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Communities mourn loss of firefighters year later

By
Erin Holden
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Two Toledo firefighters embrace before a private anniversary memorial ceremony at the Historic Church of St. Patrick on Jan. 26. Toledo Free Press photos by Sarah Ottney

One year ago Jan. 26, two Toledo firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty.

They may be gone, but they are not forgotten. Fellow firefighters, elected officials and community members made sure the families and friends of Pvt. Stephen Machcinski and Pvt. James Dickman knew that, planning a series of memorials, vigils and meals to mark the anniversary.

Machcinski, 42, and Dickman, 31, died from injuries sustained while fighting a North Toledo apartment fire. “Rapidly deteriorating conditions” inside the burning structure led to the deaths, TFD Chief Luis Santiago said at the time.

A Jan. 26 vigil at the site of the Magnolia Street apartment fire was organized by a former building resident. Toledo Free Press photos by Sarah Ottney

Perkins Township

Before taking his “dream job” with Toledo Fire & Rescue (TFD) only months before he died, Dickman served for 10 years as a firefighter in Perkins Township near Sandusky.

His Perkins Township fire jacket is now displayed in the department’s memorial case along with a ceremonial Perkins Township helmet and shield and a TFD patch. Above the case is painted the motto Dickman penned for his Toledo fire academy graduating class: “We fight with courage, we stand with pride, we honor those who gave their lives.”

The department there held a small, informal memorial ceremony Jan. 26.

Among those in attendance were Dickman’s widow, parents, sisters and other family members as well as members of his Toledo academy class, a Toledo fire instructor and community members, said Perkins Township Assistant Chief David Murphy.

“It was most definitely a hard day. Everyone was in a somber mood that day,” Murphy said “Everyone just kind of gathered to remember Firefighter Dickman and pay respects to him and Firefighter Machcinski. We wanted to give everybody the opportunity to express their feelings and also show support for the families and let them know we’re still here for them.”

By all accounts, Dickman was a jokester, so some of the stories did lighten the mood, Murphy said.

“A couple of the guys told some funny stories,” he said. “It was a sad time, but we wanted to remember the good things Jamie brought us, too. He was a character, to put it lightly.”

Two Toledo firefighters embrace before a private anniversary memorial ceremony at the Historic Church of St. Patrick on Jan. 26. Toledo Free Press photos by Sarah Ottney

‘Never be forgotten’

In Toledo, the day started with a public ceremony at One Government Center, at which Santiago thanked both men for their service.

“You served with honor, courage and dedication and, believe me, you will never be forgotten,” he said.

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins, a retired police officer, also spoke, calling them heroes.

To do what firefighters and police officers do — run toward danger rather than away — requires a specific quality of courage and honor that not everyone has, he said.

“To this day our community still mourns the loss of these two fine men who without doubt deserve the title of heroes,” Collins said. “We will not mourn, grieve or heal alone. We will do so as a family.”

Santiago thanked the Machcinski and Dickman families for “letting them be part of our family.”

“They were truly brothers in our hearts and they remain brothers in our hearts,” he said. “Right now there’s a hole in our hearts because of their absence.”

Among those in attendance was Machcinski’s brother, Rick, a firefighter at Fort Wayne Fire Department in Indiana. He declined to comment afterward, except to say thank you to the Toledo community for their support.

“It’s tough,” Santiago said afterward. “I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances, but I’ve developed relationships with two extraordinary families that have gone through this with grace and dignity.”

Santiago thanked the public for their “kind words, hot meals and donations to our foundation.”

“You reached out to us so many ways,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough.

“The public has been a big supporter of ours not only the day of and the week after, but throughout the year so it was important for our department to acknowledge their support and thank them,” Santiago said after the ceremony. “I think to a large degree they felt our pain, they felt our loss,” he said. “In times of crisis like this, numbers help. We felt that all along and we still do.”

Santiago also thanked the Toledo Police Department for its “vigorous assistance in the investigation of this fire.”

Pvt. Stephen Machcinski’s brother, Rick, right, listens to a speaker during a memorial service in Toledo on Jan. 26. Toledo Free Press photo by Sarah Ottney

The owner of the apartment building, Ray Abou Arab, 62, of Oregon is charged with aggravated arson, aggravated murder and tampering with evidence in relation to the fire. He most recently appeared in court Jan. 27, but a trial date has not been set.

“I believe with your help you’ve situated us well to hopefully obtain justice when the time comes,” Santiago said.

A bell was rung three times for each of the firefighters and a tribute video was played before the ceremony concluded.

“It’s been a long year,” said Capt. Jeff Romstadt, president of Toledo Firefighters Local 92. “To all the citizens, the organizations, the businesses, I cannot say thank you enough.”

