Lorain County Community Guide - June 29, 2023

Lorain, Medina Counties among fastest aging

Recently released census data shows that Lorain and Medina counties are aging faster than the state and national norm; and that has wide-ranging implications, according to experts.

Census data shows that between 2000 and 2022, the percentage of population that is 60 or older nearly doubled in Medina County, from 14.4 percent of total population to 27.1 percent, while Lorain County saw an increase from 16.5 percent to 27 percent.

While Ohio as a whole has an aging population, the 60-plus population saw an increase of 50.5 percent statewide from 2000 to 2022, while Lorain and Medina counties are far outpacing that mark.

Medina was the sixth-fastest aging county in the state, with a 128.2 percent

increase in proportion of people over 60, and Lorain County was 13th, with an increase of 81.7 percent.

The total combined 60-plus population of Lorain and Medina counties nearly doubled in that span, from 68,806 to 135,172 last year.

Organizations like the Lorain County Office on Aging that provide services to older adults already are feeling the pressure of an increased service population, Executive Director Lauren Ksiazek said.

Ksiazek said that compared with 2019, the call volume that the Office on Aging received increased by roughly 94 percent in 2022.

“We are seeing that very much in the number of calls we are receiving,” she said. “We are getting almost double the number of calls that we were just four years ago. We are seeing a lot more calls into our organization and are hearing from

Wellington first responders switch to L3 Harris radios

THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

WELLINGTON — Fire, police and ambulance personnel in Wellington and its surrounding townships will soon be the latest using L3 Harris radios.

During a special meeting June 22, Village Council approved a $214,522 purchase from Cleveland Communications Inc. of 20 portable and eight car radios, as well as a new dispatch center console for the new police station.

JEFF BARNES | The Community Guide

ABOVE: Dan Cherney along with his granddaughter, Drina Andres, 11, work on their large work of art during the Oberlin Chalk Walk on June 24.

BELOW: Candace Traster designs her chalk art of Beavis and Butt-Head.

Chalk Walk invites artists to live in the moment

OBERLIN — Artists young and old covered Oberlin’s sidewalks in colorful, temporary art on June 24.

With the sidewalk as their canvas, more than 1,000 visitors decorated Oberlin for the 16th annual Chalk Walk.

Committee Chair Barry Richard said the event was going strong Saturday afternoon, with more attendees than anticipated thanks to a cloudy day without rain.

The event, which took a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, hires sev-

Purchasing the equipment before June 28 saved the village about $87,000, Mayor Hans Schneider said.

Schneider said the department’s current dispatch console is from the 1980s and there were concerns as to whether or not it would even survive the move to the new station. So either way, the department would have looked to purchase a new dispatch center.

He said the expense will come out of the village’s capital project budget, or its

League of Women Voters, labor leaders decry Issue 1

AMHERST — Local labor leaders were joined June 21 by League of Women Voters of Ohio Executive Director Jen Miller in asking voters to reject Issue 1, calling a proposal to raise the threshold for amending the Ohio Constitution an “attack on every Ohioan.”

Gathering at the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers training center on Leavitt Road, representatives from Lorain County AFL-CIO, Lorain County Central Labor Council along with Miller blasted the move pushed by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose that would require 60 percent support to amend the Ohio Constitution through a citizens ballot initiative, a proposal that upends the current requirement of 50 percent plus one in place

for more than 110 years. Voters will head to the polls Aug. 8 in a special election that has attracted criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

“For more than 110 years, Ohio voters have had the freedom and right to put Constitutional amendments directly on the ballot with a simple majority. We need to preserve the sacred principle of one person, one vote,” said Ron Adkins, president of the Lorain County Central Labor Council. “Now unions all across this state are working in a bipartisan fashion at all levels of government to spur massive job creation and economic development.

“With so much opportunity in front of us, we believe Issue 1 is unnecessary and divisive. Working Ohioans are calling for more collaboration and less conflict. Vote No on Issue 1 on Aug. 8.”

CARISSA WOYTACH

KEVIN MARTIN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

Lorain International Festival celebrates cultures of the city

Pauline Lucille Wohlgemuth

Pauline Lucille Wohlgemuth, 95, of Wooster, died Saturday, June 24, 2023 at Smithville Western Care Center. She was born May 5, 1928 in West Salem, to Herbert and Opal Motter Berry.

On April 17, 1948, she married Warren ‘Jack’ Wohlgemuth. He preceded her in death in 2006.

Pauline retired after 17 years working for Forest City Technologies. She was a member of First Church of God where she taught Sunday School and Home Study Bible School.

She is survived by her daughter, Sharon (Chuck) Lanier of Wooster; and brothers, Kenneth (Carolyn) Berry of Perrysville and Donald (Cynthia) Berry of West Salem.

Along with her husband, Pauline was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Arthur, William, Virgil and Eugene Berry and son-in-law, Duane Morgan.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 12 Noon in McIntire, Bradham & Sleek Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster with Pastor Arnie Kaufman officiating. Interment will follow in Greenwood Cemetery in Wellington. Friends will be received one hour prior to the service in the funeral home.

Contributions may be directed to Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www. mcintirebradhamsleek.com

William J. Eldridge, Sr.

William J. Eldridge, Sr., 83, of South Amherst, passed away Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at Amherst Manor Nursing Home, following a full and meaningful life.

Arrangements by Hempel Funeral Home.

Our condolences go out to families that have suffered the loss of a loved one. To place an obituary or death notice in the Community Guide, call (440) 329-7000.

RADIOS

FROM A1

capital project reserve fund.

He said the purchase was motivated by the department’s need, and the county’s rescission of an $8 million contract with Cleveland Communications Inc. in January that would have provided L3 Harris radios and associated hardware to departments throughout the county. Cleveland Communications has since sued the county.

