Community News for October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Happy Halloween

Ghosts and goblins will be out and about doing their annual trick or treating Oct. 31. Enjoy all the festivities and be safe by wearing bright clothes and watching out for cars. Drivers should be extra careful to watch out for the little ones darting across the street.

CHS Chili-Cook-off Oct. 30

Chardon High School Interact Club will host its ninth annual Chili Cook-off Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Guests may choose from possibly 40 pots of chili made from the best recipes of students, parents, teachers and area restaurants. Stop by before the game.

Amish style wedding dinner

The Friends of WomenSafe is hosting an Amish style wedding dinner in Middlefield on Nov. 7. Cater 4U, which is owned by Geauga County resident JoAnn Kauffman, is preparing the food. Instrumental background music is being provided by The Church Boys where Horace Spivey and Kevin Daniels play the trombone and piano, respectively.

There will be a raffle for a "Geauga basket" containing things donated by Geauga County businesses, including a horse-drawn sleigh ride from Ma & Pa's, Amish jams, season passes to Century Village, apple butter and more.

The social hall at the Middlefield Fire Department is handicapped accessible. Please call Nancy Temple at (440) 564-1009 for tickets and information.

Congratulations to Joshua Barclay

I am privileged to know one of the new inductees in the Sigma Kappa Delta National English Honor Society for two-year colleges. He is Josh Barclay and he works at a local business establishment where a group of us meet for coffee. He is also a student at Lakeland Community College.

Joshua causally mentioned that he would be giving a speech at school on Druids. I then discovered the details of his honor society induction bestowed upon him for his English class accomplishments.

Wedding bells

A very special marriage took place this past weekend; David and Angela Sotka tied the knot. David and his office buddy, who asked me to make this announcement to the happy couple, also visit the local business establishment for coffee in the morning where Josh Barclay works.

Community Dinner at St. Mary's Oct. 29

While reservations are required two days before the community dinner at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Chardon, (the October dinner will take place this Thursday) the public can mark their calendars now for November and beyond for upcoming community dinners which are served free and open to the public on the fourth Thursday of every month. Donations are welcome. Please call the church to simply say how many are in your party in order to attend--names are not asked for.

This program has been ongoing for a number of months; it is the intention of church members to reach out to the community with this monthly dinner. Please come out and attend in November and this Thursday as well if you have made a reservation.

First Sunday Soup Day

A free homemade meal will be served by members of St. Luke Episcopal Church in Chardon the first Sunday of every month from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The church is located at 11519 Wilson Mills Road, southwest of Chardon Square. Please call the church office at (440) 285-4641 for information.

KSU Geauga GEL breakfast

Geauga County Commissioner Tracy A. Jemison will speak on the "Economic State of Geauga" Nov. 6, from 8 to 9 a.m. This is part of the Geauga Economic Leadership (GEL) speaker series presented at the Kent State University at Geauga, Burton campus.

Admission is free and donuts and coffee will be served. Please contact Reina Taylor at (440) 834-3745 or e-mail her at rtaylor9@kent.edu to reserve a seat. Walk-ins are also welcome the day of the event.

H.E.A.R.T. addressing youth concerns

"Helping Early with Additional Resources and Talents" is a newly formed group of concerned citizens developed and sponsored by United Way Services of Geauga County, Starting Point, Geauga Family First Council and the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services. In the two meetings held in September and October, more than 40 community professionals in numerous fields of expertise have come together to discuss the needs of children ages 0 to 5.

The primary concerns involve community, childcare, mental health issues, families, and transportation and money issues. Discussions involving gaps in services, many due to the major drop in state monetary support, took place. Recognizing volunteers and checking the possible duplication of services are being reviewed.

An in-depth discussion of the "2-1-1" call-in system was also discussed. In 2008, "211" in Geauga County received more than 4,885 calls primarily for the following: food assistance, information references, emergency help, financial crisis (shelter) and health, and medical.

Learn more about the services of 2-1-1, First Call for Help, Connecting People to Services, for people of all ages by checking out United Way Services.