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your Hometown Source of Cocal flews
Hometown Newspaper of John and Pam Sedberry
Volume XXIV - Number 21
Leesburg, Georgia -- January 3, 2002
Fifty Cents
Leesburg Mayor R.S. “Bob” Boney (right) presented a proclamation to Mrs.
Jesse Henderson (center) and her son, Earl Henderson (left) in honor of the late
J.C. Henderson. Mr. Henderson was a long time Leesburg City councilman who
served all the citizens of Leesburg.
Military Retirees Eligible
For Free License Plate
Beginning January 1, 2002,
some 77,000 retirees from
active duty military living in
Georgia will be eligible to
receive a new license plate
FREE for their private passen
ger car, truck, or recreational
vehicle.
The plate will display the
phrase "Served Proudly" and
the retiree's branch of service
around an oak leaf cluster
surrounding the words "Retired
Veteran." In order to receive
this license plate at no cost, the
veteran must present to their
county tag office a photocopy
of their discharge certificate or
military ID reflecting retired
status and branch of service
along with their Social Security
number. Although there will be
no administrative fees collected,
the veteran must pay any
applicable ad valorem tax due
on the vehicle.
If the license plate is not in the
county's inventory, the tag agent
will issue the veteran a tempo
rary operation permit and mail
the new license plate from the
Department of Motor Vehicle
Services.
Veterans can be issued
additional license plates, but
must pay the $25 manufacturing
fee, $25 annual renewal fee. and
a $20 tag fee. "These Georgia
veterans deserve this state
benefit and public recognition,"
noted Georgia Commissioner of
Doherty
Duggan
ar~Rouse
Insurors
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddrins.com
Leesburg
City
Council
Will Meet
Tuesday,
Jan. 8 at
7:00 p.m.
Veterans Affairs Pete Wheeler.
"It's a benefit they earned for
their years of career service in
the U. S. Armed Forces."
Commissioner Wheeler
applauded the Georgia General
Assembly and Governor Roy E.
Barnes for the legislation as "a
fitting tribute to those who
made the military a career to
serve to protect world democ
racy and peace." Commissioner
Wheeler pointed out that this
Wrapping toys and collecting
food for neighbors in need,
students at the Brunswick and
Turner Job Corps centers in
Georgia have been busy making
the holiday season a bit brighter
for those around them.
"Job Corps students work hard
to give back to the communities
in which they live," Job Corps
Regional Director Don Scott
said. "They understand the
importance of being a good
neighbor, especially this year
with what the country has gone
through. They want to help."
Brunswick Job Corps Center
has conducted two December
drives, a Toys For Tots Drive
and a Food Drive, to sponsor
needy families in the Brunswick
area during the holidays.
On December 14 the BJCC
Health Occupation students
visited the Brunswick Multi-
Purpose Center for the Elderly,
an activity center for senior
citizens. The BJCC students
spread holiday cheer with songs
and Christmas baskets for the
seniors.
Last month BJCC staff and
students presented a Thanksgiv
ing feast and donated food to
six needy families from the
local community. The Culinary
Arts students prepared and
served a hot Thanksgiving meal
for the six families, and BJCC
sent them home with Thanks
giving boxes filled with
groceries.
At Turner Job Corps Center in
Albany, the Student Govern
ment Association is helping The
Salvation Army pack Christmas
boxes filled with groceries and
distribute them to the homeless
benefit is not offered in every
state and reminds retirees any
office of the Georgia Depart
ment of Veterans Service stand
ready to assist them in obtain
ing this valuable new benefit.
They can also obtain more
information about this new
license plate or other specialty
plates by contacting their local
county tag office or the Georgia
Department of Motor Vehicle
Safety at (678) 413-8650.
and needy families in the area.
Delivery began December 17.
Through the first two weeks
of December, 30 TJCC students
had contributed a total of 216
volunteer hours to the project
of sorting, packing and
distributing groceries from the
Albany Salvation Army. TJCC
set a goal of packing 1,030
boxes - one for every student at
the center.
The SGA's Community
Relations Committee, who
coordinated the Salvation Army
project for TJCC, also
partnered with Albany rental
company MACI Rents to
transform an old garage
warehouse into a Winter
Wonderland for children.
Nine TJCC students helped
build and staff the Winter
Wonderland, located on
Highway 82 about one mile
west of Albany Mall and open
daily at 6 p.m. The students
gave the warehouse a
makeover, adding holiday
decorations, an indoor play
ground and game room, and
areas for storytelling and eating
snacks. TJCC's Ashley Brown
led the effort.
Established in 1964 and
administered by the Depart
ment of Labor, Job Corps helps
economically disadvantaged
youth find promising careers by
providing comprehensive
services in a residential setting,
including education, vocational
skills training and counseling.
Job Corps is the nation's most
effective job-training program,
annually serving 70,000
paparticipants ages 16 through
24.