In a statement on social media, Schneider said the cancellation of the County’s contract with Cleveland Communications put the health and safety of residents and first responders at risk.

“That was just unacceptable on every level,” he said. “Village Council did the right thing today. I hope other communities will listen to the experts — their own safety leaders — and move to the L3 Harris radio system. It’s the right thing to do.”

In February, the Wellington Village Council passed a resolution calling for the Lorain County Board of Commissioners to reinstate the contract with Cleveland Communications, and fire district Chief Mike Wetherbee has been a strong proponent of the L3 Harris system.

Wetherbee, president of the Lorain County Fire Chiefs Association, said

his fire district also voted this month to purchase L3 Harris radios for $198,000. He said the Southern Lorain County Ambulance District approved a similar measure as well — meaning all first responders in Wellington will be on the same system in the next few months.

Southern Lorain County Ambulance District Chief Henry Smitley said the district will spend about $69,000 out of its capital account to buy its radios, and hopes to have them by late summer or early fall of this year.

Wellington Fire District serves residents in Wellington and Wellington Township, as well as Pittsfield, Brighton, Penfield and Huntington townships.

The Southern Lorain County Ambulance District serves residents in Wellington Village and Township, as well as Rochester, Rochester Township, and Brighton, Penfield and Huntington townships.

Earlier this month Lorain fire — the largest department in the county — had purchases for its switch to the L3 Harris system approved by the city’s Board of Control, joining neighboring Amherst, Sheffield and other departments on the digital system.

Elyria fire will use American Rescue Plan Act funds to do the same.

OWEN MacMILLAN |

The Community Guide

Several hundred marched in the Lorain International Festival parade, marking an end to the 55th annual festival on June 26. Marching at the front were flag-bearers representing dozens of nation, followed by dozens of floats. This year’s spotlight nationality was Ukrainian, with a float hoping for peace in the Slavic country.

AGING

FROM A1

more older adults that are struggling financially.”

Laura Toth, director of the Medina County Office for Older Adults, said that her organization has also seen a steady increase in need for service.

“I’ve been in this position for 12 years, and every year there is an increase in the amount of people calling, asking for assessments, meals and asking for help with insurance decisions.”

The aging population is due to a variety of factors, but two major causes are the baby boomer generation aging into the 60-plus bracket and the fact that American adults are living longer than they were in 2000.

“We are seeing more calls into our organization and more people in need

of help in their homes because folks are living longer,” Ksiazek said. “The number I have really been wanting to draw people’s attention to is our current population over 85 is right around 2 percent in (Lorain) County. We are anticipating that by 2050, we could be closer to 4, 4½ percent. That is important because those are the individuals who are going to need the support of the community.”

While the office serves anyone over the age of 60, adults over the age of 85 are the ones who have the most needs and require the most intensive care; everything from home delivered meals, rides to the doctor, home care and basic socialization needs.

“A lot of the folks that are aging into our demo-

graphic now, they may not need our help yet, but they are going to,” Ksiazek said.

Organizations like the Office on Aging already are trying to meet a large volume of need, and that need is only going to increase as more adults age into their service range as well as get older and require more assistance.

“It’s challenging, we’re hanging in there but we certainly need to be preparing,” Ksiazek said. “Getting funding for older adult services is a struggle. … We are going to have to get very creative and we’re going to have to come together as a partner network.”

An older population, and specifically an older population with many in need of assistance, will

have wide ranging impacts on the whole community. Toth echoed the idea of building and strengthening a partner network to meet the growing need, and prepare for where it will be in the future.

“We have a strategic plan and we are working through that, we are building up our services and people have responded,” Toth said.

“I think we are all — our community, the county and Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging, which is one of our major funders — we’re all looking toward that increase and saying how can we meet the need and in terms of both services and funding. And so far, so good, we’re getting there.”

Lorain man fined in Barra Restaurant crash

A Lorain man who crashed into the front of a downtown Amherst restaurant last month pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor traffic charge and was fined, according to court records.

Connor Cordy, 18, pleaded guilty to failure to control, a misdemeanor, by waiver in Oberlin Munici-

ISSUE 1

pal Court on June 13. Fines and court costs totaled $190, according to court records.

Amherst police said Cordy was driving a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan shortly before 4:30 a.m. May 27 with passenger Savannah Lee, 16, inside when he crashed the SUV into the front of Barra Restaurant at 105 Park Ave. Cordy and Lee were taken to Mercy Health Hospital in

Lorain for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries.

The restaurant at Amherst’s downtown “5 Points” intersection was seriously damaged and closed for repairs. The crash also forced organizers to alter the route of the Amherst Memorial Day parade.

As of June 21, the restaurant was scheduled to reopen the first week of July, according to a post on its Facebook page.

Adkins said he was joining 200 organizations and former Ohio governors and attorneys general from both parties in opposing Issue 1, characterizing it as a power grab financed by out-ofstate wealthy elitists. If it passes, he said other protections Ohioans hold dear could also be under threat, from collective bargaining rights to public education, infrastructure funding and what he called basic human rights.

“This has got to stop. So I implore everyone to educate your neighbors, your friends to vote no in this election. This has major implications for all of us. We cannot sit by on our hands,” Adkins said. Miller called Issue 1 an “assault on our democracy,” expressing citizendriven ballot initiatives have given Ohioans the freedom to make laws that affect their lives when politicians have failed them.

“And right now politicians in Columbus are failing us. Ballot initiatives have improved the daily lives of Ohioans in each of our 88 counties,” she said. Ballot initiatives, Miller said, approved pensions for war veterans, funding for school construction and integrating people of color into the military, among other initiatives.

“Indeed some of the best policies in Ohio have been passed for and by the people through constitutional ballot initiatives.

