THE BEACON - Bringing our Community and Businesses Together .
Page 2A THE BEACON November 2018
By Tamara Taylor
Fragile . Handle with Care ...
Our community is one less by a great man whose presence filled a room when he entered . Nelson Elliott recently passed away . He was a powerful , compassionate man who had a love for his community that many of us could only imagine having . Nelson ’ s iconic voice could be heard at community events , on the radio , and even on his iconic television program , “ Hoosier Kaleidoscope .”
May Nelson ’ s voice and community spirit live on in the heart of the community .
On a lighter note , I had the opportunity to learn to blow glass a few weeks ago . Imagine my surprise when I was
Glass is heated several times to 1980 ° F during the process of creating a piece . ( photo by Dawn Lanphier )
handed a stack of newspaper soaked in water to shape the glass on . In this day of trying to be “ green ” and repurpose everything possible , I suppose I found a new use for recycled editions of the BEACON . How cool .
While the process of blowing glass looks simple , it is anything but . That molten blob of gooey stuff is like the piece of Jello that you can ’ t quite seem to pick up . Making it even tougher is the fact that molten glass is around 2000 ° F . As I spun the rod that held the molten glass , I was handed a gigantic wooden Blockhead that looked like an oversized wooden ladle in which to shape the molten glass . Color
The pieces in the hand blown glass chess set shown above measure over 5 ½ feet wide and 2½ feet tall .
was incorporated into my piece by rolling the molten blob ( so professional , right ?!) in chips of colored glass which are mixed and tested over time to give the desired effect .
Suffice it to say that my creation is not quite as photogenic as I would like . However , the journey to make the piece was priceless . I have included a photo of my instructor ’ s most interesting piece- a chess set . This piece is anything but ordinary since the board alone measures 5½ feet square and each piece is almost 2 feet tall . It is certain to become a museum piece or a part of a private collection .
The moral of this story- if you ever get a chance to try
something new , do it . If you love it , great ! You will never know unless you try .
I have noticed that when describing oneself , most describe their family . For example , one might say , “ I am one of eight ,” referring to their seven fellow siblings . Now for the puzzle . I was one of one for over two decades . Now I am one of four and couldn ’ t be happier . I have two remarkable sisters , Celeste and Marie , and an incredibly intelligent brother , Bob , all of whom are sure to do great things in their careers . In essence , I am very blessed .
Others have not been so fortunate in their lives . But thanks to the wonderful , heartfelt efforts of one of our community members , the future has gotten brighter for so many in our community . Amy Phillips has quietly made that happen .
Ms . Phillips has been involved with the YES Home for over fifteen years before becoming the director of the facility . She follows in the footsteps of Cathy Piché who retired last year .
“ Amy is just an awesome person . Her commitment made it easier for me to retire knowing that the future of the YES Home is in good hands .’” said Ms . Piché .
The James B . Wisman Youth Home is a residential group home for abused , neglected and abandoned children . Amy ’ s commitment , however , extends far beyond her job . Ms . Phillips was a foster parent for years and is now a single parent to fivecount ‘ em , five- young people .
But wait . There ’ s more . She is on the board of Citizens Against Substance Abuse ( CASA ). She is active in STAND , Students Taking
Amy Phillips has touched the fragile lives of so many youth and has helped them become strong again .
Action Against Negative Decisions . She is also on the Ripley County Juvenile Detention Alternatives steering committee . And let ’ s not leave out her important role in the Ripley County Drug Awareness Coalition . Ms . Phillips is an active member of the Ripley County Local Coordinating Council as well .
“ Amy is the sort of person who is super high energy and always has a positive attitude . She gives back so much to the community ,” said Liz Morris , past board member of the YES Home .
One of Ms . Phillips ’ achievements that is most impressive is a program that she initiated called Hidden in Plain Sight , a trailer set up to show parents and caregivers the signs and paraphernalia associated with drug use that they may not recognize . These potential danger signs are often right under their noses . Hidden in Plain Sight reaches five counties in our area and was once hosted in a trailer . Sadly , the trailer was sold . Now Ms . Phillips takes it upon herself to deliver whatever she can box up from the displays to groups who would like to share the program .
E . G . McLaughlin , current president of the YES Home Board , stated , “ Amy ’ s passion and energy for the kids is amazing . She is always looking for new ideas on how to make a positive impact on the kids ’ lives .”
Yet again , a hidden treasure in our community , touching the lives of so many with an incredible impact spanning far into the future . Thank you , Amy Phillips , for ALL that you do for our community .
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The Beacon is an independent monthly publication with distribution in Dearborn , Ripley , Franklin and Ohio Counties in Indiana and Harrison , Ohio .
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THE BEACON - Bringing our Community and Businesses Together .