Ben Franke receives a Citizen Action Meritorious Award

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported this morning Ben Franke, son of Wade and Karen Franke, was honored with a Citizen Action Meritorious Award on Monday, March 23 at the 2008 Fort Wayne Fire Department Service Awards, held at the Public Safety Academy of Northeast Indiana. He was one of 13 firefighters and citizens recognized at the event.

"Ben Franke was given a Citizen Action Meritorious Award for helping his neighbors, Dean and Eleanor Shideler, escape a fire in March 2008 at their Rolston Avenue home.

The Shidelers attended the ceremony to personally thank Franke.

When Franke learned of the blaze, the first thing that went though his head was “just get over there and help them,” he said after receiving the award.

“It’s great,” Franke said. “It feels good.'"

2nd District News

Our next 2nd District Community Meeting will be Monday, April 27, 7 p.m., at Shoaff Park Riverlodge (straight west off of St. Joe Road, past the golf course). Our speaker will be Mayor Tom Henry, so please come for this opportunity to talk with our mayor.

Wednesday, March 25, 7 p.m., will be the first episode of a new show on "City TV" (Comcast 58/FIOS 28) called "Constructive Thinking." This will focus on the many and varied things that our Public Works and City Utilities departments do, hosted by yours truly. The 30-minute show will air on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., alternating with "Council Call-in." The first show is "Water, Water Everywhere" and includes discussion of the recent flood, flood control projects, repairing sewers and fixing potholes (which are caused by water if you think about it). In addition to some in-studio interviews we have filmed some interviews in the field so I hope it is interesting to watch. The April show will feature a rain garden theme and will include some how-to advice. We are trying to see whether we can get this podcasted so that people without Comcast or FIOS service can watch, because we know that this is going to be THE show of the season (just kidding on that last part.)

ABC’s EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION SEARCHING FOR HEROIC FAMILIES
From ABC:

Do you know someone whose home deserves an Extreme Makeover? If so, the producers of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition want to hear from you! Ty Pennington and his crew have been all across the map and they are ready to drive that famous bus into the Fort Wayne Indiana area!

What does it take to be picked for an Extreme Makeover?
We are in search of true Heroes - people who have amazing strength of character and who put their own needs aside to help others. Whether it’s a mom, a soldier, a teacher, or a fireman, we think a hero is anyone who inspires those around them. In addition, the producers are looking for families whose houses need major alterations or repair- homes that present serious problems for the family and affect the family's quality of life.

To be eligible: A family must own their own single family home and be able to show producers how a makeover will make a huge difference in their lives.

Interested families or those who wish to nominate another family should e-mail a short description of their family story to
castindiana@gmail.com

Nominations/submissions must include:
1. The names and ages of each member of the household
2. A description of the major challenges within the home.
3. Explanation of why this family is deserving, Heroic, or a positive role model in their community.
4. Photos of the family and a photo of the home
5. Don’t forget to include a contact phone number.

The deadline: for nominations is (April 2nd). BUT Don’t Delay! Please send story submissions as soon as possible!

For more information on how to apply please visit our website at: http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index?pn=apply