Get to know MPS Superintendent Becky Jones as she looks ahead to the new school year Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Becky Jones said she has always had a passion for wanting to work in education. Even though her master’s degree is in business from Spring Arbor University, Jones originally went to school at Eastern Michigan University to be a special education teacher when she was an undergraduate before making the switch to the business field. “I always wanted to work in some sort of line in education and be a part of the school system,” Jones said. “My aunt was a special education teacher in an early childhood role and she worked for Jackson ISD. That was part of the reason why I wanted to go to school to be a special education teacher when I started. I ended up changing and I’m not 100% sure why I changed, but it’s interesting that I ended up into the system in the career path of doing that.” After Jones graduated from EMU, she landed a job in Jackson as a business manager for a construction company before being hired at Jackson County Intermediate School District in business operations. Jones has been in the school system ever since her time at Jackson County ISD before coming over to Marshall Public Schools, where she served as the director of business operations for the district for eight years. Jones said the relationships she built over the eight years in that role has helped her transition into the superintendent role. “I think with how I am as a leader and how I am as a person, I like to build a lot of personal relationships,” said Jones. “So I think that’s just something that has come natural for me over the eight years, I’ve just always built really good relationships with the people that I work with. I care about the people, I care about families, I care about our students. It didn’t seem unnatural for me to fill into the role of interim, because it was something I wanted to do.” Jones was appointed interim superintendent in May 2021 after the departure of former Superintendent Randy Davis. After eight months, the Marshall Public Schools Board of Education unanimously agreed to hire Jones into the permanent role. When reflecting on when she officially was hired into the permanent role, Jones commended the many who have supported her during the process and said she feels honored to now be serving in the role. “I think that educating people’s children and educating our youth is a very important role,” said Jones. “It’s an honor and a blessing in how I look at it.” Jones added that she is driven and inspired by being able to serve two communities, being students and families in both Marshall and Albion. “When I look at the district as a whole, I look at it as serving two communities,” Jones said. “Obviously we have an interesting history as a school system with bringing Albion into the system and serving both Albion and Marshall. That to me alone, just having the two communities that we get to serve, is a wonderful thing. Both communities have a lot to offer when you look at it. There are a lot of great people, leaders and businesses that are really supportive of the school system and really supportive of our kids. That’s one of the many benefits of this role.” Jones added she is also inspired by being able to serve the students as a whole and being able to interact with them and the teachers who are involved in their learning development. “Also the kids and the interaction with the kids. We get to go out to buildings and interact with the kids and interact with the teachers,” Jones added. “We have a wonderful staff in the district. When I look at the role, I don’t look at it as a superintendent role, I look at it as ‘I get to work with these amazing people who work for Marshall Public Schools and I get to meet all of these wonderful community members.’” In a March article from the Battle Creek Enquirer, former Board President Richard Lindsey acknowledged Jones played a key role in the annexation of the Albion School District and Marshall Public Schools in 2016. Jones further explained how she was involved in that process. “I walked alongside Dr. Davis when annexation happened,” she said. “I sat in all the meetings, went through all the financials and worked on all those things and what it would look like. So I was right alongside working through the annexation piece of it. Through annexation, there were a lot of people that care about both communities and about wanting to make sure that all of our kids have equal opportunity and equal access to good education. To me, in my eyes, that’s the one thing that matters, is equal access to kids for education.” As superintendent, there are both challenges ahead for Jones along with some things that she is excited about in terms of plans the district is implementing going into the school year. “I’m really excited about our strategic plan,” Jones said. “I think it’s really important for organizations to have a vision for what they are working towards. And I think that we’ve clearly written out what our vision is as an organization. I’m really looking forward to putting that in place.” As far as challenges go, Jones brought up being able to educate students in a post-pandemic world and focusing on providing support for students and families on what they need to further their education in light of all the disruptions that took place in schools during the past two years. “I think we still have a lot of challenges post pandemic when we’re looking at children and we’re looking at education,” Jones said. “We as a district need to sit down and focus on where our kids are at and where we need our kids to be in terms of education. So, I think for this year it’s really going to be a huge focus on what support we can give our families and the things we can do to really get our kids educated and where they need to be in a post pandemic world.” Another challenge in Jones’ eyes is how to put a new bond on the table and how to get community members to support one this time around. Last November, a $45.6 million bond was voted down by a 2 to 1 margin. She also mentioned the school’s sinking fund millage that she said will be on the ballot for voters this November. “We have $75 million worth of needs,” said Jones. “We obviously had a failed bond attempt and those needs haven’t gone away. So we’re going to have to go back out to the community in looking at a bond and (figure out) what we need to do. We need to sit down and talk about where we’re at with that. Another thing is with our sinking fund millage. That is set to expire and we’re going to be putting a renewal on the November ballot. It is a renewal but it’s not going to be worded as a renewal, because we’re going to add in security and technology services for that. So we’re really going to have to get out there and communicate effectively with the communities about that.” When Jones’ time is done at MPS, whenever that may be, she said she just hopes for both communities to look at the school district and be proud of what it represents. “I want both communities to be proud of their school system,” she said. “I want Marshall Public Schools serving both Marshall and Albion communities and for it to be a choice district for those communities. I want them to be proud of the work we do here and how we educate their kids.”

