Tony and Daneille Borntrager announce the birth of their son, Jacob Ari Borntrager.  Jacob arrived on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 10:34 am at Memorial Hospital, South Bend, Indiana. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20.5 inches in length. Maternal grandparents are Dan and Donna Clark of Cedar Springs.  Paternal grandparents are Larry and Mary Borntrager, with loving mention of Meredith, deceased mother to Tony . (Onesie pictured was a gift from the Red Flannel Festival to celebrate new grandson of 2016’s Grand Marshal, Donna Clark)

Jack and Marge Clark were recently honored at a Rotary meeting. Standing behind them is Rotary president Amanda Gerhardt.

Cedar Springs Rotarians gathered at the historic Mangiamo Restaurant in Grand Rapids to celebrate the past and upcoming years. The Rotary club presented a special award to Jack and Marge Clark, with a $1000.00 donation to the Rotary Foundation in their name.

Jack has had 59 years of perfect attendance to weekly meetings, showing his commitment to the Rotary ideals. Marge has been a faithful servant to the Rotary effort to wipe out polio from the face of the earth. She has been painting pinky fingers purple as a fundraiser for many years.

Rotarians shared stories of how the Clarks have led and impacted lives by their own example of “Service Above Self.”

The musical group Perculators entertained the Rotary group following a delicious dinner.

Mayor Bob Truesdale

By Bob Truesdale

Wow! Election Day was exciting. I saw many of our older citizens hobble in and out of City Hall to vote. They remember the good old days when our city was a thriving community.

A big thank you to everyone that put forth the effort to vote the new faces to city council. It was a tough call, but you made it happen.

Congratulations to Daniel Clark and Jerry Hall. I look forward to working with each of you in years to come.

And to Pam Conley and Mark Laws, you fought a good fight, and don’t give up. Our city needs someone like you to form a “Concerned Citizens Coalition,” with a representative of the group at every planning and council meeting. If you, the taxpayers of our city will get involved, I promise you an all new Cedar Springs in 2014. With God’s help, watch us make the changes you have been asking for.

City residents to vote on Tuesday, November 5

Residents of the City of Cedar Springs will vote in two new City Council members on Tuesday, November 5. Four candidates are running to fill two four-year terms. One seat is being vacated by Mayor Pro-Tem Charlie Watson, who decided not to run again, and trustee Pamela Medford-Conley’s seat is also up for reelection. The election will be held at the Cedar Springs City Hall.

Daniel Clark

About him: “All in all I have lived in the City of Cedar Springs for 20 years. I met Donna at what later became known as Jordan College on Pine Street in 1972. I graduated from Jordan College that same year with a B.A. and then from Andrews University in Berrien Springs in 1975 with my Masters.  I received my teaching certification from Aquinas College in 2007. We lived in Oklahoma, Donna’s home state, and then in Israel from 1988 to 2000. In 2000, I was hired by Creative Technologies Academy, where I am currently employed as the Director of Operations and Maintenance.”

Primary reason running for office: “I would like the opportunity to work for the good of my community; to make a practical, positive difference; to offer workable solutions as challenges and issues arise. I want to be involved.”

Other experience: “While living in Oklahoma I served as a volunteer fireman for eight years in a department with three full-time firefighters and twenty volunteers. I served three of those years as a captain of a five-man team. I completed training as a second level EMT. Mustang’s population at that time was 10,000. Through the last 12 years since we relocated to Cedar Springs I have volunteered on many occasions at Creative Technologies Academy beyond my regular work duties and have helped Donna with many details to do with library programs and fundraising, such as helping to load and unload tables and books for Friends book sales, etc.”

Main strength he will bring to the board: “I was raised on a farm and have a strong work ethic. I keep up on the news both locally and around the world and feel that my various experiences will help me identify with the citizens of the community and hopefully make choices balanced between necessary regulation/expenditures and those offering greater personal/business opportunities to Cedar Springs citizens.