Sy Kreais, who leads a block watch group in North Toledo near Fire Station No. 3, was among the community members who came to the memorial.

“[Toledo has] the greatest and best firefighters, not only just at my station, but the whole city,” Kreais said. “I call it my station because it’s my neighborhood. I’ve lived there for almost 60 years.”

Machcinski and Dickman were stationed at No. 3, although at the time of the fire they were operating out of No. 13 on the East Side because No. 3 was closed for renovations. It reopened and was rededicated in June, and features memorial plaques in the kitchen and at the entrance to the garage.

Also at the ceremony was Michelle Eck, whose son Pvt. Mike Eck is a firefighter and member of Dickman’s graduating class. Eck, who lives near Cleveland, took the day off work to come to Toledo for the memorials.

She held a sign she made that read “We Salute Our Heroes” and wore a shirt with the class motto Dickman penned.

“It hit so close,” Eck said of Dickman’s death. He and her son were similar in age and both had young children. “When I saw those pictures [today], I started crying. I brag back home how wonderful the city of Toledo responded. It was really nice to see the whole city respond.”

Pvt. James Dickman’s Sisters, Caitlin Dickman, Left, and Libby Cheney, stopped at a vigil At the fire site to thank attendees and organizers. Toledo Free Press photos by Sarah Ottney

Private Mass

Later that afternoon, a private memorial ceremony for families and fire department personnel was held at Toledo’s Historic Church of St. Patrick.

The ceremony consisted of several readings from TFD chaplains, several family members speaking, a video tribute and “a quiet ending,” said TFD Public Information Officer Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld. Media was not permitted inside the church.

Hertzfeld said the ceremony is part of the healing process, a step on the journey to a “new normal.”

“It’s a very, very sad day. It brings back some very painful memories for a lot of folks,” Hertzfeld said. “When you suffer a tragedy to the depths that we did, I think it makes that healing process take so much more time. There’s so many things that keep it going, that keep those wounds open. It’s our hope that today is the start of the healing process for all of us, especially the families.”

A Toledo Police helicopter flew over the church and three bells tolled just before 3:03 p.m., the time of the first Mayday call from the fire. TFD asked the community for a moment of silence at that time.

Of course, service calls don’t stop just because there’s a memorial going on. Halfway through the ceremony, four firefighters left the church and got into a rig parked outside to respond to a medical call.

Vigil

That evening, a small group of former residents of the burnedapartment joined other neighborhood residents to pray, sing hymns and hold lighted candles at the site of the fire. The apartment building at 528 Magnolia St. has since been torn down.

The vigil was organized by former resident Tracy Bishop, who said she lost everything in the fire.

“I just wanted to honor our fallen firefighters who lost their lives that day,” Bishop said. “It’s pretty emotional. I’m just looking for a little closure. I just want the firemen and their families to know that they’ll never be forgotten.”

Pastor Patricia Smith of nearby Trinity Faith Tabernacle offered a prayer at the vigil.

“It’s tragic but yet bittersweet that men stood in the gap to give their lives,” Smith said afterward. “A lot of families were affected — those that lost everything they had and those that lost their family. We’re praying for them. God will strengthen them as they go through this hard time. It’s a hard time when you lose somebody and when you lose all that you have. You need the strength of the Lord.”

Dickman’s sisters, Libby Cheney and Caitlin Dickman, who live near Mansfield, and his aunt, Gale Dickman, stopped at the vigil to  thank attendees and those who organized it.

“It’s nice to meet people from the community and the people that they helped,” Cheney said. “It’s nice to be around people he was around his last few days. Everyone’s lives are busy so for them to take time out of their day to come and pay respects and not forget is very touching.”

Cheney said she visited the site once before, in the spring, before the building was razed. She was numb then, she said; this time she felt different.

“The emotions are more raw this year, because even though you don’t want to face reality that this has happened, you can’t shut yourself out all of the time,” she said. “This just makes it more real, unfortunately.”

Live Your Dream

The Dickman family recently started a nonprofit called the Live Your Dream Foundation in honor of Dickman. The foundation will provide scholarships to aspiring firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and others as well as help cover the needs of on-duty firefighters, Cheney said.

“We’re working on trying to focus our energy on something more positive,” Cheney said.

To donate, visit the GoFundMe site at gofundme.com/kq08dc or any Huntington Bank. For more information, visit the group’s Facebook page at “Live Your Dream Foundation.”

TFD Pvt. Dennis Kookoothe brought the Dickman family members to the Jan. 26 vigil at their request.

“It’s fantastic,” Kookoothe said of the vigil. “These people lost everything they had and they are still here. It affected so many people.”

