Christmas spirit alive in city of Eastlake

BOUQUETS>> To all those who came together to bring the spirit of Christmas to an Eastlake family. Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand to hand out the gifts on July 22; the only thing missing was the tree.

“It’s nice to be a part of such a wonderful event,” said Eastlake Council Vice President Michael Zuren, handing the family a Christmas feast from Severino’s Restaurant and Lounge. “This is the first year we’ve promoted something like this with multiple organizations.”

Partnering with Harvest Bible Chapel, Eastlake’s celebration of Christmas in July expanded across the city at various locations, from businesses that decorated for the “holiday” to churches that held services to organizations like the Eastlake Police Athletic League Community Center, the Eastlake Women’s Club, the Eastlake Public Library and a number of local vendors.

A family in need was identified and everyone sprang into action.

“The spirit of Christmas is a time of caring and compassion for our friends, family and neighbors, and we recognize the vital role nonprofit organizations and churches hold as public servants to their surrounding communities,” Zuren added. “We believe that the family is the fundamental building block for the longterm growth and success of society.

“We conclude every resident has a vested interest in the well-being of their community, an obligation to make positive contributions and a willingness to offer assistance to those in need. The city of Eastlake urges all citizens to join in outreach efforts in our community to support their neighbors in need with love, compassion and encouragement.”

We couldn’t agree more.

BOUQUETS» To the Madison Township Police Department for making the ReportIt service available to residents.

Madison Township residents can use the online database to help keep track of their valuables in case they become lost or get stolen.

The ReportIt service, offered through LeadsOnline, began being used in Madison Township last month.

ReportIt is a free, secure online service allowing citizens to record serial numbers and upload images for phones, electronics, and other valuables, the release stated. That will greatly help the police department accurately and quickly identify the property if it’s ever stolen.

Residents can store an unlimited number of serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures and scans of receipts so items may be more easily identified in the event of theft. This record may also come in handy when filing claims with insurance providers in the event of loss.

“(Madison Township police) decided to use LeadsOnline because of success stories of other police departments using LeadsOnline and to reduce the time and manpower of calling every shop individually and requesting them to search their records,” said police Detective Thurston Svagerko.

We’re excited to see how these new tools will help police solve more crimes. And we’re especially interested in tools like these that enable the police and the community to work together.

BRICKBATS» To scammers posing as representatives of Premier Health Plan.

The Dayton-based company no longer offers health insurance products, but consumers from across the country are receiving numerous automated calls selling Premier Health Plan insurance, according to a news release. Some consumers have received “premium” invoices or have unauthorized charges on their bank accounts.

“We are making sure Ohio consumers are aware of this scam and urging them to contact the Ohio Department of Insurance if they have been contacted or victimized,” Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment said in the release.

As part of the telephone scam, consumers interested in purchasing health insurance are routed to an individual who asks for their bank account information.

Froment shares the following advice:

• Don’t answer calls from an unknown number or pay an invoice from a company you don’t recall having an insurance policy with.

• If you receive an automated call, hang up.

• If you answered a call that you believed was a scam, write the number down and report it to the proper authorities.

• Never give personal or financial information to someone over the phone.

• Review bank account and credit card statements monthly and report unauthorized charges to your financial institution.

Scammers will try anything to cheat us; we’ve got to keep our guard up.