The major challenge he sees facing the district and what would he do about it:  He said the major challenge is rebuilding community good will, especially regarding the Red Flannel Celebration. Also he would work to provide activities and opportunities for our youth to discourage drug and alcohol dependency.”

Gerald Hall – No photo

About him: He was raised here and has lived in Cedar Springs for 64 years. He is retired from the City of Cedar Springs, where he was formerly the Superintendent of Public Works.

Primary reason running for office: Gerald believes his experience will help the future of the city.

Other experience: His experience includes serving on the City Planning Commission and six years on the Cedar Springs Board of Education.

Main strength he brings to the position: Gerald said the main strength he will bring to the position is his knowledge of the city.

The major challenge he sees facing the district and what would he do about it: He said the major challenge facing the city is a shrinking budget.

Mark Laws

About him: I moved to Cedar Springs from Muskegon last June 2012. I am an operations management professional who most recently worked for Huntington Bank and before that the Federal Reserve Bank. I am now an entrepreneur.

Primary reason running for office: “I found myself complaining about some of the outcomes in the council meetings. My momma taught me to get involved and do something to improve the situation and get off the bench and into the game. Complaining about something never makes it any better and according to my momma it actually contributes to making it worse. We have so much potential here in Cedar Springs.”

Other experience and main strength he will bring to the board: “Twenty plus years of operating businesses and business units up to 7 billion dollars, making tough budget decisions, negotiating contracts, sales and marketing, continuous improvement implementations, innovative and outside the box vision, and a can do attitude are just the tip of the iceberg of previous experience that will be beneficial to the City Council position.”

The major challenge he sees facing the district and what would he do about it: “Residents and businesses need to know that City Hall is here to assist them to get ‘er done. Whatever that may be. I would have the attitude of if it is a good idea that will benefit the community I would find a way to accomplish that thing and do all in my power and ability to do just that. Can’t is not in my vocabulary.”

Other: “Contracts for services needed by the City should go to residents of Cedar Springs if at all possible. Keeping the money local is a good thing, even if the local quote is  $37 more than the out of town quote. It would also be nice to have Cedar Springs be the Red Flannel Town that the Clipper Girls gave us and we have enjoyed for 70 plus years. And just how much has been spent on attorney fees for this situation? And we don’t have any money is the line that is put out there. But the cost of the attorney fees says something different. Just sayin!”

Pamela Medford-Conley – Incumbent

About her: Pamela Medford-Conley is 43 years old, and has lived in Cedar Springs for 14 years. She holds degrees and certifications from Montcalm Community College, CMU, and GVSU in child development, speech pathology, theater, dance, history, secondary education, communication, and argumentation. She teaches policy debate, communication, and academic tools for Forest Hills Central High School. She is married to Clint Conley who is a teacher for KCTC. She has two children–a daughter, Abbi Conley, will be a senior at Cedar Springs High School this fall and her son, Caelun Conley, will be entering first grade at Cedar Trails.

Primary reason running for office: If re-elected this would be her second term on City Council. “I am looking forward to continuing to represent my fellow citizens and be what I hope they feel is a true representative of their concerns,” she said. “One of the biggest issues the city will face in up-coming years will be our aging water system and continued funding cuts brought by Michigan’s state government.”

Other experience: Past experience includes serving 6 years on the Board Of Education for Cedar Springs Public Schools, where she held the positions of Treasurer and Legislative Representative and made multiple trips to Washington DC and Lansing to advocate for kids in Cedar Springs; 5 years on the Library Board including part of that time as Vice President; one year on the PTO Board of Directors; one year on the Red Flannel Festival Board of Directors; 10 years  in the  Garden Club with 6 years as President; and 13 years as co-discussion leader of the Cedar Springs  Book Club.

Main strength she brings to the position: “I believe what I bring to the office is experience, the desire to always seek information before making any decision, and an open mind to listen to all positions and represent all citizens.”

The major challenge she sees facing the district and what would she do about it: “The major challenges I see on the horizon are dealing with our aging water system, and resolving the issue with the Red Flannel Festival regarding the use of logos and doing this with dwindling resources as Michigan’s State Government – both the legislative and executive branches continue to add mandates and restrict funding.”

