Thursday, June 10, 2004

Stand for Children Day will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. June 18 at Kereiakes Park. There will be vendors, games, storytelling, door prizes and other things. Childcare providers interested in bringing large groups should call in advance to Anne Grubbs at 842-4281. Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700

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Staff (2004, June). Around town. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/features/around-town/article_a795d946-8ccf-5fd7-a38b-01f753fb945a.html

After Bibb was named Volunteer of the Year, Volunteers in Action had one more award to present the Presidents Award, given by volunteers President Doug Eberhart.

The award went to two people Felicia Bland of Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and Anne Grubbs of Community Education.

Other nominees for Volunteer of the Year included Neresa B. Minatrea of The ALIVE Center; Karl Miller of the Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science; Gloria Peach of Barren River Long Term Care Ombudsman; Kevin Willis of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of South Central Kentucky; Kendra Farley of Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce; Meg Crittenden of Bowling Green/Warren County Community Education; Julie Allen of Bowling Green Junior Womans Club; Vivian Foe of Bowling Green Womans Club; Karen Rohrer of Capitol Arts Alliance; Joseph Ferry of Community Action of Southern Kentucky, Foster Grandparents; Amy Bingham of the Family Enrichment Center; Lynn Phillips of Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana; Rhonda Hemming of Henry F. Moss Middle School; Sarah Slaughter of Hope Harbor; Denise Cole of Junior Achievement of Southern Kentucky; Ann Adams Bernot of The Medical Center of Bowling Green; Shirley Holland of William H. Natcher Elementary School; Carole Smock of Preceptor Alpha Epsilon Sorority, Beta Sigma Phi International; Cora Jane Spiller of The Salvation Army; Brad Howard of United Way of Southern Kentucky; Jesse Alexander of Warren Central High School Youth Services Center, Language and Literacy Center; and B.J. Davis of Warren East Middle School. Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700

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Craig, Courtney (2004, April). Volunteer of the Year award. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/miranda-pederson-daily-newsmariah-bibb-right-gets-a-congratulatory-hug/article_aba28286-b077-5c3a-b7c3-aa0446383a95.html

Hundreds of children were as quiet as church mice while Lindsey Lea Sweatt, 15, sang the national anthem to kick off the sixth annual Stand for Children Day on Friday at Kereiakes Park. Once the program was over, so was the quiet time. The children headed to the information and activity booths to get their faces painted, make puppets and learn about science.

Stand for Children is a national organization, but Bowling Green organizers adapt the activities and themes to the local area, said Anne Grubbs, enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Bowling Green and Warren County Community Education.

We try to think of whats an issue in Bowling Green and Warren County at the time, Grubbs said.  She said children are the future of the community.

This years theme was Safe Summer Fun. Children got identification kits, bicycle helmets and learned about the Safe Spot program, in which places can be havens for children in danger. B.J. Sweatt, 10, of Bowling Green had seen the Safe Spot signs, but didn’t know what they were for. I’ve never really read it, he said. I’ve felt really safe here in Bowling Green. B.J. also learned that without sunscreen, he could get skin cancer. He planned to tell his friends about what he learned on Friday. I think it will help them be safe, he said. Ashley Davis, 8, of Bowling Green got a bicycle helmet. She has been riding her bike without one. But I still don’t fall that much, she said. I fall in the grass so it doesn’t hurt as much. Ashley was just beginning her trek through the booths. There’s a lot of things to see, she said. Its fun. The children saw the Bowling Green Public Library Bookmobile, Bowling Green Fire Department trucks and a Bowling Green Police Department cruiser. Stephanie Berec, 5, came with the Western Kentucky University Child Care Center. Berec made a puppet with help from Carrie Barnett, executive director of the Capitol Arts Alliance. It was a girl puppet with earrings and a skirt and, as of Friday, without a name. Shelvie Payne, 10, came to the event with the Rockfield Family Resource Center camp. Shelvie and her fellow campers listened to local musician Lindsey Lea Sweatt sing, listened to stories and painted on the ground as part of a large mural. I painted a cross with What Would Jesus Do?, she said. Shelvie wanted to get her face painted, but was undecided as to what to get. She had time to decide there were long lines at most of the booths. I think there’s too many people here, she said.

