School is finally out and most kids will spend the next three months complaining to their parents that that they’re bored and have nothing to do.  Hundreds of young people who are involved with 4H, however, are gearing up to finish their projects in time for fair in September.  Several of these kids will be [...]

Last month when Moore, Oklahoma was hit by the tornado I was shocked to see what total devastation a storm like that can create.  Where do you turn for help when everyone around you needs to be helped also?  Who knows what steps to take to help people find shelter, clean water, medical care, and [...]

Car accidents are the number one killer of children ages 1 to 12.  The best way to protect a child in the car is to ensure that they are in a car seat or a booster seat of the proper size.  It’s difficult sometimes for parents to know if they have the right car seat [...]

Next month there will be an exciting new activity in Sturgis for young people aged 6 through 13.  The Trojan Youth Triathlon, conceived by Tom Shumaker and sponsored by several Sturgis businesses and organizations, will be held on June 22.  The triathlon will begin at 9 am with a swim at the Sturgis Community Pool [...]

Three Rivers Area Mentoring is busy preparing for the annual Stand for Children picnic.  This event is always held on or near June 1 and the goal is to raise awareness in the community of the many needs of children.  TRAM is asking for volunteers to help set up booths, to sign people in, to [...]

May is National Foster Care Month.  There are approximately 14,000 children in foster care in Michigan at any given point in time.  These children have many needs and the community can play an important role in helping.  Regardless of how much time you have to give, there are ways that you can help.  Check out [...]

Saturday (May 11) was ‘planting day’ at Triple Ripple Community Gardens, a project located behind the old Huss School in Three Rivers. Volunteers were busy during the midday hours launching the 2013 growing season at the garden site that occupies about a half-acre of the four-acre Huss School site. During an interview with the River [...]

Volunteers are needed to assist with a ‘Veterans Stand Down’ in Benton Harbor on Friday, May 17th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Volunteers would be helping to escort Veteran participants around to the various stations at the event which will be held at the Benton Harbor Salvation Army at 223 Michigan Street in Benton [...]

Now that warm weather has finally arrived, it’s time to get outdoors and start on those spring chores.  On Saturday, May 11, Three Rivers residents are invited to participate in Three Rivers Community Pride Day.  Volunteers will be busy pulling weeds, planting flowers, picking up trash, painting lamp posts, and cleaning out the ponds at [...]

When a person is diagnosed with mental illness they often lose important parts of their life.  They frequently lose their jobs, relationships with people close to them often disintegrate, and they may seem to lose their role in society.  They, in a sense, sometimes become nothing more than their mental illness.  In St. Joseph County, [...]

This is the final week of our April series spotlighting outstanding volunteers in the St. Joseph County area.  These individuals were nominated by the agencies with whom they work as a way of recognizing their generous contributions and the value they bring to those organizations and the clients they serve.  It has been a personal [...]

This week we are spotlighting another special St. Joseph County volunteer.  This series of interviews is our way of celebrating National Volunteer Week, which falls in April every year, and allows us to give some well-deserved recognition to individuals who are giving back to their communities.  We hope that by reading their stories you will [...]

This week we are continuing our series of interviews as a way of celebrating National Volunteer Week.  We asked local agencies for names of volunteers who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to help in their agencies and the clients they serve.  Our hope is that the individuals we write about will receive [...]

National Volunteer Week, sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, falls in the third week of April every year.  It is a time when we focus attention on the power of community engagement and the generous people who choose volunteering as a way to give back.  During this month we will be spotlighting the work [...]

Everyone who’s had children can remember the exciting days when their kids were young.  If you’re like me, those memories might be a little blurry because you were so busy and often sleep-deprived.  At the same time, a parent’s role during the early years of a child’s life will have important, life-long consequences for that [...]

On any given day there are about 135 children from St. Joseph County who are temporarily living somewhere else because their parents are unable to keep them safe or care for them appropriately.  Every effort is made to eventually return these children to their parents but, until that can be done, the children need a [...]

I’m sure there are people who don’t agree but I’m always glad for the return of Daylight Savings Time.  It puts sunshine in parts of the day when I most can use it and, more important, it means that the snow and cold of winter will soon give way to warm, coatless days and open [...]

Animal Rescue Fund has been active in St. Joseph County since 1998.  During that time, they have spent over $200,000 to help spay or neuter over 5,000 pets when the owners couldn’t afford to have it done.  They also provide straw and pet food to pet owners who struggle to pay for those items.  Finally, [...]

In the past week we’ve celebrated Presidents Day where we honor the legacy of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and all the other men who have helped lead our great nation.  We also heard the State of the Union address in which President Barack Obama outlined his goals for the coming year.  I thought this would [...]

The Department of Natural Resources has announced that 2013 will mark the 18th year of the annual statewide Frog and Toad Survey coordinated by the DNR Wildlife Division. This year, the DNR hopes to get valuable survey assistance from both veteran and first-time volunteers. Declining populations of frogs, toads and other amphibians have been documented [...]