Donors’ best intentions notwithstanding, one never knows what they might encounter at one of the village’s several Little Free Pantries. Expired garbanzo beans and brown bananas are regrettably just as common as the shelf-stable necessities.

A bucket of kittens? Now that’s a rarity, even in Yellow Springs.

On Tuesday afternoon, May 12, villager Kyle Truitt and his pit-mix, Maeve, went out for a casual trot around the block. A personal trainer by trade, Truitt relishes his mid-day walks with his canine companion. 

The pair went their regular route down Dayton Street, alongside the community gardens at Bill Duncan Park. Per usual, Maeve wanted to stop and sniff the latest news at the base of the Little Free Pantry. Truitt saw a black bucket there, thought nothing of it — maybe potatoes? He was busy drinking in the springtime air. Maeve knew better and wouldn’t let up her investigation.

“She started doing that head cocking thing that dogs do when they come across something real peculiar,” Truitt said. “I knew the vibes were off.”

He looked in and saw five three-week-old kittens curled up in the bottom of the bucket. Two orange, three classic tabbies. Their eyes were closed and they all lay motionless, head over tail.

“It was a little scary at first,” Truitt said. “I wasn’t sure they were even alive, but I saw them squirm around a tiny bit. They were so young and helpless. I just couldn’t believe it.”

So, Truitt did what any sensible Yellow Springs resident would do in a moment of panic — he turned to social media and raised alarms in every local community group he could think of.

Not being a “cat guy,” as he put it, coupled with his sometimes overeager pups, adoption was out of the question for Truitt.

That was no matter for longtime local Erin Hankie. She was among the many, many indignant dozens on social media who aired their disbelief that anyone could leave such vulnerable creatures under the sun without even a note — but Hankie was the first on the scene to snag the bucket and all five of its feline contents.

“I saw the post and immediately left work to grab them,” Hankie said. “I love animals, cats particularly. They didn’t ask to be born! If you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

Though the work of taking care of baby critters is not at all foreign to Hankie, the minute-to-minute logistics that followed Hankie’s ad hoc adoption were no walk in the park.

She put it plainly: “It’s a challenge to teach very young animals to drink from a bottle, to poop and pee.”

But things are looking up for Hankie and the cats. Relying on the same online threads Truitt started, and by word of mouth, Hankie has managed to find suitable homes for three of the kittens — and she’s taken great pains to find better spots for them than a bucket on Dayton Street.

“I kind of stalk people on social media to see if I think they are responsible pet owners who won’t end up rehoming,” she admitted. “I give kittens and cats to people I know and trust — I’ve been caring for and rehoming strays for years.”

As of press time, Hankie’s still looking for homes for two of the kittens.

Should anyone else happen across a bucket of baby animals, Julie Holmes-Taylor, the director of Greene County Animal Control, said to give her a call right away at  937-562-7400.

“Really, start with calling us if you don’t know what to do, if you can’t take care of those animals, — we’ll accept them. At the end of the day, we’re here to offer that resource and to give you options,” Holmes-Taylor told the News via phone earlier this week.

She continued: “We try not to take kittens under a certain age — about three weeks old — especially if they don’t have their mother and are unweaned. Nine times out of 10, we’ll hold those kittens for three days and have to euthanize them. We try not to, but it’s almost always the most humane thing to do if no one wants them.”

Holmes-Taylor noted that Greene County Animal Control is well-connected to other area animal welfare organizations, including the Dayton-based SICSA, or the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stay Animals; the Dayton Humane Society; individual volunteer fosters; and other private organizations such as Tenth Life, Gem City Kitties and Blue’s Mews.

By first contacting Greene County Animal Control in the event of an unexpected stray animal situation, they can link people up to the proper resource.

Given that it’s currently “kitten season,” as Holmes-Taylor put it, referring to the pleasant weather that stirs up romance among strays, Animal Control and all other rescues and shelters are becoming increasingly inundated with cats.

“We’re very space-driven here,” she said. “If we get overrun with stray cats, then we have to make decisions about what gets held and what doesn’t. Euthanizing is never our first option — anything we can do to avoid it — but we just don’t have the staffing to feed them, no one to take care of them overnight. But after that three-day period, if they’re the right age, have a good temperament, positive results on their behavioral and medical assessments, we’ll fix them and put them up for adoption.”

