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Gail Marie Innis

It has indeed been a very Merry Christmas season for 277 grateful families and their 716 happy children throughout the greater Holly School District area who were recipients of gifts from the 2009 Jacobson/Quinn Toy Project. It seemed that when all of us at Holly Area Youth Assistance (HAYA) thought the additions of names to our list would not end and available supplies of gifts and toys were shrinking, someone would show up to help us. Whether it was donations of gifts, wrapping paper, tape, plastic bags to deliver gifts or money to buy more of these things, we managed to get it done. How do I begin wish thanks to all who pitched in the generosity of time, money and resources that collaboratively came together in teamwork by so many members of our wonderful local communities?

For starters, I am extremely grateful for the HAYA Board Members, volunteers and staff, who coordinated the Jacobson/Quinn Toy Project: Shirley Campbell (2009 Toy Project Chairperson), Tena Alvarado (2009 Toy Project Co-Chairperson),  Pauline Kenner (HAYA President), Margaret Bloom (HAYA Vice-President), Bernice Alexander Phelps (HAYA Secretary and Donations Sorting), Cheri Monette, Chris Silvola and Chuck and Diane Howell (Donation Boxes and Canisters Distribution and Collection), Barb Myers (Volunteer Recruitment), Cathy Disbrow (Delivery Routing Coordinator), Fred Morden and Steve and Mary Grover (Delivery Preparations) and Karyn Willis (Office Secretary and database diva).  

Especially during these challenging economic times, HAYA is appreciative of the ongoing funding sponsorship provided by its sponsors: Holly Area School District, the Townships of Groveland, Holly, Rose and Springfield, the Village of Holly and the Oakland County Circuit Court – Family Division (through its budgeted funds from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners).  Without HAYA’s Sponsors, the organization would not be here to help so many children, youth and their families, all year around with its various programs

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Amy Mayhew

Talking to my 12-year old daughter is like talking to another middle-aged person.  As an only child, we’ve never talked down to her or used “baby” words. Nope, and it probably helps to explain why Jessica is oftentimes more comfortable talking to adults than to kids her own age.

Truth is, she began jabbering well before her first birthday. By the age of 2, she was asking all kinds of questions, including wondering about the several smoke detectors we have scattered throughout our house.

“Those are Santa Cams,” I remember telling my inquisitive daughter. Entrenched in her “terrible twos,” I sought refuge in the tale that our “Santa Cams” would catch even the slightest behavioral infraction. While my well-meaning deceit may have assisted in producing a better behaved child, it also caused a little yuletide paranoia that I will never forget.

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Holly Area School bus drivers ...

Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks yet to come. The “Indian Summer” weather has many children thinking about playing outdoors during the warm fall afternoons with thoughts about Christmas far from their minds. Things are quite different for Santa’s elves at Holly Area Youth Assistance (HAYA). HAYA volunteers are already busy getting ready for Christmas helping the Jacobson/Quinn Toy Project. The hustle and bustle of preparing toy drive drop boxes and donation canisters crinkle and rattle in the conference and break rooms in the rear of the Karl Richter Campus Building. The drop boxes and canisters are being places in businesses and public places throughout Holly, Davisburg and the surrounding school district area.

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Vera Hogan

The outcome of a lawsuit, filed on Oct. 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Tony Mayhew, president of the Holly Board of Education and Kent Barnes, superintendent for Holly Area Schools, will be interesting to say the least.

I have read the entire complaint, filed by Katharine Smith, the mother of a Patterson Elementary School student on behalf of her child many times and quite frankly, I am of the opinion that this whole thing has been blown out of proportion and could have been handled in such a way – by both parties - that filing a lawsuit may not have been the end result.

In her complaint, Ms. Smith alleges that in June her child was denied by his teacher the opportunity to distribute flyers, inviting students to a Christian youth summer camp at Cornerstone Church. She claims this action is a violation of the first and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and a violation of Articles 1 and 4 of the Michigan Constitution.