Page 8 — Thursday, May 27, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
Nominations sought for
local volunteer awards
This past year has been like no other.
However, many people – neighbors, friends,
colleagues – have stepped up to do their part
in volunteering to help others.
“This year, compared to all others, is truly
a year to celebrate the amazing
accomplishments of volunteers in Barry
County,” Morgan Johnson of the Barry
County United Way and Volunteer Center
said.
The United Way and Volunteer Center are
now accepting nominations for the virtual
2021 Volunteer Awards. The Volunteer Awards
recognize, honor and celebrate residents
within the county who have given of their
time and talent for the benefit of the
community.
The awards provide an opportunity to
celebrate volunteers who work in a variety of
areas. Nominations are being accepted for
Volunteer of the Year, Youth Volunteer of the
Year, Outstanding Mentor Award, Continuing
Service Award, Corporate Service Award and
Group Volunteer Award.
The nomination packet can be found
online at bcunitedway.org under the “News”
items. Nominations must be postmarked by
Friday, June 11, to be considered.
Any organization that utilizes volunteers
in Barry County is eligible to submit
nominations. This includes nonprofit agencies,
service clubs and organizations, churches and
businesses that are involved in employee
volunteering.
The virtual awards ceremony will begin at
4 p.m. Thursday, July 8. Winners will still be
receiving awards, and all nominees will be
given a certificate of appreciation.
“We hope that you will take a few moments
to submit a nomination and recognize a
volunteer or volunteers that you know are
doing great work for the community,” Johnson
said.
Additional information can be obtained by
emailing [email protected] or calling
269-945-4010.Lake Odessa
Call 269-945-
for Hastings
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Learning the hard stuff
Dear Dr. Universe:
How do you learn something hard?
Kai, 12, AlaskaDear Kai,
There are so many different things we
can learn in our world, but that doesn’t
mean learning is always so easy. Maybe you
want to learn a process, like how to com-
plete Rubik’s Cube, code an app, design a
solution to a problem or answer science
questions.
My friend Sarah Fick, an assistant pro-
fessor of science education at Washington
State University, was excited to hear your
question. She said one way to learn some-
thing hard is to ask a lot of questions of
yourself and other people. Questions like:
Why is it hard? Are you trying to remember
something? Are you trying to understand
how it works? Are you trying to solve a
problem that’s hard to solve? Can you
design something or come up with an idea
that will help you solve that problem?
Where can you find more information about
your problem, or who can you ask about it?
“Depending on what experiences you’ve
had in learning – and the knowledge you’ve
gained from your family and community –
you are going to come at these problems
with your own strengths,” Fick said.
Things that are easy for you might be
hard for someone else, or the opposite could
be true.
Fick reminded me that while we can
learn a process, we also can learn more
about how a process works. That’s what
scientists do – they help us bring deeper
knowledge into the world.
Through collecting data, researchers can
help us build on current knowledge to cre-ate new knowledge. Another thing scientists
do is create a model or draw a picture show-
ing how they think the process works. A
model can sometimes help us understand
what we know and what we still have ques-
tions about.
When you are learning something hard, it
also helps to ask yourself what is motivat-
ing you to learn. Maybe the motivation is
that you want a good grade on a test. We
call that extrinsic motivation. But maybe
you want to learn how to do something for,
well, you. Then, you have intrinsic motiva-
tion. When motivation comes from within,
it often helps us learn.
Finally, while it may feel frustrating to
learn difficult subjects or tasks, that’s some-
times a good sign. You might just be wres-
tling with knowledge that’s new to you and
might be on your way to an “Aha!” moment
when you gain a better understanding.
One of the areas Fick researches is help-
ing us better understand how students can
use their knowledge from one subject, such
as math, to help them learn more about
another area, like science. Learning often
happens when we find connections, includ-
ing connections to our daily life.
A lot of different factors go into learning
something hard, and these are just a few.
The next time you find yourself facing a
learning challenge, take a deep breath, ask
yourself some good questions and get ready
for the next step on your learning journey- wherever it takes you.
Dr. Universe
Do you have a question? Ask Dr.
Universe. Send an email to Washington
State University’s resident scientist and
writer at [email protected] or visit her
website, askdruniverse.com.Elaine Garlock
At last we have a coming event to report.
The local VFW post, with Steve Aldrich the
commander, has announced plans for the
Memorial Day observance. As usual, it will be
at 11 a.m. Monday, May 31. The Rev. Bruce
Barker will bring the address again this year.
This will be at Lakeside Cemetery.
Last year the Sunfield chapter of daughters
of Union Veterans planned a meaningful
observance since there could be no crowd on
hand. They arranged for a series of placards
that gave visitors a driving tour of the cemetery
with quotes from famous people. It was well
planned. It combined patriotism and history.
As last year, someone will play taps at 11 a.m.
Memorial Day. The cemetery is on St. Joseph
Highway just east of South Sunfield Highway,
two miles south of the village near the former
Church of the Brethren. It is well worth the
drive.
Work on the streets in Johnson’s First
Addition to the village will begin soon. This
involves Emerson Street, which runs from
Jordan Lake Highway to Twin City Foods, but
the work will extend only to Fourth Avenue.
Three short streets, each one block long,
extend from Emerson south to Tupper Lake
Street. They are Pearl, Pleasant and Ionia. The
work includes replacement of water mains,
service lines, street improvement and sidewalk
replacement. The sidewalk on Emerson is
only on the north side chiefly to accommodate
residents of Lake Manor and Emerson Manor
and is much newer than the other walks. This
will affect all traffic to Twin City Foods.
