Guest Post: Amherst Ohio Special Olympics
January 27, 2012
The following is a guest post from Colleen Wilson & Mark Murphy.
In 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver started the Special Olympics as a summer camp for students with intellectual disabilities. Today, the organization has evolved into a worldwide, well-known symbol with over 3 million athletes, which compete on many levels.
The Amherst Special Olympics is in its third year and celebrates over 40 athletes representing all grade levels of our district.
Our 2011 – 2012 schedule includes:
– Participation in our Homecoming Parade & Comets Football Game
– Swimming lessons
– A group trip to see the Cleveland Browns
– Bowling, fitness training, and Corn hole games
– A social dance for older athletes
– Basketball skills camp & cheerleading camp
– Participation in the county track meet in May 2012
– An awards banquet to celebrate the activities of the year
Throughout this year, we will host various fundraising events. Our kick-off fundraiser, a Steak Fry, was held on October 22, 2011.
Our Special Olympics program is completely funded through donations, fund raising and enthusiastic volunteers from our community. Your donation will go directly to help Amherst Special Olympics athletes with the cost of participating throughout the school year.
Feel free to visit our website for pictures and activity updates at: http://www.amherst.k12.oh.us/specialolympics/
and be sure to “Like” our Amherst Special Olympics FaceBook page.
To get involved or inquire about our program, contact us through email at: special_olympics@amherstk12.org.
Thank you for your time and continued support.
NOTE: If you would like to publish a guest post on this blog about your Lorain County organization or group, please email it to philvant@gmail.com. I will be happy to publicize it to my 3,000 Lorain County blog subscribers and Facebook fans.
Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda Proving Fiscal Responsibility Has No Political Party
January 26, 2012
We Should Thank Lorain County Officials Who Cut Unnecessary Spending, Whether They Are Democrats Or Republicans
It’s something I hear everywhere I go: voters in both parties are just plain angry this year about reckless government spending. The federal government isn’t the only focus of this anger; Lorain County residents are starting to become more aware of the huge amount of wasted taxpayer dollars at the county and local levels, as well.
Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda
I often remind my supporters that fiscal responsibility has no political party. In fact, you can find examples of both Democrat and Republican politicians who treat taxpayer money with disrespect and spend it like it’s their own.
Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda and I are in different political parties. But in her first month of office, she is already challenging conventional political wisdom by cutting unnecessary spending from her city’s budget and keeping promises that she made about saving taxpayer money.
This kind of fiscal responsibility should be applauded whether it’s shown by a Republican or a Democrat.
Earlier this month, Mayor Brinda followed through on a campaign promise to pay her own transportation costs and return a portion of her salary to the city. This week, Brinda has proposed slashing the salary of her administration’s legal council by tens of thousands of dollars.
A few of our elected officials on the county level could learn a thing or two from Holly Brinda’s actions during her first month in office.
Lorain County is facing a deficit of more than $10 million next year, and it doesn’t seem that the Board of Commissioners can agree on cutting even the small stuff from their budget. Although it’s good that the Lorain County Commissioners made minimal cuts to their own department’s budget in 2012, they need to do a lot more leading by example.
Lorain County is facing a $10 million deficit in 2013.
Lorain County voters overwhelmingly shot down a proposed increase to the sales tax last year, and made it very clear that they want our elected officials to focus on cutting unnecessary spending instead. In spite of this, some commissioners are still hoping to increase the county sales tax.
It’s time for Lorain County residents to make it clear to our elected officials that raising taxes isn’t an acceptable solution when so much of our money is being wasted on unnecessary expenses.
One good way to start is by thanking Mayor Brinda for setting the example . . . regardless of whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent.
Guest Post: Women Business Owners Network of Lorain County
January 22, 2012
The following is a guest post from Written by Dr. Jennifer Robb, ( http://www.drjrobb.com/) General Dentist, Lorain, OH on behalf of the Women Business Owners Network
Women Business Owners Network (WBON) of Lorain County is not your typical networking group. Membership is complimentary (no cost), and we don’t enforce attendance at every meeting or referral quotas. Our members know that they will get the best results by attending meetings and getting to know fellow business owners on a personal level.
How do we do this? At our twice monthly meetings, each attendee presents a 30 second commercial for her business and passes out business cards or brochures. One member, usually the one who has arranged the meeting, provides a more in-depth look at some aspect of her business. During dinner, we chat with the people around us to learn more about each other and our livelihoods. We also occasionally have a social event with more informal networking in lieu of our
regular meeting. The better we know someone, the more comfortable we feel referring others to her.
But we don’t stop there! We each want to make our business the best it can be, and one way we do that is by learning from other business people, both men and women, who come to speak to us and to share their knowledge and experiences. We’re also a resource for women who are considering starting a business. The path to your own business is fraught with twists, turns and potholes. Chances are, someone in WBON has already traveled that path and can help you avoid some of these setbacks and make your road a little less bumpy.
Our membership consists of women who own businesses, women who make significant managerial decisions at their place of employment, women who have started their own businesses as a source of additional income, and women who are planning to start their own business.
WBON meets the first and third Thursdays of the month at 6 P.M. at various locations. Most of our meetings are in Lorain County, but we do occasionally venture into Western Cuyahoga County. Our calendar is posted at www.wbonlorain.org (under the Meetings tab). Come discover this hidden networking gem!
NOTE: If you would like to publish a guest post on this blog about your Lorain County organization or group, please email it to philvant@gmail.com. I will be happy to publicize it to my 3,000 Lorain County blog subscribers and Facebook fans.