That’s why we are honored to stand with police officers and firefighters, construction workers and nurses, faith leaders and teachers, good government groups, local civic organizations, all who are ready to defeat this at the ballot box,” Miller said.

Jim Sloane, president of the Lorain County UAW CAP Council, called Issue 1 one of the most devastat-

ing proposals he has ever seen in his many years of political advocacy and believed Ohioans should follow the money, pointing to out of state funding by billionaires in Illinois in an attempt to control politics in Ohio.

“Who’s paying for this?

Who brought this up? Who is making this happen in Ohio? It’s a billionaire out of Illinois trying to control the politics in the state of Ohio, trying to control our lives in the state of Ohio and believe me, this is about controlling our lives,” Slone said. “It’s about controlling everything that you and I do, everything we’ve worked for, everything we stood for over the years, trying to make lives better for men and women, especially working men and women in the state of Ohio.

“They’re trying to take that away from us,” he said.

Statewide campaign

Facing barriers of low voter turnout and questions around the ability of county boards of elections to finance the special election, Miller is calling on the Ohio General Assembly to fully fund this election, and the League of Women Vot-

ers is prepared to support a potential move by election boards to seek additional funding from the state’s Controlling Board under the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.

The August 2022 primary election cost taxpayers approximately $20 million and Miller said much of the budgeting for elections is dependent on voter turnout. With turnout expected to be higher on Aug. 8, the price tag could be higher.

Miller said the League of Women Voters along with organizations across Ohio will be running a statewide neighbor-to-neighbor campaign and getting Ohioans engaged with about seven weeks to make their case.

“When they find out about it, they’re often very mad. So I think step one is making sure that Ohioans know that there’s an election Aug. 8, and that their rights are on the line.

… We have union leaders and activists from across the state knocking on doors and making phone calls and texting folks. That’s why we’re at libraries and community festivals and Pride events, all to make sure that everyday Ohioans in all 88 counties know that there’s an election and that this is on the line and that we need them to vote no,” Miller said.

BRUCE BISHOP | The Community Guide

ABOVE: Jen Miller, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters speaks at the Bricklayers Hall.

BELOW: Audience member listen as Jen Miller, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters takes questions about Issue 1 in Amherst.

Wellington hosts Second Harvest mobile pantry

Rep. Manning’s adjustment to third grade reading guarantee passes Ohio House

Legislation to adjust Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee passed the Ohio House on Wednesday and now heads to the Ohio Senate.

House Bill 117 introduced by Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, will eliminate holding students back under the reading guarantee program for students entering third grade without a parent’s consent in the 2023-24 school year and will require only one third-grade English language-arts assessment per year.

“Education of Ohio’s children is a balance

between the needs of students, the rights of the parents and advice of educators,” Manning said. “This legislation will strike that balance by reducing the stress of overtesting, while giving both parents and educators a say in the advancement of students.”

To help provide additional assistance to students that may fall behind in their reading proficiency, Manning’s legislation will require the state Board of Education to expand the standards of teaching of phonics from third to fifth grade students.

In addition to the remediation services for students reading below grade

level that are already required, the legislation will require these services be increased to fourth and fifth grade students. These services must include reading improvements and monitoring plans for students in fourth and fifth grade who have been identified as reading below grade level.

“Ultimately this legislation strives to give students the education needed to advance in their educational careers and not put unnecessary burden on teachers by holding students back, increasing class sizes,” Manning added.

The legislation will apply to public and private schools.

July 4th traditions continue in Rochester

ROCHESTER — As cities and towns across the county prepare for Fourth of July picnics and celebrations, one village readies for its 103rd annual Fourth of July Homecoming celebration.

And from 103 years ago to today, not much has changed with the quaint celebration that starts with coffee and donuts in the morning and ends with fireworks at night.

“We’re a small town of about 180 people,” said Kathy Frombaugh, village trustee and president of the Homecoming committee. “Most people know everyone in town. People come home for this, even people who haven’t lived here in many years still come back. There’s a feeling of camaraderie at Homecoming.”

Frombaugh estimates the village will be bustling with upward of 800 people enjoying the day filled with food, a parade, rides and games and fireworks. In some ways, it really

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The 103rd annual Rochester Fourth of July Homecoming

WHEN: 9 a.m. to dusk, Tuesday, July 4

WHERE: Eagle Street Park and Fire Department

EVENTS

9 a.m. — coffee and donuts

10:30 a.m. — parade

Noon to 4 p.m. — Historical Society Open House

5 p.m. — Rides and games

5:30 p.m.— Old-time kids’ contests

6 to 9 p.m. — Country-western band Minor Adjustments performs Dusk — Fireworks

will be like taking a walk into the past.

Homemade ice cream will be sold throughout the day at the firehouse.

Kids will get to play games like an egg toss, balloon toss, wheel barrel races, ring toss and a dunk booth.

And the parade may get interrupted once, twice or multiple times — one year, it was stopped 13 times.

“Our parade you get to see twice,” Frombaugh said. “It leaves the fire station, goes down to the

cemetery and comes back through. From Corvettes to horses, we have a lot of participants. Last year, there were 60 to 70. Of course, it may get stopped by a train, but that’s what happens in a small town.” If nothing else, paradegoers get to watch the train pass by.

Parade registration runs from 9 to 10:15 a.m. and anyone is welcome to enter one of the eight categories — floats, horses, tractors, walkers or bicycles, automobiles, patriotic, business or motorized bikes/4—wheelers/golf carts. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place with $100 going to the top float

In addition to the food, games and parade, the Historical Society is hosting an Open House throughout the day and free music entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with country-western band Minor Adjustments.

“Rochester is unique,”

Frombaugh said. “We have the parade and then most people go home and have their picnic, then everyone comes back for the rides and games, music and fireworks. We don’t have a lot going on in Rochester. This is one of the main things and we just keep doing it.”