Sisco, Scott (2003, June). Hundreds of children gather to learn about safe summer activities. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/hundreds-of-children-gather-to-learn-about-safe-summer-activities/article_960f5992-fd30-5db9-abb2-6a869fc70fb7.html

Bowling Green and Warren County Community Education is focusing on Safe Summer Fun for children as the theme for the sixth annual Stand for Children Day. The celebration will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday at Kereiakes Park on Cemetery Road. The first 500 children will receive free goodie bags.

The theme ties into the Bee Aware Coalition, which focuses on prevention of child abduction, said Anne Grubbs, enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Community Education.

Other local service providers will be available to teach children and youths how to be safe. There will be activity booths that will feature arts and crafts, relay races, storytime and entertainment, which will be provided by the Bowling Green Public Library’s Young Adult Storytelling Drama Troupe. Parents can get Ident-A-Kid kits and buy bicycle helmets for $5. There will also be a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and a local proclamation declaring June 20 as Stand for Children Day in Bowling Green and Warren County. The event will also feature a display with the names of all 300 winners of the Spotlight Youths Spotlight a Youth award. The winners are nominated by various people, including teachers and neighbors.

We want to help make Bowling Green and Warren County aware of the resources for the children and celebrate the success that we have, she said. There are resources out there to help.

The Bowling Green celebration is part of a nationwide activity, which began in 1996. Bowling Green has hosted an event every year since 1998. Past themes have been Quality and Affordable Childcare, Healthcare for all Children, Creating a Voice and Vision for Children and A Renewed Commitment to Children and Families.

Grubbs credited Sherri Meyer of Western Kentucky University’s Child Care Resource and Referral Service with starting Stand for Children in Bowling Green before Community Education became involved. We started on a grassroots level here, she said. This year we brought in community patrons to help us put this together.

Each year the level of participation has risen, Grubbs said. The first year at Kereiakes Park, we had 500 children, she said. It has been at that level almost every year and has gone up to 700. A lot of the children who participate come from summer camps and day care centers, Grubbs said. Some summer camps have a picnic after its done, she said. Grubbs said organizers could still use some help preparing for and during the event. We would be happy to have volunteers, she said. For more information about Stand for Children Day, call Community Education at 842-4281.

Compton, Michael (2003, June). Stand for Children Day honors kids, teaches safety. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/stand-for-children-day-honors-kids-teaches-safety/article_1531ba1c-eff9-5291-a0a5-6c1c1204f9e1.html

When Brett Reynolds stepped up to the podium at the Volunteers in Action annual awards reception Tuesday night, he could understand the amazing event that Anne Rush, 2002 Volunteer of the Year, had spoken about earlier in the evening. Last year, everyone saw a miracle, Rush told the nearly 100 people who gathered at State Street United Methodist Church for the event during her welcome address about how she felt about being honored last year. I was speechless.Reynolds, an attorney for English, Lucas Priest and Owsley, said he, too, was at a loss for words when he heard his name announced as 2003 Volunteer of the Year. I don’t think anybody does this for a reward, he said. I truly enjoy it. If I didn’t enjoy it, then it would be easy not to do it. Reynolds is a Big Brother and board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southcentral Kentucky, co-chairman of Leadership Bowling Green, coaches youth baseball at the Housing Authority of Bowling Green, works with the United Way of Southern Kentucky, helps with the Chamber of Commerce’s Golf Challenge and is a member of the Public Theatre of Kentucky Board and the Western Kentucky University Libraries Advisory Council.(Volunteering) is making an impact on me, he said. Its an awesome thing that I get so much out of it. I think everyone in here is just as deserving (of the award). Reynolds said his favorite thing about volunteering is his Little Brother, 11-year-old Troy Halcomb. They spend time together volunteering, talking about careers and just doing general guy things.Hes the best kid, he said. We throw baseballs, go to games and go to dinner. We went to the Nashville Zoo last summer. As it gets warmer, it will be easier to find things to do. We may go to Kentucky Kingdom this summer.Susan McCue, executive director of Operation P.R.I.D.E. and guest speaker for the awards reception, said volunteers do wonderful work.Lord, bless these people for what they do for others. Amen, she said.

