Recently Posted in News and Community

Bauer-Bly staff volunteers at Threshermans Dinner {May 11, 2012}

Funeral Director, Jack Bauer, Community Relations Manager, Sandy Mikita, and Service Associates, Bobbi Ruth Blinn and Ron Rumbaugh, were four of the many who volunteered their time at the Dayton Fire Department's Threshermans Dinner.

On Thursday, May 10, 2012, the semi-annual fundraising dinner and the nice weather brought hundreds of local people to support the Dayton Fire Hall's fund raising efforts.

"It takes many volunteers to prepare, serve and clean-up for a full day of activities," said Bauer. "We were glad to help out the Dayton Fire Department and we all had a great time."

Clark Chapel staff teaches Elderton Students about the funeral process {May 10, 2012}

Clark Chapel staff teaches Elderton Students about the funeral process On Thursday, May 10, 2012, Joshua C. Starr, funeral director and Sandra Mikita, community relations manager, of Clark Chapel Funeral Home attended Career Day at Elderton Elementary School. Small groups of fifth and sixth grade students rotated among twenty presentations to hear about a variety professions. Starr spoke on his role as a funeral director.

Starr put together a 3-D map to help the kids visualize a typical role a funeral director follows when the funeral home is called upon. He also explained the many duties he is responsible for and made it a point to tell them that there are an equal number of males and females in the profession.

"The kids seemed to be really interested in funeral related activities and asked very intelligent questions," said Starr. "I'm excited that I was able to share about my profession and hopefully I communicated just how rewarding it is."

Mikita then talked with them about her role as a cemetery memorial designer. She took them through the steps that are taken from doing a temporary marker to designing a permanent cemetery monument. Students were able to do a rubbing, which is an impression of the visible surface of the monument and a way of duplicating a design. She explained about the differences in material used and the engraving procedure.

"We were very pleased to be a part of the Career Day and to offer these youths another choice in addition to the many different professions represented," said Mikita.

Photo Credit: During Career Day, Joshua C. Starr educates Elderton Elementary students about the funeral process.

Karns City students learn about dangers of drinking and driving on prom night {May 09, 2012}

Karns City students learn about dangers of drinking and driving on prom night For most students, prom is a highlight of their high school years. However, it is also a dangerous night, as each year approximately 375 students across the country lose their life due to driving under the influence. To help students realize the dangers of drinking and driving, The Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home of Petrolia partnered with the Karns City Area High School staff and administration to present the Prom Promise program.

On Monday, May 7, 2012, the Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home, faculty, administration and students of Karns City, five local volunteer fire departments (Petrolia, Chicora, East Brady, Sugarcreek and Bruin), the Butler State Police and the Butler and Armstrong County Coroners Offices came together to present a graphic portrayal of what can happen when students drink and drive on prom night.

Approximately 330 10th through 12th graders watched as a mock crash played out in the school parking lot. Six students in two cars were involved in the crash; two were innocent bystanders whose car was hit by a car carrying four teenagers from the prom whose driver had been drinking. After students saw the initial set up of the crash, they watched as over 20 responders from the five fire departments and EMS teams arrived and started assessing the scene. The two girls in the extra car, Carly Potchak and Lacee Sheerbaum, and the male passenger in the prom car, Chris Znosko, were taken away in an ambulance and the two girls in the prom car, Marissa Fleeger and Brenna Ritzert, were pronounced dead at the scene. The drunk driver in the scenario, Jarrod Ellenberger, was given a sobriety test, arrested and taken away in handcuffs by Trooper Joshua Anderson of the Butler State Police.

The mock crash is the first part of a three-year Prom Promise series; the second year will feature a mock trial for Ellenberger, the alleged drunk driver from this year's presentation, and year three is a DUI victim presentation.

After the crash scene was finished, students were led to the auditorium to listen to a speech from Armstrong County Coroner and Commissioner, Robert Bower, who has seen first-hand the effects of driving under the influence. He explained the real dangers of drunk driving and how it can have an impact on the family and friends of the driver, family and friends of victims and the driver himself. As students exited the auditorium, they passed by Ritzert lying in a casket as a reminder of the consequences of driving under the influence.

