United Way of Hancock County’s Secor Scholarship committee has named McComb High School senior Riley Frey as this year’s United Way Foundation Secor Scholar.

The daughter of Bob and Tammy Frey, Riley plans to attend Lee University in Tennessee to major in middle childhood education with a minor in Christian ministry. Riley was selected based on her volunteerism, academic accomplishments, involvement in extracurricular and school activities, and her ability to exemplify leadership skills.

Riley is a cheerleader and is involved in dance. Through her involvement with The Leader in Me, Riley initiated the Positivity Project which resulted in a personalized positivity basket being received by nearly every student. She helped plan a weekend-long drug prevention program through Hancock Youth Prevention Education, and is a member of the school’s Teen Institute, quiz bowl, Spanish club and STEM club.

She is a member of Hancock Youth Leadership, participated in Youtheatre through Marathon Center for the Performing Arts, and is president of the high school’s Leo Club. Riley is actively involved at Bucyrus Church of God and plays trumpet in the concert, marching and jazz bands. She has volunteered over 196 hours throughout her high school career, including at McComb Cookie Fest, City Mission, McComb Public Library’s summer reading program, Oakwoods Nature Preserve kids camp, Feed-A-Child, Youth for Christ, Operation Christmas Child and much more.

The Secor Scholarship is a $2,000 award, renewable for four years for a total of $8,000, and a memorial to the Steven and Doris Secor bequest. The scholarship is awarded annually to a high school senior or graduate living in Hancock County.

(story and pic courtesy of the United Way)

The Blanchard Valley Health System Auxiliary recently presented a check totaling $200,000 to Myron Lewis, president and chief executive officer of Blanchard Valley Health System, and Karen George, chief development officer of the Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, who accepted it on behalf of their organizations.

The money comes from the 2022 proceeds of sales at three stores: the gift shops at Blanchard Valley Hospital and Bluffton Hospital, and the Nearly New Shop, a second-hand goods store located at 306 Lima Avenue in Findlay. The funds will be used to support ambulatory care as part of the overall strategic plan of the health system.

The shops are staffed by volunteers of all ages. In 2022, the volunteers contributed a total of 12,722 volunteer hours.

They’re motivated by a desire to help, of course, but are finding it enriches their own lives, too.

For example, Kay Chester, vice president of the Auxiliary, has found that the other volunteers have become friends, and that sense of community furthers her desire to be involved. Jodi Karhoff, Auxiliary treasurer, finds that as a retiree, she still gets to use many of her career skills. And Cathy Lishawa, Auxiliary president, became motivated to give back after a family member received good care at BVHS.

“The Auxiliary is a pinnacle of BVHS,” said Lewis. “It makes a difference, not just to our patients, but to our associates as well, each and every day. We are honored and grateful to accept this donation.”

Karen George, chief development officer for the Blanchard Valley Health Foundation, also expressed “appreciation to Auxiliary members for their diligence, dedication and long-standing service which resulted in this wonderful contribution” on behalf of the foundation for the donation.

BVHS associates, as well as the general public, contributed to this effort. Associates visit both hospital gift shops regularly, and some community members also visit the shops. And the community donates goods like clothing, jewelry and household goods to Nearly New, which then sells them back to community members.

“It’s a full circle,” said Heather Schalk, volunteer services manager at BVHS. “Associates and community residents alike support Nearly New with their donations, then support it again by spending money there to buy affordable used goods that really are ‘nearly new.’ Meanwhile, the gift shops at both hospitals also offer a way to support the Auxiliary while at the same time finding appealing gift possibilities.”

The Auxiliary is always looking for new volunteers. To get involved, or for more information, click here.

(story and pic courtesy of BVHS)

Students are running out of time to apply for a Findlay Kiwanis Scholarship.

The Findlay Kiwanis Scholarship was established in 1974 to support Hancock County students in their pursuit of a college education.

The scholarship was originally established to honor Fred Brucklacher, a longtime Secretary and Treasurer of the Findlay Kiwanis Club.

The scholarship is funded by the Findlay Kiwanis Club through projects such as the annual Kiwanis Pancake Day, Purse Bingo and through donations from members. Since its inception, over $175,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

In 2023, the Findlay Kiwanis will be awarding scholarships in two categories:

• $2,500 scholarships for full-time students pursuing bachelor’s degrees
• $1,000 scholarship for students pursuing a two-year degree or technical certification.

Findlay Kiwanis Scholarships are awarded upon completion of the fall quarter or semester at school and are paid directly to the student.

