Benefit Basketball an album
by Maralyn Fink
On Friday evening I headed to St. Johns High School for the Benefit Basketball game sponsored by the Student Council.
This year Basic Needs Center was the chosen benefactor.
The event is planned starting in December. This event started in 2014, and the Council would like to make this an event every year with a different recipient each year.
This year’s decision was made according to the need in the community, keeping it local. The first year Wounded Warriors was chosen, and last year it was The Cancer Society.
T-Shirts with the Basic Needs logo were for sale, and a table with baked goods was available as well. The T-Shirts were designed by a senior student, Jacob Fox.
Student Council officers are Jennifer Eaton, President, Jamison Cleaver, Vice President; and Jacob Miske is the secretary and Treasurer.
Student Council will be meeting next week to discuss how they could improve and discuss future events.
Ho, Ho, Ho, I see some cookies and need one for the road!
maralyn@sjindy.com
https://picasaweb.google.com/110845930262453987007/160122?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Mint Country Garden Club
The monthly meeting of Mint Country Garden Club will be held Thursday, February 4 at 7:15 pm. Meetings are held at Clinton Commons Community Center, 1105 S. Scot Rd.
“Queen’s Garden”, a movie about Buckingham Palace Gardens will be shown. The movie explores the history of the gardens and how the gardens change over four seasons.
Visitors are welcome to attend the meetings. For further information about this meeting or how to become a member, email mintcountrygardenclub@gmail.com or call 989-224-9206.
Slow down!
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department reported that Colony Road between Forest Hill and Essex Center were closed Wednesday morning while they fished this car out of the woods. Thankfully no one was injured.
SJPS forum to study future of Elementary Schools – February 4
St. Johns Public Schools is hosting a forum to provide information on the district’s school buildings and potential changes based on the findings and recommendations of the Facilities Study Committee.
Among the topics under discussion is the possible restructuring of Gateway and Oakview into lower and upper elementary buildings with grade configurations of pre-K through second grade at one of the existing school buildings, and third through fifth grade at the other school building.
This final meeting is planned for February 4 at Oakview Elementary School beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Community forums have already taken place at East Olive Elementary School, Gateway Elementary and the Wilson Center.
Administrative personnel will facilitate the community forum, assisted by committee members. There will be ample time for questions and answers, as well as listening to concerns and other creative ideas that persons attending may want to share. Detailed information on the facility study is available at the district web site
http://www.sjredwings.org/aboutus/superintendentsupdate/
http://www.sjredwings.org/facility-committee-/
Adult Photography Class – Thursdays in February
The City of St Johns Recreation Department is offering a new adult photography class on Thursdays, February 11, 18, and 25, 2016 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Optional outdoor shoot on Saturday, February 20, 2016 from 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of photography, camera settings and how they work, image cropping and design, the rule of thirds, and other design concepts. Classes will take place at the St. Johns Railroad Depot (across from the library), which is a great setting to take photos downtown.
Participants are encouraged to bring any type of digital camera to get hands on experience.
Cost is $25.00 for City of St Johns Residents and $30.00 for Non-City of St Johns Residents. The deadline to register is February 9, 2016. The class will be taught by Sharon Potter and Paula Villanueva.
Registrations for all adult activities are available at the City Offices and website at http://cityofstjohnsmi.com/Departments/ParksandRecreation/AdultPrograms.aspx. Call the City of St. Johns Recreation Department at 224-8944 ext. 228 or email rfaivor@ci.saint-johns.mi.us for additional information. Like us on Facebook.
Nurturing Parenting program for parents and caregivers of children ages 0-8 years old
The Nurturing Parenting program focuses on practical and easy to learn parenting practices that work for families, encourage positive behavior, and strengthen relationships with your children and others in your life. Lessons also address the importance of parents and caregivers to take care of themselves. Adults who make time to care for themselves find parenting more enjoyable.
This program is offered by MSU Extension and is free for Clinton county parents. The next 5 session series will be held Thursdays – February 4, 2016 through March 3, 2016 – from 10 to 11 am at the Clinton County Courthouse (100 E. State Street) in St. Johns. Please call to register at least 3 days prior to class. You may start at any time during the series.
They also offer Nurturing Parenting through home visits to a limited number of parents/caregivers.