JEFF BARNES | The Community Guide

In partnership with the Educational Service Center of Lorain County, Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio distributed food at Wellington’s McCormick Middle School on June 20 to those in need. Mobile Food Pantry boxes are packed by volunteers at Second Harvest and driven over on the day of distribution with available fresh produce, protein, bread, and more.

CHRISTINA JOLLIFFE THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

LGBTQ+ Lorain County host Pride

OBERLIN — A heavy bass line thrummed from Tappan Square while local drag queen Kaydence Jayne sang a medley of pop hits.

The performance, followed by several other drag kings and queens’ routines, was part of the second annual full Lorain County Pride event, hosted by LGBTQ+ Lorain County on June 25.

Executive Director Megan Baechle said the event grew from only about 20 vendors last year to more than 50 this year, and coincided with the 16th annual Chalk Walk — serendipitously bringing more attendees, she said.

While Cleveland’s Pride events often bring tens of thousands to the city, Baechle said it’s important to remember the LGBTQ community isn’t concentrated in just metropolitan areas.

“Queer people are everywhere,” she said. “They don’t just exist in big cities, so it’s really important for us to hold events and to hold Pride within Lorain County so that people can see that, feel that and connect with other queer folks.”

Sara Panza, of North Ridgeville, said Saturday was her first time volunteering at a Pride event — bringing with her a new offshoot of the national Free Mom Hugs organization. About

a half-dozen other Lorain County residents joined her Saturday, embracing LGBTQ individuals young and old.

The national organization started in 2015, when

founder Sara Cunningham wore a homemade button with “Free Mom Hugs” written on it to the Oklahoma city Pride Festival, offering hugs to anyone who made eye contact,

according to freemomhugs. org.

Several attendees at that event told Cunningham their own mothers had rejected them because of their sexuality. In 2018,

Cunningham offered to attend same-sex weddings as a stand-in mother, and soon after there were chapters with volunteer mothers and fathers ready to offer hugs, or stand in at major life events of LGBTQ+ individuals in all 50 states.

Panza said she contacted the Ohio chapter and found there wasn’t an area event coordinator for Lorain County. So she stepped in to fill the void.

She said she was prompted in part by news stories about attacks on drag queen story hours nationally, and in neighboring counties including Medina County, and knew not everyone in the LGBTQ+ community had supportive parents.

“I love hugs, and if somebody needs and a hug and I can give them a hug, then it’s a match made in heaven,” she said.

As the parents of 8- and 13-year-old kids, Panza said she and her husband want to lead by example.

“We’re just showing them that love is love,” she said. “We’re leading by example with what we feel is love.”

For more information on LGBTQ+ Lorain County, including other events, visit www.lgbtqloraincounty. com.

League of Women Voters, Elyria Library partner on voter registration drives

The Community Guide Edith Droney, 4, makes the finishing touches to her work of art as her dad, Damien, looks on with during the 16th annual Oberlin Chalk Walk on June 24.

● July 3: West River Branch, 1194 West River Road N., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

several professional artists, while supplying others with chalk to make their own art — from young children’s colorful scribbles to adults’ and teens’ drawings of cartoon characters, movie references or brewery logos.

Near Blue Rooster Bakehouse, Oberlin resident Candace Traster paid homage to MTV’s “Beavis and Butt-Head,” giving the titular characters McDonald’s uniforms.

This was her third year participating in the Chalk Walk.

“I just think it’s a really good community-building event,” she said. “The first year that I lived here I didn’t know it was a thing. … It’s just there’s so many people from so many different walks of life and we all just kind of gather together over art, and I think that’s really cool.”

Professional artists Hector Castellanos Lara and Wendy Mahon, both from Cleveland, were near Ben Franklin, merging a detailed dragonfly with the New Union Center for the Arts tower.

Castellanos Lara, who was the lead artist for this year’s Parade the Circle at

the Cleveland Museum of Art, brought the dragonfly theme from the Clevelandbased event to Oberlin.

While Mahon worked on the dragonfly, chalking in its blue and purple body, Castellanos Lara put details to the Oberlin College building.

He said the dragonfly theme was one of transformation, hope, new beginnings, courage and change, and a reminder to make the most of every moment —

as the insect only lives for about six months, depending on the species.

Another professional artist and longtime Chalk Walk participant, Dan Cherney, spent his Saturday near Trustworthy Tattoo drawing a sprawling underwater scene.

What started with an octopus — complete with fuzzy eyebrows — grew to include Nemo, Dory and Pearl from “Finding Nemo” and other critters,

thanks in part to his granddaughter Drina’s help.

Cherney compared the impermanence of the mural to going to a concert or a meal with good friends: all live-in-the-moment events.

“Those are all kind of events where you appreciate them while you’ve got them and when you’re done let them go and move on to something else,” he said.

The League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area and the Elyria Public Library System will host a series of voter registration events beginning July 3 in preparation for the Aug. 8 special election.

Eligible voters will be able to register to vote, update their registration if they have moved or changed names and to fill out an absentee ballot request form.

“As the only League serving the diverse communities of Lorain County, LWVOA encourages all eligible voters in the county to vote in the Aug. 8 Special Election,” the organization wrote in a news release.

“LWVOA is a nonpartisan grassroots organization that neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate. Our mission is to protect and expand voting rights and to ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. July 10 is the deadline to register to vote in the Aug. 8 Special Election.”

League of Women Voters volunteers will host events at all three Elyria Public Library System locations:

● July 5: Central Branch, 211 Second St., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

● July 7: South Branch, 340 15th St., 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The voter registration deadline in July 10, with early voting beginning July 11.

