About The Advance. (Vidalia, Ga.) 2003-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2021)
She Aftuattce The ADVANCE, August 18, 2021 /Page 3A Workshop continued from page 1A Commerce and Toombs County Development Authority continue to im prove the area. Daniell praised the initiative of the Chamber and Development Au thority to work for the betterment of the com munity through a partner ship with citizens. “This is a citizen-led program to make your community a community for all people,” Daniell emphasized. However, Daniell con tinued with this thought of inclusion for all to dis cuss where the Chamber could improve their ef forts. “Look up the defini tion of all,” he remarked. “It means inclusive of ev eryone or everything. It is not exclusive.” Daniell continued to question the attendees of the meeting on who need ed to be included in this effort to make this truly an effort for all people. “Who are the partners that we’re missing? Who should be here? Only when you have all voices at the table will you make it better for all,” he explained. Daniell stressed the importance of looking beyond the mere Toombs- Vidalia area. “Stop only thinking about Toombs and Vidalia only and con sider your workforce, be cause 60% of them drive in,” Daniell explained. He illustrated the need for partnership with neighboring coun ties through the com parison of statistics, such as teen pregnancy. The most contrasting statistic was the difference in the percentage of voluntary prekindergarten enroll ment, which was at 48.4% in 2019 for Montgomery County while Toombs- Vidalia had an average of 73% voluntary enrollment the same year. “If I were the Cham ber in your situation, I would go to the superin tendent at Montgomery County Schools and ask why the numbers were so low, and if there was any thing the Chamber could do to support the effort,” Daniell explained. “You have to treat the root of the problems in your area.” Daniell explained that citizens do not have to ad dress every area, but mere ly volunteer and work in the area that seems to be the best fit for them. “Ev ery community is different just like every person is different,” he said. “Work in the area that you are most enthusiastic about and in which you are most capable to tailor your pro gram for your commu nity.” He emphasized the importance of protect ing historic and beautiful buildings, hosting civic conferences to inform the public of civic matters, holding conferences for businesses in the area to make connections, and working with the local media. “Engage the local media,” Daniell said. “Al ways be transparent and responsive. If you want to build the community and change the commu nity, you cannot be behind closed curtains.” Daniell argued, “So cial media people are try ing to get a message out as fast as possible. True me dia people, like the local media, are trying to share a complete story with all the facts. The local media is not your enemy.” The use of social me dia is also beneficial, ac cording to Daniell. “Use social media to reach your younger audience; give a young individual the pow er to put the information on the right platform to best reach the youth,” he explained. “This does not mean to ignore the local media, though.” Daniell explained that the benefit of using both medias was the most pro ductive for reaching and educating the community. “Hashtags and social me dia posts will reach certain audiences, but will not en gage all,” he said. “To truly create a vibrant commu nity, you have to keep the public engaged through whatever means necessary conserve • reduce • recycle What is a Chaperone? A chaperone is usually a married chaperones are usually parents or older woman, who for the sake and teachers who supervise groups of propriety or caution, accompa- of young people at school dances, nies one or more young unmarried sporting events, and field trips, women in public or in mixed com- In present-day situations where pany. The word chaperone derives young people must be away from from the French their families for an word “chaperon” (from the Late Latin “cappa,” meaning cape) which ma trons usually wore outside. The supervi sion of vulnerable women, especially young marriageable age women in pub lic where they might meet men, has been common in many should be qualified cultures. Older generations seemed in first aid and child protection, more aware of the personal and so- Also, the American Medical As- cial benefits of helping young peo- sociation and the General Medical pie control their natural biological Council of the United Kingdom urges by supervising them regularly have adopted protocol of having than current cultures are. Having chaperones available on a consis- adult supervision was particularly tent basis to offer any patient the strict in southern Europe in Spain option of having an impartial ob- where an adult companion for server present when a physician young females was called a “duena.” does an “intimate examination.” In Western societies today, 7 ri 4 M V 4 extended period of time, such as child athletes or child ac tors in movies, there is a legal obligation to have a staff mem ber as chaperone responsible for the general safety and well-being of the child while away from their parents. These chaperones for all people.” Daniell encouraged the use of both medias to recognize volunteers be cause of the initiative it gives others to volunteer. “Everyone loves to be rec ognized.” He also stressed the need to identify and groom young leaders to prepare the community for the future genera tions. He explained these leaders are not always the most successful students in school; thus, these lead ership programs should be available for a variety of youth. “A-students are not always your leaders,” he argued. When discussing the methods of addressing economic development, Greater Vidalia Cham ber of Commerce Execu tive Vice