Deal
To
Reduce
Landfilled
Paper
Midland
Issues
Volume
9,
Number 8
August
2008
Hundreds
of tons
of
office
paper
will be
diverted
from the
city
landfill
annually
if a
deal
between
Dow
Chemical
Co. and
Arnold
Center
reaches
its
potential
The
two
announced
an
agreement
in July
for the
center
to sort
trash
from Dow
and
recycle
up to a
million
pounds
of
office
paper.
Dow
project
leader
Jim
Hummel
said
only
about a
third of
that is
recycled
now,
through
Brady
News and
Recycling.
Mike
Shea,
Arnold
Center
president,
told
Midland
Issues
the deal
will
create
15 to 26
new jobs
and
could
lead to
a
building
addition.
The
center,
400
Wexford
Ave., is
a
non-profit
that
develops
jobs for
people
with
disabilities.
It has
recycled
paper
from Dow
Corning
Corp.
for 20
years
and also
recycles
from
Delphi
Corp.
The Dow
contract
will
double
the
center's
recycling
volume,
Shea
said.
Arnold
Center
workers
will
pick up
and sort
Dow
material
including
sticky
notes,
business
cards,
colored
and
white
paper,
envelopes,
file
folders,
newspapers,
ring and
spiral
binders,
fax
paper
and
catalogs.
The
center
will
shred
and sell
paper to
mills
for
recycling
as
towels
and
similar
products.
Dow will
pay
any of
Arnold
Center's
uncovered
expenses.
Hummel
said Dow
benefits
because
more
office
waste
will be
recycled
and the
company
will
reduce
landfill
costs by
30
percent.
Prior
recycling
efforts
fell
short
because
sorting
was
inconvenient
for Dow
employees,
he said
"It's
a triple
bottom
line,"
Hummel
said,
"good
for the
environment,
good for
the
community
by
breaking
through
the jobs
and
employment
barrier,
and we
save
money."
--JP
Grand
Marshall
Queen
Published: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:48 PM CDT
Jill Trost who attends GCI, was Grand Marshall queen of the Beaverton 4th of July parade. Gladwin County Industries is a program sponsored by The Arnold Center, Community Mental Health, and United Way. Riding in back is her mother, Janet Gardner.
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Frankenmuth
covered
with
colored
plastic
eggs to
help
celebrate
spring
Frankenmuth residents
have covered the city
with colored eggs in a
plan to beat the winter
blahs and celebrate
spring.
"People love it,"
Sheila G. Stamiris,
executive director of
the Frankenmuth Downtown
Development Authority,
said of the Easter
festivities.
"We've had such a
long, dreary winter that
this little announcement
of spring has been
really nice."
The Department of
Public Works and
Frankenmuth business
owners have decorated
the city with strings of
thousands of
multi-colored plastic
eggs.
Just how many is a
secret, as the Chamber
of Commerce is
conducting a contest to
guess the number.
The event is rooted
in the Bavarian
tradition of
Osterbrunnen, which
means "Easter wells." In
ancient times, Stamiris
said, families would
decorate wells in spring
to celebrate the gift of
water. As Christianity
came to Germany,
Christians incorporated
the spring tradition
into Easter celebrations
and began decorating
with eggs to symbolize
new life.
Judy Zehnder Keller,
president and owner of
the Bavarian Inn Lodge,
said she learned about
the Osterbrunnen
celebration after her
father, Bavarian Inn
founder William "Tiny"
Zehnder, died almost two
years ago. Zehnder
Keller found a book
about Osterbrunnen in
her father's desk and
was intrigued by the
tradition. She traveled
to Germany, where she
saw the celebration in
about 30 towns and
villages.
"I thought, 'This is
a custom that has a very
good emotional meaning,'
" Zehnder Keller said.
She brought the idea
back to Frankenmuth and
presented it to the
Chamber of Commerce.
Organizers from the
chamber, the Downtown
Development Authority
and the City
Beautification Committee
ordered thousands of
plastic eggs, then
contacted Do-All Inc. of
Bay City and Arnold
Center Inc. of Midland.
The two organizations
provide employment and
support for people with
significant
disabilities, and their
workers strung the eggs
into 12- and 24-foot
lengths.
The Chamber of
Commerce then sold the
eggs to businesses and
used them in its own
decorations, while the
City Beautification
Committee and the
authority paid the
Frankenmuth Department
of Public Works to
string the eggs in parks
and on bridges.
