“Kute Kids”…

THIS “KUTE KID” IS… 3-year-old Kelsey Marie Young, daughter of Tessa Young from Watervliet. Kelsey’s proud grandmother is Suzanne Young and her great-grandparents are Don & Fran Young, all of Watervliet.

Share a photo of your “Kute Kids” with your friends, neighbors, and relatives who read the Tri-City Record. Make sure you write your kids’ names on the back of the picture and include any other information about it you would like to see in the paper, including mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and so on. Send the “original” photo to the Tri-City Record, P.O. Box 7, Watervliet, MI 49098 or email it with your information to record@tricityrecord.com. Pick up your photo after it appears in the paper or include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and we will mail it back to you. Where are your “Kute Kids”?

Watervliet Public Schools Calendar of Events Thursday, January 31 MS Wrestling at Martin, SAC Meet, 5:00 p.m.; JV Girls & Boys Basketball at Gobles, 5:30 & 7:00 p.m. Friday, February 1 WINTERFEST; Freshman Boys Basketball, Home vs. River Valley, 4:15 p.m.; Varsity Girls & Boys Basketball, Home vs. Gobles, 6:00 & 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 2 MS Girls Maroon Basketball at St. Joseph for BC Tournament, TBA; Varsity Wrestling SAC Finals at Coloma, 9:00 a.m. Monday, February 4 MS Girls White Basketball at Coloma, 5:00 & 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, February 5 Watervliet Rec Council Baseball/ Softball sign-up, WHS Cafeteria, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 6 PTO Meeting at North School, 5:30 p.m.; MS Girls Maroon Basketball, Home vs. Andrews, 4:30 & 5:45 p.m.; Varsity Wrestling District Meet at Watervliet, 6:00 p.m. Thursday, February 7 MS Girls White Basketball at Benton Harbor, 4:30 & 5:30 p.m.; MS Wrestling SAC Meet at Watervliet, 5:00 p.m.; Freshman Boys Basketball, Home vs. Hackett, 6:30 p.m. Friday, February 8 Spirit Day at North School; MS Dance, 3:00-5:00 p.m.; JV Boys Basketball at Martin, 6:00 p.m.; Varsity Girls & Boys Basketball at Martin, 6:00 & 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 9 Band Solo & Ensemble at Southwestern MI College; MS Girls Maroon Basketball, Home vs. Bloomingdale and New Buffalo, TBA; Varsity Wrestling Individual Districts – location TBA, 9:00 a.m.; JV Boys & Varsity Girls Basketball at Hartford, 5:30 p.m.; JV Girls & Varsity Boys Basketball at Hartford, 7:15 p.m.

COLOMA ELEMENTARY SUPER READER! Congratulations to Super Reader, Kollen Norden. On Jan. 17, 2019 2nd Grader Kollen read “The Music Teacher from the Black Lagoon” to his principal, John Klein, as part of their Super Reader program. Teachers select students to be Super Readers. They dress as their favorite superhero, read to their principal, and get a “super selfie” to take home.

2019 Miss Spirit of Blossomtime hails from Buchanan The 2019 Miss Spirit Pageant was held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the St. Joseph High School Auditorium. Saturday’s pageant marked the seventh annual Miss Spirit competition which is held once all the communities have held their contests. It is open to all 1st runners up and offers one more young woman the opportunity to enjoy the many events and activities her sister queens will participate in. Miss Spirit will go on to compete in the Showcase of Queens awards (photogenic, modeling and commercial) at the Mr. Blossomtime and Showcase of Queens Pageant and is eligible to win the Bob Braamse Community Service award, the Queen’s Legacy scholarship, and the title of Miss Blossomtime Congeniality which will be awarded at the Miss Blossomtime Pageant. The 2019 Blossomtime Pageant will be held on March 10 and 11 at Lake Michigan College, Mendel Center, in Benton Harbor. Eighteen contestants competed for the title this past Saturday. The People’s Choice award voted on by the pageant attendees was won by Maya Schuhknecht, 1st runner-up to Miss Buchanan. Maya Schuhknecht, 1st runner-up from the community of Buchanan was crowned Miss Spirit 2019. She is the daughter of Jennifer and Michael Schuhknecht and a senior at Buchanan High School. Maya plans to attend Michigan State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in both Graphic Design and Creative Advertising.