Other nominees for 2003 and the organizations that nominated them include the following:

Myrna Neff, Alpha Theta chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha International; Vera G. Guthrie, Altrusa International of Bowling Green; Dorothy Forte, Barren River Long Term Care ombudsman; Bill Smith, Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science; Melanie Kington, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce; Edwin Phelps, Bowling Green Area Microcomputer User Group; Jerry Wells, Bowling Green-Warren County Community Education; Anne Grubbs, Bowling Green Womans Club and Bowling Green Kiwanis Club; Andrew Tate, Capitol Arts Alliance; Carole Smock, The Cardinals of Kentucky chapter of the American Business Womens Association; Ruth Ann Bowen, Commonwealth Health Free Clinic; Fred Sass, Community Action of Southern Kentucky, Foster Grandparents; Sherry L. Ledbetter, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana; Norma Holland, Hope Harbor; Wayne Orscheln, Longview Fibre Company, Junior Achievement of Southern Kentucky; Sybil Klovski, The Medical Center at Bowling Green; Elizabeth Whitaker, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill/Bowling Green; Craig E. Browning, United Way of Southern Kentucky; and Wanda Dodson, Warren County Cooperative Extension Office 4-H.Doug Eberhart, president of the United Way of Southern Kentucky, received the Volunteers in Actions President Award.

Carmichael, Alicia (2003, April). Reynolds named Volunteer of Year. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/reynolds-named-volunteer-of-year/article_e8d087eb-4433-5f4a-b8b6-22087f65cfd4.html

Members of Girls Inc., listen to opening remarks at the 12th Annual Women of Achievement Awards on Thursday night at the Travelodge Hotel in Bowling Green. The awards are sponsored by the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission. Photo by Clinton Lewis

Sixteen Warren County women were honored for their outstanding contributions to the community Thursday night during the 12th Annual Women of Achievement Awards at Travelodge Hotel in Bowling Green. Every one is exceptional, said Linda McCray, executive director of the Bowling Green Warren County Human Rights Commission, which sponsors the awards. Just to be nominated means you’ve been noticed in the community for doing something of value.

The winners in the following categories were chosen from a field of 61 nominees by the 2003 Women’s History Month Advisory Board. Arts Lynn Robertson presides over the Gallery at the Capital Arts Center. Her own work has received statewide recognition.Business Sharon Sullivan is vice president of Omni Meats, a multimillion dollar meat processing facility which she founded with her husband, Curtis, with little money two decades ago. Community Service Vivian Foe is a retired teacher who still substitutes, is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa education sorority and attends First Baptist Church, where she teaches Sunday School and has served as chairwoman of the 2000 Women’s Missionary Union convention. She has done mission work and taught in Russia and Brazil. Elementary Education When redistricting affected her students at Cumberland Trace Elementary School, Emily Baxter Duryea organized friend groups to welcome new students. Among her other contributions to children, after Sept. 11, 2001, Duryea organized a sale in which students sold each other used books. Proceeds were donated to he Afghan Children’s fund.Middle School Education Dr. Karen S. Powell is a former veterinarian who now works as assistant science professor at Western Kentucky University’s Community College. She is director of the Regional Science Resource Center and each year conducts teacher enrichment programs and teaches more than 700 middle-school students.High School Education Angela Townsend is a Greenwood High School English teacher who was named Kentucky Distinguished Educator in 1994. She has taught at the elementary school, junior high, high school and college levels, and has been a sponsor of many youth organizations.College Education Elizabeth Cooksey has been a teacher for more than 20 years. She is currently a professor of education at Western Kentucky University.Entrepreneurship After searching for quality, affordable child-care for her four children, Angela Coleman founded 24/7 Day Care. She and her employees care for 95 children in an environment that focuses on fundamental child-rearing principals and quality care.Posthumous The late Ora Porter was the first registered nurse in Bowling Green. She attended Tuskegee Institute and received the praises of Booker T. Washington. She nursed the family of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and was one of only two registered nurses who worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Bowling Green. Science and Health Donna Jo Woods opened Fitness For You after retiring from the Barren River District Health Department, where she was a Womens Health practitioner. Woods has served on the National Board for the Quality of Life Association and is active in the Kentucky Chapter she helped organize.

