Photo courtesy: John Drozdowski
Estate Planning 101 Which plan do you need?
Time to clear up the confusion about Estate Planning ... The following definitions lack legal precision, but makes it easier to get a clear picture of what may be needed in your case.
■ Will – letter of intent of where you want your personal property to go – or not go.
■ Living Will – Documents your wishes during your final days including final healthcare choices and possibly your burial wishes.
■ Trust – This is a “company” that you start, and you become the CEO, “Trustee” and “Settlor.” The company outlives you, but continues to manage your assets as if you were alive by the successor CEO – whom you designate.
■ Power of Attorney – Financial and Healthcare – you need both – the first so someone can pay your bills, the second, sometimes called a Patient Advocate, designates someone to make “hallway at the hospital” decisions to take the stress off the family.
■ Ladybird Deed – probably the best thing that has happened to owning a home. I love these deeds – you grant yourself a life estate – in your own property - but retain the power to sell or borrow against the property. If you do not sell before you pass, this “springs” the house out of your estate, and your heirs have instant ownership, subject to any mortgage or taxes owed or similar.
Again, this is just a general description of the more popular terms – no one choice is a “silver bullet” but depending on how your estate gets planned out you can expedite a clean and clear process for the assets you worked a lifetime to save. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Stop by or call and make an appointment and I’ll tell you what you’re going to need to do this right.
To my numerous former clients – thank you for allowing me to draft your estate plan!
Beautification nominations now open
The Wyandotte Beautification Commission is pleased to announce the 2024 Beautification Awards, a tradition that honors residents and business owners in the City of Wyandotte who take great pride in their properties.
Every year, the Beautification Commission recognizes outstanding homes and businesses that enhance the aesthetic appeal of our community. Is there a home or business you pass that makes you stop and take a second look? Is it your own home or business? Whether it’s a meticulously landscaped garden, a beautifully kept home, or a well-maintained storefront, you are invited to nominate properties that make you stop and take notice.
To nominate a property, or properties, simply submit a photo along with the property address by email to beautification@wyan.org, or mail or drop-off to:
WYANDOTTE BEAUTIFICATION COMMISSION
3200 BIDDLE AVE WYANDOTTE, MI 48192
Nominations are due August 1st, 2024. The name of the property owner is not required.
Join in on celebrating the efforts of our community members who contribute to making Wyandotte a more beautiful place to live and work. For more information, please visit wyan.org/beautification or visit Wyandotte Beautification Commission on Facebook
2024 Wyandotte Street Art Fair
The Wyandotte Street Art Fair is pleased to announce this year’s award winners. The event showcased remarkable talent and local culinary delights, making it a memorable experience for all attendees. Congratulations to all the winners and participants for their outstanding contributions. The Wyandotte Street Art Fair looks forward to another year of artistic excellence and community spirit.
THE VICTORY GYM INITIATIVE
At Shop Local Refer Local, we recognize the need for ongoing financial support for Victory Gym VHC. By providing this support, we aim to free the gym from the burden of constantly seeking one-time donations, allowing them to focus on their services.
Donations and similar activities are fantastic; they enable nonprofits to perform their excellent services.
We aren’t a substitute for those terrific programs. We are an alternative option to complement them.
Being 100% operated by volunteers, they don’t have enough time to focus on the gym’s services when organizing fundraisers, golf outings, and seeking out one-time donations.
To thank local businesses for supporting our initiative, we offer the following services for a low monthly investment, getting results!
When they visit ShopLocalReferLocal.com/plans and select the Indoor Billboard Ad package, they receive thousands of dollars in advertising and marketing services monthly, some of which are listed below, while supporting Victory Gym.
TheVictoryGymInitiative.com
• A monthly donation to Victory Gym from you!
• A thirty-second ad repeats on indoor billboards inside Victory Gym 24/7 to a captive and growing audience of veterans, first responders, and community members.
