Followers of St. Francis: Sister Shirley Shafranek, OFS/T

You could say that Sister Shirley Shafranek, OFS/T, was born a Franciscan and that, as her life unfolded, so did her realization that God was calling her to religious life. Now a vowed Franciscan sister with the Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin, Ohio, Sister Shirley’s early life subtly hinted at her future with the Franciscans. She was raised in rural Chelsea, Iowa, along with four brothers, in a devout Catholic family. Despite their religious conviction, Sister Shirley and her brothers attended public school because money was tight. However, faith was a huge part of their home lives. “I remember kneeling down by [my mother’s] chair each night and saying my prayers,” Sister Shirley says. “I could even tell you the order we all learned them in.” 

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FELC Receives $10,000 Check from Sutton Bank

Sutton Bank CEO Tony Gorrell and John Schuld, V.P., Market Manager at Sutton Bank,  presented a check for $10,000 to the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center (FELC).  The funds will be used for need-based financial aid scholarships for FELC’s Summer Learning Camps, Science Days, and Seeds of Hope Agricultural Education Programs.  Accepting the check on behalf of FELC are Board Secretary Char Pope, Seeds of Hope Agriculture Program Supervisor Sr. Shirley Shafranek, Board President Tony Reser, Board Liaison Sr. Carol Inkrott, Education Coordinator Samantha Busack, and Seeds of Hope employee Clinton Kimmet.  For more information on FELC programs and scholarship availability, call 419-448-7485 or email FELC Director Mimi Johnston at mjohnston@felctiffin.org. To learn more about FELC, visit www.felctiffin.org.

Pictured (L to R): John Schuld, Char Pope, Sr. Shirley Shafranek, Tony Reser, Tony Gorrell, Sr. Carol Inkrott, Samantha Busack and Clinton Kimmet.

Marathon LPGA Classic Donates Record $600,000 to 25 Northwest Ohio Children’s Charities, including $37,500 to FELC

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Seeds of Hope—News Article

Seeds of Hope Farm Market is back in business this year with the help of workers from Seneca County Opportunity Center.

Sister Shirley Shafranek of the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center, which operates the market, said the center received a grant from the Betty Jane Foundation this year to provide jobs for disabled people. The new employees are assisting with the market by picking vegetables and stocking the tables, and also cleaning, weeding, watering and doing other tasks.

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Sensory Garden Survey

Click HERE to take the Sensory Garden Survey

The new Sensory Garden at FELC is almost finished! Filled with beautiful live plants and other features, this unique, inviting space encourages visitors of all ages to explore the garden using every sense–touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing, with colorful signs to educate and guide the way. Children will especially enjoy interacting with multiple fairy gardens and visiting with the rabbits, chickens, a duck and even a small fish pond. The area also includes a new picnic area complete with new plastic lumber picnic tables, benches and sun sails. The Sensory Garden is made possible through generous grant funding by the Meshech Frost Foundation and the Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation.  All are welcome!

FELC’s Camp in a Box to provide nature-related activities for kids

Franciscan Earth Literacy Center is creating a new way to keep kids engaged with nature-related activities this summer. Because FELC’s usual lineup of day camps is questionable this year, the staff is putting together a Camp in a Box program.

The boxes are the brainchild of Environmental Educator Samantha Busack.

“It came about when the state first starting shutting everything down,” she said.

Staff members were faced with the idea of not being able to offer camps at all.

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Johnston finds her role ‘endlessly interesting’


In its 25th year of operating, the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center has a new director. Mimi Lange Johnston started her new role in early June. “The time has really gone quickly,” she said. “There’s so much to do. There’s so many different aspects to the job, but most of it is fun.” A Tiffin native, Johnston graduated from Calvert High School in 1981, and then studied music at Ashland College.


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FELC celebrating 25th anniversary


The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center on the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In 1994, the center opened in one office with the goal of teaching people to have healthy relationships with nature and educating people about environmental sustainability.


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12th Annual Summer Harvest Gourmet Gala & 25th Anniversary of FELC

Climate Disruption Program


Global Climate Disruption

What Can We Do?
How Do We Know?

Climate change is a very intense topic which finds its way into political, business and social conversations, often with vocal disagreement among participants. This presentation will give background information about the phenomenon and methods which have been used to characterize these changes. The human dimension of the problem will be emphasized. We will then consider solutions to the problem. Participants will be able to share their views using personal response devices and to compare their replies to those of more than 5,000 members of previous audiences.

Dr. Andy Jorgensen
Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
School of Green Chemistry and Engineering
University of Toledo
Senior Fellow, National Council for Science and the Environment
andy.jorgensen@utoledo.edu 419.344.0768

If you missed the program on Global Climate Disruption with Dr. Andy Jorgenson, click on the link below to view the slides from his presentation and another set which has excerpts from a website which provides answers to questions from skeptics.

Link to PowerPoint: “Global Climate Disruption”

Link to PowerPoint: “Answers to Questions from Skeptics”