Toy Story: Veach's Celebrates 75 Years | My Indiana Home

November 9, 2012 By admin

Step inside Veach?s Toy Station in downtown Richmond, and you?ll immediately understand why the toy store captivates the hearts of children young and old. With roughly 16,000 square feet teeming with toys, crafts, hobbies, puzzles, games, erector sets, science fair project kits and dress-up items, and an entire floor overrun with electric trains inviting you to play, the giant specialty store sells toys you won?t see anywhere else.

?Kids? jaws drop when they walk in,? says third-generation owner John Veach, whose grandfather founded the store in 1938. At Veach?s, you won?t find any video games, because the store focuses on educational toys for all ages with ?play value.? Here, kids can engage with toys powered by their own imaginations.

Veach?s has come a long way since Louis Veach opened the store as a five-and-dime department store and lunch counter, selling pots, pans, toys and hardware supplies. But times change, and to remain competitive, the family decided to specialize in toys in 1996. ?Toys have always been our strong point,? John Veach says.

Some things remain the same. Veach?s has been in the same location for about 70 years and still offers layaway so families can save up for the perfect Christmas gift ? a rarity today.

Personal attention and friendly customer service are keys to the store?s success over the years. Trying out toys is encouraged, and employees will open any box to show customers how to use what?s inside. ?We have unique games you won?t see on television, so you have to explain them,? Veach says.

They?ll even let you take a game home to try it out and see if you like it before buying. ?That makes us unique,? he says. ?We trust customers ? and they always bring it back.?

That trust goes both ways, because customers constantly ask for recommendations on toys and games. ?We help the customer find the right gift, toy or workbook they need to help their child over the summer. We take the time to get to know the customers.?

One family makes the trek to this eastern Indiana town all the way from Florida twice a year to stock up on games that Veach personally suggests for them. ?They come back and ask, ?What?s a brand new game that we have not seen?? or, ?Show us something different.? It?s always a challenge to have something new for them,? he says.

Stories like this keep faithful customers coming back. Even when they grow up and move away, customers will ship toys from Veach?s to their children and grandchildren in other states.

In 2013, Veach?s turns 75 and will mark its anniversary with a special celebration for its customers. ?It?s going to be a yearlong birthday party,? he says. No doubt, it will include plenty of fun for the whole family.

Visit Veach?s
Veach?s Toy Station is located at 715 East Main St. in Richmond. To learn more, visit www.veachstoystation.com or call (765) 962-5761.

Source: http://my-indiana-home.com/toy-story-veachs-celebrates-75-years/

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Giffords faces Ariz. shooter in court, Loughner receives life sentence (+video)

Former?Arizona?congresswoman?Gabrielle Giffords?stood in federal court to face Arizona shooter?Jared Loughner?on Thursday moments before he was sentenced to life in prison.?Loughner received seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.

By Tim Gaynor,?Reuters / November 8, 2012

In this courtroom sketch, with his wife former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, second from left, by his side, Mark Kelly, left, speaks to Jared Loughner, second from right, as he sits next to his attorney Judy Clark during the sentencing of Loughner, at US District Court on Thursday, Nov. 8, in Tucson, Ariz.

Bill Robles/AP

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Former?Arizona?congresswoman?Gabrielle Giffords?stood in federal court to face her would-be assassin on Thursday moments before he was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people and wounding 13 others, including Giffords, last year.

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In a Tucson, Ariz., courtroom, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords came face-to-face with Jared Lee Loughner - the man who tried to kill her. John Blackstone was there and reports on Loughner's sentence and the scene from inside.

Jared Loughner, a college dropout with a history of psychiatric disorders, received seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years in prison, without the possibility of parole, under a deal with prosecutors that spared him the death penalty.

U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said the life sentences he imposed - one for each of the six people who lost their lives, and a seventh for the attempted assassination of Giffords - represented the individuality of the victims.

"He will never have the opportunity to pick up a gun and do this again," Burns said before Loughner was led away by federal marshals.

Giffords suffered a head wound in the Jan. 8, 2011, shooting that left her with speech difficulties, a paralyzed right arm, diminished sight and a limp.

Loughner, who sat through the proceedings without addressing the court, showed no emotion as his sentence was pronounced or during statements delivered in court by several survivors.

Giffords did not speak. Her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, spoke on her behalf.

"You may have put a bullet through her head, but you haven't put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place," Kelly told him, with Giffords standing at his side as she impassively faced her assailant.

Loughner, seated next to his lawyer, Judy Clarke, appeared to gaze back at them without expression.

"Though you are mentally ill, you are responsible for the death and hurt you inflicted," Kelly told Loughner in a clear, ringing voice. "You have decades upon decades to contemplate what you did. But after today ... Gabby and I are done thinking about you."

Giffords resigned from?Congress?in January to focus on her recuperation.

Gun control

Kelly also used the occasion to take a political swipe at Republican?Arizona?Governor?Jan Brewer, a staunch gun rights advocate, criticizing her for speaking out against calls to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, like the ones Loughner used, a week after the shooting.

He recalled her as saying that she didn't think the shooting had "anything to do with the size of the magazine."

He went on to note that the?state legislature?"thought it appropriate to busy itself naming an official Arizona?state gun just weeks after this tragedy," a proclamation Brewer signed.

Brewer spokesman?Matthew Benson?declined comment.

"On this solemn occasion, Governor Brewer isn't interested in engaging in politics," he said in a statement. "This is a day of justice and peace. Governor Brewer wishes both for the victims and their families."