On Aug. 8, Ohioans will be asked to decide on the Issue 1 ballot initiative. The measure would raise the threshold to amend the Ohio Constitution from 50 percent plus one to 60 percent, a move sharply criticized by the league and organizations across the state.

If passed, the league noted it would allow a minority of voters to block the desires of the majority of Ohioans that head to the polls for future statewide ballot initiatives.

“If passed this would allow just 40 percent of voters to block what the majority wants. It would be as if your favorite sports team (Ohio State) earned 6 points against the 4 points earned by the University of Michigan and U of M being declared the winner,” the league wrote.

JEFF BARNES | The Community Guide

Drag Queen Kaydence Jayne performed in Tappan Square during LGBTQ+ Lorain County’s Pride event on June 24.

JEFF BARNES |

STAFF REPORT

United Way breakfast spotlights collaboration

The United Way of Greater Lorain County held a Celebration of Community Impact breakfast on June 22 where attendees heard from experts about their nonprofit work in the county and the impact United Way has had on one local family.

Rebekah Johnson, a lifelong Lorain County resident, spoke to the more than 100 in attendance at the Lorain County Community College Spitzer Conference Center, sharing her journey through and with United Way.

Johnson and her husband, Mario, have five children between the ages of 10 years and 8 months old.

Their family lives at 300 percent below the poverty line, Rebekah Johnson said.

Like many families in poverty, she explained how they repeatedly make marginal progress before being met with another setback.

“It feels like you’re going in circles and you can’t get yourself out,” she said.

In one case, she began taking classes at LCCC to obtain a child development associate degree. When she was forced to withdraw from LCCC due to medical issues, she learned that her family had lost their financial child care support.

“I was forced to drop out of my classes to recover and heal,” Johnson said. “And when I reported I was no longer taking classes, my child care subsidy was immediately cut off.”

The OberlinKids Community Collaborative, a United Way child care program, stepped in and provided a scholarship so Johnson’s 4-year-old son, Xemar, was allowed to remain in his preschool program.

Xemar receives development counseling in school and Johnson said without this step, his development might have taken a serious hit.

“It is so important to help him maintain a routine and deal with his social emotional issues and support his kindergarten-readiness,” Johnson said. “As we know, that is super important.”

Through her son, Johnson became involved with OberlinKids and was eventually offered a job with the program herself.

But again, a subsidy cut tripped up Johnson and her family.

Despite the fact she works only about 10 hours a week, her newfound employment led to the food stamps on which her family rely being cut by $200.

“Just when I thought we were making progress, and I’d actually be able to bring money in and help my husband pay our bills, I had to put that money back into feeding our family,” Johnson said. “That is why … families are scared. They’re scared of going over the benefits cliff, and losing support they desperately rely on.”

But Johnson is still working hard to get her family out of poverty, and she said United Way and its partner programs were instrumental in keeping them afloat.

“Despite the challenges, I feel like our family has made so much progress because of OberlinKids,” she said. “And OberlinKids … the additional connections and resources continue to help us today. Thank you

19 graduate from police academy

KEVIN MARTIN THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

Nineteen cadets graduated from the Lorain County Community College Police Academy on June 20 and will move to the next phase of their careers in law enforcement.

In a ceremony at LCCC’s Stocker Center Hoke Theater, cadets were celebrated for their successful completion of six months of hard work.

Rick Thomas, commander of LCCC Police Academy, told graduates to be lifelong learners and continue serving with passion and honor.

“You graduates epitomize all that is right and great with this country and its youth,” he said. “I charge you how to go forward to serve your communities with passion and honor, to be consequent lifelong learners, to value compassion as much as you do valor and to always stay safe.”

The class has representatives working for police departments in Lorain and Cuyahoga counties and puts the academy at 715 graduates trained since its inception in 2002.

Class President Alex M. Rush is an officer with the Avon Lake Police Department and was selected by his fellow cadets as a leader. Rush, a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, said in his remarks that he encouraged his class members not to focus on the “whatifs.”

The biggest challenge was personal training and Rush had an answer for every time one of his class members expressed doubts or a lack of confidence.

“And that answer is what if your aunt had wheels? Well, then she’d be a bicycle. The point of that wasn’t to be humorous or sarcastic. I would give that answer because I have this philosophy on my life. Don’t focus on the what ifs, don’t obsess with the possibilities that might not happen,” Rush said.

Everything is 50-50 in terms of success or failure, and Rush said he accepted the role of president from his experience in going through training and his fellow cadets adapted quickly to changing conditions, skills that will serve them all well.

LCCC President Marcia J. Ballinger thanked graduates for answering the call to serve their communities, many of whom will stay within Lorain County, adding police officers set the standards for behavior in communities.

“I know that each of you will rise to this responsibility while bringing security to the communities you serve,” Ballinger said.

so much, for your collaboration and for helping families like mine.”

Barriers to escaping financial insecurity

The main portion of the event was a panel discussing the issues facing Lorain County’s population and how community organizations can help uplift families like the Johnsons.

United Way Board Chair Brad Calabrese moderated the panel, which consisted of six women who were all experts in areas of public service.

Calabrese asked panelists to identify a single issue that they felt was a major barrier to Lorain County families escaping financial insecurity.

“Income — that is really the bottom line,” said panelist Lauren Ksiazek, executive director of the Lorain County Office on Aging. “(Poverty) is a continuous cycle, and we see that among our older adults. We have people who are coming in who are 70 or 80 years old and they have no money saved. They’ve never had any money saved, and this is just their reality.”

Another panelist, Sharon Pearson of Lorain County Mobility Management, a United Way initiative, stuck to her expertise to answer Calabrese’s question.

“I am going to be a broken record and say transportation,” Pearson said. “In order for somebody to get a job or to get educated, if they can’t get there I don’t know how they are going to advance.”

