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Hoeflinger: Don’t fear drug testing our youth

By
Toledo Free Press
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Why are so many people offended by the thought of drug and alcohol testing our youth? If your child is not doing it, then there should be nothing for you to worry about. But many parents are actively against the notion of drug and alcohol testing for teenagers. Many parents cite the Fourth Amendment and say it’s a violation of our underage children’s rights.

When did the rights of children supersede the rights of adults to be parents? Even more so, when did the rights of teenagers supersede the law? It is illegal to drink alcohol before the age of 21 and it is also illegal to use recreational drugs in all states before the age of 21. Then why are we providing our kids with the power to go ahead and do these things? Alcohol and drug testing in our schools and at school-related functions is necessary and would greatly curb these illicit activities in our youth. If being caught resulted in a direct consequence then teens would think twice and consider not doing it.

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As it stands now, our underage teens are clearly in control and constantly push the limits because they are allowed to do so with few repercussions. We have many adults whose only concern is that the kids’ freedoms to do what they want will be taken away. That attitude is where much of the problem lies.

As a parent, why would you want your underage child to drink alcohol, smoke pot or take drugs? Is there any reasonable positive benefit to any of these activities that we should know? None are good for your health. None promote a healthy lifestye. None are legal for minors. None are good for brain development. The list goes on.

On the other hand,  we know that alcohol and drugs are often linked with crime, risk-taking, lying, violent behavior, injury and/or death. I think one can safely say that the risks greatly outweigh the benefit when it comes to drugs, alcohol and our youth. Yet it continues! Which makes me wonder, are there people out there who think alcohol and drugs are beneficial for our teens?

The only logical conclusion that can be drawn about parents who do not want their teenagers to be drug and alcohol tested would be that they either know their kids are doing it and condone the behavior or that they do not want to know if their child is doing it and wish to remain ignorant to the possibility. Lastly, there are parents who are just oblivious to the whole concept of teens, alcohol and drugs. What other logical reasons could there be? Parents need to wake up before it is too late.

My wife and I have already received our wake-up call with the death of our son Brian, who died as a result of a drunk driving accident. He was the drunk driver. From this experience, we have learned that kids are drinking alcohol and smoking pot and they are not letting their parents know.

Don’t think you are above your child not telling you that they are drinking alcohol, smoking pot or taking drugs.

They don’t want you to know and why would they, since it is illegal. Then I ask you, what harm would random testing for alcohol or drugs cause your kids? Or a better way to look at it would be, what benefit would your teenager get from random testing? It certainly would help deter them from using these substances because random testing would force teens to consider the possibility of getting caught and being reported to their parents as well as to the school.  It also would give them a better reason to say no in front of their friends.

Brian Hoeflinger. Photo Courtesy Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger

Alcohol and drug testing provide a legitimate excuse for teens to say no!  In the end, random testing will undoubtedly save lives. Again, if your teens are not doing these things then they have nothing to fear.  Yet many parents remain solely focused on the individual’s rights. When you go to an airport, you are screened by security and often searched and patted down. This does not seem to stop anyone from flying. When you go to a concert and your bag or purse is searched, this does not seem to deter people, particularly teens from wanting to go to concerts.

People give up their rights every day for things our society deems necessary. Alcohol and drugs in our youth should be no different. These activities are illegal and yet a majority of teenagers blatantly disregard the law and partake in them. For the parents against testing our youth, I ask you, for instance, where is my right as a person to not have a drunk teenager disrupting a school event such as a football or basketball game? Does the right of the drunk teenager who has drank alcohol illegally supersede my right as a person to watch the game in peace? And what parent thinks it’s OK for a teenager to come to school or a school activity drunk, high or both?

Yes, many parents did these activities when they were young and turned out fine. Does that then make it right for kids today to do the same? How can things ever change for the better with that type of mentality? And when I say change things for the better, I’m referring to a future without addiction and the senseless violence, injuries and deaths that are directly associated with alcohol and drugs. These injuries and deaths are preventable with change in a forward direction. Who can argue that point?