Woman of the Year Anne Blane Grubbs is enrichment and volunteer coordinator for Community Education. She is involved in several area organizations, including Volunteers in Action, of which she is president, and Networking Women, of which she is program chairwoman. She is president of the Bowling Green Womans Club and is on the Bowling Green Volunteer Task Force.

Woman’s First Hattie S. Page became the first black bank teller in Bowling Green. Her work with TransFinancial Bank spanned 26 years and she was named Teller of the Year there in 1979. She is now head teller at a branch bank of Citizens First.Women Reaching Higher Teresa T.J. Shockley was once a young mother who was dependent on food stamps and Section 8 housing. She opened and made a success of Timeless Treasures Antique Mall and now has two degrees from Western Kentucky University. She is director of initiatives for the Housing Authority of Bowling Green.Women of Distinction Maxine Ray is a Master of Folk Studies and substitute teacher who promotes Warren Countys black history. She worked to obtain state historical recognition for the former community of Jonesville, where much of WKU is now located. Ray served on the TrailBlazer committee for four years and has received the Ora B. Porter Community Service Award for her work with Jonesville.Youth Achievement Oshkea Offut is a 20-year-old WKU honor student who works as a role model with the children of Angora Court Learning Center.Lifetime Achievement Johnnie Sanders has worked with Community Action of Southern Kentucky for nearly 30 years. Shes been a bus driver, social service aid and a parent involvement coordinator. Shes also been Family Involvement Coordinator for Head Start Also during the Women of Achievement Awards, Kiersten Echols, an L.C. Curry Elementary School fifth-grader, was named a winner of the Women’s History Month Essay Contest, along with Sabina Muratovic of Parker-Bennett Elementary School, Oundrea Gatewood of Warren Elementary and Shanice McKissic of Henry F. Moss Middle School.Kiersten wrote about the strength and inspiration of her single mom, Dorothy Sears. She said she was inspired by the women at the Women of Achievement Awards, but most wants to be like her mother.Shes there when I need somebody, Kiersten said.The Women of Achievement Awards are held in part to inspire girls and young women to be all they can be, McCray said. Rev. Donzella Lee, pastor of Taylor Chapel A.M.E., gave the invocation during Thursdays awards ceremony and later said the event impressed her. Women don’t get recognized enough for their achievement, she said. A lot of people take for granted that women are supposed to have children and raise them, but there’s so much more to it.

Anne Grubbs was humbled when named Woman of the Year. I feel its more of a reflection on the people I work with, and my mom, she said of Margaret Blane. Grubbs was especially pleased with the naming of another winner, Oshkea Offut. I taught her in kindergarten, she said. Offut was surprised that she was honored. I didn’t think I would win, she said. Because I was just doing my job.

Staff Writer (2003, March). Event recognizes women’s feats. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/event-recognizes-women-s-feats/article_ce35e85d-7e52-5599-abf9-1fb4c08013d7.html

I am writing to try to drive home a point to parents and other family members about the safety of their children at public events.

Recently I attended a Western Kentucky University basketball game at Diddle Arena, and watched as a child wandered the arena for more than 10 minutes looking for her parents. She appeared to be about 10 years old, was carrying her school backpack, and was obviously lost in this large and somewhat confusing setting.

Because she kept moving around, the police and ushers did not notice that she was in distress.

I noticed her because she walked directly in front of me and the look on her face alerted me that something was wrong. (As a teacher and child care professional, I have worked with children for over 20 years.) I kept an eye on her, as I said, for about 10 minutes, thinking that if she made a complete circle of the arena and came back to our section, I would ask if she needed help.

About three quarters of the way around, she apparently spotted her family.

