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(Hfre Aiiuancg The ADVANCE, January 6,2021 /Page 9B -» Five- ’.I 1 Minute q 1 Devotions] n#' 1 /W* } ^ 1 V . 4 m M| u wg f"T <■1 * __ g •• (L Ml ik TT- / ir*3m Ty Mrz ?,\ •'t*' f j fmm .4 li 1 1J T ! j j w & k Y RTCA K3 CHRISTMAS — Robert Toombs Christian Academy's K3 Class held its annual Christmas Program on Decem ber 17, This year's title for the program was "Jesus: Light of the World." Students opened the program reciting the Bible verse Luke 2:11 and sang songs throughout the program. Parents, grandparents, and other family members were invited to the program, (Lto R): Front Row: Everly Dykes, Ramsey Bryant, Nevaeh Thigpen, Brooks Wilkinson, Nash Turner, Back Row: Hoke Lord, Emmalee Coursey, Weston Sheppard, IvyLyn Varnadoe, and Lincoln Towns. RTCA TOY DRIVE — Robert Toombs Christian Academy held a toy drive in which students in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade donated toys for children in the area, The toys were collected and delivered to The Salvation Army to be distributed to local children in hopes of making their Christmas a little merrier. L to R: Joey Todd, Ryan Wig gins, Hunter Ennis, Addi Walden, Haylie Kight, and Marly Dismuke, DERRICK’S AUTOMOTIVE New Location 139 Ben Wilson Rd Vidalia 912-380-4110 lUIONTFORT GROUP LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS • MOWING • SHRUB TRIMMING • PINESTRAW FOR SALE (INSTALLATION AVAILABLE) ENJOY YOUR YARD THIS SUMMER PAIN FREE! LET THE PROS AT MONTFORT GROUP ELIMINATE THOSE STICKERS NOW SO YOU CAN BE BAREFOOT AND FANCY FREE THIS SPRING/SUMMER. (912) 293-1243 Baseball League For Those With Disabilities My name is Taylor Duncan! I am 25 years old from Dallas, Geor gia, and I have autism. I am also the commis sioner/director of the Alternative Baseball Or ganization, a 501c3 au thentic baseball experi ence for teens 15+ and adults with autism and other disabilities to gain social and physical skills for success in life on and off the diamond. It takes 6 months to fill a full team due to the lack of catered services available in most areas for teens and adults with disabili ties. So in spite of the pandemic, recruitment for 2021 has begun vir tually. We are looking for a volunteer coach/man ager, volunteers, and players to help us start a new program serving those in Vidalia and the surrounding area in ad dition to our other Geor gia programs in East Cobb, Powder Springs, Paulding County, Gwin nett County/Loganville, Newnan, North Fulton, Columbus, and Savan nah tentatively set to start in late Spring-sum mer 2021. The organiza tion provides equipment and resources to help such a program become successful. When I was much younger, I had speech is sues, anxiety issues, and more that came with having autism... I wasn't able to participate in competitive sports due to the developmental de lays, in addition to social stigma (preconceived ideas) from those who think what one with au tism can and cannot ac complish. With the help of my mom, teachers, mentors, and coaches who believed in me, I've gotten to where I am to day in my life: To live with the goal to inspire, raise awareness, and ac ceptance for autism and special needs globally through the sport of baseball. As many with autism graduate from high school in many areas, services plateau. In a lot of suburban and rural ar eas, there are no services for those to continue their path toward inde pendence. Many travel to find the limited services which may or may not be available to their specific needs. Realizing a lack of general incentive and op portunities for those on the spectrum, I started this organization to give others on the spectrum/ special needs the oppor tunity to be accepted for who they are and to be encouraged to be the best they can be! The program follows Major League rules (wood bats, base steal ing, dropped third strike, etc.), and is a true typi cal team experience for others on the autism spectrum and special needs to help develop social skills for later in life. Alternative Baseball also has clubs in 30+ states who are also pre paring for their late Spring start dates. In 2019, the organization was commemorated as a Community Hero at an Atlanta Braves game and has been featured on ES PN's BASEBALL TO NIGHT and NBC's Weekday TODAY Show. I wanted to let you know we are looking for a volunteer coach/man ager, players, and volun teers to help us start a new program serving those throughout Vidalia and the surrounding area. Players can be of all experience levels. We take them from where they start out at (whether they require to be pitched to slow overhand or hit off the tee), and help develop their physi cal and social skills. I am available for interviews via Zoom (due to CO- VID-19 coronavirus pan demic.) and can also provide a multitude of B-Roll footage through our Google Drive. Any help is appreciated! Thank you for your time! I look forward to serving your community for hopefully many years to come! (See our segment from ESPN's Baseball Tonight here!: http:// www.espn.com/ video/ clip?id=23353934. Also, please take at look at my TedXAtlanta talk on providing more opportunities in and outside of sports for those with autism and other special needs: https ://www. youtube.com/ watch?v = xORGXug- WV4). You can also visit al ternative!) aseball.org. VidatjA FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK Notice Notice is hereby given of the Annual Meeting of the Members of Vidalia Federal Savings Bank. Said meeting to be held in the Conference Room of the Bank, 300 Jackson Street, Vidalia, Georgia, on Thursday, January 21, 2021, at 2:00 RM. Eastern Standard Time. Dated this 21st day of December, 2020 Geraldine McKenzie, Secretary Vidalia Federal Savings Bank Member FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER