Slater is helping coordinate this year’s Bayshore Marathon, which is scheduled for the end of the month on Memorial Day weekend. The run starts at Northwestern Michigan College and goes along the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. It also serves as a fundraising event, and proceeds from the run go into local scholarships and grants.
Slater said that the Traverse City Track Club is the largest running club in the state of Michigan at nearly 1,000 members. Because of the organization’s large membership and the number of grants and scholarships that they award, Slater said that being the club’s vice president can be a lot of work, but that she’s very passionate about both running and giving back to the community.
Slater also co-founded Green Suttons Bay, another nonprofit organization, with Suzanne Albrecht and Sue Chapman in 2022. This collaborative effort aims to support environmental protection, green initiatives, and public education. So far, the organization has planted 25 trees in the village of Suttons Bay in partnership with ReLeaf Michigan and held regular trash pickup events.
The group recently participated in an Earth Day discussion panel and Leland Public Library and gathered at Waterwheel Park in Suttons Bay to pick up trash. Although environmentally damaging practices are very widespread, Slater said the organization hopes to “start small (and) have a big impact.”
Finally, Slater is also secretary for the Friends of Suttons Bay-Bingham District Library, which is already gathering books for its big sale and fundraiser during the Suttons Bay Art Festival on Aug. 3 and 4.
When asked why she gives so much to local nonprofits, Slater said that she feels “very fortunate” to have time and resources that she can spare, and that she wants to give back to the community and work together with other engaged citizens.
“I think that’s mostly why I do it – because I can. It’s an expensive place to live. A lot of people up here have two or three jobs and have a hard time paying the rent (and) I am so fortunate – I have such a wonderful life,” she said.
