George James

Did you know this week is hunger and homelessness awareness week? The national observance that runs this year from November 16-23,  is designed to educate the public, draw attention to the problem of poverty, and build up the base of volunteers and supporters for local anti-poverty agencies. 

The event was first held at Villanova University in 1975, and according to the official website, this year, more than 700 colleges, high schools, and community groups across the country will come together during this week to raise awareness about the pressing issues of hunger and homelessness.

Locally in St. Clair County, there are events every day this week to raise awareness and community support. You may have noticed orange ribbons around town? Those are a part of the movement to remind residents of the weeklong observance. Other activities include local food bank and homeless shelter tours, a poetry night, library movies and even a campout in Pine Grove Park. These events are centered around shedding light on this important topic in communities across the county. 

In the United States and Michigan alone, more than 1.3 million people are struggling with hunger, and of them, more than 345 million are children. According to the Hunger and Homlessness in St. Clair County movement, the way you can help? Donate to a local food pantry, host a food drive or food giveaway or maybe even volunteer at a soup kitchen, pantry or food bank. To learn more about local efforts, visit “Hunger and Homelessness in St. Clair County Michigan” on Facebook.

According to Michigan Farm News, a publication of the Michigan Farm Bureau, 43 counties in Michigan have been approved as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. St. Clair and Sanilac counties are included in the designation. Both counties, along with most of the state, were hit hard by an extremely wet spring and cold temperatures, as well as a dry summer. Some fields even went unplanted as they did not dry out in time for planting. For some fields that did get planted, a recent foot of snow did not help at harvest time. 

Now, with the federal designation, farmers have eight months to apply for emergency loans. Croswell area farmer, Dennis Gardner, told us that it has been a very stressful year. He said his family farm still has 250 acres of corn to harvest along with 200 acres of soybeans and the fall tillage still needs to be done as winter approaches. He thinks that those farmers who don’t have crop insurance will indeed have to apply for these federal loans. Mr. Gardner has already collected on his crop insurance and may have to again, as yields are way down. He hopes this will “definitely be a year not to repeat anytime soon”. While no farmer looks forward to taking out a federal loan, it may be what is needed to get through this year for local farmers hit hard by a stressful growing season.

We all know teachers and school district employees who inspire us and go above and beyond for their students. Maybe you think of your middle school physical education teacher who started a nonprofit to teach students about art and music, or an administrator who visits the homes of students in need, or maybe a custodian who fundraises for school programs. Educators often are lifechangers for students and one local educator has been nominated for a LifeChanger of the Year award.

LifeChanger of the Year is an annual program recognizing K-12 educators and school employees across the country, and Ms. Kathy Kish, Principal of Indian Woods Elementary, has been nominated for the national award. Ms. Kish joined Port Huron Schools in 2017 after a long career as a teacher, counselor and administrator in a neighboring district. According to the nomination by Port Huron Schools Executive Director of Student and Staff Services Tracie Eschenberg, Ms. Kish does not just work with students and their families during typical school hours. She goes to their neighborhoods to make connections, from staff Christmas caroling and back to school home visits, to group bike rides and Popsicles with Principal Kish. 

In addition to leading the school, Ms. Kish coordinates with other local charitable organizations to provide for the needs of her families. One of those is Tires and Treads, a nonprofit that serves to collect and provide gently used clothing (especially shoes), as well as funding so that elementary schools can replenish their supply of these items, should they run out. Ms. Kish also created an outdoor food pantry, which is filled weekly by staff and other donors. The pantry is open to families and the Kimball community.

Community members can vote for Ms. Kish to win the LifeChanger award by visiting Port Huron Schools social media pages or visit LifeChangeroftheYear.com

At the end of September, we broke the news that John F. Farrell-Emmett Elementary School in the Yale School District had been chosen as a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School. This is a rare honor that only went to thirteen schools in Michigan. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools demonstrating that all students can achieve high levels.

 The 212 students of the Emmett Elementary school, their families, and the Yale School District have been celebrating this honor for a month now, and the excitement peaked this past weekend when Teacher Erin Kavanaugh, Assistant Superintendent Joe Haynes, and Principal Bob Watson took a trip to Washington, D.C., to receive the honor in person and attend educational opportunities. 

Mr. Watson told us that the event had a host of guest speakers and workshops with a message that resonated the most with him: the importance of building relationships.  He said he “thought about how this award is not something that was earned in just one year, but the product of a group of people working together for several years to create a sense of family with a focus on creating a safe learning culture for everyone.” 

Mr. Watson said that one of the presenters used the analogy “this is the Super Bowl and we just won it.”  We got a student’s perspective on what makes Farrell-Emmett such an exemplary school. Mackey M., a fourth grader at the school told us that one of the things that makes his school so special is that the teachers “make it great to learn with fun stuff to do and a whole bunch of activities, like building catapults.” Mackey is not the only one who thinks Farrell is a great school, as their 2019 National Blue Ribbon School status proves.

‘Tis the season for secret Santas and surprise gift giving. It’s also the season for online scams disguised as fun ways to spread holiday cheer. The “Secret Sister” gift exchange is very popular this year, with the promise of each individual participant receiving a deluge of gifts in the mail if they only add their address to a list and mail out one little gift. 

This seemingly fun scheme has been around for decades, first by old fashioned snail mail, later by email, and now using social media. As tempting as a mailbox full of candles or chocolates may seem, these gift exchanges are illegal. According to the Better Business Bureau, these are really pyramid schemes that are considered illegal gambling in the eyes of the law.

Anything that relies on the recruitment of individuals to keep the program going is a pyramid scheme, and once the cycle is broken, someone is left with an empty mailbox and disappointment. 

If you are asked to join a gift exchange program that relies on recruitment and sending a gift to strangers, you are asked to report it, either on social media or directly to the Better Business Bureau. Participants are actually subject to prosecution for mail fraud if the postal service is involved. If you really want to send a gift to a stranger, there are a multitude of local charities that would love to be the object of your generosity.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.

The Port Huron Schools Community Relations/Marketing Director, Keely Baribeau, has been named the 2019 recipient of the Gerri Allen Outstanding School Communicator Award by the Michigan School Public Relations Association (MSPRA). Ms. Baribeau has served on the MSPRA Board of Directors since 2015. 

The statewide award annually recognizes a “practicing Public Relations professional in a public school, district, educational agency, service center or intermediate unit.” Baribeau said, “It is a true honor to be nominated by Superintendent Cain and to have the support and endorsement of a group of professional communicators of the caliber of the MSPRA membership.” Baribeau has been a communication professional for more than 20 years, starting her career as a television producer/writer in Los Angeles. Her communications colleague and fellow MSPRA Board member, Garth Kriewall, who is also a local resident, presented her with the award.

Reporting for WGRT, Karly Hurley.