Polly's Place Honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Fund Raiser

Polly’s Place, Niles celebrated its upcoming re-opening and marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month Sunday with the first of several fundraisers, the First Annual Pedal for Polly’s Place.

The faith-based center for domestic violence and related abuse, which is re-opening Oct. 17, held a 20-mile scenic bike ride from Garden Hills Farms in Buchanan Township, on Rangeline Road and along the St. Joseph River and Fernwood Nature Preserve. An after-party with prize drawings was also held. Entry for the race was $15. All proceeds from the event benefited Polly’s Place. “We’re really excited to be up and running,” said Paul Leonard, director of marketing and development.

The shelter has recently announced it is upping its fundraising efforts, which include the bike ride.

The next fundraiser is the Polly’s Place Annual Fashion Show and silent auction Nov. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Bell Building, 305 North Third St., Niles. Refreshments will be provided. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. For tickets, call 683-6523.

www.nilesstar.com/2011/10/02/pedal-to-prevent-abuse/

Students Ignorant of Civil Rights History

When Julian Bond, the former Georgia lawmaker and civil rights activist, turned to teaching two decades ago, he often quizzed his college students to gauge their awareness of the civil rights movement. He did not want to underestimate their grasp of the topic or talk down to them, he said.

"My fears were misplaced," Bond said. No student had heard of George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama, he said. One student guessed Wallace might have been a CBS newsman.

That ignorance by U.S. students of the basic history of the civil rights movement has not changed — in fact, it has worsened, according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, on whose board Bond sits. The report says states' academic standards for public schools are one major cause of the problem.

"Across the country, state educational standards virtually ignore our civil rights history," concludes the report, which is to be released Wednesday.

detnews.com/article/20111002/SCHOOLS/110020308/Students-ignorant-of-civil-rights-history--study-says#ixzz1ZcVnxWrM