Good has arisen from growing rumors that historic St. Hedwig Catholic Church would be demolished, after initial concern when its roof lost some shingles.

Not only has the Diocese of Toledo confirmed that St. Hedwig “is not being torn down,” said Sally Oberski, communications director, but a group of 20 grade school alumni and nearby residents are starting a grassroots crusade to breathe new life into this North Toledo neighborhood landmark.

A Facebook account titled, Save St. Hedwig Catholic Church, seems to have initiated the stir – at least online – when it posted on Jan. 22:  “We have received reports that Saint Hedwig will be torn down. The ceiling over the main altar fell down a few months ago and has not been repaired.”

This spurred a wave of unsubstantiated worry, with one account offering that the City of Toledo was demanding church repairs, ones it couldn’t afford. According to city commissioner of inspection, Chris Zervos, that is also false, as his department has made no contact whatsoever with St. Hedwig.

Upon learning of the shingle damage, Fr. Jacob Gordon, pastor, immediately scheduled a meeting to discuss the church’s condition with new Bishop Daniel Thomas, but that appointment was cancelled due to unrelated circumstances, and is to be rescheduled. Oberski said Fr. Gordon is willing to publicly discuss news concerning St. Hedwig once he knows more definitively what might be the next step.

In the meantime, that’s when rumors swirled online, and also within the tight-knit Polish Village community.

“All this about a roof falling in, it’s not true,” said Tom Jesionowski, a St. Adalbert/St. Hedwig parishioner. “There’s also stories going on that the roof is costing $100,000 to a half million, and that’s not true. I talked to (Fr. Gordon) on Sunday, and once the weather clears up, he’s going to get three bids on the roof.”

St. Hedwig merged with nearby St. Adalbert in 2010, becoming one parish. The St. Hedwig church structure has largely remained closed for regular mass since 2012, used only for special occasions such as weddings, funerals and baptisms. Its recent shingle episode created the need to close its doors temporarily in the name of public safety.

After watching the gossip spread, former St. Hedwig School student Racheal Nadrasik also met briefly with Gordon to get the facts, and now is hoping to start a drive to help the church make its necessary repairs.

“Everybody’s all up in arms that the church was shut down, but at the same time, no one’s doing anything to save it,” said Racheal Nadrasik, Toledo, “So, my friends and I decided to take it upon ourselves.”

This Friday, Nadrasik and a group of 20 St. Hedwig school alumni from 1998-2003, plus some neighborhood friends who never even attended the school, are meeting with Gordon to tour the church, assess damage and take photos – all with the intention to introduce an online Kickstarter-type campaign to raise funds for St. Hedwig’s necessary repairs.

“(St. Hedwig is) just gorgeous, and so rich in history,” Nadrasik said. “Basically all it needs is a new roof. None of the rumors are true. We’re hoping if we can get the word out there, and get our community back together and tell everybody what Toledo is really about, that we’ll get people to donate time and materials. We’re trying to have faith, and I know a lot of original Polish residents have passed away or moved out of the area, but we can still do this. There’s no reason why we can’t do it.”

Nadrasik attended St. Hedwig School from preschool through the 8^th grade, and she wants to give back to a place that gave her so much.

“We all need to pay back our debts, and this is the least I could do,” Nadrasik said.

“The best gift you can give someone is often something in honor of someone else. It’s a way to tribute who they are as a person. Your best dinners are where you get together, raise a glass and toast someone. That’s what it means to tribute, to care about the work of nonprofits.”

That’s how Sam Melden explained the idea behind Tribute, his newest project.

Melden is currently the executive director at the Center for Servant Leadership and has a background in nonprofit work, including three years with Food for Thought in Toledo.

Together with his friends Kevin Marsh and Jordan Justice, Melden created Tribute, a Web-based space in which community members can raise money for their favorite organizations.

Melden, Marsh and Justice are all Toledo born and raised and have worked in the nonprofit circuit.

“With every organization I have worked for, Kevin and Jordan have always been involved,” Melden said. “They are tremendous developers and anything they work on is very high-quality. When I was at Food for Thought, they were responsible for us being ahead of the curve.”

Tribute offers the opportunity for Melden to once again work with Marsh and Justice on a project that pairs high technology with high ideals.

Tribute is a nonprofit charity space located on ShareYourDay.org. Its users can raise funds for their favorite charities by centering their initiatives around a special date. Donors and supporters promote their day along with the cause they love and get family members and friends to donate. This, in turn, spreads positive awareness about the nonprofit organizations throughout the supporter’s own community.

“Often, donors and supporters of nonprofits are just donating or asking people to give money. Most of us, after a while, realize that gets old,” Melden said. “This allows people to be more creative with the way they support their organization.”

