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thejenkinscountytimes.com
The Jenkins County Times
Friday, April 14, 2023 - Page 5
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By Hannah Derriso, Reporter
for
The Times
Residents at Pmitt
Health’s Bethany Home
got the chance to feel like
a kid again. This year, with
help from some volunteers,
Bethany put on an Easter
Egg Hunt for its residents,
hoping to bring smiles to
their faces and have some
fun. Many of the residents
have limited mobility and
are wheelchair bound, so
staff and volunteers were
also involved, pushing
residents around the garden
area and assisting them
with picking up eggs.
"The idea was not only to
do something fun with the
residents to break up the
monotony of their days,
but to get them outside in
the fresh air and get them
active," said Tammy Royal,
Director of the Bethany
Home.
But what is an egg hunt
without prizes? The
brightly colored eggs were
filled with typical treats
like chocolate, jellybeans,
and candy. "I think the
residents were unsure
about it at first, but once
they got out there and
started finding and picking
up the eggs and realized
there were treats in them,
they actually get really
cheerful about it. They
were grinning ear to ear
and laughing and giggling
like school children,” said
Royal. In addition to the
"hunt," the day was filled
with snacks, lemonade,
sparkly bunny ears, and
photo station, and even
some ducks and chickens
for the residents to pet.
Pruitt Health’s Bethany
Home is a nursing and
rehabilitation center that
offer a comprehensive
menu of services and
is committed to caring
for elderly and disabled
patients. With short- and
long-term care processes,
as well customized
solutions, the center
provides exceptional
care through our therapy
services and cozy, home
like environment and is
on the cutting edge of
rehabilitation and aging
care. By hosting social
events like this, staff say
they observe positive
impacts on their residents’
mindsets. "To see them
smiling and enjoying
themselves is the biggest
reward for us," said Royal.
"This egg hunt made them
feel like kids again and we
couldn’t ask for more than
that." Photo by H. Derriso
Opponents argue
bill threatens state’s
unemployment fund
Special
to
The Times
Opponents of a bill
the Georgia House of
Representatives passed on
the next-to-last day of this
year’s legislative session
are warning it could
threaten a fund the state
uses to pay unemployment
compensation.
Senate Bill 160, which
the House’s Republican
majority passed 97-68
along party lines, replaces
a state Department of
Labor administrative fee
that expired at the end of
last year using money that
otherwise would go into
Georgia’s Unemployment
Insurance (UI) Trust
Fund. The Senate passed
the measure early last
month 34-21, with several
Democrats supporting it
and one Republican voting
“no.”
Supporters said the
estimated $20 million the
fee would raise during each
of the next three years is
critical to an agency that
has been underfunded for
years. The legislation is set
to expire at the end of2026.
The labor department
has lost $12 million to
$14 million annually
since the Great Recession
struck Georgia more than
a decade ago, funds it
has never recovered, said
Bruce Thompson, who was
elected state commissioner
of labor last fall and took
office in January.
Then, when the pandemic
hit three years ago, a typical
annual caseload of 200,000
to 300,000 unemployment
claims soared to more than
4 million in one month’s
time, Thompson said.
“Customer service is just
not where I want it to be,”
he said. “We have a federal
obligation and a moral
obligation to provide these
services.”
The bill’s opponents
aren’t arguing that the labor
department doesn’t need
the money. Their beef is
that the funds would come
from an Unemployment
Tmst Fund already
depleted by the demands of
the pandemic.
”UI Trust Fund
contributions should not be
reduced to compensate for
other funding allocations,
as this risks the resiliency
of a trust fund which
already ranks below a
majority of states in terms
of solvency,” Ray Khalfani,
senior worker justice policy
analyst for the progressive
Georgia Budget and Policy
Institute, said in a statement
March 27 after the House
passed the bill.
“The state has more
than enough resources on
hand to both replenish the
Unemployment Insurance
Tmst Fund and ensure that
the Department of Labor
can operate efficiently and
at full capacity.”
House Democrats made
the same argument during
the floor debate on the bill.
“This bill presents a
false choice,” said House
Minority Whip Sam
Park, D-Lawrenceville.
“This is a bill that will
risk the insolvency of our
Unemployment Insurance
Tmst Fund ... as a
mechanism to simply do
what we should be doing
to begin with: investing
in our Department of
Labor to help workforce
development and to help
unemployed workers get
back on their feet.”
Thompson said the UI
Tmst Fund is currently
only 52% solvent in the
wake of the pandemic.
Federal pandemic relief
didn’t help as it should
have because the agency’s
previous administration
failed to encumber $102
million in federal aid and
had to forfeit the money, he
said.
