Northern Door Children’s Center will Host Author Leslie Leline Jan. 25

• The Sister Bay Family Center in partnership with the Northern Door Children’s Center will present an evening with Leslie Leline, author of the book, The Parent Handbook on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. This free parent workshop will include a light supper and childcare.

A Baileys Harbor resident, Leline was presented with an award by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association on Nov. 12 at WECA’s 56th annual training conference in Madison. She has been teaching at the Peninsula Preschool for the past 20 years and has been speaking to other educators at conferences statewide on effective communication to build self-esteem.

The workshop will take place at the Northern Door Children’s Center, located at 10520 Judith Blazer Drive in Sister Bay. There is limited space and reservations are required by Friday, Jan. 21. For more information and or to register visit http://www.familycentersdc.com or call the Family Center at 1.800.856.1651.

• Door-Tran has received a news release from Governor Jim Doyle announcing the organization, listed as United Way, will be funded in 2011.

“I am pleased that we are able to provide these additional transportation funds so that there are more options available to individuals with disabilities,” said Governor Doyle.

This award will provide funds for Door-Tran to continue the half-price vouchers, which were implemented in Nov. 2008, to make transportation with 24/7 taxi operators and the Washington Island van more affordable to residents of Door County. To date, over 7,800 rides have been subsidized with this funding.

The award will also provide funds to maintain a staff that will assist people and event planners with car pool matching as requested. The staff will also work with for-profit and not-for-profit transportation providers and local agencies.

For more information call 920.743.9999 or 877.330.6333.

• The Southern Door Family Center is partnering with the Door County Y to bring a series of fitness classes to the Brussels area at the organization’s new home at 1400 County Trunk DK. The center will offer five types of classes in January.

Megan Sarkis will teach Chair Exercise at 9:15 am on Mondays. Participants will move to music through a variety of exercises to increase muscular strength, range of movement, and activity for daily living skills.

On Tuesdays Shannon Cole will teach Core ‘n More at 5:15 pm and Restorative Yoga at 6:15 pm. The Core ‘n More class will use a combination of standing postures, mat work, and a fitness band to tighten and tone participant’s midsections. The Restorative Yoga will calm participant’s bodies and minds.

Finally, on Saturdays Cole will offer Cardio Dance at 8:15 am and Gentle Yoga at 9:15 am. The dance class is a dynamic, low impact class. Gentle Yoga students will improve their flexibility, strength, and balance.

For more information and/or to register call 920.825.1430 or visit http://www.familycentersdc.com. For those not pre-registered there will be a drop-in fee. If joining in mid-session, fees will be pro-rated.

• Ephraim’s Hardy Gallery is thrilled to announce that their new Holiday Auction was a success! The first-annual online event, which ran from Nov. 17 through Dec. 15, grossed over $3,600 for the non-profit visual arts organization.

Many Hardy Gallery supporters kept the bidding competitive for the auction’s four-week run, with many of the items being purchased immediately through the auction’s “Buy It Now” option. The auction featured a variety of items perfect for holiday gift-giving: original artwork and signed prints from some of Door County’s best-loved artists, golf packages, certificates for spa treatments, classes, and gift baskets.

Elizabeth Meissner-Gigstead, the Hardy’s Executive Director said, “We are excited with the results of the first auction, and we’re already looking forward to repeating the fundraiser next year.”

The funds raised from the auction will benefit a number of the Gallery’s outreach programs.

The Hardy Gallery is located on Ephraim’s historic Anderson Dock and is open from mid-May through mid-October. For more information call 920.854.2210 or visit http://www.thehardy.org.

• After a nationwide search the Jim Larsen Boys and Girls Club of Door County has filled the vacant Chief Professional Officer (CPO) position. Heather Powell began working full time for the club on January 3, 2011.

Powell, a Sturgeon Bay resident, had previously worked as a classroom teacher and held leadership roles with other non-profit organizations. These experiences led the board to offer Powell the position in early December.

“I am very excited to get started in the role,” said Powell.

The first order of business for the new CPO will be to assess what gaps in services for youth exist. Currently the Jim Larsen Boys and Girls Club is working with the Sturgeon Bay School District to provide afterschool care at Sawyer Elementary School and is also offering care for children at Gibraltar Schools. The Boys and Girls Club will be looking at ways to expand these services and offer additional enrichment activities to its members by partnering with other organizations in Door County.

For more information call Powell at 608.728.0147.

• For the last 76 years the men of the Sturgeon Bay United Methodist Church have been hosting the Lumberjack Supper, and this year’s event will be held Jan. 26, 4:30 – 7:30 pm, at the church located at 836 Michigan Street (corner 9th and Michigan).

This extremely popular not-for-profit event will once again serve family style (all you can eat) corned beef, roast pork, cabbage, rutabagas, baked beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, applesauce, bread and butter, assorted pies, coffee and milk. The cost for the supper is $13 per person in advance, $14 at the door, and $6 for children. Only a limited number of tickets are available for purchase from any United Methodist Men’s Club member or at the church office. Carryout dinners are also available.

For more information and/or to arrange for ticket pickup, call 920.743.3241 from 9 am – 12 pm on Mondays or 9 am – 2 pm, Tuesday – Friday.

• A benefit for Mike Kaye will be held at Mr. G’s Supper Club on Jan. 8 from 6 pm – midnight. The event will feature music, food, live and silent auctions, and a raffle drawing.

Mike Kaye has been diagnosed with a rare disease called Giant Cell Myocarditis. This is typically a fatal disease; however with advanced medical technology, doctors have been able to sustain his life as he waits for a heart transplant. His medical bills continue to escalate as he receives these lifesaving interventions.

Mike and Mary (LeClair) Kaye and kids, Cambria, married to Mark Mueller, Courtney, and Cathy have been a vital part of the community for many years. Mike and Mary grew up in Door County and graduated from Sevastopol School.

Through the kindness and generosity of many Door County and national businesses, organizers of the event have been able to obtain hundreds of items for auction, including beautiful earrings appraised between $550 and $1,100 from Diamond Traders International, compound bow, engraved Remington 1187 sporting clay shotgun, Remington 870 shotgun, authenticated signed Bart Starr commemorative print, and an autographed Packer football.

For those who are unable to attend, but would like to donate a monetary contribution, send checks payable to Mike Kaye to Pioneer Credit Union, 665 N.12th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235.

• Peninsula Arts Association Board and Fundraiser Crew would like to thank local musicians, businesses, and supporters who came out for the Grandmother of the Arts event.

“I was truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support to benefit the PAA on Nov. 10 at The English Inn,” said Peninsula Arts Association (PAA) board member and participating musician Pete Thelen. “It’s been our mission and focus to grant financial support dollars to individual artists and local institutions over the past 73 years.”

The event included an evening of talented entertainment donated by local musicians, a lavish buffet put forth by The English Inn, and more than $3,000 in prizes donated by local business supporters.

“It was a night of delicious food, great music, and so much more,” said Alicia Mulliken, PAA board president.

This was one of the most successful fundraisers ever held for the PAA, raising more than $3,000 for grant funding initiatives to Door County artists.

• The U.S. Postal Service recently unveiled the images of its commemorative stamp program. Among this year’s honorees are former President Ronald Reagan, legendary author Mark Twain, award-winning actor and actress Gregory Peck and Helen Hayes, and Latin music greats Selena, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente, and Celia Cruz.

In addition, former U.S. Congresswoman from Texas, Barbara Jordan is the 2011 Black Heritage Stamp honoree; stamps will be issued to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned spaceflight, and a celebration of Disney Pixar movie characters.

The “Lunar New Year: Year of the Rabbit” stamp, to be issued Jan. 22, will be a Forever Stamp for use in mailing a 1-ounce letter.

Stamps may be purchased at local post offices, the Postal Store website at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 1.800.STAMP.24.

• The Nelson Healing Center of Sturgeon Bay will host three art and yoga workshops, tapping into the realm of body, mind and spirit.

Art therapists Kelli Torpey, Stacia Dick-Schuster, and Audrey Chowdhury will gently lead attendees in a fully supported, sacred space during each workshop. Torpey, also a yoga instructor, will lead simple yoga postures. No art or yoga experience is needed to participate in the workshops.

The first workshop in the series, featuring the process of SoulCollage®, will take place Saturday, Jan. 15. This is an intuitive collage process where participants will learn to make a deck of unique guidance cards based on the parts of their own Self. Chowdhury, a trained SoulCollage® facilitator/trainer, will lead the workshop. For more information, visit http://www.soulcollage.com or http://www.creativespiritguide.com.

Upcoming workshops will include “Mandalas and Self-Expression Through Color” on Feb. 19 and “Creating Your Chakra Portrait” on March 19.

Workshops will take place on Saturdays from 10 am – 3 pm at Nelson Healing Center in Sturgeon Bay. Each individual session costs $70. For participants who attend all three sessions, and pay in advanced, the cost is $60 per session.

For more information and/or to register, call the Nelson Healing Center at 920.818.0045.

• Beverly Bartlett, outreach specialist for the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Wisconsin, will speak as part of the Shepherd of the Bay’s Community Health Information Program (CHIP) Winter Series. The series is designed for elders, their children and/or important persons in their lives to learn more about issues affecting elderly.