Scholarships are available to residents of Hancock County who are either graduating from high school or are currently enrolled in college or a technical certification program. Kiwanis members and their immediate family are not eligible.

Scholarships are awarded based upon a combination of:

• Financial need
• Academic success & rigor
• Extracurricular activities
• Community involvement

Applications may only be submitted via email. Recommendations and transcripts may be submitted with the application or separately via e-mail (preferred) or mail. PDF format is required for all documents.

Applications, with all supporting documentation, must be received by March 31, 2023. Incomplete applications, those lacking all supporting documentation, those not in PDF format and those not received via e-mail will not be considered.

Any questions concerning the Findlay Kiwanis Scholarship can be emailed to scholarships@findlaykiwanis.org.

The City of Findlay sent letters out in January to approximately 400 properties to gauge their interest in annexing into the City of Findlay. The city says the original mailing caused some confusion for the residents. In order to help clarify the process, the City of Findlay is sending out a second mailing. The mailing includes a letter and map for clarification.

The two main points of clarification are:

1) At this time, the City of Findlay will not attempt to force annexation on previously executed annexation agreements. The City does not want to waste resources in court and does not feel it is appropriate to shut off water service. Therefore, if the property owner does not want to be annexed, the only way a property would be annexed is if the property is included in a cluster of properties in which the City of Findlay receives greater than 50% of property owners’ consent.

2) If a property does not currently have sidewalks, the property owner will be grandfathered in upon annexation and will not be forced to add them. However, if a property that the City identifies as benefiting the broader community with sidewalks (Bright Road), the City will install sidewalks at their expense.

The City of Findlay says it believes that annexation benefits a number of properties that were contacted, but understand that at this point property owners may not choose to participate.  For properties not interested in being annexed, no further action is required at this time. If you are interested in being annexed, sign and return the petition for annexation by May 1, 2023, if you have not already.

To date, the City of Findlay has received 45 letters from residents requesting annexation.

A map showing the number of responses from each area is available by clicking here.

For more information, visit the Annexation page by clicking here.

(From the United Way of Hancock County)

Sometimes it can be hard to find opportunities for the littlest volunteers to lend a hand, so United Way of Hancock County created one.

UWHC’s new Family Volunteering Event will be held on April 1 from 9-11 am in the multipurpose room of Alumni Union at the University of Findlay and is designed for children ages 4 to 12. At the event, kids will get a chance to learn about volunteering – how they can help others and brighten another person’s day. The event was made possible through a collaboration with the University of Findlay, West Ohio Food Bank, Findlay-Hancock Public Library and 50 North.

“As our volunteer center continues to grow, more and more parents are asking for opportunities to introduce volunteerism to their young children,” said Angela DeBoskey, CEO of UWHC. “We want to support our littlest volunteers to nurture their sense of giving, offer them that great feeling of helping another where they can do it in their own special way.”

Stations will be set up where children will create an Easter basket gift to be given to seniors who receive food deliveries from the Mobile Meals program through 50 North. Kids will create a cheerful card and an Easter bunny decoration, and will place two apples, contributed by UWHC Partner Agency West Ohio Food Bank, inside the basket. There will be a story time station where kids can listen to a book about volunteering and discuss what makes a volunteer and ways they can help.

A special guest at the event, the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library, will be on-hand with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library display, as well as the opportunity to sign up for a library card. There will also be games, a family photo area with fun props, and drawings for prizes.

An RSVP is required for the event. Those interested can sign up for the 9-10 am time slot or 10-11 am time slot by clicking here. There must be one adult present per family; please sign up each child separately.

The University of Findlay donated the space for the Family Volunteering event, and Crystal Weitz, director of service and community engagement for UF, has helped plan it through her involvement as a UWHC Volunteer Ambassador. Weitz is also a member of the West Ohio Food Bank board of directors. Two additional Volunteer Ambassadors, Beth Reed and Maria Sellers, have worked with UWHC’s volunteer director to make the event possible. UF students will volunteer at some of the stations.

“We are excited to welcome little ones and their families to this event,” Weitz said. “We encourage family volunteerism and philanthropy over the entire lifespan! We hope that our university students who volunteer will continue to give to their future communities with their families as well.”

To learn more about opportunities through Volunteers United, the volunteer center of the United Way, or learn more about the Volunteer Ambassadors program, click here.

