“A Touch of Arc” Art Show and reception, featuring works created by the South Miami Street Artists, will be held on Friday, Nov. 1 from 5-8 p.m. at the Artistica Gallery located at 70 West Market Street is downtown Wabash.

The artwork displayed was created by people with disabilities at Arc of Wabash County, as a result of classes taught by Arc staff artists. Most of the pieces are the result of collaborations between Arc Staff and persons served by Arc.

Art classes began last April when Arc received a grant from REMC’s Operation Roundup. All of the materials used were either purchased using the grant money or donated by Arc staff members, the Lighthouse Mission Thrift Store or Wabash residents. Woods Framing and Art gave Arc a generous discount on the art supplies, matting and framing. Because of the grant and these contributions, classes were made available at no cost to individuals attending Arc who exhibited an interest in learning to express his or herself through art.

Manchester University President Jo Young Switzer has announced her plans to retire June 30, 2014, contributing a legacy of strategic and mission-focused leadership that has transformed the University’s academic breadth, financial strength, enrollment and visibility. The Board of Trustees accepted her retirement Wednesday with deep respect and admiration for a job well done. Trustees also acted on their succession plan, naming executive vice president and dean of the College of Pharmacy, Dave McFadden to the presidency, effective July 1, 2014. 

As its first female president, Switzer has led her alma mater to critical successes and exciting community collaborations.

“President Switzer has led Manchester at a pace and with a strategic focus unprecedented in the history of Manchester,” said Marsha Link, chair of the Board of Trustees. “She has led from within and has also risen to great respect across higher education as a dynamic and thoughtful leader.”

Students at a local school district will be using their construction skills to build a new greenhouse. Thanks to the support of local farmers and America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, Manchester Community Schools received a $25,000 grant to help fund the building of a greenhouse. Math students will do calculations for the greenhouse design, and building trades students will assemble it. After construction is complete, science and agriculture students will use the greenhouse to grow a variety of seeds.

America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, offers farmers the chance to nominate a local public school district, which can then compete for a grant of up to $25,000 to enhance math and/or science education. More than 1,150 nominated school districts submitted applications. The Monsanto Fund will invest $2.3 million through America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grants this year.

“This grant will enable us to provide real-world experience in the fields of math, science, agriculture and technology,” said Janelle McLaughlin, curriculum director. “It will allow for more hands-on education and technology integration that will positively impact student achievement.”

by Kalie Ammons

kalie@thepaperofwabash.com

With the temperature's high just hitting 54 degrees Saturday, the Wabash Cannonball Chili for Charity Cook-off was the perfect place to go warm up.

This is Wabash's 11th annual chili cook-off. With over 100 booths, the cook-off has raised approximately $60,000 in past years for charity. Bill Gerding and Steve Bowman are the co-founders of this successful event.

Wabash's chili cook-off proudly touts the title as the "largest chili cook-off east of the Mississippi River." Every year, thousands of visitors and chili connoisseurs come to sample over a hundred different chili soups. Some are known for their tasty flavors, some for their unique ingredients and some for their not-so-great attempts.

The hordes of people that swarmed the cook-off on Saturday were each given tickets after being stamped on the hand. The stamp let them try the chili, while the tickets gave them each a vote. Some opted to give all their tickets to the first booth, while others tasted and thought carefully before giving up a single ticket.

Each booth competed not only with their chili, but their attitudes and atmospheres to win over some tickets. Some would dance, sing, brag or even badger people into giving them their tickets. The Boilermakers chose to loudly claim their chili as the best, while the creators of the Amputee Chili used some curiosity and a little bit of fear to get people to drop their tickets.
 

WorkOne Northeast career centers in Fort Wayne, Auburn and Marion will offer a free series of workshops in early November that will assist people in their job searches.

The workshops include:

“I’ve Got Skills/Resume Development” from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Auburn WorkOne center, 936 W. 15th St.

“Resume Development” from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Fort Wayne WorkOne center, 201 E. Rudisill Blvd, Suite 102.

“Interviewing” from 10-11 a.m. and “Secrets of Job Applications” from 12:30-2 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Marion WorkOne center, 850 N. Miller Ave.

White’s Residential & Family Services — one of Indiana’s largest and oldest nonprofit social services agencies — advanced its efforts to provide quality care to troubled children, teens and families through launch of a strategically restructured independent clinical program.

At the core of White’s new clinical services is a highly talented and experienced team of professionals with a deep bench of expertise in all aspects of child and family clinical care. Staff additions include five new licensed therapists, three psychologists and a psychiatrist.

In late May, White’s added Jessica Brown, MSW, LCSW, to the residential team as clinical program director. Brown was previously the county director of an outpatient mental health center, which included eight years of progressive administrative and clinical experiences in mental health and addictions.

As a licensed clinical social worker, Brown will supervise all clinical services and clinicians, ensure trauma focused cognitive behavior therapy implementation and trauma-informed practice at all levels of care, and guide the implementation of other evidenced-based programs to develop successful youth treatment outcomes.

by Ashley Flynn

ashley@thepaperofwabash.com

For 25 years he searched for her. From the moment he saw her picture and heard, “this is your sister,” he questioned and researched, but never got more than a name: Vanessa. He was determined to find her, but his mother wouldn’t speak about it.

"Mum, I want to know who she is," Mark Mann would ask his mother, only to have her turn and walk away without saying a word, leaving Mark with unanswered questions for years. Then, Mark’s older brother passed away.

"I kept asking mum all these years. I went to New York when my older brother David was in the hospital and later passed away. I think that's when Mum starting feeling bad about keeping it all from me, because she got a hold of my uncle in England," Mark told The Paper.

Mark’s uncle Bunter got on the double-decker bus in Ipswich, Suffolk, where Vanessa Northcott worked. Having never met, he went to her and told her she had a brother named Mark looking for her.

Vanessa was shocked. She knew she had siblings, but not how many. And she had no idea any would ever search for her.

After getting her number, Mark called Vanessa.

“I called her at 8 at night here so it was 3 in the morning there. I said ‘this is your brother Mark,’ and she started crying,” Mark said.

“I was awake. I’ll never forget that night. That was a shock,” Vanessa told The Paper.

by Ashley Flynn

ashley@thepaperofwabash.com

Just in time for Thanksgiving, Wabash residents will have a new option for buying their holiday meal ingredients.

Cathy’s Natural Market is set to open next month at 1315 N. Cass St., next to Joy Christian Bookstore.

“When you walk into our store, you will be able to buy anything you could at any other grocery store, but it’s either going to be organic, GMO free or some other type of specialty food,” Cathy Price, owner of the grocery told The Paper.

Cathy, who follows a strict wheat-free diet, hopes to cater to those with special dietary needs or those just looking for a healthier food alternative.

“We are tailoring to those people with restrictive diets. We are trying to make it easy for them, because I know the frustrations,” Cathy said.

Cathy has studied holistic nutrition and has been buying gluten-free products since 2009 when her husband discovered he has celiac disease, which is an immune reaction to eating gluten.