Deborah Cipriani, Skunk Fest
Pint-sized gilded tiaras perch atop furry heads marked with a distinct stripe. Pet skunks are also decked out in festive garb like you’d find at the pet store at Halloween. This is Skunk Fest in North Ridgeville, and it’s a pastime and passion for resident Deborah Cipriani, who acquired her first pet skunk in 2000.
Since then, she partnered with local veterinarian Dr. Frank Krupka to start a national rescue, Skunk Haven, along with starting Skunk Fest to help fundraise for the pets. During the annual event held the second Saturday of September, you’ll see license plates from across the country at South Central Park.
“People come from as far as the United Kingdom and Holland for skunk costume contests, the most talented skunk, best detective — and we crown a queen and king at the end,” Cipriani says. Visitors can take a picture with a skunk or pet a skunk for a donation. (Their scent sacs are removed at four to six weeks of age — so no spray risk.)
As for Cipriani, she maintains state and federal permits to operate the pet skunk rescue from her home. Some of the pet skunks that reside at her home include Sophie, Charlie, Stella and Cannoli. But, “they are not the perfect pet for everybody,” Cipriani says of the animals who have been known to get into cupboards and refrigerators. “You have to reorganize your life for a skunk.”
Heather Kaesgen, North Ridgeville Community Care
In times of need, North Ridgeville Community Care is a supportive, helping hand offering food, essential supplies, household items and financial assistance for expenses like utilities. In many ways, the nonprofit helps keep the lights on when life transitions and circumstances pull the rug out.
Heather Kaesgen began volunteering for the organization about 10 years ago. “We always donated to Community Care at Christmastime and for food drives, but I wanted to get more involved,” says the North Ridgeville native.
She took over as Community Care’s CEO, just prior to the pandemic. “For those following years, it has been, ‘How do we help as many people? How do we feed everyone in need?’ Because there really was a problem acquiring and distributing food. We worked around the clock to keep this place going, because we didn’t want our most vulnerable in the city to not have food or access to supplies.”
Kaesgen quips, “My claim to fame is that we never ran out of toilet paper at Community Care.”
Now, she is spearheading a five-year plan to target “silent sufferers,” namely older adults who humbly age without asking for help when they really need it.
“I just want to be sure everyone knows we are here,” she says. “And we accept monetary donations, food, clothing, household items — all to help our clients.”
Daryl and Karen Edwards, Shannon Edwards Memorial Fund
Shannon Edwards’ legacy shines on in ways that inspire creativity, empower students with special needs and provide kids with tools they need to succeed. The late daughter of Daryl and Karen Edwards was born with a rare genetic disease called nemaline myopathy, a musculoskeletal development disorder that ultimately took her life in 2001 as a fifth grader at the former Wilcox Elementary School.
Shannon’s involvement in the special needs community at North Ridgeville City Schools seeded an idea for the Edwards to start a grant in her name. The Shannon Edwards Memorial Fund is one of North Ridgeville City Schools’ Endowment Funds and is orchestrated through the Community Foundation of Lorain County.
Recently, it provided startup funds for the student-run North Ridgeville High School business, Able Not Label, to open a storefront on Center Ridge Road. “They learn life skills that carry into their futures, and the grant helped pay for some initial equipment they needed,” Karen says.
With the fund, she adds, “We can still talk about her, people can still give us their memories and her spirit lives on.”
