From King's Road to Kenya: Vivienne Westwood's new fashion journey [Tag Heuer watches]
In a whitewashed building in Nairobi's industrial area, scores of women are sewing handbags for some of fashion's best-known labels. But as their machines clack rhythmically they are also crafting a new future for themselves.
On a table by the open door there is a pile of Vivienne Westwood cloth totes, and the vivid colours of Carmina Campus bags by Ilaria Venturini Fendi spill across a bench.
Nairobi's Hub workshop is the heartbeat of Ethical Fashion Africa, a not-for-profit group created by the International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint UN and World Trade Organisation body, to empower marginalised people by linking them up with fashion houses and distributors.
The women are from some of Nairobi's most deprived areas – Kibera, Korogocho, Dagoretti and others. The production room hums as ceiling fans slice the muggy air of Kenya's rainy season. Thousands more work from home on the bags and accessories that will end up in designer stores across the world.
Joyce Kamau, a single mother with two children, works as a supervisor. She started at Ethical Fashion Africa two years ago and says she can now provide for her family's basic needs. "We didn't know we could get to this," she says, gesturing to some startlingly bright machine embroidery. She said others in the group once found the work difficult but, she said: "I encourage them and I inspire them."
The slogan adopted by Ethical Fashion Africa is "not charity, just work". The factory is hidden away at the back of the GoDown, a thriving community of artists and musicians on the edge of Nairobi. As well as Westwood and Fendi, Stella McCartney sources work here, as do European distributors such as the Italian retailer Coop. There are plans to move into the US next year through a deal with Wal-Mart to distribute products online.
Westwood's involvement has made the biggest media splash. In August she launched, from Nairobi, a collection of bags called "Handmade with Love", and she also filmed her autumn campaign in the city.
"Vivienne has a long-term commitment, which is good … now the next step is to start growing together to expand," said Simone Cipriani, head of the ITC's poor communities and trade programme.
About 5,000 people in Kenya are involved with the initiative and 90% of them are women, mostly from disadvantaged or isolated communities in Nairobi and beyond.
Training is key; before they are assigned an order the women are instructed on what to do. The training builds on existing skills such as sewing and tailoring. The women earn money, but more than that they learn techniques that will serve them in the future.
As for the fashion houses, the deal suits them too. "They get unique products … that are worth the money. And, on top of that, they get a beautiful story of responsibility," Cipriani said.
Fashion is fickle: hemlines rise and fall and what was in is very soon out. But Cipriani says this actually works to the project's advantage and helps it achieve all-important sustainability. "The fact that it changes provides new work every six months. The technical capacities never change but with these we can do new work."
Jeremy Brown, product development adviser for the ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, is working with a team of 10 Kenyans to do himself out of a job.
He rummages in a box in his cramped atelier and pulls out a Westwood bag with an orb emblem made from the recycled brass of old taps. Another Westwood bag is lined with old shirts, bought in the secondhand clothes markets of Nairobi. Recycled safari tents, end-of-line canvas and old street banners are all also used in products.
Vincent Oduor, the Hub's human resources manager, grew up in Korogocho shanty town and knows how to quantify the human bottom line of this collaboration between two worlds. The 30-year-old breathes life into the "not charity, just work" motto. "It's very rare for people from Korogocho to get employment. We suffer from social labels," he said. "For [these women] the real joy is based on the dignity they find in working."
On a table by the open door there is a pile of Vivienne Westwood cloth totes, and the vivid colours of Carmina Campus bags by Ilaria Venturini Fendi spill across a bench.
Nairobi's Hub workshop is the heartbeat of Ethical Fashion Africa, a not-for-profit group created by the International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint UN and World Trade Organisation body, to empower marginalised people by linking them up with fashion houses and distributors.
The women are from some of Nairobi's most deprived areas – Kibera, Korogocho, Dagoretti and others. The production room hums as ceiling fans slice the muggy air of Kenya's rainy season. Thousands more work from home on the bags and accessories that will end up in designer stores across the world.
Joyce Kamau, a single mother with two children, works as a supervisor. She started at Ethical Fashion Africa two years ago and says she can now provide for her family's basic needs. "We didn't know we could get to this," she says, gesturing to some startlingly bright machine embroidery. She said others in the group once found the work difficult but, she said: "I encourage them and I inspire them."
The slogan adopted by Ethical Fashion Africa is "not charity, just work". The factory is hidden away at the back of the GoDown, a thriving community of artists and musicians on the edge of Nairobi. As well as Westwood and Fendi, Stella McCartney sources work here, as do European distributors such as the Italian retailer Coop. There are plans to move into the US next year through a deal with Wal-Mart to distribute products online.
Westwood's involvement has made the biggest media splash. In August she launched, from Nairobi, a collection of bags called "Handmade with Love", and she also filmed her autumn campaign in the city.
"Vivienne has a long-term commitment, which is good … now the next step is to start growing together to expand," said Simone Cipriani, head of the ITC's poor communities and trade programme.
About 5,000 people in Kenya are involved with the initiative and 90% of them are women, mostly from disadvantaged or isolated communities in Nairobi and beyond.
Training is key; before they are assigned an order the women are instructed on what to do. The training builds on existing skills such as sewing and tailoring. The women earn money, but more than that they learn techniques that will serve them in the future.
As for the fashion houses, the deal suits them too. "They get unique products … that are worth the money. And, on top of that, they get a beautiful story of responsibility," Cipriani said.
Fashion is fickle: hemlines rise and fall and what was in is very soon out. But Cipriani says this actually works to the project's advantage and helps it achieve all-important sustainability. "The fact that it changes provides new work every six months. The technical capacities never change but with these we can do new work."
Jeremy Brown, product development adviser for the ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, is working with a team of 10 Kenyans to do himself out of a job.
He rummages in a box in his cramped atelier and pulls out a Westwood bag with an orb emblem made from the recycled brass of old taps. Another Westwood bag is lined with old shirts, bought in the secondhand clothes markets of Nairobi. Recycled safari tents, end-of-line canvas and old street banners are all also used in products.
Vincent Oduor, the Hub's human resources manager, grew up in Korogocho shanty town and knows how to quantify the human bottom line of this collaboration between two worlds. The 30-year-old breathes life into the "not charity, just work" motto. "It's very rare for people from Korogocho to get employment. We suffer from social labels," he said. "For [these women] the real joy is based on the dignity they find in working."
Former Liebermann's space has a new retail occupant [hat]
After months of sitting vacant, a new women's boutique is setting up shop in the former Liebermann's building downtown.
My Sista's, a boutique featuring everything from shoes and handbags to clothing and jewelry, opens Friday at 113 S. Washington Square and hopes to revive retail in the downtown area, said owner Tina Robinson. It targets the "career woman" and the woman "who likes to look good," she said. The store features original pieces by eight local women, including Robinson.
"I think it will work for a large array of ages and different tastes," she said. "That's kind of the goal is to have things for everyone."
Robinson, 42, had been looking for a space to start a business where she could sell her one-of-a-kind jewelry. She already had a lease drawn up for a space in Lansing Mall when she saw the for lease sign in the window of the former store downtown. Robinson, who studied interior design at Lansing Community College, had always been attracted to the space because of the famous interior design by George Nelson. At first, she dismissed the possibility of leasing it, thinking it would be too expensive, but something convinced her to call.
"There was no way that I ever would have thought that this was where I was meant to be," Robinson said. "It just worked out."