To learn more about the services offered by Greene County Animal Control, its hours and contact information, go to http://www.greenecountyohio.gov/112/Animal-Control

The word “semiquincentennial” is in the air as the U.S. heads toward its 250th anniversary this summer, heralded by year-long celebrations taking place across the state and the wider nation. Locally, a village speaker series is taking a look at Ohio and American history through stories and perspectives that are often left out of traditional narratives.

Organized by the Village’s Public Arts and Culture Commission, or PACC, two events in the “America 250 Speaker Series” have already been held, and several more are scheduled through October.

The events — funded by the Village last December via a budget line item that approved up to $19,999 to mark the semiquincentennial — are free and open to the public.

According to Village Council member and PACC representative Carmen Brown, the speaker series is designed to expand perspectives on the history of the nation’s founding.

“When the story of America is told, there is a tendency to make it smaller than it is — to make it more palatable, to forget who was here, who struggled and who insisted on being counted,” Brown wrote to the News last month.

The goal, she said in a later interview, is to bring forward voices and perspectives that may be missing from traditional narratives of early American history.

“It was our goal to [highlight] people whose stories were undertold, or not told,” Brown said.

The series began Feb. 27 with a talk by historian Jane Calvert, who examined the life and contradictions of John Dickinson, a lesser-known figure of early American history often called the “Penman of the Revolution.” Calvert’s presentation focused in part on the contradictions that defined Dickinson’s life and political philosophy: he spoke out against British rule, but initially opposed declaring independence in 1776; a wealthy man whose family were enslavers, he became an outspoken critic of slavery. Brown said Dickinson’s complexity made him a fitting subject for a series centered on resisting simplified versions of history.

“He was Quaker adjacent and was anti-violence, but was in a militia,” she said, adding that Dickinson struggled with the reality that the conflict would move beyond negotiation. “He wanted [to believe] that we could do it without violence.”

The series’ goal of highlighting complexity over simplicity carried into the second event April 11, when Shawnee historian and cultural interpreter Jeremy Turner spoke about the presence and history of Shawnee people in the Miami Valley and broader Ohio River Valley. Turner’s presentation, Brown said, delved into the realities of the displacement of Ohio’s Indigenous tribes following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830, which forced the Miami, Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Ottawa and Wyandot to relocate to western territories.

“[Turner] didn’t sugarcoat anything,” Brown said. “He talked about the reality of what happened … and that was important for people to hear.”

She said the coming events in the series, too, are intended to challenge audiences to engage directly with American history “not as history, but as contemporary conversation.”

“The people who have been invited are professional educators,” Brown said. “They’re expecting questions.”

So far, she added, turnout has been strong, with audiences responding to the opportunity to explore topics that don’t always share the same space with the idea of building a nation. To that end, remaining events in the series include discussions on the Underground Railroad’s lesser-known routes that led south rather than north; the stories of Black patriots; labor advocacy as viewed through the struggles of Appalachian coal miners; and the historical role of the press.

Ultimately, Brown said, the effort is about widening the lens through which history is viewed, so that it can be understood with a depth that makes clear the interconnectedness of all of the people who have made up, and still make up, the United States.

“We have a tendency to silo everything … as if one thing happening doesn’t affect others,” she said. “[History is] often told from the perspective of the people in power and … it becomes scientific to the point that it kind of removes humanity. It’s like the observed and the observer — and no one ever hears from the observed.”

Remaining events in the “America 250 Speaker Series”:

Friday, June 26: Maria Hammack, professor at the Ohio State University, historian and scholar, expands the story of the Underground Railroad beyond familiar routes, highlighting pathways into Mexican territories and placing Ohio within a broader narrative of movement, resistance and liberation.

Friday, July 31: Francis McGee-Cromartie, historian and member of Daughters of the American Revolution, focuses on the lives and contributions of Black patriots, bringing forward stories that deepen and complicate our understanding of the nation’s founding.

Friday, Sept. 4: Speakers from the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, a public history institution preserving the legacy of labor struggles in the Appalachian coalfields, including the fight for safe working conditions, fair wages and the 40-hour work week.

