United Way of St. Clair County (UWSCC) prepares for its 2018 Campaign Celebration that will be at 5:00pm on January 31, 2019.  Campaign Chair, Mayor Dan Damman, of Winston & Damman, has selected Alexander’s Premier Banquet Facility, 1200 Gratiot Boulevard in Marysville, to host the event.  The Celebration will be a night of inspiration and recognition of the 60 dedicated Campaign Cabinet volunteers and the multitude of generous contributors who made this year’s Campaign a great success.  Over the past five months, UWSCC’s enthusiastic volunteers met with community members to share its mission and Campaign goal and encourage them to be involved.  They are passionate about helping their neighbors in need to excel beyond their barriers.  Last year, UWSCC was able to help fund 36 essential health and human service programs throughout St. Clair County.  Many of which, deeply rely on the compassion of our residents and funding through UWSCC.  The magnitude of the impact UWSCC has on our community is directly related to the generosity of its contributors.  These affiliated programs, which help to improve the quality of life of those in need, served over 11,500 people last year alone.  The Campaign Cabinet has seen the positive impact the funding they raise has on individuals, year after year, and were inspired to raise the bar for the county’s goodwill.  This year’s Campaign has seen many new contributors and increased Employee Giving Campaigns through payroll deduction.  The passionate volunteers of UWSCC are on a quest to extend its reach further into our community to help more people than ever.  They are looking forward to the unveiling of the 2018 Campaign total at the Campaign Celebration this month.  Join them by submitting your reservation to Amy Lutz at marketing@uwstclair.org or by calling 810.985.8169 ex110 Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.  RSVP is required by January 21, 2019.

Have you turned down a chance to go out with family or friends because you were concerned about falling?  Have you cut down on a favorite activity because you might fall?  If so, A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls is a program for you.  Fear of falling can be just as dangerous as falling itself.  People who develop this fear often limit their activities, which can result in severe physical weakness, making the risk of falling even greater.  Many older adults also experience increased isolation and depression when they limit their interactions with family and friends.  A Matter of Balance can help people improve their quality of life and remain independent.   A Matter of Balance is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults. Participants learn to set realistic goals to increase activity, change their environment to reduce fall risk factors, and learn simple exercises to increase strength and balance.  Lake Huron Medical Center is offering A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls Mondays for eight (8) consecutive weeks beginning on Monday, February 11.  The program meets from 1pm to 3pm, is free to attend and attendance to all eight (8) sessions is recommended. Please call Rosemary Hunger at (810) 216-1035 to register or for more information.  For more information on the programs and events at Lake Huron Medical Center, please visit www.mylakehuron.com.

The American Red Cross encourages people to help meet the urgent need for blood by resolving to give blood this January – National Blood Donor Month.  Donating blood is a way to make a lifesaving impact in the new year for patients like Judy Janssen, who was diagnosed with end-stage autoimmune liver disease in 2016. Janssen received frequent blood transfusions – sometimes multiple times a week – until she underwent a liver transplant last January.  “Blood donors make a really big difference with very little effort,” said Janssen, who received dozens of transfusions before and during her transplant surgery. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for blood donations.” The critical role of blood and platelet donors has been celebrated each January for nearly 50 years during National Blood Donor Month, which coincides with one of the most difficult times to maintain a sufficient blood supply for patients. Busy holiday schedules, extreme winter weather and seasonal illnesses often impact donor turnout this time of year.   The Red Cross encourages eligible donors to resolve to give blood or platelets regularly, beginning in January. To encourage donations immediately, all those who come to donate by Jan. 6 will get a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.  Make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Another way to help keep the blood supply strong in the new year is to host a Red Cross blood drive. To learn more about hosting a blood drive and to sign up, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Jan. 10 – Jan. 31 in St. Clair County:

Saint Clair — 1/9/2019: 1 p.m. – 6:45 p.m., St. Clair Middle School, 4335 Yankee Road

East China — 1/14/2019: 10 a.m. – 3:45 p.m., River District Hospital, 4100 River Road

Yale — 1/14/2019: 11 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Sacred Heart Church, 310 N. Main St.

Port Huron  — 1/18/2019: 8 a.m. – 1:45 p.m., McLaren Port Huron, 1221 Pine Grove Avenue

The Port Huron Police Department is investigating a shooting that occurred on Monday, January 7.  At about 11:30 p.m. Port Huron Police Officers were dispatched to an apartment at Arbors of St. Clair Apartments in the 3200 block of Military Street for a disturbance followed by shots fired.  The 25-year-old female tenant stated, a 38-year-old male Port Huron resident, entered her apartment by force.  The male suspect was known to her and was attempting to assault her and her 30-year-old sister who was visiting.  The dispute was reported to be over a neighbor that lived near them.  The sister visiting from Detroit, told investigators she grabbed a handgun to defend herself and her sister shooting the suspect in the leg.  The suspect was treated at the hospital and lodged in the St. Clair County Intervention Center for Home Invasion.  The sister was lodged in the St. Clair County Intervention Center for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

There will be some big shoes to fill at the end of February when current Director of St. Clair County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Jeff Friedland retires.  Friedland says he started in 1988 working for St. Clair County, working for almost one year.  He then left the county taking a position with the State Police working under Governor Blanchard, but it wasn’t to be.  He left that spot after about six weeks as, with the new administration and budget cuts, Friedland had the opportunity to come back to St. Clair County.  Marianne Acciavatti chairperson at the time, offered him the position of Emergency Manager.  Friedland says St. Clair County is a great place to work and he and his wife decided that working here would be better for their family as they raised young children.

After 9/11 the position was expanded to include Homeland Security and Friedland says that doubled the workload particularly with grant writing.  St. Clair County has a history of a community approach to planning and after 9/11 Friedland stated, that his idea was “we are all in this together: whether you are business, clergy, citizens;  it is not just responders.  When you look at events today, the true first responders are actually the people on the streets”.  He says it has been challenging, but it has been really great too, to see how the community has come together; “we have become a team, and that is what it is all about.”

When asked what accomplishment of which he is most proud, Friedland said, “it may sound cheesy, but I mean it, it is working for the residents of St. Clair County.  Our residents, our businesses, everyone steps up.”  He has tried to do his best and feels he has taken a lot of great people, put them together, have come up with great ideas, and the residents have benefited.

An event that stands out most in his mind is the Parahawks plane accident in Marine City in which ten people lost their lives.  Over the years, St. Clair County has experienced flooding, several Presidential declarations from weather, several spills in the river, the Hoover Chemical fire, and a tire fire at the site of a toxic dump where Friedland saw colors in flames that he never saw in the past or since, along with tornadoes and severe weather.  That is what he loved about the job, that no two days are the same.

What is he going to miss the most?  The people and helping provide safety for the residents. He mentioned the annual breakfast that began 23 years ago and continues to grow to several hundred attendees.  Special speakers at the event ranged from an incident and lessons, learned, weather disasters, to active shooter situations and how to make your communities more resilient.

What does the future hold?  He says he wants to do something part time and shed some of the responsibility.  He currently sits on four different federal councils and he has to be employed by a government agency to continue on.  So that is a consideration if he wishes hold those seats.  He says it is time for him and his wife to do more things at home and with his family.  Jeff has two out of three children in the area with five grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 19.   He has set the retirement date for the end of February.

WGRT sends out best wishes and thanks to Jeff Friedland for the great work he has done in St. Clair County over the years.