Volume 3 Number 3: Fall 2006 CONGRATULATIONS  and  WELCOME Caroline and Ed Hebb of Alexandrine celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on August 11, 2006  at the Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church at a party hosted by their children Nancy and David. RBNA Board Members Tracy Wright and Tim Kleczynski of Cherry Hill  are the proud parents of Trevor Wright  Kleczynski born on September 1, 2006. Jillian Clare Oleski was born on September 4, 2006 to DeLynn and Mike Oleski of Law Street.   Luke Oleski is Jillian’s big brother. Longtime residents of Long Boulevard Jean and Ted Oelkers celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on September 15, 2006.  Son Robert hosted a party for them on September 16, 2006 at Park Place. The newest resident of  Long Boulevard is Dr. Gail Mee (formerly of Arizona) who came to Michigan to become President of Henry Ford Community College. On September 9, 2006 Don A. Griffin of Alexandrine was awarded the 2006 Petoskey Prize for Environmental Leadership by the Michigan Environmental Council.  The prize is the group’s highest honor for grassroots activism.  Don has co-founded two nonprofit groups that work to protect and promote conservation of rivers: in 1986  the Friends of the Rouge and in 1992  the Friends of the Detroit River.  Don also helped establish the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge in 2001 after a decade-long battle to preserve Humbug Marsh in Gibraltar.  Don was joined in his celebration by 10 members of his family, including three grandchildren. Holiday Wishes To our neighbors who just celebrated Rosh Hashanah, we wish a happy new year and hope you experienced a solemn Yom Kippur.  To our neighbors who are observing Ramadan, we wish a holy month of prayer followed by a joyous Eid. A tapestry would have little interest if all the threads were the same.  We value the varied traditions and experiences which our neighbors bring to our association. Ned Notes: Thoughts from our Association President The signs of fall are appearing.  Children are in school; mums are blooming; and houses in the neighborhood are bedecked with their favorite college pennants.  Thanksgiving is still a good ways off, but I thought I would use this space for a few notes of thanks.  Several neighbors have contributed to the betterment of the neighborhood in the past several months and I think their efforts deserve broader recognition.   In chronological order, first I would like to thank Lisa Bartkowiak who again this year organized a very successful Easter Egg Hunt.  The day was perfect.  The Easter Bunny made an appearance and the children of the neighborhood had a good time.  With the amount of candy they collected, they just might make it to Halloween. Also in the spring, Toni C developed a website for our association.  The combination of her talent, skills and time resulted in a great new way to communicate.  I encourage you to visit www. riverbend48124.com .  The site lets you know what the Riverbend Neighborhood Association is all about and what we strive to do; keeps you informed of what’s happening in the neighborhood;  and has a directory of the association officers and block captains.  More content and links are planned for the future.  I very much appreciate Toni’s commitment to this project. In June, after several months of waiting, the street sign at the corner of Military and Alexandrine, which was knocked over last Thanksgiving, was finally replaced.  This came about as a result of the actions of our neighbor and association liaison to the mayor’s office, Sam Smalley.  Sam’s dogged persistence and the wielding of his influence got this project completed.  Thanks, Sam. August brought our annual picnic.  Again this year, Muriel Eskola cleaned the picnic tables that the city provided.  Sharon Dulmage contributed her tables, warming trays and coolers of punch.  Diana Marx was a great help in cleaning up.  It is the willingness of people like these who contribute their time, work and equipment that contributes to the success of the event.  The magnificent weather on the day helped a lot too, but I’ll have to wait for the real Thanksgiving to thank the One who provided that major element. My fellow board members and block captains give generously of their time and talent throughout the year.  While it may be expected that someone who volunteers for one of these posts is willing to shoulder some responsibility, the group with whom I serve goes beyond the expected.  They deserve my thanks and that of the Association. I hope you will join us at our annual meeting on Tuesday, October 10th in the Sacred Heart Community Center.  At that time, you can express your personal thanks to all these people.  We will have a brief business meeting to elect officers followed by a social time with wine and cheese. Annual Membership Meeting and Wine Tasting Tuesday, October 10th at 7:30 pm Sacred Heart Parish Fellowship Hall Home