Seymour is getting ready for its annual Parks and Recreation Department’s Holiday Lights parade, taking place tomorrow and you will see area streets closing.

Parade participants will start lining up at 5 p.m. with the parade starting at 5:30 p.m.

The parade will start in the Robertson’s Feed Mill parking lot behind Peace Lutheran Church, head east on St. Louis Avenue, then Chestnut Street to Fifth Street, Fifth Street to Indianapolis Avenue and then dispersing onto Second Street.

You should avoid driving in the area Saturday. You can get more information at the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department’s Facebook page.

Two students have been chosen for IUPUC’s African American Fund Scholarships, and both will be players on the school’s inaugural baseball team.

IUPUC announced yesterday that Quincy Collins from Pike High School in Indianapolis and Tristian Wirth from South Knox High School in Vincennes will be receiving the scholarships. Collins plans to study Mechanical Engineering, and Wirth plans to study Biology.

Collins and Wirth are both student-athletes and members of IUPUC’s inaugural baseball team, which begins NAIA play starting in February.

The African American Fund scholarships provide $1,000 to newly enrolled students each year and are renewable for four year for a total of $4,000. The students will also be mentored by local community leaders.

IUPUC Associate Professor of Management, Kevin Jones says the mentorship is meant to not only provide for success in school but also to provide community connections to help teh students after they graduate.

The African American Fund of Bartholomew County was established in 2013 by The Heritage Fund, Community Foundation of Bartholomew County to help educate and inspire African Americans here.

Photo: From left, Tristian Wirth and Quincy Collins. Photo courtesy of IUPUC

Columbus Animal Care Services is inviting you to to “Bring Christmas to the Animals” this weekend.

The  event provides the community with a chance to donate gifts that will improve the pets’ stay while they are at the city-operated shelter. More than 35 dogs and nearly 45 cats are at the, shelter available for adoption or in need of foster homes .

Needed items for donation include cat, kitten and dog food, bleach, paper towels, pet toys and treats.

At Sunday’s open house event you can also learn about adopting, fostering, and volunteering opportunities at the shelter.

Nicohl Birdwell Goodin, manager of the facility, said the shelter depends on the generosity of volunteers to help maintain the shelter, keep the animals active and provide foster homes for adoptable pets until they can be placed with their permanent owners.

The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at 2730 Arnold Drive in Columbus.

For additional information about the Columbus Animal Care Services, visit columbus.in.gov/animal-care-services.

Two private school teachers in Bartholomew County are being recognized with this year’s Reams Family Awards for Excellence in teaching.

Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County is announcing that Vicki Murphy of White Creek Lutheran School and Whitney King with ABC-Stewart Montessorri School are this year’s first and second place winners.

Murphy has been teaching seventh and eighth grade for the past two years at White Creek Lutheran. She was nominated for her dedication and creativity. A science enthusiast, Murphy is credited for unifying the student body and teaching staff by including all the grade levels in schoolwide STEM experiences and projects.

King has has been with ABC-Stewart Montessori School for three years in the preschool program. Nominators said she demonstrates an innate love for teaching young minds through the Montessori philosophy and works hard to educate children at their individual level.

The awards were established in 2007 by former Bartholomew County residents Fred and Karen Reams. They recognize outstanding educators teaching in the private schools serving Bartholomew County. Recipients are nominated by their principals with additional recommendations encouraged from fellow teachers, parents and students.

The first place winner receives a $5,000 stipend and second place comes with a $4,000 stipend.

Leadership is changing at the Community Education Coalition in Bartholomew County.

Long-time leader John Burnett will be stepping back from his role as president and CEO at the end of the year, with Kathy Oren taking over that position.

Oren will be responsible for managing the operations of the entire coalition, including strategy, financial services, human resources, and community engagement. Oren joined the coalition in 2013 and serves as executive director.

The Community Education Coalition, a partnership between education, business and community leaders, serves 11 area organizations, and is focused on aligning and integrating the community’s learning system with economic growth and an improved quality of life. Among its initiatives has been the growth of post-secondary education in the community including Ivy Tech, IUPUC and Purdue Polytechnic at the AirPark Columbus College Campus. And supporting educational attainment at area schools with programs including iGrad and Counseling Counts.

