Chelsea mom Ana Hotaling knows how to master obstacles in her business (Family Martial Arts) and on the Tae Kwon Do mat. But when it came to teaching her son, Jaeson, how to read, she needed a little help.
When Jaeson (pictured at left) entered first grade at North Creek Elementary last fall, he was ahead of the curve in many areas, but still didn’t know how to read. In just five months at the school, he not only learned how to recognize words on the page, but began reading well beyond his age and grade level.
That was when Ana discovered a book for children his age about his other favorite pastime, Tae Kwon Do. When she saw that February was “I Love to Read!” month, she knew exactly what to do to say thanks. Family Martial Arts officially donated 16 new copies of the book Tae Kwon Do! to celebrate the month.
The Legacy Land Conservancy and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources yesterday sealed the deal on two property agreements that will add 109.6 acres to Waterloo Recreation Area, including one roughly-72-acre parcel near Chelsea.
The DNR Natural Resources Commission paid $245,000 for 72.23 acres of the Klink property on Bush Road west of Pierce Road, right at the bend as you enter the park.
“Mr. Klink was visionary in understanding what a special place Waterloo is, and in wanting to make sure that his land benefited that place,” said Executive Director (and Chelsea-area resident) Susan Lackey. “That vision reminds me – and all of us – how fortunate we are to live surrounded by this beauty.”
The property includes almost all of the farm, minus the house and outbuildings. It was surrounded on three sides by parkland, and is a mix of agricultural fields and hardwood forest. It includes a stream and wetland. The map is at left; click for details.
Tags: Chelsea, parks, Waterloo Recreation Area
New grants to the Chelsea Recreation Council from the Tigers Foundation and the Chelsea Community Foundation will spruce up several baseball fields at Chelsea High School and Beach Middle School this spring, including opening one for kids’ softball and baseball that was previously deemed unplayable.
(See photos of its previous condition at left; click for a larger view.)
Chelsea High School Field 1, which is to the left of the old tennis courts at CHS, is first on the list (and was previously unplayable). Michelle Mitchell of Chelsea Rec said work there began last year, and the grants will allow it to be completed this year in April, with an eye towards using it for teams in May, weather permitting.
The total cost of reopening the field is $30,000. Some of that was paid for last year; most of the rest will come from two grants of $12,000 each from the Tigers Foundation and the Chelsea Community Foundation.
The remaining money will be used to begin improvements to fields at Beach Middle School.
Tags: Chelsea, Chelsea High School, schools, Sports
Chelsea businesses, schools, nonprofits and individuals are helping Haiti.
Family Martial Arts, for example, is conducting a toothbrush drive in conjunction with Matthew: 25 Ministries (that’s their bin at left, from their location at 17308 N. M-52). The drive ends Saturday.
“Many people have heard of the disaster and would like to help but, because of the economy, can’t really make a financial donation,” Master Ana Hotaling, Family Martial Arts’ co-owner and master instructor, said in a statement. “But almost everyone has a spare toothbrush or two that they can donate and thus help with the relief efforts in Haiti.”
The business is far from alone in its quest to help.
Tags: business, Chelsea, churches, nonprofits
The Chelsea High School Theater Guild is taking “Anatomy of Gray” to the Regional-level theater festival this month, and you’ve got just one chance to see it.
Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the CHS Auditorium, the troupe will present the one-act play, which describes the mysterious appearance of a doctor in a small town, appearing to answer the prayers of a 15-year-old girl who prayed for one after her mother’s death. Tickets are $5 with open seating; doors open at 7 p.m. A reception at 8:30 p.m. with cast and crew carries a $1 suggested donation. All proceeds benefit the CHS One-Act Theater Program.
(That’s the cast there at left after a recent performance, en route to the Winter Carnival Dance.)
Tags: Chelsea, Chelsea High School, theater
A new foundation in Chelsea will invest about $1 million annually to improve the health of residents in Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Grass Lake and Stockbridge.
The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation is meeting this month with groups involved in health promotion in those areas, and has already started receiving grant applications, executive director Amy Heydlauff said. (She’s pictured, along with much of the rest of the foundation board, at left.)
For instance, this Wednesday the group will meet with school board presidents and superintendents from all five towns.
“Later in the month we’ll meet with village/city managers, mayors, and chairs of various government councils,” she said. “Sometime later we’ll meet with other non-profit groups.”
Tags: Chelsea, nonprofits
The Education Project at the Washtenaw Intermediate School District is looking for donations of unopened packages of socks and underwear. The project serves children and students ages 0-21 in Washtenaw County, including more than 30 in the Chelsea School District, helping them to attend classes and finish their high school diplomas.
Coordinator Peri Stone-Palmquist said those two basics – underwear and socks – are often overlooked by people donating materials, but they’re extremely urgent for the kids. When she’s gone on emergency shopping trips with students using clothing vouchers, she’s often struck by that, she said.
Tags: Chelsea, nonprofits, schools
Chelsea State Bank’s board of directors voted recently to add Marni L. Schmid, director of operations for Dexter Pharmacy, to the board. They also selected Mark Burmis to become vice president of residential lending.
Schmid joined Dexter Pharmacy in 2005, overseeing human resources, advertising and sales, benefit administration and strategic business development. She was previously market development manager, strategic business development supervisor and senior marketing analyst for 3M.
She got her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Michigan University and her MBA from Indiana University. Schmid is on the Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce Board, and lives in that city.
Burmis was vice president of lending at Farmers State Bank of Munith, where he worked for 16 of his nearly 20 years in banking. Burmis graduated from the Robert M. Perry School of Banking and Lending and was the 2009/2010 Chairman of the Michigan Bankers Title Company of Mid Michigan Board of Directors. He got his undergraduate degree in business administration from Olivet College, and lives in Jerome.
He’ll oversee CSB’s increased home mortgage lending.
Chelsea’s First United Methodist Church will host a free screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, an inspirational movie about individual activism and the close of the second civil war in Liberia in 2003. The movie will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 31, at the church on 128 Park Street.
The movie won the Best Documentary prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, and will be followed by pizza and refreshments. Rev. Charles Boayue of Liberia, who is currently serving at a Detroit church, will take questions after the film.
Free childcare is provided; the movie is not recommended for those under 10. To reserve a spot for child care, call 475-8119, ext. 20.
Sheridan Books, Inc., is completing a new $1.7 million printing press installation at its location at 613 E. Industrial in Chelsea this month that will double the company’s ability to print four-color books.That part of the company’s business has seen double-digit growth in each of the last three years, said Jeff Cohen, the company’s vice president of finance.
In a twist, Michigan has been able to successfully compete with the Far East for that type of business, he said.
“Much of our competition for 4-color work is in Asia,” he said. “We have been able to competitively price our four-color books while offering much shorter delivery schedules.”
The bulk of the improvement project, which goes before the City Council tonight to have a hearing set for an Industrial Facilities Tax Exemption, is the installation of a new eight-unit Heidelberg Perfector press, weighing 112,500 pounds and measuring more than 45 feet long. The press arrived January 18 and installation began immediately, with an eye towards starting printing February 1.