2019 grants now available from “The Heart of Cook” Grant applications are again available for “The Heart of Cook” Foundation Fund. “The Heart of Cook” is a grant program funded by Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Nuclear Plant and administered by the Berrien Community Foundation to assist nonprofit programs in Southwest Michigan. Educational projects, human services programs that support families, and environmental protection and preservation projects are the focus areas for this grant program. The grant review committee, comprised of Cook Nuclear Plant employees, gives special consideration to projects that involve I&M employees. Organizations must have 501(c)(3) tax exempt or equivalent status to qualify for funding. “We’re extremely proud to be able to play our part in helping our area nonprofits through the Heart of Cook,” said Joel Gebbie, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “Every year, there are so many worthy projects and needs, and it’s amazing to see how much good these organizations can do with even the limited dollars they often have to work with. But we know that when we work together there is no limit to what can be achieved.” Ashlie Guyberson, a member of the employee advisory committee for The Heart of Cook, agreed. “In 2018, we provided more than $53,000 in funding to 33 non-profit programs and special projects in educational and community-based agencies. It’s a tough job making those decisions, but Cook takes its community partner role seriously and we are always excited by the results.” Grant applications and guidelines may be obtained by visiting the Berrien Community Foundation’s web site at www.berriencommunity.org/HOC. All grant applications must be submitted electronically through the Berrien Community Foundation’s website. The grant application due date is February 13, 2019, with awards to be announced in May. Agencies that have received funding for three consecutive years will not be eligible to apply during this grant cycle. If you have questions about applying, contact Susan Matheny at susanmatheny@berriencommunity.org.

Berrien Community Foundation announces new nursing scholarship It takes a lot to be a nurse – time, talent, compassion. Mark and Jean Penwell wanted to be a part of helping those who have that passion to fulfill their dreams through the F.A. Mason Penwell Scholarship for nursing. The scholarship fund established at the Berrien Community Foundation will fund two $1,500 nursing scholarships each year. “We have all been impacted by nurses,” Mark said. “They touch people’s lives at such a vulnerable time. They are the people we see every day. They play such an important role – hospitals, home care, traveling nurses – and we want to contribute to that.” The scholarship is named for Mark’s mother, Frances Abbie Mason Penwell, who was an artist and teacher. “She believed in the professions, getting a good education, and being well-rounded,” Mark said.

Jean’s mom had always wanted to be a nurse. But in the early 1940s, she was forced to leave school with just three months to go when the administration discovered she was married. “You couldn’t be married and be a nurse or a teacher at that time,” Jean said. “My mom always held nurses in such high regard.” Jean and Mark, both Whirlpool retirees, have lived in St. Joseph for most of their lives and are happy to be able to give something back. “We can do something here because we have a local college with great expertise, and we have Lakeland that needs great nurses.” Mark said. “We are just glad to be able to pay it forward to the next generation.” Setting up the scholarship through the Berrien Community Foundation made the process easy “and we are happy to know we can hand it off to Berrien Community Foundation and know it is all taken care of and will continue on,” Jean added.

Lake Michigan College, with its long-accredited nursing program, is grateful for the support for the nursing students. “The Berrien Community Foundation has a long legacy of supporting education in our community, and this new scholarship opportunity is a perfect example of that,” said LMC President, Dr. Trevor Kubatzke. “We are thrilled to have one more opportunity through this scholarship to help train the next generation of caregivers.”

All BCF scholarship applications now available online Berrien Community Foundation has been helping students achieve their college goals for over 20 years. From engineering to teaching to music, the Foundation has scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors and adults returning to school. “Last year we awarded $199,500 in scholarships to Berrien County students” said Berrien Community Foundation Program Manager Susan Matheny. “Scholarships are available for graduating seniors and adults returning to school after a gap. We even have a handful of scholarships for students outside of Berrien County.” Students are encouraged to visit www.berriencommunity.org/scholar for a complete list of available scholarships and criteria. Applications are due March 4, 2019. For questions about scholarships contact Program Manager Susan Matheny at susanmatheny@berriencommunity.org or by calling 269-983-3304 x 2.