Pearson added that beyond making it to a job or a class, without reliable transportation, people struggle to obtain food, medical service or even basic social interaction they need.

El Centro Director of Youth Services Monica Snipes-Martin, who was also representing the 231Go! Community collaborative on the panel, echoed some ideas that Rebekah Johnson shared. They both talked about the idea of families being held in financial insecurity by a sense of fear and the idea of the “benefits cliff.”

“I am going to go out on a limb and say fear of being independent in this economic system,” SnipesMartin said. “We serve families that are $50 to $100 just over the income limit to qualify for certain programs. And that little bit causes them to be ineligible for so many other services.

… It punishes that, for lack of a better term.”

Katelyn Gonzalez is director of the Rising Titans community collaborative, a partner program of Neighborhood Alliance funded by United Way.

Rising Titans focuses on education and development for children between birth and 5 years old, and Gonzalez also spoke about program cutoffs negatively impacting families in her program.

“We see it every day in the kindergarten readiness or child world,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve seen multiple times where a mother or a family takes advantage of a little bit of overtime for a short period of time. The county denies them because they are a few cents, dollars over the limit, they lose their child care and now they can’t go to work.”

Education can help, panelists say When Calabrese asked the panel how they thought United Way and its partners could tackle the issues facing Lorain County families, almost all of them spoke about education in some way.

“LCCC is a huge benefit to our community, and a huge asset,” Snipes-Martin said.

“A lot of the programs we do we tie in our strong partner LCCC, we get our kids out here and show them all the opportunities they have. And with that, we show the parents and the caregivers that they have these opportunities to connect with those same resources … and they can change their lives, too.”

Ksiazek spoke about a less traditional form of education — informing people about the ability they have to make change in things they see as unfair.

“We have to start empowering people to feel like their voice can make a change,” she said. “We have to somehow empower people, but I see so much learned helplessness in our community, and we have to somehow light that inside people and empower them. That is the first step to really making some change.”

The panel spoke about a wide range of other topics, issues and solutions, and United Way of Greater Lorain County President and CEO Ryan Aroney said that collaboration represented the best that United Way has to offer.

“I think the key is not being in silos,” Aroney said. “I think it is in human nature to be a little bit competitive. Sometimes people can put our guard up and protect what they’re working on as theirs, but I think in our world, the nonprofit world, we’re not competing with each other, we’re competing against the problems in our community. Against poverty and transportation (issues)

Lorain County Metro Parks debuts new park in Vermilion

RINI JEFFERS THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

VERMILION — The newest offering in the Lorain County Metro Parks system may feature green space and a walking trail like many of its sister parks, but the Cassell Reservation is subtly distinct.

The park is a haven for rare and endangered plants, with several found growing within its 290 acres.

The reservation was dedicated June 22 with a ribboncutting by Metro Parks officials, board members and relatives of Ken Cassell, whose initial donation of 40 acres of land off Highbridge Road first started the park, said LCMP Director James Ziemnik.

From that 2004 donation the LCMP acquired additional land through funding from Clean Ohio grants and a donation earlier this year from the Sommer Realty Co. of a 29-acre parcel that will connect to Liberty Avenue to the north.

The park now has a 1.2-mile walking trail that was specially built to preserve the soil and plant life. The site’s unique acidic soil and hydrologic features make it a haven for its plant life.

One plant, Carey’s smartweed, or the Persicaria careyi, was discovered here in 2017 by scientists from the Museum of Natural History. It hadn’t been in Ohio since 1894 and had long been considered extinct.

Sandstone gravel was trucked in rather than crushed limestone in order to not alter the soil’s pH balance. Long-term plans may include an elevated walkway over wetlands and a shelter, Ziemnik said, and possibly a small paved parking lot at another entrance off Liberty.

The reservation is the largest tract of land the Metro Parks owns closest to Lake Erie, Ziemnik said.

“There’s more to come in future years,” he said. “That’s very much our business, it’s for the people. That’s very much what we do.”

The trailhead for the Cassell Reservation is at 815 Highbridge Road.

and the benefits cliff.”

OWEN MACMILLAN

THE COMMUNITY GUIDE

OWEN MacMILLAN | The Community Guide

From left: Lorain County Office on Aging executive director Lauren Ksiazek, Katelyn Gonzalez, Rising Titans director, El Centro Director of Youth Services Monica Snipes-Martin, Sharon Pearson of Lorain County Mobility Management and Tanya Kahl, 211 First Call for Help assistant vice president sit on a panel at the United Way Celebration of Community Impact breakfast on June 22.

Rebekah Johnson speaks at the United Way Celebration of Community Impact breakfast about how United Way and its programs have helped her family.

BRUCE BISHOP | The Community Guide Candy Goff, Jan Cassell, Steve Cassell, and Linda Cassell-Cyrek listen as they are introduced to the crowd during the ribbon cutting at the new Cassell Reservation 815 Highbridge Road, Vermilion on June 22.

July 4th

● Avon Avon’s July 4 fireworks display will take place at MercyHealth Stadium, 2009 Baseball Boulevard, Avon, on Monday, July 3, following the Lake Erie Crushers’ game against the Evansville Otters.

The game is slated to start at 7:05 p.m.

On Tuesday, July 4, Avon will hold its annual July 4 Bike Parade at the Avon Aquatic Facility, 36265 Detroit Road, Avon, at 10 a.m. Riders of all ages are welcome to decorate their bike, wagon or stroller and participate for free in the one-mile parade.

● Avon Lake

Avon Lake’s July 4 celebration will be at Weiss Field, 33401 Webber Road, from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 4.

There will be food trucks as well as music. Jam Machine will perform from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by a Dave Matthews Tribute Band from 8 to 10 p.m.

Fireworks are scheduled at 10 p.m.