The Cedar Springs Public Library has now hit $30,000 in its efforts towards earning a $50,000 matching grant.

“I really think we can do it,” said Library Director Donna Clark, referring to the other $20,000 needed.

The Library building fund committee has been hard at work with businesses and community partners since last fall on setting up fundraisers to meet the goal. One such fundraiser that occurred last week was the all-you-can-eat taco bar at Big Boy’s. According to the committee, donations and ticket sales at the event topped $1,300 for the Library (including $40 in t-shirt sales).

“Our thanks to everyone who came to support our library and to the many volunteers, management and the restaurant staff who gave their time and energy to the cause,” said Fundraising co-chairs Vicky Babcock and Alicia Imhoff. Author David Stricklen came to sign his books despite having knee surgery mere hours before the event. You can check out his website at www.blackwaterpond.com.

For a complete listing of upcoming library events and to donate via paypal, visit cedarsprings.llcoop.org.

Kids had a great time at the spaghetti fundraiser with author Amanda Litz, face painting, and free ice cream.

The Cedar Springs Public Library and Big Boy partnered last Thursday, Nov. 10, for the first all you can eat spaghetti buffet dinner to help raise funds for a new library. What happened was way above their expectations.
According to Librarian Donna Clark, they hoped to sell 50 tickets. They sold 200, which gave the library $500. But with the extra donations people gave, the grand total raised was $5,876.74!
“I am still walking on air after one of the best times I have had in recent times,” said Clark. “I so loved that Thursday evening, spent with our Library supporters old and new. It was like a Thanksgiving dinner, where you invite your whole family to come, though in this case, it was the whole community—eating, laughing, talking and giving. It is so bonding to gather around a shared vision and a meal, to remember who we are and what we can do when we put our heads and our dollars together.”
The library was recently offered the opportunity to obtain a $50,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor. Whatever they raise by the end of 2012 is what will be matched, up to $50,000. The first fundraising meeting is set for tonight, November 17, at Cedar Springs Middle School, at 7 p.m. in the upper floor large meeting room. Everyone is welcome.

Librarian Donna Clark is shown here with the Big Boy staff that helped organize and serve the spaghetti dinner.

One fundraiser is already planned—a used formal dress sale on January 7. Donate your gently used formal wear and they will give you a $50 tax deduction for every short dress and a $100 tax deduction for every long dress that you donate between now and January 6. Drop off dresses to Cedar Springs City Hall during normal business hours. All short dresses will be sold for $20 and all long dresses will be sold for $35 on January 7, at Cedar Springs High School. Dresses must be clean and on a hanger. Call Chris Burns at 788-8945 or Linda Lehman at 970-1368 with questions. All proceeds benefit the Library Fund Raising Campaign.

Parker Briggs, 7, enjoys a book at the library

The Cedar Springs Public Library’s summer reading club got off to a great start Monday, with over 600 people passing through the doors of the library to sign up, pick out books, get a book bag, and lots of other goodies.
New employee Rosann Gerhardt, commented, “(There was) great energy, a lot of excitement. People everywhere! I enjoyed watching children looking through our library’s books, trying to pick just the right book.”
Amber Hath, employee for 2 years, experienced her 3rd CSPL Summer Reading Program. She said, “This was my first time to work the program in the morning. I was not prepared for the onslaught when the doors opened.”
Friends of the library held a book sale, summer reading club t-shirts were on sale, and kids enjoyed some tasty ice cream courtesy of Kelly’s Restaurant, and Double K Farms was there with their petting zoo.
“We had 28 volunteers that made the day run smoothly,” said Library Director Donna Clark.

Kids enjoy ice cream at the opening of the summer reading club program.