Hancock Public Health has been awarded a $15,000 grant through the state’s Youthful Driver Safety Fund to implement the “Drive to Succeed Scholarship Program.”

The grant will pay for approximately 40 young people to receive driving instruction.

The structure of the application involved partnerships with all high schools and driving schools in Hancock County and Findlay to focus on serving those lower-income residents of Hancock County to assist in paying for the students’ driving instruction.

The process for applying requires each school to identify eligible students through several criteria, which include: Receiving a free/reduced lunch; minimum 2.0 GPA; and 2 or less unexcused absences in the 2nd semester of the current school year.

The student will also submit a one-page essay on the value to the student and the student’s family of obtaining a driver license and becoming a safer driver.

The applications will then be reviewed by Hancock Public Health, with the successful applicants being notified, and arrangements made for enrolling the students in the driver training.

The students will be required to pay a non-refundable $50 fee to the driving school with Hancock Public Health paying the balance upon completion of the driver training course.

Hancock Public Health is not accepting applications directly from the community for this program.

“We are looking forward to helping our young people succeed through this initiative to obtain driving instruction and help assist them in becoming safer, more aware drivers,” says Chad Masters, Health Promotion & Planning Services Director at Hancock Public Health.

“Having the availability of driver education here in Hancock County will help our community be safer on the roads” says Jessica Halsey, Community Health Educator.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and Blanchard Valley Center is gearing up for the 6^th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game.

The game will take place on Tuesday, March 28th at Findlay High School.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm, game beginning at 7 pm.

The event is free to the community and everyone is welcome to attend.

The two competing teams are comprised of Hancock County Special Olympics athletes, along with other local celebrities.

New this year is a halftime performance from Performance Dogs of Ohio.

The dogs will provide 10 minutes of entertainment to the fans and athletes.

“Bottom line, this is a community event that allows us to showcase inclusion within Hancock County,” said Nadine Weininger with Blanchard Valley Center.

“This game serves as a way to pull the community together to let people in Hancock County with developmental disabilities know that we choose to include them in all facets of our society.  In the realm of school, work, or local events, everyone is accepted and included.”

Throughout the month, Blanchard Valley Center has had guest readers at local elementary classes to read books about being different and why it’s okay to be different.

One book encouraged listeners to ‘just ask’ when they have questions instead of assuming or isolating a person because they are different.

Get more details about the game below and by clicking here.

Forecasters expect excessive rainfall to cause some flooding in Findlay.

As of late Thursday, the National Weather Service was forecasting the Blanchard River to crest at 12.8 feet on Saturday night, which is within the minor flood stage. Some roads will be closed from flooding if the river reaches that level. The picture above was taken around 4 p.m. Thursday.

The river is then expected to drop back to action stage on Sunday.

Click here to check the latest river levels.

On Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for Eagle Creek in Findlay.

Forecasters said the creek was at 9.3 feet on Thursday afternoon, which is slightly above flood stage of 9 feet.

The creek was expected to rise to around 9.5 feet late Thursday afternoon before falling below flood stage late on Thursday. Minor flooding is forecast.

Forecasters say the river may rise back above flood stage again on Saturday morning due to additional rainfall.

Get the latest river levels by clicking here and forecast by clicking here.

Turn around, don’t drown! Do that every time you encounter a flooded road. Don’t just do it for your safety but for the safety of your passengers and first responders as well. pic.twitter.com/qxgqnWYaND

— NWS Cleveland (@NWSCLE) March 23, 2023

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Warning for Eagle Creek in Findlay.

Forecasters said the creek was at 9.3 feet on Thursday afternoon, which is slightly above the flood stage of 9 feet.

The creek was expected to rise to around 9.5 feet late Thursday afternoon before falling below flood stage late on Thursday. Minor flooding is forecast.

Forecasters say the river may rise back above flood stage again on Saturday morning due to additional rainfall.

Get the latest river levels by clicking here and forecast by clicking here.

Some flooding is also forecast for along the Blanchard River in Findlay due to additional rainfall through Saturday.

Public safety officials gathered in Findlay to discuss the future of 911 in the state as well as the MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communications System) radio system.

Kathleen Madden, Director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, says the state’s migration to next-generation 911 is a necessary upgrade to the existing 911 system to adapt to how people communicate today.

As Madden mentioned in the audio above, she expects the next-gen 911 system to improve response times and will include features like text to 911.

Also discussed was the MARCS radio system, and Madden says the executive budget proposes fully paying the monthly subscription fees for any agency using the MARCS system.