Who do you know that is going above and beyond to make a difference for kids? Who do you know that works to create an environment that ‘lifts up’ young people? Who do you know that is looked up to and admired by young people? Who do you know who volunteers their time and talent to better the lives of young people? If you know someone who fits this description, there is a way you can honor them.

Gerry Giesler knew her 45-year-old son, Jim, was in some kind of distress when he called her in Jasper just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday. “He was just breathing so heavy,” said Gerry, 75. That will happen when you are in the middle of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded and you are outside watching your house twist, your street wave up and down and parked cars bobbing in unison.

CANI (Community Action of Northeast Indiana) Director of Administration & Development Steve Hoffman has been chosen as one the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s “40 Under 40.”

Community Action of Northeast Indiana (CANI) is seeking nominations for the 4th annual William G. Williams Award to be presented May 4 at the CANI RECAP event.

Columnist, mom and former educator Amy Jagger will be the keynote speaker for the Whitley County Literacy Council’s annual meeting on March 8.

Holly Eggelston ponders the perils of making the commitment …

Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) has awarded 554 degrees and certificates to 528 students who completed their course of study during the fall 2009 semester.

David and Mary (Nash) Eby were married on February 20, 1960 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on a romantic Caribbean cruise.

LeFever was honored with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce High School Internship of the Year Award Wednesday.

Parents with children who will be five years old on or before August 1 are invited to Faith Christian Academy for Kindergarten Roundup …

Whitley County is applying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) for various capital projects. As a requirement of the application process, the community must provide combined family income information for the households within the proposed service area, or those who will directly benefit from the use of grant funds.

IPFW has released its Dean’s List and Semester Honors List for the fall semester of 2009.

Madalyn Sade-Bartl of Churubusco has been placed on the Academic Honors List at Indiana Tech.

Huntington University’s EXCEL Adult Degree Programs will hold an informational meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 4, at the Columbia City site on 220 Frontage Road.

With the devastation in Haiti many local people are trying to do their part to lend aid. The residents of Sycamore Village (located near Dunfee on the Whitley-Allen County line) wanted to do what they could to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

The Whitley County Council on Aging is coordinating the Whitley County Transit program to provide door-to-door public transportation to the community.

Scribbles & Giggles – Anytime I tried to have The Talk with my kids, they would get that deer-in-the-headlights look …

The first newborn of 2010, Haleigh Giselle Graves, was born at 9:56 a.m., on Jan. 4, at Parkview Whitley Hospital, to Ryan and Aimee (Anglin) Graves, of Columbia City.

Huntington University’s EXCEL Adult Degree Programs will hold an
informational meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tues., Jan. 5, at the Columbia City
site on 220 Frontage Road.

The first holiday after the death of a loved one is gut-wrenching, but the first Christmas is unbearable. The vacant place setting is all too obvious …