The Chronicle
  • March10th


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    The Spring Valley Shelter is one of Northwest Indiana’s premiere emergency homeless shelters. The Spring Valley Shelter provides assistance and emergency housing (usually for periods of up to one month), and it offers services to help the homeless help themselves by making people financially able again. The Spring Valley Shelter also provides crisis intervention services, counseling, and child enrichment services. While the shelter, whose parent company is a non profit organization named Christian Community Action, has served Porter County for years, there are some big changes in the works for Spring Valley.

    “Most of what’s being done at Spring Valley is an effort to eliminate redundancy,” Barbara Young, president of the Porter County Community Foundation, said. “There haven’t been as many funds available in the past few years, so we’re attempting to get as much mileage out of the money that we do have as we can.”
    Porter County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization which operates, according to Young, as something of a savings account for all of the other non-profits in Porter County. The community foundation operates as a sort of umbrella for these other, non-profit organizations and it handles the funds that are donated.
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  • March10th

    GIVE A DAY
    Get a Disney Day

    HealthLinc, Inc. announces it is participating in the nationwide “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day” volunteer initiative. Sponsored by Disney, the program promotes voluntarism in local communities across the country. A person volunteering for a day at an approved non-profit organization can obtain a Disney Pass good for one day at any Disney Park location. The program emphasizes family friendly volunteering with adults and children over the age of 6 eligible to receive the Disney passes. The United Way is facilitating efforts in Northwest Indiana. HealthLinc’s CEO, Beth Wrobel stated, “HealthLinc was founded by volunteers and community support and continues to enjoy that support today. We know the value of volunteer time and talent. It’s great that Disney is encouraging families to get involved with their communities.” HealthLinc has various volunteer opportunities available at its clinic locations in Valparaiso, Michigan City, and Knox. These opportunities include office work, painting and cleaning, reading to young children, and landscaping in the warmer months. HealthLinc, Inc. (www.healthlincchc.org) is a not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center that provides a range of medical, dental, and behavioral health services to people of all ages regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Many of our patients lack health insurance or are enrolled in the Medicaid or Medicare programs. HealthLinc also accepts some private insurance plans. Clinics are located in Valparaiso, Michigan City, and Knox. All three clinics offer primary medical and behavioral health services; dental services are available in our Valparaiso and Michigan City clinics. For more information call Beth Wrobel, CEO at (219) 465-9500 or bwrobel@healthlincchc.org. Volunteer registration can be found at www.DisneyParks.com.
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  • March10th

    Anne Wood stands in front of a display for the South Haven Library's Reading Olympics.

    Anne Wood stands in front of a display for the South Haven Library's Reading Olympics. "There are always numerous events happening at Porter County Libraries," stated Woods.
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    During February the South Haven Public Library sponsored a month long event called the Winter Reading Olympics. It was an easy event to participate in, and unlike the regular Olympics there was no need to cross train or get into top form. All patrons had to do was check out books from the South Haven Public Library, read them, and when they returned them make sure that they filled out an appropriate card with their name, the title of the book, and whether or not they’d recommend it to another patron. The cards were then entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes at the end of the month.
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  • March10th


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    Portage Food Pantry volunteers gathered for training and an informal meal at the Portage Adult Education Center on Wednesday, February 24th. Nearly fifty volunteers now donate over six hundred hours of service time every month to help serve the pantry’s ever-growing number of clients. Last year the pantry was able to help 8412 local families in need.

    Donations of food or personal hygiene items may be brought to the pantry, which is located in back of the Portage Adult Education Center at 5391 Central Avenue in Portage, on Fridays from 8:00 am until 1200 pm. Monetary donations can be sent in care of Linda Roque, Financial Secretary, to P.O. Box #1582, Portage, IN, 46368.

