MLK Tribute

1
Saturday, January 14, 2017 www.sent-trib.com $1.25 8 32144 00001 7 WHAT’S INSIDE: BG man charged in overdose case ...Page 2 Perrysburg library features programs ...Page 8 Friday night hoops action ...Page 9 Honoring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. By VICTORIA DUGGER Sentinel-Tribune Editor Bowling Green State University is embarking this weekend on its ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, billed as “a day on, not a day off.” This year, however, it will be a day on and then some, as the university also is taking part in the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Season of Service Consortium, which is involved in MLK-related events, educa- tional programs and volunteer activities throughout the Northwest Ohio region from Jan. 9-22. Monday’s BGSU-led annual day of service will see more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff working at nearly 50 com- munity partner sites throughout the day. Highlights of this year’s projects include: • Working alongside Owens Community College students on a variety of projects at the Toledo Zoo • Painting the Lott Industries Shared Lives Studio and Gallery in Toledo • Designing meal-delivery bags for the Wood County Committee on Aging • Building and refurbishing picnic tables for the Wood County Park District • Painting bookshelves built by workers at Home Depot for La Conexion that will go to families to help promote litera- cy Paul Valdez, associate direc- tor of BGSU’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement, has been involved in all nine years of BGSU’s Day of Service initiative. Since the start of the program, Valdez says the effort had grown “by leaps and bounds.” “I think the first year there were a handful of projects, maybe 100 people that partici- pated that first year. … Every year since we’ve either grown or we’ve met the previous year’s volunteer numbers. This year we’re expecting over a thou- sand, which I don’t know if we expected it to grow that much this year.“ Students will meet at 9:30 a.m. for volunteer check-in and a breakfast, followed by an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. that features keynote speaker Ty Boyd, a 2009 BGSU Construction Management pro- gram graduate and President’s Leadership Academy alumnus. The volunteers will then travel to their project sites and work on the service projects from 12:30-3:30 p.m. before returning to BGSU for a closing ceremony and reflections on the day. Valdez works with the gradu- More than 1,000 from BGSU to help at 9th annual Day of Service University also part of new, region-wide MLK Jr. Season of Service By DEBBIE ROGERS Sentinel-Tribune Staff Writer The death of a parent at a very young age could send a preteen careening down the wrong path. Or it could set her on a course with destiny. “When I was 10, my dad died in a boating accident. And he was the center of my universe,” said Jennifer Nichols, who leads the children’s ministry program at the Church of the Nazarene on Gorrill Road and runs the halftime devotional programs for Upward Basketball. “At that point, I felt like there was nothing else in life.” In her despair, Nichols said she totally gave her life to God. Her devotion, she believes, led her to a lifelong passion of serving children, including through the popular Upward program. The basketball games, which are interspersed with reli- gious messages, start Jan. 21 at the Nazarene, First United Methodist Church and the Student Recreation Center on the Bowling Green State University campus. Nichols is known for her entertaining halftime messages that talk about God and are filled with fun. Once, she floated into the Nazarene gym in a cardboard boat, playing Peter, who’s rap- ping about Jesus walking on Children’s ministry leader uses message to help with life’s knocks and knockouts By ALEX ASPACHER Sentinel-Tribune County Editor A nature center will be fin- ished at Bradner Preserve in time for a grand opening event this spring. Wood County Park District has spent several years renovat- ing a house at the preserve, located off U.S. 23. On Tuesday, the board approved $47,905 in work to finish an indoor inter- pretive center with activities for children. A $78,000 total budget will also cover some furnish- ings and other items, said Neil Munger, park district director. A company out of Holland, 2-SCALE, will do the remain- der of the project, which will be completed in time for an unveil- ing on May 20 from 1-4 p.m. Bryan Bockbrader, coordina- tor of the stewardship depart- ment, presented information about the scope of the work, including a floor plan and ren- derings of some of the features to be included in the interpre- tive center. The space includes several rooms, one of which has a small workspace with windows look- ing out onto the park. A large mural with animals will have moveable stickers to highlight some of the wildlife at Bradner, as well as a three-dimensional tree and a reading area. A mag- nification station will allow people to look closely at items they find within the park, and microphones will bring outside sound into the interpretive cen- ter. The contractor knows the timeline and will have no prob- lem finishing in advance of the event, Munger said. “We’ll look forward to see- ing it in May,” said board mem- ber Bob Dorn. Also Tuesday, the board dis- cussed what to do about some unexpected structural work that was needed to stabilize Zimmerman School after it was moved late last year onto the Carter Historic Farm property. Munger reported that in accordance with district policy, he approved the work — addi- tional footers and stabilizing columns — because it was needed, and brought the change order back for the board’s ratifi- cation. Board members asked why, if needed to support the build- Nature center set for Bradner Preserve J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune Jennifer Nichols is part of Upward Basketball, which starts next weekend. (See MESSAGE on 5) (See SERVICE on 5) “I think the first year there were a handful of projects, maybe 100 people that partici- pated that first year . ... Every year since we’ve either grown or we’ve met the previ- ous year’s volunteer numbers.” — Paul Valdez associate director of BGSU’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement Board also hears extra work needed for schoolhouse (See BRADNER on 5) J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune Arto Woodley speaks during the 28th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute at the Wood County District Public Library on Friday afternoon. Woodley, a Bowling Green State University graduate, is a scholar-in-residence for engaged scholarship at the Lang Center for Civic Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. On Thursday, Woodley led a workshop on the BGSU campus that was facilitated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the university. A photo of the Drum Major for Peace Award winner is on page 5.