Hopefully, this project will be finished before
the start of the green bean season in late July.
The village council has a new member. She
is Jennifer Hickey who has been a resident
since 1998. She joins a council which has only
one male member.
Lakewood schools have announced their
summer feeding program. Breakfast and lunch
will be provided Mondays and Thursdays
with food for multiple days each time. Pickup
times are from 10 a.m. to 11 .m. Meals can
be picked up at the Woodland Elementary
School, Lakewood Middle School on Brown
Road, Van Buren Park in Sunfield and in the
parking lot of Clarksville Bible Church.
Senior girls from Lakewood High School
were entertained at the Hughie House on
M-50 near the high school May 14 with an
inspirational speaker Annie Agar.
It was a red letter day on Pentecost Sunday
at Central United Methodist Church. If it
could be red, it was. The front steps were
draped with red satin, red flowers and red
bricks held it from blowing away in the wind.
Pastor Vaughn Thurston-Cox wore a red
stole adorned with flames, and the liturgist
also was dressed in red. Besides the usual
hymns, prayers and message, there was a
special “Blessing of the Bikes.” Included
were motorcycles, bicycles, and trikes. With
most of the congregation dressed in red for the
outdoor worship service, many photos were
snapped, including a whole-group shot on the
south steps.
The Congregational Church will have a
special service of remembrance this Sunday.Cases to celebrate
65th wedding anniversary
Robert and Shirley (Hammond) Case will
celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on
June 1, 2021. Children of the couple are
Marilyn (Bill) Storm, Linda (Doug)
Stampfler, Brian (Shelly) Case, Bruce (Lori)
Case, and Stephen (Tina) Case.
They have 15 grandchildren and 34 great-
grandchildren.
Send them best wishes with a card at:
1061 W. Brogan Rd., Hastings, MI 49058.
They will be celebrating with family on
Sunday, June 6.Garrison Alexander Lee Hammond, born
at Spectrum Health Pennock on April 26,
2021 to Hayley Bishop and Brett Hammond
of Hastings.
*****
Abigail Lillian Haack, born at Spectrum
Health Pennock on April 26, 2021 to Jocelyn
Haack and Matthew Haack of Wayland.
*****
Laya Rae Gardner, born at Spectrum Health
Pennock on April 29, 2021 to Christina
Gardner and Christopher Milstead of
Nashville.
*****Hudson Thomas Fancher, born at Spectrum
Health Pennock on May 6, 2021 to Alexi
Maurine Knapper and Sterling Mikeal
Fancher of Charlotte.
*****
Gabriel Robert Barton, born at Spectrum
Health Pennock on May 6, 2021 to Daisy
Randall and Ethan Barton of Hastings.
*****
Bryzon Lee Lewis Duncan, born at
Spectrum Health Pennock on May 11, 2021
to Samantha Lee Duncan and Darrell Lewis
Duncan Jr. of Barry County.Sydney Jo Mangan, Fremont and Mason
John Hunter, Middleville
Clay Alan Vanderkoode, Delton and Alexis
Danielle Elliott, Delton
Joel Isaac Buege, Hastings and Alyssa
Marie Elliott, Woodland
Dominic Paul Pietila-Warner, Battle Creek
and Taylor Jai Roberts, Battle Creek
Robert Lee McCall III, Middleville and
Anita Marie Sloan, Middleville
Ashton Joseph Quinn, Hastings and Sophia
Lee Howlett, Hastings
Andrew Wesley Moore, Hastings and Kayla
Delaney Hedin, Lansing
Trisha Ann Jonker, Middleville and Keaton
John Williams, Hastings
Jacob Richard Boger, Woodland and Kaitlin
Sophia Gingell, NashvilleSOCIAL SECURITY
MATTERS
Agency honors military heroes
Vonda Van Til
Public Affairs Specialist
Each Memorial Day, the nation honors
military service members who have given
their lives for our country. As Former President
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who have
long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy
forget in time that men [and women] have
died to win them.”
This is why families, friends, and
communities come together to remember the
great sacrifices of military members and
ensure their legacies live on.
The benefits we provide can help the
surviving families of deceased military
service members. For example, widows,
widowers and their dependent children may
be eligible for Social Security survivors
benefits. You can learn more about those
benefits at ssa.gov/survivors.
We also offer support to wounded warriors.
Social Security benefits protect veterans when
injuries prevent them from returning to active
duty or performing other work. Both the
Department of Veteran Affairs and Social
Security have disability programs. You may
qualify for disability benefits through one
program but not the other, or you may qualify
for both. Depending on your situation, some
members of your family, including dependentchildren or spouse, may be eligible to receive
Social Security benefits.
Wounded military service members can
receive expedited processing of their Social
Security disability claims. If you are a veteran
with a 100 percent Permanent and Total
compensation rating from the Department of
Veterans Affairs, we’ll expedite your disability
claim.
Want more information about how we can
help? Visit ssa.gov/woundedwarriors for
answers to commonly asked questions or to
find information about the application process.
Thinking about retirement or know a
veteran who is? Military service members can
receive Social Security benefits in addition to
their military retirement benefits. For details,
visit our webpage for veterans, ssa.gov/
people/veterans.
Share this information with the military
families you know. We honor and thank the
veterans who bravely served and died for our
country and the military service members
who serve today.Vonda Van Til is the public affairs
specialist for West Michigan. You may write
her c/o Social Security Administration, 3045
Knapp NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525, or via
email to [email protected].