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Thursday, March 18, 2021
The Upson Beacon
Salem Community News By Claudette Fagan
Congratulations to Court
ney Blasingame on her 18th
birthday celebration. Family
and friends gathered at Bone-
fish Grill on Sunday, Mar. 14
for an afternoon of fun, food,
and fellowship. Her brother,
Dorsey Blasingame, also cele
brated his birthday on Sun
day. A special thanks to
everyone who came out to
share in this birthday cele
bration. Courtney is the
daughter of Greg and Teresa
Blasingame and the grand
daughter of J. C. Blasingame
Jr. and Albert and Claudette
Fagan.
Continued prayers for the
sick and shut in: Deacon
Eddie Collier, Mrs. Laura M.
Blasingame, Ms. Shirley A.
Walker, Mrs. Dorothy Fuller,
and Mrs. Viola Gray.
Our prayers and sympa
thy go out to the following: To
the Raines family on the
passing of Mr. Milton Raines;
to the Russaw, Howell, and
Wilder family on the passing
of Mr. Narvin Russaw Jr.; to
the Searcy family on the pass
ing of Mr. Bernard Searcy; to
the Murchison and Cunning
ham family on the passing of
Mrs. Vivian Cunningham.
We pray that God continues
to strengthen them during
their time of bereavement.
Anniversary wishes are
extended to the following:
Robert and Kawajelyn Clark
are celebrating their 21st
wedding anniversary today,
March 18. Mike and Tabitha
Smith will be celebrating
their 22nd wedding anniver
sary on Sunday, March 21.
Morris and Jacqueline James
will be celebrating their
eighth wedding anniversary
on Tuesday, March 23. We
hope your special day is an
enjoyable one.
Birthday wishes are ex
tended to the following:
Kymburlee Walker, Troy
Woodard, Lisa Williams Jen
kins, Tamechia Gray Penny-
man - March 18; Sheila
Raines, Ashanti Brawner,
King Hollingshed, Wilheme-
nia Sibley, Tony Ogburn -
March 20; Kay King - March
21; LaKeisha Hollingshed,
Ronald McCrary, Jeanette
Howard, Necole Banks, Nod-
rick Hill, Gregory Jordan -
March 22; Keron Bluford,
TreVon Walker, Diane Craf-
ter - March 23; Janeisha
Holsey, Deter Lucas, Willie
Raines, Kimberly Smith
Stubbs, Gwen Stubbs -
March 24. We wish you many
more birthdays to come.
Thought for the day:
Your mind is a powerful
thing. When you fill it with
positive thoughts, your life
will start to change.
Community News By Elaine Walker
Thankful Thursday to
Inez Copeland, Rose Asmon,
Gwen Copeland, Jimique
Mitchell, A1 and Laverne
Holliman, Rosa Lee Daniel,
Nadine Chaney, Gloria Hol
lingshed, Jenesia Williams,
Rosa Lee Chaney, Jessica
Walker, Sharel Johnson,
Warren Freely, Candace
Clinton, Kay Rogers, Greg
ory Kendrick, and Jerome
Willis.
Birthday wishes are ex
tended to Shamar Walker,
Kay King, Martrica King,
Charlie Traylor, and Annie
Mae Brown.
A special happy birthday
to our daughters Minister
Tonika Pettigrew and To-
niece Walker. They will be
celebrating their special day
on Sunday, March 21. Wish
ing them many more blessed
years of God’s favor.
March 23 is American
Diabetes Alert Day.
Continued prayers are
extended to Winnie Drain,
Tyrone Weaver, Jr., Danita
Worthy, Laura Brown, Elvis
Searcy, Dorothy Carthon,
Annie Worthy, Mielve Col
bert, Loretta Braswell, Ear-
nestine Walker, Clyde Mid-
dlebrooks, Kate Harris,
Charles and Daphney An
drews, Alton Dawson, Elaine
Copeland, Ada King, Rosa
Drake, Mary Renders, Mary
Taylor, Ava Summer, Ida
Little, Earnestine Battle, Ida
Walters, and Ruby Andrews.