Kookoothe is assigned to the same station as Machcinski and Dickman were but worked a different shift so he was off the night of the fire.

“I knew Stephen and I got to meet Jamie,” Kookoothe said. “I was one of the lucky guys who did get to meet Jamie and know him.

“He loved [his job]. He would come in with a smile from ear to ear every day. It was just a shock [to hear about the deaths].”

Kookoothe said  he stopped by Magnolia Street himself early that morning.

“It’s hard. There’s nothing easy about it,” he said of the anniversary.

Bishop said she hopes to organize a vigil every year.

“It just makes me grateful for them to continue to honor Jamie and Steve,” Cheney said. “It’s something tremendous. It’s an honor.”

Baumhower: Saving Toledo

By
Jeremy Baumhower
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Today my heart is hurting for Stephen Machcinski’s and Jamie Dickman’s families.

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So much pain was caused a year ago. Heaven stole two heroes from us, with few realizing what was given in exchange. Two lives lost, one city found.

Both men were destined to become firefighters. They were born with a sense of courage that most of us could never envision. While most people run away from burning buildings, they dreamed of running into them.

RELATED: Baumhower: Three bells tolled and an infinity of tears

Steve and Jamie were family men. They were exactly who we model our sons to be. Faith, family, duty, friends: the four values these two men held closest to their hearts.

One was quiet, loyal, dedicated. A kid from the neighborhood, an uncle, a brother, a son. The other was loud, funny, ambitious, musical. A husband, a father, a mama’s boy. We can all picture each one of these men in our lives. We all know a Steve and Jamie; some of us knew Steve and Jamie.

The toughest part of their loss is the silence: not receiving text messages, the absence of conversation about the Tigers, the no-shows at birthday parties, barbecues and Christmas. The fear of someone hiding in your locker for a practical joke is no more. There is one more seat open at OB’s on St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s the slightest nuances that haunt us the most.

Paige and Grant lost their dad. Grace and Brandon lost their uncle. A million tears have fallen in their memory.

Over the past 364 days, we have changed. We are different. We, as a city, are no longer victims of empathy, but believers and reborn Toledoans. We had taken enough; we’d been punched one too many times. We had been down for the count, maybe since M*A*S*H said goodbye.

Steve and Jamie’s passing woke a sleeping giant. It slapped us in our collective faces. It made us take inventory of our lives, inspired us to do better and stand up for each other.

Two men gave their lives out of love for our city. Their deaths were not in vain. Their final breaths somehow became our first.

Their sacrifice wasn’t for a human life, but rather to save the life of the city they chose to serve and protect. Steve and Jamie miraculously passed their courage onto an entire community, made us stand up in our darkest moment and wipe the crud from our eyes.

What an amazing final act of duty.

Rest in Peace Stephen Machcinski and Jamie Dickman.

We miss you.
Jeremy Baumhower of iheartglasscity.com can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeremytheproduc.

Website ranks MVCDS second in state

By
Danielle Stanton
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Maumee Valley Country Day School was rated second in the state for private schools by Niche, a school-ranking website. The school, which has 515 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 at its south Reynolds road campus, earned an A for academics and an A- for student culture and diversity. The School, founded in New York in 1842, has been in Toledo since 1884. Photo courtesy Maumee Valley Country Day School

Maumee Valley Country Day School (MVCDS) has been ranked second in the state for private schools by the website Niche.

Maumee Valley Country Day School was rated second in the state for private schools by Niche, a school-ranking website. The school, which has 515 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 at its south Reynolds road campus, earned an A for academics and an A- for student culture and diversity. The School, founded in New York in 1842, has been in Toledo since 1884. Photo courtesy Maumee Valley Country Day School

Niche’s Best Private High Schools list ranks private high schools in all 50 states based on an assessment of government and public data as well as surveys taken by teachers, students, parents and alumni.

With  515 students, MVCDS is a preschool through 12th-grade, nonreligious private school on South Reynolds Road in South Toledo. The school boasts a 9-to-1 student/teacher ratio. There have been 38 reviews written on the Niche website about the school and they are all positive.

Head of School Gary Boehm said the rigorous academics and the diversity of students are what set the school apart and give it its excellent rating. The school received an A for academics and an A- for student culture and diversity.

“The academic rigor is high and our students are smart and talented and our teachers really challenge them,” Boehm said. “We have some of the highest ACT scores in our area.

“Our diversity is rich and it’s a really warm and caring environment,” he added.

The school adheres to a child-centered environment, unlike other schools that gear events and curriculum toward adult preferences, Boehm said. The teachers get to know students and there are fewer rules and regulations. Student behavior is managed by setting high expectations and instilling feelings of responsibility, Boehm said.

