by Becky Andrus | Jan 26, 2022 | Local News
Children Will Play on New Playscape at Lake Orion’s Lakefront Park Thanks to Grant
Pontiac, Michigan – The Village of Lake Orion, a member of Main Street Oakland County, was one of 25 communities nationwide – and the only one in Michigan – to receive a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant. The village will use the grant to enhance Green’s Park with a new playscape and pavilion.
“The Village of Lake Orion is the only small town in Michigan to receive the first round of the nationwide T-Mobile Hometown Grants,” said John Bry, supervisor of Main Street Oakland County. “Molly LaLone, executive director of Lake Orion’s Downtown Development Authority, identified the grant opportunity and helped Village Councilmember Teresa Rutt, serving on the parks and recreation committee, begin the grant process last year.”
Rutt applied for the grant last June.”We are grateful to T-Mobile for the opportunity to invest in recreation space in a way that will improve the quality of life in our area by creating a gathering space for the community,” Rutt said. “This is the largest grant the committee has received during my eight plus years on the village’s parks and recreation committee.”
The grant will cover the cost of the playscape but not the estimated $15,000 installation costs. The additional costs include labor, tools, equipment, concrete, unloading and sorting materials, prepping the site, providing safety and landscape restoration. Rutt said the parks and recreation committee will schedule a “Community Build Day” in the spring of 2022 to help defer these expenses. To volunteer, contact the Village Hall at 248-693-8391. Look for updates on the village website at www.lakeorion.org.
The village’s Department of Public Works will help, and an engineer from Penchura, LLC, Brighton, Mich., will be on hand to make sure their Tree Tops playscape is installed to appropriate specifications. Green’s Park is two acres with 560 feet of frontage on Lake Orion. It is the only one of the village’s six parks with lake access.
T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants are designed to help jumpstart community development projects and reenergize small towns, building upon what makes them unique. T-Mobile partnered with Main Street
America and Smart Growth America, two consulting partners with a combined experience of more than 60 years working to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Together, they determined the grant recipients based on several factors, including detail and fullness of the submission, community impact and viability of the project.
“These incredible projects spark innovation, ingenuity and hard work that have always been the hallmark of our nation’s small towns,” said Jon Freier, executive vice president of T-Mobile’s Consumer Group. “From beautifying historic Main Streets to building all-new retail spaces, pop-ups and parks, this is part of our commitment to rural America. We can’t wait to see all these creative plans come to life.”
This group of 25 communities is just the first round of recipients. T‑Mobile has committed $25 million to small town grants over the next five years and plans to award Hometown Grants on a quarterly basis to towns with populations of less than 50,000. For more information on applying, visit: www.tmobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.
Since 2006, the Lake Orion DDA has been a MSOC nationally accredited community. Its mission is to enhance the economic potential and preserve the historical character of the Lake Orion DDA District, the heart and hub of the Orion Community, through promotional activities and an organizational structure that focuses on community involvement with local businesses, residents, and other stakeholders.
To date, nearly $963 million in public and private investments have been made to Main Street downtowns, establishing 1,254 new businesses, and generating 8,303 jobs. Oakland County is the first and only county in the U.S. to operate a full-service, countywide Main Street coordinating program. MSOC has 25 designated communities currently in the program.
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by Becky Andrus | Jan 12, 2022 | Local News
Dear FISH supporters,
We are pleased to send you the attached copy of our Winter 2022 Issue of FISHline, along with our sincere thanks for your continued support. As our lead article reports, numbers alone don’t tell the story of what your support is making possible. Three of our FISH volunteers who helped at the pantry recently shared their experiences.
Also, please note that ONTV’s 12th Annual Food Drive will be held virtually on Feb. 7-11. The drive rallies wonderful community support in the middle of winter to help keep our pantry shelves full for client shoppers. You can get details at orionontv.org.
Thank you on behalf of many of our community’s most needy individuals and families. You are helping to make a difference in their lives.
Gratefully,
Oxford/Orion FISH Board of Directors
FISH Newsletter: http://oxfordorionfish.org/FISHline_Fall2021.pdf
by Becky Andrus | Dec 8, 2021 | Local News, Scouting
Scouts exceed goal for annual food drive
Scouts with the local Michigan Crossroads Council exceeded their goal for this year’s Scouting for Food drive, assembling 112,732 pounds of food for charities during November.
According to event co-chairman Scott Nehls, approximately 4,600 participants from 152 units across southeastern Michigan helped make the drive a success. Around half a million homes were canvassed across Oakland, Genesee, Wayne and Macomb Counties. Through these door-to-door collection efforts, the youth exceeded their objective of 100,000 pounds as well as the totals collected during their 2020 drive.
“This year the scouts collected 10,000 more pounds than last year,” Nehls said. “I think that shows how vital our work was this year and how giving members of our community are.”
The drive was carried out in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank, which operated a number of collection sites with the scouts. Participants were also given the option to donate food to local nonprofits of their choice. A joint effort by Lake Orion Pack 59 and Pack 128 brought in over 2,000 pounds of food for the Woodside Bible Church food pantry.
Project lead Bob DeWar explained that civic service is at the core of Scouting, and the drive helps to educate young people about giving back to the community.
“I’m always so excited to see the Scouts in action during this project,” DeWar said. “As Scouts and adult volunteers deliver and sort countless bags of food, a spirit of cheerful service permeates the collection sites.”
According to DeWar, his youth were surprised to see how much food their neighbors contributed to the drive. However, he said they were even more excited after they dropped the food off at a Gleaners collection site.