• Each quarter, our journalist, Jazz, highlights our supporter’s businesses in a Facebook live video/ podcast that is recorded and distributed. [Many people assume they know what certain businesses offer; this is your chance to tout your services in detail to our community.]
• Your company information and offers appear on our business directory website, which drives traffic from our community to you.
• Through our partnership with Go Big MultiMedia, you will be in 57,500 publications monthly, like this one, on a page dedicated to businesses that support The Victory Gym Initiative: thevictorygyminitiative.com.
• You’ll receive a window cling stating we support The Victory Gym Initiative, letting the community know you care about our veterans and first responders.
NEWS FROM OUR NEIGHBORS
Go to... GoBigMultimedia.com
gobigmultimedia.com/grosse-ile-grand
Summer 1949 revisited A tale of mud and memories
... As we began walking, I spotted a tennis ball covered in mud in a ditch, likely lost or discarded by someone. I picked it up and rubbed off most of the mud and dirt, transforming it into what you could call a toy. This simple find led us to a lifetime of joy and wonderful memories. I bounced the ball a couple of times and then threw it to Wayne. He did the same and then threw it back. We played catch for a while until he suddenly threw it hard, sending it over my head. I chased after it and finally caught up with it in front of a party store on the corner of Kercheval and Hurlbut.
As we stood there, we heard loud cheering coming from an outdoor speaker connected to a radio inside the store. It was the Detroit Tigers’ first baseball game of the season, and the cheering was for an inside-thepark home run by the Tigers’ centerfielder, Johnny Groth, which had just put the Tigers ahead. Wayne and I, both fond of playing a little softball at school, stood on that corner and listened for a while, soaking in the excitement.
Simsonian 5k celebrates great tradition Still chasin’ the dream
Twenty-two years ... and still running. The 22nd annual Simsonian 5k Kick-Off Classic will be held on Saturday, August 17th, 2024 at Grosse Ile High School. Over the past two plus decades, the charitable race has been established as a long-standing
Grosse Ile tradition. Moreover, growing support of the event reinforces what many have known for even a longer time—Grosse Ile is a generous and caring community that values education and the future of their children.
On that third Saturday in August, the Friends and Family of Steve Sims, in partnership with the Grosse Ile Educational Foundation, Inc. will offer a fun, family-filled event in either a One Mile Fun Run/ Walk or the 5K Race. Each shares a common bond— raising money to advance the education of Grosse Ile’s outstanding male and female scholar/athletes at Grosse Ile High School.
program “Adventure Begins at Your Library” is in full swing. Readers of all ages can sign up for our reading challenge to win prizes just by tracking the time that you spend reading. In addition, patrons can use their library cards to borrow items from our Library of Things to keep the summer interesting and adventurous. We have board games, outdoor game sets like pickle ball and bocce ball available as well as our warm-weather patron favorite-fishing poles and tackle boxes.
For the first time this summer we hosted a fishing tutorial day with the help of the Downriver Bass Association. During this hour long program, every child caught at least one fish with one child catching two baby blue gills and one baby bass. We were so pleased that the fishing poles and tackle boxes that were graciously donated to us over a decade ago are still being used daily and are bringing fun and new
We continued to our grandparents’ house, and as we walked inside, we could hear the same game playing on their radio. Believe it or not, Johnny Groth was up to bat again, and he hit another home run—two home runs in the opening
game of the year! The Tigers went on to win the game, with Hal Newhouser as the winning pitcher. My Grandpa, a longtime Tiger fan, shared many stories about baseball and the Tigers with us. From that day on, Wayne and I became lifelong fans
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All proceeds from the race go to the Steve Sims Leadership Scholarship. To date, more than $56,000 have been awarded. This year’s scholarships were awarded to 2024 graduates, Jack Calcut and Kaitlyn Molnar. Calcut and Molnar were valedictorians of their class. Calcut excelled in tennis and track & field, while Molnar was the state champion in both track & field and women’s diving. They both exemplified selfless leadership in school and community service...
