Monday, Oct. 31, 2011
October 31, 2011 by Sarah
Happy Halloween!
Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.
~Judith Olney
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 29 & 30, 2011
October 29, 2011 by Sarah
You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin…. We eagerly anticipate it every year.
— Fearless Flyer, October 2010
Friday, Oct. 28, 2011
October 28, 2011 by Sarah
The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war.
~Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011
October 27, 2011 by Sarah
October’s poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter.
~ Nova Bair
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011
October 26, 2011 by Sarah
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
~ George Eliot
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011
October 25, 2011 by Sarah
How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.
~John Burroughs
A passionate advocate for domestic violence victims
October 24, 2011 by Sarah
Camey Thurner answers a question from the audience during her presentation Monday evening on domestic violence in rural communities.
Camey Thurner is quick to concede that she had a lot to learn when she began as an “outreach specialist” with the Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas eight years ago this month.
Originally from California with a background in property law and subdivision management north of the Bay Area, she didn’t know much about nonprofit organizations or reaching out to people in need. And, she adds with a laugh, “I didn’t know Kansas so I really didn’t know rural Kansas!”
After Camey Thurner's presentation, she led a brief candlelight vigil and prayer for victims of domestic violence.
But one thing she had in abundance was passion — and her passion about the issue of domestic violence and the people who are its victims was clear Monday evening as she gave the final presentation in the 2011 Concordia Speakers Series.
Thurner was the eighth speaker in the series that began in February, hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph at the Nazareth Motherhouse. About 40 people attended her hourlong presentation.
Thurner moved to Salina nine years ago to be with her mother, after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. When she started job hunting, she realized there weren’t many possibilities for her big-city background.
To help fill her time, she began volunteering at DVACK in Salina, where she did a little bit of everything.
“It took a very short period of time to see there weren’t many people volunteering,” she recalled, “and there weren’t very many people on staff.”
Before long, she was offered a job, first working out of the Salina office serving about 10 counties. Eventually, DVACK opened an office in Concordia and offered that position to her. She’s been here since December 2006.
In the small communities throughout North Central Kansas, she said, “My biggest concern is that people will never tell” about domestic violence — whether it’s abuse toward children, spouses or the elderly or disabled.
“What matters to the people I work with is that I’m here,” she said. “I don’t know all the answers, but I’ll help you find them. I know each person is different; a box to mark or a checklist to run through doesn’t work.”
Thurner emphasized that every person she meets with is given complete confidentiality, and she recognizes that survivors of abuse may struggle to trust anyone.
“But they need someone who believes in them and who doesn’t tell them what to do,” she added.
Thurner, meanwhile, is sustained by her Christian faith as she encourages others to share their painful stories.
“God is my father, I am only here as his servant,” she said. “That’s the only way I can be present them when they talk.”
Monday, Oct. 24, 2011
October 24, 2011 by Sarah
Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.
~From the television show The Wonder Years
Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 22 & 23, 2011
October 22, 2011 by Sarah
Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity; but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. Who can stand with autumn on a hilltop and fail to see the span of the world and the meaning of the rolling hills that reach to the far horizon?
— Hal Borland
Oct. 21, 2011: Start early to practice being a good citizen, by Kayla Dvorak
October 21, 2011 by Sarah
People can start being good citizens at a young age. You should always do the right thing, and that’s the rule from the beginning. Preschoolers always have to share their toys and treat everyone well.
As you get older you still have to do the right thing and help everyone, neighbor and stranger. Being a good citizen can start by doing something simple like offering to help someone, or getting involved in your community. Then, life in the community can be more pleasant for all the people living there.
It is the same for students in school. Get involved in as many activities as possible so you can help out. Do useful things with your free time.
Respecting the people around you is important. If you don’t, then why should they respect you and do things for you? They probably won’t. A way to show you are considerate of your surroundings and everyone in them is to obey all the laws. Laws are there for a reason and not following them is a definite sign of disrespect toward your community.
A way to show appreciation for your community and the people who live here is to be reliable. Let your neighbors know they can depend on you. That is what neighbors are for. Support your community in its times of need.
Being a good citizen really pays off!
— Kayla Dvorak is an eighth-grader at Concordia Junior High School. She is the daughter of Heath Dvorak and Sharon Klima.
