Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, January 20, 2021/Page 12A
She Aiiuancg
Lto R: Dustin Booth, COUNTRY Financial, and Alan Kent, MRMC.
COUNTRY Financial Supports
MRMC Through Operation
Helping Heroes Donation
Lto R: Matt, Blake, Yovani, Ben, Glenda Anderson Leonard, Tor, Stephen Leonard, Hud
son, Drake, Anthony, and Andrew,
Paul Anderson Youth Home
Earns CARF Accreditation
COUNTRY Finan
cial representative Dustin
Booth is pleased to an
nounce Meadows Regional
Medical Center as 2020
recipients of a COUN
TRY Financial Operation
Helping Heroes donation.
The $2,500 donation will
be used to purchase PPE
equipment.
“It's more important
now to support your local
community and we want
to thank healthcare work
ers for their service,” said
COUNTRY Financial rep
resentative Booth.
"Meadows is excited
to receive such a generous
donation. We are so fortu
nate to have such incred
ible support from Dustin
Booth and COUNTRY Fi
nancial to help our hospital
keep staff and patients safe
in the face of this pandem
ic," said Alan Kent, Mead
ows Health's President &
CEO. He added, "Encour
agement and assistance like
this demonstrates to our
front line workers and our
entire community that we
are all in this together."
COUNTRY Financial
will donate more than $3
million in 2020 to organi
zations and programs that
support first responders,
healthcare workers and ac
tive duty service members,
supporting the company's
vision to “enrich lives in the
communities we serve."
The Operation Help
ing Heroes program was
created in 2015 to support
nonprofit events and pro
grams that benefit active
duty service members, vet
erans and their families. In
2019, COUNTRY Finan
cial expanded the program
and donated $700,000 to
approximately 500 first re
sponder and military orga
nizations.
About
COUNTRY Financial
COUNTRY Financial
serves about one million
households and business
es throughout the United
States and offers a full
range of financial products
and services from auto,
home, business, farm and
life insurance to retirement
planning services, invest
ment management and an
nuities.
Wheeler County School Board
Elects Officers; Groundbreaking for
New School Set for February 2
By Andrea Towns
Contributing Writer
Michael “Sandy” Mor
rison will continue his
role as chairman of the
Wheeler County Board of
Education. He was elected
during the board’s January
11 meeting in Alamo. Judy
Benton was re-elected as
board vice-chair.
Other posts approved
by the board included
Russell Clark, Perry Av
ery, Blake Sharpton, and
Harbin and Hartley as le
gal representation for the
Wheeler County School
System. The board also
voted to continue bank
ing with Wheeler County
State Bank.
The board approved
the 2021 meeting sched
ule and will meet in the
Conference Room at the
Board of Education Office
at 6:30 p.m. on the second
Monday of every month
except October. Because of
a scheduled holiday, Octo
ber’s meeting will be held
on October 18.
Superintendent Su
zanne Couey provided an
update on the recent de
molition and temporary
restructuring as prepara
tions are made to begin
construction on the new
K-12 facility. Eight middle
school classrooms were
relocated due to demoli
tion; however, class sizes
remain manageable. The
bus pick-up and drop-off
site has moved to the front
of the high school gym.
The school’s greenhouse,
middle school wing, and
almost all of the middle
school gym have been de
molished. Couey reported
that demolition should be
complete within a week of
the board session.
Preparing for the re
construction ahead, Couey
presented submittal in
formation on requests for
proposal for the school’s
new transportation and
agricultural facilities. After
reviewing evaluation crite
ria and results, the board
approved Graham and
Studstill as the contractors
for both projects.
The groundbreak
ing ceremony for the
new school is scheduled
for February 2. The time
of this event has been
changed to 11 a.m. with
board member training to
follow at 1 p.m. Couey pre
sented a tentative ground
breaking ceremony agenda
for the board’s review and
stated “the ceremony may
have to be recorded or live
streamed for the commu
nity due to COVID-19.”
Students returned to
school on January 11, a
delayed start to the spring
semester due to an increase
in COVID cases among
staff. As the cases in the
community and state con
tinue to increase, all staff
and students are required
to wear masks at all times.
Couey stated that she and
administrators “would
carefully monitor cases and
move to remote learning if
warranted.”
Couey informed the
board that staff members
were very appreciative of
the bonuses they received
with their December
checks in recognition of
their dedication through
out the last year.
In other business, Si
erra Wood was approved as
a classroom substitute; and
Brittany Haymons was ap
proved as a substitute bus
driver, pending comple
tion of required training.
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CARF approval
underscores the
high standards of
the Christ-centered
youth home.
Paul Anderson
Youth Home (PAYH)
announced they have
received a three-year ac
creditation by CARF
(Commission on Accredi
tation of Rehabilitation
Facilities), an indepen
dent nonprofit organiza
tion focused on advanc
ing the quality of services
needed for the best pos
sible results.
“We are thrilled to
receive this international
accreditation as it ear
nestly demonstrates to
our families we serve, our
stakeholders, and other
organizations that we not
only meet but exceed the
industry standards,” said
PAYH Vice President for
Outreach and Compliance
Betty Burris. Attaining this
prestigious recognition is
an organization-wide ef
fort with all departments
playing an important role.
Burris spent the better
part of two months work
ing on it. “It shows we are
committed to continually
reviewing and improving
our services,” she added.
CARF accreditation
is based on compliance
with industry standards
for group homes and re
habilitation facilities. It
also equips PAYH to bet
ter serve the young men
in their care. Developed
over 50 years ago by inter
national service provid
ers, policymakers, family
members and consumers,
CARF standards are sub
mitted to the public for re
view to validate relevancy
and ensure valuable input
from all participants.
Among the many
strengths noted in CARF’s
findings are the vision and
dedication of co-founder
and Executive Director
Glenda Anderson Leon
ard, described in the re
port as, "a dedicated, com
passionate person who
made a personal commit
ment years ago to better
serve young men who
were in need of a Christian
approach to treatment."
The CARF report
also cited the leadership
of the board of directors
and the staff as, "commit
ted, creative, and innova
tive; actively seeking and
embracing new ideas, and
demonstrating a willing
ness to develop and en
hance the organization's
existing services."
According to the
findings, the young men
served by PAYH also re
ported a high level of sat
isfaction with the program
and the respect they re
ceive in the program.
PAYH is also accred
ited by the Association
of Christian Schools In
ternational (ACSI), the
Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability
(ECFA) for fiscal trans
parency, Cognia for high
school diploma standards,
and is licensed by the
Georgia Department of
Human Services.
ABOUT
PAULANDERSON
YOUTH HOME
Founded in 1961 by
weightlifting world cham
pion Paul Anderson and
his wife, Glenda, the Paul
Anderson Youth Home
(PAYH) is a Christian res
idential program and on-
campus school for young
men between the ages of
16 and 21 struggling with
behavioral problems and
issues of discipline, anger
and depression. PAYH is
accredited by the Com
mission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities
(CARF). In addition to
counseling and character
development, PAYH of
fers an accelerated learn
ing program enabling
residents to graduate with
a high school diploma
and technical certifica
tions. To date, over 1,400
young men have attended
the program. The Home
is located at 1603 McIn
tosh St. in Vidalia, GA. To
learn more about PAYH,
call (912) 537-7237 or
visit www.payh.org.
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CARE AT HOME FOR A SENIOR OR DISABLED PERSON.
• The family caregiver and family member must be 18 or older.
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• You live in the home with the person as the primary caregiver.
• Are related biologically as a daughter, grandson, cousin, niece,
nephew, etc., or are related thru marriage as a daughter-in-law
or son-in-law, etc.
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