My Sista's opens for Black Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will kick off its grand opening week on Tuesday. The store will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a grand opening gala on Friday from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
My Sista's, a boutique featuring everything from shoes and handbags to clothing and jewelry, opens Friday at 113 S. Washington Square and hopes to revive retail in the downtown area, said owner Tina Robinson. It targets the "career woman" and the woman "who likes to look good," she said. The store features original pieces by eight local women, including Robinson.
"I think it will work for a large array of ages and different tastes," she said. "That's kind of the goal is to have things for everyone."
Robinson, 42, had been looking for a space to start a business where she could sell her one-of-a-kind jewelry. She already had a lease drawn up for a space in Lansing Mall when she saw the for lease sign in the window of the former store downtown. Robinson, who studied interior design at Lansing Community College, had always been attracted to the space because of the famous interior design by George Nelson. At first, she dismissed the possibility of leasing it, thinking it would be too expensive, but something convinced her to call.
"There was no way that I ever would have thought that this was where I was meant to be," Robinson said. "It just worked out."
My Sista's opens for Black Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will kick off its grand opening week on Tuesday. The store will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a grand opening gala on Friday from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
people&places:old bags to benefit crosstown learning [Tag Heuer watches]
A few years ago, TV talk-show host Jay Leno featured a People & Places column about the Old Bags luncheon in his funny headlines segment. It got a lot of attention and helped the great event with the double-take name become known to even more people.
The fifth-annual go-round benefitting Crosstown Learning Center at Southern Hills Country Club drew more than 400 women who bid on some 350 new and slightly used handbags. That's how the event gets its name - not from - well, shame on you for even thinking that.
Debbi Guilfoyle is executive director of the non-profit early care and learning center in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood.
Ashleigh Boedeker was event chairwoman. Dee Dee Stuart and her daughter Susan Peterson were honorary co-chairs.
Committee members included Nikki Bell, Jane Matulis, Graham Anderson, Hayden Kennedy, Melissa Siemens, Stephanie Galles, Allison Foster, Ruth Addison, Alison Wade, Ashley Farthing, Natalie Graham, Mary Guilfoyle Holmes, Debra Brookhart, Shannon Cornwell, Jenger Baker, Katherine Haskell, Ashli Rogers, Sarah Stewart, Meg Watkins, Dawn Parton, Brooke Sturdivant, Elizabeth Edwards, Ailee Nowlin, Caren Gerkin and Vannessa Hoose.
Jay Litchfield from Bid Out Loud Auctions also led the live auction with designer bags, dinners, vacations and more.
Guests at the event also enjoy lunch and a style show provided by Compliments and The Glass Slipper.
Channel 6's Terry Hood was the emcee and led guests in a fun handbag trivia game.
The "Chanel" bag presenting sponsors of the event were The Hardesty Family Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
Other sponsors included The Mary K. Chapman Foundation and the Hille Foundation, Phyllis N. Dotson, the Merkel Family Foundation, the Stuart Family Foundation, Claudia Abernathy, Patty Cappy, the Cuesta Foundation, Lorn Lyman with Morgan Stanley-Smith Barney, and the Jess L. and Miriam B. Stevens Foundation.
Also ABC Equipment Rental, the Barnett Family Foundation, Ashleigh Boedeker, Citizen's Security Bank, Frederic Dorwart-Lawyers, Hauck Tire & Car Care, Inc., Katheryn M. Pennington, Rogers State University, Rooney Insurance Agency, Therapy Source for Kids, the Todd Family Charitable Foundation, Tulsa People Magazine, Williams Companies and T.D. Williamson, Inc.
Underwriters included the Hardesty Family Foundation, Ruth K. Nelson, Julie and John Nickel, the Oxley Foundation and Williams Companies.
Crosstown Learning Center's newest fundraiser, Just a Little Valentine, is set for Feb. 11.
Crosstown cares for children from age six weeks to prekindergarten from all economic levels, but the majority of children enrolled are living at or below the poverty level. Crosstown's mission is to "Provide educational opportunities in a nurturing environment for children and their families to learn and grow together." If you would like to be a part of next year's event through sponsorship, ticket purchases, handbag donations or volunteering, contact Elizabeth Inbody, event coordinator, at 918-582-1457 or einbody@crosstowntu.
The fifth-annual go-round benefitting Crosstown Learning Center at Southern Hills Country Club drew more than 400 women who bid on some 350 new and slightly used handbags. That's how the event gets its name - not from - well, shame on you for even thinking that.
Debbi Guilfoyle is executive director of the non-profit early care and learning center in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood.
Ashleigh Boedeker was event chairwoman. Dee Dee Stuart and her daughter Susan Peterson were honorary co-chairs.
Committee members included Nikki Bell, Jane Matulis, Graham Anderson, Hayden Kennedy, Melissa Siemens, Stephanie Galles, Allison Foster, Ruth Addison, Alison Wade, Ashley Farthing, Natalie Graham, Mary Guilfoyle Holmes, Debra Brookhart, Shannon Cornwell, Jenger Baker, Katherine Haskell, Ashli Rogers, Sarah Stewart, Meg Watkins, Dawn Parton, Brooke Sturdivant, Elizabeth Edwards, Ailee Nowlin, Caren Gerkin and Vannessa Hoose.
Jay Litchfield from Bid Out Loud Auctions also led the live auction with designer bags, dinners, vacations and more.
Guests at the event also enjoy lunch and a style show provided by Compliments and The Glass Slipper.
Channel 6's Terry Hood was the emcee and led guests in a fun handbag trivia game.
The "Chanel" bag presenting sponsors of the event were The Hardesty Family Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
Other sponsors included The Mary K. Chapman Foundation and the Hille Foundation, Phyllis N. Dotson, the Merkel Family Foundation, the Stuart Family Foundation, Claudia Abernathy, Patty Cappy, the Cuesta Foundation, Lorn Lyman with Morgan Stanley-Smith Barney, and the Jess L. and Miriam B. Stevens Foundation.
Also ABC Equipment Rental, the Barnett Family Foundation, Ashleigh Boedeker, Citizen's Security Bank, Frederic Dorwart-Lawyers, Hauck Tire & Car Care, Inc., Katheryn M. Pennington, Rogers State University, Rooney Insurance Agency, Therapy Source for Kids, the Todd Family Charitable Foundation, Tulsa People Magazine, Williams Companies and T.D. Williamson, Inc.
Underwriters included the Hardesty Family Foundation, Ruth K. Nelson, Julie and John Nickel, the Oxley Foundation and Williams Companies.
Crosstown Learning Center's newest fundraiser, Just a Little Valentine, is set for Feb. 11.
Crosstown cares for children from age six weeks to prekindergarten from all economic levels, but the majority of children enrolled are living at or below the poverty level. Crosstown's mission is to "Provide educational opportunities in a nurturing environment for children and their families to learn and grow together." If you would like to be a part of next year's event through sponsorship, ticket purchases, handbag donations or volunteering, contact Elizabeth Inbody, event coordinator, at 918-582-1457 or einbody@crosstowntu.
Will The Iron Lady make women want to dress like Margaret Thatcher? [Tag Heuer watches]
This is a seismic moment for the fashion industry. This film of which you speak, The Iron Lady, features Saint Meryl Streep doing a jolly imitation of Thatcher, if not quite as good as that of the Thatcher puppet on Spitting Image. Don't worry, Meryl – it takes time to train one's vocal chords to be that deep yet screechy. And one's face to be that Latex. Sure, Ms Streep, you can give good Holocaust grief, but competing with Spitting Image is a different game.
