The Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs (BCE) has formed a strategic partnership with Bluffton University's Division of Business Studies. The announcement was made at the center's third annual meeting, Sept. 16 at the Bluffton town hall.

BCE board president Brendon Matthews introduced the plan to reduce the organization's operating costs and connect its clients with university faculty and students.

Congratulations Karen Brown
Karen Brown of Bluffton is this month's employee of the month at Mennonite Memorial Home.

She has worked at the Mennonite Memorial Home since January 1994. Her supervisors say that she is a great asset to the Laundry Department. Last month the laundry department found themselves short staffed and Karen rose to the occasion keeping the laundry going and giving directions to several "recruits" who came to fill in.

Karen went above and beyond making sure residents and staff had clean laundry done in a timely fashion.

Members of Bluffton First United Methodist Church will be volunteering for a local mission event at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 25, in Lima. They invite others from the community to participate.

The event will focus on a 10-block neighborhood in Lima near Faurot Park. After registration at 7:30 a.m. and a kick-off rally involving Bluffton First United Methodist Church's praise band, "Waiting on Our Souls," volunteers will depart for the work projects.

Smart Hearts, a heart health education and support group at Blanchard Valley Hospital, Findlay, will hold a meeting Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in the BVH Marathon Auditorium.

The meeting topic, presented by the Blanchard Valley Sleep Disorders Center, will be "Sleep Apnea - Does It Really Haunt Your Heart?"

This presentation is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Kathy Russell at 419.423.5153 or [email protected].

Bluffton High School's girls' tennis team "won" the mythical Northwest Conference title for the second straight year with a 3-2 decision over Lima Central Catholic Monday afternoon at Harmon Courts.

BHS and LCC are the only NWC schools with girls tennis, so there is no official championship. Jess Hunter won at No. 2 singles, while the doubles teams of Ashlin Gable/Emily Sprague and Kristi Geiser/Liz Diller clinched the win.

BHS hosts Celina in a makeup match Tuesday at Harmon Courts.

Bluffton University's football, soccer and volleyball programs are joining forces in the fight against breast cancer during "Pink Week," set for Sept. 25-Oct. 2.

Each of the four teams-including the men's and women's soccer teams-will wear pink as part of their uniforms during the week "to bring awareness on campus to the breast cancer issue," said Robin Bowlus, public relations director at Bluffton.

This interview took place during the annual Minck/Steiner summer dinner. Dick and his wife, Helen, spend most of their time at their home in St. Petersburg, Fla., but also own a home in Lima. He is one of Bluffton's famous artists.

When did you graduate from Bluffton High School?

Oh, I never tell that. But sometime in the 1940s.

Who was your favorite teacher?

Icon:

Former Blufftonite Chris Hardesty here, now in New York. I don't recall what initially led me to the Icon a couple months ago, but I'm happy to have found it.

I check in every week or so and feel like I'm getting back in touch with the wonderful town I grew up in. I've enoyed the video of the band reunion, the blog post about the slaw cutters and the 15-minute Q&As. And (feel free to share this with your advertisers) I'm making a list of businesses I hope to hit-up whenever II make it back to town -- popcorn, coffee, Dough Hook...