St. Clair County

A Beautiful Me Receives Recognition from GreatNonprofits

A Beautiful Me received recognition as a Top-Rated Nonprofit for 2020 by GreatNonprofits, a website where people share stories about their personal experiences on more than 1.6 million charities and nonprofits.

“A Beautiful Me is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community,” said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNonprofits, “Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support they receive, as shown by the many outstanding reviews they have received from people who have direct experience working with A Beautiful Me.”

A Beautiful Me also achieved Platinum level with GuideStar, an online research and verification service for nonprofits, and earned their 2020 Seal of Transparency. To reach the Platinum level, they added extensive information to their public Nonprofit Profile including in-depth financial information, and quantitative information about goals, strategies, and progress toward their mission.

A Beautiful Me provides workshops, programs, and events throughout St. Clair, Macomb, Wayne, Oakland, Lapeer & Genesee counties that empower girls of all ages with life-giving messages about their self worth and tools to build their confidence.

“We are honored to be named a 2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit,” states Karen Palka, Founder & Executive Director, A Beautiful Me, Inc. “We are proud that our volunteers, board of directors, and community members value our work and gave us many 5-star ratings. The support is encouraging as we innovate new ways to reach girls during COVID-19 such as our Pen Pal Program and emerge360.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Free Drive-Thru Flu Clinics Coming Up

St. Clair County, MI — The St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) in partnership with Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) will be offering drive-thru flu clinics on September 25th  & 29th  from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and October 6th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

All ages are welcome, and flu vaccines will be administered by St. Clair County Health Department public health nurses. The vaccine is available for ages 6 months and up. The flu mist (no needle) and the standard flu vaccine will be available.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged! Make an appointment online at www.scchealth.co and click “Make an Appointment”. Pre-registration can also be done over the phone by calling (810) 987-5300.

There are no out of pocket expenses for participants, and insurances will be billed. Please wear a short sleeve shirt and take a photo ID and a copy of your insurance card.

 

Friday, September 25th and

Tuesday, September 29th

Lake Huron Medical Center

Main Campus

2601 Electric Avenue

(Enter off of Electric and 11th)

 

Tuesday, October 6th:

Lake Huron Medical Center

North Campus

4190 24th Avenue, Fort Gratiot

In addition, for the safety of staff and visitors, we kindly ask that participants do not bring any pets.

For more information about health department services visit www.scchealth.co or follow us on social media @scchdmi.

Pollution Prevention Week Aims to Keep Michigan’s Environment Clean

This week is “Pollution Prevention Week” and “Michigan Environmental Compliance Week” throughout the state. The observances are intended to draw attention to environmental stewardship. 

Toxic substances, like PFAS and abandoned industrial waste sites, have been hot topics in the state. Efforts are underway to reduce the use of toxic substances, recycle and reuse when possible, and to educate businesses, communities, and environmental professionals on how to protect Michigan’s environment.   

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is hosting a series of free online workshops for interested citizens and professionals. 

In St. Clair County, residential consumers can dispose of hazardous materials at the Smiths Creek Landfill. An appointment needs to be made and a detailed list of all materials being brought in needs to be submitted. 

The full list of materials that are accepted at the Smiths Creek Landfill, along with ideas on how to reduce use of toxic chemicals, and information about properly disposing of all kinds of toxic materials can be found www.stclaircounty.org/offices/landfill/. 

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Port Huron Discount Cards Offer Deals Through 2021

There are two new discount cards available for those who shop at Downtown Port Huron businesses and in the Greater Port Huron Area. Thirty-three businesses are represented on each card, and the discounts start from the time the card is purchased through December 31, 2021.

The cards are $10 each, and the Downtown Port Huron discount card includes 10-20% discounts on stores such as MI Passion, batchmade BEAUTY, and Suzanne’s Women’s Fashions, along with $40 off for an escape room group at The Hallway Entertainment.

The Greater Port Huron discount card features some downtown locations as well, and also includes discounts to The Dorsey House, Jersey Mike’s in Ft. Gratiot, and all Dunham’s Sports locations.

Discount cards can be purchased at participating stores or through the City of Port Huron’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA).  Cards purchased through the DDA will help fund future events and promotions in Downtown Port Huron.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

DNR asks for Michiganders to Record their Miles for “Trails Week”

It’s Michigan Trails Week! Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources is encouraging residents to get out on the trails in Michigan between September 20th and 27th. There are 13,000 miles of state-managed trails in the state.

Paul Yauk, state trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said, “Michigan’s trails are a public treasure, and they’re here for everyone.” Those who use the trails this week are asked to share their experience with the DNR. Their goal is 100,000 miles of collective trail use.

Michigan’s trails are for more than just walking. Depending on the trail, they can be used for hiking, biking, horseback riding, off-roading, and paddling if it is a water trail. The closest state-maintained trails to the Blue Water Area are at Algonac State Park, Wetzel State Recreation Area, and the Sanilac Petroglyphs. The Bridge to Bay Bike Trail is part of the State Trail system and the ten-mile long Island Loop water trail in St. Clair County is one of eight state-designated water trails.

Complete trail maps and information about logging your miles this week can be found at Michigan.gov/TrailsWeek.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Courthouse Seeks to Quell Rumors on COVID-19 Cases

PORT HURON, MI – Since March 2020, the safety of the public and court staff has  been of highest importance. Identification of cases will continue throughout the county,  and county employees are not an exception. The court system works closely with the  St. Clair County Health Department to identify cases and exposures as well as  identifying risk reduction strategies. At this time, NO public exposures have resulted  from any identified cases within the court system. All individuals who may have been  exposed to COVID have been notified. The exposure situation was handled swiftly and  exceptionally well by court directors and leadership.

Daniel J. Kelly, Chief Judge for St. Clair County Courts, further states, “These are  challenging times we are living through today. Our main goal right now is to protect,  serve and maintain precautionary procedures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Those that have circumstances required to be handled within the court are encouraged  to continue to use remote resources, such as email, fax, telephone and the court  website when possible.

General court system inquiries, please visit: http://www.stclaircounty.org/Offices/courts

Submitted by St. Clair County