Vanis Cuts for a Cause

During the month of May on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Chris Valvanis of VANIS Salon held a fundraiser for The Caring Place. Honoring his 26 years of cutting hair, he did hair cuts for $26 and all proceeds came to The Caring Place. Chris has retired from cutting hair, but still owns Vanis Salons. Even before the month began, the hair cuts were booked! Chris was able to raise $1,521. Thank you Chris!

Mary Beth and Chris Valvanis

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Spellings per Purdue's records

Burns Harbor

• Bachelor of Liberal Studies
  
  • John J. Nowicki

Chesterton

• Associate of Science in Building Construction Management Technology
  
  • Graham J. Jones Dwayne R. Smith
    
• Associate of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology
  
  • Danen A. Holmgren
    
• Associate of Science in Nursing
  
  • Mary C. Burke
    
  • Patricia A. Menn
    
  • Caisa B. Pritchard
    
• Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science
  
  • Leslie E. Chamberlain

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The Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County recently partnered with Fifth Third Bank as part of the bank’s ongoing “Fill the Pantry” food drive, a national initiative aimed at providing 53,000 meals to those in need.

Members of the South Haven Boys & Girls Club collected over 150 food items to donate to the collection efforts of the Fifth Third Banking Center in Chesterton. The South Haven Boys and Girls Club is located at 723 Long Run Road in Valparaiso and has convenient Summer hours from 11:20 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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“I can’t tell you how many families will benefit from this gift,” said Jill Stricker, Executive Director of Parents As Teachers of Porter County. “This takes our organization to the next level.” Parents As Teachers was awarded a $45,000 Women’s Fund grant on Wednesday from Impact Porter County, a women’s giving circle associated with the Porter County Community Foundation.

“This grant will help us expand our early intervention and school readiness services for low-income families,” said Stricker. “We will reach 200 more beneficiaries thanks to these grant funds.” Parents As Teachers (PAT) of Porter County is a universal access, early childhood family education program. The purpose of PAT is to assist families in preparing their children (birth to age 5), to be ready to learn as they enter school.

“Parents as Teachers was one of the three grant finalists vying this year for the Women’s Fund high-impact grant,” said Joanne Urschel, Impact Porter County grant committee chair. Women’s Fund grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations in support of a program serving women and/or children in Porter County. The other finalists, The Caring Place and Discoveries Unlimited, each received a $2,500 grant.

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Participating Teams: Be sure to send in your photos and stories from your Day of Caring to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and share with our readers how you pitched in to serve the community!

READY, SET, GO, to www.nwivolunteer.com to choose YOUR team's project for the Day of Caring!

The Day of Caring is the United Way's annual event that celebrates volunteerism. Nonprofits throughout NWI post projects online for your company, church or civic group, etc. to complete on the Day of Caring.

This year's Day of Caring will be held on Friday, Aug. 26th or Saturday morning, Aug. 27th and will kickoff with a breakfast in each county. All YOU need to do is signup YOUR team TODAY!

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As we approach the July 4 holiday, the National Park Service reminds the public that fireworks of any kind are prohibited in all areas of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

This includes West Beach, the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk, and all areas of the shoreline east from the Bailly Generating Station to Crescent Dune as well as west from Burns Waterway to Lake/Porter County Line Road. Included in these areas are: Kemil, Lakeview, Dunbar, Porter, and Central Avenue areas in Porter County

The beaches along Ogden Dunes, Dune Acres, and Beverly Shores, Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk, The Mt. Baldy area in LaPorte County, West Beach and Miller Woods beaches in Lake County. All inland areas of the national lakeshore including the Tremont picnic area, Li-co-ki-we Trail, Bailly/Chellberg area, and Dunewood Campground.

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