March 6, 2013 PDF Edition of the Perrysburg Messenger Journal

P E R R Y S B U R G
MESSENGER JOURNAL
SECOND SECTION
Y O U R H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R
WWW.PERRYSBURG.COM
Exchange Club honors Freedom Shrine essay contest winners
The Perrysburg
Exchange Club recently
announced the winners of its
Freedom Shrine Essay Contest.
The annual contest is
open to students at Perrysburg
Junior High School
and St. Rose School.
This year’s contest winners
were honored at the
Exchange Club meeting on
February 25. After reading
their essays, each winner
was presented with a plaque
and a U.S. Savings Bond.
The winning essays follow.
“Three Words to
Live By”
By Hannah Kloster
Perrysburg Junior
High School
Liberty is a word for
freedom. It is what our
country is based on. The
power to do as one pleases,
without harming others.
Liberty is the power of
choice and the right to be
free. Our founding fathers
wanted to create a nation
that would be free from
tyranny and despotism.
Patrick Henry once said,
“Give me liberty or give me
death.” That is how much
they believed in liberty.
They wanted the leaders of
the nation to keep the opinions
of the people in mind
when leading the country.
They believed that a government’s
right to rule came
from the people. When our
founding fathers wrote the
Constitution, they made sure
to set up a government that
would keep the best interests
of the people in mind,
and not be all powerful over
its citizens. They made sure
to give the people liberty.
Equality is a life-changing
word. It is one of the
foundations of this country.
It has brought forth monumental
changes not only in
this country, but to the society
of the world as a whole.
Because the United States of
America believes so strongly
in equality, we have
changed the world. Women
were given rights. They
were endowed with the right
to vote. African Americans
were given rights. They
could live a free life, and
vote for their leaders. I feel
that equality means that
everyone has what they
need to be happy available
to them, regardless of race
or gender. It states in the
Declaration of Independence,
that one of our
“unalienable rights” is “the
pursuit of Happiness.” It
does not guarantee us happiness,
but allows everyone an
equal opportunity to pursue
their own idea of happiness.
Equality means that everyone
can drink from the same
drinking fountain, eat at the
same restaurants, and sit in
the same section of the bus,
no matter what race or gender
they are. The government
may not keep anyone
from being free and happy
because of their gender,
race, or religion. Without
equality, tyranny would
reign.
Justice is a powerful
word. It is the core belief of
our country. Justice is fairness
and righteousness. Justice
helps to keep evil from
overpowering good. With
justice, people can be free
from forces that wish to
keep them from greatness.
With justice, people can live
a life of courage and honor,
and can be happy and content
with their life, without
fear of intrusion by other
citizens or their government.
I feel that justice is the
preservation of the truth.
When justice is done, a
wrong is made right.
For our democratic system
to be successful, liberty
must be the highest priority
to follow. Liberty keeps the
people free. With liberty,
citizens have the right to
live their life the way they
want to, without being
shackled down by a government
or despotism. Liberty
gives people the right to fulfill
their dreams. Liberty
helps to keep citizens from
becoming imprisoned
unfairly by a government
that rules over every aspect
of their life. It means that
the government protects and
enhances a good citizen's
rights, it does not interfere
with them. To paraphrase
Patrick Henry, there is no
reason to live if one cannot
live the life that one wants
to. In America today, we
The Perrysburg Exchange Club honored the Freedom Shrine essay contest winners at its February 25
meeting. The eighth-grade students each read their winning essay to Exchange members and guests.
Pictured from left, are Tim Waltzer, Exchange member and Freedom Shrine chairman; Barb Jenks, St. Rose
principal; Stephanie Ravas, St. Rose; Catherine King, Jenny Schaller, Hannah Kloster, PJHS students; Dale
Wiltse, PJHS principal, and Brent Swartzmiller, Exchange Club first vice president.
think of liberty as an everyday
thing. We forget that the
founding fathers had to go
to war and ultimately form a
new country, just to get the
liberty that we now take for
granted. We forget about the
soldiers, sailors, and aviators
who literally had to
fight and put there lives on
the line to protect our freedom.