Anyhow, this film combines the three things that fashion editors love to incorporate into an "edgy" fashion shoot more than any other. No, not an androgynous model, clothes made out of wood and a fat celebrity. I speak, of course, of a new movie, an homage to a historical figure and A Strong Woman.
A Strong Woman could mean anything from a political wife (Jackie Kennedy), to an actor (Marilyn Monroe), to a novelist (Virginia Woolf), to a family with dodgy political affiliations (the Mitfords), to a political tyrant (Eva Peron). Whatever, if she was famous and dressed in a vaguely consistent way, she will at some point be resurrected by a fashion editor with a creeping deadline and little concept of what the hell their umbrella term A Strong Woman really means.
The appeal of the historical homage to fashion magazines is, surely, obvious. As many a correspondent to this column has pointed out over the years, fashion trends have an odd habit of being little more than recycled styles from decades past. So imagine how much it must cheer a style editor's fluttery heart to be able to revel in the anachronistic nature of these clothes instead of faffing around with pencil skirts, pedal pushers or, in the case of Thatcher, pussy bow blouses, in an attempt to give them the much-vaunted "modern twist."
As for the movie angle, well, I've never really understood why fashion shoots need any kind of topical hook. Personally, I'd be much happier if they didn't because, second only to setting a fashion shoot in a developing country (look at the model holding Louis Vuitton bags in Ethiopia! Look how adorable that starving child is wearing a Hermès scarf! And how enviably thin her legs are! Who's her personal trainer?), giving a fashion shoot some kind of "peg" is the fastest way to get into trouble. They can, occasionally, work (US Harper's Bazaar is particularly good at doing these well, such as the shoot in which Tyra Banks was styled to resemble Michelle Obama for the inauguration). Mostly, however, they are just dire (fashion shoots inspired by Hurricane Katrina, by 9/11, by tsunamis – oh reader, I have seen 'em all).
And so, in short, let's all gird ourselves for much talk about pussy bows and Thatcher's "admirably consistent style". But you know, if we get to see US Vogue's reimagining of Norman Tebbit and Geoffrey Howe, it will all be worth it.
Fashion magazines praise the Olsen twins but, being Italian and middle-aged, I don't understand why. It seems they are very rich, therefore they can afford everything. They look always dwarfed by clothes too big for them. Am I the only one thinking that they just look weird and are not the fashion icons the magazines tell us they are?
Carla Gaita, by email
One of the many things I love about your missive, Carla, is how you answer your own questions within it. Being middle-aged and Italian is what gives you clear-eyed wisdom, dear woman, not ignorance.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are two young women who, as babies, appeared ("acted" somehow seems too strong a word in this context) in a terrible American sitcom (Full House – not a recommended boxset) but, as far as I know, haven't done a lick of work since they were about eight. As Carla says, they are much praised by fashion magazines because, as she continues to explain, albeit unwittingly, they buy lots of clothes and wear very large sizes making them look even smaller than they already are, and because they are a bit weird-looking. For the second time in one column, we have encountered a trifecta of factors that will turn a fashion editor on faster than a Chanel sample sale.
Anyhow, this film combines the three things that fashion editors love to incorporate into an "edgy" fashion shoot more than any other. No, not an androgynous model, clothes made out of wood and a fat celebrity. I speak, of course, of a new movie, an homage to a historical figure and A Strong Woman.
A Strong Woman could mean anything from a political wife (Jackie Kennedy), to an actor (Marilyn Monroe), to a novelist (Virginia Woolf), to a family with dodgy political affiliations (the Mitfords), to a political tyrant (Eva Peron). Whatever, if she was famous and dressed in a vaguely consistent way, she will at some point be resurrected by a fashion editor with a creeping deadline and little concept of what the hell their umbrella term A Strong Woman really means.
The appeal of the historical homage to fashion magazines is, surely, obvious. As many a correspondent to this column has pointed out over the years, fashion trends have an odd habit of being little more than recycled styles from decades past. So imagine how much it must cheer a style editor's fluttery heart to be able to revel in the anachronistic nature of these clothes instead of faffing around with pencil skirts, pedal pushers or, in the case of Thatcher, pussy bow blouses, in an attempt to give them the much-vaunted "modern twist."
As for the movie angle, well, I've never really understood why fashion shoots need any kind of topical hook. Personally, I'd be much happier if they didn't because, second only to setting a fashion shoot in a developing country (look at the model holding Louis Vuitton bags in Ethiopia! Look how adorable that starving child is wearing a Hermès scarf! And how enviably thin her legs are! Who's her personal trainer?), giving a fashion shoot some kind of "peg" is the fastest way to get into trouble. They can, occasionally, work (US Harper's Bazaar is particularly good at doing these well, such as the shoot in which Tyra Banks was styled to resemble Michelle Obama for the inauguration). Mostly, however, they are just dire (fashion shoots inspired by Hurricane Katrina, by 9/11, by tsunamis – oh reader, I have seen 'em all).
And so, in short, let's all gird ourselves for much talk about pussy bows and Thatcher's "admirably consistent style". But you know, if we get to see US Vogue's reimagining of Norman Tebbit and Geoffrey Howe, it will all be worth it.
Fashion magazines praise the Olsen twins but, being Italian and middle-aged, I don't understand why. It seems they are very rich, therefore they can afford everything. They look always dwarfed by clothes too big for them. Am I the only one thinking that they just look weird and are not the fashion icons the magazines tell us they are?
Carla Gaita, by email
One of the many things I love about your missive, Carla, is how you answer your own questions within it. Being middle-aged and Italian is what gives you clear-eyed wisdom, dear woman, not ignorance.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are two young women who, as babies, appeared ("acted" somehow seems too strong a word in this context) in a terrible American sitcom (Full House – not a recommended boxset) but, as far as I know, haven't done a lick of work since they were about eight. As Carla says, they are much praised by fashion magazines because, as she continues to explain, albeit unwittingly, they buy lots of clothes and wear very large sizes making them look even smaller than they already are, and because they are a bit weird-looking. For the second time in one column, we have encountered a trifecta of factors that will turn a fashion editor on faster than a Chanel sample sale.
CIB cracks ring suspected of over 40 burglaries [replica watches]
Officers from the Ministry of the Interior's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and police departments in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Hualien on Tuesday, Nov. 15, arrested two men suspected of burglarizing homes in various parts of the country.
A man, identified by his surnamed Li, was arrested in Hsinchu City, and another man surnamed Chen was nabbed in Taipei. Li is the suspected leader of a roving burglar ring, and Chen was one of the ring's members. Other members of the ring still remain at large as of press time yesterday.
Stolen valuables recovered by police officers who raided the homes of two other ring members in Taipei and New Taipei City on the same day included an LV tote bag, two Gucci handbags, two Coach handbags, two watches, five necklaces, and bank notes worth NT$23,000. Lock-picking tools and other tools were also seized.
The two, suspected of involvement in more than 40 burglaries, have confessed to committing 10 of them.
According to investigators, the suspects committed their crimes mostly by breaking into homes, mostly in buildings not guarded by security guards, when they were sure no one was inside.
They would pretend they were new neighbors and try to talk their way out when they were caught trying to open the doors of the targeted homes.
