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Wednesday, February 9,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
Dawsonville Girl Scouts visit state capitol
Photo submitted to DCN
Troop 10625 members met with State House Rep. Will Wade during the Girl
Scout Day at the Capitol on Feb. 1. From left, cadette Landyn Bryant, adult
scout Amanda Livingstone, Will Wade and troop leader Julie Ann Bryant.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
It’s one thing to learn
about state government,
but it’s quite another to do
so by traveling to Atlanta
and watching legislation
take shape within the
Georgia Capitol.
Two members from
Troop 10625 of
Dawsonville recently
attended the 2022 Girl
Scout Day at the Capitol.
Girl Scouts from all
around the state came to
the state government build
ing on Feb. 1 to take part in
the event, hosted by Troop
10625’s sister council, the
Girl Scouts of Historic
Georgia. The Dawsonville
troop is part of the Golden
Hills Service Unit.
This was adult scout
Amanda Livingstone’s
eighth year attending the
event, while it was seventh
grader cadette Landyn
Bryant’s first year.
Livingstone graduated
from Dawson County High
School two years ago and
has served as a mentor
scout to Bryant since that
time.
“It’s beautiful,”
Livingstone said of the
capitol, describing its pol
ished marble steps and
ornate interior dome.
“Some of the things in the
Capitol...you can only see
in the capitol.”
Bryant completed the
requirements for her
“Democracy for Cadettes”
badge. Both she and
Livingstone got a fun patch
and pin from the day.
For the badge, Bryant
had already learned things
about local, state and fed
eral government and each
of the three main branches
in school and before the
event.
She also had to partici
pate in discussions about
how state government
works, compare it to how
other levels of government
run and explore an election
or voting process.
While at the capitol,
Bryant and Livingstone
explored interior elements,
like the Georgia Capitol
Museum and State Senate
side, and outside elements
like the courtyard and
Liberty Bell plaza.
At the beginning of the
day, they took part in a
scavenger hunt within the
museum. They were given
a list of questions with
clues and directions. In one
case, those tidbits of infor
mation led them down
steps and around comers to
a golden telephone.
Of course, the venture
was made a little bit easier
since Livingstone had been
there before.
One thing Bryant
learned during the endeav
or was the Georgia motto
of “wisdom, justice, mod
eration.”
They also sat in the
Senate Viewing Gallery
for The Reading of the
Day at the Capitol
Proclamation, morning
roll call and votes on S.B.
330, 373, and 332.
They received little
cards with the chamber’s
rules of order when they
entered during one of the
10-minute intervals.
Bryant found that helpful,
especially when they and
other attendees took part
in the Georgia state
pledge, which she didn’t
know before then.
Bryant said it was “real
ly neat” how there were
different buttons that the
state senators would press
on their desks during roll
call and the votes. Yellow
indicated whether a per
son was there or not,
while green meant “yes”
and red meant “no.”
Both she and
Livingstone noted the fast
paced nature of the votes
and said they were still
able to understand peo
ple’s speech despite the
pacing.
Bryant called it “excit
ing” to see the votes on
different bills and thought
it was interesting to con
sider the time from when
a bill was drafted until it
ended up on the state sen
ate floor.
“Then, it was up for a
vote.. .and it was over after
10 seconds,” she said.
She added that the entire
scene looked like a bee
hive, with the senators in
constant motion, especially
as they walked to talk to
each other and other col
leagues between votes.
“No one was sitting
still,” she said.
Livingstone appreciated
the opportunity to watch
the state senate, which she
had never been able to do.
“Just to see how the laws
are made is pretty cool,”
Livingstone said. “You
wouldn't think that 50-60
people would gather in a
room. The old way was
going “yea” or “nay” in an
entire room, and now peo
ple push buttons...they
[then] take a break, are up
and talking, sit down and
do it again.”
The girls also met with
the State House Rep.
William Wade, who repre
sents Georgia’s District 9.
He walked over from the
house side, which is closed
to the public due to
COVID-19 restrictions, to
greet them and offer
encouragement.
They were surprised that
he thanked them for meet
ing with him and took the
time to briefly show them
part of the house building.
“He encouraged us to
stay with Girl Scouts,” said
Bryant, “and he said that
we’d be great leaders one
day.”
Annual ‘Leap for Literacy’
event scheduled for March
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
After two years of being
unable to happen, the
annual “Leap for
Literacy” event is official
ly back on for this March,
according to an announce
ment by the local Dawson
County Wee Books pro
gram.