When I was a surgical resident in 1993, there were no restrictions on how many hours a resident doctor could work in a week. One week, I logged 147 hours out of a possible 168 hours in the week. I slept about eight hours that entire week. And yet I cared for patients, sometimes alone in the middle of the night. Things have changed since 1993 and we now have a maximum 80-hour workweek for residents.  Why did it change? Because of concerns about patient safety and resident abuse. At some point, people spoke out against this practice and things changed.

Changes were made to protect innocent patients from overworked doctors who may have made unintentional mistakes due to lack of sleep. Just because I was trained in this fashion 20 years ago doesn’t make it right today. I use this example to illustrate the need for change regarding our youth. Innocent teenagers are being injured and dying every day as a result of alcohol and drugs.  We need to stop this practice unless of course you are in favor of the appalling statistics associated with teen injury and death as a direct result of alcohol and drugs.

It’s time for parents, schools, law enforcement, liquor stores, bars and society in general to step in and protect our youth from themselves. They are minors and need guidance. They need firm rules with strict consequences so that they clearly understand it is illegal to use alcohol and drugs at their young age. The law states that drinking alcohol is illegal before age 21. Why was the age of 21 picked? Because extensive research and statistics have shown that injury and death due to alcohol intoxication sharply decrease after the age of 20. Hence the legal drinking age of 21. We as parents need to reinforce this to our underage children. But a parent’s influence can only go so far.

Again, kids do not want their parents to know they are drinking and smoking pot. They will hide it and keep it a secret at all costs. Thus a parent’s ability to stop this behavior only goes so far. Schools, liquor stores, bar owners, hosting parents and the media (to name a few) all need to be involved to help take these choices away.  Schools need to alcohol and drug test as well as educate students about the dangers of these substances.

Liquor stores and bars need to consistently check IDs and not sell alcohol to minors. Stronger social host laws need to be publicly advocated in the media and set into law. Parents need to keep talking to their children, set a good example for them and enforce the rules at home.  All of these measures are needed to change things from a past that doesn’t work for our teens to a new healthier future for our children.

I would ask all of you to look at drug and alcohol testing for our youth as a positive preventive measure as opposed to a negative invasion of privacy. Drug and alcohol testing is in our teens’ best interest to protect them from what they often lack — a sense of wisdom, foresight and good judgement. Most teens are not mature enough to foresee the immediate and long-term effects of these substances.

We as adults, parents and institutions need to help our youth make better decisions by cracking down on underage alcohol and drug use. In essence, we need to take back control of our youth who so often feel that they are already adults. They want to partake in adult activities which too often result in risk-taking behavior and resultant tragedy.

If you have any doubt in your mind that a teenage alcohol-related tragedy could happen to you, then please read my book, “The Night He Died: The Harsh Reality of Teenage Drinking,” which can be found on Amazon or through our website, www.brianmatters.com.  Tragedy does not discriminate and anyone is susceptible when teens drinks alcohol. Please strongly consider what I have written with an open mind. It could be your last reminder before something that could have been prevented happens to your family.

I would ask everyone who reads this to please share it with your friends. The only way we will ever gain control of the alcohol and drug problem in our youth is to hold them accountable for their actions. Alcohol and drug testing is a first positive step in this process. Let’s not let the few people who oppose this idea stop forward progress for everyone.

If you would like to learn more about Brian N. Hoeflinger’s life or read more articles on teenage drinking, please visit our website at www.brianmatters.com.

Race for the Cure provides hope, practical help

By
Matt Liasse
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Denise McCroskey will attend the upcoming Susan G. Komen Northwest Ohio Toledo Race for the Cure, three years after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She is one of two women being honored at this year’s event.

“I was so deeply honored and it was a moment I thought, ‘Somebody has paid attention about what I’ve done and the people I’ve tried to help,’” she said. “It really was an important moment for me.”

