Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 3C
Trees for Troops supplies soldiers with Christmas trees
TREES FOR TROOPS
Members of the 148 Echo of Barrow County picked up trees for troops at 7 G’s
Farm in Nicholson recently. The farm, as well as the City of Arcade and the City of
Nicholson, contributed to the tree sponsorship. Pictured are: (front, L-R) Arcade
council member Cindy Bone, family liaison Chakla Brown, (second row, L-R)
Beulah Smith and Greg Smith of 7 G’s Farm, Tyrone Brown, Eddie Skelton and
Raymond Huffman of 148 Echol, (back, L-R) Terry Ivey of 7 G’s Farm and officer Bill
Hazelgreen of the Arcade Police Department.
Van service available
to transport veterans
7 G’s Farm,
Nicholson,
Arcade assist
MEMBERS OF the 148
ECHO company out of
Barrow County came to the
7 G’s Farm in Nicholson last
week to receive a donation
of Christmas trees for their
unit, which will deploy to the
middle east next month.
Fifty-two trees were
donated by the 7 G’s Farm,
Sleepy Hollow Farm, Powder
Springs, and Grandpa Coker’s
Farm, Marietta, all members
of the Georgia Christmas
Tree Growers Association.
The City of Nicholson and
the City of Arcade each spon
sored trees included in the 7
G’s Farm package.
The donation was received
by Chakla Brown, family liai
son for the 148 ECHO com
pany. A certificate of appre
ciation was presented to the
donors in return.
Just before Thanksgiving,
a Fed Ex trailer was loaded
with 100 trees from the 7
G’s Farm and other Georgia
tree farms and headed to Fort
Stewart, Hinesville.
And last weekend, 40 mem
bers of the U.S. Navy Supply
Corps School detachment in
Athens came to 7 G’s Farm
and selected trees as part of
the same program. In addi
tion, five local service per
sonnel on leave made their
way out to receive trees.
Trees for Troops is a
program designed to get
Christmas trees to military
families for the Christmas
season. This program was
initiated in 2005 by the
Christmas Spirit Foundation
working with the National
Christmas Tree Growers
Association. This year over
16,000 trees have been com
mitted and are in the process
of being delivered to bases
worldwide.
“I want to thank all the
local business and individu
als that have sponsored trees
through our farm, which has
increased the amount of trees
we were able to put in mili
tary homes,” said Greg Smith,
one owner and operator of
7 G’s Farm. “Through your
generosity we were able to
send 140 trees to those brave
soldiers serving our country.”
THE DISABLED Amer
ican Veterans is offering a
free van service for those
who need to visit a VA clinic
in Athens or Augusta.
Vans are available to trans
port veterans from Jefferson
and the surrounding coun
ties to Athens every Tuesday.
Transportation is also avail
able to the VA medical cen
ter in Augusta.
Caregivers may also ride
with their loved ones. A per
mission form must be com
pleted by calling Sinclair
Jackson at the VA clinic in
Athens at 706-227-4634.
The DAV is also seeking
volunteer drivers, who don’t
have to be veterans. Drivers
must complete a free physi
cal exam and background
check.
DAV Chapter 92 serves
13 counties in Northeast
Georgia, including Jackson,
Barrow, Banks and Madison
counties.
For more information,
800-836-5561, ext. 1-5541 or
706-733-0188, ext. 1-5541.
Holiday cards can be
sent to recovering soldiers
ANYONE WHO would like to send a Christmas card to a
recovering solider is invited to do so. Cars can be sent to: A
Recovering Soldier, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900
Georgia Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20307-5001.
Dressbarn collecting toys, gifts
DRESSBARN, located in the Tanger Town Centre at Banks
Crossing, will collect Christmas gifts in a Toys for Tots Drive
through Dec. 12.
The store seeks new, unwrapped toys and will offer a 15 per
cent discount coupon off a regular-priced item, in exchange.
Toy donations being taken
TOYS FOR TOTS donations are being collected at the RE/
MAX Select Commerce office, located in the Commerce
Crossing mall, through Dec. 19.
A live Christmas tree is the environmentally-friendly choice
Tree recycling locations listed
KEEP JACKSON County Beautiful will offer Bring One
for the Chipper Christmas tree recycling at the following loca
tions from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Dec. 26 through Jan. 3. Those
who drop a tree off can pick up a seedling for their yard from
volunteers.
•Arcade - City Hall
•Commerce—Lanier Tech/Badcock Center
•Braselton/Hoschton - Towne Center
•Jackson County Transfer Station on County Farm Road
•Jefferson - Civic Center
•Nicholson - City Hall
•Talmo - Fire Station
ACS offers luminaries, ornaments
By Susan Trepagnier
Keep Jackson County
Beautiful director
WO YEARS ago I
gave into husband
Karl’s idea of pur
chasing a plastic Christmas tree.