A man, identified by his surnamed Li, was arrested in Hsinchu City, and another man surnamed Chen was nabbed in Taipei. Li is the suspected leader of a roving burglar ring, and Chen was one of the ring's members. Other members of the ring still remain at large as of press time yesterday.
Stolen valuables recovered by police officers who raided the homes of two other ring members in Taipei and New Taipei City on the same day included an LV tote bag, two Gucci handbags, two Coach handbags, two watches, five necklaces, and bank notes worth NT$23,000. Lock-picking tools and other tools were also seized.
The two, suspected of involvement in more than 40 burglaries, have confessed to committing 10 of them.
According to investigators, the suspects committed their crimes mostly by breaking into homes, mostly in buildings not guarded by security guards, when they were sure no one was inside.
They would pretend they were new neighbors and try to talk their way out when they were caught trying to open the doors of the targeted homes.
Atlantic Ave. Truck Sting Discussed at Precinct Meeting [hat]
Over the years, one of the most common complaints of people who live near Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill is that large, often oversized trucks speed, create excessive noise, make illegal turns and generally flout traffic regulations.
It was shown at the most recent meeting of the 84th Precinct Community Council on Tuesday night that these rogue trucks are still a cause for concern. Speaking for the precinct, Lt. Timothy Wilson talked about the results of a recent sting operation targeting trucks on the avenue.
The operation, he said, yielded one summons, 26 moving violations and one arrest, involving a driver with a revoked license. Trucking violations, said Leslie Lewis, president of the community council, are punishable by much more substantial fines than the typical fines handed out to car owners.
Lewis added that these stings are somewhat infrequent because they involve a substantial amount of planning between the NYPD and the state Department of Transportation, whose agents take part in the operation. Agents also use special scales to measure the weight of trucks.
During the meeting, Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo, the precinct's commanding officer, also took questions from the audience and spoke about crime trends in the precinct.
Although crime overall has gone down, he said, one disturbing trend is the fact that there have been several thefts of tires and wheels from cars in the past month. These crimes are usually done by a team of two or three criminals, including a lookout. Often, they go from place to place in a rugged vehicle like a Range Rover.
The criminals have sophisticated equipment that can remove tires and rims in a minute.
The following day, the unsuspecting motorist goes to his car and finds that it's propped up on milk crates. In one case, he said, one of these criminals removed a tire and rolled it down a hill, where another member of the gang caught it and put it into a vehicle.
As usual, Lewis and DiPaolo honored a "cop of the month." This month's honoree was Police Officer Ywoeh Alrubyai, who was investigating a female thief who was wanted for stealing women's handbags from unsuspecting customers in stores around the Fulton Mall.
After one robbery, Officer Alrubyai went to several stores to speak to managers and customers. At one store, a manager and a customer gave him a description and said she had just been there. Accompanied by the two witnesses, he started canvassing the area and noticed a woman who fit the description. As they approached, she quickly put a handbag she was carrying under a nearby car.
Alrubyai was able to retrieve the handbag, which was soon linked to a larceny victim. Later, he discovered that she had another bag, which also had been stolen. It turned out that the suspect had a record of more than 85 arrests. DiPaolo praised Officer Alrubyai for "being able to get a career criminal off the streets."
The meeting also contained a brief debate between several Atlantic Avenue business owners and DiPaolo about the frequency of foot patrols on that busy street, and a "thank you" from a community resident whose house had been burglarized while she was sleeping. Police later arrested a suspect in the burglary.
It was shown at the most recent meeting of the 84th Precinct Community Council on Tuesday night that these rogue trucks are still a cause for concern. Speaking for the precinct, Lt. Timothy Wilson talked about the results of a recent sting operation targeting trucks on the avenue.
The operation, he said, yielded one summons, 26 moving violations and one arrest, involving a driver with a revoked license. Trucking violations, said Leslie Lewis, president of the community council, are punishable by much more substantial fines than the typical fines handed out to car owners.
Lewis added that these stings are somewhat infrequent because they involve a substantial amount of planning between the NYPD and the state Department of Transportation, whose agents take part in the operation. Agents also use special scales to measure the weight of trucks.
During the meeting, Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo, the precinct's commanding officer, also took questions from the audience and spoke about crime trends in the precinct.
Although crime overall has gone down, he said, one disturbing trend is the fact that there have been several thefts of tires and wheels from cars in the past month. These crimes are usually done by a team of two or three criminals, including a lookout. Often, they go from place to place in a rugged vehicle like a Range Rover.
The criminals have sophisticated equipment that can remove tires and rims in a minute.
The following day, the unsuspecting motorist goes to his car and finds that it's propped up on milk crates. In one case, he said, one of these criminals removed a tire and rolled it down a hill, where another member of the gang caught it and put it into a vehicle.
As usual, Lewis and DiPaolo honored a "cop of the month." This month's honoree was Police Officer Ywoeh Alrubyai, who was investigating a female thief who was wanted for stealing women's handbags from unsuspecting customers in stores around the Fulton Mall.
After one robbery, Officer Alrubyai went to several stores to speak to managers and customers. At one store, a manager and a customer gave him a description and said she had just been there. Accompanied by the two witnesses, he started canvassing the area and noticed a woman who fit the description. As they approached, she quickly put a handbag she was carrying under a nearby car.
Alrubyai was able to retrieve the handbag, which was soon linked to a larceny victim. Later, he discovered that she had another bag, which also had been stolen. It turned out that the suspect had a record of more than 85 arrests. DiPaolo praised Officer Alrubyai for "being able to get a career criminal off the streets."
The meeting also contained a brief debate between several Atlantic Avenue business owners and DiPaolo about the frequency of foot patrols on that busy street, and a "thank you" from a community resident whose house had been burglarized while she was sleeping. Police later arrested a suspect in the burglary.
David Coulthard: Formula One needs a fully fit, fully functioning Lewis Hamilton [Fitted Hat]
When Lewis Hamilton started a few races back to open up to the media, to bear his soul to the world, I was worried for him.
Hamilton appeared to have made a conscious decision to be brutally honest about his own form, his season, his life.
It made for great headlines, of course, but with each passing race and each collision — whether through his own fault or someone else’s — the pressure on him was piling up and I felt it may have had something to do with him exposing so much of himself.
I take my hat off to him following his win in Abu Dhabi. I saw him just before we did the BBC post-race show and made sure to shake his hand.
After all the column inches, the speculation over his mental state and his driving, he came back and delivered a near-faultless weekend.
We will never know what might have happened had Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull not blown a tyre on the opening lap but that's immaterial now.
Hamilton appeared to have made a conscious decision to be brutally honest about his own form, his season, his life.
It made for great headlines, of course, but with each passing race and each collision — whether through his own fault or someone else’s — the pressure on him was piling up and I felt it may have had something to do with him exposing so much of himself.
I take my hat off to him following his win in Abu Dhabi. I saw him just before we did the BBC post-race show and made sure to shake his hand.
After all the column inches, the speculation over his mental state and his driving, he came back and delivered a near-faultless weekend.
We will never know what might have happened had Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull not blown a tyre on the opening lap but that's immaterial now.
Women spreading deadly E coli germs with handbags and smartphones [watches]
EUGENE, Ore. – A local Eugene child care center features a sign on its door stating: "Mahalo," the Hawaii word for "thank you" for removing shoes, and also for not setting your handbag or cell phone down inside due to "fecal bacteria" found on the bottoms of handbags and smartphones.