Area residents celebrated poetry month last weekend with the “Potpourri of Poets” at the Kent Theatre.
The event, held Saturday evening, April 30, showcased a variety of classical and original poetry read by 25 adults, teens, and youth. Several presenters either dressed in character or brought along props to enhance the presentation.  Sue Harrison emceed the event.
“It was a wonderful experience,” said Librarian Donna Clark, one of the event organizers, along with Rosann Gerhardt and Nancy Noreen.  “I’m so proud of each and every one who participated. Every poem was special, adding a special flavor to the evening. Every person I talked with said how much they enjoyed the evening. We definitely want to do it again next year!”

Mark Gebhardt (left) receives 5-star award from Fremont Insurance.

Joe Clark (right) receives 5-star award from Fremont Insurance.

Two area insurance agencies have received 5-star ratings from Fremont Insurance company, a Michigan-exclusive property and casualty insurance carrier.
Both Gebhardt Insurance Agency, of Cedar Springs, and Clark Insurance Agency, of Casnovia, were presented with this prestigious honor at the company’s Winter Regional Meeting held at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, Mich.
“(These two agencies) embody the characteristics necessary to be successful in our industry – hard work, a commitment to the customer and the drive to achieve quality business results – even in a challenging economic environment,” said Fremont Insurance Company President and CEO Richard Dunning.  “We commend Gebhardt Insurance Agency and Joe Clark Insurance Agency in this outstanding achievement and we are pleased to present this tribute of our appreciation, admiration and partnership.”

Winners of Rotary 4-way test essay competition

By Donna Clark and Tom Noreen

Eight classes participated this year in the Cedar Springs Rotary’s Annual 4-Way Test Essay Contest with the 5th grade at Cedar View Elementary. All essays were written at school in 200 words or less. Teachers chose the two best essays from their class, and from those 16, our 4-Way Committee, Julie Wheeler, Carolyn Davis and Donna Clark, were to choose three.

It was very hard to choose just three, so we didn’t—we chose five. We had a tie for 4th place!

The top three stories talk of the great example that was set by someone and then how that special example inspired them to change or respond in some way.

We read some great stories on the theme of Setting a Good Example, like my Grandma wrote the meaning of my name and put it on a plaque and I look at it every day; Kyanna encourages her little sister to do her homework, get a good education, and a good career; boredom can do strange things to boys, such as cause them to throw berries at Mrs. Penny’s house, run off when she appeared, and then later coming back to apologize and clean up the mess. Needless to say, it was very interesting for our committee to have the chance to read the top two essays from each class.

Rotary has developed a meaningful partnership with Principal Mike Duffy and the teachers and students of the 5th grade class over the years. Mrs. Boverhof has been our contact person for the essay writing partnership between Rotary and Cedar View for four years now.

Mrs. Boverhof noted, “Every year something new pops up. This year when I introduced the topic of ‘Setting a Good Example,’ I was met with blank stares.” She explained they could give examples. Hopefully as a result of these essays we will have “given the kids an awareness of what ‘setting a good example’ looks and feels like.”

This year’s winners are in order Nicole Kukla, Peyton Elliston, Mariah Reich and tied for fourth Blake Williams and Brandon Owens. You can find Nicole’s essay below.

One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary 4-Way Test. It was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of the Chicago-based Club Aluminum Co., which was facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company mired in depression-caused financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow in their business and professional lives. The 4-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy. The 4-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943.

Nicole’s essay:

My Mom My Hero

By Nicole Kukla

Incredible! That is what I think about my mom. She is a single mom who takes care of two kids, works Monday through Friday, and still has time to do exciting things with us. She has taught me so many things and is always setting a good example for me. One of the most important things she taught me is to never give up. It’s something she never does. She probably doesn’t even think about it. I have watched her do so many things, but the thing I never saw her do is give up.

My mom takes care of my sister and I all by herself. She feeds us, pays for sports, and most importantly puts a roof over our heads. I don’t know how she does it. She works so hard to make sure we are successful in everything we do. My sister and I are sometimes very hard to take care of because we argue. But we get along fifty percent of the time. On top of all of the other things she does, she works. I have never seen anybody work so hard before. My mom also has to make a ton of sacrifices for us. On the weekends, my mom takes us to sports. My sister has winter guard and I have soccer. She could be hanging out with her friends but she doesn’t. These are her famous words, “my kids come first.”