Burnett will move to a half-time position as executive vice chairman. He served as president and CEO from the coalition’s founding in 1999 to 2005, and again from 2008 until now.

The leadership changes will take effect on January 1st.

Hillenbrand, Inc.  announced today that it has an agreement in place to sell its Batesville casket business segment for $761.5 million to an affiliate of private equity firm, LongRange Capital.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

Both Batesville and Hillenbrand are planning to retain their headquarters in Batesville.

Batesville offers a portfolio of burial and cremation products, memorialization options and innovative technology solutions in the death industry. For more than a century, Batesville has supported licensed funeral professionals.

Hillenbrand announced in July that it was exploring alternatives for the Batesville business. Hillenbrand sees this as as milestone in the company’s transformation into a global industrial leader in advanced processing solutions and molding technology solutions. The company made strategic acquisitions of  of LINXIS Group, Herbold Meckesheim, Peerless Food Equipment, and Gabler Engineering in 2022.

The company sees itself moving into end markets including plastics, food and recycling.

After the company announced its intention to look for alternatives, it determined that divesting the Batesville business was in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.

LongRange Capital was founded in 2019 and was formed to take a longer-term approach to investing and building middle market businesses through a company-focused and customer-first philosophy, according to that company’s announcement of the deal.

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A pet food pantry distribution set for this afternoon has been moved.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services will now be holding the giveaway at the Columbus Municipal Airport from 4 to 5:30 p.m. this afternoon. The pet food will be distributed in the airport parking lot at 4770 Ray Boll Boulevard.

The purpose of the pantry is to assist local community members in need keep their pets in their home and out of area shelters. If you take part you should stay in your vehicle and the food will be brought to you.

Friends of Columbus Animal Care Services is the non-profit partner of the city-operated Columbus Animal Care Services.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour is being recognized by the Indiana Hospital Association for its commitment to infant and maternal health.

The hospital received the INspire Hospital of Distinction award from the association in partnership with Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box.

The award was based on the hospital implementing best practices in areas including infant safe sleep, breastfeeding, tobacco prevention and cessation, perinatal substance use, obstetric hemorrhage, and maternal hypertension.

INspire was developed to implement the best care for Hoosier moms and babies and recognize hospitals for excellence in addressing key drivers of infant and maternal health.

Area branches of Horizon Bank are taking part in a $4,000 Red Kettle Challenge on Friday.

Fifteen branches in central and southern Indiana will have kettles in their lobbies and will match donations to the Salvation Army on Friday. Those will include the branch on Third Street in Columbus, on West Main Cross in Edinburgh, the branches on Marlin Drive and U.S. 31 in Greenwood, North Morton Street in Franklin and on Three Notch Lane in Bargersville.

The funds raised will go to support vital services including housing and support for homeless and abused women, food pantries and feeding programs, emergency financial assistance, youth camps and sports, addiction treatment, and more.

Among the Salvation Army branches to receive benefit of these donations will be the Columbus branch and the Salvation Army Red Shield Center in Greenwood.

You can get more information at SalvationArmyIndiana.org

Our Hospice of South-Central Indiana is setting up a fund to recognize outgoing President Laura Leonard.

Donations will help fund palliative care through the hospice.

According to the hospice, in lieu of retirement gifts, family, friends and community members are being asked to donate to the fund. The hospice’s palliative care program was launched under Leonard’s leadership and is considered one of her greatest achievements.

Palliative care focuses on relieving pain, symptoms and stress of a serious illness. It is available at any age, or stage of a disease and can be provided along with curative treatment. However palliative services are poorly reimbursed by insurance providers, making philanthropy critical to its existence.

Gifts are being accepted through the end of the year, and the total raised will be shared with Leonard as she retires at the end of December. One-time gifts as well as ongoing pledges up to  three years are invited.

You can donate through the hospice website at https://care.ourhospice.org/donation/, or by mail at:

Our Hospice
Attn: Resource Development
2626 East 17th Street
Columbus, Indiana 47201

For more information, call 812-376-5083.