Residents support campus initiative

Don Klotz and Ed Wechtel wake up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to find the daily stack of newspapers sitting in the lobby. They split the stack and go on their respective routes around the apartment building to deliver a paper to every subscriber’s doorstep.

Ohio Living Swan Creek resident “paper boys” like Don and Ed have been delivering newspapers to their neighbors for the past decade. Not only is the Toledo Blade beloved around campus, so are the people who deliver them every single day.

Don, a retired pediatric surgeon, loves being involved in the community and happily delivers the papers each morning. Ed, retired Chief of Police in Ottawa Hills, Ohio, started delivering the papers when he was asked to fill in for two days. That was four years ago.

“When you live here you’re on a first-name basis with 150 people that you’ve never met before,” said Ed. “They all become friends. The Toledo Blade delivery helps that.”

Don and Ed are also giving back to the community by donating the old papers. “We recycle the papers every week to the local animal shelter to help line the animal’s cages,” Don explained. “It’s nice to know that [the papers] have another purpose and are not being thrown into the trash right away.”

The Blade pays the paper boys for their efforts, and the money they earn is contributed to the Resident Association – its main source of income. Those earnings have purchased a variety of items for the campus such as the sound system in the theater, woodshop equipment and supplies, chapel and spiritual life supplies, fencing along the entry drive and more.

Delivering newspapers is just one of the many ways residents can be involved on campus. The Resident Association is very active, and there are more than 20 other committees and groups that residents can join based on their interests and backgrounds.

“Key staff attend the Association’s monthly meetings to answer questions and share new information,” said Executive Director Ann Roller. “Residents have a voice on our campus. Some of our best ideas have come from our residents. We just work here; this is their home.”

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