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Formalwear donations sought for auction
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal columnist
Published on Saturday, Nov 08, 2008
Green's Janet Shively deserves our collective salute for the soft outreach she's doing in our community.
Shively and her posse of volunteers started out making colorful fleece blankets for Summit County sheriff's deputies to carry in their cruisers and give to children caught up in bad situations — accidents and the like. A noble effort to help them feel safe.
Two hundred twenty-five blankets later (since spring 2007), Shively and company have expanded their efforts to include military veterans. Shively credits her friend Shirley Kennedy, a clerk with the U.S. Postal Service in Akron, with soldiering her in the direction of the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center at Brecksville with that same soft touch.
You can just tell by the looks on the women's faces that it is a labor of love.
It has also been challenging.
Shively and Kennedy said they've had to search high and low to find just the right fleece fabric and have been fortunate to find some featuring the actual military branches. Others have local professional sports themes, as well as animals and other interesting patterns.
Shively and Kennedy — who have been helped by Ev Wolfe, Rita Underwood, Wilma Hardman and others on the military effort — say they've received a strong assist from the Women's Ministry at The Chapel in Green, which provides them with a place to sew.
At last count, the women were packing 139 blankets for delivery next week to Brecksville.
If the feelings of Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander, Chief Garry Moneypenny and Deputy Mark Carroll are any barometer, they're sure to be a real hit at the VA.
Carroll said deputies already have dispensed more than 30 blankets: 13 in traffic-related accidents; two in waterway/boating accidents; three in domestic incidents; three in child-custody disputes; three to Children Services; and six for other uses.
Interested in donating to this cause — fleece or money? Please call 330-754-0016.
Clothing the homeless
Beautiful bouquets to Chase & Company Ministries, an eBay drop-off store in Seville in its seventh year in business, which is about the serious business of helping those in need.
Volunteers there recently distributed 21 bags of new jackets, sweat shirts, heavy T-shirts, bottles of water, soup and snacks to veterans who are homeless at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Brecksville.
The group also donated more than 245 heavy shirts and jackets and new toys to People to People Ministries in Wayne County.
For future citizens
Immigrants interested in becoming U.S. citizens should plan to attend International Institute of Akron's free Citizenship Information Open House from 9 a.m. to noon next Saturday, Nov. 15, at 207 E. Tallmadge Ave., Akron.
Immigration counselors will be on hand to provide information about the requirements, benefits and process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Naturalization application forms and study guides for the newly revised civics test will be available.
Legal advisers to answer confidential questions will be there. For information, please call 330-376-5106 Ext. 17.
Rebuilding Together
Kudos to the Akron Area Board of Realtors, which raised $4,547 at its annual Charity Golf Outing to benefit Summit County Rebuilding Together.
The noble goal of Rebuilding Together is to keep low-income elderly and disabled homeowners safe, warm and dry.
First-aid kits
Major thanks to Sterling Jewelers Inc., which donated 176 American Red Cross first-aid kits to Akron Public Schools to be placed in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms.
Money for the project came from Sterling team members who participated in Denim Week, paying $5 to wear jeans to work for one week. More than $2,700 was raised.
Fashion show
The Girls of Green (a benevolence/social organization) and the Green PTSA will host the third annual Girls' Night Out fashion show and silent auction at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at the Green High School auditorium.
Proceeds will benefit the Battered Women's Shelter.
In the meantime, Julie DeLuca, one of the movers behind this important cause, is busy collecting gently worn formalwear for girls now through Thanksgiving. ''The bids start at $20 and up and the owner will receive half of the selling price, or may choose to donate the entire amount to the Battered Women's Shelter,'' DeLuca said.
''Any dresses not sold can be returned to the owner or donated to [the local chapter of] Altrusa International (which donates prom dresses in the spring to high school girls attending the BIG dance).''
For information, please call 330-896-0451.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Green's Janet Shively deserves our collective salute for the soft outreach she's doing in our community.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:18 AM, 11/08/2008
I have known Shirley Kennedy for over 30 yrs working with her in the Akron Main Post Office. She has dedicated her time, talents and crafts to help pick up fellow employees, their family and friends and the needy spirits for as many years as I have known her. She is a kind and giving individual that has blessed many and I see she still continues to do so.
