Lake Erie Lifestyle July 29, 2018 by ErieTimesNews

Thanks to our generous donors, The Erie Community Foundation is

AUGUST 2018

Transforming our Community

YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN! THE ALL NEW!

In 2017, the Foundation: ] Awarded $18.8 million in Helping Today & Shaping Tomorrow grants ] Created 33 new charitable endowments ] Received $27 million in gifts ] Earned an investment return of 15.4% ] Grew assets to over $259 million

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ERIE

You can transform our community by becoming involved with Friends of the Foundation, Erie Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fund or our Elisha H. Mack Bequest Society. Please call us at 814-454-0843 to learn more.

Email: mwells@rothcad.com

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Giving transforms lives and the region.

P L U S : L E AV E T H E W O R L D B E H I N D O N T H E S E R E T R E AT S

Our Time Is Now!

Thanks to our generous donors, The Erie Community Foundation is

AUGUST 2018

Transforming our Community

YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN! THE ALL NEW!

TThe he SStandard tandard o off tthe he w world. orld. TThe he SStandard tandard o he w orld. off tthe world. The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oldest Cadillac Dealer www.RothCadillacGM.com

ERIE

Email: mwells@rothcad.com

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Giving transforms lives and the region.

P L U S : L E AV E T H E W O R L D B E H I N D O N T H E S E R E T R E AT S

Our Time Is Now!

History of Erie Gives 2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$4.4 million 18,400 donations

Gold Sponsors

Over 300 nonprofits benefit from Erie Gives.

The Erie Community Foundation GE Transportation Silver Sponsors Erie Insurance

$3.4 million

Presque Isle Downs & Casino

16,703 donations

Bronze Sponsors

$2.8 million

McInnes Rolled Rings

14,666 donations

E. E. Austin Companies

$2.2 million

ERIEBANK

11,728 donations

2013

2012

Erie Times News

$1.7 million

Knox Law

9,625 donations

Little Caesars/ Dickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BBQ

$1.2 million 7,338 donations

You can be a philanthropist with your gift of $25 or more. 2011

$771,,000 4,935 donations

Your Time is Now!

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Northwest Thank you to our sponsors for the $300,000 prorated match!

www.ErieGives.org

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contents

August ’18 VOL. 11 ISSUE 10

Giving 14

GIVING BACK

in every issue

Mike Batchelor’s career has been tied to Erie Community Foundation

AUGUST IS ... Take time to enjoy the fun

ERIE GIVES DAY Who is behind the giving, and who beneﬁts from the gifts

bon appétit 68

BIG BURGER It’s all in the sauce

arts & entertainment 74

MISSISSIPPI AND MORE Thomas Paquette, of Warren, has his own style

escape 80

LAKE LORE Plastic poisons lake waters

IT’S A DATE What’s going on this month

LAST LOOK Perfection on a paddle board

WINE GOES DOWNTOWN North East pizza place adds a winery

GLAMOROUS GUTLESS GIRLS College student starts her own nonproﬁt to help others just like her

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Grape Country Marketplace still strong

NONPROFIT LIST A who’s who of participating nonproﬁts

ABBEY SABBATICAL Stay a day or weekend

4 | LAKE ERIE LIFESTYLE

on the cover AUGU

Some of the people from agencies that received grants from the Erie Community Foundation are, from left, James Sherrod, Bayfront NATO; Jeremy Bloeser, Bayfront East Side Taskforce; Mike Batchelor, Erie Community Foundation; Anna Frantz, Our West Bayfront, and Mike Jaruszewicz, United Way of Erie County. [MATT KLECK/ FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

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AUGUST 2018

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from the editor

Erie keeps on giving

grown up with some of rie Gives has been them, and others, like Breour August theme at anna Watts, have grown Lake Erie LifeStyle up with my kids. The Erie for many years now. connections run deep, and It’s amazing to look the best thing about this back at statistics for Erie and every year’s Erie Gives Gives. For example, in 2011, Day is the positive energy the first Erie Community it brings to the city. Foundation’s Erie Gives We don’t just see Day brought in $774,444 Pam Parker and her husband people giving money to with 2,770 donors. That Kim. [SARAH GRABSKI/ERIE causes. We are seeing sounded like a lot of TIMES-NEWS] genuine change in our money at the time. But community, and the Erie fast forward to 2017, and the Community Foundation, its leaders and Erie Community Foundation more than its partners are making a huge difference tripled the donations with $4.42 million in our region. The Erie Downtown Develrecorded. Remember that takes place in opment Corporation is just one of the only 12 hours, and 7,685 people contribmany groups making a difference, and uted. That’s something special in our you’ll read more about what a lot of these community. In any community, really. folks are doing in my story on page 22. In this issue of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Erie It’s exciting to live in Erie right now Times-News reporter Jim Martin tells and be a part of the change our commuyou about the reach the Erie Community nity is seeing. Remember, Erie Gives Day Foundation — the agency behind Erie is Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Gives Day — has in the community, and you’ll meet Mike Batchelor, the man who has dedicated 28 years to the foundation. I’ve gotten to know many of the people at the Erie Community Foundation over the years. Erin Fessler, Donna Buseck, Khristina Bowman and Susannah Weis Pam Parker Frigon are like old friends. I feel like I’ve Editor

6 | LAKE ERIE LIFESTYLE

AUGUST 2018

MANAGING EDITOR Brenda Martin brenda.martin@timesnews.com EDITOR Pam Parker pam.parker@timesnews.com CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER/WEB DESIGN Magazine Design by Center for News & Design ———— Web design Ben Smith, Dave Super PHOTOGRAPHERS Jack Hanrahan, Christopher Millette, Greg Wohlford ADVERTISING Amy Izbicki, multi-media sales manager aizbicki@timesnews.com 814-878-1924 CONTACT US 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534 GoErie.com/lifestyle/lake-erie-lifestyle All content, including the design, art, photos and editorial content © 2018, Erie Times-News. No portion of this magazine may be copied or reprinted without the express written permission of the publisher.

AUGUST 2018

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contributors

Your guide to August

“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

Celebrate crayons, clowns and coasters this month

— MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Compiled by Brenda Martin Trill Dreistadt took readers off the beaten path to ﬁnd some solitude in the midst of New York state at abbeys where you can spend a night, a weekend or more and learn a lot about yourself. She talks to the monks who maintain these beautiful, historic properties. Dreistadt is a retired English and journalism teacher and freelance writer and editor. page 80 Jennie Geisler knows it’s burger time during the summer. She has a recipe that’s sure to please your palate. She is the resident foodie at the Erie TimesNews and has shared recipes she makes at home for more than 16 years. page 73 John Arthur Hutchison meets a college junior who founded her own nonproﬁt and helps other college students deal with diseases that affect the colon. Hutchison is the grants and public relations coordinator for Project for the Homeless in Painesville, Ohio, and a freelance writer and public relations professional. page 30 Brenda Martin shares what readers can look forward to during August and tells us what celebratory days and weeks are coming up during National Brownies at Brunch Month. Martin is the managing editor of the features department at the Erie Times-News. pages 8, 86 Jim Martin meets with the Erie Community Foundation’s president Mike Batchelor to tell a story that traces the roots of the organization and how Batchelor got involved

in his 28-year career that has accomplished incredible things for the Erie area. Martin has been the business reporter for the Erie TimesNews for more than 20 years. page 14 Pam Parker tells readers about some of the many things the Erie Community Foundation does as it partners with so many different nonproﬁts and the community to make Erie a better place to live and work. Parker also shares the news about growing plastics concerns on Lake Erie and what’s happening with the Grape Country Marketplace. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie TimesNews. pages 10, 22, 85 Steve Orbanek visits Yori Wine Cellars in downtown North East and brings the Yori family’s story to readers. It all started with a pizza shop and a family that wanted to bring a winery into the town. Orbanek is a marketing communications specialist at Penn State Behrend. page 68 Brian Sheridan meets artist Thomas Paquette, who lives in Warren, Pennsylvania. Paquette has a new book, “Thomas Paquette: America’s River Re-Explored,” with paintings he created after visiting various sites along the Mississippi River. Many of his paintings are in national and international spaces. Sheridan is a lecturer and chairman of the communications department at Mercyhurst University. page 74

August can help color a child’s world. It’s National Crayon Collection Month, a month when people are encouraged to go to kid-friendly restaurants that normally hand out crayons to their youngest customers, and ask the restaurants to keep the lightly-used crayons that kids leave behind. At the end of the month, customers can pick up the crayons and donate them to schools that may have a hard time supplying everything that students need. August has plenty more to celebrate. You can lift up the start of school with: • Get Ready for Kindergarten Month • National Back to School Month

It’s also a good month for food: • National Goat Cheese Month • National Sandwich Month • National Panini Month • National Brownies at Brunch Month • National Peach Month

Or you can just feel good: • Happiness Happens Month • Family Fun Month

Certain weeks lift up special causes: • International Clown Week — Aug. 1-7 • National Bargain Hunting Week — Aug. 7-13 • Simplify Your Life Week — Aug. 1-7 • World Breast Feeding Week — Aug. 1-7 • Twins Days — Aug. 4-6 • National Smile Week — Second week of August • Elvis Week — Aug. 11-19 • National Hobo Week — Aug. 10-13 • National Resurrect Romance Week— Aug. 14-20 • Be Kind to Humankind Week — Aug. 25-31

Or you can celebrate August by day: • Respect for Parents Day (Aug. 1) • National Coloring Book Day (Aug. 2) • National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (Aug. 4) • National Underwear Day (Aug. 5) • National Wiggle Your Toes Day (Aug. 6) • Purple Heart Day (Aug. 7) • National Lazy Day (Aug. 10) • National Vinyl Record Day (Aug. 12) • National Tell A Joke Day (Aug. 16) • National Roller Coaster Day (Aug. 16) • National Tooth Fairy Day (Aug. 22) • National Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26) • National Grief Awareness Day (Aug. 30)

COMING IN SEPTEMBER It’s Home & Garden month with a little beer and wine added in for good measure. The issue comes out Aug. 26 in your home-delivered Erie Times-News. 8 | LAKE ERIE LIFESTYLE

SOURCE: WWW.NATIONALDAYCALENDAR.COM

AUGUST 2018

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where are they now? ... brought to you by Painted Finch Gallery

Grape Country Market still going grape Story by Pam Parker

The building on the corner of 17 W. Main St. in North East has had a lot of changes over the years. At one time, it housed the National Bank of North East. Then Mercyhurst University owned it and housed the school’s radio station on the second floor. Grape Country Marketplace later opened with Charlene Kerr, an organizer of Downtown North East, a nonprofit, heading the charge. According to news reports, five local couples including Doug and Sue Breon, Bill and Liz Brooks, Pat and Linda Federici, Vern and Sara Frye, and Charlene Kerr and John Piper founded Downtown North East. “It was all volunteer,” said Holly Ferruggia, the current owner of Grape Country Marketplace. Downtown North East had planned to purchase the building from Mercyhurst University, but the school donated the property and the couples paid for renovations along with help from loans, grants and fundraisers. The nonprofit shared the building with Rizzo’s

10 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

Bill ill Brooks Brooks, left left, and his wife Liz Brooks, Brooks were part of the investment team that brought Grape Country Marketplace to North East a number of years ago. The location and ownership has changed in recent years. [FILE PHOTO/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

Family Restaurant, which was eventually replaced by Bill and Beth Lewis’ restaurant The Cork 1794 in 2014. At the same time, the Lewises bought the building. Grape Country Marketplace moved next door to 15 W. Main St. until 2017 when

Ferruggia purchased the Marketplace and F shared space with Hearthside Gallery. She is s also a the events coordinator for the North East Area Chamber of Commerce. A Ferruggia renamed the space Grape Country t Market and now offers a consignment shop with w a lot of local artwork and local products “from the Lake Erie grape belt,” she said. She sells Twisted Vine sauces, local driftwood s art, a beach glass art, candles, local beach glass and a wire jewelry, photography, dips, rubs and a regional juices. Hours are Wednesdays through Fridays from 10:30 a.m to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 to 3 p.m. She also has a line of purses and bags made locally, as well as children’s clothing. “We have great vendors,” Ferruggia said. Meanwhile, the corner building at 17 W. Main St. remains in the Lewis family and is called the Skunk and Goat Tavern. The bank vault still remains. The Cork 1794 is scheduled to reopen in a new venue in the West Erie Plaza at a date later this year. LEL

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ȡɁ ȑ ̬ȑʩ ǋ¨̤ź ɤʍʩġġȑɛǾ Ɯ¨ʍ ȑǾ ̬ȑʩɛ ġźǬǬ̬ř ʍǋǖƷǋɤř ¨ɛǷɤř ȑɛ ĻǋǖǾɐ ʡɁ ȑ ̬ȑʩ ̥¨Ǿʍ ʍȑ źǬǖǷǖǾ¨ʍź Ɯ¨ʍ ƜɛȑǷ ¨ʍ Ǭź¨ɤʍ ȑǾź ȑƜ ʍǋȑɤź ¨ɛź¨ɤɐ ʔɁ ɛź ̬ȑʩ ¨Ǿ ɛǖź ɛźɤǖŠźǾʍř ¨Ʒź ʔƤǐɶƤɐ 9Ɯ ̬ȑʩ ¨Ǿɤ̥źɛźŠ ɕ̬źɤɖ ʍ̥ȑ ʍǖǷźɤ ȑɛ Ƿȑɛźř ʍǋǖɤ Ƿ¨̬ ġź ʍǋź Ƿȑɤʍ ǖǷȰȑɛʍ¨Ǿʍ ¨ɛʍǖĻǬź ̬ȑʩ ɛź¨Š ¨ǬǬ ̬ź¨ɛɁ 6źɛźɘɤ ̥ǋ̬Ř Vź̥ ʍźĻǋǾȑǬȑƷ̬ Ƿ¨Ǩźɤ ǖʍ ȰȑɤɤǖġǬź ʍȑ ʍ¨ɛƷźʍ ¨ǾŠ ǨǖǬǬ Ɯ¨ʍ ĻźǬǬɤ ǖǾ ̬ȑʩɛ ġȑŠ̬ř ǬǖǨź ȰȑǖǾʍǖǾƷ ¨ Ǭ¨ɤźɛ ƷʩǾɁ ǖʍǋ Ǿȑ Ȱ¨ǖǾ ȑɛ ɤʩɛƷźɛ̬Ɂ ȑʩ ǷǖƷǋʍ ġź ź¨ʍǖǾƷ ɛǖƷǋʍ ¨ǾŠ ź̪źɛĻǖɤǖǾƷɁ ʩʍ ̬ȑʩɛ ġȑŠ̬ Ɯ¨ʍ ǋ¨ɤ ɤǋǖƜʍźŠɁ ǾŠ Ǿȑ̥ ̬ȑʩɘɛź ɤźźǖǾƷ ǖʍ ǖǾ ȰǬ¨Ļźɤ ̬ȑʩ ŠǖŠǾɘʍ ġźƜȑɛźɁ 9ʍɘɤ Ǿȑʍ ̬ȑʩɛ Ɯ¨ʩǬʍɁ Vȑ Ƿ¨ʍʍźɛ ǋȑ̥ ǋ¨ɛŠ ̬ȑʩ ̥ȑɛǨř ʍǋȑɤź Ǭ¨ɤʍ ɤʍʩġġȑɛǾ ȰȑʩǾŠɤ Ƿ¨̬ ġź ɛźɤǖɤʍ¨Ǿʍ ʍȑ Šǖźʍ ¨ǾŠ ź̪źɛĻǖɤźƙ ǋ¨ʍɘɤ ̥ǋ̬ ̬ȑʩ ɤǋȑʩǬŠ ǨǾȑ̥ ¨ġȑʩʍƊ

