What’s been happening?
Through the sound of asking customers if they would like to support their local group, the people of La Porte county may have found their new favorite Saturday lunch. Kabelin Ace Hardware (West) in La Porte has recently partnered with many different groups looking to raise money, the fundraising technique commonly being referred to as “Dollars for Dogs.”
Dollars for Dogs is a way of fundraising through the La Porte community. Kabelin’s provides the participating groups with all they need: hot dogs, hot dog buns, condiments, and even a grill to cook on. Depending on the weekend, some volunteers charge one dollar per hot dog, while others only ask for donations.
Groups from all around La Porte County have found this opportunity to be beneficial. Some of the groups that have fundraised through Dollars for Dogs are 4-H groups, including the La Porte City Firestars, as well as students from La Porte High School who are planning to travel to Spain for an educational school trip.
“We are taking the trip [to Spain] through a tour agency, so we are responsible for raising all funds. Dollars for Dogs was a super fundraiser for us because we were able to keep all of the profit and the community support was great! Both personally and for other students, we were able to raise money and keep our personal costs for the trip lower. Just being there with my friends and seeing the community support was amazing, and we are super grateful for Kabelin’s!” Maddie Fleshman, La Porte High School senior, said.
Those in or around La Porte are encouraged to stop by Kabelin’s to pick up lunch and support a variety of local organizations.
What’s coming up?
The La Porte County Fair is coming up, and most people know what that means: cotton candy, rides, and plenty of fried food. One thing that many seem to forget about, though, is the 4-H members and the variety of talents they bring each year.
While many people tend to stop by the project buildings to see the creative woodwork, scrapbooks, decorated cakes, and more, people occasionally forget about the animals that are shown during fair week and the hard work their owners put in to keep them looking great.
Those who show animals work year-round to ensure that their animals are ready. With all of their hard work and dedication, the 4-H members continue to gather a phenomenal group of animals to be displayed amongst the public.
“I believe the La Porte County Fair has always had a great selection of animals in each and every one of their shows. My advice to fair goers is to go and watch one or two shows and see how 4-H’ers show their animals,” Kirsten Lambert, 4-H animal shower, said.
While it may seem that animals at the La Porte County Fair do not take as much work as building a large wood creation or professionally decorating a cake, they are one of the most time consuming jobs a person could have.
Just as other years, this year’s fair has been highly anticipated by many. While many go to the fair for the concerts, games, food, and 4-H entries, some are excited to go just for the smell and sound of the old county fair.
Student spotlight
Edie Miller, a La Porte High School senior, has been heard cheering for over a decade; going into her senior year of high school, she is more than ready to cheer on LPHS for one final year.
Following in her aunt’s footsteps, Miller has always loved cheering. Starting at only five years old, she found a sport she loves. Miller will be finishing her last year on the high school Varsity team and hopes to continue her cheering throughout college.
“It [cheerleading] has given me a lot of amazing opportunities and has taught me leadership skills, communication and teamwork,” Miller said.
Miller is also on the LPHS Speech and Debate team, and she is a member of the American Sign Language Club. She plans to attend school at Southern Florida University to earn her degree in psychology as well as continue her cheerleading career.
With support from her mother, coaches, and teammates, Miller has found cheering to be one of her favorite things to do. Through all of the opportunities that have been brought to her, her favorite thing has been being able to create life-long friendships and memories.
After recently attending her last high school cheer camp, she is ready to lead her team through a successful year.
“At the end of the day, one of the strongest lessons learned at cheer camp was the ability to form a family through teammate bonding. A few days of working through mistakes while learning to communicate as a team gave the squad a head start on our new season,” Miller said.
The La Porte community can prepare to see and hear Miller cheering on the LPHS athletes throughout this year. After her many years of hard work, she is excited to cheer for her school one final time.
Teacher spotlight
Joe Ruiz, a teacher at La Porte High School, has given everybody a reason to believe that dreams really can come true. After deciding to take one of his dreams to the next level, and after finding an incredible amount of support from his friends, family, and students, Ruiz has began releasing his own music to the public.
Ruiz found his love for music during his high school years when he began writing and recording, and though it remained a hobby of his throughout college, his close friends and family were the only ones to witness his talent.
“I never released music for the public until I began my current album, The Rhymer/Educator Project. Until now, anyone who heard my music was a close friend or family member. Now I feel like I’m making professional quality music, and I want to share it with the world,” Ruiz said.
With his music influenced by a variety of topics, Ruiz has found his audience comes from all types of backgrounds. People, togetherness, and love are only a few of his main influences when it comes to writing.
“I draw inspiration from all of life. My relationships, my marriage, fatherhood, even my work as a teacher and my relationships in the La Porte community,” Ruiz said.
Apart from many musicians, Ruiz is not currently creating music for profit. All money that is not used to create and promote the music is donated to The Pax Center in La Porte. The Pax Center is an organization which provides food and basic necessities to those in the community who would otherwise be without.
While there is no certain message that Ruiz is looking to get across, he hopes that his audience is able to find meaning in his music.
“Making music makes me feel good. I love it. I do not know what message people will take from it but I hope it makes them feel good. If I can do that, I am doing it right,” Ruiz said.
Those interested in purchasing Ruiz’s music can visit RhymerEducator.com. His music is also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.