Choze Powell

Sarnia Kinsmen Spring Into Summer Art & Craft Show Coming Soon

If you’re into arts and crafts, then you don’t want to miss the upcoming Spring Into Summer Art & Craft Show hosted by the Sarnia Kinsmen. 

Vendors from the local and Southwestern areas of Ontario will gather at Baxter Park, located at 1582 Colborne Rd, Sarnia. The event will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 6th and 7th, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

The Sarnia Kinsmen have been serving to meet the community’s greatest need for 86 years. To date they have donated close to $40 million to Cystic Fibrosis research and over $1 billion to Canadian communities. 

The 2023 Spring Into Summer Arts & Crafts Show will take place rain or shine so prepare for any inclement weather.

For more information, visit: sarniakinsmen.ca. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Northwood University’s Esports Team Wins Two National Titles

Remember when parents told us that video games were going to rot our brains? Things have come a long way since then, as many colleges have adopted video games into their curriculums with their Esports programs. 

Northwood University’s Overwatch and Counter-Strike teams have claimed a national title victory for the school, as well as a victory for gamers all over who can now convince their parents that there is a future in playing video games after all.

The varsity Overwatch team became the 2023 National Champions after a 4-1 victory over Illinois State University, and the Counter-Strike team became the 2023 North American Champions after defeating Drexel University 3-1.  

Northwood Junior, Christopher “CJAY” Smith, also signed a contract over the weekend to play professionally for the Los Angeles Valiant franchise in the Overwatch League, which consists of the top 100 players on the planet. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Join BWROC Partners In Recovery To Help Change Lives In The Community

The Blue Water Recovery & Outreach Center (BWROC) is asking for the community to help join in the fight against addiction by becoming a “Partner in Recovery” by supporting their cause financially.

BWROC helps those seeking recovery from addiction through one-on-one recovery coaching, recovery events, and recovery support by offering a safe, non-judgemental environment and empowering the individual.

The Partners in Recovery program is a monthly program that asks donors to contribute a dollar amount of their choosing that will be deducted from their debit card or bank account each month. Each partner will receive a special BWROC Partner in Recovery t-shirt along with special thank you’s and pop-up donor events. 

The first pop-up event will take place on Monday, May 5th, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at BWROC, located at 617 10th St, Port Huron. 

For more information, call Joey Wright at: (517) 672-6277 or email at: jwright@bwroc.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

YMCA Program LIVESTRONG Helps Recovering Cancer Survivors

The American Cancer Society estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases and 609,000 cancer related deaths in 2021 in the U.S. There were also 1.9 million survivors. The YMCA of the Blue Water Area offers a program to help those who are survivors, as well as those who are currently battling the effects of cancer. 

Their LIVESTRONG program focuses on the client. It offers a free, 12-week program that meets for 90 minutes two times per week. They offer exercise methods to help restore fitness and lectures on wellness and other topics to help survivors recover their health and strengthen their emotional fitness.  

LIVESTRONG’s Disease Prevention Coordinator, Sheila Volker says, “The program’s value to our community is that it helps our participants reclaim their health and well-being following a cancer diagnosis.”

The LIVESTRONG program is just one of the many programs offered by the Blue Water Area YMCA, and another reason to donate to the YMCA, as they depend upon the generosity of the community to keep these programs in place. 

If you would like to give in support of the Blue Water Area YMCA, visit: bluewaterymca.com. 

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Lapeer High School Students Take 2nd Place In World Championship Robotics Competition

The Lapeer High School robotics team, Strike Zone, has earned the right to celebrate as they walk away with second place in the world from the 2023 FIRST Championship Competition in Houston, Texas. 

Strike Zone returned home to a hero’s welcome, complete with cheering from the community and a police escort from the City of Lapeer PD. 

The team brought home three blue banners along with winning the Daly Division at the competition. They finished as the runner-up alliance captain as well. 

The four day event is an annual STEM centered celebration hosted by FIRST that showcases the hard work students put in to make it to the world competition that featured thousands of teams from across the country. Students are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors.  

Congratulations to the Lapeer High School Strike Zone team on their success!

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell

Local Dive Teams Begin Training To Keep Our Waters Safe In Case Of Emergency

St. Clair County’s entire eastern border consists of water which draws people from all over to enjoy the benefits of our wonderful natural resource. With the summer months right around the corner, the amount of emergency situations will likely begin to increase.

To prepare and be ready to tackle these emergency situations, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Dive Team hosted a multi agency training for the Region Two Dive Group on the North Channel near Algonac on Saturday. 

The training ensures that outside agencies will be able to respond and assist each other in case of emergencies, as one agency may not have all of the necessary tools or equipment to perform successfully on their own.

A simulated plane crash into the North Channel on Saturday saw dive teams working together to search the area, rescue passengers, and recover pieces of the plane.

Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell