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OCTOBER 2019
Retired Firefighter Ray Fitzgerald Launches Local Philanthropic Effort
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INK HEALS: RETIRED FIREFIGHTER RAY FITZGERALD P LAUNCHES LOCAL PHILANTHROPIC EFFORT
When Ray Fitzgerald began volunteering his time for Pink Heals, a non-profit philanthropic program that has spawned chapters across the U.S., he knew he’d stumbled onto something special.
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Jon Shoulders / Seth Johnson Christy Heitger-Ewing
OCTOBER PHOTOGRAPHER Jim Hunt
SHOP LOCAL! Help our local economy by shopping local. Advertising supporters of the Kokomo Magazine offset the costs of publication and mailing, keeping this publication FREE. Show your appreciation by thanking them with your business. BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS ARE SPONSORED CONTENT
7 Making Strides: Local 685 Women’s 17 Supporting the Fighters, Admiring
The Kokomo Magazine is published by the Towne Post Network and is written for and by local area residents. Over 12,500 copies are distributed each month in the Kokomo area.
12 Business Spotlight: Monroe
18 Student Spotlight: IUK Women’s
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14 Pink Heals: Retired Firefighter
20 Comics Cubed: Owner Talks
16 Pets About Town
22 October Crossword 23 Kokomo October Events
Committee Supports Breast Cancer Research & Empowers Local Women
Custom Homes, Inc.
Ray Fitzgerald Launches Local Philanthropic Effort
the Survivors, Honoring the Taken: Breast Cancer Survivors & Fighters Share Personal Journeys
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Making Strides Local 685 Women’s Committee Supports Breast Cancer Research & Empowers Local Women
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
Local 685 Women’s Committee, a UAW for all the Chrysler plants in Kokomo, has been in existence for a long time. About five years ago, however, international headquarters announced that they were going to start supporting breast cancer research. A big part of that support would involve participating in the annual walk in October that raises funds to battle the disease. But since the closest walk from their location was Indianapolis, it wasn’t very feasible to gather a large group of participants. “We were working around the clock, and a lot of our women work on Saturdays so we decided to host our own walk in Kokomo and it just exploded,” says Tammy Mohr, a Chrysler employee for the past 26 years. That very first year, the community came out in droves, and momentum hasn’t let up since. As a result, this UAW group has raised more money for breast cancer than any other in the United States. The UAW Local 685 Women’s Committee is active in raising money for a number of important causes, including heart health, diabetes and March of Dimes. “We’re all about supporting issues that affect women and children,” explains Mohr, who for 10 years was the Chair for the Go Red for Women in Kokomo. “The number one killer of women in the U.S. is heart disease so supporting the American Heart Association was important to us. And we had a couple of people in our plants who have had children with birth defects so we helped raise money for the March of Dimes.” Sadly, breast cancer is prevalent as one out of 10 women is diagnosed with the disease. “You never know when you get that mammogram if you’ll be the next one,”
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Mohr says. “But even if you’re not, everyone knows someone or is related to someone who has battled it.” The UAW group scheduled the walk for Sunday afternoon, October 20, because it’s the one day of the week when all women employed at the Chrysler plants are not working. Registration is at 1 p.m. and the walk begins at 2 p.m. “A Sunday walk is rare, but even those who don’t work at Chrysler like it,” says Mohr, the Event Chair. “Those who want to worship can still go to church, grab a bite to eat, and participate in the walk.” The walk starts in Foster Park at the Senior Citizens Center on 721 West Superior Street. “We do that because a lot of the women going through treatment can’t walk very
8 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com
far,” says Mohr, noting that there is a walking bridge that is part of the course. A few years back, they incorporated into the walk “Bras Across the Wildcat” in which women decorate bras and hang them over the bridge. “I researched it and found out that Bras Across the Bridge is done in Boston, New York and all over,” Mohr says. “Since we have Wildcat Creek and our high school team is called the Wildcats, we thought we’d give the name a local flair to make it more about Kokomo.” The walk is sponsored by a number of local businesses. The local radio station acts as emcee for the day. There will also be entertainment, a silent auction and cheerleaders who come out to cheer for the walkers. This year Lisa Rentschler, a member of UAW Local 685 Women’s Committee who is currently battling breast cancer, will be the guest speaker/survivor. “She will give her testimonial and then go out to the starting line to kick off the walk,” Mohr says. The UAW Local 685 Women’s Committee typically raises $25,000 annually for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, which is an impressive amount for a small community. The UAW group spearheads a number of events throughout the year to raise money for breast cancer research. “We try to do all different kinds of things. For instance, this year we hosted a car show called ‘Cruise in for a Cure,’” Mohr says. “We also had a
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Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Jackrabbits Game in July.” At that game Rentschler threw out the first pitch in honor of the event.
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On October 4, UAW Local 685 Women’s Committee is holding a fundraiser at the Country Palace called “Give Cancer the Boot.” Families are welcome from 6-9 p.m. and the night extends to midnight for adults. Located at 2011 North Market Street, the event will include a silent auction, signature drinks, Gambino Pizza, live music and line dancing. The Pink Heals fire truck will be on site for survivors to sign, and UAW ladies will be selling T-shirts and donating proceeds to Making Strides for Breast Cancer. The UAW Local 685 Women’s Committee, which consists of roughly 175 women, never puts pressure on anyone to participate in these events because they recognize that everyone has a lot on their plates. “We are flexible because with us being labor workers and labor women, we do a lot of physical labor. Some of us stand all day,” Mohr says. “We understand that we have a lot of stuff going on in our lives. We have kids. We have dinner. We have laundry and need to run children to ballgames and such.
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To learn more or to register for the October 20 walk, visit MakingStridesWalk.org/UAWIN.
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MONROE CUSTOM HOMES, INC. 1836 S Plate St. Kokomo 765-455-2993 MonroeCustomBuilders.com
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When it comes to building homes, Chris Monroe of Kokomo-based Monroe Custom Homes refuses to cut corners. “I’m as much of a perfectionist as I can be,” Monroe says. “I only like things done one way, and that’s the right way.” Founded in 1994 by Chris and his wife Vanessa, Monroe Custom Homes, Inc. builds homes in Central Indiana with a focus on Kokomo. With projects large and small alike, the company uses a no-nonsense approach, while also making sure customers are always satisfied. Originally born in Oxford, Ohio, Monroe worked for Baker Concrete Construction, Inc. from 1989 to 1994. While on a job in Kokomo with the company, he met his wife Vanessa. Eventually, he decided to leave Baker Concrete Construction in order to pursue his own personal dream. This is how Monroe Custom Homes began. “I didn’t want to travel anymore,” Monroe says. “I really liked building houses. That was the thing that I really wanted to do. So I just quit and started from scratch here in Kokomo.” Like any new company, Monroe Custom Homes had a humble beginning. “I had enough money to buy a lot, and then I did a little spec home,” Monroe says. “I ended up selling it. And then, I did a second one and sold it. I started getting some open houses and some customers and things just kind of snowballed from there.” Over the years, Monroe has seen the city of Kokomo change. Nevertheless, he’s still happy to call it home. 12 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com
Owner Chris Monroe
“When I decided to start my business, at that point in time, Kokomo was a thriving town,” he says. “We had all the automotive business and housing was booming, so I thought this was as good a place as any to start. “I like it here,” he adds. “I like the size of it and everything about it.” Recently, Monroe worked on a unique home for Barb and Brian Adams of Kokomo’s Adams Auto Group. To give the home a rural look, he used reclaimed barn wood that he stumbled upon through another project. “I really wanted to build a log cabin,” Brian says. “Chris was up for that, but my wife wasn’t quite that rustic. So we made a happy medium by using a lot of reclaimed wood out of these barns.” Inspired by the show “Barnwood Builders” on DIY Network, the Adams’ home turned out just the way they had in mind. “We still have all the amenities of a new, luxurious home,” Brian says. “But when you walk in, you’re wowed with the workmanship. These beams were all hand-hewn. They were done more than 100 years ago by guys using axes. This all still shows up [in our home].” By project’s end, Barb and Brian Adams also had a new friend in Chris. “We started out as acquaintances, but we finished out this job as close friends,” Brian adds. “I certainly would recommend him to anyone at any time.” Monroe Custom Homes is located at 1836 S. Plate Street in Kokomo. You can also visit them online at MonroeCustomBuilders.com and give them a call at 765-455-2993 for more information. KokomoMagazine.com / OCTOBER 2019 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / 13
Retired Firefighter Ray Fitzgerald Launches Local Philanthropic Effort attending a local ice cream social benefitting cancer awareness, and he realized visiting local people suffering from illness and disease, to When Ray Fitzgerald began volunteering his simply let them know there’s a group out there time for Pink Heals, a non-profit philanthropic who cares, would be well worth his time. program that has spawned chapters across the U.S., he knew he’d stumbled onto something “A Pink Heals group came to the Kokomo Fire special. As a retired firefighter, he was drawn to Department on a day that I happened to be the organization’s straightforward approach — working, and we talked for a long time about each Pink Heals chapter repurposes a firetruck it,” Fitzgerald recalls. “I ended up using one of and paints it pink, then recruits volunteers to my vacations to go on tour with them for two hop on the vehicle for special supportive visits weeks and have done that several times since to sick and in-need individuals — and decided then.” Howard County could benefit from just such a concept. Pink Heals was founded in 2007 by Dave Writer / Jon Shoulders Photography Provided
“There are local chapters all over and a group of volunteers also does national tours to visit sick people, and I can’t think of a better way to let those people who are suffering know that they’re not alone,” he says. Fitzgerald became aware of Pink Heals while
Graybill, a retired firefighter and former pro baseball player, and since then dozens of volunteer-based chapters across the U.S. and Canada have acquired their own pink firetrucks to help those in need.
After putting together a few local events at Hacienda Mexican Restaurant to raise some
awareness about the program, Fitzgerald decided it was time to establish a local Pink Heals Chapter in Howard County. The first order of business was to find the right firetruck for the job, and as it turns out, that search resulted in a special relationship forged in the fall of 2018. “I found a truck online that was listed by the city of Kendallville for sale, and after I told them I’d be using it to start this charity, they called me back two hours later and said they’d talked to the mayor, Suzanne Handshoe, and she wanted to donate the truck to us,” Fitzgerald says. “The mayor is a bone cancer survivor, and she knew all about Pink Heals.” Fitzgerald promptly named the truck Suzanne in honor of Mayor Handshoe and her fight with bone cancer and agreed to bring the truck back to Kendallville each year to lead the parade for her city’s Light the Night ceremony benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma
14 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com
badly you send the cheerleaders out to rally everybody, and the team does better. When you get somebody who’s going through a devastating illness and they’re ready to give up, we can go in and cheer them up enough that they’ll want to continue and do better.”
Society. The truck’s pink paint was donated by Kokomo Auto Supply, and a remodel came compliments of Johnson’s Towing and Recovery at no charge. “Suzanne was a Marine and was the first woman to pass Combat Water Survival School,” Fitzgerald says. “She has incurable bone cancer, I can’t think of anyone better to name the truck after.”
Fitzgerald and his team of volunteers make both surprise visits, coordinated with an individual’s family members, as well as scheduled visits with family and friends present. The group typically fires up the truck’s siren and lights for each visit and recruits the local police and fire departments to lead the way to their destination.
Fitzgerald officially filed the paperwork for the Howard County Pink Heals chapter in September of 2018 and since then has made several visits to home residences and hospitals, including Kokomo’s Community Oncology Center last year. Proceeds from Pink Heals Howard County t-shirt and hat sales go toward the organization’s gas, insurance, license plate and truck maintenance costs. “I refer to us as cheerleaders for sick people,” Fitzgerald says. “When your team is doing
“At the first visit we did, the person whose life was changed was mine,” says Mickie Abresch, who works with the Indian Heights Volunteer Fire Department and currently serves as secretary of the Pink Heals of Howard County board of directors. “And it happens like that with everyone who gets involved. The people we visit are going through some pretty tough
times, and we’ve seen that it means a lot to them that we take the time to go to them.” A resident of Kokomo since the early 1960s, Fitzgerald started his career as a firefighter with the Indian Heights Volunteer Fire Department in 1978 and eventually transitioned to the Kokomo Fire Department in 1990 where he remained until three years ago. Even in retirement, he continues to help locals by jumping on a firetruck after all these years but now his trips to homes and businesses involve moral and emotional support. “Making these visits in the truck changes people’s lives in a different kind of way and gives them a whole new perspective knowing people out there care, and they’re not alone,” Fitzgerald says. “It turns their light on.” For more info on Pink Heals of Howard County, visit them on Facebook by searching “Pink Heals of Howard County.”
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Hawg Heaven Kokomo
Supporting the Fighters, Admiring the Survivors, Honoring the Taken Breast Cancer Survivors & Fighters Share Personal Journeys Amanda Gooch
Lisa Rentschler
I was never diagnosed with breast cancer, however due to a strong family history and a genetic mutation that I carried I decided to be proactive. My Aunt as well as my
cousin had been diagnosed with breast cancer and my Uncle also had cancer. She informed me her and my cousin are carriers of the CHEK2 genetic mutation and I may want to get tested. After a few months of research and debating, I decided to get the genetic test. With the help from my friend, I got in touch with a geneticist. Results came back in about 1 week and was positive for the CHEK2 * 1100delC. I called my Nurse Practitioner to let her know I wanted to discuss surgery with a breast oncologist. After a long discussion and many conversations with my husband, we decided to proceed with a Bilateral Mastectomy. Surgery was May 8th, 2019, and was by far one of the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My husband and family got me through the recovery. Now, I’m 98% healed and I know I did the right thing. I still have some areas that get sore and uncomfortable, but my liklihood of developing breast cancer before surgery was 60%, now is as low as 3%. I am now a previvor
and I’m damn proud!!! I’m blessed to have been able to get the choice before breast cancer showed its ugly face.
Toni Rethlake
My breast cancer journey began in 1981. I was a 32 yr old divorced mother of an 11 year old daughter. I discovered a lump in my right breast. The biggest shock of my life was waking up to “it’s the size of quarter and was definitely malignant.” I had a mastectomy and began 10 months of chemotherapy. Everyone thought I was so strong through all of it. I was not. My strength came from God and the determination that I would raise my daughter. I was blessed with a huge support system, which is my hope for others going through it. This breast cancer journey has changed my life in ways I never thought it could. I love sharing my story with others who are going through their own journey and hope to make a positive difference. Sharing my journey with others continues my healing. Life is wonderful and everything I went through all those many years ago was worth it. I tell people if had to live it all over, I wouldn’t take that part out. It has made me realize the blessings I’ve been given and the importance of sharing the journey.
The only reason I called to set up an appointment was because a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. After getting my exam and then the follow-up biopsy and waiting for what felt like forever for my results, they finally came back. I was told I have invasive ductal carcinoma triple positive HER2 breast cancer. It is shocking how the body reacts to traumatic news. Mine went numb and I felt like I could not breathe. After meeting my surgeon, I found out that I would have to go through chemo, surgery and radiation. Cancer attacks the body physically, but what it does to you mentally is the real struggle. When I was first diagnosed, I woke up every morning and had to remind myself that I had breast cancer and of course started crying. With support from my family, friends, community and other pink warriors, I realized that cancer cannot invade my soul or control my attitude. I decided that cancer was not going to bring me down. I was going to put on my smile and my headscarf and fight like hell to beat this and to be able to say the words one day “I am a breast cancer survivor.”
Darrell Skaggs It never occurred to me that I could actually have breast cancer. I have four sisters, none of whom, thankfully, have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and there is no history of the disease in our family, so breast cancer was the furthest thing from my mind. And also, men don’t get breast cancer, right? I went for a whole year (after being diagnosed) not really even talking about it due to it being embarrassing at first. My family was encouraging me to tell my story though, so I decided to put it out there. I found that a lot of other men like me were embarrassed to talk about it, and I wanted to change that. I found that men don’t have breast cancer support groups like women do. So if a man calls the American Cancer Society and wants a man to talk to about breast cancer, they contact me. I’ve talked to people from California, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan. Just by talking it out and finding that other people are going through the same things that I’ve gone through, it’s acted as a kind of healing process for both me and those I’ve talked to.
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IUK WOMEN’S SOCCER
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Owner Talks Childhood, Success & 10th Anniversary of Kokomo-Con Writer / Seth Johnson Photographer / Jim Hunt
issues, all-ages books, minifigures, supplies and more.
For most of his life, Shawn Hilton has been a comic book fanatic.
Dating back to his years as a youngster, Hilton can remember being interested in all kinds of comics, whether they featured mainstream superheroes or independent characters.
“I got into comics the summer between first and second grade,” Hilton says. “I’m 46 years old, going on 47, so it was sometime in the mid to late ‘70s.” Having worked in comic book shops for most of his adult life, Hilton now owns and operates Comics Cubed in Downtown Kokomo. Founded in 2010, the shop celebrated its ninth anniversary this past September. To date, the store is known for carrying a wide selection of new comics, back
“[I liked] a little bit of everything — the typical X-Men, Avengers, Flash and that sort of thing,” Hilton says of his childhood. “But at a very young age, I also got into the independent comics that were coming out, so much smaller groups with lesser-known characters. In my collecting, that was equally balanced with the mainstream comics.”