“Everyone loves to live by their own expectations and responsibilities,” Boehm said. “It’s challenging and engaging. We challenge kids.”

As an example, Boehm pointed out the school’s Winterim program going on this month, which challenges students to explore and move beyond their limitations.

As part of Winterim, a group of students is in South Africa, where they are journaling and doing a community service project. Another group is focused on screenplay writing. Other students are studying the legal system and medical research.

“It keeps kids engaged by having innovative and interesting programs,” Boehm said. The school will host the program three times over the next year, he said.

Currently, Boehm is traveling around the country visiting alumni. He said that graduates of Maumee Valley Country Day School tell him the school has had a major impact on them, a big influence being the Winterim program.

Parent Amy Yustick has three children at MVCDS, two in the lower and one in the middle school. Yustick said the key behind the school’s success is that teachers work with the children at their level to help them achieve their personal best.

“The administrative team and faculty are genuinely interested in each child and in helping that person become the best person they can be. That takes a variety of forms depending on the grade,” Yustick said.

The student-to-teacher ratio is so small that teachers and administrators can get to know every student, which helps eliminate that sense of competition, she said. Yustick moved her family to Switzerland for a year and her children said they missed the diversity at Maumee Valley.

“My kids love going to school there, so they look forward to it every day,” Yustick said. “I was having lunch with my seventh-grader a month ago and asked what he liked about school. He was able to articulate it, he said: ‘All the homework is fun and engaging. I look forward to my classes every day.’ They all feel that way. It’s engaging and fun and they learn by doing.”

Founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in western New York, it was moved to Toledo in 1884 where it became The Smead School for Girls.  In the 1930s, the school became co-educational and adopted its current name and location.

For more information, visit mvcds.org.

Education: Why not be the model?

By
Dan Johnson
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Full disclosure requires that I tell you upfront that I attended a private high school and earned two degrees from a private university. My first teaching jobs were also in private colleges and I have a deep respect and affection for the nonprofit private sector in education. I’ve also served on the board of a well-known local private school and currently serve as a trustee for a private university. Full disclosure also requires that I tell you that I am a strong advocate for public education, as well. Truth be told, I am an advocate for all education — public and private.

Almost everyone agrees education is fundamental to a functioning democracy. Quality education is a private benefit, a public good and the foundation for America’s leadership in the world.

As good as it is, however, education in the U.S. has not maintained its global leadership position and has been slipping in comparison to education in other nations. For decades we proudly pointed to the fact that the U.S. was ranked No. 1 or 2 among nations in quality of education.

That is no longer the case. This is partly because other nations are putting a higher priority on education and supporting that priority with funding and higher standards.

Recently, I was stunned to see how far the U.S. has slipped in all major education categories including math, reading and science. Not only are we not among the higher ranked nations, the U.S. now ranks below average among OECD  (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations.

Consider these facts provided by the National Center for Education Statistics: Between 2009 and 2013, among nations, U.S. students slipped from 25th to 31st in math, 20th to 24th in science, and 11th to 21st in reading.

In the global economy those nations that have the best education systems will, over time, outperform those nations with weaker education systems in science and technology, economic growth and standard of living. The larger question is why we have allowed our nation’s schools to fall so far behind and, more importantly, what are we doing about it?

An issue of equal concern is the rapidly rising cost of tuition in both public and private colleges and universities. I’ve spent the past several years gathering data and stories on the impact of rising tuition and it is not a pretty picture. Not only are we pricing many young people out of the higher education market, but those that do persevere increasingly do so with borrowed money and leave their university — with or without a degree — with a near insurmountable debt.

I’ve talked with students, many still working on their degrees, who have accumulated debts of $40,000, $50,000 and some much more. I know graduate students who have loans exceeding $100,000. While the cost of higher education is growing, the real culprit in public higher education debt is the continuing actions of our legislatures to shift ever increasing proportions of the cost to our students and their families.

Ironically, the ultimate losers are our state and local economies. Students who leave their universities with huge debts are unable to buy cars, appliances, houses or afford an occasional vacation.

I am convinced, however, that we can successfully address these concerns and reverse these trends with greater understanding, stronger commitment and enlightened leadership. I would like to see my own community and state seriously tackle the challenges of K-12 student outcomes in math, science and reading as well as the cost of public higher education.

What would happen in Toledo and Northwest Ohio if our public officials — mayors, city council members, county commissioners, school board members and university trustees — came together and agreed to work with our business and civic leaders in a collaborative, concerted, strategic manner to make our education institutions a priority and the region an education model for the state and nation? Why not?

Dan Johnson is president emeritus at the University of Toledo.

