DEAR EDITOR,
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  A Gold Ribbon in September stands for kids with cancer.  An opportunity is available to you to raise awareness and support for these special kids.
On Sept. 16, an event called CureSearch Walk is being held in Columbus to raise funds for an organization called CureSearch.  This is a nonprofit organization that funds life saving research through more than 200 children’s cancer centers such as Nationwide Children’s in Columbus, Toledo Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Hospital.  CureSearch is a research organization that is strictly dedicated to research of children’s cancers. Ninety-six percent of all money raised goes directly to research.
I will be attending the CureSearch Walk in Columbus on 9/16 in memory of my granddaughter, Alivia. She passed May 23, 2011, at the age of 3 from cancer. I have formed a team called Beanie’s Bunch.  Please visit www.curesearchwalk.org to register to walk or to donate. The Walk is at Bicentennial Park, 233 Civic Center Drive, Columbus.  Registration is noon to 1 p.m.  The Event is from 1-4 p.m. 
Also on this website are the dates of other walks in the area.
One of Alivia’s frequent statements to me was “I will help you.” In her memory, “I will help you” by raising money and raising awareness for the need to find cures for children’s cancers.
Sincerely,
Betty Shobe
Delphos

DEAR EDITOR:
I was quite distressed to see an article in Sunday’s Lima News in which the head of the Up to the Challenge accused the city of theft. The city of Delphos has graciously supported our challenged community for nine-plus years now. They have provided the ball diamonds for the July 3rd tournament, the pool for the swim events, and lifesaving and support personnel when needed without concern about these costs.
Why would the city “steal” $1,000 worth of life saving equipment and pool toys?
According to the head of Up to the Challenge, the city has stored this equipment without incident for years prior. Why then would she try to take possession of the swim equipment a few days before an event where it was going to be used by many of the same challenged individuals who have used it before?
How can the swim equipment be considered “stolen?” It was used by the Up to the Challenge volunteers for the same individuals it has always been used for. What were the challenged individuals supposed to do when the Up to the Challenge swim event was cancelled? I’m grateful some families stepped up to host the event this year. And  thanks to the city for making accessible the safety equipment need for many  participate. The end result was my daughter was able to swim, her peers were able to use the equipment purchased for them and everyone had a good time.
It is my understanding the swim equipment will be available at future events for individuals with challenges. Isn’t that the original reason it was purchased?
I encourage someone from the news media to find out the answers to these questions.
Laura Wright

I was quite distressed to see an article in Sunday’s Lima News in which the head of the Up to the Challenge accused the city of theft. The city of Delphos has graciously supported our challenged community for nine-plus years now. They have provided the ball diamonds for the July 3rd tournament, the pool for the swim events, and lifesaving and support personnel when needed without concern about these costs.
Why would the city “steal” $1,000 worth of life saving equipment and pool toys?
According to the head of Up to the Challenge, the city has stored this equipment without incident for years prior. Why then would she try to take possession of the swim equipment a few days before an event where it was going to be used by many of the same challenged individuals who have used it before?
How can the swim equipment be considered “stolen?” It was used by the Up to the Challenge volunteers for the same individuals it has always been used for. What were the challenged individuals supposed to do when the Up to the Challenge swim event was cancelled? I’m grateful some families stepped up to host the event this year. And  thanks to the city for making accessible the safety equipment needed for many  participate. The end result was my daughter was able to swim, her peers were able to use the equipment purchased for them and everyone had a good time.
It is my understanding the swim equipment will be available at future events for individuals with challenges. Isn’t that the original reason it was purchased?
I encourage someone from the news media to find out the answers to these questions.
Laura Wright

Dear Editor:
For the last three years, I have been traveling with the escorted tours sponsored by the Museum of Postal History. Although I have enjoyed the numerous vacations I have taken with family and friends, it has occurred to me that having someone else plan the trip and be “in charge” has added something delightful to the experience of traveling.
Some people have asked me if I miss the independence of just going wherever I want, whenever I want.  But the truth of the matter is we are given choices throughout the trip.  Just last week, my husband and I went on the MPH tour of Nashville, Tennessee.  We relaxed on the bus watching movies and chatting with several old and new friends.  We stopped frequently to stretch and for meals- forgetting about the chore of driving.  The miles just seemed to fly by. 
In Nashville, we were taken to several places off the beaten path – as our tour guide, Gary Levitt would say, “We go where only the natives go”. The Monell Manor, the Pied Piper, and the Parthenon were places I would have never thought to visit.  Each of our meals provided great food and several choices. I had never heard the expression of a “meat-and-three”, but I know now what southern hospitality is all about.  Part of the fun was to be able to pick on our tour guide when the GPS took us to someone’s private home rather than the breakfast restaurant where we were supposed to be.  But the real fun was when we finally got there. This small restaurant buried in the middle of a residential section of Nashville was like stepping back in time.  The menus were on vinyl records tucked inside old jacket covers.  The atmosphere took on a new meaning for us as we all had our picture taken with a stand up of Liberace dressed in a red-white-and blue cheerleader’s outfit complete with baton and boots. Besides the great restaurants and cafes, we enjoyed the entertainment at the Grand Old Opry watching Randy Travis perform and the show on the General Jackson Riverboat. There was plenty of free time both at our hotel – the magnificent Gaylord Opryland Hotel and in the heart of downtown Nashville with all the honky tonks and clubs. 
The old saying leave the driving to us – has taken on a bigger meaning now that I have enjoyed the escorted tours. We are really looking forward to our next trips with MPH Tours to New York City in October and Chicago in December.
Marg Ashby

Dear Editor,
I would like to be very realistic about the canal situation. Please, at your leisure go to Cleveland or Clime Street bridge and just study the entire picture. The canal and landscape have become grown over and ignored. Now the talk is possible sink holes, smell, trash depositing in the canal, maintenance and lets not forget the green slime of past years. Allow all land owners along the canal to purchase land to extend their lots into what is now the canal. You take that money and tile the canal (like the parking lot behind main) from city limits south to the rail road tracks. I do realize it would be a costly venture and the land sale would not fund the entirety, details to be worked on. The two bridges could be removed and all of the above problems are gone! To those wanting to preserve history, take a page from the city of Saint Marys and focus on just part of the canal. It would be a lot easier to fix up from the tracks to Second Street rather than all of the canal. You can’t move forward by looking back!
John Rode
Delphos