Leap for Literacy gives
local individuals and
groups to show their sup
port for childhood literacy
and to leap into Lake
Lanier to compete for the
best costume and best per
formance. This year’s
event will take place on
Saturday March 26 at
10:30 a.m at War Hill Park
on Lake Lanier.
The fundraiser benefits
Dawson County Wee
Books, a non-profit pro
gram that seeks to instill
the love of reading in chil
dren by sending free
books each month to par
ticipating local children
aged 0-5 years. The funds
raised by the event will
help support the goal to
send age-appropriate
books to hundreds of chil
dren in the community.
Leap for Literacy partic
ipants will get the chance
to jump into the chilly
Lake Lanier water, either
as part of a team or indi
vidually. Those not quite
up to fully jumping into
the lake can participate as
a “ramp runner” to just get
their legs wet or as a “toe
tapper” to just stick their
toes in the water.
Celebrity judges will
choose winners based on
costumes and performances.
Those interested can
also sponsor a leaper to
get wet. Sponsorship lev
els are $250 for each leap
ing team of up to four
members, $100 for each
individual leaper, $50 for
each individual ramp run
ner and $10 for each indi
vidual toe tapper.
For more information or
to pre-register teams, call
770-561-3593.
DCN file photo
Participants in previous years' "Leap for Literacy" events jump into Lake
Lanier in support of childhood literacy.
DPH releases weekly COVID-19 numbers,
information on N-95 mask distribution
By staff reports
The District 2
Department of Public
Health has released the
weekly COVID-19 num
bers update for the
region, as well as infor
mation regarding N-95
mask distribution.
According to the week
ly release by the DPH, as
of Jan. 31 Dawson County
has seen a total of 5,816
positive cases, with a 14
day case rate per 100,000
people of 1,913. This is an
increase of about 244
cases from the DPH’s last
case update on Jan. 20.
The release said that
the percent positive over
the last two weeks is 37.5
percent, and the county
has seen 370 total hospi
talizations and 85 total
deaths, an increase of
three hospitalizations and
two deaths from the last
release.
The release also
detailed the most current
COVID-19 vaccine num
bers. As of Jan. 31,
25,201 vaccines have
been administered.
11,214 people, or 46 per
cent of residents, have
received one dose, and
10,369 people, or 42 per
cent of residents, are fully
vaccinated.
The DPH also released
information about N-95
mask distribution.
According to the release,
several retailers are or
will begin distributing
N-95 masks to those who
need them, including
Publix, Food Lion, Rite
Aid, Walgreens and
Walmart, with Kroger and
CVS planning to release
more information in the
coming weeks. According
to the DPH release, many
retailers are imposing a 3
per person limit, and
many of the retail phar
macies participating in
the program may vary on
a state-by-state basis.
The DPH release added
that the Health Resources
and Services
Administration (NRSA)
has put together a list of
health centers that have
N-95 masks available,
which are organized by
state. To view the NRSA
list, go to https://bphc.
hrsa.gov/emergency-
response/covid-19-n95-
masks/participants.
For more information
regarding COVID-19
numbers, testing or vacci
nation, go to http://www.
phdistrict2.org/.
Medical clinic collects cold-weather
items for winter donations drive
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
A Dawsonville medical clinic has
started gathering winter wear and
other related items as part of a winter
donation drive to benefit people in
need during this time of year.
The Good Shepherd Clinic is now
collecting donations for hoods and
hats, scarves, gloves and socks as well
as camping tents, sleeping bags and
blankets. These items will be distrib
uted to people in need across Dawson
County.
Donations will be accepted from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Tuesday,
Feb. 15.
The clinic is located at 45 Medical
Center Drive, behind Burger King
near the intersection of Ga. 53 and
Ga. 400.
For questions about the donations
drive, please email reentryservicesin-
fo@dcs.ga.gov or call Tonya White at
470-728-6940.
DawsonCountvNews
at Bowen Center For The Arts
Brought to you by:
Northeast Georgia Health System
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
from 10AM-1 PM
BOWEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
334 Highway 9N
Dawsonville, GA 30534
The event will feature:
• DEMONSTRATIONS
• ENTERTAINMENT & HEALTH
SCREENINGS
To become a vendor or for more information
email Megan Lewis at
mlewis@gainesvilletimes.com
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