| No fix in sight for tracks of our fears
THIS week Geelong is playing host to more than 800 physically and intellectually disabled people from all over Australia. A number of them are in wheelchairs and arrived in Geelong by train. They had no real problems disembarking at Geelong station because their train came in on platform one. The problem will come if their departing train goes from platform two. Then, they'll have to be pushed across the tracks. It says a lot for Geelong's other facilities that the conference, organised by the Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability (VALID), has returned to Geelong for the second consecutive year as the annual conference is usually spread around the state. But that doesn't mean that VALID is happy with the facilities at Geelong railway station.
Tony Filippis leaves legacy that empowers the disabled
T he answer to Frances Janis' prayers arrived in a black pickup truck six years ago. He pulled into her driveway and sat for a few minutes, and then she watched from the front window as he unspooled a tape measure and started changing her life. It was barely noon on a brisk and breezy Sunday. Anthony (Tony) Filippis Sr. was 85 years old. I had written that morning about a family in Dearborn Heights that needed a wheelchair ramp. He looked up the address and grabbed his keys. "It's as fresh in my mind as if it were yesterday," says Janis, 47. How he said to expect a work crew any day, no charge, no thanks required. How he told her a ramp was a right, not a convenience. Talk to Tony Filippis for any length of time and he'd tell you other things, too. About people who pre-judge you if you're disabled.
Saturday's Bulletin Board
The Women of the Moose Lodge will hold a children's bingo at 1 p.m. Sunday at the lodge on Stokes Mill Road, Stroud Township.
There will be 15 games played for $2. Prizes will be new and next to new items. Parents are welcome to help children play.
Food will be available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the Moose playground fund.
Retired greyhounds need good homes
Newly retired ex-racing greyhounds will be at Mountain Mutts and Pocono Pups at 940 C Ann St., Stroudsburg from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The newest hounds just retired a few weeks ago and are interviewing families. Foster families and people who are interested in adopting a greyhound are invited.
Pat Jeanschild, a professional groomer and co-owner of Mountain Mutts and Pocono Pups, will be on hand to answer questions about pet grooming.
Suffern provides a look at what Monroe’s library could be like
The Monroe Free Library's proposal faces some opposition from community members. To open a dialogue with Monroe residents, the library has created a blog page where patrons can voice their opinions about the expansion project, which can be reached on their Web site, www.monroelibrary.org"We faced very little opposition," said Bolin in reference to Suffern's budget approval. "Our residents knew that the library was outdated and they knew the value that a library holds to a community.Kristina Stelz, a lifelong Monroe resident and mother to four-year-old Michael, said she does:"Kids benefit immensely from good programs and not everyone can afford to pay the cost of Gymboree or Mommy and Me. It would be nice if the town would spend money on something that the whole community can enjoy."It's a real shame," she added.
Successful lottery winners don't change too much
Eleven years after hitting a $1 million jackpot in the New York Lottery's 7-11-21 game, Agnes Jackman got some free advice on how to handle her winnings. In a 1991 Money magazine cover story titled "Midway Through a Million," financial planner Gary Schatsky suggested investing in money market funds, certificates of deposit and U.S. government bonds. He also told Jackman to stop spending money on lottery tickets. She rejected his guidance. And now, seven years after cashing her last installment check from the Lottery, the 81-year-old widow said she still buys about $20 worth of tickets a week. "About three years ago, I picked four numbers — that paid $5,000," she said. The May 22, 1980, drawing that guaranteed Jackman $1 million over 20 years was a life-changing event.
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