A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
2
May 7, 2015
P
LYMOUTH
Elder law to be discussed
Rake-N-Go aids residents
Plymouth Community United Way in
partnership with the Plymouth
Community Council on Aging will present
a free Elder Law Series with attorney
Gary S. Allen from 10-11:30 a.m. and 6:30-8
p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at Plymouth
TownshipHall, 9955N. Haggerty.
Allen, an estate planning and elder law
attorney, continues the series Tuesdays,
May 19 andMay 26with sessions offered at
10-11:30 a.m. and 6:30-8 p.m.
Advance registration is required. To
reserve a space, call Plymouth Community
UnitedWay at (734) 453-6879, ext. 7 or send
email to
.
Topics include:
May 12: How to avoid falling for a scam.
Learn about the top 10 senior citizens
scams andhow to avoid them.
May 19: What are the options as loved
ones age? More than 75 percent of adults
older than 65 will need some form of long-
term care during their lifetime. Includes
options ranging fromhome care to assisted
living and memory care, and how to pay
for care whether at home or in an assisted
living or nursing facility.
May 26: New Michigan laws that might
affect your estate plan. Some of the those
to be discussed include Healthcare Power
of Attorney laws that permit mental health
provisions and a Michigan property trans-
fer law, effective Dec. 31, 2014, permits
your children to inherit your home with-
out losing the homestead property exemp-
tion.
in the mirror, you will still be there in the
same body you are now, so you better fall
in lovewith yourself.”
Bachman, a well-known author and
motivational speaker, is celebrating the
release of his latest book, Walk This Way,
Life Lessons For DealingWith Bullies and
Bad Times, with a book signing and recep-
tion at E. G. Nicks on Forest Street in
Plymouth from 5-8 p.m. next Wednesday,
May 13. The book was originally released
in October, but Bachman's speaking sched-
ule delayed the celebration until next
week.
Bachman is a familiar figure in the
community, getting around in his special-
ly-equipped van and on his small Amigo
scooter.
Bachman said he believes we all need
to live our lives on our own terms. For
him, part of that philosophy included tak-
ing off the artificial legs he had worn as a
child and going into theworld just as he is.
“I walked onmy handsmost of my life,” he
said.
He attended elementary and middle
school at Oakman School for the handi-
capped and always dreamt of a broadcast-
ing career. He worked at several radio sta-
tions in the state and also worked at
General Motors and Burroughs for awhile,
he said. But in 1988, after a difficult
divorce and winning custody of his daugh-
ter, Alicia, he finally followed his dream
and enrolled at Specs Howard School of
Broadcast Arts. Alicia, now 35, and the
mother of Bachman's two grandchildren,
wrote the forward to Walk This Way,
which, he said, made himvery proud.
A film documentary about his life in
1998 started his motivational speaking
career and his efforts to speak to students
in schools about bullying. He thought he
was prettymuch an expert after the taunts
and jibes he endured during his child-
hood.
“Every day we hear more about bully-
ing and now cyber bullying,” he said. “The
truth is, words have power.”
In 2008 he was chosen by Energizer as
the as a recipient of the National Keep On
GoingHall of Fame award.
His new book will be available for sale
at the book launching and he will be on
hand to sign copies.
For more information about the event,
call E.G. Nick's at (734) 414-6400. The
restaurant is located at 500 Forest St. in
downtownPlymouth.
StanKovacheff came out to thank volun-
teers on Saturday, April 25, even though the
89-year-old Plymouth resident is scheduled
to have surgery in the next few weeks. The
team from Johnson Controls was already
hard at work at the Rake-N-Go event
organized by Plymouth Community United
Way.
Nearly 225 volunteers from Johnson
Controls, FreudenbergNOK, Robert Bosch,
Metro Consulting Associates, Home Depot,
Boy Scouts Troop 1537, Lightning Robotics
and Key Club from Plymouth-Canton
Educational Park, LifeChurch, andChurch
of Christ cleaned the yards of 36 homes for
senior citizens and disabled adults in
Plymouth and Canton on April 25 and four
different occasions inApril andMay.
“It's a blessing,” said Kovacheff whose
wife, Christine, wholeheartedly agrees with
him. “You get older and realize certainly
you can't do things like you used to do but
like to take care of your home. I can't bend
or can't stand very long so the group is a
blessing.”
Volunteers came alone, with their fami-
lies, teams of co-workers and friends who
piled leaves and leftover winter debris into
yardwaste bags donated byHomeDepot in
Canton andPlymouth.
The morning began with a complimen-
tary breakfast made possible by Tim
Horton's, Dunkin' Donuts, Kroger #671 and
#703, and Busch's. Jeff and Dyane Townley
and their four children volunteered in the
kitchen of Plymouth First United
Methodist Church where they kept the
counter stocked with donuts, bagels, fresh
fruit, coffee, juice, and water for the volun-
teers. The church has hosted the breakfast
for several years.
“We just like to help,” said Dyane
Townley of Canton. “We usually go out after
the breakfast and rake but the kids play
flag football.”
The Townleys were recently honored
with a Community Service Award from
Plymouth Community United Way for vol-
unteering at events such as Rake-N-Go,
Make a Difference Day and back-to-school
supplies drives. Plymouth Community
United Way organizes two raking events a
year: Make a Difference Day in fall and
Rake-N-Go in spring. Serving the
Plymouth, Canton and Western Wayne
County area since 1944, Plymouth
Community United Way addresses human
service needs of individuals and families.
For more information, visit
mouthunitedway.org.
Author
FROM PAGE 1
The team of volunteers from Freudenberg NOK in Plymouth take time for a quick photo
before moving on to their next home during Rake-N-Go. Each team of volunteers
raked the yards and cleaned flower beds at two or three homes in Plymouth and
Canton.
