Newspaper Page Text
program, volunteers recognized in national magazine 3A
Forsyth Count yNews
Vt ,nO -NUMBER 97
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hotline volunteers know first hand about abuse
By Pa u 'o-*£.
Special tc J 4 ews
Bonnie nenring grew up in an abusive environment.
“I feel very strongly that I want to do something to
help,” she said. “Many women feel helpless.
It is her background and concern for others that has
prompted Nehring and about 25 others to volunteer their
time to answer calls on the newly formed Hot Line for
abuse victims.
The volunteers, many formerly battered women them
selves, have been trained to assist callers seeking
guidance.
While the volunteers have a singular motivation for
wanting to help, they share a common thread. They un
derstand what it is like to be battered.
“They (callers) do not have the awareness that there
are things they can do to help themselves and also people
Lead testing
being planned
for fountains
By Sallylyn Hill
Staff Writer
School drinking fountains will soon
be tested for lead contamination.
Lead is often used in older paint
products and in older pipes as a stron
ger bonding agent. It can be poisonous
when ingested and may be contami
nating drinking water in older model
drinking fountains.
Under the Lead in School Drinking
Water Program, implemented by the
Environmental Protection Agency, at
least 54 of approximately 160 drinking
fountains in Forsyth County schools
will be tested by February, said Doug
Fredrick, assistant superintendent in
charge of maintenance.
The older fountains may contain
lead solder, Fredrick said.
If a fountain tests positive for lead,
Staff photo Cynthia Clark
Up close
At Chestatee Elementary’s Harvest of Children’s Book Week, the school held all
kinds of different exhibits for the children to see. Steven Cordell observes the
honey bees up close in glass encased beehive.
INSIDE
A grease monkey working in
Dawson County...sA
The Route 400 tournament
had many stars....lß
Roundup of community activi
ties in Cumming Events...4&sß
The latest in Forsyth County
church news...sC
Abby 6C
Births 5B
Church Briefs 5C
Classified 3D
Dawson Co. News 5B
Deaths 5B
Editorials 4A
Events 4B&5B
Food&Nutrition ...1C
For the Record 5B
Friends&Neighbors 3A
Horoscope 6C
Joyce Jordan 4A
On Campus 6A
Sports 1B
While the volunteers have a singular
motivation for wanting to help, they share
a common thread. They understand what
it is like to be battered.
who can help them,” she said.
Nehring said the program was very well organized and
the staff would be available to support the volunteers in
any way.
A battered woman may have the misguided assumption
that an abusers’ jealousies, apologies and even the batter
ing itself are signs of caring.
“If she can keep the abuse hidden from friends and
then it will be rendered inoperable or
have to be replaced, said Fredrick.
However, until the testing is com
pleted there is not any evidence that
lead is being released into the drink
ing water.
“This is something we may be
jumping the gun on right now but we
want to go ahead and do this so we
have knowledge for future refer
ence,” said Fredrick.
Testing of the water coolers is a two
step process. First the water in each
fountain on the list will be run for sev
eral minutes. Then a sample will be
taken.
Next the cooler will be unused for a
period of eight hours and another
sample will be taken.
Please see LEAD, page 2A
Checking it
The annual Christmas tree was turned
on over the weekend on the court
house square. The event was accom
panied by music from the Cumming
Chorale. One of those on hand to view
the tree was Lisa Renzi who checks
out the ornaments.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1989 —CUMMING, GA. 30130-24 PAGES 4 SECTIONS
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Staff photo Sallylyn Hill
Christmas foliage
Several hundred poinsettias are ready for sale at Brown’s Greenhouses on
Highway 141. Francis Brown prepares one of the poinsettias being displayed.
The traditional Christmas plant is a tropical shrub named after a U S Ambassa
dor to Mexico, J.R. Poinsett. Although many people think the red leaves are the
flowers, the flowers are small yellow petals surrounded by the leaves To turn
the green foliage to bright red, the plants must be moved back and forth from
light to total darkness over a period of several days.
Commissioners, school board agree to study
combining governments purchasing effc "*s
By Leonard Kransdorf
Managing Editor
County and school officials will be
trying to determine whether there
would be a cost savings in trying to
combine the purchasing responsibil
ities of both governments.
The two governments have agreed
to meet quarterly to discuss mutual
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relatives,” said volunteer Myra Martin, “she feels no one
will interfere so she hides it from everyone especially if
there are children involved.”
Terri Sessions became involved in the program be
cause she lived with a step father who was an abuser.