Saturday, Oct. 3: Jeremy Blevins, professor at the University of Cincinnati, examines the role of a free and independent press in a democratic society, and the responsibilities that come with informing the public.

Times and locations for the upcoming events will be published in future issues of the News.

Having just cleared the four-month mark in his role as interim executive director of Friends Care Community, Sean Riley told the News this week that he’s settling into the fabric of Yellow Springs.

“It’s felt great,” he said. “I love what I do, and going to help a community that needs time and space in order to do a proper search is rewarding professionally — and selfishly, I get to explore a community by hiking, by dining, by walking around.”

Riley stepped into the interim executive director role Jan. 8, following the retirement of longtime Executive Director Mike Montgomery. His arrival comes during a transitional moment for Friends Care, amid ongoing conversations about how the 46-year-old nonprofit long-term care center will continue serving the community.

Riley came to Friends Care through AQORD, a faith-based health and human services organization formed through a merger between the former Friends Services Alliance and Mennonite Health Services. In addition to helping oversee day-to-day operations, Riley said he’s working with board members, staff and residents on strategic planning discussions centered on what services and programs Friends Care should prioritize in the years ahead.

At the same time, he’s also helping the board with its search to fill the role of executive director in the long-term; it’s his second time in such a transitional role, having previously worked via AQORD with a similarly sized nonprofit elder-care community south of Iowa City.

Originally from Canton, Ohio, and having lived for nearly 30 years in Lakewood, Ohio, Riley said he’s spent four decades in post-acute care, older adult housing and aging services, including in some larger, corporate systems.

“This is better,” he said of nonprofit work. “We work just as hard. It’s a kinder, gentler, more appreciative environment.”

Riley added that Friends Care’s roots in Yellow Springs and the Quaker community are part of what drew him to the role; in particular, he pointed to the organization’s nascent years in the 1980s, when a lack of good information and, for many, prejudice created stigma and fear around those living with AIDS; in 1987, Friends Care became the first nursing home in Ohio to admit people with AIDS.

“That’s pretty courageous, and it speaks to the community as a whole,” he said. “There’s such good history here. There’s such a good team here.”

That team, along with the institution as a whole, is experiencing some of its own transitions: Clinical Admissions Director Melissa Herald is retiring after 19 years with Friends Care and more than three decades working in nursing homes.

“Friends Care had always been the place I wanted to come to,” Herald said. “I’d tried before to get in years ago, and it was always full.”

When an opening finally appeared, she started on night shift in a PRN position before steadily moving through the organization into management. The clinical admissions director role is outward-facing and focused on communication with families and incoming residents, but Herald said the “clinical” part of the position held true during her time.

“I still worked the floor when needed, and would do wound care and different things,” she said, adding that she also oversaw the facility’s rehabilitation center.

As Herald departs, Julie Clements, a floor nurse who has worked at Friends Care since 2018, will succeed her. Clements said her years providing direct resident care have prepared her for the relationship-building aspect of the role.

“I feel like working the floor has just made me more comfortable in that communication aspect,” Clements said.

Clements added that she’s spent four weeks training alongside Herald during a six-week transition period, and is optimistic about the new leadership role.

“I feel very fortunate that they’ve trusted me with this position, and I’m excited to see what’s to come,” she said.

Also retiring, Herald said, is her chiweenie dog — part chihuahua, part dachshund — Stella, who has accompanied her to work every day for the last six years, and become a familiar companion to residents and staff.

“The residents are all telling me I have to bring her to visit,” Herald said.

‘What comes next’

Amid those staffing changes, Riley said Friends Care is acutely aware of the challenges that plague long-term care centers, many of which the News has reported on in recent months, including rising labor costs and stagnant Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement models.

Riley noted that, in recent state news, LeadingAge Ohio and the Ohio Health Care Association successfully sued the Ohio Department of Medicaid over nursing home reimbursement calculations, with the Ohio Supreme Court last year ordering the state to recalculate payments of about $1 billion, though the state hasn’t yet made any moves in that direction.

As the News reported in February, about 800 elder care facilities have closed nationwide since 2020 due to funding shortfalls; about half of the facilities that remain open are either limiting admissions or have wait lists.