With a father in the military, Hilton lived all over the country growing up. During high school, he worked at a comic book shop in Massachusetts. After his father retired from the military, however, the family moved to Kokomo, where Hilton would attend college. “While I was attending IUK, they had a longrunning store in Kokomo, the old Kokomo Comics, which is now out of business,” Hilton says. “The daughter of the owner was in one of my classes. I had just moved from Massachusetts, where I had been helping run a store in high school for a guy. So I was eager to get back into it.” Hilton worked as a manager at Kokomo Comics up until the store’s abrupt closing, opening Comics Cubed shortly thereafter. “The city and the county were offering all kinds of different incentives to open up a store,” Hilton says. “It came to a situation where I lost my job one week, and within two weeks was offered up a position to do the whole thing again. But this time, I would be the owner. So I grabbed at the
20 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com
opportunity and have gone with it for nine years.” In addition to Comics Cubed, Hilton is also responsible for organizing Kokomo-Con, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October. Having evolved over the years, Kokomo-Con will welcome its first celebrity guest in 2019, bringing actor Justin Nimmo of Power Rangers fame to town. “Originally, we were thinking comics,” says Hilton of Kokomo-Con’s first-ever iteration. “But now, it involves comics, games, costuming, lectures and a charity auction. And all those things combine into one really amazing event that allows such a diverse group of community members to come together for one day and have a good time.” Comics Cubed is located at 121 E. Sycamore Street in Kokomo. You can also give them a call at 765-450-4126. To learn more about Kokomo Con 2019, be sure to visit them online at kokomocon.com.
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For the answers, visit our Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/atKokomo
NICCI PERKINS 765-271-9088 nicci@custom-moves.com
www.custom-moves.com
“Welcome Home” 22 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com
KOKOMO OCTOber Events Oct. 1 - Nov. 1 4 Kendall Family Farm Adventures – Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch
First Friday “Masquerade”
Dress up in your favorite costume and enjoy trick-ortreating throughout downtown. Free, self-guided arts tour in the Downtown District; For a full list of activities, call 457-5301 or visit firstfridaykokomo.com. Downtown Kokomo 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Prices vary based on activities. Farm open through Nov. 3. Visit kendallfamilyfarmadventures.com for more information and times.
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Grissom Maze of Terror
Country Palace 2011 N. Market St; 6-9pm, 12am for adults
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Saturday and Sunday Edge of Insanity Haunted Attraction Open 8-11 p.m. Tickets $12 per person or $20 Fast Pass. All money goes to charity. Visit weitlesasylum.com for more information. 5635 N. 00 E.W., Kokomo
Howard County Resource & Health Fair
Lift
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FREE Know your Numbers Screening, which includes cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure and lifestyle counseling (Fasting Recommended). Flu vaccine provided onsite for those 18 and older and pneumonia vaccine available for those 65 and older. UAW 685, Kokomo 3-7 p.m.
Visit kokomocon.com Kokomo Event & Conference Center 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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Foster Park Senior Citizens Center 721 W. Superior St, Kokomo 1-4 pm
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From the Dark Pages
Haunted Indiana
Join us as we host ghost hunters as they share their experiences of hauntings in Indiana. They’ll also tell you what to do if you think your house is haunted. Visit khcpl.org. KHCPL Main 5:15-7:30 p.m.
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Kokomo-Con
UAW Women’s Committee Making Strides Walk
Give Cancer the Boot
Open Friday 7 pm -12 am and Saturday 6 pm-12 am. Tickets are $13. 2251 Randolph St, Peru
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Annual Halloween event and includes a theatrical tour through the Seiberling Mansion as guests help Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes track down Jack the Ripper, who was last seen entering the mansion. Appropriate for ages 18 and up due to content. Tickets $25 per person and $20 for HCHS members. Tickets available online at howardcountymuseum.org or in the museum office. Seiberling Mansion Times Vary
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Barktober Fest 5K Dog Walk Fundraiser Downtown Kokomo. Visit kokomohumane.org. Foster Park 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Kids Community Halloween Party
Free admission .Costume contests, entertainment & treats. Kokomo Event Conference Center 1-4 pm
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What’s your house worth? Contact us for your FREE Market Valuation! www.kokomoshometeam.com Holly 765.776.2490 Brandi 765.416.3316 Office 765-860-1376 24 / KOKOMO MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2019 / KokomoMagazine.com