    Pictured are volunteers who have been serving the pantry in many capacities during the past year: Front Row: Judy Selund; Ashley Andrews; Amber Grobetz; Sarah Tracy, Director of Volunteers; and Bobbie DeKemper, Pantry Co-Director. Second Row: Pat Peters; Mimi Moore; Kathy Mendoza; Diana Gymrek; Billie Wallace; Barb O’Hara; and Cindy Lutrell. Third Row: Edmund McDanel; Diane Howsare, Bread Coordinator; Donnie Potts; Paul Sams; Mary Cutter; Joan Byas; Carolyn Potts; Scott Tracy; Nancy Bedolla; and Jay Bedolla.

  • March10th


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    Linda Eleftheri’s Jackson Elementary second grade class won the competition at the school for bringing in the most soup cans for the “Souper” Bowl food drive which were donated to two local food pantries. The class won a free hour and half of bowling reward donated by Inman’s Fun and Party Center in Valparaiso. Pictured at the bowling alley are front, left to right, Jett Lloyd, Travis Konarski, Maris Robinson, Leah Nittner, Andrey Benus, Alyssa Schneider and Jordan Montoya. Row 2, Daniel Alexander, Steven Skelton, Cairdon Bailey, Katie Hall, Gavin Dooley, Abbey Gemeinhart, Savannah Lee and Gigi Ricciardi. Back, Dr. Linda Rugg, principal; Joshua Osborne, Gabriel Kroeger, Christian Charlson, Adam Wilson, teacher Linda Eleftheri, Sydney Balas and A.J. Stirling. (Duneland Schools photo)

  • March10th


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    The National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that consumers change the battery in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when we change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time.

    While you have that ladder out to check your smoke detectors, why not change a bulb?
    Switching to energy efficient bulbs in your ceiling fixtures could save you $30 a year per bulb on your electricity bill.

    Energy efficient lighting is particularly important in the fall when Daylight Saving Time ends and the days are shorter.
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  • March10th

    Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller

    Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller
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    Most people agree that filing your annual tax return ranks right up there with root canals and cleaning the gutters. Regardless of how you feel about it, they must be done. In the wake of the great recession, many Hoosiers are looking for ways to trim their tax bills. Tax scams often appeal to those in financial distress and as we approach the home stretch of filing season, it’s important to remember a few common scams to avoid.

    The goal of most tax scams is to either trick people out of their money or steal their identities. The IRS has identified several methods scammers use to accomplish this.
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  • March10th

    Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller

    Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller
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    March Madness in Indiana is about more than just basketball, it’s about loyalty to your favorite players and coming together as a community to rally for your team. When Indianapolis plays host to the NCAA Final Four tournament on April 3 and 5, team spirit will reach new heights as thousands of basketball fans from around the country arrive for the games. Unfortunately, scammers have identified these types of events as a good opportunity to exploit the loyalty fans have for their teams.
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  • March10th

    The dining room area of the Smart Home features a table that uses the wood from a 100-year-old tree that fell on the Museum’s property in 2009.

    The dining room area of the Smart Home features a table that uses the wood from a 100-year-old tree that fell on the Museum’s property in 2009.
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    The Museum of Science and Industry unveiled Chicago’s Greenest Home on March 4, with a fresh new look and new green stories to tell.

    The Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit, a fully-functioning, eco-friendly modular home on the Museum’s grounds, has been refreshed courtesy of Midwest Living. The home is designed to reflect the lifestyle of an empty-nester couple and features soft, organic textures and colors fused with a contemporary style—as well as unique green technologies for the 21st century. Since the Smart Home first debuted in May 2008 at MSI, more than 200,000 guests have taken guided tours of the exhibit. This year tours will run through Jan. 9, 2011.
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  • March10th


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    Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar has presented a $1,000 donation toward the Cardiovascular Research program of Community Healthcare System. The contribution represents the restaurant’s funding and awareness efforts concerning heart disease – the nation and the region’s leading cause of death.

    The Cardiovascular Research program works with the hospitals of Community Healthcare System to offer new treatment options available only through research. On hand for the check presentation are (left to right) Marie Forszt, director, Cardiovascular Research program at Community Healthcare System and Doris Brooks, assistant general manager, Boston’s.
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