Mother carries on daughter’s memory at new ceramics shop

By
Toledo Free Press
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Dayna Kasten-Briggs, left, and her mother Sandy Kasten opened ceramics shop Simply Stated & Painted on Dec. 6. Kasten-Briggs died unexpectedly Dec. 14. Photo Courtesy Sandy Kasten

Toledo Free Press photo by Matt Liasse

“A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever.”

This framed saying hangs on the wall of Simply Stated & Painted, a ceramics shop at 3322 Glanzman Road. It’s something that could be found on a magnet in a department store or in pretty typography on Pinterest. But for Dayna Kasten-Briggs, the words resonated.

Dayna Kasten-Briggs, left, and her mother Sandy Kasten opened ceramics shop Simply Stated & Painted on Dec. 6. Kasten-Briggs died unexpectedly Dec. 14. Photo Courtesy Sandy Kasten

In 2000, Kasten-Briggs suffered an arteriovenous malformation rupture while four months pregnant. She had to undergo a 10-hour brain surgery. Although she survived, the doctors didn’t think she would walk, talk or feed herself again. They were wrong.

“Everything was a miracle,” her mother Sandy Kasten said. “Once she cleared rehab, she could do anything.”

Her biggest symptom was her spotty memory; she would often tell the same story multiple times or forget where she put things.

Kasten-Briggs and Kasten opened Simply Stated & Painted on Dec. 6. The shop provides molded ceramics for people to paint, ranging from glass sock monkeys and coasters to candy dishes and more.

On Dec. 14, eight days after the shop opened, Kasten-Briggs died at home with no clear cause. She was 37. On that same day, her daughter turned 14 years old.

Family affair

When Kasten-Briggs’ marriage ended, her daughter decided to stay with her father. Kasten-Briggs became depressed and Kasten took it upon herself to cheer her daughter up.

Having “played” with ceramics for 20 years, Kasten decided to introduce the art form to her daughter. After only a few classes, Kasten said it became all she  could talk about.

“She could relax,” Kasten said. “She would sit there and not have to smoke a cigarette.”

The two became a team and started looking for places to open their shop, while trying to create a business plan.

Toledo Free Press photo by Matt Liasse.

The shop opened after five weeks of preparation. Kasten-Briggs was excited about the venture.

“She was such a vital part of the shop,” Kasten said.

Kasten-Briggs maintained a lot of the shop. She was so busy it took her five weeks to finish a Spider-Man mug, one of the last things she made.

After her daughter died, Kasten had to quickly master the cash register and acquire passwords for all of their accounts. Every time the paper towel roll is empty in the restrooms, Kasten cringes because Kasten-Briggs always took care of that as well.

What she left

The shop has retained much of Kasten-Briggs’ essence. Her desk is still where she kept it. The music that plays (including Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and Rihanna’s “Rude Boy”) was hers. An angel Kasten bought for her daughter and a coffee cup Kasten-Briggs made are displayed on a shelf.

The shop was opened with children in mind, as a place to host birthday parties. Kasten-Briggs loved kids and saw the shop as a place for them to be exposed to the art world, Kasten said.

“Kids mean a lot to us,” she said. “We want kids in here painting and doing clay because a lot of schools don’t have that now. A lot of the kids are missing out.”

For the price of the piece, ranging from $13.95-$59.95 depending on the size, customers can take as much time as they want to paint their purchases Kasten helps along the way.

She now works at the shop on evenings and weekends in addition to  her full-time job at a law firm.

“If I wasn’t here, I’d be down in the basement painting or pouring,” she said. “The laundry gets backed up a little bit, I noticed today, but [having something for Kasten-Briggs] was more important.”

Simply stated

Behind the cash register, two glass plates that Kasten-Briggs made hang under another saying: “Life is measured by the moments that take your breath away.” Kasten added those words herself.

The shop closed when Kasten-Briggs died but reopened Dec. 21. Kasten said she wants the shop to stay open.

“[Kasten-Briggs] worked for it [and] it’s something I worked for and I think that’s what she’d want,” she said.

She said she finds peace in the shop. Her husband doesn’t spend time there because it reminds him too much of his late daughter, but that is what Kasten likes about it.

“We worried what would happen to her when something happened to us,” Kasten said. “This was our way of giving her something that she could do once we passed away, not vice versa.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/SimplyStatedandPainted.

Toledo Free Press photo by Matt Liasse

Shorties U to help kids learn filmmaking

By
Chase Will
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Much like the hero of a summer blockbuster, Shorties U is on a mission to protect the future of cinema.

Two years ago, Jeremy Baumhower, a writer, producer and Toledo Free Press columnist, and Jennifer Archer, executive director of the Sylvania Arts Commission, introduced Shorties, a film festival aimed at involving kids in the arts.

