Panel At Manchester University To Discuss Re-Entry Efforts For Ex-Offenders



How is Indiana helping ex-offenders who have done their time re-enter society and ensure they will not return to prison?



That will be the subject on March 13 when Manchester University hosts a group of re-entry experts.



The panel will speak at 3:30 p.m. in Cordier Auditorium on the North Manchester campus.



The meeting, themed “Supporting Re-Entry and Preventing Recidivism: Initiatives for Indiana Prisoners” is open to the public.



The Indiana Department of Correction speakers include Alexis Dean, executive director of re-entry and Medicaid; and Rick Rosales, in charge of community and mentor engagement.



They will talk about the challenges facing ex-offenders in Indiana and the work being done within and outside prisons to help lower recidivism.



The program was initiated by students in a first-year seminar led by Stacy Erickson-Pesetski, associate dean of Academic Affairs and associate professor of English.



Erickson-Pesetski has taught Shakespeare to prison inmates and incarcerated youths, taking some Manchester students to Pendleton Correctional Facility. Her sabbatical a few years ago was at Pendleton, and she continues to volunteer there.



Manchester student volunteers also write letters to death-row inmates as part of the Death Row Support Project of the Church of the Brethren.







Alzheimer’s Support Group Meets Tuesday



An Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers Support Group will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Parkview Center for Healthy Living inside the YMCA, 1305 Mariners Drive, Warsaw.



The group is open to those looking for information or who need support as they care for someone with dementia.



The meeting is sponsored by Alzheimer’s & Dementia Services/REAL Services.



The group meets at 1 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.



The meetings are facilitated by Karen Kauffman, who has been leading small group discussions on many types of dementia and their challenges for more than 10 years.







Gardening Series Returns With 3 Sessions



Have you ever wondered how to attract bees to your garden? Why your hydrangeas won’t bloom? Or how to prune a shrub?



These will be among the topics discussed at the annual Gardening Away the Winter Blues series this month.



The Kosciusko County Master Gardeners and Purdue Extension are offering the series from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 13, 20 and 27 at the Extension office in Warsaw.



Highlights of each session are:



March 13 – Herbs and bees



Cindy Barnett, Purdue Extension Whitley County, will show how herbs from the garden can reduce stress with herb-inspired salt scrubs and potpourri bags.



Greg Leyes of Ginger Valley is planning to share tips on how to attract bees to the garden to increase pollination. This helps the garden have more flowers and be more productive.



March 20 – Air plants and hydrangeas



If you don’t know what an air plant is, this session is for you. Kara Light will teach what they are and how to take care of them. This will be followed by the opportunity to make one to take home. After this session, Jodie Overmeyer of Price Nurseries will share how to have beautiful hydrangeas in your landscape.



March 27 – Spring bulb tips and proper pruning techniques



Juergen Voss, Open Air Garden Center, will share how proper care can keep bulbs blooming for many years. Then, John Woodmansee, Purdue Extension Whitley County, will cover the why, when, where, how and who of pruning trees and shrubs.



The registration fee for the series is $20 per person per $25 family or $8 per session by March 9. There is a charge of $5 per person to make an air plant.



The series includes handouts, refreshments and other landscape-related information.



Master gardeners who complete the class will earn six hours of educational credit or two hours per session. Registration for individual sessions is $8 per person and includes handouts for that session.



For more information, contact the Purdue Extension, Kosciusko County office, at 574-372-2340, or visit www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/kosciusko/pages/default.aspx.







Correction



A brief in Thursday’s Leisure Section contained the wrong date for an upcoming coffee and canvas event at Center Lake Pavilion in Warsaw. The event is at 6:30 p.m. March 9.



The Times-Union regrets the error