Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth County News-Thursday, September 16,1999 __
Community
Living
United Way begins
ambitious campaign
By Laura Lavezzo Carrico
Lifestyle Editor
“It’s not easy to ask for money, but asking
for money is what United Way is all about,
said Ann Crow, president of United Way of
Forsyth County, at the Sept. 14 kickoff for
the organization’s 2000 fundraising cam
paign. Asking for money, Crow explained,
is what raises the dollars needed for United
Way to benefit 15 local agencies.
The majority of this year’s $600,000 goal
will be provided through the cam-
paign efforts of 32 Forsyth
County businesses, named
2000 Pacesetter Companies at
Tuesday’s event.
Speaker Evem Cooper, pres
ident of the UPS Foundation,
said the United Way is a good
outlet for businesses that want
to invest in the future of their
communities, especially
since 90 percent of every
donated dollar goes directly
to a designated agency.
“United Way is hope, it’s healing - it’s
opportunity for us to help thousands in our
communities,” Cooper said. “For us at
UPS, the United Way campaign is a year
round effort.”
Following are the agencies served by
United Way of Forsyth County and their
purpose:
• American Red Cross Disaster relief,
CPR and first aid training, blood supply
and aid to military families.
• Georgia Highlands Medical Services
Comprehensive primary health care
regardless of ability to pay.
• Forsyth County 4-H Club
Educational and leadership skills program
for youths ages 9-19.
Saturday
Chase to
support
breast
cancer
awareness
By Joda Browning
Staff Writer
The third annual Chattahoochee
Chase will be held on Saturday,
Sept. 18, at 8 a.m. at
Chattahoochee Elementary
School. Funds raised through the
race will benefit Avon’s breast
cancer awareness program.
The one-mile run/walk will
begin at 8 a.m, and the 5K race
will begin at 8:30 a.m. An aerobic
warm-up will begin at 7:45 a.m.
The turnaround point for the race
is Good Shepherd Catholic
Church, at the corner of
Holtzclaw Road and Hwy. 369.
“We are expecting between 60-
80 participants,” said coordinator
Carol Reins.
Runners will be accepted the
morning of the race. Registration
is sl3. Send donations to Avon
Breast Cancer Awareness, 7785
Mill Cove Road, Cumming, Ga.
30041.
The overall first and second
place winners will receive a tro
phy, as well as winners from each
age division.
Participants are invited to bring
their pets.
Food will be provided by Ingles
and Kroger after the race.
For more information, call (770)
888-4158.
• Family Relations Program Family
treatment for child sexual abuse victims
and prevention education.
• Northeast Georgia Girl Scouts
Council Self-potential, values, life and
leadership skills for girls.
• The Place of Forsyth County Inc.
Emergency assistance of all kinds, includ
ing food, clothing and Hispanic outreach.
• Family Haven Safe place and coun
seling for abused women and children.
• Hands Across Forsyth
Clearinghouse for holiday distribu-
t>° n °f f°°d an( i to y s to tße need y-
■
j
United Way
of Forsyth County
eration program; food and
clothing for the needy.
• Challenged Child Inc. and friends
Therapeutic educational center for
preschoolers with special needs and their
typical peers.
• Bell-Forsyth CASA Court-appoint
ed special advocates for abused and
neglected children.
• Literacy Volunteers Teach basic
reading and writing skills to adults.
• Sojourner’s House Temporary shel
ter for homeless families with assistance
toward self-sufficiency.
For more information on how you can
participate in this year’s fundraising effort,
call United Way of Forsyth County at (770)
781-4110.
Local church to hold benefit for family of child with leukemia
By Cheryl Vaughn
Features Writer
As Samantha Wallace of Cumming began
to prepare this summer for her son’s first
day of school, she did all the things that
parents do - shop for clothes, arrange for
his physical exam, gather film for the cam
era. It wasn’t until the results from his
checkup were in that she discovered first
grade would become the benchmark for
something far more dramatic in his life
than entering school. Seven-year-old Josh
was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic
leukemia.
“When we were at the doctor’s office,
nothing came back in the blood test posi
tive that it was leukemia, but he was ane
mic and they did say that we have to warn
you that it could be,” recalls Wallace, her
voice breaking with emotion. “There’s just
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Photo/submitted
The North Georgia State Fair will open on Thursday, Sept. 23 and run through Sunday, Oct. 3.