Michael Turner, Chicora EMS volunteer and deputy coroner for Butler County, narrated as the scene unfolded so that the observers understood everything that was happening, and student Katie Roxby photographed the event.
"Some may think the presentation is graphic," said Deana R. Turner, manager and funeral director of Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home of Petrolia, "but our goal was to show them what a real DUI accident looked like."

"Between my staff, the students, the fire and EMS teams and the police, we gave a very realistic portrayal of a crash scene," said Turner. "The students were very attentive and we hope this program helps them make the right decision come prom night—or any night for that matter."

Turner also stresses that without the help of so many volunteers, this event could have never happened. In addition to the above mentioned groups and individuals, Turner would also like to thank John Burnett, athletic director at Karns City Area High School; William Young III, Butler County coroner; Rumbaugh Towing Service of Chicora; Charles Barnes, fire chief of the Petrolia Fire Department; the faculty, staff and administration of Karns City Area High School; and the National Honor Society student volunteers.

"This group was amazing and I am so impressed with how well they worked together to make this as real of an experience as possible for the students," said Turner. "We all hope the teenagers take this message and remember the consequences of driving under the influence."

Photo credit: Karns City students Jarrod Ellenberger, Chris Znosko, Marissa Fleeger and Brenna Ritzert helped act out the mock crash by posing as students who were drinking and driving on prom night. Local fire and EMS crews show the students what they do when responding to an accident.

Bauer-Hillis Steps Ahead celebrates Jimmy Stewart's birthday {May 02, 2012}

Bauer-Hillis Steps Ahead celebrates Jimmy Stewart On Thursday, May 24, 2012, Bauer-Hillis Steps Ahead will visit The Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA.

Participants will experience a bit of Hollywood magic during the month of Jimmy Stewart's birthday as a personal guide highlights the numerous galleries depicting the memorable life and film career of Jimmy Stewart. The group will see a 45-minute documentary, "The Making of a Wonderful Life", in the 50-seat film theatre and can also shop at the museum's store, "The Shop Around the Corner". A box lunch including a turkey or chicken salad croissant, pasta salad, fresh fruit, chips, desert and beverage will be served at the museum and special diet choices are available.

Those attending will meet at the Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home in Rimersburg for bus transportation at 8:45 AM. The cost is $27 and includes transportation, a guided tour and a box lunch.

Bauer-Hillis Steps Ahead is open to anyone wanting to stay connected to the community. For more information about the group or to reserve a spot for the May event, call Deana Turner or Sandy Mikita at 814-473-3080 or 724-545-9464 by Monday, May 21, 2012.

Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home celebrates centennial by completing beautification project {April 27, 2012}

Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home celebrates centennial by completing beautification project On Friday, April 27, 2012, the staff of the Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home devoted their time to make Rimersburg even more beautiful. For two hours, staff members swept six blocks of downtown along Route 68, from the stoplight to the funeral home.

This project is the April activity of "Twelve Months of Giving Back", the year-long celebration of the centennial service milestone for the Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home in Rimersburg. Because the borough will soon be starting the annual repainting of the streets, the funeral home staff wanted to make sure the sidewalks and streets were in tip-top shape.

"During this year of thanking the community for their support, we wanted to do something for the whole town." said Deana R. Turner, manager and director or Bauer-Hillis Funeral Home. "We hope this beautification project uplifts the community and makes it easier for the borough employees to do their jobs."

Participants in the road clean up stayed busy as they cleaned the streets. With brooms and shovels, the crew of eight managed to fill two 55-gallon trashcans with dirt and debris. They even enjoyed a coffee break courtesy of the employees of Clarion County Community Bank, who appreciated the funeral home staff's efforts.

Participating staff included Manager, Deana Turner, Funeral Directors, Jack Bauer, Mark Thompson and Larry Bliss, and Funeral Service Associates, Frank Soloski, Bob Carmichael, Ralph Funkhouser and Wally Artman.

There are still eight months left for this campaign, so keep checking back to see what's coming up next!


Photo Credit: Funeral Directors Mark Thompson and Jack Bauer clean dirt and debris off of Route 68 in downtown Rimersburg.