Events Calendar
In This Section
Home Run for Homeless is Thursday
Giving Doll ministry hits 5,000 milestone
Turkey Bowl will benefit injured football player
Kind souls are helping our neighbors
Family feels a multitude of hardships
Akron man donates very special tree for Children's Hospital festival
Mother on mission to help others
Wadsworth group plans vet tribute
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Akron man killed in crash on his street
Browns find another way to lose
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
After 30 years at the helm of Akron Children's, Considine still looks to future
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
Akron Zips:
No. 1 Akron to play Stanford next
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Onion, By Any Other Name…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (70) Savings in Medicare Advantage
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – You are All Wrong About Jobs, or the Lack of Jobs, Being the Reason People Do Not Live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
'Fundraiser Fridays' benefit foundation
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
A super-excited Rachel Parker and Todd Eisinger of Fairlawn are leaving today for Albufeira, Portugal, where they will compete in the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organization World Championships.
Cathy Parker said her daughter — who will celebrate her 28th birthday in Portugal — has been swimming competitively for 15 years in the Special Olympics and has nearly 100 medals (most of them gold).
Todd, 26, competed last fall in the 2007 Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, and brought home four medals: two gold, one silver and one bronze. He will be accompanied by his parents, Lee and Debby Eisinger.
Rachel and Todd are among 10 swimmers representing the United States; 25 countries are participating.
Pasta maker saluted
Hats off to Carmella Kozar, 88, who retired last week from a job she loved after 33 years of service.
The amazing Mrs. Kozar was surprised Sunday by the management and her co-workers at Dontino's Italian restaurant in Akron, where she made the pasta for all those years.
A host of family, friends and longtime customers was on hand for the special tribute.
Refurbishing update
Inquiring minds have phoned about the progress on the severely dilapidated home of a 90-year-old Akron woman I earlier mentioned. Several volunteers, including Bill Brake and a crew of Amish volunteers from Holmes County, are doing the lion's share of the repairs, and volunteers from Faith Lutheran Church in Fairlawn, the massive cleanup.
Kathy Griebel, operations manager, NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry), Northeast Ohio Chapter, filed this update:
• Inside walls have been scrubbed and are ready to paint.
• Phone lines have been run to all rooms and phones have been installed.
• Workers are progressing on replacing flooring; they need laminate/linoleum as well as carpet for three small rooms.
• ProSiders completed repairs to siding, gutters and downspouts Nov. 17. Workers fixed downspouts, cleaned and fixed gutters, put in splash guards, fixed 25 holes in the siding and replaced window casings, frames and sills.
• Paint has been obtained and the Amish crew is working on that; other volunteers are being contacted.
• The workers are done with a trash bin provided by Este Hauling.
• Akron Pest Control has served eviction notices on the unwanted critters who had taken up residence.
Dave Hampton, owner of Champion Windows, has donated windows that will be installed by Brake and his crew. Other folks I've spoken with are poised to donate kitchen curtains and small appliances.
Photos are coming when the work is all done.
Angel Tree ceremony
The Victim Assistance Program will host its 14th annual Angel Tree ceremony and Homicide Memorial Service from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Monday in the atrium of the Oliver Ocasek Building, 161 S. High St., Akron.
''The Angel Tree ceremony is an opportunity for family and friends of homicide victims to remember their loved ones by displaying photographs and memorial
angels on a tree,'' said Victim Assistance development director Shelley Koch.
Survivors also can donate a 5-by-7 photograph for permanent placement on the Wall of Remembrance, which will be on display throughout the holiday season.
Speaker will be Akron Municipal Judge Lynne Callahan. Executive director is the Rev. Robert Denton. For information, please call 330-376-0040.
Sharing a smile
Thanks to three very generous souls (Akron Police Sgt. Tom Dye, Dennis Conrad and someone else who insisted on remaining anonymous), two families served by Hospice of the Visiting Nurse Service were treated to rides Monday and again Dec. 3 on the Polar Express.
The children recently lost parents to cancer.
Of course, the big ride orchestrated by Dye and friends will be Dec. 6. That involves a whole car — 80 seats for parents and sick children (determined by letters submitted earlier).
According to Dye, Akron Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 7 contributed $1,500 to the cause; Police & Firemen's Insurance Association, $900. ''We also got a lot of help from the Akron mayor's office in making the proper contacts,'' Dye said.
Help for foundation
The MIKE Foundation has been selected beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the 2008 Lindsay Collection — knit sweaters, jackets, shawls, scarves and purses — designed by textile artist Lindsay Jean-Marie of Akron.
The Lindsay Collection has opened a temporary boutique through Dec. 28 at Beachwood Place next to Saks Fifth Avenue.
The foundation receives all proceeds from what the designer calls ''Fundraiser Fridays.''
''After watching the courageous battle Mike fought, not just against cancer, but against the isolation that comes from a prolonged hospital stay, myself and two of his best friends formed the MIKE Foundation,'' said Mike Minor's widow, Jennifer (Myers) Minor.
Mike, 32, a former University of Akron student and Jackson Township resident, lost his battle Oct. 1.
Money raised by the MIKE Foundation goes to pay for tissue-typing kits for individuals committed to joining the National Marrow Donor Program. The cost per kit is $52.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
A super-excited Rachel Parker and Todd Eisinger of Fairlawn are leaving today for Albufeira, Portugal, where they will compete in the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organization World Championships.
Get the full article here.
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