Liberty gives everyone
a reason to live, to have
their own beliefs, and to
make the most of their life.
The quotes “unalienable
rights” and “the pursuit of
Happiness” are from the
Declaration of Independence.
Patrick Henry’s quote
from The American Vision
Textbook.
“What Equality,
Liberty, and Justice
Mean to Me”
By Catherine Marie
King
PJHS
When our Founding
Fathers first gathered
together and decided that
the colonies were in great
need of independence, there
were three certain principles
upon which they founded
this country. These principles
were Liberty, Equality,
and Justice. Since then,
these fair ideals have been
used as a basis in the making
of laws; past, present,
and hopefully in the unforeseeable
future of this great
nation. These three principles
have several different
meanings, and depending on
which person you ask, you
will receive different
answers upon what they
mean. However, I would be
honored to educate you on
my opinions.
Liberty means that a person
has the ability to control
their own actions without
the direct interference of
another person. It also can
mean that a person is free to
pursue their own path in
life.* Just because a person
may enjoy liberty does not
mean that they are free from
the consequences of their
actions. That is where justice
comes in. But I shall
touch on that at a later point.
Liberty is important because
it allows nations and the
people of these nations to
reach their full potentials. If
the government limited the
ways in which its citizens
could express themselves,
new ideas would never have
been discovered. Through
enabling people to have
freedom of speech, the
press, religion, and the right
to assemble, nations provide
the opportunity of the creation
of life-changing ideas
that can benefit the entirety
of the country.
Equality means that
everyone receives the same
access to liberty, regardless
of their race, age, gender,
ethnicity, orientation, or
social standing. Governments
should not give certain
people or groups special
treatment; it is unethical and
can easily lead to the downfall
of all that they had striven
to create. All people are
created equal, therefore all
should be treated equal and
have equal opportunities.
Equality also means that
you should take a person's
conduct and motives into
consideration when judging
them, not their physical
appearance. And even if you
dislike or disagree with the
way a person acts, you
should treat them kindly.
Justice means that people
who have made mistakes are
punished and hopefully
learn their lesson. Wrongdoers
atone for what they have
done. Justice is a system
based on what is considered
morally correct. Without a
justice system, criminals
would run rampant and society
would be unable to function
like it does now.
Nations and their citizens
would not be able to
progress, and life spans and
living conditions would be
significantly lower. Technology
or human intelligence
would not be as advanced.
The most necessary of
these three principles, in my
opinion, would be that of
Liberty. Without Liberty, we
certainly would not have
Equality in this country, and
Justice could easily be
abused. Thanks to Liberty,
America as a nation and its
citizens have been able to
accomplish a great many
things. America's democratic
system has inspired many
nations around the world,
and bettered the entire globe
as a result. Without liberty,
democracy would fail. Governmental
leaders would be
chosen by a select few, and
these leaders may have
abused their positions for
self gain. A politician's job
is not to secure wealth for
themselves and suppress
those who oppose them. It is
to work for the betterment
of the country, and towards
the freedom of all of their
citizens.
* Positive Liberty, http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PositiveJiberty
(Dec 2012).
“The Women's
Suffrage Movement”
By Stephanie Ravas
St. Rose School
While women have had
the right to vote since the
Nineteenth Amendment was
ratified in 1920, I believe
that the language and “spirit”
of key historical documents
that helped define the
development of the United
States and Census data have
long supported voting rights
and equal freedom rights for
women as “governed citizens”
of the United States.
This freedom is supported in
the language of the Declaration
of Independence as well
as the Gettysburg Address.
Further, women's right to
pursue and solidify their
rights is supported in the
First Amendment, and justified
by their representation
in the Census population of
the United States. This
paper will support the above
thesis with specific historical
documents and data
findings.
The Declaration of Independence
states “that all
men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable
rights...That to secure
these rights, governments
are instituted among men...
from the consent of the governed.”
