It’s unbelievable to me that more Summit County low-income elderly, disabled and military veteran homeowners haven’t taken advantage of Heat the Town 2011. The program is in its seventh year and sponsored by Rebuilding Together Greater Cuyahoga Valley, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (Akron-Canton chapter), the Cleveland Housing Network, the city of Akron and Summit County. It provides free furnace checks, new filters, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and, in a number of cases, on-the-spot repairs.One hundred slots were offered for Oct. 1 on a first-come, first-served basis. That information was prominently featured in my Sept. 22 column. Imagine my surprise when Paul C. Holm, executive director of Rebuilding Together, notified me this week that 40 slots remain. So if you can’t afford to pay to have your furnace inspected, you need to get with this program, providing you’re eligible, by calling 330-773-4100 right away. Do it today, folks. Or email info@rebuildingtogether-sc.org“Getting your furnace checked each year before the weather gets cold is one of the most important things you can do to save energy, prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, extend the life of the furnace, and even save a life,” Holm said. “Over the last six years, more than 500 homeowners have been served. In many cases, certified service technicians have discovered serious problems which required furnaces to be shut down or replaced.”Lynne Black is executive director of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (Akron-Canton chapter), which provides volunteer certified service technicians, service trucks, donated furnace parts and more. She said this effort “strives to be part of the problem-solving initiative with this project.” By supporting this event, we are giving back to the communities where we have prospered,” Black said. “The joy it brings to those who volunteer and support this effort is indescribable.”And there’s this:“We will do furnace checks for mobile homeowners,” Holm said. “But we are limited in what we can do after the event.”So, again, get busy calling to qualify for this very special blessing.Benefit concertThe congregation at Chapel Hill Church (of the Christian and Missionary Alliance), 1160 Howe Ave., Cuyahoga Falls, is hosting a benefit concert at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 to help defray medical costs the family of 13-year-old Ashlee Provchy has incurred.Ashlee was diagnosed June 14, 2010, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).Church spokeswoman Anne Robinson said Ashlee has completed her chemotherapy and is on a maintenance regimen, seeing her doctor once a month.The concert is free but donations are urged.Angel Food disbandsAngel Food Ministries, the Georgia-based Christian organization that distributed groceries on a monthly basis at greatly discounted prices, has fallen on tough economic times and is disbanding.AFM had distribution centers in local Akron churches and had been able to provide groceries at roughly half the price at stores.Memory WalkFamily and friends of William Bohnak will participate on his behalf in the annual Alzheimer’s Memory Walk on Oct. 1 at Blossom Music Center. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.The 20-year-old Cuyahoga Falls man left on Aug. 1 to walk across the country, raising funds and awareness about this devastating disease and asking for our collective support. William and his friends organized a charity, a Journey for the Memories, in memory of his grandmother, who died of Alzheimer’s. Learn more about William’s walk at www.ajourneyfor
thememories.com“He [Williams] survived Hurricane Irene in Philadelphia, joined the nation in remembering 9/11 in New York City and is currently on his way to Rhode Island and the New England states,” his mother, Marti Bohnak, wrote.Donations for Alzheimer’s research are greatly appreciated. For information, please email mbohnak@mbsenvision.com.Transplant scheduledA heartfelt thank-you to all who turned out to support Stow resident Tom Mayer at a dinner and auction to assist with medical bills.Mayer, 52, diagnosed when he was 15 with Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes, is in need of a kidney and pancreas transplant.Mayer’s cousin, Kathy Major, told me: “The fundraiser was a great success. It raised $22,000 to help defray ongoing medical costs. The best news is that a donor has been identified and Tom is scheduled for a transplant at the Cleveland Clinic on Oct. 12.” Just thought you’d like to hear some good news.NAMI walkThe National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) walk is set for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 1 at Munroe Falls Metro Park, 521 S. River Road, Munroe Falls, with a lineup of people dressed as famous folks who had a history of dealing with serious mental illnesses: President Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven, Ernest Hemingway, Patty Duke, Michelangelo and others.Interested in helping NAMI help its clients, our neighbors? Please email Ron Rett at
ronrett@roadrunner.com.Good yarnKudos to Sharon Shockey of Akron who called to donate three large Tupperware tubs of yarn to 90-year-old Ann Bialy, featured in a recent column for knitting caps and scarves for children in the care of Summit County Children Services. Bialy, extraordinarily prolific in her craft, recently sent over a huge box of her creative headgear earmarked for the children.Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or emailed at jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.