Happy belated birthday
to Kaison Jerrell Hollis,
Brian Evans, and Dorothy
Parks.
Happy belated 11th anni
versary to Derek and Ta-
nisha Bowman.
Our prayers and sympa
thy are extended to the fol
lowing families: the family of
the late Pastor Frank Martin,
Sr., the family of the late Viv
ian Cunningham, the family
of the late Pastor D.L.
Driver.
Vegetables, especially
those of the green variety,
are crucial to a healthy diet.
One cup of spinach provides
enough vitamin K to meet
the daily requirements.
WORDS OF WISDOM:
What may seem insig
nificant,
Mundane, routine, or
small
Is often used by God to
show
His power over all.
God uses small things to
accomplish great things for
His glory.
Georgia Ag Week Celebrates Farmers’ Many Contributions
We have your peaches and blue
berries here. We have your cotton
here. We have your timber here. So,
if you find yourself needing sweets,
sweats or struts, there’s a good
chance you can get it - and a whole
lot more - from right here in Geor
gia.
Nearly half of all U.S.-grown
peanuts come from Georgia, mak
ing us far and away the number one
peanut state. Georgia is also the
number one state in broiler
chickens and forestry. Georgia is
number two in cotton, pecans and
watermelons, and number three in
bell peppers, blueberries, cu
cumbers, and peaches.
To celebrate farmers and the
many contributions they make to
our state, the Georgia Department
of Agriculture has declared March
22-26 as Georgia Ag Week. This
week is also National Ag Week and
National Ag Day is March 23.
“Georgia farmers are proud of
our place in the state’s economy,
and we’re dedicated to providing
safe, affordable and sustainable
products for our fellow Georgians
to enjoy,” said Marcus South,
Upson County Farm Bureau pres
ident. “While we’re providing for
our human neighbors, we’re also
working to protect wildlife habitat,
soil, and water resources. When
Georgia farmers succeed, all of
Georgia benefits.”
The week-long Ag Week cele
bration will include these themed
days: March 22 - Hands-On Gar
den Day; March 23 — Buy Georgia
Grown; March 24 - Ag Hero Day;
March 25 - Ag Literacy Day; March
26 - Make My Plate Georgia Grown
Day. For more information, visit
www.gfb.ag/agweek21.
On Ag Literacy Day, March 25,
five Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s
Leadership Committee members
will provide video recordings of
themselves reading books that pro
mote some of Georgia’s top com
modities. Members of the GFB
Women’s Leadership Committee
are also providing virtual tours of
their farms. Sign up to receive both
sets of videos and GFB activities at
www.gfb.ag/agweek.
Agriculture contributed $70.1
billion to Georgia’s economy in
2019, according to the University of
Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development. The
center says food and fiber produc
tion and the process of getting the
raw materials to consumers con
tributed 359,220 jobs for Georgians
in 2019.
County Farm Bureaus and agri
cultural organizations hold events
in their local communities as
schedules allow throughout the
month of March to raise awareness
of agriculture. Agriculture celebra
tions are observed in March to co
incide with the planting of spring
crops.
From 2012 to 2017, U.S.
farmers increased the number of
acres on which they practice sus
tainable soil use and conservation
efforts by 34 million acres. This in
cludes planting more cover crops,
using no-till and minimum tillage
planting methods to conserve soil,
preserve/increase soil nutrients,
and improve water quality. These
practices also trap excess carbon in
the soil and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
According to the Environmental
Protection Agency, agriculture con
tributed 10 percent of the U.S.’
overall GHG emissions in 2018, the
lowest percentage of the five major
economic sectors.
Georgia Farm Bureau is the
largest general farm organization in
the state. It represents farmers and
rural communities and connects
consumers with agriculture. GFB
also offers its members a wide vari
ety of benefits, including insurance,
travel, and auto discounts. Enroll
ment in any of the member benefits
is optional and not a requirement
for membership.