ǋź ɕnȑȰɤǖĻǬź Sǖɛ¨ĻǬźɖ ǋ¨ʍ IǖǬǬɤ ȑʩɛ .¨ʍ xʩɛȰɛǖɤǖǾƷǬ̬ř ʍ̥ȑ 6¨ɛ̤¨ɛŠ ŠȑĻʍȑɛɤ ŠǖɤĻȑ̤źɛźŠ ʍǋ¨ʍ ĻǋǖǬŠɛźǾ ̥ǋȑ ¨ʍź ȰȑȰɤǖĻǬźɤ Ʒȑʍ ŠǖǷȰǬźɤ ǖǾ ʍǋźǖɛ ĻǋźźǨɤɁ ǋź ŠȑĻʍȑɛɤ ɛź¨Ǭǖ̳źŠ ʍǋ¨ʍ ʍǋź ȰȑȰɤǖĻǬźɤ ̥źɛź Ɯɛźź̳ǖǾƷ ¨ǾŠ źǬǖǷǖǾ¨ʍǖǾƷ Ɯ¨ʍ ĻźǬǬɤƙ ǋǖɤ ɤǖǷȰǬź ǖŠź¨ř ʍǋ¨ʍ ĻȑǬŠ Ļ¨Ǿ ǨǖǬǬ Ɯ¨ʍ ǖǾ ̬ȑʩɛ ġȑŠ̬ ̥ǖʍǋȑʩʍ Ȱ¨ǖǾ ȑɛ ɤʩɛƷźɛ̬ř ǬźŠ ʍȑ ʍǋź Ļɛź¨ʍǖȑǾ ȑƜ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷɁ

]ǾĻź Ɯ¨ʍ ǖɤ ʍɛź¨ʍźŠ ġ̬ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷř ǖʍɘɤ ƷȑǾź Ɯȑɛ ƷȑȑŠɁ ȑʩɛ ġȑŠ̬ Ǿ¨ʍʩɛ¨ǬǬ̬ źǬǖǷǖǾ¨ʍźɤ ʍǋź Šź¨Š ĻźǬǬɤɁ ȑʩ Ļ¨Ǿ ɛźɤʩǷź ̬ȑʩɛ Š¨ǖǬ̬ ¨Ļʍṳ̈̄ǖʍǖźɤ ǖǷǷźŠǖ¨ʍźǬ̬Ɂ ǾǬǖǨź ǬǖȰȑɤʩĻʍǖȑǾř ̬ȑʩ ɤźź ǖǾĻɛźŠǖġǬźř ɤĻʩǬȰʍźŠ ɛźɤʩǬʍɤ ̥ǖʍǋ Ǿȑ Šȑ̥ǾʍǖǷźɁ

SźŠǖĻ¨ǬǬ̬ nɛȑ̤źǾ ]Ǿ Vź¨ɛǬ̬ ɶ SǖǬǬǖȑǾ nźȑȰǬź ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷ ǖɤ ʍǋź ȑǾǬ̬ . ǐ ¨ȰȰɛȑ̤źŠ ʍźĻǋǾȑǬȑƷ̬ ʍȑ ʍ¨ɛƷźʍ ¨ǾŠ ǨǖǬǬ Ɯ¨ʍ ĻźǬǬɤ ʩɤǖǾƷ ĻȑǾʍɛȑǬǬźŠ ĻȑȑǬǖǾƷɁ ǾŠ Ǿź¨ɛǬ̬ ɶ ǷǖǬǬǖȑǾ ̥ȑǷźǾ ¨ǾŠ ǷźǾ ǋ¨̤ź ġźźǾ ʍɛź¨ʍźŠ ̥ȑɛǬŠ̥ǖŠźɁ ¨Ǿʍ ʍȑ ơʍ ǖǾ ̬ȑʩɛ Ɯ¨̤ȑɛǖʍź Ȱ¨Ǿʍɤɐ LȑȑǨ Ʒɛź¨ʍ ǖǾ ¨ ɤ̥ǖǷɤʩǖʍɐ /źʍ ̬ȑʩɛ ɕȰɛźǐġ¨ġ̬ɖ ġȑŠ̬ ġ¨ĻǨ ¨Ʒ¨ǖǾɐ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷ Ļ¨Ǿ Ʒṳ̈̄ź ̬ȑʩ ¨ Ǿź̥ ơƷʩɛź ¨ǾŠ ¨ Ǿź̥ ǬǖƜźɁ

ȑʩ Ƿ¨̬ ǋ¨̤ź ǋź¨ɛŠ ɛ¨Šǖȑ ȰźɛɤȑǾ¨Ǭǖʍ̬ Gźɤɤ ʩɛɛ̬ ȑǾ xʍ¨ɛ ȡ̷Ʈř ¨ɤ ɤǋź ŠźɤĻɛǖġźɤ ǋźɛ Ɯ¨ʍǐǬȑɤɤ ǦȑʩɛǾź̬ ̥ǖʍǋ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷɁ xǋź ʍɛʩɤʍɤ ʩɤ ʍȑ ǋźǬȰ ǋźɛ ǬȑȑǨ Ɯ¨Ǿʍ¨ɤʍǖĻɁ ȑʩ Ļ¨Ǿř ʍȑȑɁ

ȑ ȑʩ ¨Ǿʍ ȑ .ǖǾ¨ǬǬ̬ Lȑɤź xʍʩġġȑɛǾ .¨ʍɐ ǋź ȰɛȑȑƜ ȑƜ ʍǋǖɤ Ǿź̥ ʍźĻǋǾȑǬȑƷ̬ ǖɤ ǖǾ ʍǋź ɛźɤʩǬʍɤ ǖʍ ȰɛȑŠʩĻźɤ Ɯȑɛ ̬ȑʩɁ ǋ¨ʍɘɤ ̥ǋ̬ ̥ź ¨ǬǬȑ̥ ̬ȑʩ ʍȑ ̤ǖɤǖʍ ȑʩɛ ɛǖź ǬȑĻ¨ʍǖȑǾ ¨ǾŠ ĻǬ¨ǖǷ ̬ȑʩɛ .ɛźź sź¨Šźɛɘɤ /ǖƜʍɤ ¨ʍ Ǿȑ Ļȑɤʍř ʍȑ ɤźź ǖƜ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷ ǖɤ ɛǖƷǋʍ Ɯȑɛ ̬ȑʩɁ ǋź ơɛɤʍ ʍǋǖǾƷ ̬ȑʩ Šȑ ǖɤ ʍźǬǬ ʩɤ ǋȑ̥ ǷʩĻǋ Ɯ¨ʍ ̬ȑʩ ̥¨Ǿʍ ʍȑ ǬȑɤźɁ ǋźǾ ʍźǬǬ ʩɤ ̥ǋźɛź ̬ȑʩ ̥¨Ǿʍ ʍȑ Ǭȑɤź ǖʍ ǐ ǐ ġźǬǬ̬ř ʍǋǖƷǋɤř ¨ɛǷɤř ȑɛ ĻǋǖǾɁ 9ʍ Ƿ¨Ǩźɤ ¨ǬǷȑɤʍ Ǿȑ ŠǖƝźɛźǾĻźɁ ǋ¨ʍ ɤ¨Ƿź Š¨̬ř ̬ȑʩ ɤʍ¨ɛʍ ̬ȑʩɛ ǦȑʩɛǾź̬ Šȑ̥Ǿ ʍǋź ɤ¨Ƿź ɛȑ¨Š ʍǋ¨ʍ Ǿź¨ɛǬ̬ ɶř̷̷̷ř̷̷̷ ȰźȑȰǬź ǋ¨̤ź ƷȑǾź ġźƜȑɛź ̬ȑʩɁ ǋź̬ ¨ǬǬ Ǭȑɤʍ ɤʍʩġġȑɛǾř ʩƷǬ̬ Ɯ¨ʍ ̥ǖʍǋ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷƙ Vȑ ź̪źɛĻǖɤźɁ Vȑ ŠǖźʍɤɁ Vȑ ǾźźŠǬźɤɁ Vȑ ȰǖǬǬɤɁ Vȑ Ȱ¨ǖǾɁ ǾŠ Ǿȑ Ǿź̥ ĻǬȑʍǋźɤ ̬ȑʩ Ļ¨Ǿ ġʩ̬ ̥ǖǬǬ Ƿ¨Ǩź ̬ȑʩ ǬȑȑǨ Ƿȑɛź ¨ʍʍɛ¨Ļʍṳ̈̄źɁ ǋź ĻǋȑǖĻź ǖɤ ̬ȑʩɛɤɁ ǋǖɤ ǖɤ ¨ ȰɛȑƷɛ¨Ƿ Ɯȑɛ ̥ȑǷźǾ ¨ǾŠ ǷźǾ ̥ǋȑ ¨ɛź ɤźɛǖȑʩɤ ¨ġȑʩʍ ǬȑȑǨǖǾƷ Ʒɛź¨ʍ ¨ǾŠ ƜźźǬǖǾƷ Ƿȑɛź ¨Ǭṳ̈̄źɁ ¨Ǩź ¨ĻʍǖȑǾ Ǿȑ̥ř ̥ǋǖǬź ʍǋǖɤ ȑƝźɛ ǖɤ ɤʍǖǬǬ ¨̤¨ǖǬ¨ġǬźɁ

Vȑ̥ ̪ȰǬȑɛź ȑʩɛ ]ȰʍǖȑǾɤ ȑ ǋźǬȰ ɛǖź ɛźɤǖŠźǾʍɤ Ƿ¨Ǩź ʍǋź ɛǖƷǋʍ ĻǋȑǖĻź ¨ġȑʩʍ Ɯ¨ʍ Ǭȑɤɤ ʍǋǖɤ xȰɛǖǾƷř ̬ȑʩɘɛź źǾʍǖʍǬźŠ ʍȑ ¨ Ȱ¨ĻǨ¨Ʒź ȑƜ ʔ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍɤ Ɯȑɛ ¨ ǬǖǷǖʍźŠ ʍǖǷźɁ ʍ V] Ļȑɤʍ ¨ǾŠ V] ȑġǬǖƷ¨ʍǖȑǾ ʍȑ ġʩ̬ ¨Ǿ̬ʍǋǖǾƷɁ xǖǷȰǬ̬ ġɛǖǾƷ ʍǋǖɤ ¨ɛʍǖĻǬź ʍȑ xǬǖǷ ȑŠ̬ xȰ¨ ̥ǋźǾ ̬ȑʩ ɤʍȑȰ ǖǾ Ɯȑɛ ̬ȑʩɛ ɕ.¨ʍ ź /ȑǾź .ȑɛź̤źɛɖ ȑǾɤʩǬʍ¨ʍǖȑǾ ¨ȰȰȑǖǾʍǷźǾʍ ¨ǾŠ ɛźĻźṳ̈̄ź ̬ȑʩɛ ʔ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍɤŘ

.s s sɘx /9. x ɤ ¨Ǿ ɛǖź ɛźɤǖŠźǾʍř ̬ȑʩ ¨ɛź źǾʍǖʍǬźŠ ʍȑ ʔ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍɤɁ xʩȰȰǬǖźɤ ¨ɛź ǬǖǷǖʍźŠř ɤȑ ȰǬź¨ɤź ¨Ļʍ Ǿȑ̥Ɂ ȑ ɛźɤźɛ̤ź ̬ȑʩɛ ƷǖƜʍɤř Ļ¨ǬǬ ƂȡƮǐƮ̷ʡǐƂɶȄɭɁ ȑʩ Ʒźʍ ¨ǬǬ ʍǋǖɤŘ ĺ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍ ȏȡŘ ȑǷȰǬǖǷźǾʍ¨ɛ̬ ɕ.¨ʍ ź /ȑǾź .ȑɛź̤źɛɖ ȑǾɤʩǬʍ¨ʍǖȑǾř ɛź̤ź¨Ǭɤ ʍǋź ɤʩɛȰɛǖɤǖǾƷ ɤźĻɛźʍ ʍȑ ɛ¨ȰǖŠř ȰźɛǷ¨ǾźǾʍ Ɯ¨ʍ Ǭȑɤɤ ȲůƤ̷Ɂ̷̷ ̤¨Ǭʩźȸ ĺ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍ ȏʡŘ V¨Ƿ¨ɤʍź V¨ʍʩɛ¨Ǭ xǨǖǾĻ¨ɛźɁ ȑʩɛ ĻǋȑǖĻź ȑƜ .¨Ļź Sȑǖɤʍʩɛǖ̳źɛř .¨Ļǖ¨Ǭ Ǭź¨Ǿɤźɛř ȑɛ ̬ź xźɛʩǷɁ ȑǷźǾ ȑ̤źɛ ɶ̷ ɤ¨̬ř ə ǚʑǏǚȂ Ť¨̰ɨŝ ǻ̰ ƥȂž ǰǚȂžɨ ¨ɟž ĥ¨ɟžǰ̰ ʑǏžɟžɅ ǻ¨̷žŤ ̩ǚʑǏ ʑǏž ɟžɨʭǰʑɨƝɚ ȲůƤƂɁ̷̷ ̤¨Ǭʩźȸ ĺ .ɛźź /ǖƜʍ ȏʔŘ ůʡ̷̷Ɂ̷̷ x¨̤ǖǾƷɤ ȑʩĻǋźɛ ȑǾ ȑȑǬxĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷ ɛź¨ʍǷźǾʍ ¨ǬǬ Ǿȑ̥ř ƂȡƮǐƮ̷ʡǐƂɶȄɭɁ ǋźɛźɘɤ Ǿȑ ȑġǬǖƷ¨ʍǖȑǾ ʍȑ ġʩ̬ ¨Ǿ̬ʍǋǖǾƷ ǐ ǐ Ǧʩɤʍ Ļ¨ǬǬ ʍȑ ź̪ȰǬȑɛź ̬ȑʩɛ ȑȰʍǖȑǾɤƙ ȑʩɛ sź¨Šźɛɤ /ǖƜʍɤ ź̪Ȱǖɛź ʩƷʩɤʍ ʔȡř ʡ̷ȡƂ ȑȑǬɤĻʩǬȰʍǖǾƷ ġ̬ xǬǖǷ ȑŠ̬ xȰ¨ ǐ ȡƂȡȡ IʩǾʍ̳ sŠɁř ɛǖźř n ȡɶƤ̷Ȅ ]ǾǬǖǾź ¨ʍ ̥̥̥ɁxǬǖǷ ȑŠ̬xȰ¨ɁĻȑǷɁ ]ɛ Ļ¨ǬǬ Ǿȑ̥ ƂȡƮǐƮ̷ʡǐƂɶȄɭ

AUGUST 2018

¨Ǩź ʍǋǖɤ ɏʩǖ̳Ř

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6ź¨ɛŠ ]Ǿ xʍ¨ɛ ȡ̷Ʈ s¨Šǖȑ

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by gifts As we look ahead to the upcoming Erie Gives Day, we look back at how transformational giving has made a difference in people's lives and in our community.

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[SHUTTERSTOCK.COM]

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[MATT KLECK/FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

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ARC OF SUCCESS

THE

Story by Jim Martin

In 28 years, Mike Batchelor has helped build the Erie Community Foundation’s endowment by 1,200 percent

y the time he reached his early 30s, Mike Batchelor was the guy people would avoid at social functions.

His job, after all, was working in development or fundraising for Gannon University. And whether it was true or not, he said, some suspected he was likely to push them for a donation if given the chance. Maybe that’s what made the late Susan Hirt Hagen think of him when she was asked to lead the search for the first president of the Erie Community Foundation in 1990. “It was great timing for me,” said Batchelor, who had an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public policy. Nearly three decades later, Batchelor, who grew up in a small town near Youngstown, Ohio, looks back at becoming the foundation’s first employee with an embarrassed laugh. “I got this job when I was 34,” he said. “I guess I lied to the newspaper and said I was 35. It seemed like I was too young for this big, important job. I was a couple months from 35, so I rounded up. Now, I would like to round down.”

The Foundation announced its Transformational Philanthropy 2.0 grants totaling $1.95 million to those who received grants, pictured from left: John Persinger, Erie Downtown Development Corp., Barb Priestap, Gannon University GO College; Mike Batchelor, Erie Community Foundation; Anna Frantz, Our West Bayfront; James Sherrod, Bayfront NATO, Inc.; Mike Jaruszewicz, United Way of Erie County; Jeff Brinling, Perry Square Alliance; front row: Chris Hagerty, Mother Teresa Academy; Jeremy Bloeser, Bayfront East Side Taskforce; Faith Kindig, The Oasis Project; and Charisse Nixon, Penn State Behrend CORE.

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Boston Store beginnings The organization Batchelor joined could trace its roots to 1935 when Elisha Mack, the former owner of the Boston Store, established a living bequest with shares of stock valued at $270,000. The purpose of that endowment was “for the promotion of the science and arts, and the education, health, welfare and social development.... (of) the city and county of Erie.” Mack wanted the money to be used to make grants, but it was also clear that he had growth in mind. His trust established that disbursements would be limited until the trust had reached a value of $10 million. Unlike the present-day Erie Community Foundation, the trust operated in relative secret. According to the book, “An Almost

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Improbable Tale: The Origins and History of the Erie Community Foundation,” Mack’s trust did not become public until 1949. “It was a private organization that sought no publicity,” the book said. In 1953, trustees of the Erie Endowment tried unsuccessfully to win approval of tax-exempt status for the endowment. That approval, which would have made donations tax-exempt, was rejected in 1953 and again in 1959 and 1961. While the foundation continued to operate and to award grants, it wasn’t until the Tax Reform Act of 1969 that the organization had another chance to try for tax-exempt status. Although it would take several years for all legal hurdles to be cleared, the Erie Community Foundation was permitted to begin functioning as a public charity in 1970.

Growth beyond expectations The organization he joined in 1990 had been run up to the point by volunteer staff. Chairman Ed Doll came in twice a week to answer the mail. Grants were issued on a quarterly basis on holdings of about $20 million. The money, spread over 53 endowments, seemed like a lot to the group’s incoming director, but it was about to start growing and faster than he ever expected. The foundation, which received gifts of $27 million last year, has a total endowment of about $260 million. Those numbers place Erie in a league with some far larger communities. Consider this: With a population of about 274,000, Erie County ranks as the nation’s 174th largest metropolitan area. But the community

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At the Erie Community Foundation, Jeremy Bloeser, far right, accepts a grant on behalf of Bayfront East Side Taskforce during a “Transformational Philanthropy 2.0” news conference in June. Ten organizations were awarded grants. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

foundation is the nation’s 74th largest as ranked by assets and 90th largest by payout, according to CF Insights, a survey that tracks community foundations. “Right above us is Toledo,” Batchelor said. “Below us are places like Akron, Cedar Rapids, Princeton. Tampa is below us.” How does a community foundation in Erie rank with so many larger communities? “I think its the sort of town where we have multi-generational families,” Batchelor said. “If you have success you want to give back. We make good grants. We work hard with professional advisers. And we are not pushy.” Much of the money the foundation handles is for people and organizations with a specific goal in mind, such as a scholarship fund. During Batchelor’s tenure, the number of endowments has grown from 53 to more than 800. The foundation made news around

the world in 2007 when a donor, identified only as “anonymous friend” worked through the foundation to donate $100 million to local charitable organizations, including $10 million to the foundation itself. But Batchelor said he’s especially proud of the fact that donations come at all levels and that he long ago shed that reputation as the guy to avoid at parties. “People come to me because they want to give money,” he said. “This isn’t just two or three really rich people making this grow.” Batchelor said he’s come to see his role as serving as an instrument to help a donor achieve his or her charitable goals. “We have all kinds of fantastic stories of donors that made gifts to us,” he said. “We have had many gifts of a million dollars. We also have one lady who walks in every year and gives us a dollar. It’s terrific for her to do that. It’s really important.”

Swinging for the fences At the same time, Batchelor admits that working with larger dollar amounts has allowed the foundation to move from projects that fix things to projects that change things. “In some ways, we were very constrained when I first started,” Batchelor said. “There has been a definite change in our growth where we have been able to make more transformational grants and try to address things at a scale which we could never have done before.” Some of the money that’s allowed the foundation to look at larger issues, including the development of a community college, has been millions of dollars contributed by Erie businessman and philanthropist Thomas Hagen to establish the Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy in honor of his late wife.

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FOUNDATION LEADER When it comes to the most profound loss in his own life, there is no check he can write, no display of remembering from which he can draw meaning. Story by Jim Martin

ike Batchelor has made a career of working with people who hope to leave behind a legacy of some sort. For some, those financial gifts are an attempt to change the community and improve the lives of others. For some, gifts are made with the hope of bringing meaning to their own lives. Batchelor understands as well as anyone that very human emotion. But when it comes to the most profound loss in his own life, there is no check he can write, no display of remembering from which he can draw meaning. Batchelor and his wife Tammy Chacona Batchelor are the parents of two sons. Jake Batchelor is an editor at Scholastic Magazine. “He’s doing terrific,” Batchelor said. “We are quite proud of him.” Their other son, Christopher Batchelor, who had been an active tennis player, died of a heart problem at the age of 15 in April 2001. With the support of the Batchelor family, more than $280,000 was raised to build the Christopher G. Batchelor Tennis Complex in Fairview. Seventeen years later, Batchelor said he and his wife are happy to talk about 18 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

their late son, but the topic is clearly a difficult one for him. “Both my wife and I feel we could not have made it through this in another community,” he said. “The way the community rallied around us, we were lucky to live in Erie and have that kind of support.” But the loss of his son is an event that stands apart in his life. In fact, he seems politely taken back at the suggestion that the loss of his son might have motivated him to help others. “I know I was lucky to have my work,” he said. “But I don’t know if it’s fair to say I used my work to get through this.” Did he find meaning in building the tennis courts in honor of his late son? “Meaning is too strong. There is no meaning,” he said simply. “The fact is we survived. If that helps other people, that’s wonderful. Not everyone gets through it.” Batchelor has worked productively for years since the death of his son. But he acknowledges that like all parents who lose a child, he was forever changed by the loss. “Your life will never be the same. You will never get over it,” he said. “If I were giving anyone advice, I would say it’s a different life.”

AT A G L A N C E Foundation financial facts for 2017

GIFTS:

$27.08M NET INVESTMENT INCOME:

$35.4M ENDOWMENT:

$259.5M GRANTS AWARDED:

$18.6M RIGHT: Michael Batchelor, president of The Erie Community Foundation, was the organization’s ﬁrst employee. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

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Just a few weeks ago, Batchelor announced nearly $2 million worth of grants ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 that will help support larger initiatives in the community. The recipient of one of those grants, Urban Oasis co-founder Faith Kindig, expects to open a full-service grocery store at 914 State St. sometime in August, eliminating one of the city’s identified food deserts. “We would not be able to open up a fullscale marketplace if it were not for them funding us,” she said. “Now we can get refrigeration so we can carry eggs, meat and milk.” Help didn’t end with a $200,000 grant, she said. “They called us in for a meeting so that we can start working together to coordinate our efforts into the way Erie gets our food and how we support our farmers.” One of the foundation’s biggest moves came last year when it announced it would invest $2.5 million to become a founding member of the Erie Downtown Development Corp. “We did a lot of due diligence, but at the end of the day it was a relatively easy decision,” Batchelor said at the time. “We wanted to be a part of it. We think it’s a once-in-a-generation chance to rejuvenate the downtown.” Everyone has an opinion

Batchelor and the foundation have their critics. Few say so publicly, but a number of people have privately suggested that the foundation should do more for the cause of economic development. Others have privately questioned other grant choices. Batchelor takes it in stride. “Some people disagree with us,” he said. “There is a three-step process and I think it’s time-tested. We are here to help the entire community. If people disagree with the decision they can talk to us and they can reapply.” Importantly, he said, the decisions aren’t his to make. “Mike Batchelor doesn’t make these grants. I don’t trust my gut on any of them.” AUGUST 2018

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The Erie Downtown Development Corp. members include, from left, Tim NeCastro, CEO, Erie Insurance; Mike Batchelor, the Erie Community Foundation; Tina Donikowksi, founding member of EDDC, vice president of GE, retired; John Persinger, CEO of EDDC; and Pierre McCormick, treasurer of EDDC. [TIM ROHRBACH/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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A science and an art Court Gould, who earlier this year was named vice president of community impact for the Erie Community Foundation after moving to Erie from Pittsburgh where he served as founding executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, has been watching Erie and the foundation from a distance. And he’s been impressed. “The Erie Community Foundation

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is clearly a longstanding partner and pillar in Erie County,” he said. “So much of what it does is not a science, but an art.” It’s an art Batchelor doesn’t expect to practice forever. “There is an end,” he said. “We will cross that bridge eventually. I have been the face of this place for a long time. There will be a time to move on.” For now, Batchelor said he remains excited about doing what he

considers his life’s work, especially at a time he considers ripe with the possibility of making a difference. “I love helping to change this organization. At the end of the day, we are ones and zeros in the bank somewhere. We have to make this into something people love and care about and want to give money to. There is magic to that. That is the big challenge I love and keeps me excited about the job.” LEL

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Ways to get involved

Mother Teresa Academy Principal Jamie Brim talks with second graders in early September. [FILE PHOTO JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

Erie Gives is the big day for philanthropy, but there's much more residents can do to invest in the community. Story by By Pam Parker

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ne of the best ways to get involved in the Erie Community Foundation is during Erie Gives Day. The event takes place Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. You can make a minimum online gift of $25 to one of more than 370 nonprofits, and each nonprofit will receive a prorated match from the Erie Community Foundation’s sponsors. “We are working with others and really making transformational changes,” said Mike Batchelor, president of the Erie Community Foundation. But there are many ways to get involved. “Our time is now to transform our economy, downtown and neighborhoods.” That’s the quote the foundation

uses in its annual report with a title of Transformational Philanthropy. The construction hat that the foundation uses in its annual report is significant and symbolic of the many programs the foundation and its partners have supported that have positively impacted youth, neighborhoods, education, economy and other sectors of the Erie community. In fact, there are few areas that the foundation doesn’t touch. The programs and the people involved are building a better Erie. Here are just a few of the programs you might not know about that the foundation supports, along with a little information on how it makes a difference.

