Taking in a beautiful afternoon of TinCaps baseball at Parkview Field in downtown Fort Wayne.
Recently, some friends embarked on exciting journeys focusing on the topic of community. What does it mean to volunteer and serve others? How can this service benefit the served, server, and community overall? What opportunities are there locally for someone to volunteer? Impact 52 and Contagious Community investigate these questions.
Aaron Brown’s Impact 52 project describes volunteer experiences with various Northeast Indiana organizations over a 52 week (one year) period. The idea was born from Aaron’s epiphany that his life was incomplete without service. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and strengthen the wonderful community in which he had been transplanted. Impact 52’s goal extends beyond Aaron himself: “Our hope is to start an epidemic of giving… inspiring change one week at a time.” For someone like me who gets a little disoriented with all of the volunteer/service opportunities in the Fort Wayne area, Impact 52 really intrigued me. It’s a way of getting to know organizations–their mission and experience–beforehand to better understand if you would be a good fit. Aaron and his wife Erica take out the guesswork with their well-written descriptions of volunteerism. Though only on their 4th impact, their blog is an inspiring take on what keeps this community going: selfless volunteers and non-profits with both heart and mission.
Contagious Community is a blog by two very community-conscious ladies in Fort Wayne. Both Amber Recker and Heather Schoegler have scads of volunteer experience under their belts. Though the blog is in its infancy stage, the mission is clear: “inspire our community to action.” Amber and Heather will be describing their own experiences as well as highlighting those of other community volunteers from the Fort Wayne area. The interesting thing about this is that the experiences themselves are not necessarily limited to Northeast Indiana, allowing inspiration from around the world and other communities to make its way here.
Both Impact 52 and Contagious Community offer information for readers on how they might get involved, too. Impact 52 provides a page of links to non-profit organizations; Contagious Community provides a mini calendar of non-profit events. Navigating the local non-profit scene couldn’t be any easier.
Reading about the experiences on these two blogs reminds me of Gandhi’s great words, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Impact 52 and Contagious Community are leading by example, making that wish for change a reality. Won’t you?
Want to see what the fuss is about? Check them out:
Impact 52: website and Twitter
Contagious Community: website and Twitter
I can remember my first bite of a Cookie Cottage cookie. It was so fresh and mouth-watering, I thought for sure it had come from a large commercial company. Someone was kind enough to let me in on a little secret: the Cookie Cottage is right here in Fort Wayne, and I can get yummy cookies anytime I want. Oh, but wait! There’s more! I can send that yumminess to anyone I want with their online ordering and shipping. Need a thank-you, birthday, or holiday gift? How can you go wrong with fresh, hand-made cookies?!
Of course, when Visit Fort Wayne asked me to write a blog post on the Cookie Cottage, I jumped on the opportunity. As an added bonus, I even got to meet the two lovely ladies behind Fort Wayne’s favorite cookie bakery. Theresa and Maureen began crafting delectable delights in 1989 right here in Fort Wayne, and 22 years later they still call the Fort home.
To read more, head over to the Visit Fort Wayne Insider’s Blog: One of Fort Wayne’s Favorite Cookies!
Jason and I recently had to say good-bye to one of my best friends for the past 13 years–our cat Adrienne. While it certainly wasn’t easy, I have to give a shout out to two Fort Wayne businesses who lightened the load a bit for us.
First, Pine Valley Veterinary Clinic was superb. I’m not a fan of vets; I’ve been burned in the past. However, PVVC treated Adrienne like she was their own cat and me like I was family. When Adrienne first became ill, Jason and I were regulars there. We received nothing but compassion and quality care from knowledgeable animal lovers. I felt like I could trust them to take care of my friend and give me straight talk. So frequently vets that I’ve known are like shady mechanics or doctors–trying to squeeze every last cent out of you for minor (sometimes even non-existent) things and relying on scare tactics when all else fails. PVVC never did any of that. There was no up-selling, and I was treated like the intelligent animal lover that I am. Even though our efforts weren’t enough to save Adrienne’s life, I have no qualms about taking my other cat to Pine Valley Veterinary Clinic when needed–dare I say even regularly.
And second, many thanks to Paws & Remember (Minnick Services). It seems that a lot of veterinary clinics use Pet Rest, Inc. for cremating their pets. I’ve been to their website, and they seem great. But something told me to use Paws & Remember, and I’m so glad I did. Adrienne was put to sleep on a Tuesday morning; she came home Thursday afternoon. Words cannot express the incredible sense of closure bringing her home gave me. Paws & Remember made every effort to be timely and professional. I didn’t lose sleep at night wondering where my friend was and if she was being handled with care. Everything was customizable to our preferences and budget. When I picked Adrienne up to take her home for the final time, she was waiting for me in a gift bag of sorts complete with certificate of cremation, comforting letter, and memory book. On the inside of the back of the cover was a small bag with a clipping of Adrienne’s fur–a complete surprise. The rest of the memory book is blank for me to fill out with things such as her personality traits, favorite stories/memories, friends (and foes) of hers, etc. It was a lovely, unexpected touch.
When you’re experiencing a time of crisis or grief, you may not be able to manage every minor detail or easily cogitate your options and make decisions. It’s better to make these arrangements ahead of time in light of this, but who really does that? Who wants to squander the precious present making plans for a dark and grim aspect of the future? Once I moved to Fort Wayne, I no longer had a vet. I had no idea where to take my cats for care, and I was overwhelmed by the options. I knew I wanted my cats cremated, but I didn’t know if there was a local place that handled pet cremation complete with having the urn I would want actually on site.
Fortunately for me, the pieces all fell into place like serendipity. And because I chose such great places for these life changing events, I no longer had to worry about managing every minor detail–I could trust them to do that. Just like I will always remember my best friend Adrienne, I will always remember the kindness and professionalism shown by Pine Valley Veterinary Clinic and Paws & Remember/Minnick Services. Thank you to both businesses from the bottom of my heart.
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Check them out:
Pine Valley Veterinary Clinic along with their Facebook Page
Minnick Services and, specifically, the Paws & Remember section of their site
Northern Indiana Pet Expo
The Allen County SPCA is hosting the Northern Indiana Pet Expo for 2011 on April 30th and May 1st. The event was organized to “bring the pet lovers in our community a marketplace of pet and pet lover delights in addition to informational demonstrations and entertainment.” Hours for this event are from 11am – 6pm at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum. Even your pet is invited to attend this event! “Healthy spayed or neutered dogs and cats over the age of one with proof of vaccination from a registered veterinarian and a signed General Release Agreement form will be admitted,” per their website.
For those interested in participating as a vendor, exhibitor, or sponsor, you can call 260-744-0454 ext 201 or email info@northernindianapetexpo.org for more information.
April is National Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month. The Pet Expo is a great way to increase awareness and show support for protecting our animals!
Admission
Adults: $5.00
Seniors & Children (6 to 12): $3.00
Children (5 & under): Free
Healthy & Altered Dogs & Cats: $1.00
* Pets receive free admission when you bring a 3lb or larger bag of dog or cat food.
What to see what the fuss is about? Check them out:
Northern Indiana Pet Expo
Allen County SPCA
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