The Toledo race for the cure will be Sept. 28 and includes a 5K chipped time run, a 5K walk and a one-mile family walk with a kids’ activity area. Photo courtesy Race for the Cure / Cover Photo by Mary Pencheff Photography

The Toledo race for the cure will be Sept. 28 and includes a 5K chipped time run, a 5K walk and a one-mile family walk with a kids’ activity area. Photo courtesy Race for the Cure / Cover Photo by Mary Pencheff Photography

Diagnosed in October 2011, McCroskey’s battle has involved a mastectomy, five months of chemotherapy, seven weeks of radiation and the drug Herceptin. She said she didn’t think she would survive three years, but when her treatment ended in September 2012, she was cancer-free.

“I knew I was going to be in a fight for my life,” she said. “I had an overwhelming outpouring of support, which really helped me.”

In the past, McCroskey said when she would face hardship, she would put her thoughts in a journal. So the night she was diagnosed, she created a blog, www.hellocourage.com, to help her cope. Through it, she has reached out to women in 132 countries, answering more than 2,500 emails, she said.

“I didn’t know I would be helping others but I just started writing,” she said. “Through my writing … people started writing me for hope and encouragement. I found my mission and that’s the biggest thing that got me through.”

She still keeps up with the blog today, which is now paired with an online store for hats, scarves and jewelry.

In memory

Also being honored this year is Linda Key, who died at age 64 in March 2011. Key was nominated by her former co-workers at Wendt Key Team Realty in Fremont.

“[We nominated her because of] her ability to live with cancer rather than die from cancer,” said Cheryl Wendt, co-owner of Wendt Key Team Realty.

Key, who was often called “LuLu,” battled breast cancer for 18 years. She was diagnosed three times, most recently in 2008. During her battle, Key participated in Susan G. Komen events. Wendt said Key was humble throughout her time dealing with cancer, something her co-workers remembered when nominating her.

“She would’ve been very excited and happy but at the same time she would’ve been very humble and feel that she wasn’t worthy,” Wendt said.

Other ways to help

The organization also offers other ways to contribute.

Sleep In for the Cure is one of those ways, for the people who won’t be showing up. This option is for anyone who will be out of town, who can’t make the race or who simply don’t want to get up early to run but still want to help. These people pay the registration fee and still receive a T-shirt in case they change their minds.

Another option is Dine Out for the Cure. Local restaurants will donate a portion of proceeds to the cause on race day. These restaurants include: Applebee’s, Bob Evans, Don Pablo’s, El Camino Real, Frisch’s Big Boy, Glass City Café, Luckie’s Barn & Grill, Manhattan’s, Max & Erma’s, PizzaPapalis, Spaghetti Warehouse, Star Diner, The Blarney Irish Pub, The Oasis, Ye Olde Cock n’ Bull and Ye Olde Durty Bird.

Advice

McCroskey said her outlook has changed from when she was first diagnosed.

“I equated breast cancer with death. I didn’t have any experience with breast cancer; I didn’t know people with breast cancer [and] the people that I did know had died from breast cancer,” she said. “The advice I give is [that] you have to live literally just hours at a time. It’s so overwhelming sometimes. The biggest thing that often women feel is they want to give up and they feel like they just want to die because it’s so grueling. I tell them those are normal feelings. No family member wants to hear about that. No friends want to hear about that. They tell you [to] stay hopeful, stay positive … and you just want to say ‘I feel like giving up.’ When I tell them that’s normal, that makes them feel better. … They just need to know that their overwhelming feelings are OK and someone else has felt those feelings.”

The Race for the Cure

The Toledo race will take place Sept. 28 and is scheduled to include a 5K chipped time run, a 5K walk and a one-mile family walk with a kids’ activity area.

Register in advance at Franklin Park Mall, 5001 Monroe St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 20 or at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 25-26 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27. Online registration is also available until midnight Sept. 24.

The Susan G. Komen organization was founded in 1982 by Nancy G. Brinker for her sister, Susan, who died from breast cancer. It is currently the world’s largest breast cancer awareness organization. The Northwest Ohio affiliate officially formed in 1999. The the first race in Toledo was in 1994, Communications Coordinator Jill Borkowski said.

Of the money raised by Komen Northwest Ohio, 75 percent stays in a 24-county service area to provide breast cancer health and treatment programs to local women and men, Borkowski said. The other 25 percent goes to Komen’s national research program.

For more information, visit www.komennwohio.org.

Carly Kudzia parties with Caillou, gets ready to rock at Sept. 26 event

By
Vicki Kroll
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Excited voices emanated from the hallway as 25 students at the Hope Nursery School and Child Care Center in Whitehouse waited to meet Canadian cartoon character Caillou.

The kids filed into the room and sat down. A bit overwhelmed, Carly Kudzia was carried in by her mom, Heather, who was tearing up.

Heather and Carly Kudzia with Caillou at Hope Nursery School. Photo courtesy Heather Kudzia

“I don’t usually get this emotional over Caillou,” Heather joked, explaining that the bill of Carly’s ball cap had poked her in the eye.

Carly joined her classmates, who were full of questions when the character who loves to daydream appeared. He was quite tall for a 4-year-old.

“Do you think he fits in a car?” one boy asked.“Did his parents drop him off?”

“Do you watch ‘Caillou’ on PBS?” Amanda Grimes of DHX Media, the production company of “Caillou,” asked the class.

“No, I watch him on TV,” one student replied.

“Where are your friends?” another shouted.

Caillou was feeling shy and whispered his answers to Grimes. “At daycare like you,” she said.

Another student wanted to know: “Why is Caillou so big?”

“Because he’s outside the TV,” Grimes answered.

Thanks to Carly, each child had the chance to meet Caillou, have a photo taken with him and receive a gift bag.

The visit was a present from Katie Couric to the 4-year-old to thank her for appearing on the talk show “Katie” July 28. On that episode, Couric paid tribute to Sam Berns, who died in January at age 17. Like Carly, he had progeria. His inspiring attitude about living with the fatal genetic condition was the subject of the HBO documentary “Life According to Sam.”

On the program, Heather and Ryan Kudzia talked about the rare disease characterized by rapid aging, along with Brandon and Tina Pickard, who brought their 7-year-old son, Zach.

The families were flown to New York City and visited the Statue of Liberty the day before taping the show.

“You know how you see people standing at the airport holding up a sign? They had Carly Kudzia on a sign; that was pretty cool,” Ryan said.

“When Kaylee [Halko] heard that Katie arranged for Zach and his parents to see Queen with Adam Lambert in concert and Carly got to meet Caillou, she just shook her head,” Heather said and laughed. “She then told Carly that if she’s asked again, she’s to say she wants to meet Taylor Swift and take her best friend Kaylee.”

Carly, Kaylee and Zach are three of the 120 children in the world who have the disease, according to Audrey Gordon, president and executive director of the Progeria Research Foundation.

Those children are participating in a drug trial through the foundation, the only nonprofit dedicated to treating and finding a cure for progeria.

To help raise funds for the drug trial, the Kudzias have organized the fourth annual Carly’s Party for the Cure set for 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Pinnacle, 1772 Indian Wood Circle, Maumee. There’ll be auction baskets and raffle items, including sports memorabilia and tickets, as well as appetizers, a cash bar and music by 56Daze. Tickets for the 21 and older event are $30 online at teamCarlyQ.com/events and $35 at the door.

The Halkos are taking this year off from hosting Kaylee’s Course, a run and walk, as they just moved to Perrysburg.

“We’re still working on discovering new drugs because they’re treatments, they’re not cures,” Gordon said. “The more funds we have, the more people we can have working on these projects and the faster we’ll get to the cure.”

Carly’s Party raised about $50,000 last year, Ryan said.

“We’re just super blessed and lucky that we have this community support not only in Whitehouse, but Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan,” he said.