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The Erie Women’s Fund

In 2017, the Women’s Fund awarded an $80,000 grant to the International Institute of Erie for the Women Empowering Women Program. From left, Dylanna Grasinger, of the International Institute; Janet Peters and Robin Scheppner, CEO of American Tinning & Galvanizing. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

This organization of women got its start in 2007 with a dozen women. Today, more than 120 women are involved, and any woman can become a part of this fund. Individual members annually donate at membership levels of $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,500 to the fund. Plus, a group membership level offers the opportunity for 10 members to join together and donate $100 each. “This enables women to be involved for $100 per year. As women, we all want to do something, and we are stronger if we do it together,” said Susannah Weis Frigon, vice president, investor relations and donor stewardship. Although the membership is all women, the group states that its mission is to “Empower women and families.” And it puts its money into action. In 2017, the Erie Women’s Fund gave an $80,000 grant to the International Institute to create Women Empowering Women, a mentoring program in which refugee women mentored each other. This year, on July 12, the group announced the recipient of the 2018 major grant of $60,000 to NAMI of Erie County in support of “NAMI Basics” and “Exploring the Arts with NAMI.” “Both of these programs provide resources to help families identify, manage and treat mental illness in children and adolescents,” said Frigon. This group does more than hand out grants. It hosts educational forums and other events to help community members understand the variety of needs in the region.

Elisha H. Mack Bequest Society Elisha Mack was the founder of the Boston Store, and the community fund he started decades ago became the Erie Community Foundation. Mack’s initial investment of $10,000 in 1935 grew to $263,188 by 1949, and the investment/endowment became the Erie Community Foundation in 1969. Numerous philanthropic people have followed in Mack’s footsteps. Today, the society’s members designate funds from wills, trusts and investments to help others.

The Erie Community Foundation is transforming the community by connecting donors to high-priority projects and causes they care about. In 2017, Erie Community Foundation awarded $18.8 million to local nonproﬁts. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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Friends of the Foundation

Community funding

Young leaders and professionals in the community often want to know about philanthropy and giving back and they become involved at social gatherings held by the Erie Community Foundation. Some members become donors and grant review panelists. The goal of this group is to get the next generation involved in philanthropy.

The Oasis Project Farmers Market, Perry Square Alliance and Erie Downtown Development Corporation are among the teams that are transforming downtown Erie. The Oasis Project is the brainchild of Faith Kindig and Jonathan D’Silva. It plans to offer a produce oasis in downtown Erie and got its start in a GoFundMe project that planned a year-round indoor farmers market and small business incubator with 5,600 square feet of space in the former Woolworth’s Department Store building. The project reuses a vacant building and offers Erie residents easy access to healthy foods. The Perry Square Alliance, under the leadership of Jeff Brinling, has been beautifying Perry Square for several years and continues to improve the condition and appearance of Erie’s downtown park. The organization is hoping to go to the next level with discussion of an ice rink, large Christmas tree and other items that will make the center of Erie a draw and destination for events similar to those that take place in Times Square in New York — making a true central hub of the community. The Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC) is growing and increasing staff under the guidance of chief executive John Persinger. Matt Wachter and Nicole Reitzell were recently hired, and this organization brings together movers and shakers in the community with a common purpose of improving downtown. A few of those involved include Tim NeCastro, president and chief executive officer of Erie Insurance; Tina Donikowski, founding EDDC member and retired vice president of GE; and Pierre McCormick, president of Wisconsin Distributors, and many others.

Educational funding Erie Community Foundation is involved in efforts underway to create an Erie County community college, but the organization also assisted in a Community Schools Partnership along with Mother Teresa Academy and other school efforts. Erie Community Foundation also partnered with the Erie School District’s Erie Community Schools Program, a concerted effort to prepare students for school and offer afterschool programs, among other initiatives. In another effort in 2017, more than 180 kindergartners through eighth-graders entered Mother Teresa Academy, a mission school that serves low-income Erie students that started in 2017 at the former Holy Family School, 1153 E. Ninth St., and moved to the former St. Peter’s School at 160 W. 11th St. The program is part of the Erie Catholic Diocese with principal Jamie Brim and Chris Hagerty as director of strategic initiatives for Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria Academy. Barb Priestap heads the GO College program at Strong Vincent Middle School, and Charisse Nixon heads up the Penn State Behrend Susan Hirt Hagen CORE expansion project. The United Way of Erie County community truancy prevention program and the Imagination Library are just a few of the programs Mike Jaruszewicz, vice president of community impact, handles, and all of these are supported through the Erie Community Foundation. The efforts are critical to community success because statistics reveal that a dropout rate of nearly 25 percent plagues Erie’s public high schools, and among young AfricanAmerican men, the dropout rates is 35 percent.

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Jonathan D’Silva, 41, left, and business partner Faith Kindig, 30, are teaming up to open The Oasis Project, an indoor farmer’s market, in this space at 914 State St., the former Woolworth’s building in Erie. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

Michael Batchelor is ﬂanked by recipients of “Shaping Tomorrow Transformative Grants” at The Erie Community Foundation in Erie in June. Recipients included, from left, Jeremy Bloeser with Bayfront East Side Taskforce; Anna Frantz with Our West Bayfront; Barb Priestap with Gannon University GO College; Jeff Brinling with Perry Square Alliance; Batchelor; Faith Kindig with The Oasis Market, and Chris Hagerty with Mother Teresa Academy. [GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

Erie Community Schools Program gets help from the Erie Community Foundation. From left, Tami Krzeszewski-Conway, Community School director, Edison Elementary School; student Festo Espore; John Popoff, director of operations Boys and Girls Club; and Francois Mbarushimana, student. [TIM ROHRBACH/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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Revitalizing Erieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bayfront Jeremy Bloeser at Bayfront East Side Taskforce (B.E.S.T.) and others have focused some of their efforts on how to handle blighted properties. James Sherrod at Bayfront NATO and Anna Frantz, of Our West Bayfront, have also worked on community efforts to improve Erie based on research provided in recent studies. Â What can you do for Erie? See the listing of nonprofits in this special Lake Erie LifeStyle section on giving. Donating during Erie Gives Day can be the beginning, but becoming involved and learning about the nonprofits in the community will open your eyes to how transformational philanthropy is making an impact in our region. LEL

John Persinger, Erie Downtown Development Corporation. Mike Batchelor, the Erie Community Foundation, Faith Kindig, The Oasis Project; and Jeff Brinling, Perry Square Alliance; are some of the people working with the Erie Community Foundation on downtown development initiatives. [MATT KLECK/FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

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Organizations participating in Erie Gives This is the list as of June 30. Get the complete list at www.eriegives.org.

Joe Schember, center, now the Erie mayor, speaks with members of the Bayfront East Side Taskforce in Erie in 2017. From left, are members the Rev. Henry Kriegel, the Rev. Pemin Simon, Schember with campaign member Renee Lamis and task force member Joe Krol. [FILE PHOTO GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

4 N.I.N.E. Place 4nineplace@gmail.com AAUW-Erie Branch Inc. www.aauwerie.org ANNA Shelter www.theannashelter.com Abiding Hope Lutheran Church abidinghopeerie.org Academy Neighborhood Association academyneighbors.org Achievement Center www.achievementctr.org Advance North East Foundation www.advancene.com Albion Area Fair www.albionfair.com Albion Area Public Library albion@albionarealibrary.org All God's Children Ministries, Inc. www.allgodschildrenministries.org Alzheimer's Association www.alz.org/pa American Cancer Society www.cancer.org American Heart Association www.heart.org/eriewalk American Red Cross of Northwestern PA Redcross.org Americans for the Competitive Enterprise System, Inc. of Western PA (ACES) www.aceserie.org Asbury Woods www.asburywoods.org Attorneys & Kids Together (AKT) www.eriebar.com

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Autism Society Northwestern Pennsylvania www.nwpa-asa.org Barber National Institute www.barberinstitute.org Bayfront East Side Taskforce www.besterie.org Bayfront Maritime Center www.bayfrontcenter.org Bayfront NATO, Inc. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center www.mlkcentererie.org Because You Care, Inc. www.becauseyoucare.org Benedictine Sisters of Erie www.eriebenedictines.org Bethany Outreach Center www.bethanyoutreachcenter.org Bethesda Trinity Center www.bethesda1919.org Bike Erie www.bikeerie.org Blended Spirits Ranch www.blendedspiritsranch.org Blessed Sacrament School www.eriecatholic.org/bss/ Booker T. Washington Center www.btwcenter.org Boro Women & Family Services borowomenservices.com Boy Scouts of America, French Creek Council frenchcreek-bsa.org Boys & Girls Club of Erie eriebgc.com Brevillier Village www.brevillier.org

giving Butterflies for Kids — I Am A Planet Kid Program www.iamaplanetkid.org Camp Judson www.campjudson.com Camp Notre Dame, Inc. www.campnotredame.com Cathedral Preparatory School www.prep-villa.com Catholic Charities Counseling & Adoption Services (CCCAS) www.ccas.org Children's Advocacy Center of Erie County, Inc. www.cacerie.org Children's Miracle Network Chosen, Inc. www.chosenima.org Christian Institute of Human Relations www.cihr.us Church of the Cross www.cotc.org Climate Changers Inc. www.totalchangeprogram.com Community Access Television (CATV) www.cavterie.org Community Blood Bank www.fourhearts.org Community Connections at Findley Lake www.connectionsatﬁndleylake.org Community Country Day School ccdserie.com Community Health Net community-healthnet.com Community Nursing Services of North East www.northeastnurses.com Community Outreach Group, Inc. www.facebook.com/ Community-Outreach-Group-of-Erie-PA-1625057567706043/ Community Resources for Independence www.crinet.org Community United Church communityunited.church Community of Caring www.cocerie.com Compass Reading Center compassreadingcenter.org Corry Area Arts Council, Inc. CorryAreaArtsCouncil.com Corry Area Historical Society, Inc. corryareahistoricalsociety.org Corry Community Foundation www.corrycommunityfoundation.org Corry Higher Education Council www.corryhied.org Corry Industrial Benefit Association Corry Memorial Hospital, an afﬁliate of LECOM Health www.corryhospital.com Corry PTO www.facebook.com/groups/239702276240839/ Corry Public Library corrylibrary.org Crime Victim Center of Erie County, Inc. www.cvcerie.org Cystic Fibrosis Association of Erie County www.cfaerie.org Dafmark Dance Theater www.dafmark.org Diocese of Erie Cursillo Movement eriecursillo.org Divine Mercy Encounter Retreat Program www.divinemercyencounter.com Dorchester Drive Baptist Church Dr. George D'Angelo Strings Scholarship Fund, ECF EHCA Foundation ehca.org EUMA (Erie United Methodist Alliance) www.euma-erie.org Eagle's Nest Leadership Corp. www.eaglesnestleadership.org Early Connections, Inc. www.earlyconnectionserie.org Edinboro Area Historical Society www.EdinboroHistory.org Edinboro Art and Music Festival www.edinboroartandmusic.com Edinboro University Foundation www.edinborofoundation.org EmergyCare www.emergycare.org Emma's Footprints www.emmasfootprints.com Emmaus Ministries www.emmauserie.org Environment Erie www.environmenterie.org Erie Animal Network Erie Area Rabbit Society & Rescue (EARS) www.eriearearabbitsociety.org Erie Art Museum www.erieartmuseum.org Erie Arts & Culture www.erieartsandculture.org/ Erie Catholic School System eriecatholic.org Erie Cemetery Association www.eriecemeteryassoc.com Erie City Mission www.eriecitymission.org Erie Community Foundation www.eriecommunityfoundation.org Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre eriecbt.org Erie County Historical Society www.eriehistory.org Erie County Vietnam Veterans Memorial www.vvachapter435.com Erie County Vocational Technical School Foundation www.ects.org Erie DAWN www.eriedawn.org

Erie Dance Consortium www.eriedanceconsortium.org Erie Day School www.eriedayschool.com Erie Drum Corps Association www.eriethunderbirds.org Erie Family Center www.eriefamilycenter.org Erie Hunt and Saddle Club www.eriehuntandsaddleclub.org Erie Innovation District erieinnovationzone.com Erie Junior Philharmonic www.eriephil.org/jr-phil Erie Philharmonic www.eriephil.org Erie Philharmonic Chorus eriephil.org/chorus Erie Playhouse www.erieplayhouse.org Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership www.eriepa.com Erie Regional Library Foundation www.erlfoundation.org Erie Steelheads Baseball www.eriesteelheadsbaseball.org Erie Times-News Newspaper in Education www.nie.goerie.com Erie Together www.erietogether.org Erie Women's Fund www.eriecommunityfoundation.org/donors/give-today/ give-to-a-nonprofit/erie-womens-fund Erie Yacht Club Foundation www.erieycfoundation.org Erie Youth Soccer Association (EYSA) www.erieyouthsoccer.org Erie Zoo www.eriezoo.org Experience Childrens Museum www.eriechildrensmuseum.org Fairview Area Historical Society fairviewhistory.org Fairview Presbyterian Church www.fairviewpresbyterianchurch.com Fairview School Foundation www.fairviewschoolfoundation.org Family Services of NW PA www.fsnwpa.org Film Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania www.filmsocietynwpa.org Findley Lake Community Foundation Firefighters Historical Museum Inc. www.firefightershistoricalmuseum.com First Baptist Church of North East thefbcne.com First Presbyterian Church of North East www.fpcne.org First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant www.firstcovenanterie.org Flagship Niagara League www.flagshipniagara.org Forgiven Ministries, Inc. www.forgiven-ministries.org Fort LeBoeuf Foundation www.flbfoundation.com Foundation for Free Enterprise Education/Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week www.pfew.org Foundation for Sustainable Forests foundationforsustainableforests.org French Creek Valley Conservancy www.frenchcreekconservancy.org Friends of the Erie County Library www.erielibrary.org Gannon University www.gannon.edu Gaudenzia Erie, Inc. www.gaudenziaerie.org Geater Erie Alliance for Equality, Inc. (GEAE) www.greatereriealliance.com Gem City Bands www.gemcitybands.org General McLane Foundation www.generalmclane.net/gm-foundation Girard School District Foundation www.girardsdf.org Goodell Gardens & Homestead www.goodellgardens.org Goodwill Industries www.goodwillready.org Grady's Decision www.gradysdecision.com Greater Erie Area Habitat for Humanity www.habitaterie.org Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC) www.gecac.org HVA Senior Living Alliance www.askhva.org Hamot Health Foundation www.hamothealthfoundation.org Harbor Creek School District Foundation www.hcsd.iu5.org Harborcreek Historical Society www.harborcreekhistory.org Harborcreek Youth Services www.hys-erie.org Headwaters NRC Trust www.erieconservation.com Hermitage House Youth Services www.hermitagehouse.org Holocaust Bus Fund of the Jewish Community Council Holy Rosary Church www.holyrosaryerie.org Hooked on Books for Kids www.hookedonbooksforkidserie.org Hope For Erie Animal Wellness hopeforeaw.com Hope Ministry www.corryhope.org