Despite a great turnout, Archer and Baumhower felt there was something lacking in what was being offered to the kids.

“They’d gotten excited about making movies with their iPods, but we hadn’t given them very much direction or guidance in learning how to do it,” Archer said.

“Because of what I do, writing for a living and being a producer, I wanted a higher quality,” Baumhower added. “I came to the conclusion it was a great idea, but it might not have been fair in my mind to ask for higher quality when they had no idea what they were doing.”

The duo brainstormed and Baumhower came up with Shorties U, a four-week Saturday course that would not only teach kids how to point and shoot with a camera, but also offer a comprehensive course in the entire production process.

Baumhower imagined this as an evolution of their original intentions, the next step in teaching kids the craft behind cinema.

“We’re not limiting the curriculum to just movies,” Baumhower said. “It’s also how to take better pictures, how to write, how to draw storyboards. These are all things we did last year, and we had 50 kids, a huge response. It was just a normal theater camp, so to speak.”

The immediate flood of applications from parents as far away as Detroit, all wishing to further their child’s artistic aspirations, only backed up what Baumhower and Archer already knew: Kids of Toledo and the surrounding areas need an outlet for their creativity.

Now in its second year, the program continues to evolve as the team finds creative ways to boost enthusiasm.

This year, each kid will leave the course with an original short film they’ve taken all the way from concept to screening.

“We’ve kind of restructured the program a little more so they have a mentor who’s with them the whole process,” Archer said. “We pair them up with filmmakers each week, and they’re actually going to make a movie while at Shorties U.”

Graduates of the program are not only able to enter their two- to three-minute film into the Shorties Film Festival, but can also use what they’ve learned to create other movies before the festival’s entry deadline, Baumhower said.

“We’re putting on more of a TED talk-style approach with literally, I think, the most talented people the area has to offer,” he said. “The kids aren’t going to know exactly what to expect each week, and we want it that way. We want to really get them in the ‘wow’ factor.”

Although he can’t divulge all the details yet, Baumhower said people will be amazed at who the program was able to get involved in the mentoring program. Several local directors approached him, all of them eager to give back to the art scene by inspiring the next generation of auteurs, he said.

Part of Baumhower’s willingness to contribute to the education of young artists comes from being a father of four children.

“A lot of our life is spent around travel sports, and my kids have very different interests in art, and there’s never been anything to celebrate that,” Baumhower said. “Sometimes those kids tend to get left behind. There’s no weekend tournaments to do a film festival, and that’s what we’re trying to change, to give them recognition for thinking and creating differently.”

In order to maximize the program’s effectiveness, space is limited to the 50 kids who write the most compelling essays describing why they want to participate.

“So far we’ve had some really interesting insight into why parents are wanting to sign their kids up and why the kids are inspired to try the class,” Archer said.

“These are the 50 luckiest kids in the area because they get selected to do it,” Baumhower said. “This is something we’re only doing once a year, and we want to have completely energized kids who are excited, who will be really receiving of what it is we’re trying to do.”

Financial constraints shouldn’t hold parents back; Shorties U has a scholarship program, so no kid will be turned away, he said.

Applications are available at www.sylvaniaarts.org, and are due by Feb. 7. Shorties U begins Feb. 21.

Pounds: Won not done

By
Tom Pounds
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Kudos to Toledo City Council for approving — by an overwhelming majority — ProMedica’s proposal to move its headquarters Downtown.

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With the 11-1 vote Jan. 20, the project has cleared perhaps its biggest hurdle, but much more work remains. There is still more discussion to be had, more agreements to hammer out. Now is the time to keep this momentum and spirit of cooperation moving forward.

Next, ProMedica and the city must agree on a development contract, expected by April. Judging by issues brought up at recent Council committee meetings, topics likely to be considered include whether and what kind of minority inclusion, park restoration and grounds maintenance provisions might be added.

The main players may be busy moving forward, but some opponents are still looking back. The sticking point for many green space advocates is ProMedica’s plan to build a six-story parking garage on part of Promenade Park, and the vote has quieted but not ceased calls for alternate parking options. Many, including Judge James G. Carr, aren’t convinced ProMedica fully considered other options. There’s talk from others of collecting signatures to try and put the issue to a vote.

After the Jan. 20 meeting, Robin Whitney, ProMedica’s vice president of property acquisition and development, told Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Sarah Ottney that she hasn’t given up hope of convincing skeptics.

“I hope one day when we get this project done they’re going to like it,” she said. “That’s really still my goal. I think we’re going to be improving the park and really making it an amenity and I believe that we can still do that. I haven’t given up hope that I can get them converted and be supportive of what we’re doing.”