Get to know MPS Superintendent Becky Jones as she looks ahead to the new school year Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Becky Jones said she has always had a passion for wanting to work in education. Even though her master’s degree is in business from Spring Arbor University, Jones originally went to school at Eastern Michigan University to be a special education teacher when she was an undergraduate before making the switch to the business field. “I always wanted to work in some sort of line in education and be a part of the school system,” Jones said. “My aunt was a special education teacher in an early childhood role and she worked for Jackson ISD. That was part of the reason why I wanted to go to school to be a special education teacher when I started. I ended up changing and I’m not 100% sure why I changed, but it’s interesting that I ended up into the system in the career path of doing that.” After Jones graduated from EMU, she landed a job in Jackson as a business manager for a construction company before being hired at Jackson County Intermediate School District in business operations. Jones has been in the school system ever since her time at Jackson County ISD before coming over to Marshall Public Schools, where she served as the director of business operations for the district for eight years. Jones said the relationships she built over the eight years in that role has helped her transition into the superintendent role. “I think with how I am as a leader and how I am as a person, I like to build a lot of personal relationships,” said Jones. “So I think that’s just something that has come natural for me over the eight years, I’ve just always built really good relationships with the people that I work with. I care about the people, I care about families, I care about our students. It didn’t seem unnatural for me to fill into the role of interim, because it was something I wanted to do.” Jones was appointed interim superintendent in May 2021 after the departure of former Superintendent Randy Davis. After eight months, the Marshall Public Schools Board of Education unanimously agreed to hire Jones into the permanent role. When reflecting on when she officially was hired into the permanent role, Jones commended the many who have supported her during the process and said she feels honored to now be serving in the role. “I think that educating people’s children and educating our youth is a very important role,” said Jones. “It’s an honor and a blessing in how I look at it.” Jones added that she is driven and inspired by being able to serve two communities, being students and families in both Marshall and Albion. “When I look at the district as a whole, I look at it as serving two communities,” Jones said. “Obviously we have an interesting history as a school system with bringing Albion into the system and serving both Albion and Marshall. That to me alone, just having the two communities that we get to serve, is a wonderful thing. Both communities have a lot to offer when you look at it. There are a lot of great people, leaders and businesses that are really supportive of the school system and really supportive of our kids. That’s one of the many benefits of this role.” Jones added she is also inspired by being able to serve the students as a whole and being able to interact with them and the teachers who are involved in their learning development. “Also the kids and the interaction with the kids. We get to go out to buildings and interact with the kids and interact with the teachers,” Jones added. “We have a wonderful staff in the district. When I look at the role, I don’t look at it as a superintendent role, I look at it as ‘I get to work with these amazing people who work for Marshall Public Schools and I get to meet all of these wonderful community members.’” In a March article from the Battle Creek Enquirer, former Board President Richard Lindsey acknowledged Jones played a key role in the annexation of the Albion School District and Marshall Public Schools in 2016. Jones further explained how she was involved in that process. “I walked alongside Dr. Davis when annexation happened,” she said. “I sat in all the meetings, went through all the financials and worked on all those things and what it would look like. So I was right alongside working through the annexation piece of it. Through annexation, there were a lot of people that care about both communities and about wanting to make sure that all of our kids have equal opportunity and equal access to good education. To me, in my eyes, that’s the one thing that matters, is equal access to kids for education.” As superintendent, there are both challenges ahead for Jones along with some things that she is excited about in terms of plans the district is implementing going into the school year. “I’m really excited about our strategic plan,” Jones said. “I think it’s really important for organizations to have a vision for what they are working towards. And I think that we’ve clearly written out what our vision is as an organization. I’m really looking forward to putting that in place.” As far as challenges go, Jones brought up being able to educate students in a post-pandemic world and focusing on providing support for students and families on what they need to further their education in light of all the disruptions that took place in schools during the past two years. “I think we still have a lot of challenges post pandemic when we’re looking at children and we’re looking at education,” Jones said. “We as a district need to sit down and focus on where our kids are at and where we need our kids to be in terms of education. So, I think for this year it’s really going to be a huge focus on what support we can give our families and the things we can do to really get our kids educated and where they need to be in a post pandemic world.” Another challenge in Jones’ eyes is how to put a new bond on the table and how to get community members to support one this time around. Last November, a $45.6 million bond was voted down by a 2 to 1 margin. She also mentioned the school’s sinking fund millage that she said will be on the ballot for voters this November. “We have $75 million worth of needs,” said Jones. “We obviously had a failed bond attempt and those needs haven’t gone away. So we’re going to have to go back out to the community in looking at a bond and (figure out) what we need to do. We need to sit down and talk about where we’re at with that. Another thing is with our sinking fund millage. That is set to expire and we’re going to be putting a renewal on the November ballot. It is a renewal but it’s not going to be worded as a renewal, because we’re going to add in security and technology services for that. So we’re really going to have to get out there and communicate effectively with the communities about that.” When Jones’ time is done at MPS, whenever that may be, she said she just hopes for both communities to look at the school district and be proud of what it represents. “I want both communities to be proud of their school system,” she said. “I want Marshall Public Schools serving both Marshall and Albion communities and for it to be a choice district for those communities. I want them to be proud of the work we do here and how we educate their kids.”