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Hope on Horseback (formerly known as Therapeutic Riding Equestrian Center) www.trecerie.org Hospice of Metropolitan Erie www.hospiceerie.org Housing and Neighborhood Development Service (HANDS) www.hands-erie.org Humane Society of NWPA www.humanesocietyofnwpa.com Hunt of a Lifetime www.huntofalifetime.org Idea Fund www.ideafunderie.org Impact Corry www.corrypa.com Innovation Collaborative www.StartupEriePA.com Inter-Church Ministries of Erie County www.icmeriecounty.com International Institute of Erie www.refugees.org Iroquois School District Foundation www.iroquoissd.org Ivies on the Lake Foundation John F. Kennedy Center, Inc. www.thejfkcenter.org Junior Achievement of Western PA www.jawesternpa.org Junior League of Erie, Inc. www.juniorleagueoferie.com/ Kaleidascope, Inc. www.kas-erie.org Kearsarge Fire Department www.kearsargefire.org Kiwanis Club of Erie Foundation www.eriekiwanis.org Kuhl Hose Company www.kuhlhosefire.org L'Arche Erie larcheerie.org Lake Effect Leaders AmeriCorps VISTA Project www.lakeeffectleaders.com Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier (LEAF) www.leaferie.org Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) lecom.edu Lake Erie Fanfare, Inc. www.leregiment.org Lake Erie Region Conservancy www.lerc-erie.org Lake Shore Railway Historical Society & Museum lakeshorerailway.com Lakeshore Community Services, Inc. www.lakeshorecs.org Lakewood United Methodist Church lakewooderie.org League Of Women Voters Erie County www.lwverie.org LifeCare Pregnancy & Family Resource Center www.lifecareofcorry.com LifeWorks Erie LifeWorks@Lifeworkserie.org Linked By Pink www.linkedbypink.org Love INC of Union City, Spartansburg, & Corry www.facebook.com/loveincuccs Love INC of West Erie County loveinc.org Lucy's First Step www.lucysfirststep.org Luther Memorial Church and Luther Memorial Academy www.luthermemorialonline.org MYAA-Millcreek Youth Athletic Association www.myaasports.com Make-A-Wish Greater PA and WV greaterpawv.wish.org Maleno Family to Family Fund www.malenohomes.com March of Dimes www.marchofdimes.org Maria House Project www.mariahouseproject.org McCord Memorial Library www.mccordlibrary.org McLane Church www.mclanechurch.org Mead Park Association www.meadpark.org Meals On Wheels Erie www.mealsonwheelserie.org Member to Member, Inc. www.m2mfund.org Mercy Center for Women www.mcwerie.org Mercy Center of the Arts www.mercycenterofthearts.org Mercy Hilltop Center www.mercyhilltopcenter.com Mercyhurst Preparatory School www.mpslakers.com Mercyhurst University www.mercyhurst.edu/alumni Millcreek Counseling and Mental Health Advocacy Partnership www.millcreek-partnership.com Millcreek Education Foundation www.millcreekeducationfoundation.org Mission Empower www.missionempower.org Montessori In The Woods www.montessoriinthewoods.org Mother Teresa Academy www.mtasaints.com

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A hand-made sign made by Mother Teresa Academy students reads: “A beacon of pride on the east side: Faith, discipline, values, academics, service.” [FILE PHOTO CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS] Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System, Inc. (MHEDS) mheds.org Multicultural Community Resource Center www.mcrcerie.org Mystic Mountain Training Center www.mysticmountaintrainingcenter.org NWPA Pride Alliance www.nwpapride.org NWPA Project Linus www.nwpaprojectlinus.blogspot.com National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Erie County www.namierie.org National Association of Wolves Wolves-club.com National Multiple Sclerosis Society www.mspakeystone.org Neighborhood Art House www.neighborhoodarthouse.org Neighborhood Resource Organization www.nroerie.org New Blossoms New Life Foundation www.newblossomsnewlife.org New Hope Presbyterian Church North East Community Food Pantry www.facebook.com/NorthEastFoodPantry North East Community Foundation necommunityfoundation.org North East Education Foundation www.nesd1.org/neef North East Historical Society northeasthistoricalsociety@yahoo.com North East in Bloom www.facebook.com/NorthEastInBloom Northwest PA K-9 Search and Rescue nwpak9sar.org Northwest Pennsylvania Artists Association www.npaaonline.org Northwestern Community Educational Foundation, Inc. ncef@nwsd.org Northwestern Extended Emergency Dwelling northwesternextendedemergencydwelling.com Nurturing Hearts, Inc. www.Nurturing-Hearts.org Orchard Beach Assembly www.orchardbeach.church Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary and Adoption Center www.orphanangels.org Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church rectory@olmc-erie.org Our Lady of Peace Church www.olp.org Our Lady of Peace School www.olpcrusaders.org Our Lady of the Lake Church www.ololake.com

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Our West Bayfront www.ourwestbayfront.org PA Chapter of Children's Advocacy Centers & Multidisciplinary Teams penncac.org Park United Methodist Church www.pumcne.org Parkinson Partners of NW PA, Inc. www.ParkinsonPartners.org Partnership for a Healthy Community Penn State Behrend: Susan Hirt Hagen CORE: Positive Youth Development (PYD) and The Mentor Project www.youtherie.com People for Life Education Fund www.peopleforlife.org/education/ Performing Arts Collective Alliance (PACA) www.paca1505.com Perry Square Alliance www.PerrySquareAlliance.com Perseus House, Inc. www.perseushouse.org Pine Grove Cemetery Pleasant Ridge Manor Friends Forever www.pleasantridgemanor.com Presbyterian SeniorCare Network www.srcare.org Presque Isle Audubon presqueisleaudubon.org Presque Isle Lighthouse www.presqueislelighthouse.org Presque Isle Partnership www.discoverpi.com Regional Cancer Center www.trcc.org Regional Science Consortium www.RegSciConsort.com Rice Avenue Community Public Library www.riceavenuelibrary.org Robbins Blass Neighborhood Watch www.facebook.com/rbnwerie Royal Family KIDS of Erie www.erie.royalfamilykids.org SNOOPS Neighborhood Watch Safe Harbor Behavioral Health of UPMC Hamot www.upmchamot.org/safeharbor Safe Journey www.mysafejourney.org SafeNet www.safeneterie.org Saint Andrew Church www.saintandrewerie.com Saint James School www.eriecatholic.org/sja Saint Jude School www.eriecatholic.org/sju Saint Mary's Home of Erie www.stmaryshome.org Saint Peter Cathedral www.stpetercathedral.com Saint Vincent Foundation Sarah A. Reed Children's Center www.SarahReed.org Sarah Reed Senior Living www.sarahareed.org Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennyslvania www.nwpafoodbank.org ServErie www.serverie.com Shares of God's Love/HCShouse Ministries, Inc. www.hcshouse.org Shriners Hospitals for Children Erie www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/erie Sisters of Mercy, House of Mercy www.houseofmercyerie.org Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network www.ssjnn.org Sisters of St. Joseph of NWPA ssjerie.org Springhill www.springhillerie.org St. John the Baptist Church www.sjberie.org St. Thomas the Apostle Church www.stthomastheapostle.church St. Luke Church www.stlukeerie.org St. Luke School www.slserie.org St. Mark's Episcopal Church www.saintmarkserie.org St. Martin Center, Inc. www.stmartincenter.org St. Matthew's Lutheran Church www.facebook.com/smlcerie St. Patrick Church saintpatrickparisherie.org St. Patrick's Haven www.stpatrickshaven.org St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church www.stpaulserie.org St. Paul's Free Clinic www.stpaulsfreeclinic.org St. Paul's United Church of Christ St. Stephen's Episcopal Church ststephens-fairview.org St. Thomas Cemetery www.corrycatholics.org Stairways Behavioral Health www.stairwaysbh.org StringsforaCURE Foundation www.StringsforaCURE.org

Student Parenting Program, Erie's Public Schools www.eriespp.org Sunshine Group of Erie sunshinegroupoferie.wordpress.com Supportive Living Services www.supportivelivingservices.org Tamarack Wildlife Center www.tamarackwildlife.org The Arc of Erie County www.thearcoferie.org The Bair Foundation www.bair.org The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul www.cathedralofstpaul.org The Georgiana Foundation The Local 17 Music Fund Inc. www.local17afm.org/local-17-music-fund The Nonprofit Partnership www.yournpp.org The Northwest Pennsylvania Artists Association www.npaaonline.org The Partnership for Erie's Public Schools www.partnershipeps.org The Reason For Our Hope Foundation www.thereasonforourhope.org The Salvation Army Erie, PA www.wpa.salvationarmy.org/ WesternPennsylvania/erie The Sight Center of Northwest Pennsylvania www.sightcenternwpa.org The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie www.uuerie.org The Upper Room of Erie, Inc. www.upperroomerie.org The Urban Oasis Project TheOasisProject.US The Warming Center at the Mental Health Association of Northwestern Pa. (MHA) www.mhanp.org The Woman's Club of Erie, Inc. eriewomansclub.com The Young People's Chorus of Erie behrend.psu.edu/ypcerie Therapy Dogs United www.TherapyDogsUnited.org Tom Ridge Environmental Center Foundation www.trecf.org Union City Area School District Foundation www.ucasdfoundation.weebly.com Union City Community Foundation www.UnionCityCF.org Union City Family Support Center www.ucfsc.org Union City First United Methodist Church ucfirstum.com Union City Historical Society Union City Little League tshq.bluesombrero.com/unioncityll Union City Public Library www.ucpl.org Union City Senior Center Cooperative, Inc. Union City Volunteer Fire Department www.unioncitypa.us/services/fire United Fund of the Corry Area, Inc. www.unitedfundofcorry.com United Way of Erie County www.unitedwayerie.org United Way of Erie County - Imagination Library unitedwayererie.org/imagination Urban Erie Community Development Corporation www.uecdc.org Veterans Miracle Center www.vmcerie.org Villa Maria Academy www.prep-villa.com Visiting Nurse Association of Erie County www.erievna.org Voices For Independence vficil.org WCTL-FM / Inspiration Time, Inc. www.wctl.org WLD Ranch www.wldranch.com WQLN Public Media www.wqln.org Warming Center at Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA. www.mhanp.org Waterford Public Library waterfordborough.org Wayside Presbyterian Church wayside-erie.org WellFit Incorporated (WELLSVILLE) wellsville.tv Wesley United Methodist Church www.ewesley.com West Lake Fire Department www.westlakefiredepartment.com Women's Care Center of Erie County, Inc. www.wccerie.org Women's Roundtable, Inc. www.wrterie.org YMCA of Corry ymcacorry.org YMCA of Greater Erie www.ymcaerie.org Young Artists Debut Orchestra (YADO) Youth For Christ of Northwestern Pa www.nwpayfc.org Youth Leadership Institute of Erie www.ylierie.org LEL

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Glamorous Gutless Girls Executive Director and Founder Reganne Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien is a junior at Gannon University. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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giving She got sick her freshman year, and began the work of starting a nonprofit from the hospital.

Story by John Arthur Hutchison

annon University student Reganne O’Brien has felt the pain of Ulcerative Colitis. But she is working to overcome her disease and is inspiring and helping others in the process. She had her colon removed in May 2017 as part of her treatment for the disease that caused her immune system to attack her body and made her sick nearly every time she ate. O’Brien understands firsthand the financial issues for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and initially experienced a lack of emotional support to cope with Ulcerative Colitis, while at the same time trying to earn her degree. For a long time, she felt alone as the disease took over her life. That’s why the business administration student created the Glamorous Gutless Girls charity in May 2017. O’Brien, 20, who will be a college junior at Gannon this fall, serves as the executive director of GGG, which works to raise awareness and to provide emotional and financial support to young women who suffer from Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease.