Some may never accept the loss of green space, particularly to a parking garage. But ProMedica would be wise to take the time to fully and transparently address those lingering concerns and try to put those questions to rest. As Carr said during last week’s Council committee meeting: “Persuade me.”

On the flip side, I haven’t seen this many business and community leaders united in excited over a development in a long time. Mud Hens/Walleye President and CEO Joe Napoli, Fifth Third Bank President Robert LaClair, Steve Cavanaugh of HCR ManorCare and Richard Hylant of Hylant Group are just a few of the longtime Downtown stakeholders who testified to Council that the deal was the most exciting thing they’d seen come along in decades.

Officials with the Downtown Toledo Improvement District and Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce both report an uptick in interest in other Downtown properties. “We keep hearing it will be a trickle-down effect when they move Downtown; I really think it’s going to be a roaring cascade effect,” Cindy Kerr, executive director of the Downtown Toledo Improvement District, told Ottney. “I already see the needle moving.”

After their Sugar Bowl victory, Ohio State players donned T-shirts stating “Won not done,” claiming laurels for the accomplishment while also acknowledging their next challenge: the title game. Millions of Buckeye fans watched that game through their fingers as OSU seemed determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with a series of fumbles.

Let’s not fumble now.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. He can be reached at [email protected].

Scholarship fund provides options for low-income families

By
Matt Liasse
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Toledoan Rhonda Willhight said it was always important to her that her children receive the best education, no matter the cost.

“I wanted them to have access to the best teaching,” she said.

With the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund (NOSF), which awards scholarships for private school tuition and expenses for homeschooling, affording that education is a little easier. This scholarship is available to students from kindergarten through eighth grade in Lucas, Wood or Fulton counties.

The fund’s mission statement reads: “Education offers hope. We believe that all children, regardless of their economic circumstances, deserve access to quality educational opportunities. We believe that parents should have an opportunity to choose the best school for their children. We believe that with choice comes a sense of ownership and involvement.”

“You just want to have an option as a parent,” Willhight said. “Based on where you live, you only have one option.”

After hearing about the program from a friend, Willhight applied and received $1,100 when daughter Loren was in the third grade and began attending Maumee Valley Country Day School.

Loren, now in fifth grade, still receives the scholarship. Willhight said the process is easy and NOSF provides answers to any questions parents may have.

NOSF is currently accepting applications for the 2015-16 school year. NOSF partners with the Children’s Scholarship Fund and awards scholarships to parents, granting them the right to choose where their children are educated — regardless of their income.

“Families should not be limited by income as far as their school choices,” said NOSF Executive Director Ann Riddle.

The amount awarded to each student is based on household income. The average scholarship for the 2014-15 school year per child is $1,121, according to a news release. The maximum amount awarded to students is $1,500, which can be renewed on an annual basis.

The guidelines for eligibility generally follow the federal free or reduced school lunch program. Parents are required to pay a minimum of $500 toward the student’s tuition each year.

The money is delivered to the school in three installments once awarded, giving those families who may not be satisfied with the school they chose a chance to transfer, Riddle said. Siblings can be included as well.

After being awarded a scholarship students must maintain a 90 percent attendance rate and remain current with their portion of the tuition.

The students who receive the scholarships can choose from 27 private schools in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.

“One school doesn’t fit all,” Riddle said. “Obviously all children are different, which is the beauty of children. … Different sites of learning are better for different types of children. This gives parents the opportunity to expose [their children to] different types of learning.”

Since 1999, NOSF has awarded $10.8 million in scholarships to 12,900 students. All funds are raised locally and matched by the Children’s Scholarship Fund, a national organization based in New York.

According to NOSF,  97 percent of its scholarship recipients have graduated from high school, with 95 percent attending some college.

NOSF is one of 27 partner programs nationwide assisting students by providing scholarships.

“NOSF is a wonderful organization that helps parents who want a private school education for their children,” said Andrea Puhl, principal of St. Aloysius in Bowling Green, said in a news release. “As a result of their scholarships, we are able to spread our tuition assistance even further.”

The deadline to apply for a scholarship is May 29. For more information, visit www.nosf.org or call (419) 720-7048.

Treece: Hope for Toledo

By
Ben Treece
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This week we wanted to take some time away from focusing on economics and center the discussion a little closer to home.

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On Jan. 20, Toledo City Council made one of the most important votes for the city in the past decade, and thankfully they got it right.

We are thrilled with the possibilities that come with ProMedica’s move to Downtown Toledo, but the implications go much further than what this means for their operations and their employees.

The benefits of ProMedica’s move are too numerous to summarize in one column, but will include more tax revenue for the city and more business volume for various retailers and restaurants Downtown.