When you set your handbag down indoors – on your kitchen counter, on a coffee table or in a closet – you are carrying what scientists call "a major tote for microbes." Prevention magazine reported "the worst place to set your handbag is the kitchen counter" after researchers swabs showed "up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms;" while a third of women’s bags "tested positive for fecal bacteria." In turn, Prevention noted how "a woman’s carryall gets parked in some nasty spots," such as the floor of the bus, beneath the restaurant table, and even on the floor of a public bathroom.
In turn, women are advised by health experts to "put your bag in a drawer" or anywhere away from where food is being prepared or eaten. Also, don’t let young children "touch" your handbag or smartphone that’s been out in public, due to the same types of bacteria that’s found on public toilet seats.
Exposure to germs at an all-time high, due to funky lifestyles
When women enter a bathroom stall and set down their handbag – without thinking about the germs waiting to catch a ride home with them – they usually take the middle stalls. That’s not wise, states Prevention magazine that states "the worst stall to pick is the one in the middle."
In turn, women are carrying all manner of ills from touching "germy toilet and bathroom handles," and then from placing their handbags on the floor; while also texting and making calls while on the toilet.
"I hate to do it, but when I use a public ladies room I just go a bit nuts with the precautions one must take these days. I put my handbag on the hook and then take out antibacterial wet-wipes to cleanse the stall door, and then to wipe my iPhone after calling someone," explains Jan, a Eugene local who said she’s sick and tired of "getting stuff out in public."
Moreover, Jan explains what while she’s washing her hands after going to the bathroom she recites the song "Happy Birthday" to herself two times before stopping the washing of her hands.
"My friend is a nurse and she tells me that the number one thing I can do out in public is to ‘really’ wash my hands after using a bathroom and before eating out. Funny, but I see a lot of hurried women these days that don’t have a clue; they leave the stall texting or taking clearly on their phones while forgetting to wash their hands. It’s gross," Jan asserted.
Smartphones filthy dirty, called dangerous carriers of E coli bacteria
You’re doing your business in a bathroom stall, and you overhear the person next to you talking on their cell phone; can you image them touching themselves and then touching their smartphone, asks a student here who said she’s "grossed out."
A new British study states that "one in every six cellphones is contaminated with fecal matter." It’s not news that both cellphones and smartphones contain fecal matter. After all, it’s known that more than 96 percent of Americans own cell or smartphones and they touch both the phones and "other stuff" all throughout their day.
In fact, a college student here in Eugene says "I’m grossed out when in the ladies room and I overhear phone chat in the stalls. Can you image them touching themselves and then touching their phones and then shaking hands with someone."
Smartphones viewed as dirty as a toilet seat
A new British health study finds cell and smart phone users taking their devices into the toilet with them, revealed on widetrends.com in a recent report that also noted how "95 percent of the study participants said they washed their hands after using the restroom, 92 percent of phones and 82 percent of hands had some kind of bacteria on them. The study found 16 percent of hands and phones contained E. coli, dangerous bacteria associated with food poisoning. Fecal bacteria can linger on surfaces for hours -- especially in warmer weather -- and can be spread easily."
Also, the study found that 25 percent "of the phones sampled carried Staphylococcus aureus, naturally present in skin but potentially dangerous if transferred between people," researchers said. "In all, 92 percent of cellphones and 82 percent of hands tested had some traces of bacteria."
"We found a direct link between how dirty your hands were and how dirty your phone was. If people did wash their hands properly with soap this link would not exist," said Dr. Ron Cutler, who headed the British study, reported widetrends.com.
Smartphone health safety demands no shaking hands after using a device
With news that most cell and smartphones are possibly "the dirtiest devices" now being used in public,
Doctor Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said in recent BBC News report that : "This study provides more evidence that some people still don’t wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet. I hope the thought of having E coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom – washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives."
Moreover, Doctor Ron Cutler, of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "While some cities did much better than others, the fact that E coli was present on phones and hands in every location shows this is a nationwide problem. People may claim they wash their hands regularly but the science shows otherwise."
The study found 16 percent of hands and phones contained E. coli, dangerous bacteria associated with food poisoning. Fecal bacteria can linger on surfaces for hours — especially in warmer weather — and can be spread easily.
For instance, many adults who use call or smartphones throughout the day, should never, ever touch children until they wash their hands – after reciting happy birthday to me at least five times – said a Coos Bay child care center attendant who points to recent outbreaks that she thinks are tied to parents "touching their cellphones and then touching their kids."
Image source of a woman enjoying her handbag; while not worrying about putting it down in a bathroom or restaurant. This practice is not a good idea due to bacteria living on every square inch of a purse bottom, with most women’s handbags carrying "fecal bacteria," say health experts. Photo courtesy Wikipedia
When you set your handbag down indoors – on your kitchen counter, on a coffee table or in a closet – you are carrying what scientists call "a major tote for microbes." Prevention magazine reported "the worst place to set your handbag is the kitchen counter" after researchers swabs showed "up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms;" while a third of women’s bags "tested positive for fecal bacteria." In turn, Prevention noted how "a woman’s carryall gets parked in some nasty spots," such as the floor of the bus, beneath the restaurant table, and even on the floor of a public bathroom.
In turn, women are advised by health experts to "put your bag in a drawer" or anywhere away from where food is being prepared or eaten. Also, don’t let young children "touch" your handbag or smartphone that’s been out in public, due to the same types of bacteria that’s found on public toilet seats.
Exposure to germs at an all-time high, due to funky lifestyles
When women enter a bathroom stall and set down their handbag – without thinking about the germs waiting to catch a ride home with them – they usually take the middle stalls. That’s not wise, states Prevention magazine that states "the worst stall to pick is the one in the middle."
In turn, women are carrying all manner of ills from touching "germy toilet and bathroom handles," and then from placing their handbags on the floor; while also texting and making calls while on the toilet.
"I hate to do it, but when I use a public ladies room I just go a bit nuts with the precautions one must take these days. I put my handbag on the hook and then take out antibacterial wet-wipes to cleanse the stall door, and then to wipe my iPhone after calling someone," explains Jan, a Eugene local who said she’s sick and tired of "getting stuff out in public."
Moreover, Jan explains what while she’s washing her hands after going to the bathroom she recites the song "Happy Birthday" to herself two times before stopping the washing of her hands.
"My friend is a nurse and she tells me that the number one thing I can do out in public is to ‘really’ wash my hands after using a bathroom and before eating out. Funny, but I see a lot of hurried women these days that don’t have a clue; they leave the stall texting or taking clearly on their phones while forgetting to wash their hands. It’s gross," Jan asserted.
Smartphones filthy dirty, called dangerous carriers of E coli bacteria
You’re doing your business in a bathroom stall, and you overhear the person next to you talking on their cell phone; can you image them touching themselves and then touching their smartphone, asks a student here who said she’s "grossed out."
A new British study states that "one in every six cellphones is contaminated with fecal matter." It’s not news that both cellphones and smartphones contain fecal matter. After all, it’s known that more than 96 percent of Americans own cell or smartphones and they touch both the phones and "other stuff" all throughout their day.
In fact, a college student here in Eugene says "I’m grossed out when in the ladies room and I overhear phone chat in the stalls. Can you image them touching themselves and then touching their phones and then shaking hands with someone."