In February of 1921, while what would eventually become the Marshall Country Club was being organized, 70 acres on the south shore of Lyon Lake was purchased for the golf course. That summer was spent by members raking stones, tearing down fences and leveling off and cleaning land while Harold C. Brooks, the club’s first president, hired golf architect Tom Bendelow of Chicago to help design the course. The following year, Brooks erected the club house that was planned by his architect friend Howard Young of Kalamazoo. A breezeway connected the club house with a pro shop and the country club was up and running. There have been a few changes made to Marshall Country Club over time, including the course being renovated into an 18-hole course from a nine-hole course in 1972. But 100 years later, the country club is still serving area golfers, with numerous events on tap as MCC celebrates its centennial year. Director of Communications Nancy Card said she believes Marshall Country Club’s ability to adapt over time has allowed the golf course to stay open even during ever-changing times. “It (country clubs) used to be much more formal,” said Card. “It used to be the ‘good ol' boys club.’ It used to be a high stakes kind of a thing. And now, through the evolution of all of these years, it’s interesting to me to see how creative we’ve had to become in order to continue to operate in the new world. It’s so different and we can’t operate like we used to back then. Just watching the changes and the evolution and how things have made us who we are today, that’s very important. And it’s so exciting to see how people are consumed with this. They really love our country club.” According to a 2019 article from Business Insider , country club memberships dropped 20% from 1990 to 2014. The number of clubs are also diminishing, as there were over 5,000 member-owned full-service golf and country clubs in the U.S., according to the article. By 2017, that number had fallen to about 3,900. MCC used to be a strictly private country club, but over time has morphed into a quasi-private, quasi-public course, with a restaurant, Lyon Lake Grill, that is open to the public. Feef Dillon, a member of the centennial celebration committee, said offering a warm environment has been one of the main keys to making the country club a successful operation. “I think we have to have a welcoming environment that welcomes all walks of life,” said Dillon. “Female, low and high income, we have to make it affordable for people to want to be here and make it worth their while and offer activities that are appealing to people. Long gone are the days where you could write off your country club membership. It used to be that companies would foot the bill. That’s no longer the case. Now we have to find ways (to gain members) and the relationships make it happen.” Tom Duffey, an MCC Board member and past club president, added it’s not only the friendships that are created, but the community environment that has made the country club a special place for him and many others. “This is a great place for family activities,” Duffey said. “We have both Marshall golf teams here, Homer golf teams, Albion College, Olivet College. I brought my kids out to play and now I’m bringing my grandkids out to play. It’s just a friendly, nice place to bring kids. You’ll see a bunch of kids out here hitting balls. It’s just a nice place to come out to.” The COVID-19 pandemic brought tough times to many businesses across the country, and MCC was no exception. House Manager Sarah Coco has been at MCC for four years and said while there have been some difficult times to get through, she did not ever want to leave because of her passion for the country club and seeing how much it matters to so many people she interacts with. “This is my first time working at a country club and it is different than any other restaurant, bar or hospitality place that I’ve ever worked at,” said Coco. “It was pretty challenging during COVID in that situation to get creative with how to be open, how to serve the members. It was a struggle, a huge struggle. You kind of step back and think ‘why am I doing this? You could go anywhere right now and get a job.’ But for me, I can’t do that because this place just means so much to so many people that it becomes special to you.” Vicki Knickerbocker, another member of the centennial celebration committee and MCC member said the country club is special to her in many ways, from building friendships to simply giving her and her husband a hobby. “I think it’s very important for both myself and my husband because it gives us something to do,” Knickerbocker said. “We could be working in our yard or doing something (else), but we’re outside and it’s beautiful out here. My husband is out here (frequently). I’m here maybe a couple days a week, but if it wasn't here where (would we be)?” To date, MCC has held monthly celebrations to honor its centennial year. On Aug. 13, two golf tournaments and a dinner will be held at the country club. The first tournament of the day is for current and past members only and will begin at 8:30 a.m., while the second tournament—a four-person scramble, is open to anyone and is set for an approximate 1:30 p.m. start time. Both tournaments have limited spots available. The centennial dinner is open to the public and tickets are currently on sale. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets can contact MCC. There will also be a raffle drawing that event organizers hope will be held that night, where ticket holders will have a chance to win a variety of prizes, with the top prize being a free membership to the country club. MCC will conclude its celebrations on Oct. 1 with “100 years of fun” and standup comedian Dave Dyer, an event that will also be open to the public. “We want people to know that we are celebrating, why we are celebrating and that we invite them to come and celebrate with us,” Card said.