While “women” was
not stated verbatim, it is
very clear that in the “spirit”
of this document, both men
and women were governed
and expected, as citizens, to
follow all laws set forth, and
women should have, from
this time forward, had equal
rights under the language
and “spirit” of the law.
Additionally, in 1789, the
First Amendment to the
Constitution, contained in
the Bill of Rights, was written
to include the most
important basic personal
freedoms that American citizens
enjoy. By definition,
women were citizens under
the law and should have
been given all rights and
freedoms provided under the
law. This precedent continued
with the Gettysburg
Address in 1863, where
President Lincoln concluded
his address with these
resounding words: “that this
nation, under God, shall
have a new birth of freedom
- and that government of the
people, by the people, for
the people shall not perish
from the earth.” To specifically
state the word “people”
three times, Lincoln is
further emphasizing that
ALL people, not only men,
have the right to a government
made up “of the people,”
governed “for the people,”
and elected “by the
people.” It is clearly evident
in the “spirit” and language
of the documents that
women should have equal
rights, among them the right
to vote. However, it is within
man's interpretation of the
law, in a predominantly
male society, that women
were not afforded this freedom
until the Nineteenth
Amendment was ratified in
1920.
While United States Census
figures showed that the
difference in population
between men and women
was less than two-percent in
1920, it was women's
protests, assemblies, and
court cases at the state level,
among other efforts, that
allowed them to be heard.
The Nineteenth Amendment
recognized what was included
in the “spirit” of the historical
documents discussed
earlier–women were citizens
and, under the law, should
have the right to vote as
“governed citizens” of the
United States. A history of
Census figures shows a significant
gender population
shift, from 59 percent male
and 41 percent female in
1900 to 51 percent male and
49 percent female in 1920,
the year suffrage was granted
to women. Today, using
the latest Census figures
from 2010, women represent
51 percent of the population
while men make up
49 percent–this is a shift
from the start of the 1900s
(U.S. Census). This shift in
population allowed women
to significantly affect the
policies and leadership in
the United States, and in
2008, eight million more
women than men voted in
the presidential election.
This outcome resulted from
presidential candidate Barak
Obama’s focus on women’s
issues that tend to favor
family and other issues
related to the homeland.
Again in the 2012 election,
President Obama focused on
similar issues, and while
both candidates used their
electorate, and this “gender
gap” was enough to swing
an election away from Romney,
who had received 52
percent of the male vote
(Huffington Post). Accordingly,
the phrase “by the
people” would not stand
when less than 50 percent of
the population by gender
was represented.
As is evident from the
pivotal moments in our
nation's history, such as the
American Revolution and
the Civil War, there was a
strong willingness among
American citizens to sacrifice
for what was right and
just. Like their predecessors
in history, women suffragettes
were “governed
citizens” willing to sacrifice
and suffer for the right to
vote, which was clearly
meant for all people, regardless
of gender. The First
Amendment states the most
basic freedoms, of which the
right of citizens to assemble
and petition all three
branches of the government
for “redress of grievances,”
are included. This means
that existing laws can be
challenged without fear of
retribution. The National
American Women Suffrage
Association (NAWSA) was
founded in 1890, and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton as well as
Susan B. Anthony were two
of the strongest crusaders.
Women risked much even
being imprisoned for this
cause because it was right,
and their sufferings ranged
from being denied food, visitors,
or medical care during
their imprisonment, to beatings,
with the extreme case
of one woman being bludgeoned
between the eyes
with a broken banner pole.
This cruelty went against
the freedom provided in the
First Amendment; this must
never be forgotten in honor
of those who suffered for
the cause. Even after the
Nineteenth Amendment was
passed in 1920, two out of
three women failed to vote
in the 1920 election possibly
out of fear or a feeling that
they were not worthy. Sadly,
today in many middle-eastern
countries, history is
repeating itself with women
being killed or tortured
because of their struggle to
vote. We must only look
back in history to see those,
who like women and their
struggle to vote, crusaded
and sacrificed for a right or
freedom that was just, with
a legacy that was far larger
than anyone person.
