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PHYLLIS SIDES: Public invited to Habitat ReStore party set for today
BY PHYLLIS SIDES
Journal Times
The public is invited to a special party today when Habitat Humanity ReStore celebrates its first anniversary.
The facility, at 2302 DeKoven Ave., is celebrating the end of its first year of operation in Racine. ReStore sells donated items of furniture, appliances, plumbing, building materials, doors, windows, cabinets, lighting and architectural salvage.
Since it opened, the facility has doubled its display space in the Kranz warehouse building. ReStore is open to the general public and the profits go directly to fund local Habitat for Humanity housing projects. The store has sold materials which otherwise might have been discarded, equaling a landfill weight of approximately 85 tons. In doing so, both the Habitat housing budget and landfill space have benefited.
Co-managers Lois Solberg and Jim Kitchak run the store, along with dozens of volunteers. The store is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Saturday hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ReStore relies on word-of-mouth advertising and has many regular customers who shop every day the store is open.
MS Awareness Week
Although we should be aware of MS and other illnesses all the time, special days or weeks to increase awareness educate us about new developments and research.
In Wisconsin, one in 500 people has the disease. By comparison, the number in Texas is one in 10,000.
On Thursday, more than 100 activists visited the state capitol in Madison to advocate on behalf of the more than 10,000 people in Wisconsin who live with the disease.
Constituents were able to visit with their legislators. The special guest speaker for the morning was Dr. John Fleming, an internationally known researcher and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.
To support those people who live with MS in Wisconsin, the National MS Society-Wisconsin Chapter is encouraging people to get involved and help us move toward a world free of MS. To join the movement:
* Visit http://www.wisMS.org for information on MS.
* Visit http://www.faceofms.org/ and read personal accounts of life with MS.
* Call the Wisconsin Chapter at (262) 369-4400 or (800) 242-3358 for volunteer opportunities.
* Participate in Walk MS, held this year on April 20, 27 and May 4.
* Sponsor a cyclist in Bike MS: Best Dam Bike Ride, Aug. 2-3.
* Spend one hour with someone living with MS to better understand their daily challenges.
* Visit http://www.themsmovement.org/ and make a mark against MS.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million worldwide. For more information, go to http://www.wisMS.org or call (800) 344-4868.
Robots
If you’re looking for a bit of family-type entertainment this weekend — that probably won’t bore your 12-year-old — check out the FIRST Robotics Wisconsin Regional Competition in Milwaukee. The event will be today at the U.S. Cellular Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave. This event is free and open to the public. For a complete schedule of events or more information go to http://www.wisconsinregional.org/
Teams of aspiring young engineers and their mentors are challenged to solve a common problem using a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules. The teams build robots from the parts and enter them in competitions. The very first FIRST Wisconsin Regional competition was held in 2006. Thirty-four teams from seven different states around the Midwest participated in the event.
For more information, e-mail
info@wisconsinregional.org
Phyllis Sides is a reporter for The Journal Times. This column, about the good stories of good people in Racine County, appears each week. She can be reached at (262) 631-1714 or by e-mail at
psides@journaltimes.com
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