Those are the immediate short-term benefits; however, this vote sends a deeper message to the business community, and to money outside Northwest Ohio about Toledo. This vote shows that Toledo is open for business, and that we stand by our century-old slogan, “You will do better in Toledo.”

For far too long, our community has lacked significant development for a multitude of reasons, which is another list that is far too long to explore in this short column.

For years our read has been that business leaders find it nearly impossible to efficiently set up shop in Toledo while simultaneously attempting to navigate the bureaucratic red tape, media firestorms, various community boards and City Council.

The ProMedica vote shows the business community that we are ready for development, open to new ideas and willing to help cultivate them.

Frankly, the fact that we had even one dissenting vote is a bit of an embarrassment, but at the end of the day, Council voted correctly. It was heart-warming to see our elected officials stand up to protesters and former community “leaders” who implied we should not take the opportunity to develop our waterfront but rather should keep it available in case something better came along.

That is not how business is done, but that is exactly how it has been conducted in this town for far too long.

If Toledo properly markets the success of this deal, the possibilities are endless. We could see money flow in from throughout the region to help develop our underutilized exposure to Lake Erie West, or even international dollars to help revitalize Downtown.

Council made the right move to work with ProMedica on this deal. Now the ball is in ProMedica’s court to help turn Downtown around. We have faith in them and their vision. We only hope that this is just the beginning of a Downtown renaissance, and that ProMedica will provide a glowing example of a business that gave Toledo a chance, and Toledo answered the call.

Godspeed ProMedica. We are excited to announce that Toledo is open for business.

Ben Treece is a 2009 graduate from the University of Miami (Fla.), BBA International Finance and Marketing. He is a partner with Treece Investment Advisory Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and licensed with FINRA through Treece Financial Services Corp. The above information is the opinion of Ben Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Disabled city residents to get help with trash pickup

By
Erin Holden
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Toledoans who need help maneuvering their trash and recycling bins to the curb can now formally request assistance.

The Solid Waste Accommodation Program (SWAP), which was announced during a news conference Jan. 20, is a collaboration between the Lucas County Commissioners, Republic Services and the Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Disabilities. It has been reviewed by the Department of Justice and meets all requirements established by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

To request assistance, call Republic Services at (419) 936-2511. Applicants will be sent a request form after which a supervisor from Republic will visit their homes to determine customized solutions.

The announcement expands and formalizes an informal referral program initiated by the City of Toledo with Triad Residential Solutions, an assisted living organization for developmentally disabled individuals. The informal arrangement was continued by Republic Services after the company took over waste collection in the city.

Other Lucas County municipalities served by Republic already have contractual arrangements for services, said Paul Rasmusson, senior area manager for municipal services with Republic Services.

There are currently 121 Toledo residents who receive help with trash collection from Triad, said said Hillary Moore, the organization’s adult day service coordinator. Most are elderly; others have disabilities. Short-term and long-term plans are available. Six new people were added just this week, she said.

The work is performed by three minimum-wage employees with developmental disabilities along with their job coach, Moore said.

“It’s a win-win,” Moore said. “They enjoy being out working and the elderly enjoy having them. For all the headache and pain and cost it can be, it’s a great service to the community and it’s good for them to be helping others.”

Currently the service is provided by Triad at no cost and that’s not expected to change, Rasmusson said.

“We’ve left it very wide open because we don’t know if we’re going to get much growth,” Rasmusson said. “When there’s been some exposure in the media prior to this, we’ve seen a few more inquiries, but honestly our numbers have not changed since the day we took over. I didn’t even want to give the commissioners a number. I spoke of a variable and a fixed. Beyond that I don’t want to start charging. [But] call me in a month.”

Moore said Triad is happy to help, but she’s hoping some funding might be arranged in the future to help cover gas and wages.

Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken said an amendment to the county’s contract with Republic Services would allow the service to be funded up to $25,000 if needed.

Tim Harrington and Ernie Brancheau, both Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Disabilities members, praised the announcement.

“It’s a good day for everyone involved,” said Harrington, who is executive director of The Ability Center of Greater Toledo.

Prior to the switch to the large wheeled containers, individuals were able to put plastic garbage bags on the curb or use their own smaller garbage containers, Harrington said.

Brancheau, who uses a wheelchair, said his neighbor takes his garbage and recycling to the curb and he doesn’t plan to change that arrangement, but wanted to make sure others get the help they need.

“We needed to make the system more accessible for those with disabilities,” Brancheau said. “We have people out there who don’t have the resources, don’t have the neighbors they can trust or they are too stubborn and don’t want to ask for help. I think it’s going to be a really good service.”

Gerken said he knows there are more residents who need help.

“What that number is we don’t know yet. But we know there is more,” he said. “We were doing it, but we need to do better and we’re poised to do better.”

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