● Elyria

Trash pickup in the city will be delayed one day due to the July 4 holiday, according to the city website.

Elyria’s Independence Day celebrations will take place Friday, June 30, at West Park beginning at 7 p.m. with a fireworks display to begin at 10:15 p.m. Festivities will feature food trucks, live music bounce houses, chalk art areas and basketball activities.

● Grafton

“Celebrate Grafton” begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 1, with the second annual 5K and 1-mile fun run at North Park. The cost is $35. Check-in

BULLETIN BOARD

is at 8:30 a.m. Participants who sign up by June 23 will receive a “Celebrate Grafton” T-shirt. Go to tinyurl.com/ ysrn2bf7 to register. All proceeds benefit the new Hound Hollow Dog Park in Grafton.

The day’s events continue at Willow Park on Main Street.

Live music begins at 3 p.m. with The Doman’s, followed by House PartyThe J. Geils Band tribute at 5:30 p.m., and Mr. BreezeLynyrd Skynyrd tribute band at 8 p.m.

The concert will be followed by fireworks at 10 p.m.

● Lorain Fireworks are from 10 to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, at Mile Long Pier.

● North Ridgeville

The North Ridgeville Freedom Festival and Fireworks start in Victory Park Ohio, 7777 Victory Lane, at 4 p.m. Monday, July 3.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with activities, entertainment, food and beverages. Fireworks will be at approximately 10 p.m. Tickets are per-vehicle and can be purchased online at www. victoryparkohio.com.

North Ridgeville city offices are closed Tuesday, July 4.

● Oberlin

The city’s 2023 Independence Day Fireworks are set to go off from the Oberlin Recreation Complex on West Hamilton Street at dusk on Tuesday, July 4.

Those planning to drive to the fireworks are asked to follow a specific traffic plan: One-way traffic will be maintained westbound on West Hamilton Street between South Professor Street and Pyle South

THEME: BIOLOGY 101

The Lorain County Community Guide Bulletin Board is for local nonprofit and not-for-profit events. Items are published on a space-available basis and will be edited for style, length, and clarity. Send your items to news@lcnewspapers.com

Amherst Road prior to the fireworks.

Parking is permitted on the south side of West Hamilton Street facing west. No traffic will be allowed to move on West Hamilton Street during the fireworks. There will be no parking on West Lincoln Street, Washington Circle, or South Professor Street behind the Oberlin Fire Department.

Amherst

Public Library

● 7/1 and 7/18 - Canine

Reading Buddies

● 7/1 - Cardboard CakesKid’s Art Workshop

● 7/7 and 7/21 - Music and Movement Storytime

● 7/10 - Watercolor Pencils and More Art Workshop

● 7/10 - Splash + Play Outdoor Sensory Playtime

Herrick Memorial Library

Registration is required for most programs. Call (440) 647-2120 to register or for more information.

The library will be closed July 4. It will reopen at 10 a.m. on July 5.

● READ to PUTTER from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays.

● Special and regular board meeting: 10:30 a.m.

July 6

● Lorain County Public Health vaccine clinic is 2-6 p.m. July 5

● Monday Kindness Crafts at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

July 3: Kindness Buggle Kit

July 10: Sprinkle kindness donut ornament

July 17: Felt heart pocket hug

● Summer Story Times through July 1

Family story times are

10:30 a.m. Tuesdays

Baby lap-sit story times are 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays

● School-age programs are 11 a.m. Thursdays

July 6: Recycled paper boxes crafting

July 13: wire and bead balloons

July 20: Summer Reading finale

Open Tech Help is 1:30-3 p.m. July 12

Glass charms craft is 6 p.m. July 18 Intro to Canning is 6 p.m.

July 20

Workshop

Players

The Workshop Players Theatre are holding auditions for “Death Trap” by Ira Levin, directed by Barry Saxon, from 6:30-9 p.m. July 10 and 11. Auditions will be held at the theatre, 44820 Middle Ridge Rd., Amherst. Bring a resume and head shot if available and be prepared to stay the entire time. It is suggested, but not necessary, to attend both days. Rehearsals will start Aug. 7 and run 6:30-9 p.m.

Monday through Thursday. Performances are Sept. 1417 and 22-24. For more information, email pegasus227+Deathtrap@ gmail.com

CS Lewis and Friends

CS Lewis & Friends Book Group will meet at the Amherst Library at 7 p.m. July 11. The group will discuss Chapters 4 through 9 of Lewis’s “The Great Divorce.” Contact Marcia Geary at (440) 988-9803 or mgeary@gearylawllc. com with questions. All are welcome!

South Amherst Alumni Banquet

The South Amherst alumni banquet is July 15 at the New Russia Township Hall. The class of 1973 will be honored. Invitations have been sent out and must be returned by July 1. t. If you haven’t received one, please call Jerry Bozicevich at 440-773-5546.

Any senior who’s parents or grandparents have graduated from South Amherst is eligible to apply for a $500.00 scholarship.

Please call Jerry for an application. Donations for the scholarship fund are always welcome.

For more information, call Raynelle Bozicevich (440) 242-1283, raynelle187@ oh.rr.com or Jerry Bozicevich (440) 773-5546.

Avon/Avon Lake Republican Club

● The Avon-Avon Lake Republic Club Friends’ Breakfast is 8 a.m. July 5 at Sugar Creek Restauraunt in Sheffield Village Plaza. Lorain County Community Development Director Robert Duncan will speak about restoration of the Black River watershed, stimulating industrial development, fair housing programs, planning and zoning, development in flood zones and stormwater management. Attendees are responsible for their meals.

● The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will present state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, and Sen. Matt Dolan, RChardon, on the new state budget and news from the statehouse at 5 p.m. July 15 at the Knights of Columbus Ragan Hall, 1783 Moore

Rd., Avon. Dolan will also discuss his campaign for U.S. Senator. Members are free and guests are $5.