In conclusion, equal
rights and the right to vote
for women was a struggle
involving selfsacrifice for
many years. The above
arguments support that a
woman's right to vote
should have been allowed
prior to the Nineteenth
Amendment. Finally ratifying
the Nineteenth Amendment
which gave women the
right to vote, was a long and
arduous process due to past
traditions and the lack of
new insight from the historically
dominant male leadership
made this struggle a
long and arduous, but ultimately
fulfilling process
their efforts to put these
rights into effect for women
as “governed citizens” of
the United States. Mark
Twain said it very simply: “I
know that since the women
started out on their crusade
they have scored in every
project they undertook
against unjust laws. I would
like to see them help make
the laws and those who are
to enforce them.” (The New
York Times, January 21,
1901)
Please turn to page 10
Downtown Perrysburg,
Inc. (DPI) is presenting its
annual fund-raiser “Hurry
Up Summer” on Saturday,
March 16, 6:30 to 11:30
p.m., at the Carranor Hunt
and Polo Club.
Committee members
Tracy Hallock, Sabrina
Weaver, Kelly Sandberg,
Jennie Schultz, Cindy
Daudelin and Stacey
Geissler are finalizing the
details for the St. Patrick’s
celebration.
The evening includes
dinner, entertainment by
Perrysburg’s Suburban
Legend, live and silent auction
and a cash bar including
green beer.
A rock and roll band,
Suburban Legend features
Perrysburg residents Jeff
Kerscher, keyboard and
vocals; Lance Craig, guitar
and vocals; Paul Cummings,
percussion, guitar
and vocals; Steve Edwards,
bass guitar and vocals, and
Jim Siebold on drums.
The group’s song list
includes hits from the Doobie
Brothers, John Cougar,
38 Special, Van Morrison,
Bad Company, the Beatles,
Journey, Stevie Wonder
and more.
“We are so excited to
have Suburban Legend as
our entertainment for the
evening–they are always a
crowd pleaser,” said Kerry
Wellstein, DPI past president
and event chairperson.
“Also back by popular
PERRYSBURG MESSENGER JOURNAL — March 6, 2013 — Page 9
Suburban Legend to headline event
DPI’s ‘Hurry Up Summer” annual fund-raiser Saturday, March 16
Suburban Legend–Lance Craig, Paul Cummings, Jeff Kerscher, Jim Siebold and
Steve Edwards–will keep everyone dancing at “Hurry Up Summer.”
demand will be the Perrysburg
Irish Dancers.”
Proceeds raised from
the event help fund DPI’s
season of family-friendly
free events in downtown
Perrysburg.
“Considering that our
fund-raiser is again on the
weekend of St. Patrick’s
Day, we intend to throw a
great party while raising
some much needed funds,”
said Rob Brunner, DPI
president. “Attending
Hurry Up Summer is the
perfect way to simultaneously
have a wonderful
Preparations are finalized
for the second annual
Parents of Preemies Day,
this Sunday, March 10,
from noon to 3 p.m.
The event, presented by
Graham’s Foundation, will
be held at Health Care
REIT, 4500 Dorr Street,
Toledo.
The day is designed to
recognize the courage and
commitment it takes to stay
strong and resilient when
premature birth turns a family’s
world upside down,
said Nick Hall, Perrysburg
resident and founder and
president of Graham’s
Foundation.
“This event is free for
preemie parents wanting to
celebrate the day, their
friends and family, and anyone
in the community that
wants to attend to learn
about what it means to be a
preemie parent,” he added.
The afternoon features a
brunch, children’s activities,
and exhibits that bring
together a hand-selected
group of prematurity specialists,
as well as life
coaching experts, counseling
and therapeutic service
providers, and other professionals
who will be available
to discuss how prematurity
impacts families and
how specific services and
therapies can improve outcomes
for premature infants
and children.
In addition, Parents of
Preemies Day also encourages
the sharing of photos
and stories online
www.facebook.com/par
entsofpreemiesday and an
initiative to share unique
stories of hope, resilience
and miracles. Submissions
will become part of a banner
that is being produced
by a graphic design intern
from Bowling Green State
University and will be
unveiled on Sunday.
