TRUMBULL COUNTY New friendship balloons from find

The discovery started a pen-pal relationship with a group of Catholic schoolchildren in Kansas.
By LAURIE M. FISHER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
JOHNSTON -- Who needs the modern technology to connect people when a red helium balloon works wonders?
The last week of February, Helen Fogle was walking her dog, Meiko, through the woods on her 27-acre property in this northern Trumbull County township.
"I saw a red object and realized it was a deflated balloon," she said. Fogle noticed a piece of paper, "the size of a fortune cookie fortune" inside the balloon.
She used a stick to break open the balloon and read "Celebrate Catholic Schools Week. If you find this note please contact Holy Spirit Catholic School in Overland Park, Kansas."
Amazed that a small balloon could travel the nearly 900 miles unscathed, Fogle sat down that evening and wrote a letter to the school. She said she enclosed a picture of Meiko, a Chow, as well as a description of the woods and location of Johnston.
Meanwhile in Overland Park, students were anxious to learn if any of the 450 balloons released Jan. 31 had made it out of the neighborhood.
Part of festivities: The balloon release was part of a celebration for Catholic Schools Week, explained principal Jane Shriver. Some 465 children attend kindergarten though eighth grade at the Kansas City suburban school.
& quot;We thought it would be good to celebrate our community with the balloons, & quot; she said, adding that the balloons symbolized the message of how far a Catholic education would take the students.
"It was a really cold day, and we weren't sure how far the helium-filled balloons would travel," she noted. "I was really surprised it made it the whole way [to Ohio]."
To date, the balloon found by Fogle was the farthest reported distance any of the balloons traveled, she said. The school has heard from only one other recipient -- in nearby Kansas City, Mo.
"The kids were really excited when we heard from Mrs. Fogle," she said. "I read the note over the intercom."
And the correspondence hasn't stopped. Last week, Fogle received another package, though transported through more traditional methods, the U.S. Postal Service. One of the first-grade classes of 24 children wrote notes, drew pictures and described their own pets.
"The notes are so cute," Fogle said with a laugh. "I didn't expect any of this. I am definitely going to write back."