Avon Democratic Club

Join the Avon Democratic Club for its annual baseball fundraiser at 7 p.m. Aug. 10 at Mercy Health Stadium, 2009 Baseball Boulevard, in Avon, as the Lake Erie Crushers face the Washington Wild Things. Tickets can be purchased by going to: https://secure.actblue. com/donate/adcbaseball2023

Proceeds will benefit the Avon Democratic Club, local Democratic candidates and voter outreach.

Oberlin Heritage Center

The Heritage Center’s summer camp registration is now open.

● Architecture Camp is 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 7-11. It is for children ages 8 to 13. Members (including children and grandchildren of members) $110

Non-members $125 ● Atronomy and antiquity camp is 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 14-18. It is for children ages 10-15.

Members (including children and grandchildren of members) $110

Non-members $125

For more information, please email our Museum Education and Tour Manager at tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org or register online at oberlinheritagecenter.org

Oberlin Public Library

The Oberlin Public Library Board of Trustees will hold a regular meeting at the library at 5 p.m. July 13. The meeting is open to the public.

Oberlin Farmers Market

The market season will run on Saturdays through Oct. 14, starting at 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. The market specializes in seasonal fresh farm produce, fruit, farm raised meats, natural sweeteners, an assortment of baked goods, such as pies, breads, cookies, flowers, plants, jams, sauces, crafts and more. The market is located in the parking lot of Oberlin Public Library and Oberlin City Hall across from the post office at 69-85 South Main Street, Oberlin, OH 44074.

*Petri dish gel

11. The Wise Men

12. French appetizer

15. Scheherazade’s listener

20. Swelling of human organs

22. Priestly garb

24. Book cover prototype

25. *Fatty acids

26. Piano key material

27. Pancho of Mexican Revolution fame

29. *Basic unit of life

31. Fermented honey libation

32. Misrepresent

33. Theater, to Socrates

34. Deed hearings 36. “Wanted!” option 38. *Parasite’s ride 42. Stable room 45. Sagely 49. Major news network, acr. 51. Cargo carrier 54. Agenda entries 56. Round openings 57. Fill to satisfaction 58. Ox, pl. 59. What Pinocchio did 60. Popular walking shoe brand 61. *Basic unit of heredity 62. South American tubers

Web location

Paradise garden 67. Like Willie Winkie

Mexicans celebrate “Grito de Dolores” (meaning “Cry of Dolores”) on September 15. On that dayin 1810,FatherMiguel Hidalgo yCostilla, apriest in thetown of Dolores, made aspeech demanding the freedom of Mexico from Spain. Now on thisday,the president ringsthe originalbellfromFather Hidalgo’s church and recitesHidalgo’soriginal speech. The president ends with thecry, “Viva México!” which canbeheard the restofthe night duringcelebrations, fireworks and otherfun activities.

People in Poland celebratetheir independenceon November 11 whencitizens place flowers at the Tomb of the UnknownSoldierto commemorate soldierswho have died for their country Citizensattendparadesand ceremonies, wearing Poland’scolors: red and white. In Warsaw, the capital city,thousands of runners participate in the annual Independence DayRun.

Karan’sKite

The nightbefore Independence Day in India,the president of the country gives a speech about how the country is doing.

On the dayitself, August15, citizens gatherand watch their country’s flag being hoistedtothe topofthe flagpole This happens at offices, homesand schools. Afterwards, familiesand friends get togetherand enjoy deliciousfood.

Lotsofpeople alsofly kites on IndependenceDay to symbolize India’sfreedom fromthe Britishon August 15, 1947.

Karan’skite hasstripes. Hiskitehas atail, but not ashort one. Karan doesn’tlike polka dots on kites. It is nota boxkite.

Fireworks have blasted some of thewords out of this article Can youfind where each missing wordbelongs?

Most Independence Day celebrations include setting offfireworks The exploding excitement of fireworkshad its origins in a in China

About1,000 years ago,a Chinesecook three ingredients found in kitchens at that time.A_ _from the cooking fire hisconcoction into ablast of sparks!Somesay this was the _firework.

The threeingredientswere saltpeter (usedfor pickling _________),sulfur (usedto make fires hotter) andcharcoal(the _woodfrom the cooking fire).

StandardsLink: Reading Comprehension: Use context clues to understand the meaning of words.

After reading this page,write three shortstatements for each country thatsum up how independenceis celebratedthere. Poland is done for you.

Standards Link: Writing Applications: Students summarize information found in expository text.

Loudfireworks canscare pets. Be sure to keep yourpetsindoors on Independence Day

Dashthrough today’s newspaper to findthe letters that spell the wordsonthese firecrackers.Spelling an entireword “defuses” thefirecracker.Can youspellthem allinfiveminutes?

CountrySearch

Lookthrough the newspaper to find the names of fiveormorecountries.Find these countries on amap of theworld. Whywas each countrymentioned in your newspaper?

Headline Fun

Lookatthe headlinesin today’s newspaper Rewrite each headline so it means just the opposite

Standards Link: Writing Applications: Write in a variety of formats.

Complete the grid by using all the letters in the word WORLD in each vertical and horizontal row. Each letter should only be used once in each row. Some spaces have been filled in for you.

This week’sword:

UNIQUE

Theadjective unique means beingthe one and only of itskind

The fireworks show was unique to the area

Trytouse theword unique in asentence today when talking with friends and family

My Best Birthday

What was yourbest birthday celebration ever?

©2023byVickiWhiting,Editor Je Schinkel,Graphics Vol. 39,No. 30

Many countries celebrate their independence days in unique and fun ways. This week, Kid Scoop takes atrip around the world to discover how other countries show their loveofindependence