Tribute allows donors and supporters of nonprofits to create a campaign on ShareYourDay.org. These campaigns are similar to Kickstarter campaigns, but raise money for the donor’s favorite nonprofit, rather than a personal goal or project.

“If you watch anyone’s Facebook on their birthday, you’ll see their wall lit up with ‘Happy Birthday’ messages. Similar to an anniversary. You’ll see people react differently on social media. You might see a photo from their wedding day, or photos from celebrations,” Melden said. “What Tribute does is allow quick access to turn these events into a social experience.”

Anyone can create a Tribute on ShareYourDay.org and anyone can donate money to the creators’ favorite causes.

As for the charities, organizations must be nonprofits to join Tribute. If supporters don’t see their favorite nonprofit listed on Tribute, they can take the necessary steps to help the charity register.

“We’re convinced that we can help hundreds of organizations raise money in a new way,” Melden said. “We want as many organizations as possible to have access to Tribute.”

After experiencing the nonprofit struggles firsthand, Melden and his team seized the opportunity to offer charities a way to reach an entirely fresh group of donors without directly asking for funds. Melden believes this is a huge advantage for organizations.

“Tribute allows nonprofits to have access to a new community of donors,” Melden said. “If I supported this organization for the last three years, they’ve always had access to me. They can send me newsletters and information, but they can’t send letters to my friends because they don’t have access to them. But now, they have access to them because I’m going to that community and asking them for money. And that’s amazing for them.”

Melden said this benefits nonprofits because they are raising money without asking. In addition, he believes this program is essential for helping nonprofits make advancements in technology and marketing strategies. He believes organizations are lacking in this area.

“If we can bring the best developments and best technologies to nonprofits in this area, let’s do it,” he said. “They don’t need to have an amazing website or a staff of 50 people. Any organization, it can be a staff of one with the executive director doing everything, can use Tribute to raise money.”

Tribute will begin its initiative with Toledo-area nonprofit organizations and advance outward to other interested organizations.

Melden and his team plan to launch Tribute in early March. Meanwhile, nonprofits interested in participating in the program will have the opportunity to learn more or register from  9-10 a.m. Feb. 19 when United Way of Greater Toledo holds an information session at its Jackson Street headquarters.

As for future donors, Melden urges everyone interested in Tribute to sign up at ShareYourDay.org.

“They will be the first in line to find out when we launch this program,” he said.

Overall, Melden, Marsh and Justice’s goal is to bring the best technology to Toledo and assist nonprofits by reaching out to an entirely new audience.

“We want to help every single organization. No matter how big or how small, we want to take a step forward,” Melden said.

Last year, because snow covered a third of the parking spaces, people wanting to attend the My Stormy Valentine Cat Show had to turn around and leave. This year, plenty of staff will be directing traffic so that doesn’t happen again, organizers say.

“We never expected it to find so much success,” said Jamie Christian, president of the Great Lakes Cat Consortium and manager of the show.

The three-day event (a private show Feb. 13 and a show open to the public Feb. 14-15) will bring together close to 250 cats and their owners from all over the world.

The show has been running since 2000 and is sponsored by the Glass CiTICAts Cat Club.

There will be cats from the Toledo area competing in addition to cats from as far as Japan and Mexico, Christian said. Each cat will be seen by 20 judges, each selecting those they think are best in show for awards.

Motzie, a 10-year-old Savannah cat, will make an appearance at the show. Motzie is the second tallest cat in the Guinness World Records, standing 16.75 inches at the shoulder. He will be available for petting, holding and pictures with the public at no cost.

Elaine Zalewski, from Furry Agape Pet Therapy in Grove City, Pennsylvania, will also attend the event and present a seminar on cats as therapy pets.

The event will also show two new breeds of cat: the Aphrodite, a natural cat breed from the island of Cyprus, and the Lykoi, a new breed that resembles a werewolf, Christian said. There will also be more than 30 vendors at the event.

Christian said the show is perfect for families and will feature plenty for any cat lover.

“We’re kind of geared to everyone,” Christian said. “If you already love cats, you’re going to find a new cat that you love. If you’re not particularly a cat fan and someone drags you along, I guarantee you’re going to find something that will turn you into a cat lover.”

Throughout the year, the Glass CiTICAts Cat Club puts on shows as educational events throughout the country.

“The only way the next generation is going to learn how to respect cats is by exposure,” Christian said.

The cat show will be open to the public 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 14-15 at the Lucas County Recreation Center, 2901 Key St., Maumee. Admission is $4. There are still some openings for cats to compete.

For more information, visit www.toledocatshow.com.