
Asking Eric: Five close siblings cut sixth out of fun plans
Dear Eric: I am a woman in my 60s with six siblings. Our parents are in their early 90s and have raised us to be thoughtful and respectful. Many of my siblings are female and have always gotten along famously, traveling together on girls' trips and seeing each other for holidays and family celebrations.

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News24
37 minutes ago
- News24
Pregnant Gogo Maweni's court saga: Assault case postponed again as she awaits twins
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hestia Women's Giving Circle celebrates 20th anniversary
PETOSKEY — When the Hestia Women's Giving Circle was first founded in Northern Michigan in 2005, they had fewer than 15 members. Twenty years later, their membership is nearing 90 and they have awarded more than $900,000 in grant funding. According to their website, Hestia's founding members were driven by a desire 'to support local organizations serving women and girls.' 'I was working at Planned Parenthood at the time and a number of us who were associated with Planned Parenthood became acquainted with the concept of giving circles, and specifically women's giving circles,' said founding member Martha Lancaster. 'So we looked at forming one for this community. It took a little while to get going, and we eventually settled on the model that we have now.' Giving circles operate in a way where members pool their resources to support various charitable causes, sometimes focusing on a specific issue. 'We wanted to specifically fund programs that benefited women and girls locally and with a special emphasis on protecting reproductive freedom,' Lancaster said. Subscribe: Check out our offers and read the local news that matters to you More: Hestia Women's Giving Circle seeks applications for grant cycle Over the years, their grant funding has benefitted local nonprofits in ways both big and small, ranging from contributing to the Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan's Empowering Bright Futures capital project to helping send girls on the Petoskey Youth Advisory Council to a statewide conference. 'Sometimes it can be a small $1,500 grant or as large as a $15,000 grant,' said chair Karen Strough-Donnelly. 'But it just depends on what the focus is and the priorities we have as an organization.' Strough-Donnelly is fairly new to Hestia. She attended her first meeting about four years ago. 'That's where I started learning so much more about our community and the things that the community needed, especially for women and girls, and really believe in the concept behind what we're doing,' she said. 'Our dues money is what funds these grants, so it only comes from dues money. There is no administrative monies to run what we do.' This year, the group plans to award 20 grants from around 30 applications. 'The other thing I'm really proud about is our grant process,' Lancaster said. 'We do a really thoughtful look at the applicants. We ask for data, especially if they were funded before we ask for a report on how they used the funds in the past. We contact them and ask more questions and make sure they know what they're doing.' With 20 years and nearly $1 million worth of grants behind them, Hestia is looking to the future. They recently completed a strategic planning process to focus on ways to recruit new members and continue to grow the impact they can have in the community. 'We're working hard to try and get the word out,' said Strough-Donnelly. 'The more members we can get, the more dues money we can collect and the more we can give.' Those interested in learning more about Hestia can attend their annual member reception and grant presentations from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 18 at Pond Hill Farm. They can also find information at or on the group's social media. — Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@ This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hestia Women's Giving Circle celebrates 20th anniversary in 2025
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Sea Turtle Rehab Center in Boca Raton is closing due to financial shortfall
After Blossom got sick and injured, she was given surgery and proper nutrition to heal. Eugene was 'cold-stunned' and covered in barnacles. Now, the juvenile sea turtles are improving — Blossom is on the brink of re-release, which she clearly is antsy for as she slaps her fins against the sides of her holding tank on a recent afternoon. And Eugene is 'Eating well!!!' according to notes about his recovery. They both received care at the Turtle Rehab Center within the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. But the center closed for good on Friday and will not be taking in new turtles. The nonprofit conservation organization The Coastal Stewards, which is behind the center, cited 'ongoing financial challenges.' 'Like many environmental nonprofits, The Coastal Stewards has faced increasing difficulty securing consistent and sustainable funding,' Shivani Gupta, a Board of Trustee Member for The Coastal Stewards, said in a statement. 'This difficult decision allows us to reallocate resources and focus on our long-standing commitment to marine conservation education and empowering the next generation of ocean advocates.' The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, which is run by the city of Boca Raton, will stay open and continue its other conservation programs, such such as sea turtle nest protection and counting. Gumbo Limbo's three resident sea turtles — Lefty, Morgan and Lady McNubbins — will remain there for the duration of their lives. The Coastal Stewards board of trustees chair Ata Sarajedini said the organization had a shortfall in projected donations and did not see that changing. 'As the Coastal Stewards organization, we are still very much interested in conservation — beach conservation, marine life conservation, educating the future leaders in the area of environmental conservation,' Sarajedini said. 'So education and science education is still part of our mission.' Running the rehab center was an expensive aspect of The Coastal Steward's operations, so ceasing it may lead to the organization allocating more funds to educational goals. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will decide where to transfer the 13 sea turtles — potential new locations include Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach and Zoo Miami. Until then, they will remain at Gumbo Limbo and receive veterinary care. Most of the patients were harmed due to interaction with the human world, be it getting tangled in netting or fishing line, swallowing a fish hook or getting struck by a boat, said Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Manager Leann Welch. Some of the turtles also have a virus called Fibropapilloma, which can lead to tumors. The gift store operated by The Coastal Stewards inside the Nature Center has also closed. In a statement issued in response to the closure, Boca Raton city officials wrote that they 'remain open to exploring partnerships with other qualified nonprofit organizations that may be interested in continuing sea turtle rehabilitation on-site and will determine the best use of the gift shop space.'