Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Monday

March 8, 2010

Editorial: Cheers: 03/08/2010

-- To area donors for helping the Northwestern Michigan College Foundation exceed its $365,000 campaign goal for student scholarships with three months of fund-raising left to go. The foundation has raised $400,000, despite the ongoing recession. NMC enrollments and financial aid requests are up. Nearly 6,800 students applied for aid so far this academic year, up from 5,548 applicants. Donations are being accepted through June 30.

-- To area winners in the District 3 Michigan History Day 2010 competition held in Traverse City, including students from Ebenezer Christian School of Ellsworth and Traverse City's Central High School and East Middle School. Finalists will advance to a statewide competition April 24 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. State winners will compete at the national finals, June 13-17, in Maryland.

-- To the Core Academy, the Maritime Heritage Alliance's Restoration Shop and the Collectors Foundation of Hagerty Insurance for helping 10 Traverse City Central High School students learn job readiness and restoration skills. Students spend half their day in traditional classrooms and the other half in hands-on projects and online classes.

-- To Vicki Groll of Copemish for starting the Western Waters chapter of the Blue Star Mothers to serve area moms with children in the military. It's the 19th chapter in Michigan. Groll has three sons who served in Iraq, one now retired from the Navy and the other two in ready reserves with the National Guard.

-- To the Michigan Department of Transportation for not cutting down the "Shoe Tree" along U.S. 131 north of Kalkaska. The tree, trimmed recently as a safety precaution to keep limbs and shoes from falling into the highway, is a long-time roadside attraction that has attained folk legend status. Dangling footwear has included sneakers, work boots, stiletto pumps and even a pair of fishing waders.

-- To Camp Quality Michigan North, which is moving from Camp Daggett on Walloon Lake in Charlevoix County to Lake Ann Camp Retreat Center this summer. The camp provides a week-long camp experience to children ages 4 through 18 in varying stages of their cancer treatment or remission.

-- To the Moms Club of Traverse Bay Area for organizing its second annual Great Babysitter Swap last weekend, drawing more than 60 parents and sitters looking to make a connection. For more information on The Moms Club of the Traverse Bay Area, visit www.themomsclub.net.

-- To Dick Kerr, former owner, editor and publisher of the Leelanau Enterprise, on the publication of his book "... Of cabbages -- and kings ..." It's a litany of anecdotes, photographs, and observations by and items written about the fiery Kerr over his 45 years at newspapers big and small in Michigan and elsewhere. The book is available at the Business Helper, 117 Broadway in Suttons Bay and 13730 SW Bayshore Drive (M-22) in Greilickville.

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