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Some of the many volunteers who help Feeding Medina County gathered for this photo.
(Photo courtesy of David Lariviere)
MEDINA, Ohio - In this special season, we have to thank all of the people who volunteer their time and energy to helping others. Many, many people are doing just that with their efforts to help Feeding Medina County. The men and women of the United States Navy, and Medina's own military veterans, joined Sandy Hinkle to support Feeding Medina County at the December Free Food Distribution.
Hinkle thanked all of the volunteers from Feeding Medina County, the American Legion, VFW, DVA, members of the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, Girl Scout Troop 495, JFS, CSEA, OSU Extension, Medina County District Library and Health Department, Sandridge Foods, Veterinarian Dr. Kelly Parker, Cloverleaf Schools Superintendent Daryl Kubilus, Army Chaplain Colonel Reid Miller, our sailors and veterans for another year of service and for giving food, hope, and holiday cheer to so many families at Christmastime. For more information, visit feedingmedinacounty.org/
A Merry Christmas event - It wouldn't be Christmas without Stuff the Escalade to benefit the HANDS Foundation each year. It was another great year hosted by Plum Creek Senior Assisted Living Community. The grand prize includes hundreds of dollars worth of gifts stuffed in a toy Escalade. Executive Director of HANDS, Cindie Schneider reported that almost 300 people attended the event with children (of all ages) enjoying crafts, live reindeer, a visit from Santa and even a Buddy the Elf sighting. Congratulations to the winner, Carol Fritz, a longtime supporter of the foundation.
Matthew Moretto is the student speaker at Tri-C graduation.
Success story related by Medina resident: Matthew Moretto knew he could handle the academic rigors of college after graduating with honors from Medina Senior High School in 2005. But his bank account couldn't meet the financial demands of higher education. Moretto worked and worked delivering pizzas and stocking shelves, routinely working 70-hour weeks.
He kept that schedule for nine years keeping the goal of college in mind. After building his savings and buying a reliable car and computer, Moretto enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College to pursue his dream. He sat down for his first college lecture in January, 2014. He worried about how he'd fare after so much time away from the classroom, but took that nervous energy and poured it into his studies. Papers and tests returned with a familiar letter at the top.
"Once those A's starting coming," he said, "I never wanted to stop."
They never did, with Moretto maintaining a flawless 4.0 GPA while earning two degrees taking classes at the Western Campus of Tri-C. He received an associate of arts in May and will be awarded an associate of science this month. Moretto will serve as student speaker and address fellow graduates during the upcoming commencement ceremony.
"We come to Tri-C to make dreams come true," said Moretto, 30, the first in his family to graduate from college. "That's what all of us here have in common. Tri-C gives you a chance to be something more."
Moretto will transfer to The Ohio State University in January to pursue a degree in political science. After that he hopes to attend Cleveland State University to work toward a law degree.
"It all depends on money," Moretto said, "I may have to take a few years off to work, but I'll get there someday."
Residents sing at Ashland: Samantha Gross of Medina who is majoring in early childhood education and Melissa Haber of Medina, majoring business management are members of the Ashland University Choir. Gross is a 2016 graduate of Medina High School. Haber is a 2013 graduate of Highland High School. Haber is also a recipient of the "Who's Who Among Students" at Ashland University.
Brunswick student in the swim: Elizabeth Gehlmann of Brunswick is a member of Ashland University's women's swim team. Gehlmann is majoring in biology. She is the daughter of James and Marianne Gehlmann and she is a 2014 graduate of Brunswick High School.
They earned their degrees: The following students completed their Ashland University degree requirements and were presented their degrees this month: Daniela Cambouris of Medina earned his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Dietetics; Amanda Cerny of Hinckley earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, She is a 2014 graduate of Brunswick High School; Stephanie Steets of Brunswick also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is a 2012 graduate of Brunswick High School.
