WESTFIELD INSURANCE HELPS DRUG-FREE GROUP – Drug Free Action Alliance received a grant from Westfield Insurance Foundation thanks to the help of Gardiner Allen DeRoberts Insurance. The grant is part of the new Westfield Legacy of Caring program in which Westfield Trilogy agencies across the country were invited to nominate a local nonprofit in the areas of disaster relief, insurance pathways, family stability or safety.
“Thanks to the generous donation from Westfield Insurance Foundation, we will be able to increase our efforts toward promoting safety and family stability through the prevention of substance abuse and reduction of drug overdose deaths,” said Marcie Seidel, Executive Director of Drug Free Action Alliance.
“We value our partnerships with our independent insurance agencies. Giving back to our agents’ communities in support of these key areas is an extension of the fundamental role that insurance plays every day in stabilizing families, businesses and communities,” said Ed Largent, Westfield President and CEO and Westfield Insurance Foundation chairman.
HOW TO DRINK FOR CHARITY – Now available in-store, City Barbeque will donate all profits from its limited-edition drink tumbler sales to Resurrecting Lives Foundation, an organization that assists Veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
Guests who purchase the tumblers for $5 receive free refills with any purchase through the end of March, along with the satisfaction of knowing they are helping our country’s heroes.
In 2015, City Barbeque helped raise over $12,000 to support Resurrecting Lives. “I am just so very grateful at your generosity and the success of the campaign,” said Resurrecting Lives Foundation Founder and Executive Director Dr. Chrisanne Gordon, in reference to the 2015 donation. “You are wonderful for doing this for our returning heroes.”
Resurrecting Lives Foundation assists in the recovery and reintegration of Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans by defining the brain pathology and by developing protocols for recovery. They advocate for returning heroes and their families for collaborations with civilian institutions to provide health care, education and employment. As Director of Operations, Eric Kazmierczak explains, “We honor the fallen by taking care of their brothers and sisters who return.”
ASHLAND PROFESSOR TO GIVE LECTURE – Dr. John Byron, Ashland Theological Seminary professor of New Testament, will give a lecture titled “Corruption, Conspiracy and Confusion: Can we trust the New Testament?” on Jan. 28 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Smetzer Auditorium inside the Gerber Academic Building on the Ashland Theological Seminary campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“Over the years various arguments have been mounted against the trustworthiness of the New Testament,” Dr. Byron said. “Scholars have noted the fragmentary nature of the earliest copies of the New Testament and concluded the evidence is too corrupt to be trusted. Conspiracy theorists, influenced by popular books and movies, claim the Emperor Constantine and church councils decided what books should be in the Bible while suppressing others. And some, observing the multiplicity of available translations, have suggested there is too much confusion and disagreement over what the Bible really says.”
In this lecture, Dr. Byron will demonstrate why the New Testament is reliable. He will explain how scholars reconstruct the New Testament from thousands of pieces of evidence, how the New Testament books came to be canonized and why modern translations are a reflection of longstanding Christian heritage, rather than a source of confusion. He will conclude with some thoughts on the nature of the Bible, inspiration and the role scripture plays in informing our faith.
