28th Annual Friends of Indiana Dunes Native Plant sale
The Friends 28th Annual Native Plant Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 11 at 1000 West Oak Hill Road, Porter. Admission is free. Pre-sale ordering is strongly recommended as only a limited quantity of each plant species is ordered from the supplier. Orders are filled in the sequence in which they are received. The deadline for submitting the completed native plant pre-sale order form is Friday. Customers will be notified of any unavailable plant species when the order is received. Order forms are available for printing at the Friends of Indiana Dunes website, dunefriends.org. A link also can be found on the Facebook page. Paper copies of the order form are available at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center, 1600 North 25 E., Chesterton, and at the Indiana Dunes Tourism Visitors Center, 1215 Indiana 49, Porter. For more information, contact Friends’ Native Plant Sale committee at 219-707-3617 or email nativeplants@dunefriends.org.
Contest for cover artwork to be featured on new book
Matt Reum, survivor of the harrowing car accident in which he spent nearly a week trapped in his vehicle, is holding a contest for artwork to be featured on the new cover of his new book, “Still Standing: The Seven Miracles of Matthew Reum.” The winner also will receive $1,000 cash. Open worldwide to high school students and younger, the contest runs through May 15. A second contest for the book’s back-cover artwork also is being held. This contest is open only to students living in St. Joseph County, Ind. The winner of this contest will receive a $200 cash prize in addition to having their art featured on the back cover. Artwork should embody the themes of relentlessness and strength, while also showcasing the artist’s creativity. Winners will be announced May 24 on Matt’s social media as well as his website, www.matthewreum.org, and via press release. For contest rules and design requirements, visit https://www.matthewreum.org/blank-4.
Crown Point Police launch hiring process
The Crown Point Police Department is now accepting applications for police officers. The application deadline is 4 p.m. CST May 6. Applications and complete information can be found on the City of Crown Point website at www.crownpoint.in.gov.
Franciscan Health hosts suicide prevention courses
Franciscan Health hospitals in Northwest Indiana and Chicago’s South Suburbs will offer free suicide prevention courses. Franciscan Health Michigan City will host a course from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 30 at 301 W. Homer St. Registration is required at Nila.Williams@franciscanalliance.org. Franciscan Health Olympia Fields will offer a course from 10:30 a.m. to Noon May 20 in the auditorium at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, 20201 S. Crawford Ave. Attendees should enter through the main entrance. Registration is required at Danielle.Crowder@franciscanalliance.org. The Franciscan Health Main Street Outpatient Center will host a course from 10 a.m. to Noon May 23 at 1201 S. Main St., Crown Point. Registration is required at Stacy.Zembala@franciscanalliance.org.
April Fourth Friday travels to Kazakhstan
The Valparaiso International Center (VIC) will host Fourth Friday at 7 p.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 201 N. Washington, Valparaiso. The featured speaker will be Zika Khamitzhanova. Born and raised in Kazakhstan, Khamitzhanova moved to the United States in 1996 and was granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). She attended high school in the USA and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with degrees in Criminal Justice and Political Science. She moved to Valparaiso in 2008 and has worked as a case manager for people with disabilities in Northwest Indiana, and is involved in the Special Olympics Program. Khamitzhanova will discuss the geography of Kazakhstan, it’s history and cultural highlights, and expand on her personal biography and journey to the USA. More information is at https://www.valpovic.org/?page_id=343.
Lake County Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale
The 23rd Annual Lake County Master Gardeners Plant Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 in the Fine Arts Building, Lake County Fairgrounds, 889 S. Court St., Crown Point. Plants include annuals, perennials, herbs, house plants, bulbs, shrubs and some trees. All plants are labeled. Master Gardeners will be available to answer any question. The Sale also includes mini-presentations on gardening topics and a “Trash to Treasures” area where “gently-used” gardening items of all kinds can be purchased. There will be Gardening Demos at 11 a.m. The Plant Sale is one of three fundraisers the Lake County Master Gardeners hold each year. Proceeds from the sale will help fund the Lake County Master Gardener Scholarship and Grant programs. More information can be found at www.lakecountymastergardeners.org. For questions about the plant sale, contact Dolly Foster or Veronica Williams at lakecountymastergardeners@gmail.com or call 219-755-3240.