Nearly 13 million
babies, or about 10 percent
of total worldwide births,
are born prematurely each
year. Medical breakthroughs
continue to
improve the outcomes for
babies born prematurely,
but experts are only now
beginning to understand the
intense psychological
effects that premature birth
has on the parents of preemies.
“Parents of Preemies
Day is our way of introducing
the world to the broader,
lasting impact of premature
birth on moms and dads,”
said Mr. Hall. “No one who
hasn’t gone through it can
truly grasp the feelings of
isolation felt by parents of
preemies, but our hope is
that by shining a light on
the preemie parent community
through Parents of Preemies
Day, we can ease
some of that loneliness.”
Mr. Hall and his wife
Jennifer know the effects of
prematurity first hand, having
experienced the birth of
their twins at just 25 weeks
gestation before facing the
trials of the neo-natal intensive
care unit and the loss
of their son, Graham.
“While in the NICU,
my wife and I had so much
support from our friends
and family, employers, doctors
and nurses,” said Mr.
Hall. “And yet, we felt like
we were barely surviving.
People need to know that
having a premature baby is
a singularly heartbreaking
and overwhelming experience.
Parents of Preemies
Day is a way we can help
people understand the longlasting
impact prematurity
can have on parents and
families.”
The Elizabeth Scott
Community is the event’s
“miracle” sponsor.
Graham’s Foundation
Founded in 2009, Graham’s
Foundation assembles
and sends care packages
designed to meet the
needs of parents of preemies
at various stages of
the prematurity journey,
from the early days in the
NICU to the transition
home.
Graham’s Foundation
also recognize that mothers
and fathers who have said
goodbye to their babies
whether in or out of the
hospital need support, too.
The foundation offers three
varieties of care
package–one for parents in
the NICU, one for families
transitioning from hospital
to home, and one for mothers
and fathers who have
suffered a loss.
The Newborn Intensive
Care Unit (NICU) Care
Package is designed for parents
of premature babies
who are currently in the
hospital–with an emphasis
placed on providing information
and resources that
are most helpful during the
early stages of their journey.
These are shipped by Pampers
directly to NICUs
where they are distributed
to parents of preemies by
the staff.
The Transition Home
Care Package is designed to
time, enjoy the luck of the
Irish and help to support
our community.”
Last year, more than
250 people attended the
event which raised more
than $10,000 for DPI
events.
Tickets are $40 and are
available at the DPI office,
located at Welch Publishing
Co., 117 East Second
Street, or online at
www.hurryup summer.com.
To date, sponsors for the
event include Buckeye
Cable, Welch Publishing
Co., Betty Lazzaro of Sulphur
Springs Realty, Donna
Friesner of Danberry Realty,
and Thomas E. Sattler
Painting.
To become a sponsor or
to donate an item for the
auction, call Rick Thielen,
DPI executive director, at
419-872-6246 or send an e-
mail to downtownperrys
burg@gmail.com.
DPI is a community
based non-profit, 501(c)3
organization with a mission
to offer and promote community-wide
events held in
downtown historic Perrysburg.
Honoring parents of premature children
Celebrate ‘Parents of Preemies Day,’ Sunday, March 10
Jennifer and Nick Hall, founders of Graham’s Foundation and daughter Reece.
Sunday, March 10
Noon to 3 p.m.
Health Care REIT
4500 Dorr Street
Toledo
Presented by Graham’s Foundation
support moms and dads of
preemies as they experience
the excitement and uncertainty
of caring for a preemie
at home.
The Remembrance Care
Package has been specially
designed by parents who
have experienced this loss
firsthand to offer grieving
mothers and fathers a small
ray of hope and the comfort
of knowing they aren't
alone.
Additionally, the foundation’s
Web site and Facebook
page provide educational
resources and a community
for parents to share
their stories and find support.
For additional information
on Graham’s Foundation,
visit the Web site at
www.grahamsfoundation
.org.