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giving Glamorous Gutless Girls Executive Director and Founder Reganne O’Brien is a junior at Gannon University. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Glamorous Gutless Girls Associate Director & Co-founder, Hallie Niemi, is a Youngstown State University communications major. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

“I started to do research on this, and there really wasn’t much out there so I started a club at Gannon,” she said. “Then I started one at Mercyhurst and one at Youngstown State in Ohio. We raised $25,000 total from $5,000 fundraising we did and the other $20,000 came from donors including different companies.” O’Brien explains there wasn’t one reason in particular for the catchy name Glamorous Gutless Girls or GGG. “I wanted to start it for all the other young women who have gone through this disease and had their large intestine taken out,” O’Brien said. “Maybe the glamorous

part — I’m a little bit of a girly girl. I wanted girls to feel like they are still beautiful and deserve a good life even if you went through the disease.” O’Brien first began to get sick during her freshman year at Gannon in 2016 and experienced all the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She took every type of medication prescribed to help treat it, but her body wasn’t responding well to it. “In my case, it was so bad that the immune system cells attacked my body,” O’Brien said. “The way it was impacting my situation was it attacked the large intestine.” Her condition grew from bad to worse

Continued on page 34

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Learn more about Glamourous Gutless Girls

GGG Gannon and Mercyhurst clubs collaborate in October 2017 to establish groups. From right, Reganne Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Olivia Haile, Erin McCall, Taylor Nulph, Paige Groff and Emily Larimer. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Glamorous Gutless Girls named Erie native, Erin McCall from Mercyhurst University the IBD patient of the year and scholarship recipient. She is pictured with her boyfriend Jordan Manson. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Glamorous Gutless Girls (GGG) works to raise awareness about Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers (sores) in the digestive tract, according to the Mayo Clinic. Ulcerative colitis affects the innermost lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum. Symptoms usually develop over time, rather than suddenly. Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. While it has no known cure, treatment can greatly reduce signs and symptoms of the disease and even bring about long-term remission. Crohn's disease is an IBD and it causes inflammation of the digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people. The inflammation caused by Crohn's disease often spreads deep into the layers of affected bowel tissue. Crohn's disease can be both painful and debilitating and sometimes may lead to life-threatening complications. While there's no known cure for Crohn's disease, therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms and even bring about long-term remission. With treatment, many people with Crohn's disease are able to function well. IBDs have both a physical and emotional impact on those who suffer from these diseases and others like them, according to GGG. Many people have never heard of these diseases and/ or know little about them. GGG Executive Director Reganne Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien says it is important to have support when facing these diseases. However, people who suffer from these diseases can still feel alone and that is a big reason why the GGG was established. The organization aims to bring hope to the victims of these diseases who face physical pain and symptoms, struggle financially, have insecurities because of their illness, and just need someone who can help and understand. GGG wants to make young women with this disease realize they are not alone, they have a purpose in life, and they are beautiful. Website: https://glamorousgutlessgirls.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ glamorousgutlessgirls Instagram: www.instagram.com/ glamorousgutlessgirls

John Arthur Hutchison

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GGG Directors and scholarship winners from 2018 include, from left Associate Director Hallie Niemi, IBD patient of the year Erin McCall, scholarship recipient Michael Massucci, scholarship recipient Madison Uhrin and Executive Director Reganne O’Brien. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Continued from page 32 as the inflammation in her colon continued to build. She eventually was put on a drug that shut down her immune system, but then she would get sick from other illnesses because her body couldn’t fight back. “I felt like, 'I can’t live like this anymore,'” O’Brien said. “I was crying and told my mom that I wished I was dead. My mom didn’t want me to go through this.” There was one last medication O’Brien tried, but it caused her to have an internal bowel obstruction and she became constantly sick, throwing up and unable to digest any food. The decision to then remove her colon wasn’t an easy one, O’Brien said, but it was one she and her family felt was necessary. “It was hard at first; it was what I had to do,” she said. “I just did it, but it was hard.” O’Brien had the surgery to remove her colon at the Cleveland 34 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

Clinic, and she has adjusted to life with an ostomy. In May, she had another surgery to install a J-pouch in her small intestine and to remove the remaining portion of her rectum. She is optimistic that she eventually she will able to have a much more normal life now and be able to use the bathroom normally. “So once they took the colon out, it should be gone,” O’Brien said. “But since I have this new system in my body, it could reject itself. If the pouch doesn’t end up working, which is rare because they have a really good success rate, you end up going back to an ostomy bag, but they think mine went really well and hopefully and God willing there’s no problems.” When she started the nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization, O’Brien was in the hospital. But that didn’t stop her because she was determined to get it going. O’Brien relied on her family, and initially the goal was just

to raise enough money to provide a $1,000 scholarship. They even held a bake sale to collect enough money for some of the initial funding, and that lead to some businesses providing donations Once things got rolling, O’Brien asked her best friend Hallie Niemi to help. Niemi is now GGG’s associate director and the nonprofit has grown at a remarkable rate. O’Brien said her business background is one of the strengths she brings to GGG, while Niemi provides the “fun.” “She makes sure everybody feels special,” O’Brien said. “She brings a lot to the heart of the organization.” One year ago, Niemi did not think GGG would be where it is now. She is happy the organization has been able to help many people in a short time frame. “GGG has become more than just something I’m a part of. It’s a new

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“GGG HAS BECOME MORE THAN JUST SOMETHING I’M A PART OF. IT’S A NEW WAY I LOOK AT LIFE AND IT TRULY HAS MADE ME APPRECIATE THE THINGS I HAVE AND THE PEOPLE I’VE MET.” Hallie Niemi, Associate Director of Glamorous Gutless Girls

GGG directors, from left, Youngstown State University GGG club treasurer Ava Glover, communications director Hallie Niemi and founder Reganne O’Brien, gather at a GGG event. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

way I look at life and it truly has made me appreciate the things I have and the people I’ve met,” she said. “We have a lot more work to do and we have big plans for the future. It’s time for people of all ages with GI problems to feel comfortable with who they are.” O’Brien has a partnership with the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio to make sure everything financially is accounted for. She also has a board of directors to provide further guidance and to ensure everything is in line with organizational goals that continue to evolve. “It was originally intended for scholarships, but then we began looking for other students to join,” O’Brien said. “We raise awareness and spend time in the community and make friends with people with similar digestive problems. It’s a way to meet people going through it if you are a college student.” O’Brien, who lives in Brookfield, Ohio, explained that it was hard being away from home in college and not really having anyone to talk to about her illness. GGG provides emotional and financial support for college-aged women who face these diseases while providing scholarship opportunities. Young women who live in the Erie, Hermitage, and Youngstown, Ohio, areas benefit from the services and programs. The organization has already given four $1,000 scholarships to girls with digestive issues. “We do care packages and visit people in the hospital and at home if they are really sick and we raise awareness and go to different places to speak,” O’Brien said. “We’re developing an app for 24/7 support. We help support emotionally and financially and we’re working out a system to give grants for medication for people who can’t afford it.” Chapter groups are up and running at Gannon University, Mercyhurst University and Youngstown State University. In the fall, chapters will be established at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio; Kent State University in Kent, Ohio; and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Another six chapters are in the planning stages for 2019. Long-term goals include bringing doctors onto campuses to speak about the issue, hire a paid staff, and to eventually be able to give money toward research for digestive diseases along with establishing chapters across the country, O’Brien said. Down the road, she is looking to create an alumni network.

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GGG club members and ofﬁcers celebrate donors and spend time together. From left, Olivia Haile, Jordan Lampus, Hallie Niemi, Ellie Pietras, Reganne O’Brien, Rachel Stubler, Paige Groff and Erin McCall. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

For now, raising awareness about the organization is a primary goal with planned upgrades of the website and social media channels including Facebook and Instagram and the establishment of Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube accounts to be launched in August. The efforts of O’Brien and GGG have not gone unnoticed in the community. O’Brien was one of 12 recipients to receive the Women Making History award from the Mercy Center in Erie in March, said Jennie

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Hagerty, Mercy Center executive director. “Her ability to move forward in sharing her knowledge on her disease with others is what moved the audience that evening, plus her age,” Hagerty said. “Normally when you think of women making history you are thinking of women who are 30 and older and here you have a college student who started her own nonprofit and raised $17,000 in her first year. It just goes to show you that all women in life walk differently and age has nothing to do with it.” LEL

nǋ̬ǬǬǖɤ ǋ̬Ǭ ̬ǬǬǖǖɤ ʩɛǾźɛ źɛɛ Ƃʔʔǐȡ̷̷̷ ̪ʔɭȄ ƮʔƮǐɭʡȄ̷

x¨ǾŠɛ¨ x ¨ǾŠɛ¨ Š G¨ɛźĻǨǖ G¨ɛɛźĻ Ƃʔʔǐȡ̷̷̷ ̪ʔȡɶ ƮƤ̷ǐȡƂƂɶ

̪ʍɛ¨̤¨Ʒ¨Ǿʍ ̤ǖź̥ ȑƜ Ǭ¨Ǩź ɛǖź ƜɛȑǷ ʍǋǖɤ ɤȰ¨Ļǖȑʩɤ ǋȑǷź ǖǾ S¨ǾĻǋźɤʍźɛ 6źǖƷǋʍɤƙ 9Ǿʍźɛǖȑɛ Ɯź¨ʍʩɛźɤ ǖǾĻǬʩŠź ǋ¨ɛŠ̥ȑȑŠ ƣȑȑɛɤř ȑ̤źɛ ʔ Ǭ¨ǾŠɤĻ¨ȰźŠ ¨Ļɛźɤř ¨ Ʒ¨̳źġȑř ɤʍźȰɤ ʍȑ ʍǋź ġź¨Ļǋř ʍ̥ȑ Ƿ¨ɤʍźɛ ġźŠɛȑȑǷɤ ɤʩǖʍźɤř ȑǾź ȑƜ ź¨Ļǋ ƣȑȑɛɁ ǋǖɤ ǋȑǷź ȑƝźɛɤ Ƿ¨Ǿ̬ źǾʍźɛʍ¨ǖǾǖǾƷ ɤȰ¨Ļźɤ ǖǾĻǬʩŠǖǾƷ Ʒɛ¨ǾŠ ɤǖ̳źŠ Ǭṳ̈̄ǖǾƷ ¨ǾŠ ŠǖǾǖǾƷ ɛȑȑǷɤ ¨ǾŠ Ǭ¨ɛƷź ɤʩǾɛȑȑǷɁ ůƂȄƤř̷̷̷

ź¨ʩʍǖƜʩǬ L¨ǨźƜɛȑǾʍ ĻȑǾŠȑ ǖǾ Vǖ¨Ʒ¨ɛ¨ nǖźɛɁ ]Ǿź ȑƜ ȑǾǬ̬ ɤǖ̪ Ɯɛźź ɤʍ¨ǾŠǖǾƷ ǋȑǷźɤɁ L¨ɛƷź ŠźĻǨ ȑǾ ¨ɤʍ ɤǖŠź ȰźɛƜźĻʍ Ɯȑɛ ŠǖǾǖǾƷ ȑɛ źǾʍźɛʍ¨ǖǾǖǾƷ ¨ǾŠ Ǿȑ ɤʍɛȑǾƷ L¨Ǩź ̥ǖǾŠɤ ʍȑ ĻȑǾʍźǾŠ ̥ǖʍǋƙ ź¨ʩʍǖƜʩǬǬ̬ ɛźǷȑŠźǬźŠ ġ̬ ĻʩɛɛźǾʍ ȑ̥ǾźɛɤɁ xȑȰǋǖɤʍǖĻ¨ʍźŠ ƣȑȑɛ ȰǬ¨Ǿř Ǭ¨ɛƷź ȑȰźǾ ɤȰ¨Ļźɤř ʍ̥ȑ ɤʍȑɛ̬ ĻźǖǬǖǾƷ ǖǾ Ʒɛź¨ʍ ɛȑȑǷř Ļȑ̳̬ ŠźǾ ̥ǖʍǋ ġʩǖǬʍ ǖǾɤř źǬźƷ¨Ǿʍ ¨ȰȰȑǖǾʍǷźǾʍɤř ź̪ĻźȰʍǖȑǾ¨Ǭ ̤ǖź̥ɤř ¨Ǿ ź̪Ȱ¨Ǿɤṳ̈̄ź ŠźĻǨ ¨ǾŠ ¨ Ȱɛṳ̈̄¨ʍź Ļȑʩɛʍ̬¨ɛŠɁ ůɶ̷̷ř̷̷̷

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S P E C I A L A DV E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N : E R I E G I V E S

S P E C I A L A DV E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N : E R I E

S P E C I A L A DV E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N : E R I E G I V E S

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bon appétit

Downtown North East

winery attracts attention Story by Steve Orbanek

rapes and North East. They just go together.

The town is a key part of Lake Erie Wine Country, the largest grape-growing region east of the Rockies. Welch’s largest manufacturing plant is located there. The North East School District even named its mascot “The Grape Picker.” But despite all of this, there has not been a downtown winery in North East. Until now. Late last summer, Yori Wine Cellars opened its doors at 18 S. Lake St., becoming the only North East winery to be directly located in the downtown business district of North East. While the winery was a new addition to downtown North East, it represented the culmination of years of hard work for the Yori family. “Once I started and first made wine, I thought, ‘This is pretty cool,” said co-owner of Yori Wine Cellars Michael Yori, who made his first batch of wine in 2002. “So then the next year, I said, ‘We have all this property, why don't we plant some wine grapes?' We put in four varieties in small lots, each being probably a half acre.” At the time, winemaking was just a hobby for Yori, but it evolved from there. While he continued to own and operate Michael's Restaurant & Pizzeria, 20 S. Lake St, which he and his wife Lynn opened in 1987, he also honed his winemaking craft. He went to seminars and took courses There are 28 locally made wines at Yori Wine Cellars in downtown North East. [STEVE ORBANEK/FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS] AUGUST 2018

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bon appétit at Presque Isle Wine Cellars. As his skills improved, he began to think he wanted to open his own winery. But as is often the case, life takes over. Along with running Michael's Restaurant & Pizzeria, he and Lynn were raising three daughters, Kariann, Allison and Mikaela. Michael Yori admits that a time came when he was skeptical he and his wife would ever open a winery. So he decided to improvise. “I'm thinking we're never going to get this open if we just don't do it,” Yori said. “ I thought, ‘We already have a commercial building and it’s paid for in downtown North East. We could probably reroute a few things there and open the winery in that same building.” It was that thought that served as the impetus behind the opening of Yori Wine Cellars. After an extensive renovation, which included shifting much of the seating for the restaurant, Yori Wine Cellars opened last August. “We were a little apprehensive,” Michael Yori said. “Everyone else that usually has a winery has that country setting where you have the vineyards in the back. But the other side of the coin is that you're downtown, there are multiple other businesses that people are going to visit, so maybe we will claim more business because people are downtown and there's good traffic flow.” It’s quickly become a family affair as Michael and Lynn’s three daughters are fixtures at the winery and always helping out. One benefit is the fact that the restaurant is connected to the winery. Because of that, the Yoris keep the winery open until 8 p.m., whereas most of the Lake Erie Wine Country wineries close by 5 or 6 p.m. It allows them to cater to the post-work crowd, and it also makes Yori Wine Cellars an ideal stop for tourists who are finishing up a day of wine tasting. 70 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