Jerry Sacharski was a recreation league director in Albion who pioneered T-ball as an organized youth sport in 1956 because he couldn’t stand to turn away young children with the desire to play baseball. Sacharski passed away in February of 2009, but his memory has lived on, which was apparent on June 25 when well over 100 community members came together at Tee-Ball Garden in Albion, where a new T-ball statue and historic plaque was unveiled under the leadership of the Restore Our Coke Sign: Bring Art and History Downtown campaign team. Many of Sacharski’s former players and their families were present to celebrate the event, along with members of the Sacharski family, including Jerry’s three sons—David, Michael and William. Following the ceremony, current T-ball players played a short game in Victory Park near Hannah Street, which was followed by an “Old-Timers” game. John Sims, one of Sacharski’s former players who spoke at the ceremony, expressed appreciation for his former coach and the impact he left on him and many others who played for him growing up. “I go down to that field and I can see him (Sacharski),” Sims said. “I think everyone who played “pee-wee” ball with him remembers him. We have very few people in our lives as young people who make a mark like that. I’m 70 years old and I still remember that guy with very great kindness. He was good to us.” Sims also cited a 1960 T-ball exhibition game, when Sacharski took him and other pee wee players to Michigan State University to put the sport on display in front of a TV audience as the game was videotaped by a local television station. In 2000, the video was accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N.Y. Sacharski was also a teacher with Albion Public Schools for nearly three decades. His son David said his father was great at teaching the fundamentals of the game and brought his teaching qualities to the baseball field. “My dad wanted the kids to learn the fundamentals of baseball while playing T-ball, which was sometimes called pee wee ball,” said David. “Notice the word ‘fun’ in fundamentals. He wanted the kids to have fun and at the same time, learn basic skills. Being a teacher, he made T-ball a classroom activity on grass.” William, another of the three Sacharski sons, said he was one of the original 60 T-ball players in Albion. He remembers the summer of 1956 when “everything changed” in terms of how the game of baseball was played when he was a young boy. “The whole game that we played changed,” said William. “As a 7-year-old kid, we actually got to go up to bat and we actually got to hit the ball (instead of getting walked or striking out). You could take a stance and that ball was sitting there on the tee and you could just kind of drive through it. There were no free passes, there were no strikeouts. Every play, something happened. Just like Dave said, after a while, your fundamentals and your skills (improve) because you’re not standing around.” Michael is the oldest of the Sacharski boys and said he was an umpire during the first T-ball game in June of 1956. He thanked everyone who showed up to the event and commended all who helped his father make the sport successful. He told a story about his father after Jerry retired from school teaching when he was in Hawaii that embodied the type of person and coach Jerry was. “I think the second spring he was there, he ambled up to the park that was near our home, because they were staying in our home,” Michael said. “And he ambled up in the park, and in Hawaii they have springtime youth baseball. He was sitting around on a picnic table watching how teams were practicing on the various fields and he did that a few times. Finally, one of the coaches of one of the teams—the players would have been T-ball players here, but they had (the pitcher) throw the ball, they don’t hit it off the tee—the coach said ‘I’ve seen you here, do you know anything about baseball? Would you like to help coach?’ And he said ‘yes, I will do that.’ The name of the team was the Padres, and they were already 0-3 and by the end of the season, they were I think about 12-3 and took the championship. He never told anybody who he was or where he came from. And to this day, the coaches, the players, the parents—have no idea who this guy was.” Janet Domingo and Linda Kolmodin lead the Coca-Cola team and led the effort for the new plaque and statue at the Tee-Ball Garden. The garden is a cooperative venture with the Calhoun County Land Bank and Albion Community Foundation. Money was raised for these art installations and additional landscape improvements through a matching Patronicity campaign through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, according to a press release that ran in the ad-visor in the June 25 edition. Donated funds were held by an Albion Community Foundation. Other completed projects included the iconic Coca-Cola sign restoration and the new Malleable Mural celebrating Albion’s long foundry history.  “This is the completion of our three (main) projects,” said Domingo. “Many years ago, when I was working at the hospital, I made a video about Albion. I named it, ‘Small Town, Big Heart.’ Well, the town’s a bit smaller (now), but it hasn’t changed. As a result of a very successful campaign, we were able to continue with our goal to bring art and history downtown. We’re not quite done yet. We have a couple other small projects in the works. Thanks again to everyone and to everyone who supported us.”