“I can’t go anywhere without someone recognizing Carly or having heard of progeria or lending a hand. I’m really thankful for that; I’m thankful that — I don’t know if I have the words,” Heather said.

Rossford native Jonathan Bennett competes on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

By
Toledo Free Press
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The tongue-in-cheek headline on the British tabloid paper The Daily Mail’s website read, “Jonathan Bennett peeks at Jenna Johnson’s derriere before DWTS rehearsals.” Not the sort of notice Bennett is used to garnering, to be sure, but when you’re doing a show like ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” it’s bound to happen.

Jonathan Bennett on Dancing with the Stars

Jonathan Bennett on Dancing with the Stars

“It’s very strange, and often humbling and flattering that they care so much about what we do outside of rehearsal. It’s weird to me,” Bennett said in an interview with Toledo Free Press.

“‘Dancing With the Stars’ is a different machine. Now they want to record you going in and out of the studio, and everything you do in the studio they want to pick up on camera now.”

Bennett is used to being on camera, of course. The Rossford native has worked as an actor for over 15 years now, with roles in “Veronica Mars,” “Smallville,” “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” and, of course, “Mean Girls” on his resume. But “Dancing With the Stars” is different, Bennett said.

“It’s really unnerving. There’s a lot of cameras around all the time, and we rehearse, like, five hours a day, seven days a week. And it just, it tests your limits. And every minute, there’s a camera in your face. So it’s a very unusual experience.”

Bennett has worked at throwing himself into unusual experiences for most of his adult life, though — ever since that day back home where he first fell in love with the theater. “I went and saw ‘Anything Goes’ at Rossford High School, and I was in seventh grade, and from that moment when I saw the show, I went, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

After finishing at Rossford High, Bennett attended Otterbein University in Westerville to study theater. But soon, he decided to make the leap of moving out to New York. “It’s really scary for an 18-year-old to try and make it in the big city. But there is just some underlying comfortability about it that just made me keep going. Because I just knew that’s what I was supposed to do.

“You definitely grow up quick. And I think I can recommend that to everyone: When you’re 18 years old, go and live in New York for three months. That’ll show you how the world works, instantly,” Bennett said. “[Living] in New York, in my early 20s, in New York City, [I was] kind of maturing and coming into adulthood in a place where there’s so much stuff to learn from.”

His first major job was a role on the long-running soap “All My Children,” and from there miscellaneous roles on TV and film would follow. But none have had the staying power of the 2004 comedy “Mean Girls,” where he played Lindsay Lohan’s love interest. Wait, 10 years? Has it really been 10 years?

“Not at all,” Bennett said. “It feels like we just shot it yesterday. And I just can’t believe the reaction that all the fans have had over the years for the film. It’s incredible.

“There are a few reasons. One, it’s really well done — by [writer] Tina Fey and [producer] Lorne Michaels. They just really know how to do a show. And then number two, everyone can relate to it. No matter what year you are in high school, what grade you are — every high school is the same.”

But now, over a decade later, Bennett is putting all his energy into his run on “Dancing,” competing with his professional partner and fellow “DWTS” rookie Allison Holker. “They called me and asked me if I wanted to be part of the show, and I jumped at the chance. Because I’ve watched the show for years, and I’m really excited to get to be a part of it.”

His excitement isn’t even moderately tempered by the fact that, well, he doesn’t really know how to dance. Oh, sure, he’s done musicals and the like over the course of his career, but learning a few steps onstage is a huge step removed from doing a tango in front of a few million people every Monday.

“I have no experience [with dancing]. I have zero. I have negative experience,” Bennett joked. “Once you’re on the show, then you have to figure out how to dance.”

But in addition to the thrill of competing, Bennett noted how excited he was that folks in his hometown were so fervently behind him. Rossford residents organized a pep rally to view the show Sept. 15, and he’s been overwhelmed by the support. “I have the most amazing fans and friends in Rossford.”

After earning good notices from the judges with his performance, Bennett survived the first cut on the Sept. 16 elimination episode, meaning the journey continues for the young actor who only ever wanted to entertain.