B E E R A N D W I N E E V E N T S F O R AU GU ST Music in the Vineyards Concert Series • Penn Shore Winery & Vineyards • 10225 East Lake Road, North East • Saturdays in August, 5 to 9 p.m. Penn Shore Winery & Vineyards will once again host its summer Music in the Vineyards concert series through the month of August. The concerts are free and open to the public, and food trucks will be on site each night. The schedule is as follows: Aug. 4: Ruby Port Band (10-piece dance band) A Wafﬂe Miracle Food Truck onsite. Aug. 11: The Breeze Band (Rhythm & Blues) The Atacolypse Food Truck onsite. Aug. 18: The Groove (Soul & Funk) The Big Cheese Food Truck onsite. Aug. 25: Duke Sherman Blues Band (Blues) Sticks & Bricks Wood Fired Pizza on site. Strings in the Vineyards • Lakeview Wine Cellars • 8440 Singer Road, North East • Sunday, Aug. 5, 2 to 5 p.m. Join Lakeview Wine Cellars as the winery hosts a special fundraiser for StringsforaCURE. Wine, beer, slushies and food will be available, and Acoustic Ear Candy will perform live. Dine in the Vines • Liberty Vineyards & Winery • 2861 US Route 20, Sheridan, NY • Saturday, Aug. 25, 6:30 p.m. Join Liberty Vineyards & Winery for is annual Prime Rib Dinner in the Vineyards. Visit http://libertywinery. com/upcoming-events/ for ticket information. Beer in the Vineyard • Arundel Cellars & Brewing Co • 11727 East Main Road, North East • Saturday, Aug. 25, 5 to 8 p.m. Arundel Cellars & Brewing Co. will host its ﬁrst brewfest this August. Tickets cost $35 and live music will be performed by First to Eleven. Participating breweries include The Brewerie at Union Station, Erie Ale Works, Erie Brewing Co., Lavery Brewing Co., Millcreek Brewing Co., Orr’s Brewing Co., Voodoo Brewery, Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing and Luminary Distilling. The Cluck Truk, The Que Abides and The Big Cheese food trucks will all be on site during the festival. Visit www.arundelcellars.com/events.html for ticket information.

bon appÃ©tit

The Yori family, from left: Kariann Yori, Allison Yori, Michael Yori, Lynn Yori and Mikaela Yori. [STEVE ORBANEK/FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

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bon appétit

Yori Wine Cellars is located at 18 S. Lake St. in downtown North East. [STEVE ORBANEK/FOR THE ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

It’s also been beneficial during the winter. While residents might not be as likely to go to the vineyards during that season, they often will still have to regularly head downtown. While they’re running errands, it’s not uncommon for them to stop at Yori Wine Cellars. Thus far, the winery is up to 28 different varieties, including a hard cider, and there are plans to add more in the future. While the Yoris’ wine is not yet available in Wine & Spirits stores, that could change in the future. Also, while the Yori Wine Cellars building is currently 3,600-square-feet per floor,

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Michael Yori said he knows that they may eventually outgrow the space. Even if the winery does expand, he said the tasting room would remain a key part of downtown North East. And quite literally, the future of the winery is in good hands. Kariann Yori recently enrolled in the Winemaking Certificate program at Penn State Behrend. “It's amazing, especially that we can do this as a family,” Michael Yori said. “We wanted to do this for the last 16 years. Now that we’re up and running, we're not looking back, we’re just looking forward.” LEL

bon appétit

This cheeseburger has bacon jam and secret sauce. [FILE PHOTO/GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

THIS BURGER HAS SECRETS Simple toppings provide bursts of flavor Story by Jennie Geisler

ith a quick glance, you might see a plain old burger. But look closer. Here's a hint: Bacon jam. OK, I blew it. It's topped with a concoction of bacon cooked down with onion, vinegar, herbs and spices — all sticky and jammy and bacon-ny.

And that's not all. For you spicy food lovers, there's an optional "secret sauce." (I seem to be utterly incapable of keeping a secret for more than a nanosecond today.) This is no fast-food copycat sauce. It's a fire-breathing sweet and sour dressing that you can use instead of or in addition to the bacon jam. Then pile your burger high with your favorite vegetable toppings. (May we suggest a ring or two of red onion?) We'll leave it up to you to figure out how to eat it. But we promise this recipe will make this cookout one to remember — to make again next week. LEL

BASH BURGERS Servings: 6 For the bacon jam: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

12 slices bacon, diced 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large onion, diced 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 sprig thyme, leaves stripped Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper For the secret sauce: 1 cup mayonnaise ¾ cup ketchup 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1½ teaspoons Sriracha 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper For the burgers: Vegetable oil, for the grill 2¼ pounds ground beef chuck Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 6 teaspoons Dijon mustard 6 slices American cheese 6 sesame buns, split Sliced kosher dill pickles, for topping

• Make the bacon jam: Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to paper towels; pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from the skillet. Add the canola oil to the skillet and heat over low heat. Add the onion; cover and cook 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 10 to 15 more minutes. Return the bacon to the skillet; add the white wine vinegar and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. • Make the secret sauce: Pulse the mayonnaise, ketchup, sherry vinegar, Sriracha and garlic in a food processor until smooth; season with salt and pepper. • Make the burgers: Preheat a grill to mediumhigh and brush the grates with vegetable oil. Form the beef into 6 ½-inch-thick patties; season with salt and pepper. Grill 5 minutes; ﬂip and brush with the mustard. Grill 5 more minutes for medium-rare, topping with the cheese in the last minute. Spread the sauce on the bottom buns; top with the burgers, bacon jam, pickles and top buns. www.foodnetwork.com Nutrition information varies greatly by type and amount of toppings used.

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arts & entertainment

Thomas Paquette stands in his studio. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Warren artist’s paintings hang in Erie and embassies Story by Brian R. Sheridan

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What Mark Twain did for the Mississippi River in words, world-renowned landscape artist Thomas Paquette does for it in oil paint. He celebrates the life along the Big Muddy as it winds its way for more than 2,300 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Paquette, who now lives in Warren, has just released a book of his work, “America’s River Re-Explored.” It showcases what he saw as the “enormous transformations” of the river as he viewed it from his boyhood home at its source to where it becomes the swampy bayous of Louisiana. Originally, Paquette planned on painting just the 72 miles of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in Minneapolis-St. Paul, his hometown. He instead painted what he calls the river’s “many faces” as the project appealed to his adventurous side. “There’s always been this explorer in me,” Paquette says. “I’d hop freight trains in my teens and 20s and travel around North America — usually not

knowing where I was going to end up. I’d be gone for months at a time. “ Before embarking on this project, Paquette reviewed the river’s place in American popular culture. He had read Twain’s famous “Life on the Mississippi” in his youth, but he says he wanted this to be his personal journey of discovery. “When I started, I thought I should try and get a grasp on what has been done from music to literature to painting about the river. But they didn’t move me to do this. It was more about discovering it in a sense of a rediscovery. What is there that we need to pay attention to in our lives as people, not only what is this river? But how is it impacting the lives that we are seeing?” Paquette says. He says his goal was recapturing the idea that there is something to find in a river that many today may take for granted. “I was responding to the river as a painter, and not as an anthropologist or geologist. What struck me as a 21stcentury artist?” he says.

arts & entertainment

“Almas Buena Vista” is one of Thomas Paquette’s paintings. [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

What struck him was the incredible diversity he saw along the river. Paquette painted not only the great scenic vistas but also the factories, refineries, the Grand Gulf nuclear power plant and the landfills. His work, he believes, captures how “our culture and an ancient culture” simultaneously exist on the banks of the Mississippi River in such places at St. Louis, where the Cahokia Mounds, the ruins of a Pre-Columbian Native American city, sit across from a modern metropolis. Paquette likes to underscore that coexistence on his canvases. “My paintings do not have special messages. It’s about seeing. I am an environmentalist but when I look at things I want to look at them with really open eyes and perceive what there really is to see,” he says. Paquette says his passion for painting began when his parents took him as a boy to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where he was amazed by the range of art he saw. It was the work of

Vincent Van Gogh, however, that captured his attention. Paquette says he could sense his presence in his paintings. After experiencing the works of Van Gogh, he “took it for granted” that he would become an artist. “When I was 12 years old,” Paquette recalls, “I worked as a paperboy and someone had a dog that they did not keep away from little boys delivering newspapers. The dog had a mean streak and it bit my hand. My first thought was ‘now I will never be an artist.’ I don’t know how many other kids would have that as their first thought.” Luckily, the bite had no lasting impact other than to further confirm his desire to become an artist. When he graduated from high school in 1977, Paquette thought for a moment that maybe art wasn’t the most practical path after enrolling at the University of Minnesota. “I thought painting was a ridiculous career to get into, so I studied something else that interested me — nature

— so I’d become a naturalist in national parks. I didn’t get too far in those studies before I found myself taking art classes again,” he says. Paquette wouldn’t complete his degree. Instead, he opted for the life of a vagabond artist. He traveled the country painting the world he saw from moving trains. When he looked out of the train car doors, Paquette saw America in the raw, perfect for capturing on canvas. His approach to painting the landscape he saw is multi-tiered but it always begins with location. “Something in a particular location whispers visually to me, something like, ‘Hey, pssst, over here!’ I listen with my eyes, seeking what exactly intrigued me about this place. I don’t seek a clear answer, but a compelling vision,” he says. Once he’s found his vision, Paquette may paint a small gouache (opaque watercolor) painting, or take photographs or notes, as he tries to etch the vision into his brain, because he can’t finish a painting in one sitting. AUGUST 2018

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“I need to rely on the original impulse to carry the spirit of the painting forward, sometimes for years of work. Even little gouaches, perhaps just four-square inches, are revisited later, away from the subject, until they become as evocative as the original subject was for me,” Paquette says. The last stage of his process is creating the actual oil painting. It might take weeks or a few years, as he says he replays “that original scene, moving paint here and there, adjusting tone and color and texture in sweeping or tiny changes.” But even after all of that work, he may not be able to finish the piece. “And sometimes the whole canvas, after years of painting, collapses, destroyed under the weight of too many decisions. But usually, like layers of sediments that provide suitable ground for subsequent growth, a way is found to incorporate the previous work to actually build to a crescendo that is the final painting,” Paquette says. He recognizes that makes him sort of a throwback in the 21st century where landscapes are not often as heralded as they once were in art circles. Paquette believes art and nature go hand-in-hand. “I look at the earth as a great teacher of art with all of its patterns and interesting things that go on in nature,” he says. “I also use the example of nature to help me progress with my art. Nature destroys and I have destroyed my own work to progress. There’s a lot of scraping and repainting. I tend not to throw away the paintings but I recycle them within themselves.” Painting nature has caused him to move several times in his life. After spending a decade in Maine, he moved to Warren when he married his wife Ellen in 2001. While visiting her, Paquette saw many potential paintings. He felt Maine was “overpainted” but the Warren area had beauty not yet captured in oil. He says the landscape is rich in landscapes that whisper to him, “Hey, over here.” “Warren is a great little Victorian town, and the architecture, environment and friendly people make it a great home,” Paquette says. “Even though I note new subjects practically any time I open my door, this is the dilemma. It’s impossible to paint everything. More importantly, this nearby cache of what could be future paintings is really a sort of nearby heaven that I like having around, just for itself.” 76 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

“

I am very honored that State Department curators and ambassadors in so many countries have chosen my paintings to help represent American art to their host nations or are brought there as a token of our homeland, a reminder of what makes them proud to be Americans.” Thomas Paquette, world-renowned landscape artist

Thomas Paquette calls this painting “Color of Time.” [THOMAS PAQUETTE/ CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

This painting by Thomas Paquette is called “Fox Creek Crossing.” It is an oil on canvas and is on display at the Erie Art Museum as gift of Areta Kaufman. [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

arts & entertainment

“Land of the Turtles” by Thomas Paquette is one of the paintings in his book, “Thomas Paquette: America’s River Re-Explored.” [THOMAS PAQUETTE/ CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

“Distant Arc” by Thomas Paquette is one of the paintings in his book. [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

“Reckoning After the Flood” is one of Thomas Paquette’s paintings in his book, “Thomas Paquette: America’s River Re-Explored.” [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

Paquette also wryly notes that the city sits on the Allegheny River, a tributary of the Mississippi River. One of Paquette’s major paintings from 1990 is also part the Erie Art Museum’s collection after being recently donated by an art collector in Florida. It depicts Nature Conservancy land in California’s Coast Range where Paquette had served for a short time as a naturalist. He says he just saw the 5’ by 5’ painting for the first time since he painted it. Paquette says he has an obvious penchant for painting places where nature rules. The Mississippi River has given him notoriety with 50 solo exhibitions in major art galleries and museums throughout the country. It is also gratifying to him that his work hangs in U.S. embassies around the world. “I am very honored that State Department curators and ambassadors in so many countries have chosen my paintings to help represent American art to their host nations or are brought there as a token of our homeland, a reminder of what makes them proud to be Americans. Of course, I can only guess the deepest reasons they choose my work; but I am just pleased they find resonance enough in my paintings to put them in that position,” Paquette says.

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arts & entertainment

“Fishing Reverie” by Thomas Paquette is one of the paintings in his book “Thomas Paquette: America’s River Re-Explored.” [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

“Claim on Camden” is one of Thomas Paquette’s many paintings from the Mississippi River. [THOMAS PAQUETTE/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO]

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With new vistas calling to him in Warren, Paquette says he may be ready to move on from the Mississippi River, which he first painted in 1985. “I just wanted to see and paint as much of the Mississippi as possible but I don’t know how many more I will do,” he says. “Every place on the planet has its importance. The Mississippi is obviously a great place for barges and is important historically. My work is kind of personal (and it is) not a comprehensive look. I’m not trying to show all the character of the river just what I saw as a painter. Everybody’s view might be different.” Paquette seems to have a larger goal of keeping people from missing the beauty around them. He says he experienced that when talking with residents along the Mississippi River. People didn’t see the river in the same light as they did in earlier times, but that attitude did not come as a surprise to him. “We don’t pay attention to the air we breathe until it’s polluted,” Paquette says with a note of melancholy in his voice. “The point is that we all live in places where we need to pay attention. Edward Hopper said he tried to capture in his paintings that feeling you get when you travel so that when you are looking at a familiar place, you get the feeling that you live in a special place that others might visit. And that’s the essence of what I try to do as well. We should appreciate the things that we have in front of us.” LEL

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escapes

The Abbey of the Genesee, in Piffard, New York, is a retreat that observes rules of silence. [TRILL DREISTADT/ CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS]

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escapes

FIND

SANCTUARY Retreat, restore, reconnect, recharge Story by Trill Dreistadt

ack and Marcia Kelly have toured the United States in search of sanctuaries of worship that offer short-term, overnight accommodations to the public for people seeking a respite from the burdens of life. Their book, “Sanctuaries, The Complete United States: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys and Retreats,” provides a state-by-state description of these places that are home to various religious orders. There are two near Erie that are definitely worth the drive. The brothers of Abbey of the Genesee and Mount Saviour Monastery in New York state honor their code of hospitality and extend warm welcomes to visitors of all religious faiths year-round from across the nation and around the world. Visitors of all ethnicities and ages are often drawn to these places of solitude.

