Society: Thanks for donation

To the editor:

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the membership of the Jay County Historical Society, I'm writing to express our thanks to Kay Locker and her entire family for fulfilling the wishes of Kay's late father, Bill Gilpin, by donating his home and grounds across the street from our museum. We have gratefully accepted the deed, and we are planning on making some repairs and determining the best use of the space. Our recent merger with the Jay County Genealogy Society, housed in a separate rented facility on Commerce Street, has further strained our already challenged museum and office space and our finances as well.

This generous gift will give us some "breathing room" as we work on plans to consolidate our collections in the museum and the genealogy library.

While it would seem to be a straightforward transaction to transfer title to a piece of property, and the paperwork is relatively simple, doing so with this parcel at 841 East Main St. represents an expression of the love Bill and his family have had for the Society over the years. The signatures on the deed of Kay, Sarah, Scott, and Sue are a personal statement of one family's continuing commitment to help fulfill the goals and mission of the Jay County Historical Society. We are planning to have a small celebration at our Heritage Festival in October to recognize the donors and formally dedicate the house as the "Bill Gilpin Annex," but for now the board of directors and all the members of the Jay County Historical Society say, "Thank you, Kay, Carl, and the rest of the family."

Tom Young, for the

Jay County

Historical Society

Thanks

To the editor:

I am writing this letter to give special thanks to Sheron McClung and all the staff at the Portland Preschool.

The Second Steps Program has been great in meeting the specific needs of children with learning delays. Speech therapy as well as other needed services is provided to the children of Second Steps. The staff is also trained to meet the specific needs of each individual child.

My 3-year-old son attended the Second Steps Program last year and really enjoyed it. One of his favorite things about Second Steps was riding the bus to school. The second steps program has helped teach my 3 year old to be more independent. He got to interact with children the same age as him.

This was good in helping him develop more social skills. He participated in field trips such as going to the Portland Fire Station, Haynes Park, and Boys Club.

He has made tremendous progress since he's attended Second Steps.

The staff also took pictures and made a DVD of the children participating in activities in the classroom and on their field trips. This is just one of the special things the staff at Second Steps did for all the parents of the Second Steppers.

Sheron McClung and her staff at Second Steps have made this possible for our children in need. Sheron's kind words of encouragement have touched the hearts of these children and their parents. The time and effort she spends with these children helps them to meet their academic needs and potential success. This is a service that no parent could put a price on.

We need more people like Sheron McClung in the world. She has made a difference in the lives of our children as well as an influence on the lives of the parents of these children.

The impact that Sheron McClung and her staff has had on my child's life is remarkable. As a parent I would recommend the services of Second Steps to anyone whose child is having learning delays.

Thank you for your time, patience, and devotion you give our children. You are all truly wonderful people.

Koren Phillips

Portland[[In-content Ad]]