“I just want to do my best every day, and then every week I go back I just want to push myself and do better than I did the week before,” he said.

Village Players show focuses on ‘growing old with dignity’

By
Toledo Free Press
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Actors Carol Ann Erford and Bill Quinlan in Village Players’ “Quartet .”

The Village Players production of Quartet will change your perception of senior citizens.

The comedic drama follows 4 retired opera singers who deal with the harsh realities of aging when an ex-wife shows up and causes friction.

“It’s a really beautiful play about growing old with dignity, which is really what drew me to it,” said Jeff Allbright, director.

“I have older parents, and I’ve always been interested in that whole process as I’m going through it with them,” said Allbright. “We often throw senior citizens to the wayside as a forgotten population, and this play really shows how vital they can be.”

According to Allbright, Toledo has a rich population of older actors who don’t get enough opportunities to showcase their abilities.

Carol Ann Erford plays Cissy, a character in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. Erford claims although Cissy is comic relief, she’s a very layered character who can move audiences to tears as quickly as laughter.

“It’s wonderful to see how these older characters react to each other,” said Erford. “Audiences will see bits and pieces of themselves and their parents in these roles, especially those approaching mature age.”

Erford claims that her passion for acting began in the 60s, when there weren’t nearly as many performance opportunities for younger folk.

“It was ensemble learning back then, which comes in handy with a  show like this because if one person gets hung up on a line, someone else can jump in and save them,” said Erford.

An interesting challenge for John Duvall, who plays Reginald Paget, is portraying a character 30 years outside his range.

“It’s a new thing for me. I think the majority of it is through body language and facial expressions,” said Duvall. “It’s all elevated by makeup, but we really don’t rely too heavily on that.”

Duvall claims this play explores how no senior citizen is just another face in the crowd, and everyone you see has an interesting story to tell about their life as a whole.

“You’re not always an old person. Everyone has a history, and this play talks a lot about that. For me, as a younger actor playing someone so old, it really made me think,” said Duvall.

With 30 years of directing experience, Allbright finds that his equal passion for acting gives him an advantage with his cast.

“It helps because we all speak the same sort of language, so there’s a level of intuitiveness about the process,” said Allbright.

Quartet plays Sept 12-13, 17-19 at 8pm and Sept 14 at 2pm. The Village Players are located at 2740 Upton Ave. Tickets are available at 419-472-6817.

Final Cut offers exclusive tastings

By
James A. Molnar
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A recent Chef’s Table tasting at Hollywood Casino Toledo’s Final Cut Steak & Seafood featured
cabernet sauvignon paired with a smoked short rib and sous vide Wagyu ribeye with potato
soufflé, bone marrow crust, black garlic bordelaise, maple gastrique and cabernet gelée.
Toledo Free Press photo By James A. Molnar

The service was impeccable and so was the food. This was not a standard meat and potatoes kind of meal.

Rather, this was the one of the exclusive Chef ’s Table tastings at Final Cut Steak & Seafood restaurant inside Hollywood Casino Toledo.

The tasting, held Aug. 20, paired a nine-course meal with a selection of wines from the Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Inside the private dining room where the tasting took place were seats for 20 people. The display cases on the walls featured dresses worn by Halle Berry and Toledo native Katie Holmes. The view overlooked the Maumee River with the Downtown skyline in the distance.

The Midwest representative from the winery was on hand to offer insight into each wine and answer questions.

Final Cut chef Aaron Lawson created something unique to pair with each wine. A foie gras custard and pork belly paired with the glass of sauvignon blanc. A butter poached rock lobster with popcorn gelée paired with the zinfandel.

View a photo gallery of all of the pairings at ToledoFreePress.com.

The next Chef ’s Table is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 and will be paired with Moët Champagne. Wines, all part of the Moët House, will include Moët Champagne, Dom Pérignon Champagne and Chandon Still Wines.