Abbey of the Genesee Nestled in the peaceful countryside along the Genesee River about 150 miles from Erie in the town of Piffard, New York, lies the Abbey of the Genesee, a community of 24 Cistercian monks dedicated to the monastic life of simplicity, meditation and introspection. Brother Anthony, guest master and former novice master of Genesee, has called this abbey home for 60 years and compares the retreat it offers in military terms. “When an army retreats from battle, it withdraws for rest and renewal,” he explains. “We offer a quiet place away from the noisy bombardments of life for contemplation.” The Abbey of the Genesee was established in 1951 when a local couple donated land to the Catholic diocese to build a monastery. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk living in Gethsemani, Kentucky, sent a group of monks to establish the monastery according to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. At the abbey, three separate guesthouses provide simple accommodations. The original monastery, called Bethlehem (“house of bread”), observes the rule of silence and offers single rooms and meals served buffet-style in a lovely dining room. An opening prayer is said and soft music plays during the meal. “Our guests respect this silence that allows them to retreat for a time from the seemingly endless chatter of daily life,” explains Brother Paul. This room is always open and guests can AUGUST 2018

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MOUNT SAVIOUR MONASTERY 231 Monastery Road Pine City, NY 14871 607-734-1699 (1688) www.msaviour.org Cost per night is a donation. The author paid $50 per night. ABBEY OF THE GENESEE 3258 River Road Piffard, NY 14533 585-243-2220 0660 www.geneseeabbey.org Cost per night is a donation. The author paid $65 per night, includes meals. FUN FACTS: Monks’ Bread Created in 1953 by Brother Sylvester, who had the recipe patented Can be purchased at Erie’s Walmart and Wegmans Is made in the Trappist tradition 1 slice of sunﬂower bread contains 35 mg of potassium Monks rise at 2 a.m. three days a week to begin baking bread Berrylicious cranberry bread is 70 calories a slice Developed as a sweet, savory bread because the monks were not allowed to put butter on their bread CITIES IN OHIO WITH MONASTERIES TO VISIT: St. Andrew Svorad Abbey, Cleveland St. Therese’s Retreat Center, Columbus St. Francis Center for Peace and Renewal, Cincinnati The chapel at the Abbey of the Genesee, in Piffard, New York, is a beautiful spot.

help themselves to coffee, delicious sweet treats baked by the very creative Sonia Hulbert, or snacks and beverages in the refrigerator. Mike Sauter, Bethlehem house manager at Genesee, notes that the same groups return year after year to retreat to a place that has no TV, radio, or Wi-Fi, and they can disconnect from cell phones and laptops to get re-centered. 82 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

“People need the solitude and rhythm of a silent, peaceful place where they can retreat and lay down their problem,” Sauter says. “We have a group of Methodist parishioners who have been coming here for a week’s retreat for the past 40 years.” Visitors also come to recharge their energy and just have some fun with the activities available to them. At the Genesee, the Finger Lakes and Letchworth State

escapes

Beautiful countryside surrounds Mount Saviour Monastery.

Park are only miles away and offer plenty of opportunity for recreational play. The Genesee Valley Trail, a 90-mile canal way path running south through their property, is open year round for hiking, biking, horse riding, or cross-country skiing. A lifelong commitment of the monastic life is the monks’ willingness and ability to be self-sustaining. Famous for their delectable Monks’ Bread, these monks at the Genesee turn out an astounding 30,000 loaves a week for the brothers, volunteers, guests and the poor. The monks use their own trucks to distribute 2,000 loaves a week to various points in the community for the needy. Because the bakery is part of the cloisters, or private space in the abbey, only male guests are welcome to try their hand at baking in the kitchen just for the fun of it. Guests of the abbey and visitors from the community regularly visit the abbey’s gift shop to buy quantities of these loaves in whole wheat, multi-grain, maple cinnamon, or Genesee rye. Their robust business has grown to include their own special brand of cranberry orange biscotti, rich fruitcake, Abbot’s Habit or Genesee Valley Sunrise coffee, walnut mango fruit and nut bar, or Asiago cheese crisps — just too delicious to pass up. The gift shop is a bustling stop

for regulars and visitors to warm up to quiet conversation and a cup of savory Jamaican Me Joe. Brother Paul shares from his heart: “There’s a mystical connection here ... a connection with self, God and nature. We have touched thousands of people who, on their journey through life, are in need of a respite to reconnect to what matters most to them.” All visitors are welcome to join the monastic community by participating in any of the seven daily prayer services. The monks lead a rigorous, scheduled daily life that begins with Vigils at 3:30 a.m. and concludes with Compline at 7:30 p.m. Sauter believes guests find comfort in the singing of the Psalms, which “are poems that tell a universal human story.” Mount Saviour Monastery Visitors follow a tree-lined road winding along sheep-dotted pastures to the 1,000-acre property of Mount Saviour Monastery where 12 Benedictine monks, including a visiting monk from Vietnam, also chose a communal life devoted to the mission of prayer, serenity and contemplation. Long before our culture coined the term “mindfulness,” monks have lived with the spirit of the moment and the AUGUST 2018

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escapes appreciation of peaceful meditation to constantly connect with their faith. Brother John, of Mount Saviour, local superior, vocational director, and novice master, shares that people come to the abbey to “reconnect with God and themselves to reflect on their journey in life and the more important questions life poses.” Another reason guests come is to reconnect with what is important to them in their lives. It could be to re-establish a friendship or renew the values of their faith. Perhaps the need is just to listen to their inner voice that reminds them of what really matters. Brother John shares that many of his guests come time and time again to experience restoration in their lives. People have such a need to reclaim, or return to, qualities and values they may have lost or misplaced. “Our guests feel the restorative power of nature and serenity,” Brother John says, “and leave with a renewed sense of having refound something that had

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been valuable in their lives.” Brother Bruno, Mount Saviour librarian and guesthouse manager, shares that morning mass can draw 75-100 visitors from the community. He came to the monastery at age 19 and has made this his home since 1960 because he felt called to join this community and live a life devoted to the Benedictine order. Having grown up in a large family of seven siblings and being familiar with the hard work of a dairy farm, he felt ready to apply himself to the rigors of the monastic life. He greets guests with the energy and hospitality of a man who enjoys meeting all kinds of people. And they leave us, he shares, “with a peacefulness born of a respite in a quiet space where they can experience silence.” A women’s guesthouse called St. Gertrude’s is a charming restored farmhouse where guests can observe Eve Davila, fiber artist, house manager, cook and baker, as she works any of her three looms using the abbey’s wool to

fabricate her stunning creations. And you might be lucky enough to catch a supper featuring her delectable spinach potato soup and cider made from abbey apples. The window-enclosed porch offers spectacular views of rolling hills, forests and the quaint villages below. If you plan a visit in the spring to Mount Saviour, you can observe the monks lambing (about 120 lambs were born this year). Guests can watch Pierre Pratte, a shepherd, care for these sheep and work the wool on his Inkle loom or with his flying needles as he turns out 100 pairs of mittens per year to sell in the abbey’s gift shop. The shearing is accomplished by an amazing woman who shears 125 ewes in two days at the rate of about two and a half minutes per ewe. Those winter coats are flying. Those day-old lambs are so adorable you’ll want to put one in your pocket and take it home. It’s certainly no mystery why people return to these special places time and time again. LEL

lake lore

PUT THE BRAKES ON PLASTIC POLLUTION Story by Pam Parker

Hundreds of plastic bags are the focus of an exhibit at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center called “Plastic Pollution Solution: One Small Change.” [FILE PHOTO CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

e’ve all heard it: plastic water bottles and bags are poisoning our waterways. At the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, 301 Peninsula Drive, an exhibit called “Plastic Pollution Solution: One Small Change” opened June 1. It focuses on what people find at the beach. The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. In a study by Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Mathematical Sciences, co-authors Eric Hittinger and Matthew Hoffman estimated that 22 million pounds of plastic lands in the Great Lakes annually, with Lake Michigan having the highest concentration and Lake Erie having the second highest. The study indicates that plastics are about 80 percent of the litter found on Great Lakes shorelines. More information is coming on this hot topic on Lake Erie. The Carrie T. Watson Garden Club, of Erie, will host the Garden Club of America’s annual flower show Sept. 11-12 at the Marriott Bayfront. The theme, “The Wave of the Future,” incorporates floral design, horticulture, photography and conservation. The program will include topics that advocate protection of the Great Lakes. LEL

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calendar

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a

date! Discover local events and some fun things to do that are worth taking a road trip for this month Compiled by Brenda Martin

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CRAFTS, EATS, FEST Erie's Blues & Jazz Festival: Friday-Sunday, Aug. 3-5; Frontier Park; 26th annual event, now organized by Erie Arts & Culture, features art, food and live music by regional and international artists; rain or shine; this year's festival has also teamed up with the Lake Erie Cyclefest to create a Rhythm and Ride Weekend, featuring six cycling rides Aug. 2-5 around the region. Cost: Free admission. Info: www.erieartsandculture.org. St. Paul's Italian Festival: Aug. 10-12, St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 1617 Walnut St. Authentic Italian cuisine, music, church services, children's activities, procession of the Virgin Mary (Aug. 12) and more in the heart of Erie's Little Italy. Free admission. http:// stpaulrcerie.org. Woofstock: Noon-5 p.m., Aug. 11, Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, 2407 Zimmerly Road. Annual event with children's activities, dog activities, agility demos, gift auction, food, live music and more. $10. www.humanesocietyofnwpa.com.

calendar Erie’s Blues & Jazz Festival will be held in Erie’s Frontier Park, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3-5. [FILE PHOTO GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS]

Catholic Church, 2220 Reed St. Pierogis, games, kids’ area, souvenirs, live music and polka masses (Aug. 25-26). Free shuttle service from the lot at East 34th and Ash streets. Free admission. www. holytrinityrc.org. Beer in the Vineyard: 5-8 p.m., Aug. 25, Arundel Cellars & Brewing Co., 11727 E. Main St., North East. New beer festival featuring samplings from The Brewerie at Union Station, Erie Brewing Co., Erie Ale Works and more local breweries. Live music by First to Eleven and food from Que Abides, The Cluck Truk and The Big Cheese. $25 in advance and $40 at the event. www.arundelcellars.com. Wattsburg-Erie County Fair: Aug. 27-Sept.1, Wattsburg-Erie County Fairgrounds, 13993 Route 8 (Route 89), Venango Township. The 134th annual event featuring tractor pulls, rodeo, circus, games, rides, live entertainment and more. $8 daily gate admission; $10 for weekly button (extra $5 for ride upgrade). http://wattsburgfair.com.

MUSIC

CelebrateErie: Aug. 16-19, downtown Erie. Hometown celebration featuring food, vendors, a Chalk Walk, kid's area and live music on multiple stages. Free admission. www.celebrateerie.com. Crawford County Fair: Aug. 18-25, Crawford County Fairgrounds, 13291 Dickson Road, Meadville. Food, rides, truck and tractor pulls, races, animal and non-livestock exhibits and more. Headliners include Alabama (Aug. 22) and MercyMe with guest Tenth Avenue North (Aug. 23). $8 daily gate admission (children under 5 are free); $5 for daily ride bands; concert and special event tickets vary. www.crawfordcountyfairpa.com. Night Lights Music Festival: Aug. 23-25, The Heron, 2361 Wait Corners Road, Sherman, N.Y. Activities, camping, light installations and three stages of live music. Headliners include Lotus, The Motet and Aqueous. Cost: $65 for one-day pass; $125 pre-sale for weekend passes; parking fee, $20-$40. http://nightlightsfest.com. Zabawa Polish Heritage Festival: Aug. 24-26, Holy Trinity Roman

Thursday in the Park: 7-8:45 p.m., City Park Gazebo, corner of North Center and East Smith streets, Corry. Bring a folding chair, blanket or picnic. Light refreshments for sale. Rain location is the Relevant Church, 100 W. South St. Free admission. www.corryareaartscouncil.com. Aug. 2: Windy River Band Aug. 9: Gem City Concert Band Aug. 16: Radioactive Aug. 23: Mayﬂower Hill 8 Great Tuesdays: 6:30 p.m., Highmark Amphitheater, Liberty Park. Live music, food vendors and more. Bring a chair or blanket for seating (no umbrellas or outside alcoholic beverages). Free shuttle service available from the Erie Intermodal Transportation Center, 208 E. Bayfront Parkway, and the Thomas Hoffman Transportation Hub, West 12th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Free admission. www. porterie.org. Aug. 7: Refuge (opener), Pure Prairie League Aug. 14: The Breeze Band (opener), Wesley Bright & the Honeytones Aug. 21: The Riffriders (opener), Femme Zeppelin (Led Zepplin tribute) Music in the Park: 7-9 p.m., Lake Erie Community Park, 10192 West Lake Road, Lake City. Rain or shine. Bring a folding chair or blanket. Free. 774-4738. Aug. 1: Steppin' Pappy Aug. 8: The Mountain Thyme Ramblers Aug. 15: Tom Beam Downtown Erie Block Parties: 6:30-10:30 p.m., various locations in downtown Erie. Live music, local restaurant specials and more. Rain or shine. Partial proceeds beneﬁt Erie's C.A.R.E. Fund, which will go toward improvements in the downtown area, and other local charities. Free admission. www.eriedowntown.com. Aug. 2: Perry Square; Cosmic Rhythm and Eric Brewer & Friends Aug. 30: Griswold Park; East Ave and The Groove Highmark Mid-Day Art Break series: Noon–1:30 p.m., Erie Art Museum, 411 State St. Live music on the patio and gallery tours at 12:30 and 1 p.m. Free. 459-5477. Aug. 1: The Breeze Band Aug. 8: Bootlegger's Bible Club Aug. 15: Gem City Jazz Ensemble Aug. 22: Erie Phil Wind Quintet Aug. 29: Abby Paulson and Brooke Surgener LEL

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SUMMER SUNSET A paddle boarder glides through the sun’s reﬂection on Lake Erie at Barracks Beach at Presque Isle State Park. [CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/JAY MARTIN]

90 | L A K E E R I E L I F E S T Y L E

AUGUST 2018

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