Akron’s Michelle Gardner is struggling to be the best mother she can be to her three children.Like so many others who are still trying to recover from the recession, Michelle and her family are economically challenged. And her children are paying the price, most especially 5-year-old Mikel Dijak. Mikel has Schwachman-
Diamond Syndrome, an inherited condition affecting many parts of the body, specifically the bone marrow, skeletal system and the pancreas. “He had pre-leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant which took place April 7,” Michelle said. “We were in Cincinnati from Jan. 16 to Aug. 22 and in the hospital [Cincinnati Children’s Hospital] from March 14 to June 17.” They had been trying to fix up their house, formerly the property of a relative, but that proved to be too hazardous for Mikel’s health. So, the family, whose income is $1,100 a month, is trying to work that out.The most immediate problem is finding reliable transportation to get Mikel to and from his medical appointments in Cincinnati.“My van is a 1999 Chrysler Town and Country Limited all-wheel drive 3.8L, 6 cylinder,” Michelle wrote. “It needs power steering, pulley fixed, new tires, front-end alignment, rear shocks, drive axle boots, back passenger wheel bearings and spark plugs and wires.“We were supposed to be in Cincinnati last Thursday and Friday. But we couldn’t make it due to the van being broken and our car also needing work on it.” Any help would be much appreciated. RePlaying with toysBig, beautiful bouquets to dozens of University of Akron students from all engineering disciplines who repaired toys for children with disabilities at a recent RePlay for Kids event at the university.Among those participating were senior engineering students and twin sisters Jenny and Katie Smith of Akron, members of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honorary society.“A pair of twin teddy bears clutching musical hearts stood out among the toys the sisters returned to working condition,” said UA spokeswoman Denise Henry.Students repaired everything from remote-control cars to dolls missing their voices and various other broken toys.“The collaborative effort between the UA College of Engineering and RePlay for Kids (a nonprofit corporation that provides toys and assistive devices to Northeast Ohio children with special needs) also focuses on adapting toys to make them more user-friendly,” Henry noted. President Bill Memberg, a biomedical engineer, launched the program at Case Western Reserve University and UA joined last September. Since then, more than 70 UA student volunteers have participated in the workshops, which are organized by the University’s Women in Engineering program. The students will regroup Nov. 1 for another workshop.Murder mystery dinnerMembers of Akron and Canton Scottish Rite Masons will be hosting Shawshank Rejection, a benefit murder mystery dinner with a comedy flair at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Tadmor Shrine Center, 3000 Krebs Drive in Coventry Township. Social hour with a cash bar begins at 5 p.m.All proceeds go to the Children’s Dyslexia Centers of Akron and Canton, which provide free one-on-one tutoring in reading and writing to all children, regardless of economic status, race, religion or their family’s Masonic affiliation. “Many schoolchildren with dyslexia endure frustration and demoralization on a daily basis as they struggle to acquire reading and writing skills that many of us take for granted,” said event spokesman Bill Murphy. Tickets are $25. For information and reservations, please call 330-666-8443 by Oct. 31. Wheels for SeanWheels for Sean, the benefit to help Amy Rowan purchase a wheelchair van to transport her son, who has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk, is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Lakemore Municipal Building, 1400 Main St., Lakemore. For information, please call Christine Wilmoth at 330-354-6108. Dining room giftGood neighbors Chuck and Beth McVan of Akron emailed with a gift offer:“We have a solid oak dining room table with two leaves and four chairs that we would like a young family or service family to have. The set is in great shape. It would have to be picked up.”Please email me as soon as possible if you’re both interested and deserving. Helping service familiesThe South Akron Board of Trade is seeking local families who could use a little assistance at the holidays. “This program is open to veterans as well as families who currently have someone serving overseas,” wrote Lenny Morella, president of the South Akron Board of Trade. “We will attempt to provide food assistance and gifts for the children. Our goal is to help 10 to 12 families this year.”The South Akron Board of Trade along with Summit DD Board, East Akron Board of Trade and employees of Regency Seating gathered recently to pack 80 boxes of personal-care items, snacks, reading material and more to be shipped overseas to a local unit in time for holiday gift-giving as part of its Christmas in September: Support Our Troops effort.For information, please call Morella at 330-875-4828 or email lmorella@neor.rr.com.Funds for Flight 93 Major kudos to Akron’s St. Sebastian Parish School and sixth-grader Joey Berger, who single-handedly organized fundraisers during the week of Sept. 11 to raise funds for the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, where brave passengers thwarted terrorists from reaching their target.The $451.15 raised was presented Friday via Skype to Sandy Felt, widow of Flight 93 passenger Edward Felt. It’s a down payment on the $10 million cost to complete the monument.Scooper Pamela recognizedSummit Arbor 765 of Gleaner Life Insurance Society recently recognized 7-year-old Pamela Parsons of Massillon for her community service.Pamela, who starred in my Aug. 1 column, started Pamela’s POOP Scoop, a one-girl operation over the summer that had her cleaning up dog poop for donations. She turned over all of the profits to the Massillon Family Living Center, which provides shelter to homeless families.“In addition to the award, arbor members gave Pamela donations for the center’s wish list,” said Gleaner spokeswoman Dianne Winnen-Oldenburg. “Gleaner Life Insurance Society is a fraternal benefit organization founded in 1894. Summit Arbor 765, located in Akron, has partnered with nonprofits in this area and helped individuals who have had catastrophic things happen in their lives.”Cub Scout cleanupKudos to six members of Cub Scout Pack 3170 (chartered through Richardson Elementary School PTA and Grandview United Methodist Church of Cuyahoga Falls) who loaned their muscle in a recent cleanup project at Silver Creek Metro Park in Norton. According to Cub Master Matt Day, the work commenced after the big fall family outings the day before. So a well-earned salute to Cameron King, Aydan Lewis, Toby Lewis, Max Davis, Reagan King and Zachary Day. Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or emailed at jcardwell@thebeaconjournal.com.