Those interested in the Oct. 15 tasting can contact Final Cut manager and wine sommelier Sunwoo Choi at (419) 661-5381 or [email protected].

Collingwood Arts Center planning second food truck fest Sept. 20

By
Erin Holden
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The Collingwood Arts Center (CAC) is planning its second food truck festival for 2-7 p.m. Sept. 20.

Participating vendors will include Aunt Carla’s Boosh, Chris’ Italian Ice, Bella Dolcetti Bakery, Black Kettle Barbeque, Grumpy’s on the Go, Slammin’ Sammies, The Displaced Chef, On The Move, Toledo Hot Dog, RedRoc Taco Truck and Wanderlust, said CAC Interim Executive Director Sarah Kurfis.

The event will also feature performances from CAC’s Children’s Theater Workshop and other local artists.

Cost is a suggested $2 donation to CAC. Proceeds from beverage sales also go to CAC. Street parking is available near CAC, 2413 Collingwood Blvd., or lot parking at Compass next door. Some seating will be available, but organizers suggest bringing chairs or blankets.

The inaugural CAC food truck festival, held in July, featured eight food trucks and drew about 1,000 people.

“People thought we timed it with the food truck/mayor controversy, but really we’d been trying to pull that together for a while,” Kurfis said.

Chris Bores of Pursuit of the Paranormal will offer free ghost tours during the festival at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Free historical tours will be offered at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. A T-Town Tassels burlesque show will take place at 9 p.m. Cost is $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

“Come hang out, drink, eat awesome food, support local businesses, support Collingwood Arts Center — and then stay for the burlesque show,” Kurfis said.

For more information, visit www.collingwoodartscenter.org

Paddy Jack’s to debut food truck soon

By
Toledo Free Press
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0

Paddy Jack’s plans to debut a food truck soon that will serve 10 of its popular gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

The 24-foot truck is wrapped and ready to go, but is waiting for some coolers to be installed, said manager Jennifer Hurst, who estimated the truck will be ready to roll by November.

A food truck was actually the original concept for Paddy Jack’s, but that plan was put on the back burner when the chance came to acquire a restaurant location.

“Now that we have our two stores up and running, we’re just excited to put it on wheels like our original thought,” Hurst said.

Restaurant locations are 6725 W Central Ave. and 5122 Heatherdowns Blvd. For more information, visit paddyjacks.com.

Lucas: Dynamic experience

By
Will Lucas
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It’s very likely that you interact on a daily basis with a cold piece of glass or plastic you retrieve dozens of times per day from your pocket or pouch — a relatively tiny outer shell that houses a supercomputer by many standards. Into these smartphones, heartless contraptions that they are, we pour our souls. We post our most intimate thoughts into virtual notepads; we pepper questions at search engines, making inquiries on the ingredients of the contents hidden in the darkest corners of our beings. These are things we haven’t disclosed, the boxes we’re afraid to open. We tell Google and Yahoo secrets we’ve told no man and no god. We live with great joys and bitter pains — common and irregular issues of life were once shared because we knew we weren’t the only ones. The fact that we’re not alone in trials hasn’t changed; there are many still engaged in the same wars. What has changed though, are the stories we tell ourselves while we’re in the trenches. We believe that we are, in fact, alone. These are the self-inflicted isolations we easily escape to.

There are many dynamic aspects of the human experience that shape us all in different ways. Depression is currently center stage in our public discourse. The shakened trust some feel toward those sworn to keep us safe and secure. We can be quick to reason these things internally, trusting our own feelings and discounting critical thought. With mere strokes we infect the masses with potentially harmful points of view passed off as thoughtful — yet inarticulately injected via 140 characters. At the same time, life changes for the better. A baby is born into a loving home. A student passes a test she’s been dreading for weeks. A hero returns. This juxtaposition plays itself out every hour of the day. And without noticing, we easily continue to live only considering what’s on the surface.

