TAYLOR PARKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Easter Bunny makes plenty of stops in the city!

It would seem like the Easter Bunny made stops at a lot of Taylor elementary schools recently and Taylor Parks Elementary School was no exception.  

With eggs everywhere in the front of the school, third graders sure did a quick job of collecting the sweet-filled vessels.  

They picked them out of trees, in the grass, behind signs and on benches.  

Thanks to the Easter Bunny and Mrs. Iwaniec, Mrs. Zirkle, and Mrs. Shrewsbury for doing a great job.

STATE OF THE CITY BENEFITS: Rotary event sends $1,500 each to Penrickton, Education Foundation

The Rotary Club of Taylor and Mayor Rick Sollars were on hand Thursday, April 10, to donate the proceeds of the 2014 State of the City Address to two of the city’s finest non-profit organizations. The presentation was made during the Rotary’s regular meeting at the Lakes of Taylor Golf Club.

The Penrickton Center for Blind Children and the Taylor Public School Foundation for Educational Excellence each received a $1,500 check. The 2014 SOC was held in late February and marked Mayor Sollars first official speaking engagement. He updated the community on the early efforts of his administration and outlined his agenda for future improvements. Also held at the Lakes of Taylor, the Mayor spoke to a sold-out crowd of nearly 200. The event was also live streamed by The News-Herald Newspapers.

The official check presentation was made by Rotary officials Larry Wright and Fred Pepper and Mayor Sollars to Suzanne Downing, president of the school foundation, and Kurt Sebaly, executive director of the Penrickton center.

The Penrickton Center for Blind Children is a unique, private non-profit agency, providing five-day residential, day care and consultation/evaluation services to blind, multi-disabled children ages 1 through 12. Each program is individually designed to promote independence in all aspects of daily living. The center utilizes its experience and expertise to train and serve families, children and professionals through support services, education and advocacy.

The Taylor Public School Foundation for Educational Excellence is a non-profit independent organization of volunteers committed to enriching the educational environment of the Taylor School District. Established in 1986 through an endowed gift from a local resident, the foundation strives to maintain and enhance the excellent reputation of the district by building a broad base of financial support. Its mission is to generate, manage and distribute financial and other resources to the Taylor Public Schools for the purpose of assisting and supplementing district programs and projects designed to enhance the quality of education.

“I’m glad the proceeds from the event are going to two such deserving organizations,” Mayor Sollars said. “And I’d like to thank the Rotary Club once again for presenting the State of the City Address.”

PHOTO: Presenting checks for $1,500 to the Taylor Public School Foundation for Educational Excellence and the Penrickton School for Blind Children are Rotarians Larry Wright (left) and Fred Pepper along with Mayor Rick Sollars (right) of the City of Taylor. Suzanne Downing is the president of the school foundation and Kurt Sebaly is the executive director of Penrickton. The Rotary Club of Taylor split the $3,000 proceeds from Mayor Sollars’ 2014 State of the City Address with the two organizations.

DRUG-FREE TAYLOR CELEBRATION: Set for Thursday, May 1, at Heritage Park

The Celebration for a Drug-Free Taylor will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, May 1, at the Heritage Park Activity Building in Taylor’s Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road.

An annual event open to the public, it recognizes Taylor School District students, individuals and community groups who encourage their peers to make healthy lifestyle choices. Sponsored by the Taylor Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, students will be recognized for their participation in creating art, poetry, essays and new media.

Simone Calvas, project director, said the event recognizes substance abuse prevention efforts community-wide.

“This year’s theme is “Who’s Your Hero Who Keeps You Drug and Violence Free?’ and the students were very creative with their entries,” she said.

Celebration activities will include an awards ceremony, free food, refreshments and raffle prizes. Residents are encouraged to attend.

The Taylor Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force is a coalition of concerned residents and community volunteers who are invested in the health, safety and success of the Taylor community and uphold a core belief in no illegal or high risk use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. The group supports this mission through collaborative, proactive prevention efforts. Task Force meetings, which are open to the community, are held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on the second Monday of each month at Journey of Hope Community Church, 8900 Pardee Road.