After 26 years in education, Harrington Elementary School teacher Deb Seely’s teaching career has come to a close. Seely’s career was honored during a ceremony inside of Harrington’s gymnasium on June 3, where multiple other teachers were also celebrated and given awards for their hard work and dedication to students this past school year. Seely started her teaching career at Caldwell Elementary School in Albion and bounced back-and-forth between Caldwell and Harrington before going to teach at Albion High School for a few years. Then, when Marshall Public Schools merged with Albion Public Schools, Seely went back to Harrington to finish her career in education. During the June 3 event, when Seely’s name was called to the front so she could accept her certificate of appreciation, the entire room gave her a standing ovation to pay respect to the time she has given over her career as an educator. Seely said it felt great to have her peers and other community members in the room to honor her and other teachers for their overall dedication. “It was wonderful to have everybody here,” said Seely. “It was great to see my old principals and just to see everybody. Teaching is hard. To do a good job, you’re starting in the early morning hours before the kids get here, and sometimes an hour after. And there’s no such thing as a real summer vacation, I was here working all summer. So I’m looking forward to having a summer of not getting papers ready for next year.” After over two and a half decades of teaching, Seely met and interacted with a lot of different people, from faculty, students, parents and many other people during her career. Looking back, she said she will cherish the memories she has with the students of classes she taught. “It’s great walking in the community, I see kids (I used to teach) all the time who say, ‘hey Ms. Seely.’ And I’ll have to tell them, ‘tell me your name’ because they’ve changed so much. I took this group of kids to the Nature Center this year, and this young man walks past me as I’m saying (to the students), ‘sit down and raise your hand if you’re ready for a snack.’ And he wheels around and goes, ‘I think you were my first grade teacher.’ And he tells me his name and I go, ‘yep, I remember you!’ I find it amazing they can remember their first grade teacher and remember all of the cool stuff we used to do. It’s fun to see former students.” As Seely parts with Harrington Elementary, she said she wishes the best for future students and staff. Albion community leaders have pushed the proposal of a brand new elementary school, which was part of a $45.5 million bond proposed by Marshall Public Schools that was voted down by a 2-1 margin last November. Seely said she supports a new elementary school being built in Albion, a city which hasn’t seen a new school facility since 1967. “I would love to see a new elementary, preferably up by the opportunity school, '' Seely said. “I would just love to see a building. That would be my dream for the district. “I want to see the teachers have a wonderful place to teach. A new school would bring more people into the school system, so I’m looking forward to seeing that happen.” As far as Seely’s personal journey goes, she is looking forward to a retirement filled with many adventures and different activities. “Enjoying the summer, going hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, camping, traveling,” Seely said about what she is looking forward to. Seely’s late husband, who was a professor at Albion College, passed away two years ago. She said it would be hard going on some of those adventures without him, but has her sister to accompany her on some of her journeys. “I’m going to get to see friends I haven’t gotten to see in forever,” said Seely. “(I will get to visit) my family and his family. 