Friends Care also currently has wait lists for its independent living and assisted living units. Riley said that, since he’s joined the staff, the Friends Care board has continued to discuss potential service expansions first identified in a 2023 community survey: additional independent and assisted living offerings, as well as community-based care — services Riley said he feels confident are “inevitable.”

“But whether it’s inevitable in six months or six years, we don’t know yet,” he said.

And, he added, the Friends Care board and staff are intentionally taking their time in making some decisions about how, and when, expansions will be made to adapt to the changing landscape of long-term care.

“We have to slow down in order to speed up,” he said. “We have to get our team on the same page. We have to get our board on the same page. We have to have our campus residents participate in this conversation. And of course the village, because this is the village’s asset.”

To that end, he said, he’s not sure yet how long his tenure in the interim position will last; that depends on how long he’s needed to help move the organization into its next phase.

“I’m here as not just a transition between one long-term leader and another, but also at the beginning of — I like to say, and perhaps I heard it from the board first — ‘what comes next,’” Riley said. “[I’m bringing] a fresh perspective, right? There are no sacred cows. I don’t know who’s who and what’s what, so I get to go in and make observations.”

Grounding the operational discussions, he said, is the deeper goal of rebuilding relationships between Friends Care and the wider Yellow Springs community.

“We want the citizens of Yellow Springs to be our friends,” Riley said. “And there’s no pun here — friends of Friends Care — because you want to support your friends, and in order to become friends, you need to get to know each other.”

Aiding Riley in the effort for Friends to make friends is new staff addition Hypatia McLellan, who was recently hired as Friends Care’s marketing and development coordinator. At press time, McLellan — a longtime local resident — is in her second week at Friends Care, but she said she’s not new to the residential community, as she was introduced to the campus on field trips as an Antioch School student, and she visited her grandparents when they received rehabilitation care within Friends Care’s walls.

“So it just felt like this was a perfect fit for me,” she said.

The focus of her role, she said, is on helping reconnect Friends Care with the wider village community after the years in which COVID-era precautions limited engagement between the organization and the rest of the community.

“We want more ways to collaborate with the village at large and have events here,” she said. “I think people see [Friends Care] as an institution, but really, it’s a community. There’s some really active people here who have things to say and stories to tell.”

Riley agreed, saying the pandemic years forced facilities like Friends Care to “build a wall” around residents in order to keep them safe, and that some of the habits and community connections interrupted during that period still haven’t returned.

“We’re re-establishing those as we can,” he said, and pointed to two upcoming events: Friends Care will host its fourth annual “Cookout with Friends” this Saturday, May 16, 4–7 p.m.; and “Friends Care Community Night” with the Dayton Dragons baseball team on Thursday, June 25; see the “Local Events” column on page 2 for more information on both events.

Part of the effort to rebuild relationships, Riley said, involves collaborating with other local nonprofits, including the YS Senior Center — “Hypatia’s got some great ideas and has already reached out to our comrade, [YS Senior Center Executive Director] Caroline Mullin,” he said. Another part is creating and encouraging more opportunities for Friends Care residents and members of the wider community to interact.

“We’ve learned a lot about loneliness and the stress [it puts] on your body — how do we address that?” Riley said. “How do we engage more, not less, so that everyone can feel like they’re not alone and part of something? Come hang out with us; we have a beautiful campus. We have all kinds of resident engagement going on, and volunteers are always welcome.”

He added: “Friends Care is not an extension of the community — it’s an expansion of the community. … Whatever is done for Friends Care Community is done for Yellow Springs.”

For more information on Friends Care Community, and how to volunteer, go to http://www.friendshealthcare.org

The annual Donnell Land festivities, hosted by comedian and local resident Donnell Rawlings, will return to Yellow Springs over Memorial Day weekend with four days of comedy, outdoor recreation and community gatherings.

Now entering its sixth year, Donnell Land will run Friday–Monday, May 22–25, and feature stand-up comedy, the returning “Streets vs. Creeks” kickball game, family activities, outdoor recreation and wellness programming, as well as this year’s invited guests, including comedians and entertainers Angela Yee, Talib Kweli, Tiffany Haddish, Jivanta Roberts and local resident Dave Chappelle.