President Deb bie Evans shared that the Chamber will be hosting its first Business Solutions Conference on September 23. The conference will feature several business experts, speakers, and rep resentatives from multiple industries. Thursday’s workshop was a follow-up to a Feb ruary 2020 meeting led by Quint Studer, founder of Vibrant Community Part ners. Studer’s enterprise assists communities in customizing a blueprint for achieving growth and excellence. Locally, the Chamber and Develop ment Authority are em bracing Studer’s model as they work with commu nity partners to develop a plan that offers a high quality of life for all citi zens and an environment where young people will have a productive future. At the first local work shop in May, Daniell in troduced a road map that will act as a guide for im plementing local Vibrant Community activities. The road map includes the four “gears” in the machine that powers the community—Economic Development; Placemak ing; Civic Education & Engagement; and Early Learning & Education. Workshop attendees were asked to consider which of these areas they might be interested in taking on. The seminar conclud ed as attendees divided themselves into small groups based upon the ar eas in which they wished to serve. In the next work shops, attendees will receive a deeper under standing of each area and of how to work cohesively as a group. Vidalia continued from page 1A opportunity to address this issue, but also expand other services for our youth. The Vidalia Recreation Depart ment has experienced con sistent growth and we want to meet our community’s needs and maintain a high level of service.” The Mayor added, “The purchase of this prop erty would not be pos sible without the teamwork of our City Council, City Manager, City At torney and Mr. and Mrs. Gary Waters, owners of the Captain’s Cor ner. The previous ly mentioned leadership looks forward to not only working with, but being led through this project, by Recreation Director Scott Strickland as it will posi tively impact the youth of our community.” Strickland sees the po tential. “The purchase of the Captain’s Corner will ensure future upgrades to our Ed Smith Complex and catapult our new vision for our Vidalia Regional Sports Complex on Ezra Taylor Road. We are excited for the opportunity this gives our community.” Strickland continued, “I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Gary Waters for serving our great city for so many years. I would like to thank Mayor Roper, the City Council, and City Manager Nick Overstreet for going above and beyond to ensure that all citizens of our community have top- notch facilities and oppor tunities in recreation.” The City will take ownership of this property on or around October, 15, 2021. Last week, the City an nounced that it had reached an agreement to purchase the current site of the Eco no Lodge at 204 East First Street in an effort to stimu late economic growth in downtown Vidalia. Mayor Roper, who is looking forward to the city taking ownership of the property through its newly-formed Downtown Development Author ity, noted, “This area of downtown has incredible upside and our desire is to maximize its full potential. Economic Development is vital to the progressiveness of our downtown and this purchase will make an im mediate impact in the area.” The City of Vidalia will take ownership of the prop erty on November 1, 2021. “I want to thank members of our City Council, City Attorney, Justin Franklin, our City Manager Overstreet, and the current own ers of the Econo Lodge for their collaboration in assisting to make this a reality.” The City of Vidalia has plans to raze the structure now occupying the site and will be work ing with its community partners and other inter ested parties to develop the property in the near future. “This is going to be a game changer for us as a commu nity,” the Mayor comment ed. He said he was grateful to the building’s owner for his willingness to “sit down at the table and discuss the sale. When all this comes to fruition, it’s going to be incredible. “This is going to be a game changer for us as a community.” - Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper MILLION PINES COMMUNITY BANK We’re here for all your banking needs. Daniel is a native of Tattnall County from Glennville, Ga. He is the son of Dane Dasher and the late Denise Dasher. He has one brother, Dustin Dasher, and one sister, Jennifer Bacon. He has been married to his wife Ashley for 12 years. They have 5 children: Sadie (age 10), Mikayla (age 8), Bethany (age 7), Jack (age 4), and Emmett (age 14 months). He cur rently resides in Vidalia, Ga with his family. He graduated high school from Tattnall County High in 2002. Fol lowing in his brothers footsteps, he attended EMT school in 2005 and later paramedic school in 2007 at Southeastern Technical College. He completed his Bachelor of Health Sci ence at South University, and gradu ated suma cum laude in 2015. He also briefly attended Georgia Southern University for 2 years to study biology and chemistry. He then attended phy sician assistant school at South Uni versity-Savannah Campus where he graduated with highest honors in 2018 with a Master of Science in PA Studies. He attends church at Calvary on Aimwell where he serves as a small group leader and drummer/keyboard ist on the praise and worship team. His hobbies include fishing; hunting; woodworking; and playing piano, gui tar and drums. He currently works at the Acute Care Clinic in Vidalia, Ga as one of two providers where he also serves as a preceptor to PA students. He also con tinues to work occasionally as a para medic in Tattnall County to maintain emergency medicine skills. His medi cal interests include general internal medicine, with special interests in car diology, nephrology, and orthopedics. 912-537-9488 • 1608 Meadows Lane, Vidalia
