Good Samaritans return money

Dear Editor:

The people in this community may want to take note of some Good Samaritans in their midst. What recently happened to me just might renew their faith in the human spirit.

Your readers should know about the honesty and generosity recently displayed by an unidentified customer, Gwen and Russ, co-owners of Gwen’s Galley Sandwich Shop in Sandusky, and their staff.

I had a large amount of cash tucked in my checkbook. I was unaware that I had accidently left it at Gwen’s Galley. An unidentified customer gave it to Russ.

Russ brought it to my home - at 10 p.m. It brought me to tears because I hadn’t even realized I’d misplaced it.

In this day and age, one would assume the odds of this happening are slim. The part about the cash being found and returned is remarkable enough, but who would make a delivery like that on their wife’s birthday? Russ would. I thought it was important to take a few minutes to let everyone know.

Jodi Martinez

Peck

Couple appreciates celebration

Dear Editor:

Gary and Marilyn Smigill would like to thank our family, relatives, friends, neighbors and others who made our 50th wedding anniversary celebration a huge success. We cherish every hug, card, prayer, call, visit, gift, lottery ticket and gift card we received.

We want to extend our dear thanks to our loving family: Mike and Lynn Smigill, Michelle and Travis Yager, Mary Jo and Brook Ward, Valerie and C.J. Stolicker, Blair Ward and especially Melanie and Jay Smith. Our family is our most precious gift of all.

Gary and Marilyn Smigill

Deckerville

Support Reach Out and Read

Dear Editor:

Do you remember when you were first able to read? Maybe you recall that your first book was Dick and Jane; perhaps it was something from Dr. Seuss. The title probably didn’t matter and chances are that you don’t recall the actual process.

Reading begins long before a child can actually sound out and identify words in a book. The roots of reading are listening, observing, talking, singing, playing, and everything else that happens in the life of an infant and toddler that prepares him for the day when he will begin school and begin reading. School readiness can be affected by the number and kinds of interactions that encourage language development. Access to books and other print materials in a child’s home can directly influence vocabulary development.

Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by making books a routine part of pediatric primary care. One constant in the lives of over 3000 Sanilac County children, ages 0-5, is their relationship with their primary care physician and our local health department.

At Reach Out and Read sites children receive a new, developmentally appropriate book at each well-child visit, from 6 months to 5 years. In the waiting room of these offices, a literacy-rich environment encourages reading to parents and children. Reach Out and Read can increase the likelihood of school success for these young children. Success in school can equal success in life!

The Physician Assistant Foundation provided seed money to begin a Sanilac County ROR project in 2009 and today there are five locations in our county where children and families can participate in Reach Out and Read: Dr. Afaneh in Deckerville, Dr. Gormley in Croswell, and three locations in Sandusky: Austin Street Clinic, Dr. Kramer, and the Sanilac County Health Department. Today, we are asking Sanilac County residents to help sustain and grow this program that can prepare our children for school, and for life!

You, and your club, church or business, can become a partner in Reach Out and Read by raising funds to purchase books, hosting a book drive, or volunteering to read at a ROR site. There are dozens of ways you can support Reach Out and Read to ensure that every child in Sanilac County arrives at kindergarten ready to read, ready to learn, and ready to succeed. Reading aloud to a child is the single, most effective, strategy for developing critical early reading skills in children and promoting school readiness. Call us for more information on how You can help: Gail Innis, MSU Extension at 810- 648-2515 or Tracy Espinoza, Kids’ Connection at 810-648-0320.

Gail Innis

MSU Extension