• Cumming-Forsyth County
Council on Youth
Advocacy group for youth
issues.
• Northeast Georgia
Council, Boy Scouts of
America Leadership, out
door and character-building
skills for boys.
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United Way of Forsyth County
kicked off its annual fundraising
campaign on Sept. 14 at the
Sawnee Center. Above, repre
sentatives from this year’s
Pacesetter Companies received
plaques in recognition of their
contributions of time and money
to the United Way effort. Right,
Evem Cooper (left), president of
the UPS Foundation, greets
Cheryl Legette, executive director
of the Northeast Georgia Girl
Scouts Council.
no way to describe how it felt. My heart
sank. Then when we got to the hospital,
Josh was so upset that he had to go that it
was hard for me to think and comprehend
what they were say
ing. I had to be
strong for him and
he was in hysterics.
When they came in
and confirmed it was
leukemia, everything
went through your
mind.”
A cancer of the
blood, leukemia is a rapid crowding of
leukemic cells or “blasts” in the bone mar
row. The blasts overcrowd the marrow and
prevent the marrow from making vital
cells such as red blood cells, platelets and
white blood cells capable of fighting infec
tion. Acute leukemias affect mostly chil-
I —_
Photos/Tom Brooks
66
Josh was so upset
... that it was hard
forme to think...
99
Cumming Chorale swings
into season of singing
dren and treatment is dependent upon lin
eage or type of cells affected.
When friends and fellow church mem
bers learned of the diagnosis, they were
quick to step in to help.
Pleasant Grove United
Methodist Church will host a
fundraiser to benefit the fam
ily on Saturday, Sept. 18,
from 1-5 p.m. at Sawnee
Mountain Park.
“We were just going to
start out doing a raffle to
help raise money so Josh’s
mom could stay home and focus her ener
gies on him, but then the outpouring of
love from the community was so incredi
ble that it grew into a day of activities and
a silent auction and so much more.” says
Donna Shumake, a friend of the family.
The event will feature games, door
67th year!
State fair opens Sept. 23
It’s fair time!
The North Georgia State Fair will
return for its 67th year beginning
Thursday, Sept. 23 at Jim R. H
Miller Park in Marietta.
As the largest fair in metro
Atlanta and the second
largest in Georgia,
the North Georgia V
State Fair every J.
year attracts more 4 \
than 250.000 people .
from throughout
Georgia and the Southeast United
States. In fact, 1998 was a record
breaking year, with more than
270.000 in attendance.
Featuring flower shows, blue rib
bon competitions, farm animals,
local entertainment. 50-ton sand
sculpture, Frisco Brother
Performing Elephants. Brian Ruth
"Master of the Chainsaw,” Baboon
Lagoon with live animals, a chil-
prize's, line dancing, live band music and a
silent auction. A hot dog lunch is included
with each ticket purchase. Advance tickets
are $5 per person or $lO per family;
admission at the gate will be $7 per person
or sl4 per family. For more information,
call Shumake at (770) 886-7212 or Becky
Garmon at (770) 887-3927. Tax-deductible
contributions can be made to the church in
care of Josh Wallace.
"It’s hard to put that in words,” says
Wallace of her family’s reaction to the
community response and planned benefit.
“I feel like it’s something that God has put
together to help us so that I can focus on
Josh's well-being and I don’t have to
worry and we don’t have to worry about
all the financial burden of it. To me, it
came from us praying and other people
See BENEFIT, Page 2B
dren’s magic show and the Great
James H. Drew Exposition, the fair
is one of the largest carnival mid
u ways in the United States.
f Concerts are free with paid
I admission. Tickets are $5 for adults
and $2 for children. For more
information, call (770) 422-
Ilf 11 fIFI I | 111
• • •
I The Cumming Country Fair &
Festival, to be held Oct. 7-16 at the
i local fairgrounds, will also feature
many of the above-mentioned
attractions. Hours are Monday
. through Thursday, from 4-10 p.m.;
I Friday, from 4 p.m. to midnight;
r Saturday, from 11 a.m. to midnight
i and Sunday, from 12:30 a.m. to 7
i p.m. For more information, call
- (770)781-3491.
B
2598, or visit the
web site at
www.northgeorgias
tatefair.com.