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Page 8B The Braselton News Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Christmas concert set for Dec. 8 MCHS senior The Jackson County Comprehensive High School Chorus will hold its 2007 Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 8, at 7 p.m. at the JCCHS Cafe. The chorus will perform Christmas carols. The $1 admission fee includes dessert and coffee. New speed bumps on Mill Creek Drive to be lowered After numerous complaints from parents and community members, Mill Creek High School Principal Jim Markham announced that the newly-installed speed bumps on Mill Creek Drive will be lowered. According to Markham, the speed bumps were installed correctly and are in compliance with specifications. The school received numerous calls from frustrated drivers who complained that the bumps were too high and required vehicles to come to a complete stop before proceeding over the humps. Local elementary schools receive educational materials on autism The Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation Fund, Inc. (GCPSF) has provided “The Autism Acceptance Book and Teacher Guide” to 66 elementary school media centers. The books were purchased by GCPSF and the Autism Speaks orga nization. The book is designed to be used in classrooms to help raise awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families and society. Gwinnett School Foundation receives scholarship funds Terri Johndahl of CAB Inc. recently presented the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundations Fund with $2,500 to establish a scholarship for DEC A students. The Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) is an associa tion for high school students interested in marketing and management. The scholarship will help Gwinnett DECA students compete in regional, state and international competitions. VGA alumni to meet Jan. 15 A “Dutch treat” informational meeting on the establishment of the Jackson County chapter of the University of Georgia Alumni Association will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. The event will be held at Jeffrey’s Sports Bar and Grill, located off Ga. Hwy. 211, at 6332 Grand Hickory Drive, Braselton. For more information, e-mail daniellegriceaustin@yahoo.com or audraedwards @ hotmail.com. BY KRISTI REED Mill Creek High School senior Tori Rodriguez believes every girl should have the opportunity to feel like a princess, even if it is only for one day. To help make that possible, Rodriguez has orga nized a special initiative aimed at helping hundreds of teenage girls in foster care. Prom-o-rama is not an ordinary clothing drive. The goal of Prom- o-rama is to allow underprivi leged girls to enjoy prom with their peers by providing evening gowns, shoes, jewelry, accesso ries, makeup and personal care items. Rodriguez, Junior Miss Mill Creek 2006, said the idea originat ed with Mill Creek pageant orga nizer, Carol Higgins. Rodriguez said Higgins shared the idea with her and other pageant winners. “She presented us with this and said she wanted us to run with it and make it our own,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez is currently working on the proj ect with Sophomore Miss Mill Creek 2006. Laurie Strickland, Freshman Miss Mill Creek 2006 Dalena Coleman, and others. So far, Prom-o-rama has received over 125 donated dresses. The original goal was to collect 100 items including dresses, shoes and makeup. Rodriguez’s mother, Mill Creek Spanish teacher Lisa Rodriguez, said the response has been overwhelming. “It’s unbelievable,” Lisa Rodriguez said. “The amount is way bigger than she ever thought she’d get.” Lisa said her daughter has been inspired in part by her personal experiences with children in foster care. The Rodriguez’s neighbors are foster parents. Tori has seen numerous children pass through her neighbor’s care. “I see kids come in and out of that house,” Tori said. “My next No Monthly Service Charge Low Minimum Balance Ret|uind to Ram Interest APVfalWfa No Other Account Required to Open a Mono'Market ■«r :\ccouiit MikvQfce 1C Hwjill ■ Bttkc ■ TWSSfrlt# JfEmcc 13% Sl ■ Je&frji H Mrn BttdtK 53 - (Mm - MSHnfa ?J J Efe&fcaoo' Unit LiiuiLviUr Sf. T CuiE7Ut State Bank wm.hamiltonstatebiink.com telcbiuic: 1-877-527-2416 ixjLi*.'n LLNDfcH '.I Vh.t ■ :t±J r^'L.-j.i; ■':! J Ftaih [T s.i iHifririn .t:11 x... :u h-i-tx '-'uiwjtj tt.inn p h; xij<nx 'ilrim dm wisi ruEii xitrJd >. v \ :> IMMU' ilm, Mitt: nr- ■. ■. ■■ j .v. :■ .j. 1 . it. i ... Rate effective as of Nov. 2,2007 makes prom special for foster children DRESSES DONATED Tori Rodriguez holds just one of the 125 dresses that have been donated so far to help teenage girls in foster care experience the prom of their dreams. door neighbors take the best care of them.” Foster parents can only do so much though, Tori explained. After getting to know a teenage foster child living next door, Tori learned more about the needs of children in foster care. “I think it helps if you have met somebody and know their situa tion,” Tori’s mother said. Tori has gone to [school club] meetings and talked to them about foster children and their needs. She has really spread the word.” Tori said in addition to help from various school clubs, she has also had help from the dance stu dio she attends and Mill Creek’s media specialist who sent an email to other county schools telling them about Prom-o-rama. Tori said approximately 10 other schools have sent donations as a result. “A lady approached me one day at my dance studio and said ‘I have a dress for you’,” Tori said. The lady had heard about the clothing drive at Rock Springs Elementary School. “It was amazing to know that she had heard about it over at Rock Springs.” All items collected for Prom-o- rama will be taken to the Foster Children’s Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to providing for the economic, emo tional and educational needs of foster children. Tori said the items will go to the Foster Children’s Foundation Resource Center, a store where foster children can select whatev er items they need at no charge. Tori has plans to partici pate in other Foster Children’s Foundation projects. “We’re trying to not only do Prom-o-rama, but other things as well,” she said. While the dress collection has been going well, Tori said they are still in need of personal care items, such as shampoo, deodor ant, toothpaste, hairspray and makeup. Prom-o-rama also wel comes donations for teenage boys, such as suits, tuxedos, shoes, ties or dress shirts. Anyone wishing to donate clothing or personal care items for Prom-o-rama can leave items in the front office of Mill Creek High School. Tori said she hopes to collect at least 25 more dresses before the drive ends. Tori hopes Prom-o-rama will become an annual tradition. She plans to pass responsibility for next year’s drive to Junior Miss Mill Creek 2007. Tori feels it is important to help foster children to not only have an unforgettable prom, but to also help provide for their year round needs. “A lot of kids end up in foster care with nothing,” she said. We are first in Outpatient Surgical Care (because our patients come first) We always knew that our Outpatient Surgical Care was remarkable ... and now SO Strategies does too. Athens Regional Medical Center is proud to say that our Outpatient Surgical Care services have been recognized by the independent healthcare research firm, SQ Strategies, as the leader in overall quality of care for the Southeast. In addition, the statewide Hospital Ouailty index which evaluates hospitals across the state for Outcomes, Patient Safety and Overall Process of Care ranks Athens Regional at the top of these evaluations year in and year out. This past year, our score placed us once again in the top percentile. "A passion for medical excellence” is much more than a slogan - it's the way we approach our work each day. Every employee in every department treats every patient as if they were a member of their own family. Doesn't that sound like the hospital you should choose when you need healthcare? 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