Every day, children are taken by predators. It happens on deserted streets, at the mall, as children walk home from school, and, yes, in crowded arenas.

If I, as a child care professional, am in tune to these signals, you can be certain that a child predator is also in tune and watching for the slightest opportunity to abduct or lure a frightened child in a vulnerable situation.

Remember, the predator does not always abduct. Sometimes they just look for a secluded area to try something unthinkable.

Please, parents, don’t take these chances. We need to avert tragedy at all possible costs. I urge everyone in the community to take the responsibility of helping children stay safe.

Anne Grubbs Bowling Green

Gaines, Jim (2003, January). Don’t take chances with your children. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/don-t-take-chances-with-your-children/article_49561379-7017-5b50-bbf1-cbda810dd39a.html

Nika Duncan (left) and Naudia Simmons, both 11, do warm-up kicks with other 9- to 12-year-olds Thursday as kickboxing instructor Clay Smalley leads during Girl Power 2000 at Bowling Green Parks and Recreations gymnasium. Photo by Miranda Pederson

The girls kept up with the exercise routine as best as they could, often breaking out in freestyle dance and singing at the top of their young lungs to songs like N Sync and Nellys Girlfriend and the Ying Yang Twins Say I Yi Yi.This is too hard! a Girls Inc. girl exclaimed Thursday as kickboxing instructor Clay Smalley led them through a series of punches, blocks, kicks, sit-ups and push-ups.This is not too hard, Smalley said as he walked through the group checking each girls progress.Its exactly the lesson that Caveland areas Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana and Girls Inc. wanted their young charges to learn with hard work and belief in themselves, they can do anything they want.The class was part of Girl Power 2002, an annual program designed to empower girls and promote women in nontraditional careers. This years theme was I Am the Greatest, taken from the soundtrack of the movie Ali. We’ve been doing it for three years. Its like a yes-you-can type day, said Felicia Bland, service and program assistant for the Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Caveland area. We want them to know its not just a mans world anymore.The program also provides other opportunities.Its a great opportunity for them to learn what Girl Scouting is all about because its something that they may normally not be a part of, said Patty Alford, Girls Inc. executive director. They may not have a troop in their area or may have a hard time getting a troop leader. It also exposes them to different people in the community who can talk to and encourage them.The girls ages 5-12 started off the morning with a question-and-answer session, pep rally and games with WUBT-FM 101.1 The Beat on-air personality KeKe The First Lady.

Then they split into age-appropriate groups and listened to several speakers, including Western Kentucky University head Lady Toppers coach Mary Taylor Cowles, Faye Martin, who was the first African American to be crowned Miss Southern Kentucky, and Anne Grubbs of Community Education.

In one room, Diane Eakles, a registered nurse working as a health educator for the Barren River District Health Department, was teaching the 5- and 6-year-olds about caring and sharing with others from a coloring book called I Can Choose. She allowed the girls to show their versions of happy, sad, angry and surprised faces. Which one of these faces makes you feel good? Eakles asked.Happy! the girls shouted.What can you do if somebody doesn’t have any friends? Eakles asked.Be their friend, one girl said.Eakles said she was pleased that her group caught on to much of what she wanted them to learn.I wanted them to know how to feel good about themselves, she said.Carmen Wright, 10, and 11-year-old Naudia Simmons agreed that their favorite part of the day was spent with KeKe The First Lady.The girls also caught on to the lesson of the day.We learned how to believe in ourselves, Naudia said.

Staff Writer (2002, April). Kickin’ with girl power. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/kickin-with-girl-power/article_fd6cfa4c-937c-5964-9a8c-2b031893cd8a.html

The Warren County Council on Physical Activity wants people to embrace all aspects of wellness with the fourth annual Family Fitness Fun Day.The event will be at 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Fountain Square Park. Activities are free.Its an opportunity for folks to see what the community offers, said Family Fitness Fun Day co-chairwoman and SAPO team member Denise Boyd. We want people to find out that (health) isnt just all about going out and exercising. Its about spiritual and mental well-being.(The event) is sponsored by the Warren County Council on Physical Activity, which is some agencies and individuals who are interested in seeing Warren County get healthier.