Please call 989-224-5241 to register for classes, find out about other class offerings, or to learn about how you can bring the Nurturing Parenting program to your home.
Emotion Coaching, an Early Childhood Workshop
We spend lots of time teaching children important things such as reading or tying shoes. Taking time to help children learn to handle their feelings is important too. Emotion Coaching is a research-based program from the Talaris Research Institute.
This workshop is free to parents; child care providers seeking training hours pay $5 for each class at the door.
It will be offered in two sessions February 4, 2016 and February 11, 2016. Workshops are from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Clinton County Courthouse (100 E. State Street) in St. Johns.
Please call in advance to register at 989-224-5241.
Why get a flu shot?
“Why should I get a flu shot?” This is a question healthcare professionals hear quite often, especially this time of year. There are actually numerous reasons why everyone, age six months and older, should get a seasonal flu shot, and here are just a few:
Reason #1: Symptoms of influenza may include high fever, chills, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches. Vomiting and diarrhea can also be experienced. A bout of the flu can make you quite miserable and put you out of commission for up to a week. Why take the chance?
Reason #2: Children less than six months of age are too young to get a flu vaccine, so the best way to protect them is to vaccinate those around them, including parents, family members, and those who care for them.
Reason #3: Contrary to what some may think, receiving the flu vaccine does not “give” the person the flu, but some may experience brief nasal congestion and a runny nose.
Reason #4: Research has shown that the absolute best way to prevent the flu and it’s potentially life-threatening complications is for everyone, including healthy people, age six months and older, to get vaccinated.
Reason #5: For those at high-risk for developing serious flu complications, such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women, those with weakened immune systems, and people with certain health conditions, vaccination is especially important.
It’s never been more convenient to get a flu vaccine. It’s available at a variety of places, including your doctor’s office, many pharmacies, or Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD).
Mid-Michigan District Health Department participates with the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, as well as many types of insurances. We offer Flumist nasal spray, Fluzone High Dose, and preservative-free options, as well as the “regular” flu shot. Please call your nearest branch office for more information, to see if we participate with your insurance, or to schedule an appointment.
Clinton County Branch
1307 E. Townsend Road, St. Johns
989-224-2195
You may also visit www.mmdhd.org for more information.
Briggs Library News
Lapsit Storytime – “Favorite Character Tales” Ages 12 to 24 months with adult participation. You are invited to share the wonder of stories, music, creative movement, crafts and signing with some of our favorite book friends. Choose between Friday mornings 10:30-11, Feb. 19 – Mar.18 (no session on Good Friday) or Monday evenings, 6:30-7, Feb.22 – Mar. 28. Registration is required & opened on Friday, Jan. 22. It is a wonderful opportunity for the children to meet and socialize in a relaxed and fun way.
Simple Storytime – Children ages 2-4 (and their participating grownup) can join us for some “Sheepy Shenanigans” during our next Simple Storytime! This program will feature sheep stories, music, and crafts, and will run Wednesday mornings from 10:30-11:00, February 3 – March 2. Registration for this program is required.
Kids, Cartoons, and Crafts – We will celebrate Valentine’s Day with the next session of our holiday cartoon program. Kids ages 5-9 can join us for “A Scooby-Doo Valentine,” a craft and a snack on Tuesday, February 9 from 6:30-7:30. Registration for this free program is required.
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover – Adults looking to jump start their 2016 reading are invited to our “Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover” program on Thursday, February 11 from 6:30-7:30p.m. Participants in this fun program will get first pick of brand new books, and will hopefully find a new favorite author or genre! Registration is required.
Chapter Chatter – “Through a Door” will be the theme for children ages 6-8. What will we find behind the doors that we walk through in this 4 week session? Library staff will choose stories that will be shared at each session. The fun will happen on Thursday evenings, 7-7:45pm, Feb. 25- Mar.17. The “door locations” will be announced at a later date. Registration is required and opened on Thursday Jan. 28. Like books, it will be an adventure!
Bookaholics – The February selection of the Bookaholics Book Club is “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion. Don Tillman is a brilliant yet socially challenged professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. And so, in the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. Rosie Jarman is all these things. She also is strangely beguiling, fiery, and intelligent. And while Don quickly disqualifies her as a candidate for the Wife Project, he is particularly suited to help Rosie on her own quest: identifying her biological father. The Club will meet Thursday, February 18 at 6:30p.m. at the Library, and new members are always welcome to join us! Copies of the book are now available.