Speaking with the News this week, Rawlings said that, the event’s entertainment offerings aside, he views Donnell Land’s value as resting within its emotional impact.

“The objective was to create memories for a lifetime,” he said. “And I’m starting to feel that.”

He added that the yearly undertaking is “a lot to organize” and, in its way, stressful; last year, he considered taking a year off. However, a conversation with a friend who, with her mother, had attended Donnell Land three years in a row, took that consideration off the table for him.

“Her mom passed away a few months ago, and she said one of her mom’s fondest memories was coming to Donnell Land,” Rawlings said. “That kind of triggered me … and made me realize, ‘This is why you do it — for those memories.’”

And he credited his sister, Erlinda Franklin, with taking the lion’s share of event planning off his plate, so he can focus on being a good host.

“She’s doing an amazing job of making sure my life is easy, so I can just be like the mayor of Yellow Springs,” he said with a laugh. “You know, wave to people, give out candy, stuff like that.”

Rawlings said Donnell Land has expanded quite a bit since its first year, both in terms of the programming offered and the number of folks who attend — and the distance people travel to participate, as Donnell Land now consistently attracts visitors from outside Ohio. Nevertheless, Rawlings said he aims for the event to maintain its local identity.

“It’s continuing to grow, but this is the home [of Donnell Land], and I want to keep it here,” he said. “I don’t gauge [success] by how many people show up; I gauge the feeling they leave with.”

Donnell Land’s roots remain closely tied to the pandemic-era comedy gatherings spearheaded locally by Dave Chappelle, Rawlings said; while Chappelle focused on stand-up performances, Rawlings began organizing activities around them. Rawlings, originally from Washington, D.C., said planning the initial events drew him to make Yellow Springs his home and embrace the slower rhythms of village life: short drives, quiet evenings, time wandering in the outdoors.

“I realized that I had to understand how to appreciate the smallest things in life,” he said, adding with a laugh: “Where I grew up, our birds had one color: gray. Pigeons. Now I get excited knowing the difference between a cardinal and a blue jay. So if I can introduce people to the simplicity of nature, that’s a win.”

As in years of Donnell Land past, the emphasis on simplicity and connection continues to run through the four-day event, with a Friday, May 22, “Kids Night Out” party; a Saturday, May 23, nature hike and sound bath; the first annual “Austen Bowl,” named in honor of Rawlings’ son, on Sunday, May 24, featuring a family-friendly field day and flag football for kids; and kayaking down the Little Miami River on Monday, May 25.

Noting the ubiquitous reliance on technology for people of all ages, he said he feels it’s especially important for young people to have an outlet for fun and connection — particularly across different age groups — that takes place away from screens.

“I want kids to put their phones down,” he said. “I want them to do musical chairs, I want them to do a three-legged race —  the old-school stuff.”

For those keeping score, the ongoing “Streets vs. Creeks” celebrity kickball rivalry, which returns Saturday, May 23, stands firmly in favor of the Creeks, who lead the Streets by two wins. Rawlings said comedian Angela Yee will captain the Streets this year, and he will return as captain of the Creeks.

Asked how he’s managed to maintain the Creeks’ advantage the past few years, Rawlings put the victories down to his teammate selection strategy.

“Me personally, when I recruit for my team, I look at your calves and your thighs,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not looking at how many followers you’ve got on Instagram. I’m like, ‘Are you built for this?’”

He added: “Maybe that’s cheating the system, but it’s been good so far.”

And no Donnell Land would be complete without some comedy from the weekend’s resident stand-up comedian; this year, Rawlings will perform at the Fairborn Phoenix on Saturday, May 23, with an after-party to follow. Laughter, he said, is what he hopes will “resonate through all of Donnell Land.”

“In this world, you better be able to laugh — laugh at pain, laugh at joy, laugh at everything,” he said. “I love my community, and I want people to know that we can come together as a community, laugh and have a good time.”

For the full 2026 Donnell Land schedule, go to http://www.donnellrawlings.com/donnell-land

85 years ago: 1941

Citizenship. “Dr. Gustav Meinhard Robinow, of Fels Institute, a native of Hamburg, Germany, who entered this country at New York City, October 24, 1934, was given citizenship last Friday. Dr. Robinow was also given permission to change his name to Tav Meinhard Robinow, dropping the Gus.”