Fun Day co-chairwoman Anne Grubbs, who is also enrichment coordinator for Community Education and a WCCPA member, agreed. We’re out for wellness and doing things as a family and getting off the couch, she said. There are so many things to do in Bowling Green and Warren County. You don’t have to belong to a gym. You can do things around the house and be active. Its fun.

Family Fitness Fun Day will include activities from more than 25 vendors, including dance demonstrations, health screenings, crafts, relay races, tunnels and games – not bad for an event that started as something really small, Grubbs said. It started out like a mini health fair with health screenings, she said. It has grown. We’ve added people to the vendor lists and activities.

This years Fun Day will include a little more on the mental aspects of wellness than events of the past, Boyd said.We want people to grow as whole human beings, she said. You can talk to people about getting off the couch and being active, but if they’re not there mentally, it will take a lot to get them to be active. Boyd hopes the Fun Day activities and intimate atmosphere may inspire some people to take charge of their health and give confidence to those who may be intimidated by going to public facilities to exercise. If you talk with someone one-on-one and show them a few things and ease their fears, they might be more inclined to do it, she said. They may be more unafraid to participate in activities.

Willis, Justin (2001, September). Fitness for the family. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/fitness-for-the-family/article_b87dc2fe-1343-5ec3-869c-9b8ced5bcc93.html

Warren County Jailer Jackie Strode stacks canned food on his office conference table Monday. Each contributed food can equals a $1 decrease in inmates bills. The collected food will be donated to needy senior citizens. Photo by MIranda Pederson

Its not a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card, but a Warren County Regional Jail incentive program helped inmates get out a little cheaper.It also helped to feed seniors in Community Action of Southern Kentuckys Homebound Senior Food Program, which prepares holiday care packages. The packages contain three cans of food, a box of Kleenex, a flashlight with batteries or a candle, and a hat or gloves.For the past six weeks, inmates and their families and friends have donated more than 2,000 canned goods to the program. Since inmates are responsible for their stay paying a $20 one-time booking fee, a $20 a day housing fee and any medical expenses Jailer Jackie Strode thought inmates could reduce their bills while helping seniors have food during the winter, he said. In the simplest terms: one can equals to $1 of credit, he said. If an inmate or whoever paid $10 and brought in 10 cans of food, they received a $20 credit towards the inmates bill. Since state and federal governments reimburse the jail for their inmates, Strode limited participation to only county inmates, he said. The jails time participating in the drive was more successful than he had anticipated. I just hoped that the friends and families would see this as a positive way to help the community, and they did, he said. Ronni Cardwell, director of the Foster Grandparent Program, was just as surprised. I was amazed when he called me (Monday) morning, Cardwell said. This was the most weve collected for this particular event. Strode got the idea from the program his church, Three Springs Baptist, implemented in the fall. He then contacted Cardwell about his plans. As soon as the weather clears up, the canned goods will be delivered, Strode said, adding that he is considering continuing the program. The drive, which was also sponsored by Community Education, was part of the agencys Foster Grandparent Programs Make A Difference Day campaign, which stressed spending one day Oct. 27 helping a needy person or family.

Community Action and Community Education dedicated that day to the canned food drive, Cardwell said. Community Educations Anne Grubbs and Cardwell then sent out flyers explaining the program to churches, government agencies, schools and private organizations. Cardwell and Grubbs then extended the Make A Difference day to Nov. 17, and combined it with the National Family Day of Volunteering, Cardwell said.

The response to this was really great, Cardwell said. We had already sent out 130 winter care packages around Dec. 8, using what we collected between Oct. 27 and Nov. 17. Volunteers for the Foster Grandparent Program likely will not have the care packages containing the jails donations completed and delivered by Christmas. But the food will put the program ahead in its mission to help those after the holidays, Cardwell said. Its a bad time to try to get things out with the holidays, she said. But it doesn’t just stop at one day; the need remains.His huge contribution will benefit several hundred families after the holidays.