Job Corps Students Aid
Community During
Holidays
Changes To Teen Driving
Requirements Effective January 1
The Department of Motor
Vehicle Safety wants to remind
parents of first-time drivers of the
changes in the teen driving laws
taking effect this week.
As of January 1, 2002, anyone
who applies for a permanent
driver's license must have a
parent, legal guardian or respon
sible adult sign a Verification
Form affirming that the candidate
has completed 40 hours of
supervised driving experience -
with six of those hours being at
night. If the student has success
fully completed an approved
driver education course, they
must have an additional 20 hours
of supervised driving instruction
- with six of those hours being at
night. It is a felony offense to
falsify this information.
The Parental Guide to New
Teenage Driving Requirements,
produced and distributed by the
DMVS, explains the new
teenage driving rules and
regulations. It is an easy-to-read
pamphlet that is available at all
DMVS drivers' services loca
tions or can be downloaded from
the Department's website,
www.dmvs.ga.gov.
"In an effort to inform both the
parents and the young drivers,
we have circulated this informa
tive brochure to state and local
educators as well as law enforce
ment officials. We do not want a
parent to feel compromised
when they are asked to sign the
Verification Form. They need to
know for sure what type of
behind-the-wheel training their
child has had," said DMVS
Commissioner Tim Burgess.
Senate Bill 1, the Teen Driving
Safety Law was a bipartisan
collaboration between Lieuten
ant Governor Mark Taylor and
Senators Phil Gingrey (R-Cobb
County) and Jack Hill (D-
Tattnall County) specifically
focused on reducing teen driving
fatalities on the highways of
Georgia. SB 1 was approved by
the General Assembly and
signed by Governor Roy Barnes
during the 2001 legislative
session.
Kicking the Habit Tops
New Year’s Resolutions
(Leesburg, GA - December 20.
2001) - The tradition of New
Year's resolutions dates back
4,000 years to the Babylonians
whose most popular resolution
was to return borrowed farm
equipment. While today's resolu
tions rarely involve tractors or
hoes, it is a time when Americans
swear to forego their favorite bad
habit.
A recent informal survey of
nearly 100 smokers found that al
most half did have at least one
New Year's resolution. The num
ber one resolution was to quit
smoking. Other resolutions in
clude studying more, making
more money and getting a better
job.
Many don't tell others about
their wish to quit but want to do
it on their own terms. To help
Georgians kick the habit, a to
bacco resource line was intro
duced in November. Quit Line,
877-270-STOP, is a toll free re
source where callers get con
nected to a trained counselor who
can help them set up steps to quit.
"The New Year provides a
chance for all Georgians to kick
their tobacco habit and start on a
path toward healthy living," said
Travis Donnelly, Tobacco Pro
gram Coordinator for the South
west Health District. "We hope
that Georgians will use the Quit
Line to fulfill their New Year's
resolutions."
See Smoking, Page 2
Students collect 313 bears for a service learning project at Darton College. From
left to right are: Derek Thornton, Arre Barber, Brandi Anglin, and John Hemphill.
Darton Students Make A Difference
With Service Learning Projects
Service learning entered the
Darton College curriculum this
past fall with Speech Instructor
Ellen Bremen's Small Group
Communication class.
With service learning, Darton
College students have the best of
both worlds of learning as
professors move students out of
the classroom and into the world
to learn how to communicate,
organize, and view the world
through global eyes. Whether it
is Associate Professor Roger
Marietta's Political Science class
organizing a Voter Apathy
Protest picketing on the corner
with signs or Foodstock,
students have the opportunity to
experience the power of one to
organize a movement that can
make a difference.
A series of service learning
projects gave students first-hand
knowledge of group develop
ment stages, group norms,
leadership, confidence, listening,
verbal and nonverbal messages,
and conflict management.
Students organized into five
teams to work on a charitable
project of their choosing. One
group helped to organize
Foodstock, a concept now in its
third year and billed as a day of
peace, love and giving, featur
ing local bands playing out
doors, while non-perishable
food items were collected for
Faith Community Outreach
Center in Albany.
Another group collected
clothing and household goods
for the homeless shelter, while
a third group held a traveling
bake sale to fund school
supplies for The Bridge, a
shelter for abused and aban
doned children. The Fight
Hunger in Albany group taught
area high school students to
organize food drives, with food
being donated to the Albany
Rescue Mission. The fifth group
collected 313 teddy bears and
other stuffed animals for Camp
Comfort in Virginia and for
children in displaced families
housed in New York hotels.
Bremen says that the students
rose to the challenge of func
tioning in small groups with the
intention of making a differ
ence. "These students worked
I
diligently and creatively to
produce a meaningful experi
ence for themselves and others.
I'm proud of them."
BUFFALO ROCK
Lee
County
Commission
Will Meet
Monday,
Jan. 7 at
6:00 p.m.