Smartphones viewed as dirty as a toilet seat
A new British health study finds cell and smart phone users taking their devices into the toilet with them, revealed on widetrends.com in a recent report that also noted how "95 percent of the study participants said they washed their hands after using the restroom, 92 percent of phones and 82 percent of hands had some kind of bacteria on them. The study found 16 percent of hands and phones contained E. coli, dangerous bacteria associated with food poisoning. Fecal bacteria can linger on surfaces for hours -- especially in warmer weather -- and can be spread easily."
Also, the study found that 25 percent "of the phones sampled carried Staphylococcus aureus, naturally present in skin but potentially dangerous if transferred between people," researchers said. "In all, 92 percent of cellphones and 82 percent of hands tested had some traces of bacteria."
"We found a direct link between how dirty your hands were and how dirty your phone was. If people did wash their hands properly with soap this link would not exist," said Dr. Ron Cutler, who headed the British study, reported widetrends.com.
Smartphone health safety demands no shaking hands after using a device
With news that most cell and smartphones are possibly "the dirtiest devices" now being used in public,
Doctor Val Curtis, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said in recent BBC News report that : "This study provides more evidence that some people still don’t wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet. I hope the thought of having E coli on their hands and phones encourages them to take more care in the bathroom – washing your hands with soap is such a simple thing to do but there is no doubt it saves lives."
Moreover, Doctor Ron Cutler, of Queen Mary, University of London, said: "While some cities did much better than others, the fact that E coli was present on phones and hands in every location shows this is a nationwide problem. People may claim they wash their hands regularly but the science shows otherwise."
The study found 16 percent of hands and phones contained E. coli, dangerous bacteria associated with food poisoning. Fecal bacteria can linger on surfaces for hours — especially in warmer weather — and can be spread easily.
For instance, many adults who use call or smartphones throughout the day, should never, ever touch children until they wash their hands – after reciting happy birthday to me at least five times – said a Coos Bay child care center attendant who points to recent outbreaks that she thinks are tied to parents "touching their cellphones and then touching their kids."
Image source of a woman enjoying her handbag; while not worrying about putting it down in a bathroom or restaurant. This practice is not a good idea due to bacteria living on every square inch of a purse bottom, with most women’s handbags carrying "fecal bacteria," say health experts. Photo courtesy Wikipedia
Jewell Cardwell: Woman, 91, at last gets wish to ride in airship [Tag Heuer watches]
Heartfelt congratulations to 91-year-old Ruth Ridgley, whose long-awaited
dream of riding on the Goodyear blimp came true on Election Day.
Who says there are no happy endings?
Her granddaughter Jen Berkowitz of Avon Lake shared the beautiful back
story:
'My grandma has lived in Cuyahoga Falls for probably 60 years. Many, many
years ago she and my grandpa were supposed to take a ride on the blimp.
'At the time they were young and didn't own a car. The day came for their
blimp ride and it ended up that there was an issue with their ride, and
they were late to the air dock and they missed their flight.
'This has been something she has always wanted to do, a Bucket List thing
you could say! Blimp rides are extremely hard to come by.”
As fate would have it, Berkowitz attended an auction in Bay Village, where
a blimp ride was one of the prizes. ' I knew I had to win it!” she said.
'The news was spreading through the crowd at the auction of the ‘lady
trying to win this for her 91-year-old grandma.' And as the final minutes
were closing on the auction, a man was standing next to me attempting to
make the winning bid. I told him that I would continue to bid until I won
and then told him why and he graciously put his pen down and allowed me to
win the blimp ride!
'Ironically enough, the next day was Grandparents Day, so my family and I
drove to Akron to have dinner with my mom and my grandma, and it was there
that we told her the news. She was shocked and said that in all of her 91
years, she's never been so surprised as she was about this.”
Accompanying Mrs. Ridgley on the ride were two of her grandchildren,
Berkowitz and Brian Nichols of Stow.
Good Samaritan found
The mystery has been solved!
Carl Thornton of Barberton, an avid reader of my column, saw the item
Wednesday about a woman with a ponytail who drove a red SUV, baby-sat 7-
month-old twin boys and stopped to help a female jogger who had fallen. He
rang his neighbor, whom he suspected had done the good deed.
Turns out he was right.
Lisa Weaver was the woman who turned her vehicle around and stopped on
Nov. 1 to help Janna Le TenHuisen, who had fallen on West Market Street
near Reflections Breast Health Center.
Weaver ended up driving the bloodied jogger home. 'As I was putting her in
my SUV, a nurse from Reflections came out, told her to lean her head
forward, not backward, and to get herself checked out,” Weaver said.
Asked why she stopped to help, Weaver said simply, 'If it was me laying
there, I would have wanted someone to stop.”
Weaver — who has been married 20 years, has two teen-agers, a boy and a
girl, and lost both of her parents last year — is a self-described
nurturer.
'She's a twin taking care of twins,” Thornton wanted me to know.
'Now I understand what my mother went through,” Weaver chuckled.
TenHuisen was eager to learn the identity of the good Samaritan. Weaver
responded, 'I need no thanks but would like to touch base with her. I am
glad to hear she is back to being vertical and normal.”
Tireless volunteer
Hats off to 96-year-old Opal May of Barberton, who has been a longtime
volunteer with Jan Householder's Giving Doll ministry. It provides soft-
sculpture dolls to children in crisis: those battling serious illnesses,
who have suffered devastating losses or whose parents are in the military
serving in harm's way.
'She comes to the Barberton group meeting the third Wednesday of each
month,” said Householder, whose project, begun five years ago, is only
257 dolls away from reaching 10,000.
Warm heart
Big beautiful bouquets again to 90-year-old Ann Bialy.
The Akron woman sent me yet another colorful batch of hats and scarves she
knitted for children in foster care who are under the auspices of Summit
County Children Services.
What a generous thing to do for children she'll never see but will
certainly pray for.
Early holiday dinner
Al Kaf Court No. 144, Daughters of Isis, along with Al Kaf Temple No. 109,
will serve an early holiday dinner to folks in need, A Thanksgiving Feast:
Feeding the Hungry, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Al Kaf Social Hall,
1623 Frederick Blvd., Akron.
For information, please call Daughter Janice Davis at 330-867-6982 or
Noble Bernard Swain at 330-703-9105.
Fundraising evening
A major fundraiser — dinner, music and entertainment by comedian Katrina
Brown — is planned for 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Rafters Bar & Grill
at Meadowlake Golf & Swim to assist Kelley Hankins Spilios in her battle
with multiple sclerosis. Proceeds will go to experimental surgery not
covered by her health insurance.
Tickets, available at the door, are $12. Cash bar, raffles and a silent
auction are planned. Rafters is at 1211 39th St. NE, Plain Township.
Donations also accepted at Huntington Bank in care of the Kelley Spilios
Fundraiser. For information, please call Pete Spilios at 330-371-1056.
Feld honored
Hats off to Akron's Barbara Feld, who was one of four Northeast Ohio
recipients of the 2011 Morgan Impact Award from the Margaret Clark Morgan
Foundation, a Hudson-based private family foundation.
Feld was cited for her imaginative work with Tuesday Musical Association,
especially its Outreach Program 'that gives teachers the opportunity to
offer their students cultural experiences in the arts.”
Parenting class
Pregnant or have a child 12 or younger?
Then it may be prudent for you to be present 11 a.m. Saturday at Akron
Stork's Nest, inside South Arlington United Methodist Church, 790 S.