Staff Writer (2001, February). Jail program feeds seniors. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/jail-program-feeds-seniors/article_83ec9b16-b86c-56b6-a19d-bd68a49c940e.html

Six Bowling Green residents got the chance to get an inside view of the workings of the City-County Planning and Zoning Commission of Warren County Tuesday night as part of the city’s Neighborhood University program.

The program, organized in cooperation with Warren County Community Education, allows citizens to learn about the inner workings of the city in a relaxed setting, said Ann Grubbs, enrichment coordinator for community education. The program is in its second semester, and Tuesdays class was the fifth of six offerings, with the final one, Trees! Part II scheduled for Thursday night at 6 p.m., Grubbs said.

Last spring, the program offered seven courses, but the events of Sept. 11 forced the cancellation of one of this falls offerings, Preparing for Disaster, she said.

That program will be revised and presented as a full seminar in early 2002, Grubbs said. So far, the program has met with moderate success, she said.Its a new series of classes, so were still trying to gain acceptance with the public, she said.  We’re going to continue with the program, though, and hopefully it will continue to grow.

After Thursday nights session, the series will begin again next spring, Grubbs said.

At Tuesday nights session, planning commission Assistant Director Alice Burks shared some of the commissions inner workings with the residents, including some of the details of the new county zoning ordinance, scheduled to take effect Dec. 1. Burks also encouraged residents to become involved in the planning commission processes. We are always looking for citizen input, she said. Especially on items like comprehensive plan updates, where what we decide will effect everyone in the county for a long period of time.

For more information on the Neighborhood University program, contact Grubbs at 842-4281 or city Neighborhood Action Coordinator Karen Foley at 393-3674.

Willis, Jordan (2000, December). Zoning event teaches public. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/zoning-event-teaches-public/article_9dc6dc12-a6bd-5be0-a109-8be4727fba38.html

Nearly 400 children stormed Kereiakes Park Thursday during Stand for Children Day 2000. The youngsters heard stories and blew bubbles; some romped on the playground .Its a lot of fun, said Trey Jackson of Bowling Green, the 7-year-old son of Missy Willis and Carl Jackson and a Super Summer Camp camper.

But the activities were more than fun for children from day care centers and summer camps. This is to advocate child health, safety and the right to grow up as productive citizens, said Anne Grubbs, enrichment coordinator for Community Education of Bowling Green-Warren County, which sponsored the event.

Hundreds of thousands of people across America were expected to participate in Stand For Children Day events this week, according to a report from Community Education. Stand for Children, a non-partisan organization, was founded in 1996 when more than 300,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to promote healthier children, the groups Web site said.

About 35 volunteers attended the Bowling Green event, which more than doubled the size of last years Stand for Children Day, according to Grubbs.

These kids are the next generation, said Charles Phillips, director of the Barren River Imaginative Museum of Science. Phillips, a Stand for Children Day volunteer, brought science projects to the park for youngsters to enjoy. If they don’t get started right, they never will go right, he said. Making sure children get a good start should be a community effort, said volunteer Frank Brown, director of the Barren River District Health Department. It takes a lot of people going out of their way to make sure a community is just that, Brown said after reading to the children. Good health starts with getting out, being active and being a part of the community. That’s why the health department got involved. Bowling Green Womans Club also donated time for Stand for Children Day and plans on making the idea the focus of their community improvement program, club President Vivian Foe said. Among other child advocacy projects, the club will provide low-cost training for day care workers in August, Foe said. We felt like we needed time to stand up for children and this would help our community, she said.

Grubbs hopes the event will help spawn a local chapter of Stand for Children to promote child advocacy throughout the year, she said. But even if it doesn’t, Grubbs hopes it will encourage adults to take a more active role in the lives of children. (People should) get involved with any youth anywhere, she said. Get to know the names of the youths in your neighborhood and speak to them. Were trying to get people re-energized into being a community.

Willis, Justin (2000, June). Event a push for kids’ health. Bowling Green Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.bgdailynews.com/event-a-push-for-kids-health/article_189feb3d-193c-5ffd-b595-c4d83980408c.html