Northern Notes: Community gives for diaper drive

Stephanie Beach: Northern Notes

Related Photos

Stephanie Beach
This five-generation photo was taken in February at a family get-together in Warren. Seated is great-great-grandfather Achille Melone, 95, holding the youngest generation, 2.5-month-old Bradyn Lee. Standing, left to right, are Bradyn's mother, Jessica Strait; his grandmother; Michelle Strait; and great-grandmother, Myrna Stricker. Achille lives in Warren; Bradyn, Jessica, Michelle and Myrna are all from Traverse City. Special to the Record-Eagle

July 11, 2011

By Stephanie Beach, Local columnsit ---- The Record Eagle Mon Apr 02, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT

Sally Hanley, director of the Grand Traverse Baby Pantry, wrote on behalf of the pantry to send its gratitude and appreciation to the Traverse City area community for its support of April's "Diaper Drive."

Sally wrote that more than 400 families with young children visited the pantry in 2010 and diapers are one of the basics they need help with.

"More than 125 packages of diapers were collected, as well as cash donations that allowed us to meet a challenge grant from the Mary Lee Lord Memorial Fund," Sally wrote.

Sally went on to thank Tom's Food Markets, Oleson's Food Stores, Glen's on East Eighth Street, St. Francis Catholic Church, The Presbyterian Church, NW MI Community Action Agency, the Red Dresser and Small Wonders Resale for hosting donation boxes.

•

Shortly before Easter, businesses and organizations banded together at Andre's Place to provide Easter fun for children in foster care through Child and Family Services.

Andre's Place is a nonprofit organization that provides an art program for challenged adults ages 18 to 60. It was founded by Michelle St. Amant in memory of her late son, Andre.

Fliers, designed by Marci Michael, invited children to participate in arts and crafts projects at Andre's Place that included decorating clay pots and planting them with flowers and soil donated by Breeze Hill Greenhouse. Each child received a packet of new art supplies to take home through generous monetary donations from Thirlby Automotive, Target, Andre's Place, the Disability Network, Char and Bob Crosby, and Lee Abbey. Gift certificates donated by the locally owned Wendy's on U.S. 31 by Meijer were attached to each packet.

Fourteen volunteers including Andre's Place artists, Target employees and others helped with the day's activities. Northwestern Michigan Fair Queen Angela Neuman, her mother and Kelly Lemcool from 4-H brought their rabbits, and everyone indulged in home-baked Easter treats provided by the volunteers. The highlight of the event was a storytelling session with poet-bard Terry Wooten from Stone Circle.

"Ours is a fabulous community populated by generous people who are willing to give their time, talents and finances to ensure the success of such an event," wrote Michelle St. Amant.

•

Darwin E. Curtiss, of Lake Ann, has been a volunteer with the Inland Seas Education Association for many years and was fortunate enough this spring to be able to take three boys and one girl from the Traverse City/Lake Ann area to learn how to build an "Opti pram," a small, single-handed sailing dinghy with a "pram" hull intended for use by children up to the age of 15.

"First I want to thank Hagerty Insurance, Inland Seas and others that have given to the boat program at the ISEA building in Suttons Bay," Darwin wrote. "Chuck Dickerson and his crew of volunteers helped make these kids' dream come true."

The class ran from February to April, with a graduation for the kids in mid-April. They will learn how to sail their boat in the middle of July.

"It was a joy to bring these kids to ISEA to learn how to build an Opti pram," Darwin wrote.

An added pleasure for Darwin was being able to work with his 10-year-old grandson Chandler.

"Chandler is so proud of what he was able to build, plus he got to get personally involved with ISEA, which he has seen me involved in for years," Darwin wrote.

Stephanie Beach can be reached at 933-1506 or sbeach@record-eagle.com.