Transcript of MLK Tribute

Page 1: MLK Tribute

Saturday, January 14, 2017 www.sent-trib.com $1.25

8 32144 00001 7

WHAT’S

INSIDE:

BG man charged in overdose case

...Page 2

Perrysburg library features programs

...Page 8

Friday night hoops action

...Page 9

Honoring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

By VICTORIA DUGGERSentinel-Tribune Editor

Bowling Green State University is embarking this weekend on its ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, billed as “a day on, not a day off.”

This year, however, it will be a day on and then some, as the university also is taking part in the inaugural Martin Luther King Jr. Season of Service Consortium, which is involved in MLK-related events, educa-tional programs and volunteer activities throughout the Northwest Ohio region from Jan. 9-22.

Monday’s BGSU-led annual day of service will see more than 1,000 students, faculty and staff working at nearly 50 com-munity partner sites throughout the day. Highlights of this year’s projects include:

• Working alongside Owens Community College students on a variety of projects at the Toledo Zoo

• Painting the Lott Industries Shared Lives Studio and Gallery in Toledo

• Designing meal-delivery bags for the Wood County Committee on Aging

• Building and refurbishing picnic tables for the Wood County Park District

• Painting bookshelves built by workers at Home Depot for

La Conexion that will go to families to help promote litera-cy

Paul Valdez, associate direc-tor of BGSU’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement, has been involved in all nine years of BGSU’s Day of Service initiative. Since the start of the program, Valdez says the effort had grown “by leaps and bounds.”

“I think the first year there were a handful of projects, maybe 100 people that partici-

pated that first year. … Every year since we’ve either grown or we’ve met the previous year’s volunteer numbers. This year we’re expecting over a thou-sand, which I don’t know if we expected it to grow that much this year.“

Students will meet at 9:30 a.m. for volunteer check-in and a breakfast, followed by an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. that features keynote speaker Ty Boyd, a 2009 BGSU Construction Management pro-gram graduate and President’s Leadership Academy alumnus.

The volunteers will then travel to their project sites and work on the service projects from 12:30-3:30 p.m. before returning to BGSU for a closing ceremony and reflections on the day.

Valdez works with the gradu-

More than 1,000 from BGSU to help at 9th annual Day of Service

University also part of new, region-wide MLK Jr. Season of Service

By DEBBIE ROGERSSentinel-Tribune Staff Writer

The death of a parent at a very young age could send a preteen careening down the wrong path.

Or it could set her on a course with destiny.

“When I was 10, my dad died in a boating accident. And he was the center of my universe,” said Jennifer Nichols, who leads the children’s ministry program at the Church of the Nazarene on Gorrill Road and runs the halftime devotional programs for Upward Basketball.

“At that point, I felt like there was nothing else in life.”

In her despair, Nichols said she totally gave her life to God.

Her devotion, she believes, led her to a lifelong passion of serving children, including through the popular Upward program. The basketball games, which are interspersed with reli-gious messages, start Jan. 21 at the Nazarene, First United Methodist Church and the Student Recreation Center on the Bowling Green State University campus.

Nichols is known for her entertaining halftime messages that talk about God and are filled with fun.

Once, she floated into the Nazarene gym in a cardboard boat, playing Peter, who’s rap-ping about Jesus walking on

Children’s ministry leader uses message to help with life’s knocks and knockouts

By ALEX ASPACHERSentinel-Tribune County Editor

A nature center will be fin-ished at Bradner Preserve in time for a grand opening event this spring.

Wood County Park District has spent several years renovat-ing a house at the preserve, located off U.S. 23. On Tuesday, the board approved $47,905 in work to finish an indoor inter-pretive center with activities for children. A $78,000 total budget will also cover some furnish-ings and other items, said Neil Munger, park district director.

A company out of Holland, 2-SCALE, will do the remain-der of the project, which will be completed in time for an unveil-ing on May 20 from 1-4 p.m.

Bryan Bockbrader, coordina-tor of the stewardship depart-ment, presented information about the scope of the work, including a floor plan and ren-derings of some of the features to be included in the interpre-tive center.

The space includes several rooms, one of which has a small workspace with windows look-ing out onto the park. A large mural with animals will have moveable stickers to highlight some of the wildlife at Bradner, as well as a three-dimensional tree and a reading area. A mag-nification station will allow people to look closely at items they find within the park, and microphones will bring outside sound into the interpretive cen-ter.

The contractor knows the timeline and will have no prob-lem finishing in advance of the event, Munger said.

“We’ll look forward to see-ing it in May,” said board mem-ber Bob Dorn.

Also Tuesday, the board dis-cussed what to do about some unexpected structural work that was needed to stabilize Zimmerman School after it was moved late last year onto the Carter Historic Farm property.

Munger reported that in accordance with district policy, he approved the work — addi-tional footers and stabilizing columns — because it was needed, and brought the change order back for the board’s ratifi-cation.

Board members asked why, if needed to support the build-

Nature center set

for Bradner Preserve

J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune

Jennifer Nichols is part of Upward Basketball, which starts next weekend.(See MESSAGE on 5)

(See SERVICE on 5)

“I think the first year there were a handful of projects, maybe 100 people that partici-pated that first year. ... Every year since we’ve either grown or we’ve met the previ-ous year’s volunteer numbers.”

— Paul Valdezassociate director

of BGSU’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement

Board also hears extra work needed for schoolhouse

(See BRADNER on 5)

J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune

Arto Woodley speaks during the 28th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute at the Wood County District Public Library on Friday afternoon. Woodley, a Bowling Green State University graduate, is a scholar-in-residence for engaged scholarship at the Lang Center for Civic Social Responsibility at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. On Thursday, Woodley led a workshop on the BGSU campus that was facilitated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the university. A photo of the Drum Major for Peace Award winner is on page 5.