Last year, Marshall’s Fountain Clinic we saw about 1,000 unduplicated patients for a total of 2,800 visits. Compared to about a decade ago, the number of patients have dropped but that is not necessarily a bad thing, said Fountain Clinic Executive Director Mary Jo Byrne. “Actually, things are better due to the Affordable Health Care Act,” said Byrne, who has been executive director since December 2007. “The ACA expanded Medicaid which covered millions more people if you live in an expansion state which Michigan is. It also established the insurance marketplace for those that make too much money for Medicaid. “Even though the premiums are less, there are still folks that fall through the cracks. To give you a perspective our numbers dropped by one-third after 2014. We also help our patients to qualify for the ACA.” The Fountain Clinic opened its doors on May 6,1992 and the clinic recently marked its 30th anniversary. The clinic was the idea of Dr. James Maher, and Byrne remembers how in early 1992, Maher approached her and the core group of individuals who would become part of the clinic's genesis. "We were all at Oaklawn Hospital at the time,” said Byrne, explaining that the “we" included nurses Patty Kellogg and Lee Sherman, along with Dr. Maher's wife Marcia Maher and Kathleen Lambrix, whose husband David was also a physician with Oaklawn. “I was in social work and Dr. Maher came to all of us and said he had this idea for a free clinic for those who are low income and uninsured,” said Byrne. “He wanted to run the idea by us and see what we thought.” Byrne said Maher was looking to pattern the idea of a Marshall clinic after the Nursing Clinic in Battle Creek. "So, we all got together that January and February in his waiting room because we didn't have anywhere else to meet and he presented his experiences with patients,” she said. Maher wrote letters to local doctors asking them if they would participate if there was such a clinic in Marshall. The group would meet every couple of weeks and the Nursing Clinic also sent a representative. Joe Carver, then head of the Calhoun County Health Department, also started attending those meetings and offering his support. "Joe also felt there was a strong need for such a clinic,” said Byrne. "He was renting the house where the hospital parking ramp is now. It was called the old Tanner House and Joe was renting that as a Health Department office. He said he would give us space there to see patients.” Byrne said that the thought was that in 1992, with Bill Clinton running for office with an idea for a national health program on his agenda, that a free clinic for those without insurance would be a “short-lived endeavor,” and now, 30 years later, the need for the Fountain Clinic is as important as ever. Byrne says the concept at the Fountain Clinic remains the same as it was from day one. Doctors are asked to volunteer a couple of hours each month in a clinic setting to see low income/ uninsured patients. "The difference back then was that we had no idea that the need was going to be as great as it was,” said Byrne. "So, we ended up hiring a nurse practitioner to see patients three days a week as well as three part time nurses as the demand grew.” Byrne says the group initially believed this was an operation they could pull off with all volunteers. "Well, it didn't take us long to figure out that wasn't going to work, and we hired Marcy Stead to help run the clinic and assist the doctors,” said Byrne. That first year, 449 patients came through the doors of the new Fountain Clinic. Five years later, that number had doubled, and in 2000, more than 2.200 patients were seen. And as the years went by the numbers continued to grow. "The big spike in patients being seen came following the recession in 2008 and that really changed many things for a lot of people,” said Byrne. "They lost the jobs with the benefits.” Between 2009 and 2013, the clinic averaged more than 5,200 patient visits a year. As Byrne stated, a dip occurred once the Affordable Care Act took hold along Medicaid expansion with the clinic seeing approximately 3,500 patients a year between 2014-16. Today, the clinic is available to more in the community. “We’re seeing patients, both medical and dental,” said Byrne. “Dental has become a very large program because of so many people being enrolled in the Medicaid expansion program, but dental is big. We’ve also been administering COVID vaccines here and we still have our monthly blood pressure checks (first Friday of the month, 9-11 a.m.) open to the community.” Byrne said overall, the clinic has not changed much over the years. “But we are going to raise the income level to come in here to up to 300% (instead of 250% - for a single person, an annual income just over $38,000) of the poverty level,” she said. “That will allow us to start taking care of more people, especially the working folks who just can’t afford healthcare. This is a significant jump. That sounds like a lot but given inflation and people working at minimum wage or close to it, a lot of people are going to need help.” The clinic’s largest fundraiser of the year had always been the Night at The Louvre event held at Tom Franke’s Oak Hill estate. This year’s event has been renamed Picnic at The Louvre and will again take place at Oak Hill on Friday, June 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. To RSVP, call the clinic at 269-789-0410. Franke passed away in March, but the Franke hold the event at Oak Hill this year. Byrne said this year’s event will have more of a picnic feel to it with checkered tablecloths, box lunches provided by Schuler’s and a silent auction. A live auction will no longer be held. “I’m hoping people will come out and have a good time,” said Byrne. “The event is outdoors, and we are very conscious about safety regarding COVID. Last year we had about 200 people and we are expecting that number for this year. We have 65 items so far in the silent auction.” The highest value once again this year is the trip to England for seven days at one of two Abacus Hotels, coming in at a value $3,000 with a minimum bid of $2,000. To see the list of auction items, go to fountainclinic.org. The Louvre event usually raises about $45,000 for the clinic. “This clinic has touched just about everybody in this