Heather Grisanti and Amanda Busch, both of Brunswick earned their Master of Education degree majoring in Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century.
Luke is on the court: Wheaton College student Luke Peters of Medina is a member of the 2016-2017 men's basketball team.
Wheaton College in Wheaton IL., sponsors 21 varsity sports, and Thunder teams compete at the NCAA Division III level
Businesswoman looks for more success: Dana Freund of Pinnacle Gymnastics in Medina took a step toward greater business success by completing the Goldman Sachs "10,000 Small Businesses" program at Cuyahoga Community College.
Freund is one of 35 small-business owners in the program's latest graduating class. She spent 14 weeks at Tri-C studying a specialized business and management curriculum for entrepreneurs.
Bus trips will return: Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach has several bus trips planned the beginning of 2017. On Jan. 22, the group will journey to Cleveland's Playhouse Square to see the Broadway touring production of Stephen Sondheim's award winning musical, "Into the Woods." On Feb. 19, ORMACO will return to see Rogers and Hammerstein's classic "The King and I." Buses leave from Buehler's River Styx in Medina at 11:30 am. Enjoy roundtrip transportation, a trivia quiz, catered lunch, flowing wine, homemade cookies, chocolates and more. Prices range from $69 to $93. More trips will be coming throughout the year.
ORMACO is a volunteer non-profit with the mission of making music, arts and culture accessible to all, with a focus on underserved, disadvantaged and rural populations. For more information or to book tickets call 330-722-2541 or visit ormaco.org.
Hinckley resident graduates in Kansas: Hats off to the more than 500 candidates for December graduation at Emporia State University. Joe Heiland of Hinckley will graduate with a Master of Science degree in Health, Physical Education, & Recreation.
Awards earned at Mount Union: The following students have received financial awards from the University of Mount Union: From Medina -- Morgan Stubbendieck, Taylor Burrell, Zachary Hlas and Trevor Thome were among 355 students to earn the awards. Also, Benjamin Hobrath of Brunswick and Adam Nagy from Hinckley received financial awards.
Special degree for Marquis: Susan Marquis of Hinckley has completed a 2016 Kent State University certificate program in Autism Spectrum Disorders from the College of Education, Health and Human Services in Summer 2016.
The Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) certificate is designed to provide students with an understanding of the theoretical conceptualizations of ASD, as well as the skills needed to develop and implement evidence-based lifespan intervention programs, collaborate successfully as a member of intervention teams, support individuals with ASD who are served within general and special education contexts, and effectively address the needs of families. The certificate program provides students with an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes didactic and applied learning experiences under the direction of recognized ASD scholars.
She has great grades and athletic ability: Miami University student-athlete Maria Scavuzzo has earned Academic All-Mid-American-Conference recognition. Ten members of Miami's cross country team earned the recognition.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
Scavuzzo, from Medina, is earning a B.S. in Kinesiology & Health majoring in Nutrition.
Was I hearing correctly? I swear I heard Tom Hanks saying he loved Antonio's Pizza, but some readers tell me he said Angelo's. So either way - their pizza is delicious.
Church services coming up: It's such a beautiful time to attend church services and to remember the real meaning of Christmas for those of us who are Christians. All of our places of worship have online pages - so be sure to check them out. Most of them have special services for children on Christmas Eve - making it a special moment for those little ones.
Reminiscing about Christmas: Many of our longtime readers may remember this - something I wish we could have continued. Each year, every reporter was asked for a list of names of people we wanted to receive a special holiday greeting. We'd submit them and one of our newspaper artists would create a banner on the front page with all those names written in. She would ink each of them by hand in beautiful script of some kind or another (before you could do it on a computer). I loved seeing the expression on people's faces when they realized they were part of that tradition.
So even though I can't mention you all by name, be assured I really appreciate your loyalty and readership. It's hard to believe that 2017 will begin my 56th year here: about 51 of them writing a column.
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday!
Contact Boyer at [email protected].