Sometimes my sister and I make sacrifices for our mom. Sometimes on the weekends, we like to hang out with her. It is like our way of saying thank you for everything that she does. Our sacrifices aren’t really important though because it is fun to spend time with her. When I’m older, I want to be like my mom and set good examples for the people around me.

The Lipizzaner Stallions performed at the Van Andel Arena last Sunday. Photo courtesy of D. Clark.

We received a nice note from Donna Clark this week. She and her husband Dan won* a set of four tickets to see the Lipizzaner Stallion last Sunday at Van Andel Arena.
“Our family absolutely loved seeing the Lipizzaner Stallions ‘dance’ to classical music. Dan, Tamar and our eldest daughter, Daneille, and I used the four free tickets we won through your subscription drive. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to subscribe to the POST – tickets or no tickets!  We are so grateful for the gift of seeing the Lipizzaners for the first time. It has been a 25-year dream of Daneille’s to see these horses. She first read a book about them when she was 7 years old and later, in her early
teens, saw a video about them in Austria during the War. General Patton actually saved many of them from being killed during the devastation of World War II. I am not sure what was more exciting for me—seeing the stallions or seeing Daneille delight in the show.  Thank you!”
We are so glad the Clark family enjoyed their prize!
You, too, can win some great prizes by subscribing to the Post for only $25 per year. Fill out the entry form on this page and mail, or subscribe through our website (www.cedarspringspost.com) using Paypal.
This week’s winners are:
*Scott and Michele Hanmer, of Cedar Springs, won a $25 gift card to Family Fare, on 17 Mile in Cedar Springs.
*Rosemary Jeruzal, of Cannon Township, won a $5 gift card to Family Video, located at the corner of Main and Muskegon Street in Cedar Springs.
Winners must pick up their prize here at the Post within 30 days or the prize will be awarded to someone else. We are open from 9-5 Monday through Friday. Please call 696-3655 to make other arrangements.
Thanks so much to the businesses partnering with us in this drive! If you are a business who would like to donate a prize, call us at 696-3655.
*Subscribers are assigned a number, and winning numbers are then chosen using a random number generator at www.random.org.

Thank you to all of this week’s subscribers!

Gary Peterson
Jack & Marjorie Clark
Cheri & Douglas Durst
Adeline Anderson
Carol Connor
Donald & Maureen Patin
Donald & Shirley Braun
Jo Ellen Empie
Walter & Helen Nielsen
David & Heather Wolfe
Kim Lemke
Mary Paige
Rosemary Jeruzal
Brian & Cherryl Rosenberger
Kristen Rosenberger
Ronald & Pamela Stonehouse
Karen & Samuel Gebhardt
Ben & Cindi Downer
William & Joyce Blain
Robert & Karen Robinson
Gawain & Jolene Teuscher

Are you looking for a cure to what ails you? Need some good news for a change? The good news is that everyone wins when you buy a subscription to the Cedar Springs Post!
This week, we drew the names of two lucky winners, who each won four tickets to see the Lipizzaner Stallions this Sunday at VanAndel arena! The winners are:
•    Daniel and Donna Clark, of Cedar Springs
•    Helen Pike, of Sparta
Congratulations to our winners! And it’s not too late for the rest of our readers to subscribe and be entered to win some great prizes from area businesses! See the entry form on this page for details.

Thank you to all of this week’s subscribers!

Daniel & Donna Clark
Mary & Dennis Menke
Fred & Carollee Gunnell
Rex Nielsen

Lee Ann Eary

Patricia & David Eary
Harold & June Middleton
Anne Heath
Annetta Fisk
Cheryl Rose
Robert & Jean Snow
Robert Ruwersma
Rosemary & Michael Gray
Marilyn & Carl Neff, Jr.
George & Eldona Allington
Joanne Furhoff
Kim Gillow
William & Ruth Stalhood
Delores Rau
Dwight & Josephine Jamison
Freda & Eugene Naffziger