Arlington St., Akron.
If you attend the parenting or prenatal classes, you can get free baby
clothing. Classes are free and available on a first-come, first-served
basis. Free child care and refreshments available.
Since this is a church, please dress and act appropriately.
The topic this month is immunization, presented by registered nurse Wendy
A. Brolly. For information, please call 330-962-5946.
A huge round of applause to planners of the 73rd annual Viva La Panza
presented by the Italian-American Professional & Businessmen's Club and
House of LaRose, which took place recently at Todaro's Party Center.
Event spokesman Ray Yannucci said the event, which drew a crowd of 682,
raised more than $40,000 for scholarships for Akron-area students of
Italian heritage. Since its 1970 inception, the club has raised more than
$340,000 in scholarship money.
Other major sponsors this year were Brennan, Manna and Diamond, J.W.
Didado Electric, Dave Towell Cadillac & Saab, Hitchcock Fleming &
Associates, WAKR/WONE Radio, Ninni's Bakery and Ciriello & Carr Funeral
Homes. Co-chairmen were Lou Berroteran, John Montisano, Ralph Palmisano
and Ralph Trecaso, with a strong assist from Nick Betro, Mario Caponi,
Rocco Caponi, Jack DeLeo, Tony Gatto, Jim Leone, Dominick Maimone, Joe
Maite, Dominic Rizzo, Frank Todaro and Tom Teodosio.
dream of riding on the Goodyear blimp came true on Election Day.
Who says there are no happy endings?
Her granddaughter Jen Berkowitz of Avon Lake shared the beautiful back
story:
'My grandma has lived in Cuyahoga Falls for probably 60 years. Many, many
years ago she and my grandpa were supposed to take a ride on the blimp.
'At the time they were young and didn't own a car. The day came for their
blimp ride and it ended up that there was an issue with their ride, and
they were late to the air dock and they missed their flight.
'This has been something she has always wanted to do, a Bucket List thing
you could say! Blimp rides are extremely hard to come by.”
As fate would have it, Berkowitz attended an auction in Bay Village, where
a blimp ride was one of the prizes. ' I knew I had to win it!” she said.
'The news was spreading through the crowd at the auction of the ‘lady
trying to win this for her 91-year-old grandma.' And as the final minutes
were closing on the auction, a man was standing next to me attempting to
make the winning bid. I told him that I would continue to bid until I won
and then told him why and he graciously put his pen down and allowed me to
win the blimp ride!
'Ironically enough, the next day was Grandparents Day, so my family and I
drove to Akron to have dinner with my mom and my grandma, and it was there
that we told her the news. She was shocked and said that in all of her 91
years, she's never been so surprised as she was about this.”
Accompanying Mrs. Ridgley on the ride were two of her grandchildren,
Berkowitz and Brian Nichols of Stow.
Good Samaritan found
The mystery has been solved!
Carl Thornton of Barberton, an avid reader of my column, saw the item
Wednesday about a woman with a ponytail who drove a red SUV, baby-sat 7-
month-old twin boys and stopped to help a female jogger who had fallen. He
rang his neighbor, whom he suspected had done the good deed.
Turns out he was right.
Lisa Weaver was the woman who turned her vehicle around and stopped on
Nov. 1 to help Janna Le TenHuisen, who had fallen on West Market Street
near Reflections Breast Health Center.
Weaver ended up driving the bloodied jogger home. 'As I was putting her in
my SUV, a nurse from Reflections came out, told her to lean her head
forward, not backward, and to get herself checked out,” Weaver said.
Asked why she stopped to help, Weaver said simply, 'If it was me laying
there, I would have wanted someone to stop.”
Weaver — who has been married 20 years, has two teen-agers, a boy and a
girl, and lost both of her parents last year — is a self-described
nurturer.
'She's a twin taking care of twins,” Thornton wanted me to know.
'Now I understand what my mother went through,” Weaver chuckled.
TenHuisen was eager to learn the identity of the good Samaritan. Weaver
responded, 'I need no thanks but would like to touch base with her. I am
glad to hear she is back to being vertical and normal.”
Tireless volunteer
Hats off to 96-year-old Opal May of Barberton, who has been a longtime
volunteer with Jan Householder's Giving Doll ministry. It provides soft-
sculpture dolls to children in crisis: those battling serious illnesses,
who have suffered devastating losses or whose parents are in the military
serving in harm's way.
'She comes to the Barberton group meeting the third Wednesday of each
month,” said Householder, whose project, begun five years ago, is only
257 dolls away from reaching 10,000.
Warm heart
Big beautiful bouquets again to 90-year-old Ann Bialy.
The Akron woman sent me yet another colorful batch of hats and scarves she
knitted for children in foster care who are under the auspices of Summit
County Children Services.
What a generous thing to do for children she'll never see but will
certainly pray for.
Early holiday dinner
Al Kaf Court No. 144, Daughters of Isis, along with Al Kaf Temple No. 109,
will serve an early holiday dinner to folks in need, A Thanksgiving Feast:
Feeding the Hungry, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Al Kaf Social Hall,
1623 Frederick Blvd., Akron.
For information, please call Daughter Janice Davis at 330-867-6982 or
Noble Bernard Swain at 330-703-9105.
Fundraising evening
A major fundraiser — dinner, music and entertainment by comedian Katrina
Brown — is planned for 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Rafters Bar & Grill
at Meadowlake Golf & Swim to assist Kelley Hankins Spilios in her battle
with multiple sclerosis. Proceeds will go to experimental surgery not
covered by her health insurance.
Tickets, available at the door, are $12. Cash bar, raffles and a silent
auction are planned. Rafters is at 1211 39th St. NE, Plain Township.
Donations also accepted at Huntington Bank in care of the Kelley Spilios
Fundraiser. For information, please call Pete Spilios at 330-371-1056.
Feld honored
Hats off to Akron's Barbara Feld, who was one of four Northeast Ohio
recipients of the 2011 Morgan Impact Award from the Margaret Clark Morgan
Foundation, a Hudson-based private family foundation.
Feld was cited for her imaginative work with Tuesday Musical Association,
especially its Outreach Program 'that gives teachers the opportunity to
offer their students cultural experiences in the arts.”
Parenting class
Pregnant or have a child 12 or younger?
Then it may be prudent for you to be present 11 a.m. Saturday at Akron
Stork's Nest, inside South Arlington United Methodist Church, 790 S.
Arlington St., Akron.
If you attend the parenting or prenatal classes, you can get free baby
clothing. Classes are free and available on a first-come, first-served
basis. Free child care and refreshments available.
Since this is a church, please dress and act appropriately.
The topic this month is immunization, presented by registered nurse Wendy
A. Brolly. For information, please call 330-962-5946.
A huge round of applause to planners of the 73rd annual Viva La Panza
presented by the Italian-American Professional & Businessmen's Club and
House of LaRose, which took place recently at Todaro's Party Center.
Event spokesman Ray Yannucci said the event, which drew a crowd of 682,
raised more than $40,000 for scholarships for Akron-area students of
Italian heritage. Since its 1970 inception, the club has raised more than
$340,000 in scholarship money.
Other major sponsors this year were Brennan, Manna and Diamond, J.W.