All programs are on Sundays from 4 – 5 pm. On Jan. 16, the topic will be “Normal Aging vs. Dementia.” Upcoming dates and topics include: Feb. 20, “Caring for the Person with Dementia/Memory Loss”; March 20, “Caring for the Caregiver”; and April 10, “I Need Help…Where Do I Go?”

Each session will include valuable resources, printed materials, and will be recorded on DVDs. The last session will feature a panel of experts on local support and care provision systems, financial assistance, and legal issues.

The sessions will take place at the Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church in Ellison Bay, except the April session, which will take place at the Immanuel Lutheran church in Baileys Harbor. The SOTB bus will be available for use.

• Through the last five decades, the Southern Door County School District has graduated more than 5,000 area students. To celebrate, the district will be commemorating the class of 2012 – the district’s 50th graduating class.

“The Southern Door School Board recently appointed a committee to plan a variety of activities throughout the 2011-2012 school year to celebrate half a century of education,” Superintendant Joe Innis explained. “It’s nice to see that multiple generations of the same families have graduated.”

Innis announced that the Anniversary Committee is now accepting logo designs to help commemorate Southern Door’s 50th graduating class in 2012. The committee is looking for a multi‐functional logo capturing the essence of the Southern Door community. The finished design will be used throughout the 2011-2012 school year in letterhead, apparel, mugs, banners, advertising materials, the school yearbook and more.

For more information, visit http://www.southerndoor.k12.wi.us. A $250 honorarium, sponsored by the SD Community Foundation, will be awarded to the chosen designer. There is no limit on the number of submissions per individual. The submission deadline is February 11, 2011.

• The year 2010 will be known as the year Wisconsin went smoke-free, but most area businesses are also helping to reduce youth tobacco use by not selling to minors.

Sales to minors in 2010 have increased slightly to 11.1 percent compared to the 2009 non-compliance rate of 10.2 percent in northeast Wisconsin. While some counties have seen increases, other counties have seen huge decreases. In Door County, 49 investigations were completed and only 1 sale of tobacco to a minor occurred.

“Although there have been increases in tobacco sales to minors in several counties this year,” said Jason Laurin of re:TH!NK, the Lakeshore Tobacco Prevention Network. “We are very pleased with the efforts that the majority of retailers take to help reduce youth access.”

For more information visit http://www.wiwins.org.

• With very little time left to go in their annual fundraising campaign, United Way of Door County recently received a gift of money from Baylake Bank. The Baylake Bank corporate donation, combined with Baylake Bank employee contributions, will go a long way towards helping and empowering the residents of Door County in 2011, according to Executive Director of United Way of Door County Amy Kohnle.

“At Baylake Bank we believe in taking an active leadership role in supporting the communities we serve,” said Mike Gilson, Market President of the Lakeshore Region.

Pledges and donations are being accepted by United Way of Door County until January 7, 2011. For more information and/or to donate to United Way, call 920.746.9645 or email [email protected].

• The Caregiver Support Group of Door County will host an informational session with Nor Door Adult Day Services on Wednesday, Jan. 12 from 1 – 1:30 pm. The session, hosted by RN and Adult Day Services Coordinator Carl Shakal, will take place in the Community Room of the Sister Bay Public Library, located at 301 Mill Road in Sister Bay.

Refreshments will be served. Participants are welcome to stay for a support group meeting following the presentation.

For more information call the Door County Senior Resource Center at 920.746.2542.

• The Women’s and Children’s Health Center at Ministry Door County Medical Center will once again offer Art for Health workshops. Beginning at the end of January, the Art for Health program is a series of free workshops for children, ages 5 – 12 years old, that focuses on music and art using performance, demonstrations and other fun activities with local visual and performing artists as facilitators.

The Art for Health program was developed by local talent promoter Terry Lundahl, of the Dragonfly Agency, and Jenny Fischer, Director of the Medical Center’s Women’s and Children’s Health Center.

Fischer said, “It is well documented by scientific studies that art can have a physical impact on not only the quality of a life, but on the actual functioning of our immune system, healthy cell structure and both the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems…As our health care system demands that we re-focus our resources on maintaining wellness, this pairing makes perfect sense.”

Each Art for Health session runs for five weeks. Participants can choose a Tuesday or a Wednesday class. The first session begins January 25 and January 26. All classes will be held at the Children’s Center at Ministry Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay at 4 pm, running approximately 1 hour. Parents are encouraged to sign their children up for all five sessions.

For more information or to register for classes, visit http://www.ministryhealth.org or call 920.743.3666.