Arrested for using bad money. “By the quick action of Marshal Day last Friday night, three young men from Dayton were apprehended for using bogus nickels in slot machines about town. The men attempted to make their escape but Marshal Day overtook them in his car. Some of the coins were found on them. The men were turned over to the sheriff.”

Commencement to be different. “‘Democracy and the Post-War Era,’ a conference on world order when World War II is over, will be held at Antioch College, June 27–29, in conjunction with Commencement exercises. … The Conference will be a ‘working parliament of progressives designed to develop a concrete program for action.’”

75 years ago: 1951

Tech equipment sharing. “Official announcement was made this week of the establishment at Antioch College of a pool of scientific equipment [Vernay Research Foundation] available for loaning to research and other groups. … ‘Awareness that research projects are often in need of specialized and sometimes very expensive equipment for very short periods of time,’ prompted the founding of the equipment pool, Mr. Vernet said. … Yellow Springs’ two largest industries, Vernay Laboratories, employing 114 people and Morris Bean and Company employing 250, sprung from Antioch-sponsored campus industries. Other firms … which have campus beginnings or connections include the Yellow Springs Instrument Co., The Antioch Shoe factory, the Drierite Co. in Xenia, the Mazzolini art foundry and others.”

Trailside building. “Work on the Trailside Museum, at the entrance to Glen Helen, is under way, with two Antioch co-op students, Carleton Smith and Dick Schnelz, hired for the project. …  Most of the materials being used in the construction work will come from the Glen itself, lumber from the south section and stone from the quarry. Glen foreman Carmelo Ricciardi will handle all the stone work during construction.”

50 years ago: 1976

Clean-up parade. “Saturday morning’s Clean-Up Week parade is … a symbol of the kind of job Community Council hopes all residents will be doing through the week in the areas where they live, coordinator Mary Doris Nosker says.”

New Antioch President. “Antioch College’s new president-elect, Dr. William Birenbaum, visited Yellow Springs for the first time yesterday and today and pronounced himself impressed.”

Photosynthesis. “Three new federal grants to the Kettering Research Laboratory will help finance ongoing work there of investigators Darrell Fleischman and Donald Keister in photosynthesis research. … ‘The information that we gain will be used as a building block in our work to understand energy-transformation in higher plant photosynthesis and ultimately to increase plant productivity,’ Keister says.”

25 years ago: 2001

New track surface. “For decades, John Gudgel has longed for the kind of track that wouldn’t turn soggy in the rain. Now, Yellow Springs High School Principal and head track coach Gudgel has realized his wish in time for this year’s season — an all-weather track. The spongy asphalt track … replaces the cinder track that was created for the  school in 1968.”

YS writers. “Local authors and poets Jimmy Chesire, Robert Paschell, Carmen Lee and Maria Mendoza will take the stage when the English graduate department of the University of Dayton presents its first annual Literary Festival Saturday.”

Downtown accessibility. “Cool shops, fine restaurants and a charming movie theater give Yellow Springs plenty of character, but for people with physical disabilities, the downtown can seem like an obstacle course. … [Tom] Vondruska said it’s going to take a change in attitude before dramatic changes are made downtown. ‘People talk about P.C. (political correctness), but it’s just plain courtesy. … As Gabby Mason used to say, ‘It’s nice to be nice,’ he said, referring to a now deceased Yellow Springs restaurateur known for his barbecue ribs.”

10 years ago: 2016 

Internet needs. “Springs-Net Group will give a short presentation to the Village Economic Sustainability Commission on Wednesday … at the Bryan Center. The discussion will highlight how a proposed municipal fiber network could benefit citizens and businesses and strengthen village sustainability.”

Co-housing. “The Antioch Eco-Village Pioneers will host a panel discussion on co-housing and its potential in Yellow Springs on Sunday, May 1 … at the Senior Center.  The panel will feature Leah Gaskin, a first year Antioch College student who was raised in a co-housing [community] in California; Pat Gaskin, a former resident at Elder Spirit for 17 years, Ron Siemer and Pat Stempfly, current members of Antioch Eco-Village Pioneers; and Emily Armstrong, representing Antioch College and their pursuit of Antioch Village.”

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