Geneva doctor makes it a good holiday
I've helped at the TriCity Family Services office in the past by hauling the Thanksgiving gift baskets out to the cars of families in need of help during the holidays.
It's another great service provided by this social service agency, and I can attest to the generosity of those who donate items for the baskets — they are stocked full.
Once such donor deserves specials thanks. Dr. David Ginsberg of Ginsberg Chiropractic has donated a turkey to each client family since 1994, the year he opened his clinic in Geneva.
The agency's Adopt-a-Family program matches community donors with the needs of client families, and Ginsberg has adopted plenty over the years.
This year alone, the program served 46 area families, including 84 adults and 112 children.
Some extra inspiration
One thing that is so much fun about the “Dancing with the Geneva Stars” event is that it inspires people to get out of their comfort zone. In this case, it is all about hitting the dance floor.
But there's a little extra inspiration this year when considering that two contestants — Jane Cladis and Ralph Dantino — are cancer survivors.
Jane will be dancing the elegant waltz with her husband Peter, while Ralph and his wife Nancy will perform the high-energy swing at the Feb. 5 fundraiser.
Neither wanted special attention thrown their way, but both agreed that it could be uplifting for those who are going through cancer treatments now to see that it is very possible to have a life — and a lot of fun — after they are through their ordeals.
“When I was going through the treatments, I would ask myself if I would ever be normal again,” Cladis said of her breast cancer treatments and resulting double mastectomy three years ago. “But I saw cancer survivors who were in walks and runs, and I started to tell myself that I could make it, that I can get better.”
Cladis is now an ambassador for the LivingWell Cancer Resource Center.
An odd Eve
It was an odd New Year's Eve last Friday when you could spot people in winter coats walking on the same trail in Fabyan Forest Preserve with runners who donned only T-shirts and shorts.
Then, of course, it was bitter cold on New Year's Day. If you enjoy living in this area, you generally like the change in seasons. We had a good dose in one weekend to ring in the New Year.
No smooth ride
The change in temperature does a number on our roads, as we officially enter pothole season. Fabyan Parkway is a good measuring stick. The newly paved section is a smooth ride, but as you get near Kirk Road it becomes so bumpy that your car starts to feel like a pirate ship bobbing and weaving across the ocean.
A barren area?
Congressman Randy Hultgren made an interesting comment the other day. If they are able to, he said, people are moving away from high-tax regions to those with lower taxes.
If that is true, how long before the Tri-Cities area is barren?
• dheun@sbcglobal.net