St. Johns Festival of Lights and Santa Parade
The ballots are counted and the winners are decided.
A record number of residences this year participated in the Best Decorated Contest. Having your homes represented on the map brought so much joy to all of us who were able to drive around and see such community pride. The effort to decorate this year was more appreciated than ever.
This year’s winners are:
1st Place- 688 Parkview Circle
2nd Place – 2371 Gallant Fox Way
3rd Place – 204 S Baker Street
Best Decorated Business – Redwing Barber Shop
Thank You so much, St. Johns, for making sure that a little thing like Covid doesn’t have to wreck a beautiful Christmas season. More importantly, that Covid cannot ruin a good spirit, and the reward it can bring to know you are bringing a multitude of people joy.
Relay for Life virtual Kickoff Weekend coming up in January
First Relay Lap – Saturday, January 9
Led by National Relay For Live Volunteer, Joe Gillette, on this day, Relayers will be asked to record themselves taking their first laps for Relay For Life, and use #RelayFirstLap to post to their favorite social platform. We are asking you to share your #RelayFirstLap to the Clinton County Facebook Page.
See videos and details for first lap here.
Survivor Sunday – Sunday, January 10
Celebrating Survivors is always an important piece to Kickoff so we are taking the day to share stories and photos on the Clinton County Facebook Page. To make this day the most impactful we are asking for the following to be emailed by January 7:
– Survivors, share a photo of you holding a sign sharing your survivorship years (and anything else you’d like)
– All Relayers, share a photo of the survivor(s) in your life and include any information on them you would like included in the photo captain OR send a video telling us about the survivor(s) in your life
Have someone you wish to remember? We would love to include them as well. Just please let us know it is an in memory post when sharing.
Team Roll Call – Monday, January 11
We are celebrating our Relay For Life Teams of Clinton County! Team Leaders have two options to receive your team captain kit and submitting a photo for #TeamRollCall:
Sign up here for a team packet pick up time slot at Clinton County Arts Council. Pick up your 2021 team captain kit and have your photo taken with your team sign.
Please send only one team member for packet pick up and photo, only arrive during your the time you sign up for, and facemasks are required.
RSVP by January 8, to request an electronic team captain packet and attach a team photo to be posted on #TeamRollCall day.
National RFL Virtual Kickoff – February 4
Thursday, February 4 I Relay For Life Kick Off I At 8 p.m. EST they will host a live stream kick off for RFL to energize volunteers and talk about RFL 2021. More details to come!
Questions? Katie Jones, Senior Community Development Manager katie.jones@cancer.org 517.803.4015
Now and Then – New life for an old story
by Jean Martin
Sometime after Christmas we received a message from Darryl Schmitz telling us about a new two-part video on the history of St. Joseph Parish in St. Johns. It had been put together by Deacon Eric Elstro.
We had seen some of it already on Facebook, and the photos looked familiar Come to think of it, the text began to look familiar too. And that brought back memories.
Back in the 1980s the Home School Council had decided to produce a history of the parish, and they asked us to write it. In the end we ended up writing it on a wordprocessor using a Commodore VIC-20 computer. We had been spoiled by the VDTs at the Clinton County News and had vowed never to touch another typewriter.
Production was done on the computer too. That led one visitor to be confused when 2-year-old Katie was seen to be running around the house muttering, “My chapter, my chapter; I can’t find my chapter.” Yes, from the beginning computers have been eating words as well as processing them.
When the book had been laid out and the photos bundled, it was time to search for a printer. Betty Moore, an old friend, parent of St. Joseph children and co-conspirator in many enterprises, and I first headed to Lansing in search of a printer. Finding no one there who could meet our production and price requirements, we headed down to Ann Arbor. There we found a printer who had the equipment and expertise to do the job. He even employed workmen who appreciated the book enough to read it and comment on the fine quality of the photos. We were in business.
All went well until we turned the published results over the the committee. They were not content to make back their investment with a little left over for profit. Our idea had been to fill parishioners in on their shared history, and the committee wanted to turn a tidy profit. It never happened. Their audience was hoping for a picture book in the form of a high school annual with many photos, mostly of themselves one supposes. What they got was a hardbound book full of words. The book did not sell.
For years the books sat in the parish office. Once in a while someone new would rediscover the book and get excited about it, but the volumes remained in the office. One year it was said that one of the pastors dumped copies in the bags of unwitting Trick or Treaters, but that story may be apocryphal.
And then along came Deacon Eric, and the material in the long-forgotten book found new life in the digital age.
Big Brothers Big Sisters asks everyone to make the BIG Resolution
January is National Mentoring Month, and Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region is celebrating the volunteers who are serving as mentors (“Bigs”) to community youth (“Littles”). In addition, we are encouraging Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, and Shiawassee County residents to make the BIG Resolution, and consider volunteering as a Big in the New Year!
The extraordinary stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by all, but especially by our youth. “Our youth’s needs have not dissipated,” says Big Brothers Big Sisters Program Director, Jamie Griggs. “A pandemic doesn’t remove the barriers that our youth face on a daily basis; it actually compounds the current barriers. The call for mentors for our youth is greater than it’s ever been. Our youth needs you. Big Brothers Big Sisters needs you.”
Within Big Brothers Big Sisters’ five-county service area, there are approximately 90 youth who have completed the application process for the program, and are waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister. In order to help these youth stay connected and supported, more adult volunteers are needed to serve as Bigs. Bigs are personally and thoughtfully matched with a Little in their community, and can share the kinds of activities they already like to do. Bigs and Littles are currently meeting virtually 2-4 times per month, and are provided with regular match support from the Big Brothers Big Sisters staff.
Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, and Shiawassee County residents can get involved during National Mentoring Month by contacting Big Brothers Big Sisters via email (0196inquiries@bbbsmcr.org) or phone (517-372-0160).
Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which is the largest evidence-based mentoring organization in the country. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region serves youth in the counties of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, and Shiawassee.
For more information, please visit www.bbbsmcr.org.
Latest Clinton County COVID-19 stats
Updated daily except Sundays and holidays
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued an Emergency Order under the Public Health Code to update COVID safety requirements for Michiganders.
You might feel healthy, but the reality is this: about 40% of people who have COVID-19 may be asymptomatic. That means almost one out of every two people could be infected. They might not know it until it’s too late. So Mask Up Michigan!
3925 cases and 44 deaths; probable cases: 284 and probable deaths 0 [as of January 6, 2021]
For the latest updates visit https://www.mmdhd.org/novel-coronavirus/
Do you have COVID-19 questions? If you have questions regarding COVID-19, call the MDHHS hotline at 1-888-535-6136, Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.