PARENTS: Taylor Reading Corps seeks volunteer analyst

The Taylor Reading Corps is seeking a volunteer to run and report on statistical analyses of student assessment data for approximately 150-200 students on three assessments during the month of June. May be perfect work for a retired educator or other professional who is looking to "get involved" with a worthwhile program.

Analyses involve comparisons between treatment and control groups as well as analysis of growth over time for a subset of participants who have been enrolled in the program two or three years.  

Data includes quantitative measures of early literacy. 

Responsibilities include integrating this year’s data with the previous year’s data set, running analyses and writing a brief narrative report of the findings suitable for use in annual reports to sponsors and grant applications.

For more information, call the Taylor Reading Corps at (313) 769-6730.

The TRC, a 501(c)3 non-profit group, recruits, trains and supervises adult reading mentors for lower elementary pupils in the Taylor School District. Among its partners are McKinley Properties and the PNC Foundation. The founder of the program is 23rd District Court Judge Geno Salomone.

TAYLOR ROTARY CLUB: Hosting 'Family Day Picnic for our Troops' May 3

The Taylor Rotary Club will be hosting this year's "Family Day Picnic for our Troops" on Saturday, May 3, at the Taylor Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Rotarians plan to host returning soldiers and their families for the event, which will run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Everyone is invited to participate and donate to this picnic, organized to honor the 645th Regional Support Group (RSG) unit of the U.S. Army. Special presentations will take place, along with an old-fashioned outdoor picnic.

If you are interested in helping during the celebration, please contact Larry Wright (734-604-2995/lswright1@mac.com) or Alice Prusak (734-341-4650/aliceprusak@aol.com).

PARENTS: 14th annual Ride for a Reason scheduled June 1

The 14th Annual Ride for a Reason is scheduled for June 1. This is the annual benefit for the Penrickton Center for Blind Children. Biker Bob's Harley Davidson Motown is the presenter and is joined by the Motown Chapter Taylor Michigan Harley owners.

All proceeds go to the Penrickton center.

Fee is $20 per person (before May 16) and $25 on the day of the event.. All bikes are welcome!

Ride Pin & Rocker go to the first 1,500 registered. Police will escort riders and food will be provided by Famous Dave's.

Staging will take place at Cabela's in Dundee at 10 a.m.. The ride leaves at noon and ends at Biker Bob's in Taylor.

For more information, call (734) 947-4647 or (734) 946-7500 or click on www.penrickton.com.

TAYLOR ON WATCH: Anti-crime town halls begin tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23

(Courtesy of The News-Herald Newspapers)

Residents who have wanted to start neighborhood watches but never knew where to start will get their chance tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23.



Mayor Rick Sollars and the Taylor Police Department have started Taylor on Watch, a four-part series of town hall meetings focused on engaging the community with crime-fighting tips.



The first meeting, for residents living within the region bordered by Goddard on the north, Telegraph on the east, Pennsylvania on the south and Inkster on the west. is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 23 in the City Council chambers of City Hall, 23555 Goddard Road.
However, any resident, no matter where they leave, are welcome to attend.

Three other meetings focused on different regions of the city will follow in June, September and November.



“The police cannot be everywhere, all the time,” Chief Mary Sclabassi said. “We need eyes and ears in the community. We are constantly aided by what concerned residents see and hear. Given the proper education in what to look for, they can make their own neighborhoods safer. It’s all a learning process.”_

Sollars said that decals will be given out signifying residents’ membership in the program, featuring the Taylor on Watch symbol which will make the presence of neighborhood watches more visible.



“The decals are a deterrent because the guy across the street might be watching his neighbor’s house,” Sollars said. “We are not promoting vigilantes, but helping neighbors. They can also register their homes with the department so patrols can keep their eyes on things.”


The second meeting is June 25 for residents living in the region bordered by Van Born on the north, Telegraph on the east, Goddard on the south and Inkster on the west.



The third meeting is Sept. 24 for residents living in the region bordered by Van Born on the north, Pelham on the east, Goddard on the south and Telegraph on the west.



The fourth meeting is Nov. 19 for residents living in the region bordered by Goddard on the north, Allen on the east, Pennsylvania on the south and Telegraph on the west.



All meetings will be at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers.



For more information, call the Taylor Police Department at 1-734-287-6611.