The EMA Digest: Individual Responsibility
By Martha Anne McCarty
Upson EMA Director
The EMA Digest is a
new, ongoing series, pre
pared by Upson County
Emergency Management
Agency Director Martha
Anne McCarty, and pro
vides information about
knowledge necessary when
preparing for emergencies.
Individual responsibil
ity. What does that encom
pass? When it comes to
emergencies that affect you
and your family, it is a pri
ority. Only you can decide
what you need to stay safe.
Only you know what you
have access to as far as safe
cover during an emergency,
such as the severe weather
like we had in April 2020.
Local and state govern
ments can respond imme
diately after a storm’s
impact, but it is up to each
individual to ensure that
they are prepared and safe
prior to a storm’s impact.
Take time to decide now
where you can go in your
Thomaston Chick-fil-A Collecting
Donations for URMC Staff
In an effort to recognize
and celebrate the “hard work
ing team members” at Upson
Regional Medical Center, the
staff at Chick-fil-A Thomaston
are currently collecting dona
tions to provide all URMC staff
members with boxed meals on
April 2, which is also recog
nized as “Good Friday.”
Anyone who wants to do
nate toward the project can
utilize the Chick-fil-A app or
visit the restaurant to make a
gift card contribution through
March 31. During this time,
one can donate a cookie, waffle
fries, and/or a sandwich that
will go toward the cause.
To donate Chick-fil-A app
points, go to the “Rewards” tab
at the bottom of the page,
which appears with a “gift”
icon. Once in “Rewards,” go to
the “Redeem” tab and choose
an item to “gift to a friend.”
When the reward appears,
choose the red “Continue” but
ton and press “Send.” From
there, one can click the red
“Share” button and insert
pointsforURMC@gmail.com
and send.
For any questions, contact
Chick-fil-A Thomaston at 706-
647-2945.
DO YOU WANT TO BE A TEACHER?
Be a teacher in the HIGHEST PERFORMING REGION in
the state of Georgia. If certification is needed, we have an
option for you! If you meet the participation requirements
below, please complete the GaTAPP application form (at GA
TAPP link at www.griffinresa.net) so you can join us in the
FASTEST GROWING REGION in Georgia! We also encourage you
to apply in our regional school systems.
For more info, please contact the Griffin RESA TAPP department
at tapp@griffinresa.net or call 770-229-3247 to apply today!
PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION
r • College Transcript - minimum four-year degree with a 2.5 GPA
' • GACE I - Basic Skills Assessment or verification of exemption
s • GACE II - Content Assessment or verification of coursework
> • Has a job offer as a teacher in a Griffin RESA Regional School
System: Butts, Fayette, Griffin-Spalding, Henry, Lamar, Newton,
Pike or Thomaston-Upson County School Systems.
Application form available at www.griffinresa.net.
(Note: Click on "GA TAPP" and then click on Program Information)
home - a closet, a bath
room, a basement - to ride
out a storm that may dam
age your residence. Make
sure you have working
flashlights and extra bat
teries. Place them where
they can be quickly found.
Have a list of emergency
contacts for each person in
your family.
Protecting yourself and
your family is YOUR re
sponsibility. Help EMA
help you by making a plan,
preparing a kit, and practic
ing your plan often, so each
member of your family
knows what to do when se
vere weather threatens.
Have a Smart Phone?
Have your next visit at any of these locations VIRTUALLY!
Upson Family Physicians Thomaston 706-647-7009
Upson Family Medical Center Northside 706-647-2641
Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Surgery 706-647-3030
Upson Family Physicians Barnesville 770-358-3284
Upson Family Physicians Zebulon 770-567-7293
Upson Family Medical Center Southside 706-646-5730
Upson Urology 706-647-9412
Call to schedule your virtual visit today.
•Test Results • Sick Visits • Post-Op Care
• Medication Refills • And much more!
Not limited to smart phones. Laptops,
desktops, and tablets with an enabled camera, a
microphone,and internet connection
can be used for virtual visits.
| UPSON
Sp, Regional Medical Center
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