Organizers also
planted thousands of
daffodils, which should
bloom in May. The eggs
will come down April 12.
"We encourage
everybody to come over
and visit us," Stamiris
said. "It really is
special in these gray,
dark days of March to
have all this color
out."
Thanks for the assist
5/5/07
To the editor:
I would
like to thank the
following businesses
and/or employers for
providing and/or assisting
our cognitively impaired
students with vocational
experiences during the
2006 - 2007 school year.
These students were
able to experience
realistic job expectations
such as appropriate work
attitudes and behaviors,
job responsibilities, job
dependability and specific
skills needed for certain
vocations. Thanks to these
businesses and/or
individuals for their
time, cooperation, and
patience in helping our
students maximize their
independence and
participate in our
community:
Arby’s/South, Dawn
Salazar & Kelly Walker;
Arby’s/North, Scott Drake;
Arnold Center, Spring
Schafer; Bennigan’s, Will
Gum and Alan Vance; Big
Apple Bagels, April Cobb;
Big Boy Restaurant,
Carolyn Popp, Bob Evans,
Shantelle Struthers and
Dave Banker; Bullock Creek
Transportation, Deb
Waskevich; Coleman Public
Schools Transportation,
Mike Huss; D.A.R.T., Paula
Draves; Dollar Daze,
Michele Townsend, Sharmane
Penner, Janie Thomas and
James Cox; Hollywood
Videos, Martin Brunner;
Home Depot, Kim Burton and
Jeff Brothers; K-Mart,
Kevin Wale and Kathy
Garbulinski; Kroger’s,
Lowell Morris, Wayne
Buzzbee and Wendy
McTaggert; Lil’ Chef,
Frank Nole; Long John
Silver, Roland Brink;
Meijer’s, Kurt Howard and
Lynn Tyrrell; Midland
Community Center, Ruth
Reminder; Mid-Michigan
Regional Medical Center,
Mary Jane Hoshaw and Vicki
Turskey; Midland Motor
Inn, Barry and Falguni
Patel; Midland Public
Schools Bus Garage, Pat
Chritz, Vicki Finney, and
Jim Valliere; MidMichigan
Stratford Village Nursing
Center, Audrey Hammond and
Sarah Histed; Northwood
University Dishroom, Carol
Zerembra and Burt McAtee;
Northwood Bennett Center,
Scott Fisher, Mike
Sullivan, Peg Tacey and
Jill Brandt; Paper Jems,
Mary Sodini; Recordings
for Recovery, Mike Hoy;
Roll-Arena, Ann Behan;
Sanford-Meridian Public
Schools Transportation,
Henry Mashue; Sodexho
Corporate Services, Kriss
Salva; Taco Bell, Paul
O’Laughlin; Tim Horton’s,
Bonita Dan; Valley Lanes,
Sue Tice and Wal-Greens,
Joe Fish and Steve Conarty.
Dan Simonds
Work Experience
Consultant
Midland Public Schools
4/23/07
For
one
special
"Night
to
Remember,"
differences
between
people
with
disabilities
and
those
without
them
seem
less
obvious.
The
festive
dance,
which
occurred
Saturday,
has
become
a
yearly
tradition,
organized
so
people
with
disabilities
can
meet
and
enjoy
music,
dinner
and
each
other’s
company.
Organizers
–
volunteers
from
the
hosting
Midland
Evangelical
Free
Church
and
groups
that
help
disabled
people
– take
into
account
the
circumstances
with
which
those
people
deal
every
day.
Wheelchair
dancers
are
expected,
and
the
festivities
conclude
at 8
p.m.
so
people
can
get
home
on
Dial-A-Ride
Transportation.
One
of
those
wheelchair
dancers
is
Regina
Jackson,
50.
She
likes
to
dance
fast,
and
said
she
was
prepared
to
dance
the
time
away,
using
her
electric
wheelchair’s
joystick
to
move
to the
music.
Heather
Naessens,
28,
invited
a guy
friend
to
join
her
and
dressed
for
the
occasion
in a
green
chiffon
dress
with
white
polka
dots.
Naessens
said
she
likes
the
social
atmosphere.
"I
like
all
the
people
that
come,"
she
said.
Without
the
dance,
"it
would
be a
bummer
because
then
you
would
not
have
social
activity,
and we
need
social
activity
to
live,"
she
said.
