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In This Section
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
Two remarkable people enter centennial spotlight
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
Review: You've never seen 'Sound of Music' like this
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
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:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (68) Democrats Secure 60 Votes for Cloture
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Bread store is hoping to assist food bank
By Jewell Cardwell
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Jan 05, 2009
Got knitting needles or crochet hooks and some yarn?
Then Pat Catan's Craft Centers is inviting you to help support the Warm Up America Foundation through February. The foundation distributes afghans to various charities and relief agencies.
Your contribution, should you agree to take on this mission, is to do one of the following:
• Drop off odds and ends of old yarn.
• Knit or crochet 7-by-9-inch sections.
• Volunteer to assemble the sections into afghans.
• Help donate the finished afghans to local charities.
What a meaningful way to kick off the New Year as individuals, houses of worship, schools or scout troops.
Pat Catan's 2007 effort accounted for over 500 afghans.
Warm Up America — created by Evie Rosen, a former yarn retailer/teacher in Wausau, Wis., in the early 1990s — has blanketed the nation's homeless, hospices, battered women's shelters, veterans hospitals, etc., with more than 250,000 afghans.
For information, please call Pat Catan's at 330-836-5600.
Canine compassion
Like the Obamas, Steven and Jackie Smolinski of Norton are looking to get a dog.
Not to make their son happy. But to make him better.
The Smolinskis' 21-month-old son Luke suffers from terrible seizures. So many, in fact, that the family has taken to calling them ''seizure monsters.''
Nothing to date had produced any relief, said Jackie Smolinski.
Recent tests show Luke has a rare chromosomal duplication. The journey to get help for him is lonely and dark.
Until then, the Smolinskis are hoping a service dog will help Luke, especially at night when he's alone.
Lots of folks are supporting the cause.
Luke has been approved for a service dog by 4 Paws for Ability. But the cost (which includes training) is beyond what the parents can afford: $11,000.
So the Smolinskis are hosting a fundraiser (food, family entertainment and prizes, including a Chinese raffle and silent auction) 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Independence Civic Center, 6969 Selig Road, Independence.
Cost is $20. Please call 330-388-3829.
Those already on the help-Luke bandwagon include Dr. Michelle Messmer from Creekside Animal Clinic, who has offered free veterinary care for Luke's future dog; treat bags from Norton's McDonald's and party trays from Quizno's manager Cheryl O'Brien; and a monetary donation from Cleveland Browns linebacker Andra Davis. Also, Jennie Richards' third-grade class at Norton's Cornerstone Elementary School raised money for the dog.
''At first the $11,000 requirement seemed so far away,'' Jackie Smolinski said. ''But seeing how people have opened their hearts to Luke, I see an end in sight.''
In fact, they're more than halfway there.
Soul food
Great Harvest Bread Co. in Fairlawn is not only trying to persuade more folks to eat more whole grains, especially the bread sold at its store, but also to convince them of the importance of helping those less fortunate.
That's why Great Harvest is hosting a food drive Tuesday through Jan. 17 to benefit the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. ''When times get tough economically, it's important for us to remember the increasing number of children and families who are facing difficulties,'' said co-owner Kim Hannon. ''The Great Harvest mission statement is infused with generosity. Whether it is a customer or someone else in need, we know our lives are enhanced through giving, especially during the holidays.''
To that end, the store is offering a free loaf of signature Honey Whole Wheat bread to the first 250 customers to bring in three cans of food.
Great Harvest is at 3900 Medina Road, Fairlawn. For information, please call 330-666-7497.
Needed warmth
Many thanks to Kelly Roberson of Cuyahoga Falls, who donated two new sets of extra-long bedding for twin beds, a blanket and pillow for me to give to the Wooster family featured in my Christmas Eve column.
Wooster College donated 25 extra-long twin beds no longer being used in its residence halls to families hard-pressed to purchase beds for their children. The college also provided new bedding and stuffed animals.
Hopefully, these good deeds will inspire others.
Filling the room
As the holiday season fast winds down, so do the donations to area food pantries.
To help the pantry at Christ the King Church in Cuyahoga Falls continue to serve its clients, middle school students at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Cuyahoga Falls will be hitting the ground running in a couple of weeks with a major food drive.
''The goal is to fill a classroom with canned goods,'' said Tony Malorni, parish member and site director for CYO athletics, who oversees games in the St. Joseph gym on the weekends.
Malorni — in honor of his own 50th birthday on Jan. 17 — is urging everyone who knows him and cares about feeding the hungry to donate a nonperishable food item. For information, please call 330-945-5685, Ext. 112.
Generous frequencies
Here's a recap of local radio WAKR/WONE/WQMX's generous holiday contributions to the community, as shared by Joyce Lagios, the stations' promotions/marketing director:
• WAKR raised $7,000 in an on-air auction, with all money going to the Salvation Army of Summit County.
• WONE raised more than $15,000 in partnership with Marc's, with all proceeds earmarked for Haven of Rest Ministries.
• WQMX raised $42,000 for Haven of Rest via its annual Tree of Lights program and two country music concerts.
• The three stations also gave Summit County Children Services hundreds of toys.
Star search
Akron Jaycees are seeking nominees for the club's 69th annual Distinguished Service award.
The recipient — someone between the ages of 21 and 39 and judged to have best served the Akron area as a volunteer — will have his or her charity awarded $500.
Deadline for nominations is March 6. Please call 330-867-8055 or e-mail akronjaycees@netzero.net to request a nomination form.
Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.
Got knitting needles or crochet hooks and some yarn?
Get the full article here.
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