“When they arrive at the collection site and see how their one car load combines with hundreds of others to make a much larger impact, their smile tells me they realize they are part of something bigger,” DeWar said.
by Becky Andrus | Dec 7, 2021 | Local News
Philo Festival of Media Arts:
ONTV Earns Three Awards
Orion Neighborhood Television was honored at the Philo Festival of Media Arts, earning three awards for excellence in local programming. The Central States Alliance of Community Media held a virtual ceremony last month announcing the awards. Political Awareness category
ONTV was winner in the Political Awareness category for its “General Election Night Special.” On Nov. 3, 2020 ONTV brought the election race into the homes of local residents with its LIVE coverage and results. “One of the main goals of ONTV is to provide local news and information for Lake Orion residents, and that’s even more important during our elections, said production manager Tessa Penzien.” It feels great to be able to give Lake Orion a live and in depth look at election results that effect our community.”
ONTV was also recognized as a finalist for its “2020 Virtual Flower Fair” program in the community events professional category and for its “ONTV Newscast” in the news professional category. “The ONTV News episode that was submitted for a Philo award was our recap of the impact COVID had on the community in 2020, said station manager Joe Johnson.” “I’m very proud of that particular episode and being named a “Finalist” reaffirms that ONTV News ranks among the best in the nation when it comes to local news coverage.”
The Philo Awards in an annual public access television cable TV competition within the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan region. The “PHILO” is awarded for excellence in community media in various categories.
The Philo Awards is named after Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of modern television. The ACM Central States Region honors the memory of Philo T. Farnsworth by recognizing the effort of access producers who promote the use of media in their community.
by Becky Andrus | Oct 5, 2021 | Local News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2021
Independence Village of Oxford to host Senior Safety Series
Topics include, self-defense, avoiding phone scams, prescription interactions and more.
Brighton, Mich. — Independence Village of Oxford is partnering with the Oxford Senior Center to host several presentations on senior safety. The first event is from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, October 12, with a deadline to register of Thursday, October 7, and it will be hosted at Independence Village of Oxford.
The Senior Safety Series includes three events, each covering a different topic to help seniors stay safe. The events are free, and each guest will enjoy lunch prepared by the Executive Chef and culinary team at Independence Village of Oxford. The first event includes a presentation from Empower People’s Agency on self-defense and boundary setting for seniors, and all are welcome to attend this and upcoming presentations.
The second presentation of the Senior Safety Series by Vibe Credit Union will discuss how seniors can protect themselves from phone scams, phishing and identity theft. The event is from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 19, with a deadline to register of Thursday, October 14, and it will be hosted at Independence Village of Oxford.
The third presentation in the series by Apothecary & Co. will cover how to safely use and discard prescription drugs and education about some drug interactions. The event is from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 26, with a deadline to register of Thursday, October 21, and it will be hosted at Independence Village of Oxford.
To register for one or all of the events, guests should visit Bit.ly/seniorsafetyseries or contact Dawn Medici at 248-963-7660 or [email protected].
Independence Village of Oxford is located at 701 Market Street in Oxford. To learn more about Independence Village, call 248-236-8300.
About Independence Village Senior Living
With 40 years of experience developing and operating senior housing communities, Independence Village Senior Living is the premier choice for seniors and families looking for an individualized, purposeful and engaging senior living setting. Independence Village operates communities across Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Ohio. Each location offers unique independent senior living options with select locations offering enhanced living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing options. To learn more about Independence Village, please visit IndependenceVillages.com.
Contact
Irina Olgart
Director of Marketing
248-438-2224
[email protected]
by Becky Andrus | Sep 16, 2021 | Local News
Brandon Kathman
District Executive
[email protected]
947-886-5736
Prospective Eagle Scouts complete service projects at Agawam
Brooke Muzzy, a scout with Troop 185G in Clarkston, cleared new paths and installed benches along the lakefront at Orion Township’s Camp Agawam, fulfilling the community service requirement for the rank of Eagle Scout.
With the final criteria met, it is almost certain that Muzzy will be the first female Eagle in Scouting’s local Pontiac-Manito District since the movement began welcoming female participants in 2019. The rank is Scouting’s highest honor, achieved by only 4% of youth in the program.
“It means everything to me,” Muzzy said. “I wanted to be part of it ever since I was six years old and my brother joined Cub Scouts. When I was fifteen, we formed Troop 185G; two and a half years later, here I am.”
Her project transformed much of the Tommy’s Lake waterfront at Agawam. While access was previously limited to a small footpath to the swim area and fishing dock, Muzzy’s project established new trails to the water’s edge, providing patrons with a new opportunity to experience the lake’s natural beauty. Furthermore, the scouts took special care to remove invasive plant life from the area.
“Behind the scenes there was fundraising and budgeting and paperwork,” Muzzy said. “There’s always more behind the scenes.”
Muzzy said she learned many lessons over the course of her project, foremost among them that it’s ok to ask for help or advice. Dozens of fellow scouts from several different troops attended her workdays. Casey Houlihan of Troop 128, a candidate for the Eagle rank himself, expressed that he was glad he could support her as a fellow scout.
“I just think it’s cool to see that girls are now recognized for doing the same things we’ve been doing,” Houlihan said.
Wayne Beutler, who has served as scoutmaster for Troop 185G since its founding, expressed pride in Muzzy, noting that she displayed indomitable persistence throughout her time in Scouting.
“Brooke is one of the founding members of our troop,” Beutler said. “From the beginning, she has been a role model for the other girls. Being the first female Eagle Scout in the district is quite a distinction, and I am thrilled that Brooke was able to accomplish this while enjoying the adventure, learning so much, and actively giving back.”