Last in the Library Book Club – The Last in the Library Book Club will be reading “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman for its February meeting. When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own, things seem marvelous. But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life. This parent/child book club will meet on Saturday, February 13 at 3:00p.m. There will be a snack and activity along with the book discussion. The club is recommended for children in grades 4-8, though it is open to any who can read the material and would like to discuss it. Copies of the book are now available.
Staff Picks – If you are looking for a good book to read here is a list of titles that Library staff enjoyed or found informative in the last month. Fiction: “Girls Who Travel” by N. Trilivas. Nonfiction: “Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good” by Kathleen Flinn and “Creating Mandalas: How to Draw & Design Zendala Art” by D. Pace.
Library Closures – The Library will be closed on February 15th for the President’s Day Holiday. The drop box on the Library porch will be available for returns throughout this closure.
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Contact Information:
Library Director: Sara Morrison
Phone: 989-224-4702 * Fax: 989-224-1205
E-mail: smorrison@briggspubliclibrary.org
Street address: 108 E Railroad * Saint Johns, MI 48879
Mark Your Calendar
Valentine Tea at Lowe UMC – Saturday, February 13 from 1:15 pm to 3:30 pm Reservations are not necessary.
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Bring Your Valentine to the Sons of the American Legion 20th Annual Spaghetti Dinner. – February 13 from 5:00pm To 7:30pm
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Leonard hosts February office hours in St. Johns at the Big Boy, 1408 S. U.S. 27, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. No appointment is necessary.
MMDHD Calendar February 2016
Family Planning Clinic Schedule
The Mid-Michigan District Health Department’s Family Planning Clinics provide confidential care to men and women in need of contraception and reproductive health services. Charges for services and supplies are based on income. The Family Planning Clinics are scheduled as follows:
Mid-Michigan District Health Department
1307 E. Townsend Road
St. Johns, MI 48879
February 2: 8 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
February 9: 8 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
February 16: 8 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m
February 23: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m
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For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (989) 224-2195, Option 5, Monday through Friday.
Hearing and Vision Screening Clinic
Vision screening is required for all children entering kindergarten. The Mid-Michigan District Health Department offers free vision testing, as well as hearing screening tests for all children ages 3 to 21. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (989) 227-3125, Monday through Friday.
WIC Benefit Pick-Up Schedule
Pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to 5 years old may be eligible for free food through the WIC (Women, Infants & Children) program. The Mid-Michigan District Health Department WIC Benefit Pick-up Clinics are scheduled as follows:
February 3
February 8: at Mid-Michigan District Health Department, 1307 E. Townsend Road in St. Johns, from 9 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (989) 224-2195, Option 5, Monday through Friday.
“In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”
Immunization Clinics
The Mid-Michigan District Health Department Immunization Clinics are to be held as follows:
Mid-Michigan District Health Department
1307 E. Townsend Road
St. Johns, MI 48879
February 8: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
February 10: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m
February 18: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
February 22: 8 a.m to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Immunizations will be available for adults and children eight weeks of age through adulthood, appointments are preferred. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (989) 224-2195, Option 5, Monday through Friday.
Kindergarten Registration
Adult Photography Class – Thursdays in February
A Look Back – J. D. Robinson
Maury was born in 1933 at home in Zeeland and raised in Holland, Michigan. He was the third of four boys of Martin O Witteveen and Grace Stam Vandenbrink. His higher education started at Hope College and continued with the Signal Corps of the Army and the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Later, the Michigan Department of Transportation sent him to Yale University for a Masters degree. Back in Kalamazoo, then St. Johns, work took him to several offices. Rotating among divisions, Maury retired as the head of the Maintenance Division of MDOT in 1991, He moved to Suttons Bay because he loved the Big Lake so much. 
Patricia Ann Gomulinski, age 78, of Petersburg, Michigan, passed away January 24, 2016, at her daughter’s home with her loving family by her side. She was the daughter of Dr. Robert E. Benson and Elizabeth K. Bancroft. She was born in St. Johns, Michigan on January 5, 1938. She grew up in St. Johns and attended Ferris State University. She worked for the Michigan Department of Health Division of Laboratories for 10 years.