On Sept. 18 at the West Toledo YMCA/Start High School Theater, TEDxToledo will again collect the brightest minds and leading thinkers in our area for a day full of ideas worth spreading. Attendees will enjoy new friends and local food trucks; students from Start High School will attend for free to fill unsold seats.

This year’s theme, “Human,” explores the many dynamics of the human experience. From 8:45 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m., more than a dozen speakers will take the stage for 18 minutes or less, having prepared the talk of their lives. They’ve rehearsed. They’ve been frustrated and scrapped ideas. They’ve come to revelations and fresh perspectives about subjects they thought they knew deeply. They’ve learned and they’ve grown. Most of all, they have ideas to share. Ideas that, hopefully, cause us all to consider new ways to approach our daily lives in the best ways.

TEDxToledo, a nonprofit event held under license from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), aims to raise the level of conversation in Toledo — literally and figuratively. Our goal is to retarget our energies toward ideas that make a lasting impact. I hope to see you there. Tickets are available now at TEDxToledo.com.

Will Lucas is CEO and Founder at Classana, CEO and Founder at Creadio and a founding organizer of TEDxToledo.

Local author publishes guide for ‘the best day of your life’

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Toledo Free Press
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Even though she is a journalist and blogger, Jennifer S. White got her first smartphone less than a year ago. She is still not used to it and warns people she might mute the conversation with the side of her face.

“I’m 34 but I feel like 99,” she said.

Author Jennifer S. White includes yoga in her plan for ‘transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.’ Photo courtesy Jennifer S. White

Many things, including smartphones, provide convenience. But with that comes the challenge of taking a healthier possibly less convenient route, something White faces daily.

“If I have a car and I can drive there, why the hell would I walk?” she said. “We have everything at the touch of our fingers and it’s hard to force ourselves to slow down and remember that the biggest changes in our lives come from small, tiny tortoise-like steps toward growth. I think it can be overwhelming for people.”

White, a former Toledo Free Press columnist, wrote about this and more in her self-published book “The Best Day of Your Life: A Guide to Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary,” available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The book discusses everyday practices to help readers reset a bad mood, beat stress, overcome loneliness, deal with anger and more. White said the intention is for readers to first read the book in full but then go back and work on specifics “one step, one day, one moment at a time.”

She said trying to put the practices in place can be challenging.

“I wanted the book to be a personal tool,” White said. “If you’re having a day where you’re feeling angry or frustrated, there’s a chapter you might want to read.

“Or if you’re having a day where you’re feeling lonely or kind of depressed, there’s [another] chapter you might want to read.”

White has been a yoga practitioner for more than 20 years. She said she hated the first class she took.

“I was so bored,” she said. “But I think, over time, if you stick with the actual physical practice of it, the mindfulness kind of comes into it.”

In her first chapter, “Make Every Day Your Best Day,” White says there are many ways of practicing yoga — while riding a bike, taking a scenic walk or eating breakfast — by just focusing on breathing.

“The idea of practicing yoga on a mat is maybe even sexy and kind of fun with cute clothes, but it’s really about being present in ourselves,” she said. “Even though this is not a yoga book at all, it’s very yoga-flavored and that is also unintentional. [Yoga] becomes a part of who you are.”

Jennifer S. White with her daughter, Gemma. Photo courtesy Jennifer S. White

White said she caught herself focusing on her breathing when she recently got into a car accident with her 4-year-old daughter, Gemma.

“[I was] just trying to stay present with the situation at hand and that’s something that when you practice a lot physically, it comes to you naturally, I believe,” she said.

White said everything she writes is for Gemma, including this book.

“My writing changed and took on a new avenue after I had her,” she said. “As a parent … what I want for my child is for her to be confident and happy in herself and her life.”

White said her writing became more honest after she had Gemma.

“For me, being a parent is about connecting with the parts of myself that I’m supposed to be embarrassed of … like my temper or my ADHD,” she said. “I’ve written about having an eating disorder in the past. Those are the types of things that we’re supposed to feel ashamed of [and I’m] showing her that I don’t have shame.”

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