“Fortunately,” she said, “I was able to recognize the
situation and get out of it, but my mother didn’t, so I saw
what can happen to women who lives with an abusive
male.”
“A lot of women don’t realize they’re abused, they’re so
caught up in it,” she said.
Sessions felt there was a strong need for public educa
tion in the community because people are not aware of
how prevalent abuse is and what it is.
The volunteers’ main purpose is to outline a victim’s
options thereby providing a basis from which the victim
can make a decision for her future.
‘ ‘Our basic philosophy is to empower victimized women
problems or to exchange information
on subjects of interest to both groups.
At a meeting last week between the
county commission and school board,
it was decided to allow the staffs of
both governments to determine
whether there would be any benefit to
having one purchasing department.
The idea is based on the thought
that there could be savings to both
to find personal power,” said Cathy Beam, Executive
Director of Forsyth County Family Haven.
“And it is most important to help her find that power
herself.”
The first step toward decision making for a victim could
begin with a telephone call to a volunteer. It is essential
the volunteer have a clear understanding of the caller’s
situation accomplished through an intital twelve hour
training session followed by monthly support meetings
for continuing education.
Beam noted the volunteers’ roles and expectations are
to keep a clear mind, attend monthly meetings and to
keep abreast of the philosophies and policies of Family
Haven.
Volunteers should understand abusers as well as vic
tims, understand abuse in general, what it is like to be a
Please see VOLUNTEER, page 2A
City set to seek
consultant help
for church site
By Cynthia Clark
Staff Writer
Renovation plans for the old Meth
odist Church by the City of Cumming
are on the back burner until January
-1990, when the ownership of the
church changes hands.
The old Methodist Church building,
on Pilgram Mill Road across the
street from the City Park, has been
purchased by the city for $575,000.,
said City Administrator Gerald
Blackburn.
After the first of the year, the city
plans to hire a consulting firm to give
advice on the most feasible way to
Loca l pilots react
to end of strike
By Cynthia Clark
Staff Writer
Eastern pilots are no longer on
strike and two local pilots have differ
ing reactions to the end of that action.
“The pilots’ strike is over and the
union has indicated we lost the war.
Since then, 400 pilots have gone back
to work,” said Jim Wilson.
Wilson is an Eastern pilot who was
on strike for five months and is now
back at work as an Eastern pilot.
“I went back to work in September
largely because our union told the pi
lots to go back to work,” said Wilson.
governments if items used by both
could be bought in larger quantities,
thus reducing the cost.
The county commission has already
agreed to move ahead with a purchas
ing agent, but wanted to discuss the
idea with school board members to
see if there was any interest in having
one department for both govern
ments, said Commission Chairman
renovate the facility and property to
best accommodate the area and get
the most use from it, Blackburn said.
“We will eventually develop the
property into a multi-use center with
a primary consideration in areas we
are not currently serving,” Black
burn said.
“The mayor and council want to
give this renovation project over to
professionals but they also want to re
tain the direction of the project.
“We want the renovation project of
the church building and property to be
tailored to what our needs are,”
Please see CHURCH, page 2A
“We found many of the reasons we
went out on strike in the first place
had been corrected or at least many of
them had been corrected,” Wilson
said.
“It is good to be back to work and to
be gainfully employed. Even though I
don’t know how the (Eastern) compa
ny is doing financially, from what I
can see, it looks like the company is
working quite well,” said Wilson.
“We went back to work because the
head of the union and the financial ad
visor recommended we go back to
Please see PILOTS, page 2A
Michael Bennett.
One problem that could arise is a
storage place big enough to handle the
items. Currently, the school system
does not have one storage area but
keeps items at various locations, said
Supt. Rick Case.
Commissioner Charles Welch said
Please see MEET, page 2A
The Hands Across Forsyth cam
paign is continuing through the
Christmas holiday.
For the upcoming holiday, interest
ed residents are asked to contribute a
toy which will be given to a needy
child in the county. The program is
being coordinated with the local
Jaycees.
In the recent canned good collection
campaign, support was shown from
area schools, churches and various
subdivision groups. It is hoped the
same groups and even more will as
sist in this continued effort.
While a new toy would be preferred,
we are asking that if it is not new that
it be in workable condition.
The toy can be dropped off at the
Forsyth County News at 121 Dahlon
ega or Jim Wallace Food Store at the
comer of Hwy 9 and Buford Dam
Road. Other drop off points are will be
announced in future editions.
For further information please call
the Forsyth County News office at
887-3126.
10 CENTS