Lynn Paul Ruestman passed away on January 23, 2016, at the age of 56. He was born in St. Johns on July 8, 1959, the son of Delmar and Gladys (Silm) Ruestman. Lynn was a proud Veteran of the U.S. Army.
LaVelda I. Lentz died January 21, 2016. Belle was born in Fort Wayne, IN on February 22, 1928, to Clifford C. and Dorothy (Biggs) Smith. She spent her very early years in Fort Wayne before moving to Churubusco, IN with her parents, two sisters (Joy and Nancy) and one brother (James) where she graduated from Churubusco High School then moved back to Fort Wayne. After high school Belle secured a secretarial position at a Department of Defense war material manufacturer in the Fort Wayne area. 
St. Johns Rotary to host annual fundraiser
Teen Activity Center
Leonard hosts February office hours
A Look Back – Muriel Gilson and Friends
As the major fundraiser for Rotary, tens of thousands of dollars have been returned to local organizations and global projects, helping to enrich lives in the community and world-wide. Past support has gone to National Night Out, Toys for Tots, Sparrow Clinton Emergency Room expansion, and the fight against polio. 
Preparations are underway for the inaugural induction into the newly established St. Johns High School Athletic Hall of Fame, set for Friday, Sept. 9 at halftime of the varsity football game with Mason.
The First Congregational Church is sponsoring small group book discussions each week beginning on January 24. The subject is Max Lucado’s Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. 
The Heartland District United Methodist Women are hosting a Valentine Tea on Saturday, February 13th from 1:15 pm to 3:30 pm at Lowe UMC, located at 5485 W. Lowe Rd. outside of St. Johns. 
Arthur O. Curtis Jr. 84 or rural Elsie, MI died at his home surrounded by his family on Thursday, January 21. 2016. Art was born on November 17, 1931 in Fairfield Township the son of Arthur O. Sr. and Ellen (Croxen) Curtis. He graduated from Ovid High School in 1949 and served in the U.S. Army. On November 11, 1950 he married Lois M. Pixley in Carland, MI. Arthur owned and operated C & D Chevrolet in Elsie for several years. Prior to that he worked for Miller Ford in Owosso, Pierce Motors in Durand, Backus Ford in Owosso and lastly at St. Johns Ford in St. Johns, from here he retired. He loved being at Higgins Lake, and he cherished time with his friends and family, and going deer hunting. He was a life member of American Legion Post 57 in Owosso and life member of St. Johns/Ovid Masonic Lodge. He was active as a youth counselor with the United Methodist Church.
Rick Hawbaker passed away on January 20, 2016 at the age of 36. He was born on March 26, 1979 in Waynesboro, PA, the son of Ronald and Carol (Barnhart) Hawbaker. Rick enjoyed farming, N.T.P.A. tractor pulling, Ford Trucks, I.H. tractors, his sheep and chickens, the Dukes of Hazzard, but most of all spending time with his family and friends. Rick was a dedicated volunteer for Clinton County 4-H and a member of the First Church of God. He married Terri Jo Straub on March 31, 2001 and she survives him.
John Lawrence “Larry” Andrews, age 87, of St. Johns, Michigan passed away Monday, January 18, 2016 at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan, Lansing, MI.
Lewis E. Schavey passed away January 12, 2016 at the age of 96. He was born June 12, 1919 in St. Johns, Michigan, the son of Fred and Edna (Bartlett) Schavey. He married Edith Eisler on July 28, 1944 in Clinton County and she preceded him in death on September 22, 2014. 
Roy J. Weber of Maple Rapids, died Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at the age of 65. He was born January 14, 1951 in St. Johns, MI the son of John and Rosalyn (Smith) Weber. Roy loved to hunt and fish, was a member of the Fowler Conservation Club and worked for Mathews Elevator Co. in Fowler for 40 years. 
Richard Eugene “Dick” Sovereign of Dunnellon, Florida, formerly of St. Johns, passed away Thursday, November 26, 2015 at the age of 85, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was born September 24, 1930 in Boone, Iowa the son of George and Chloris Sovereign. Dick graduated from Boone High School in 1948. He served in the United States Air Force from 1948 to 1952. He was a technician for MABC in Tuscola Co., Genesee Co. and Clinton County for 22 yrs. He worked for MMPA of Ovid, was a farmer and retired as a supervisor for Howmet Corporation of Plymouth, MI.