community in some way – as a patient, volunteer or donor,” said Byrne. “This is a true community organization.” Byrne remembers that there were some in the community that did not give the fledgling clinic much of a chance three decades ago. "I remember one physician saying, 'Mary Jo, that place will never survive. If it lasts two to five years I'd be very surprised,’” said Byrne. “I didn't have any doubt that it would survive. Maybe it was because Joe Carver was so supportive. He made it clear that he would stick with us. He firmly believed it was necessary that there be somewhere for people to go that just did not have any insurance or not have the ability to pay on a sliding fee. Byrne said that the Fountain Clinic's success in helping patients is a testament to the citizens of the area who have offered their support even during difficult times for themselves and others. "I really think that's why the community has been so generous, she said. "Particularly during the rough times of the recession everybody knew somebody who needed the Fountain Clinic. I think our reputation for treating people with respect and dignity has been very good and that gets out in the community. That’s something we've been very proud of.” And Fountain Clinic staff members share Byrne’s sentiment. Maria Miller, the clinic's dental hygienist stated, "Many of our patients have been without dental care due to not having access to care. I enjoy educating them about oral health and helping them to restore their smiles and eat without pain. We have wonderful dentists that participate. It is so rewarding when a patient comes back to show their restored smiles. This program is a blessing to our patients, and they are very appreciative.” Maureen Marshall said the clinic allows her to do what she loves: help people. “I hear many times when I answer the phone people state it is nice to be able to actually talk to someone,” said Marshall. “They usually are in need of something and are frustrated with the process of finding help. The appreciation I hear in their voice when I am able to help them is so uplifting. The clinic fulfills so many needs in our community.” Registered Nurse Kim Gloar said it is an “absolute blessing to be a part of the incredible team we have at the Fountain Clinic” “We all work toward the same goal every day, and that is to provide exceptional medical care for those who otherwise would go or have gone without healthcare due to lack of insurance coverage or financial restraints,” said Gloar. “Every day is rewarding knowing we are making a difference in the lives of others. The support we receive from our community is what makes it possible for us to do what we do every day, and for that we are grateful.” Linda Dailey has lived in Marshall for 24 years and had heard about the clinic but did not know exactly what they did. “It wasn't until eight months ago, when I started working here that I started learning everything about the Fountain Clinic and all that we can offer,” said Dailey. “I thought the Fountain Clinic was a medical clinic for the people of Marshall, I was wrong; it's so much more – a free clinic that provides both dental and medical services to all those who qualify in all of Calhoun County and what makes it possible for us to provide these services are grants and donations received from a compassionate, caring community. “We are a non-profit organization, but I feel we are also a life-changing and life-saving organization. I am truly proud to be able to say I work at the Fountain Clinic and that every day my job allows me to help others with what I believe are life-changing and life-saving services. I feel good about working at the Fountain Clinic and what I can do to help others. We have all heard the words ‘helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.’ I get to feel those words. “For 30 years this clinic has been helping thousands of Calhoun County residents and this has been possible with the help of our community. I feel we can continue to help more residents of our county for another 30 years and more…Please take some time and learn more about the Fountain Clinic and how you can help others and know and feel the difference you make in others’ lives. Remember, it's good to be blessed, but it's better to be a blessing.”

Olivet’s varsity baseball team had its Division 2 district championship vacated due to an MHSAA rules violation regarding the daily pitch count limit. The violation occurred during the Eagles’ 8-6 win over Marshall in nine innings on June 4 in the title game at Gull Lake High School. In the bottom half of the 7th inning, Marshall head coach Tom Sharpley and Olivet head coach Bill Whitely met with the home plate umpire to discuss whether the Eagles’ starting pitcher exceeded the 105-pitch limit that is permitted by the MHSAA in a day. After the conversation, the coaches went back to their dugouts and the issue was seemingly resolved before the pitcher was pulled with one out in the inning as Marshall proceeded to tie the game and force the game into extra innings, where Olivet ultimately won. However, a video was dropped off to the MHSAA anonymously that showed the pitcher going over 105 pitches against Marshall, explained MHSAA Communications Director Geoff Kimmerly. After reviewing the video and obtaining information from Olivet that the pitcher had also thrown 10 pitches in the Eagles’ win against the Gull Lake Blue Devils earlier in the day, MHSAA officials determined the rule had been violated, Kimmerly said. “It was an anonymous video, and it was enough where we could count all of the pitches,” said Kimmerly. “We had found that the pitcher had thrown more than 105 in the day. We checked in with Olivet after that and Olivet confirmed that the pitcher had indeed gone over 105 pitches, and at that point it’s pretty open and shut that rule was broken.” Olivet Athletic Director Matt Seidl said they were notified of the violation on the night of June 7 and the decision to force Olivet to forfeit its regional semifinal game against Charlotte was made by the MHSAA on the morning of June 8. The Eagles were set to face the Orioles on June 8 at Eaton Rapids High School. Instead, Charlotte moved on to the regional championship game to face the winner of Hamilton and Grand Rapids Catholic, while the Eagles’ season came to an end and their district crown wiped from the official record books. Marshall, meanwhile, did not get the opportunity to advance to the regional semifinal to face Charlotte in place of Olivet. Kimmerly explained why the Redhawks didn’t get to advance. “That’s the toughest part of this whole thing,” said Kimmerly. “We’ve had this happen every few seasons in a variety of sports. And we might find out about it 10 minutes after the game’s over, we might find out three days after the game’s over—and our general rule on that is that you don’t go back and play it again. In some cases, the team has been done and they’ve turned their uniforms in and it’s all completely over. It’s the right thing to do there and it’s unfortunate it has to end this way. It’s a vacate, that keeps it consistent. We have to go with the vacate, especially three or four days after the fact now.” On June 4, Olivet defeated host Gull Lake, 8-1, in the day’s first semifinal game, while Marshall took care of Pennfield, 11-1 in the second game to set up the championship matchup. In the title game, the Eagles got out to an early 1-0 lead over Marshall before extending that lead to 3-0 when Jackson Sinclair smoked a two-run double into the gap in the top of the 3rd inning. In the bottom of the 4th, a couple of defensive mishaps from the Eagles allowed the Redhawks to get a run back to make the score 3-1. Then, in the bottom half of the 5th, Nick Ryan stepped up to the plate for Marshall and gave the Redhawks offense some life when he blasted a solo home run to left field to make it a one-run game. After getting another runner on in the frame, Jesse Saldana doubled in a run to level the game at three apiece and give some momentum back to the Redhawks. In the top of the 6th, the Eagles regained the lead after scoring two on a wild pitch to go up 5-3. In the top of the 7th, Olivet would add a much-needed insurance run when Evan Poulopoulos delivered a two-out RBI single to make the score 6-3 in favor of the Eagles. Marshall had one last chance to rally in the bottom half of the 7th and the offense made the most of the frame and scored three to send the game into extra innings. First, Luke Holbrook drove in a run on a single to make it 6-4, but Olivet cut down a runner at third base to record a much needed out for the Eagles. With two outs and runners on first and second base, Coltin Chany roped a single into right field and the ball got by Olivet’s right fielder, scoring two runs on the play to tie the game at 6-6. After each team was retired in order in the 8th, Olivet’s offense was able to manufacture a couple of runs in the top half of the 9th via a bases loaded walk drawn by Tyler Latunski, followed by a sacrifice fly by Brody Lehman to put the Eagles back up by two runs. In the bottom of the 9th, Marshall’s offense threatened but was unable to score as the Eagles outlasted the Redhawks. The win for Olivet improved its record to 31-2, which set the record for most wins in a season in the program’s history. Olivet head coach Bill Whitely was proud of his team’s resiliency to overcome some defensive mistakes while still having the poise to bounce back from those and find a way to win. “These kids have just battled all year,” Whitely said. “We’ve talked about competing and they’ve competed all the time. Whether we’re down or ahead—the kids are really young, it’s a really young baseball team but they compete. And I was really proud of them the way that we made some errors and guys didn’t hang their heads. They came back in and cheered for their teammates and got some big hits and that was the difference.” Lolo Aguirre, who came on in relief in the title game, recorded wins in both games on the day for the Eagles, which improved his record to 11-0 on the season. “They both (pitchers) wanted the ball, they’ve been excellent all season,” said Whitely. “Both guys pound the strike zone, their strikeout to walk ratio is really good. Both kids compete and they’re tough minded, competitive kids. And my catcher back there, he just started catching in January. He does a hell of a job with the pitching staff.” For Marshall, its season ended with a 20-9 overall record while falling just short of a district title. Head coach Tom Sharpley said he was proud of his team for overcoming adversity all season long and complimented both teams for a well-played game in the final. “It’s something that’s taken place the whole spring (overcoming adversity),” said Sharpley. “First we were dealing with the weather, then there was an umpire shortage so our schedule didn’t have a great rhythm to it. This baseball game was incredible because either team could have won it at any point in time, and each team responded. Unfortunately, it came to an end for us, but we’re so proud of our kids for not giving up, not quitting and giving their best shot when we were seemingly down.” Sharpley said the message to his team and to the departing seniors was a positive one as he thought they showed a tremendous amount of resolve to respond after being down in the game on several occasions. “We told them, there were some prolific, great plays, then there were some not so good plays,” Sharpley said. “And that’s the same with how life is. If we have opportunities and sometimes it doesn’t go right, and we don’t react and respond correctly. Then you have the other side of it where you do respond to it well. I think our kids showed great resolve and character because they didn’t give up. And hopefully that carries on with them for the rest of their lives in some way.” In Marshall’s game against Pennfield, Killian Bies hit two doubles and a single while driving in two runs in the Redhawks’ 11-1 semifinal win. Saldana had two hits and an RBI, while Holbrook added two singles and two RBIs. Hogan McCleary also drove in a run on two hits, while Coltin Chany recorded two hits and an RBI as well. On the mound, Isaac Stetler pitched six innings and struck out five batters while allowing just one run on five hits. In the Eagles’ win over Gull Lake, Aguirre pitched five innings while striking out one batter on three hits allowed. At the plate, Sinclair went 2-for-3 and Lehman went 2-for-2. Bryce Wine was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs, while Ramsey Bousseau went 1-for-3 and drove in three runs.