The proceedings marked a dramatic epilogue to a rampage of gun violence that shocked many Americans, added to the long-running debate over gun control and cut short the political career of Giffords, a rising star in the?Democratic Party.

"For the victims, their families and the larger community impacted by this tragic event in our nation's history, it is my sincere hope that this conclusion will help in their journey toward physical and emotional recovery," U.S. Attorney General?Eric Holder?said in a statement.

Loughner pleaded guilty in August in federal court to 19 charges, including murder and attempted murder, in connection with the shootings outside a?Tucson?area supermarket.

He admitted going to Giffords' "Congress?On Your Corner" event armed with a loaded?Glock?19 pistol and 60 additional rounds of ammunition with plans to kill the?Arizona?Democrat.

Loughner shot her through the head at close range. Six people were killed, including U.S. District Judge?John Roll?and 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green.

Suffered delusions

Court-appointed experts later said Loughner suffered from schizophrenia, disordered thinking and delusions. He was declared unfit to stand trial in May 2011 after he disrupted proceedings and was dragged, shouting, out of the courtroom.

Loughner was ruled mentally competent three months ago after being treated for psychosis at a U.S. Bureau of Prisons?psychiatric hospital in Springfield,?Missouri. He then agreed to plead guilty.

The?U.S. Marshals Service?said the judge has recommended that Loughner be returned to the Missouri facility?and continue with his regime of anti-psychotic medication.

Few clues to the motives for the attack have emerged. Prison psychologist?Christina Pietz?has testified that Loughner had expressed remorse for the rampage and especially for the 9-year-old girl's death.

His calm, quiet demeanor in court on Thursday contrasted sharply with the wild-eyed image of Loughner from an early mug shot that captured the then-bald defendant grinning maniacally into the camera.

Asked at the outset of the hearing by the judge if he had chosen to waive his right to make a statement, Loughner answered in a low voice, "That's true."

He was otherwise silent through the hearing, and made no attempt to avert the gazes of victims who testified before he was sentenced.

One of them was Giffords' former congressional aide Ron Barber, who was also wounded and ended up serving out the rest of her term after winning a special election.

Barber ran in Tuesday's election for a newly created U.S. congressional district in?Arizona?and was running neck-and-neck with Republican?Martha McSally, with the outcome hanging on some 80,000 provisional and early votes that have yet to be tallied.

Speaking to Loughner's parents,?Amy?and?Randy, who were seated in the front row of the courtroom, Barber said, "Please know that I and my family hold no animosity toward you, and that I can appreciate how devastating the acts of your son were."

(Additional reporting by Jazmine Woodberry and David Schwartz; Writing by Steve Gorman)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/37VZzdaJGnI/Giffords-faces-Ariz.-shooter-in-court-Loughner-receives-life-sentence-video

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Authorities detain official in Ghana disaster

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Marion Cotillard Vows To Never Return To Sea World

Mother Nature Network:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/marion-cotillard-sea-world_n_2094991.html

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4 Steps Nonprofits Can Take to Establish a Lasting Business ...

This is a guest post by Ashley Halligan, an analyst at Software Advice.

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Cause marketing relationships between nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and for-profit businesses (FPBs) have produced mutually beneficial synergies time and time again. The benefits of establishing lasting relationships between NPOs and FPBs can be significant?to both parties.

The nonprofit can advance its mission through association and sponsorship by a recognized business, without investing its own limited resources.?The business can raise brand awareness, demonstrate social responsibility, and boost customer interest in its products or services. In fact, a 2010 Cone Inc. study cites that 80 percent of Americans are willing to switch brands?of equal quality and nature?if a brand supports a good cause. But how does a nonprofit begin the search for a lasting relationship with a business? I spoke with several industry experts?from both NPOs and FPBs?to determine what steps a nonprofit organization should take to begin and ultimately achieve an enduring cause marketing relationship.

1) Assess Your Goals ? Bruce Burtch, author of ?Glowing Your Business,? asks, ?Is the organization building a new facility, trying to add a new service, hosting an exhibition or an event, or simply trying to raise money for their organization??

2) Develop a Shortlist of Potential Business Partners ? Burtch says, ?Search for organizations aligned with the mission and philosophy of the nonprofit.? As an example, he suggests, ?If you are trying to build a homeless shelter, look for construction companies, architects, etc.?

3) Begin Some Conversations ? Catherine Chapman, CFRE at Fullanthropy, says, ?Clearly spell out how they will benefit from working with you. Be creative. Placing a banner ad on your event?s program or on your website is a meaningless ?benefit.? If you present it as a benefit, you?ll lose credibility with the prospective company.?

4) Initiate and Nurture the Relationship ? Communicate openly and constantly. Demonstrate that there is an ROI. Chapman says, ?Track as many benefits to the company you can?so you can prove a strong ROI.?

Today, cause marketing efforts have even more opportunity to gain visibility through social media platforms. Positive visibility can be rendered and quickly spread when a nonprofit organization or a for-profit business gains even a single mention, Tweet, comment, or publicity on a social media platform. Consider the near-immediate impact the announcement of a synergy between a NPO and FPB could have. Given the Cone study, customers highly value socially responsible companies.

How has your company or organization developed successful cause marketing campaigns? Share your experiences and suggestions below. Meanwhile, read the full story here.

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(photo credit)

Source: http://www.socialfish.org/2012/11/4-steps-nonprofits-can-take-to-establish-a-lasting-business-partnership.html

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