On page 13
The Riverview Veterans Memorial Library is thrilled to announce that our annual summer reading
adventures for our friends in the community. We have been able to continue to grow our collection of poles and tackle boxes so there are a variety to choose from and something for everyone. With a small portion of our yearly Wayne County penal fines allocation, the Library was able to partner with the Recreation department last fall and this spring to restock the pond for the first time in over 25 years!..
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Sundae fun day
On June 9th, the Riverview Police Department, in collaboration with Serendipity Cakery & Ice Cream Shoppe, welcomed residents to the inaugural “Cops and Cones” event. From 12:00-1:00PM, families
and friends gathered to enjoy delicious ice cream and engage in meaningful conversations with their neighborhood first responders. The event not only promoted community unity but also contributed to a charitable cause, with 20% of all sales during the event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis FoundationMichigan Chapter. It was a heartwarming blend of support, camaraderie, and sweet treats in Riverview.
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gobigmultimedia.com/southgate-star
Lemonade Henry: Turning citrus into charity
At just eight years old, Henry has already made a significant impact on his community through his lemonade stand. His first stand was in May of 2022, where he raised $202 and donated it to the Wyandotte Animal Shelter. Since then, each stand has seen the amount donated increase significantly. Every year, Henry chooses a different shelter in need to donate to, and his efforts have made a substantial difference.
Henry has donated thousands of dollars to
This year, he chose the River Rouge Animal Shelter, which is overwhelmed with dogs testing positive for heartworm. As a result of his most recent lemonade stand on June 22nd, Henry has raised over $8,000 for the organization. His incredible work was even recognized nationally as he was featured on ABC World News Tonight on June 25th.
In total, Henry has raised over $15,000 for local shelters, showing his unwavering dedication to helping animals in need. While Henry continues to make a difference for animals through his lemonade stands, the community also rallied behind him when his own dog needed help. In April, Henry’s pup, Pickles, had a medical emergency following a routine procedure and ended up in the ICU for 11 days, resulting in nearly $20,000 in vet bills. The Downriver community graciously supported Henry and Pickles, raising nearly $11,000 towards the vet bill...
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Engines roar and businesses soar
On June 15th, Downriver Community Federal Credit Union hosted the 2nd Annual Heritage Car Show & the 1st Annual Business Expo as part of Southgate Heritage Days. Held at their Trenton Road location, this event brought together car lovers and local businesses for a day of celebration and
community spirit.
Spearheaded by DCFCU’s Mark Tremper, car enthusiasts of all ages gathered to admire a diverse array of vehicles, from meticulously restored classics to the latest models showcasing automotive innovation.
In tandem with the car show, the Heritage Business Expo provided a platform for local businesses to engage directly with the community. Attendees had the chance to discover new products, services, and special offers from a variety of vendors, showcasing the entrepreneurial spirit that defines Southgate and Downriver.
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gobigmultimedia.com/trenton-times
Safe-cracking superhero to the rescue
... The Trenton Historical Museum houses a vintage safe from 1906 by Hall’s Safe Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. Once property of the Village of Trenton, this safe served City Hall for many years before being donated to the museum. For years, the museum’s commissioners possessed the combination to the safe and stored a variety of record books inside. However, over time, the combination was lost. It was rumored that the combination could have been written inside the cover of an accounting book. However, despite extensive searching, the necessary combination remained a mystery. Luckily, the safe was left open when the combination was lost. To prevent accidental locking without a means of opening it, blocks of wood were wedged in the door. Locksmiths were contacted, but they either couldn’t handle such requests or the cost was considered too high. Despite additional searches, the sought-after combination remained undiscovered.
In September of 2023, one of the museum commissioners noticed several colorful safes displayed in a driveway with a sale sign and a contact phone number listed. Curious inquiries were made, leading to a conversation with Ron Beasse, a longstanding Trenton resident and the owner of the antique safes. During the exchange, the story of the museum safe and its lost combination was shared. Could he advise us who to contact to figure out the missing combination? Turns out he was the man....
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Wyandotte Animal Shelter and Shelter to Home.
Students
