One rake will be missing this Saturday when more than 2,500 volunteers for People Working Cooperatively start raking leaves and cleaning gutters for the elderly.

The honor and dedication John Castellini of Pleasant Ridge gave as a volunteer with PWC will be carried on by his brother Dave in a special "Jake's Rakes" memorial.

John Castellini died last month at age 41.

Volunteers will include Dave Castellini (left); Mike Hecht and wife Nancy; along with the Hecht kids Nicholas, 10, (from left) Erin, 11, and Kevin, 7. (Jeff Swinger photo)

"I want to dedicate this in his honor because we worked together for almost nine years,'' said Dave Castellini. "Since we started volunteering, John had only missed one year.''

Dave Castellini said a 35-member Castellini group will commemorate the day by sporting shirts that read "Jake's Rakes" with the name of John Castellini's wife and four children on the sleeve of the shirts.

"He was my brother and one of my best friends,'' said Dave Castellini of Madeira. "He was always there with a smile. And if you needed him to help you with any kind of assistance, he was always a good guy to be around."

Dave Castellini said he and his brother put together the Castellini group.

"This is a part of John. He is up there, helping us rake," Dave Castellini said.

The PWC Prepare Affair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will reach approximately 900 seniors and disabled homeowners in Greater Cincinnati. For a reservation, call 421-4661

Architect honored

If failure had held him back David L. Niland, he may never have become an outstanding architect after floodwaters washed away his first creation - a two-holer outhouse.

After designing and creating the outhouse at Camp Kouch-I-Ching on an island in Rainy Lake, Minn., the lake nearby rose 7 feet and washed it away.

"It was never to be seen again," Niland said.

That was 55 years ago. He put that incident behind him and went on to become an influential figure in the professional development of many local architects, said Richard Mellott, president of the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati.

Friday, Niland, a retired professor of architecture and interior design at the University of Cincinnati, will receive the prestigious Apple Award for meritorious service.

The award is presented by the foundation. The presentation will take place during the Cincinnati Design Awards banquet at the Hilton Netherland Plaza.

OUR KIDS

Cindy Maag, 18, has a special love for dogs and puppies. She believes they have the same kind of love for people.

That is why she is volunteering to train them to help others.

Maag, a senior at the Summit Country Day School, Hyde Park, has taken a volunteer position with Circle Tail Inc., where she will be working with dogs and puppies, training them to work with people needing assistance as well as taking them to visit residents in retirement communities and patients in hospitals.

Cindy Maag is the daughter of Dr Edward and Christine Maag of Maineville.

GIVING BACK

Volunteers honored

Hoxworth Blood Center gave special awards to volunteers during National Volunteer Week recently. West-side recipients were:

Hope Kresser, Robert Kahsar, Ralph Vanderman and John McMullen of Westwood; Edward Rodgers and Dick Horne of Delhi Township; Marian and Paul Dorenkemper and Patricia Ankenbauer of Cheviot; Gilbert Ruehl of Colerain Township; Lewe Mizelle, Richard Haberstroh, Murray Janzen, Marvin Jester and Zellie Taylor of Finneytown; Jack Siles of Bridgetown; Maurice Davis of Monfort Heights; Marie Matsunami of Covedale; Marion Gutzwiller of North Bend; Don Davis of Price Hill; Donald Nagel of Groesbeck; Carolyn and Guy Banta of Dent; Jean Saas and William Ehlers of College Hill; Thomas Silva of Northside; Mary and Robert Wurtzler of Forest Park; Ethel Grote, Beverly Rowe, Janice Dickens and John Hackett of Wyoming; Jean Rose of Springdale; and George Smith of Springfield Township.

To submit an item, please call 755-4165.