But Thompson said
other states are facing the
same predicament with
unemployment funds that
have been dramatically
reduced by the pandemic.
House Industry and Labor
Committee Chairman Bill
Werkheiser, R-Glennville,
who carried Senate Bill
160 in the House, argued
during the floor debate
that the alternative to not
passing the bill would be to
not collect any additional
money for the UI Tmst
Fund. He urged his House
colleagues not to panic.
“The sky’s not falling,” he
said.
Thompson agreed
there’s time to monitor
the tmst fund and respond
accordingly.
“We’ll watch that
solvency and see if it goes
down,” he said. “If it does,
we’ll address it again.”
The bill is now in the
hands of Gov. Brian Kemp,
who has until early next
month to sign it or ax it
with a veto.
PASTOR
Continued from page 3
When the Gospel is spoken
on paper, online, on radio
or in person, hearers and
readers have opportunities
to move from death to life
in a spiritual sense. Though
it cost them their lives, the
Apostles kept on speaking
the message about Christ
because these words
give eternal life. "For I
delivered to you first of all
that which I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the
third day according to the
Scriptures," (1 Corinthians
15:3-4).
CARMEN
Continued from page 4
wreckage and there was no
need for witness relocation.
In similar fashion, earlier
in high school, I was driving
home from band practice.
My brother was with me,
and I can't remember if
we were fighting or if we
were laughing. We were
NOT paying attention to
the road. That's for sure! In
front of Turner Concrete,
a small track was turning
left. I could not hit the ditch
on the right since it was a
steep hill. I could only go
to the left and squeeze
between the oncoming
car and the one we were
about to rear end. I heard
a loud screech and knew
I'd "made contact" with
the track. I was scared and
didn't know what to do.
So, I took the advice of my
11 -year-old brother who
screamed "JUST DRIVE
HOME!". I flew home and
told Mama I thought I'd hit
someone. She was about
to end my life right there
when my brother stepped
in on my behalf and said
"Mama! You should not be
yelling at her. You should
be PROUD of her! She
THREADED A NEEDLE!
I've NEVER seen anyone
drive like that! It was just
like the movies!" Mama
was so upset and yelled that
<fTr^
"The Lily of my Valley"
Many years ago, I had the
privilege of hearing a 75
year old African American
women sing at one of my
revivals. Her name was
Simone Grace. I state her
ethicnicity because I want
you to understand the story
from her perspective.
It seemed that Simone
was born into poverty.
She had been raised by
her Mother. Her father
died a few years after her
tenth birthday. But, she
told the story of what she
knew about her father that
she had called "papa." She
knew her papa was a slave
that worked on a plantation,
and how he worked in the
fields as a overseer. He saw
to it that all of the workers
did there job and that it
was done as his boss had
Charles Fry
instmcted him to do.
I remember one particular
thing she said. She stated
that her Papa was allowed
to eat with the other maids
and butlers up at the big
house under a shelter. She
knew that this made him,
as the overseeer feel more
important on the plantation.
Another thing she said
stuck with me my entire
life. She said, "my father
always would sing a song
he called, "The Lily of my
Valley." He told her , he
had heard the song when
he was a boy from an older
lady on the plantation as
she would sing it to all the
african american children
that lived there. Simone
said that her father would
also teach it to all the
workers in the field and
they would sing it as they
worked from dusk til dawn.
Now it seems like he
remembered the words a
little different but, using the
words, my valley, instead
of "the valley" or did he?
I would like to think he
wanted the lyrics to feel
more personal by using
the words, "my valley."
As Simone Grace
began to sing that revival
Sunday, I remember before
she started, she said; "this
was my papa's favorite
song. He loved Jesus with
all his heart and referred
to him as "the Lily of my
Valley." He would always
tell us children that Jesus
would always be our valley,
our strength, and our bright
and morning star."
The actual name of the
hymn was, " Lily of the
Valley" and is a standard
gospel song which has
appeared in many hymnals
through out generations.
It was written by Charles
W. Fry reflecting his
experience with the
Salvation Army.
You see. Fry and his
family were members
of the Salvation
Amiy organization
founded by William
Booth which was
then in crisis. It is
recorded that Fry did
not like the abuse
he saw hurled at the
Salvation Army when
they established their
ministry in 1878 in
Salisbury, where the
Fry family lived.
Mr. Fry, who was a
bricklayer, and his
three sons offered
to serve as bodyguards
for the Salvation Army
workers. The next day the
four men arrived with their
“weapons". These weapons
consisted of two comets, a
trombone and a small tuba.