Didado Electric, Dave Towell Cadillac & Saab, Hitchcock Fleming &
Associates, WAKR/WONE Radio, Ninni's Bakery and Ciriello & Carr Funeral
Homes. Co-chairmen were Lou Berroteran, John Montisano, Ralph Palmisano
and Ralph Trecaso, with a strong assist from Nick Betro, Mario Caponi,
Rocco Caponi, Jack DeLeo, Tony Gatto, Jim Leone, Dominick Maimone, Joe
Maite, Dominic Rizzo, Frank Todaro and Tom Teodosio.
Missoula's latest fun run raises arthritis awareness [hat]
It was only fitting that the inaugural Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Missoula took place on a Sunday morning that awoke to a fresh blanket of snow and the city's first real winter weather.
The newest addition to the ever-growing list of local fun runs kicked off what will be an annual affair to benefit the Arthritis Foundation.
Wearing Santa hats, holiday-themed socks and bells that jingled, about a hundred runners took off from Caras Park and toured up and down the Clark Fork River.
Leading the pack was 9-year-old Luke Heaphy, who has battled rheumatoid arthritis since he was 18 months old.
Staying fit and moving is the best medicine of all for this debilitating disease said the young athlete, who runs regularly to stay fit so he can play competitive basketball and football.
Although he wakes up feeling sore and achy every morning, the sooner he gets moving, the better he feels.
Heaphy said he just wished other people understood how movement and exercise are critical to people's health and well-being.
As the run's honoree, Heaphy said he wants to inspire others, and young people in particular, to get active and stay that way.
His advice for staying active during the winter?
"Find a way to keep exercising and not just sit down and watch TV inside," Heaphy said. "The snow is fun. Don't fight snow - get out and play in it.
"And when it's really cold outside, our family goes to the Peak Fitness Center a lot and we go swimming."
Arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability, said Scott Weaver, the Seattle-based spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation's western regional office.
"We are excited to have the inaugural run in Missoula, which is the only Jingle Bell run in Montana right now," Weaver said. "This is the first of 11 runs that will be held over the next four weeks through our western region, which includes Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Alaska, Montana, Oregon and Utah.
"The races will bring together over 25,000 people and will raise over $1.2 million that will be used for to support arthritis research, arthritis educational programs, community programs and camps."
Tim Leonhardt, a runner from Bozeman, was pleased with the happy coincidence that his son's swim meet was in Missoula and that there was also a race with a cause that was near and dear to the family's heart.
"I just happened to see the race advertised in the newspaper, and I like to run and my son, Alex, has juvenile arthritis," Leonhardt said. "It seemed like it was good cause and a good reason to sign up, so here I am.
"I'm doing this in support of him."
Like Heaphy's family, the Leonhardts stay active year-round. Running in the winter can be a challenge, but Leonhardt has learned a few rules of the cold-weather road: Dress like it is 20 degrees warmer than the thermometer says, because you will warm up quickly, and don't underestimate the value of a good headband or gloves.
Dressed in a festive, red sequined mini skirt and red-and-white stockings, Denise Graef said she was happy to lace up her running shoes and support the Jingle Bell cause.
"I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 21 years old, and I know how hard it is to live with," said Graef, who is now 49. "When I read about the kids who have this, and when I meet them, I know that they don't have the tools to deal with this like we do as adults.
"This is about the kids, so I am here and I am so thankful I can do it. Because I can do it, I feel compelled to do it."
When Graef was first diagnosed and learning to live with the disease, it would take her 15 minutes to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen each morning.
With such achy, painful joints, Graef could hardly move. But with help and with personal resolve, she kept moving, putting one foot in front of the other.
In time, she picked up running, and soon she'll take a test for her black belt in tae kwan do.
Conquering arthritis is a daily, sometimes hourly battle. New medications help, but attitude is everything.
"Really, it's about perseverance and the resolve to keep moving," Graef said. "I am here to help that little boy who is being honored here today, and to help their family."
More than 200,000 people in Montana suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, said Carrie Strike, Jingle Bell Run/Walk director and spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation in Montana.
"This year we are honoring Luke Heaphy and his family," she said. "We are working to dispel the myth that only people of a certain age get arthritis.
"Kids get arthritis, too."
The newest addition to the ever-growing list of local fun runs kicked off what will be an annual affair to benefit the Arthritis Foundation.
Wearing Santa hats, holiday-themed socks and bells that jingled, about a hundred runners took off from Caras Park and toured up and down the Clark Fork River.
Leading the pack was 9-year-old Luke Heaphy, who has battled rheumatoid arthritis since he was 18 months old.
Staying fit and moving is the best medicine of all for this debilitating disease said the young athlete, who runs regularly to stay fit so he can play competitive basketball and football.
Although he wakes up feeling sore and achy every morning, the sooner he gets moving, the better he feels.
Heaphy said he just wished other people understood how movement and exercise are critical to people's health and well-being.
As the run's honoree, Heaphy said he wants to inspire others, and young people in particular, to get active and stay that way.
His advice for staying active during the winter?
"Find a way to keep exercising and not just sit down and watch TV inside," Heaphy said. "The snow is fun. Don't fight snow - get out and play in it.
"And when it's really cold outside, our family goes to the Peak Fitness Center a lot and we go swimming."
Arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability, said Scott Weaver, the Seattle-based spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation's western regional office.
"We are excited to have the inaugural run in Missoula, which is the only Jingle Bell run in Montana right now," Weaver said. "This is the first of 11 runs that will be held over the next four weeks through our western region, which includes Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Alaska, Montana, Oregon and Utah.
"The races will bring together over 25,000 people and will raise over $1.2 million that will be used for to support arthritis research, arthritis educational programs, community programs and camps."
Tim Leonhardt, a runner from Bozeman, was pleased with the happy coincidence that his son's swim meet was in Missoula and that there was also a race with a cause that was near and dear to the family's heart.
"I just happened to see the race advertised in the newspaper, and I like to run and my son, Alex, has juvenile arthritis," Leonhardt said. "It seemed like it was good cause and a good reason to sign up, so here I am.
"I'm doing this in support of him."
Like Heaphy's family, the Leonhardts stay active year-round. Running in the winter can be a challenge, but Leonhardt has learned a few rules of the cold-weather road: Dress like it is 20 degrees warmer than the thermometer says, because you will warm up quickly, and don't underestimate the value of a good headband or gloves.
Dressed in a festive, red sequined mini skirt and red-and-white stockings, Denise Graef said she was happy to lace up her running shoes and support the Jingle Bell cause.
"I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 21 years old, and I know how hard it is to live with," said Graef, who is now 49. "When I read about the kids who have this, and when I meet them, I know that they don't have the tools to deal with this like we do as adults.
"This is about the kids, so I am here and I am so thankful I can do it. Because I can do it, I feel compelled to do it."
When Graef was first diagnosed and learning to live with the disease, it would take her 15 minutes to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen each morning.
With such achy, painful joints, Graef could hardly move. But with help and with personal resolve, she kept moving, putting one foot in front of the other.
In time, she picked up running, and soon she'll take a test for her black belt in tae kwan do.
Conquering arthritis is a daily, sometimes hourly battle. New medications help, but attitude is everything.
"Really, it's about perseverance and the resolve to keep moving," Graef said. "I am here to help that little boy who is being honored here today, and to help their family."
More than 200,000 people in Montana suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, said Carrie Strike, Jingle Bell Run/Walk director and spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation in Montana.
"This year we are honoring Luke Heaphy and his family," she said. "We are working to dispel the myth that only people of a certain age get arthritis.
"Kids get arthritis, too."
