Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 131, Number 5, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 31 January 2008 — Page 3

Jan. 31 last day for residents m 1o meet #Hh SKA in Nappane*

•Residential applications doe by March 10, business applications by Oct. 8 * A A A _ AA-A» 1 1 wf money mcronanci Editor NAPPANEE While the US. Small Business Administration (SBA) will close its loam outreach centra- in Nappanee at 5 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 31, residents affected by the Oct 18 tornado will still be able to obtain applications through the mail. These applications are due to be postmarked no later .March 10. For several weeks, SBA's customer service representatives were available at the Nappanee Public Library, 157 N. Main St, Nappanee, to answer questions and provide One-on-one assistance with completing the applications. Now, 'the SBA encourages those victims who received applications to fill them out and return them as quickly as possible. This applies even to thofee residents Who have insurance. Though the Nappanee outreach center will close, residents still have the opportunity to obtain applications for low-interest disaster relief loans for a little while longer. "Just because we’re closing our outreach center doesn't mean that the time is up," SBA communication specialist Michael Peacock said. Peacock stresses the due date for all applications, urging tornado victims to obtain one as quickly as possible, regardless of the amount of damage they experienced or the availability of insurance. "(Residents) want to make the call in

AID, continued from front page

city's overall need. The check will also put the city one step closer to being able to rebuild their street department, which was destroyed during the tornado. "That was the (city's) biggest individual loss," Nappaneev Mayor Larry Thompson said. "We lost our street department. That shows that we're a victim too." Insurance alone would not have been enough to cover such a tremendous loss. "It would have put quite a dent in us," Thompson said. "That's a sizable hit to our little budget. We were going to have to take money away from future projects." Daniels also announced the opening of a new statewide disaster relief fund designed to aid individuals who do not qualify for other forms of aid. The fund is available through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. "Today for the first time in Indiana history we will call that fund into operation," Daniels

said. That means Nappanee will be the first city in the state to benefit from the fund. Even without aid from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), more residents will have the opportunity to apply for tornado relief aid. This especially pertains to those who do not make the cut to receive an SBA (Small Business Administration) loan. Daniels commented on the response Nappanee received from its own residents and from neighboring towns and cities following the disaster. This included the thousands of volunteers who took part in the initial cleanup efforts Sunday, Oct. 21 and the thousands more who were turned away that day because of the excessive numbers. "We've shown the world again that here in Indiana we

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enough time to complete the application and ln*e it postmarked by March 10," he laid. to whether an individual will be eligible to receive aid andtatv teach. Those who ase not eligible will be referred to the recently-estab-lished state disaster relief fund. However, only those who have been denied by SBA may apply for aid through this fund. The SBA offers disaster loans of up to $200,000 to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed reel estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible up to $40,000 to repair Or replace damaged or destroyed persmwl property. Businesses of any size and private non-profit organizations may borrow up to $1.5 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. ' V For small businesses, the SBA offers Economic injury disaster loans (EIDLs) to help meet working capital needs caused by ffte disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage. Tire deadline to return economic injury applications for businesses is Oct 8. Applications are still available from the SBA's customer service center, 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf community), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 9 pin. EST. Business loot implications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the centers or mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Rd., Fort Worth, Texas 76155.

don't wait on Washington," he said. "We help each other." This is apparent, he said, in the fact that Nappanee has been able to build up a tornado relief fund of nearly $600,000 from the efforts of Nappanee residents and other communities. This fund is in place for residential disaster relief. The NITRO (Northern Indiana Tornado Recovery Operations) committee has also played an active role in tornado relief, setting up individual case management meetings and opening a temporary SBA office at the Nappanee Public Library. Following the governor's declaration, Thompson presented him with a commemorative ornament like the ones handed out to tornado victims in November during the citywide Christmas celebration, and NITRO director Linda Yoder presented him with the T-shirt and sweatshirt designed as a fundraiser for the Tornado Victims Fund.

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Community

Keil graduates basic training

Air Force Airman Kristi L. Keil has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the six weeks of training, she studied the Air Force mission, organization and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises and special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate degree through the Community College of the Air Force. She is the daughter of Rodney and Jeanne Keil of Nappanee. Keil graduated in 2006 from North Wood High School, Nappanee.

NWMS choir performs in Indy

By Mondy McFarland Editor WAKARUSA—North Wood Middle School choir students recently made a noteworthy trip to Indianapolis to perform at the Indiana Music Educators' Association's annual convention. Last spring, middle school choir teacher Tonya Angle received a message from nationally-known composer Jill Gallina, who was planning a workshop that would require a demonstration group. Gallina immediately thought of the North Wood Middle School choir and contacted Angle to make arrangements. In the fall, Angle chose 60 seventh and eighth grade students from their respective choirs, each containing about 130 students. Rehearsals began in September with eight pieces of music that Angle had been given.

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EMBARQ, ADVANCE NEWS AND THE BREMEN ENQUIRER ARE PROUD TO PRESENT Leaders of Tomorrow Nominate student community service volunteers .n Indiana for Leaders of Tomorrow Students f r nm Grades 9-12 are eligible. The winner will receive $2,500 and their high senool will receive a $2,500 donation from EMBARQ Twelve finalists from around the state and the schools they attend will be awarded SSOO. The finalists and winner will be announced the week of March 23 2008. Nomination forms ore available of sponsoring newspaper offices and online o’ leodeaot.com Nominations must be received by February 28,2008 If you hove questions, please col! 877-760-4978. t Advance News w . EMBARQ' Up BfVMftt BMpirVf

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Advance News • Thursday, January 31, 2008

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Kristi L. Keil

Rehearsals paused long enough for the choirs to do their Christmas music, then began again in early January. For the students, the Indianapolis trip proved to be a new, exciting experience. Seventh-grader Jana Yoder enjoyed "meeting Jill Gallina and seeing all of the music teachers in the audience." In between performances, the group enjoyed shopping trips and eating at Taco Bell. "Several students said this," Angle said. "We miss our Taco Bell." The Nappanee Taco Bell was destroyed in the Oct. 18 tornado. Preparing for such an occasion is not all fun and games, however, as the students learned. For eighth grader Sheila Miller, one of the biggest challenges was "having good expression." Seventh graders Samantha Paul and Bailey Dahlgren admitted to being a bit ner-

vous prior to their performance, though all went well. Overall, however, the students enjoy participating in the choir and learning new songs. "(We most enjoy) the teacher," seventh-grader Maddie Schwartz said. "That's why we come to choir." Eighth grader Sheila Miller enjoys rehearsing for concerts, while Lorraine Miller, also in eighth-grade, enjoys sightreading music. According to Angle, the students have reached a consensus that they would indeed like to do this again. "All of them said this," Angle said. The next North Wood Middle School choir event will be the IMFA non-competitive festival, which the middle school will host this year. Rehearsals have also begun for the spring musical, "The Music Man Jr." There will also be spring choir concerts in April and May.

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