The
dance,
called
"A
Night
to
Remember,"
was
nine
months
in
planning
–
right
down
to the
flower-covered
arch
that
marked
the
entrance
to
festivities,
plus
the
dinner,
tickets
and
posters,
said
Debbie
Lichtman,
who
works
for
Personal
Assistance
Options
and
served
on the
planning
committee.
At
least
270
tickets
were
sold.

Violet
Arold,
left,
and
her
date
Steve
Balcirak,
both
of
Sanford,
wait
to
have
a
souvenir
photo
taken
during
A
Night
to
Remember
Saturday
at
the
Midland
Evangelical
Free
Church.
The
evening
also
featured
dinner
and
dancing.
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Attendees
lined
up to
pose
for
pictures,
donated
by a
company
called
Dancing
Ham. TCBY
donated
frozen
yogurt
and
church
members
donated
cakes
and
cookies.
Shelley
Smith,
who
also
works
for
PAO,
invited
three
women
to her
house
so she
could
do
their
hair,
makeup
and
nails.
She
changed
one
woman’s
pigtails
into a
French
twist
and
gave
the
other
two
curly
coifs
with
the
help
of
mousse
and
spray.
"We
had
the
music
on and
we had
a good
time,"
she
said.

Jim
Warner,
center,
of
Midland,
shares
a
laugh
with
Nancy
Corneil,
left,
and
Spring
Schafer
as
Warner
picks
up
his
souvenir
photo
at
A
Night
to
Remember.
|
Photos
taken
by
Daily
News
photographers
are
available
as
reprints.
Order
online
as a
"special
request"
or
contact
our
librarian.
Area
nonprofits struggle with state
budget uncertainty
Several
area agencies that work with
people with disabilities face
uncertainty as Michigan tries
to solve its budget problems.
"It’s moving all around,"
said Linda Kaufmann, Community
Mental Health for Central
Michigan executive director.
CMHCM is a multicounty agency,
and includes Midland and
Gladwin. "We’re not sure
what’s going to come out."
Kaufmann said one state
plan is to take back the 2
percent wage increase given to
direct care workers – those
working in group homes or
assisting those in their own
homes – this year. The
increase would be retracted in
2008. She said the state would
save an estimated $10.5
million if this goes through.
Losing staff is a
possibility, she said.
She said another plan is a
1 percent across-the-board
reduction in Medicaid provider
payments.
"For us, a large portion
of our budget is Medicaid,"
Kaufmann said. That could mean
a loss of about $550,000 for
the agency if that reduction
is approved.
"They also keep talking
about general fund reductions.
The general fund would be an
issue," she said. "That’s
funding for the indigent, the
dollars we use for people that
don’t qualify for Medicaid,
but are still needy.
"We’re hopeful we won’t
have to do anything
immediately," she continued,
but added the agency might
have to cut services.
Sara Kristal-Brandon,
executive director of the
Disability Network of
Mid-Michigan, said her agency
receives a federal/state
match. That means if the state
reduces funding, the federal
government will, too. She said
their 2007 budget has not yet
been cut.
But DN provides services
through three different
Community Mental Health
agencies, in Midland County,
Saginaw County and Bay/Arenac
counties. One service they
provide is home help care, in
which staff help people with
daily living skills, such as
banking, cooking, showering
and other skills.
"With our contract in
Bay/Arenac, we employ about 30
people. They would see a
reduction in wages,"
Kristal-Brandon said.
She said direct care staff
wages were increased by only
1.3 percent for this year.
"They were supposed to get
it. It has not occurred yet,"
she said.
Kristal-Brandon also is
concerned about losing good
staff.
"There is a high turnover
in this field as it is," she
said. "One of the important
things is consistency."
Kristal-Brandon said she
has heard other areas that
affect people with
disabilities also will be cut
– transportation, long-term
care and adult home help care,
for example.
"The number of people who
are eligible to receive
services could change," she
said.
Kathy Allen, Personal
Assistance Options executive
director, seemed unsure about
how the state budget would
affect her agency.
"We’ve been getting some
conflicting information," she
said. "It is tough weathering
those cuts."
Mike Shea, executive
director of The Arnold Center,
was also unclear.
"It could have a negative
impact," he said. "But it’s a
little premature to see where
that’s going to affect us.
"We’re bracing for the
worst and hoping for the
best," he said.