In between fighting off the
troublemakers, the Fry men
played, and their music
attracted a crowd for the
Salvation Army preachers.
This was the first Salvation
Army brass band with Mr.
Fry as the leader of the
band as inscribed on his
grave stone.
Fry took the term "Lily of
the Valley" from the book
of Song of Solomon 2:1 , "
I am the rose of Sharon, the
lily of the valley ...". He
used this verse of Scripture
to represent the message of
the preacher William Booth
to the people during the
protests of 1881 describing
a personal, intimate
relationship with Jesus.
Those words were first
published in the December
By Sam Eades, Publisher/Writer
for
The Times
29, 1881, edition of the
Salvation Amiy national
magazine, the War Cry.
Charles Fry died the
year after publishing the
hymn, on August 24, 1882,
in Park Hall, Polmont,
Scotland.
I am not sure about
you, but I want to use this
as my anthem. He's the lily
of the valley, the bright
and morning star. He's the
fairest of ten thousand to
my soul!
Sing with me and let
us try using the words of
"papa", He's the lily of MY
valley."
11 have found a friend in
Jesus-
He's ev'rything to me,
He's the fairest of ten
thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley- in
Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and
make me fully whole.
In sorrow He's my comfort,
in trouble He's my stay,
He tells me ev'ry care on
Him to roll;
He's the Lily of the Valley,
the Bright and Morning Star,
He's the greatest of ten
thousand to my soul.
2 He all my grief has taken
and all my sorrows bore,
In temptation He's my strong
and mighty tow'r;
I have all for Him forsaken
and all my idols tom
From my heart, and now He
keeps me by His pow'r.
Though all the world forsake
me and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely
reach the goal;
He's the Lily of the Valley,
the Bright and Morning Star,
He's the greatest of ten
thousand to my soul.
3 He will never, never leave
me nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do
His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I've
nothing now to fear,
With His manna He my
hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory
I'll see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall
ever roll;
He's the Lily of the Valley,
the Bright and Morning Star,
He's the greatest of ten
thousand to my soul.
COOPER
Continued from page 1
grade school was built.
The school was the result
of a project based low-
wealth application through
the Georgia Department
of Education. The fomier
schools were over fifty
years old, and the students
and staff of Jenkins
County deserved new
facilities! The new school
is 199,000 square feet and
encompasses two stories.
As the first school system
in Georgia to apply using
these funds, many hoops
had to be wrangled before
the occupancy date in
2018. The school is in the
process now, through post-
Covid funds, of adding
more square footage so that
more opportunities can be
offered to the students of
Jenkins County, including a
STEAM lab for elementary
students.
The final big project for
the Jenkins County School
System is the constmction
of sports facilities that
will encompass baseball
and softball fields, ROTC
training areas, and a track.
Mrs. Cooper stated, “We
have had a long-time
dream of adding a track to
JCMHS. I am so excited to
say, because of the passed
ESPLOST referendum, we
can do that!” Drawings are
being finalized now and
constmction will begin in
the next few months.
Mrs. Cooper wrote a
column in the newspaper
for the last three years
to keep the community
apprised of the happenings
in the schools. The writings
have focused a great deal
on the effects of poverty
and the barriers that face
mral communities. She
highlighted her beliefs
regarding the Leader In Me
program, and how students
must leam early to set
goals and see success. She
also encouraged building
positive relationships
and how important
relationships are to student
achievement. Mrs. Cooper
can be seen, often, at a
sporting event, ROTC
competition, or band
competition in support of
the Jenkins County Eagles.
When asked what she
is most proud of, Mrs.
Cooper answers this way,
“I am most proud of the
relationships that I have
formed with the board
members, the staff, the
parents, and especially,
with the students. The
students know me, and
they know that they can
count on me if they need
help. That is the purpose of
all of us as educators, and
one that I have enjoyed the
most.”
the people probably got our
tag number! Ernie informed
her that there was no way
anyone got our tag number
because A) we were going
at Mach 3 and B) The poor
man was probably looking
for toilet tissue in his glove
box!! I did call and report
my hit and ran and luckily
nobody reported a hit so
there was no run.
We didn’t always see eye
to eye. We still don’t. But
there’s something special
about siblings. Siblings are
really the only people in
the world who grew up like
you did. It’s an odd bond-
as in. I’ll eagerly give you
one of my kidneys but not
my phone charger. I pray
fervently that my two girls
will remain close throughout
their lives. Call your sibling
this week if you have one.
Ask them about a funny
memory from childhood.
May happy memories come
flooding back for you as you
remember good times from
many years ago.
No
matter how
you feel...
Get up, dress up,
show up, and
Never give up!