The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, Jewell Cardwell column [The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio]

Nov. 14--Heartfelt congratulations to 91-year-old Ruth Ridgley, whose long-awaited dream of riding on the Goodyear blimp came true on Election Day.

Who says there are no happy endings?

Her granddaughter Jen Berkowitz of Avon Lake shared the beautiful back story:

"My grandma has lived in Cuyahoga Falls for probably 60 years. Many, many years ago she and my grandpa were supposed to take a ride on the blimp.

"At the time they were young and didn't own a car. The day came for their blimp ride and it ended up that there was an issue with their ride, and they were late to the air dock and they missed their flight.

"This has been something she has always wanted to do, a Bucket List thing you could say! Blimp rides are extremely hard to come by."

As fate would have it, Berkowitz attended an auction in Bay Village, where a blimp ride was one of the prizes. " I knew I had to win it!" she said. "The news was spreading through the crowd at the auction of the 'lady trying to win this for her 91-year-old grandma.' And as the final minutes were closing on the auction, a man was standing next to me attempting to make the winning bid. I told him that I would continue to bid until I won and then told him why and he graciously put his pen down and allowed me to win the blimp ride!

"Ironically enough, the next day was Grandparents Day, so my family and I drove to Akron to have dinner with my mom and my grandma, and it was there that we told her the news. She was shocked and said that in all of her 91 years, she's never been so surprised as she was about this."

Accompanying Mrs. Ridgley on the ride were two of her grandchildren, Berkowitz and Brian Nichols of Stow.

Good Samaritan found

The mystery has been solved!

Carl Thornton of Barberton, an avid reader of my column, saw the item Wednesday about a woman with a ponytail who drove a red SUV, baby-sat 7-month-old twin boys and stopped to help a female jogger who had fallen. He rang his neighbor, whom he suspected had done the good deed.

Turns out he was right.

Lisa Weaver was the woman who turned her vehicle around and stopped on Nov. 1 to help Janna Le TenHuisen, who had fallen on West Market Street near Reflections Breast Health Center.

Weaver ended up driving the bloodied jogger home. "As I was putting her in my SUV, a nurse from Reflections came out, told her to lean her head forward, not backward, and to get herself checked out," Weaver said.

Asked why she stopped to help, Weaver said simply, "If it was me laying there, I would have wanted someone to stop."

Weaver -- who has been married 20 years, has two teen-agers, a boy and a girl, and lost both of her parents last year -- is a self-described nurturer.

"She's a twin taking care of twins," Thornton wanted me to know.

"Now I understand what my mother went through," Weaver chuckled.

TenHuisen was eager to learn the identity of the good Samaritan. Weaver responded, "I need no thanks but would like to touch base with her. I am glad to hear she is back to being vertical and normal."

Tireless volunteer

Hats off to 96-year-old Opal May of Barberton, who has been a longtime volunteer with Jan Householder's Giving Doll ministry. It provides soft-sculpture dolls to children in crisis: those battling serious illnesses, who have suffered devastating losses or whose parents are in the military serving in harm's way.

"She comes to the Barberton group meeting the third Wednesday of each month," said Householder, whose project, begun five years ago, is only 257 dolls away from reaching 10,000.

Warm heart

Big beautiful bouquets again to 90-year-old Ann Bialy.

The Akron woman sent me yet another colorful batch of hats and scarves she knitted for children in foster care who are under the auspices of Summit County Children Services.

What a generous thing to do for children she'll never see but will certainly pray for.

Early holiday dinner

Al Kaf Court No. 144, Daughters of Isis, along with Al Kaf Temple No. 109, will serve an early holiday dinner to folks in need, A Thanksgiving Feast: Feeding the Hungry, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Al Kaf Social Hall, 1623 Frederick Blvd., Akron.

For information, please call Daughter Janice Davis at 330-867-6982 or Noble Bernard Swain at 330-703-9105.

Fundraising evening

A major fundraiser -- dinner, music and entertainment by comedian Katrina Brown -- is planned for 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Rafters Bar & Grill at Meadowlake Golf & Swim to assist Kelley Hankins Spilios in her battle with multiple sclerosis. Proceeds will go to experimental surgery not covered by her health insurance.

Tickets, available at the door, are $12. Cash bar, raffles and a silent auction are planned. Rafters is at 1211 39th St. NE, Plain Township.

Donations also accepted at Huntington Bank in care of the Kelley Spilios Fundraiser. For information, please call Pete Spilios at 330-371-1056.

Feld honored

Hats off to Akron'sBarbara Feld, who was one of four Northeast Ohio recipients of the 2011 Morgan Impact Award from the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, a Hudson-based private family foundation.

Feld was cited for her imaginative work with Tuesday Musical Association, especially its Outreach Program "that gives teachers the opportunity to offer their students cultural experiences in the arts."

Parenting class

Pregnant or have a child 12 or younger?

Then it may be prudent for you to be present 11 a.m. Saturday at Akron Stork's Nest, inside South Arlington United Methodist Church, 790 S. Arlington St., Akron.

If you attend the parenting or prenatal classes, you can get free baby clothing. Classes are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Free child care and refreshments available.

Since this is a church, please dress and act appropriately.

The topic this month is immunization, presented by registered nurse Wendy A. Brolly. For information, please call 330-962-5946.

Scholarship party

A huge round of applause to planners of the 73rd annual Viva La Panza presented by the Italian-American Professional & Businessmen's Club and House of LaRose, which took place recently at Todaro's Party Center.

Event spokesman Ray Yannucci said the event, which drew a crowd of 682, raised more than $40,000 for scholarships for Akron-area students of Italian heritage. Since its 1970 inception, the club has raised more than $340,000 in scholarship money.

Other major sponsors this year were Brennan, Manna and Diamond, J.W. Didado Electric, Dave Towell Cadillac & Saab, Hitchcock Fleming & Associates, WAKR/WONE Radio, Ninni's Bakery and Ciriello & Carr Funeral Homes. Co-chairmen were Lou Berroteran, John Montisano, Ralph Palmisano and Ralph Trecaso, with a strong assist from Nick Betro, Mario Caponi, Rocco Caponi, Jack DeLeo, Tony Gatto, Jim Leone, Dominick Maimone, Joe Maite, Dominic Rizzo, Frank Todaro and Tom Teodosio.

A bike and a tree

Readers have the following items to give away. Please respond as soon as possible.

--"Do you know of any organization that will accept used kids' bikes, go over them and donate them to needy children?"

--"We have a large 9-foot Christmas tree we would like to donate to a church or organization. We purchased it and found it was too difficult for us older folks to handle. It is almost new. Would you know of any group who could use it? We will donate all the lights we bought for it as well."

Jewell Cardwell can be reached at 330-996-3567 or emailed at [email protected].

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(c)2011 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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