Doug Dean
a familiar
face
around
Midland
County
By Kris
Winterton
03/11/2007
Midlander
Doug Dean
is a busy
guy. Not
one to sit
at home,
Dean makes
himself
useful by
volunteering
with a
number of
agencies.
"Doug
is very
much a
community
person,"
said Jan
Lampman,
executive
director
of The ARC
of
Midland.
"He's a
great guy.
He makes a
lot of
positive
contributions
in the
community."
Lampman
has known
Dean for
20 years,
so she
knows all
about his
work
ethic. For
14 of
those
years, she
has been
employed
at The
ARC, and
Dean has
volunteered
there
steadily
during her
tenure.
Along
with other
volunteers,
he
frequently
helps with
large
mailings,
Lampman
said. The
ARC has
nine
employees,
most of
whom work
part-time,
and a pool
of five
volunteers
to call
upon.
The
ARC of
Midland is
a United
Way
agency.
Its
mission is
to promote
the
general
welfare of
people
with
developmental
disabilities
and foster
their
presence,
participation
and
inclusion
in the
community.
The ARC
has 250
members,
but a
person
doesn't
need to be
a member
in order
to be
served,
Lampman
said.
Dean,
who is a
member of
The ARC,
recently
began a
new duty
in the
agency's
office:
answering
phones
from 11
a.m. to 1
p.m. on
Fridays.
He sits at
the
reception
desk
fielding
calls and
greeting
people who
come into
the
office.
The
ARC office
is a busy
place. The
phone
rings a
lot, and
folks come
to pick up
and drop
things
off, meet
with
personnel
and ask
questions.
"The
ARC, may I
help you?"
Dean said,
answering
another
phone call
during a
recent
session at
the
office. As
people
came in,
he greeted
them, some
by name.
He's been
a Midland
resident
all his
life and
knows a
lot of
people
through
his
longtime
participation
in
community
affairs.
Dean,
54,
attended
Leiphart,
Ashman and
Patterson
schools.
His older
brother,
Tom Dean,
is his
legal
guardian;
their
parents
passed
away
several
years ago.
Mary Ross,
a respite
worker who
cares for
Dean when
Tom is out
of town,
is a
longtime
friend of
the Dean
family.
Jean
and Al
Ducham and
their son,
Eddie
Ducham,
20, are
friends of
Dean's.
They met
him about
three
years ago,
Jean said,
at a
Midland
County
Parks and
Recreation
event at
Plymouth
Park pool.
"Doug
came right
up and
introduced
himself to
Eddie, and
we've
become
good
friends,"
Jean
recalled.
"We really
enjoy
Doug. He
has a kind
spirit. We
get
together
and go for
walks or
go
shopping
at the
mall. Doug
often
comes over
to our
house for
dinner or
to spend
an
afternoon
with
Eddie."
The
Duchams
enjoy
Dean's
upbeat
personality.
He and
Eddie like
many of
the same
activities
and get
along well
despite
their age
difference,
Jean said.
On
Tuesday
and
Thursday
mornings,
Dean can
be found
at the
Midland
Cogeneration
Venture,
where he
shreds
paper. At
the
Creative
Spirit
Center,
Linda Z.
Smith puts
him to
work
running
the copy
machine,
folding
papers,
dusting
and
vacuuming.
Dean's
service at
MidMichigan
Stratford
Village
includes
pushing
residents'
wheelchairs,
bringing
meals to
them and
delivering
items. The
Christmas
season is
exciting,
as it
brings
opportunities
to help
with the
Salvation
Army's
Christmas
Closet. "I
help put
coats
away, hang
up pants
and
things,"
he said.
Other
places he
volunteers
include
the
Midland
Community
Center,
Midland
Community
Tennis
Center,
Chippewa
Nature
Center,
the
Antique
Festival
at Midland
County
Fairgrounds,
Midland
County
Animal
Control
and
Midland
Volunteers
for
Recycling.
"I
like to
help
people
out," he
said. "I
look in
the paper
(at the
volunteer
column)
and find
things to
do." He
has helped
with
dances for
People
First, an
advocacy
group of
The ARC. A
Valentines
Day dance
was fresh
on his
mind. For
that event
he wrapped
gifts,
registered
guests and
helped
Lampman
purchase
food.
There's
often a
smile on
Dean's
face. He
enjoys
music,
particularly
country
music. On
summer
days he
meets with
friends at
Tunes by
the Tridge,
and he has
played
Special
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