I thought long and hard about
this before I did it, but it was
my first year with Keep Jackson
County Beautiful and I thought it
was the environmentally fdendly
thing to do.
There were a number of rea
sons why I thought this was a
good idea.
My family would use this
tree every year — recycling. We
could put it up earlier because
after all, it wasn’t going to die
and needles were not going to
spread all over the floor - not
a fire hazard and I wouldn’t be
vacuuming constantly. Most
importantly, I wouldn’t have to
argue with Karl, listen to him
whine and or whine myself to
get him to put the lights on the
tree. Plus, I thought the fake tree
would look really pretty, consis
tent every year.
Well, we just got the tree up -
four nights later than we ever put
the nice smelling real tree up. It’s
standing in all its glory, lighted
because it’s pre-lighted, but not
decorated as yet. It took two big
guys to lug the box in from the
storage building instead of us
going to the tree lot and pick
ing it out as a family and it took
daughter Karli and me almost an
hour to fluff the branches - one
of which I pulled on too hard
and it’s now hanging by a thread,
literally.
Last year, the state’s Bring
One for the Chipper coordinator
reminded us that buying a live
Christmas tree is really the envi
ronmentally friendly thing to do.
Not only does the live tree
smell good, but it is a sustainable
industry with two or three seed
lings planted in place of every
real Christmas tree harvested.
Real trees are a renewable,
recyclable resource. They are an
agricultural crop. Each acre of
trees provide enough oxygen for
18 people per day - 18 million
acres of Christmas trees grown
in the U.S. means 18 million
people have enough oxygen
to breathe each day. That’s not
counting all the other benefits
— the trees absorb carbon diox
ide, they provide soil stabiliza
tion and wildlife habitats, protect
water supplies and decrease the
“Greenhouse Effect.”
Those artificial trees contain
non-biodegradable plastics and
metals and at the end of their life
cycle - and they do get shabby
looking after a few years - they
go into the landfill.
In many areas of the Southeast,
Christmas tree farms are the larg
est year-round employer, 15,000
Christmas tree growers in the
United States employ more than
100,000 people full or part time
and they are grown in all 50
states. Real Christmas trees are
all-American. Artificial trees are
mostly manufactured in Korea,
Taiwan or Hong Kong. If there’s
one thing we need to protect
right now - it’s American jobs.
My argument of fire safety
didn’t hold up either - a properly
cared-for real Christmas tree will
not catch fire easily and if it does,
the fumes will not be nearly as
toxic - just a piece of wood with
limbs.
OK, the fake tree is up this
year, but I’ve decided next year
that big box will stay in the stor
age building - I already dread
taking the thing down and man
handling it back into that box
after Christmas.
I know, I could just throw it
away - uhhh, that means another
piece of plastic, a big piece of
plastic going in the landfill and
we all know plastic doesn’t dis
integrate for years and years and
years.
Over the years, the Christmas
tree has come to symbolize the
faith and hope of harmony in
mankind. I love to pass houses
and see the lights from the tree
in a window. That, to me, is part
of the real spirit of Christmas.
A real Christmas tree, when
brought into our homes, give us
that feeling through its scent and
warm beauty.
And remember, Keep Jackson
County Beautiful sponsors Bring
One for the Chipper at locations
across the county.
For more information, con
tact KJCB at 706-708-7198 or
visit www.keepjacksoncounty-
beautiful.com
LUMINARIES will be
placed at the Town Hall in
Braselton New Year’s Eve
in honor of those who have
battled cancer.
Sponsored by the Relay for
Life in Barrow and Jackson
Counties, the event will be
held from 5:30 to 6:30 on
Dec. 31. Proceeds will benefit
the American Cancer Society
and Relay for Life teams in
Jackson and Barrow coun
ties.
ORNAMENT
The American Cancer
Society Relay For Life Teams
in Jackson County are selling
a “Hope for the Holidays”
2008 Christmas ornament.
It is a silver snowflake to
show hope for the holidays in
the fight against cancer.
THE DECEMBER meeting
of Mended Hearts Chapter
#171 will be held at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 16, at First
Georgia Bank on Hwy. 441
near Homer.
This will be the group’s
Christmas dinner. The chap
ter will provide ham and tur
key and dressing, and mem
bers are asked to bring at least
two dishes.
Todd Chandler and a small
The ornament is available
for a limited time only and
will make a great gift for
survivors, caregivers or fam
ily members and friends who
support the crusade against
cancer.
The ornament will come
with a holiday greeting card
making it easy to mail. They
can also be personalized in
honor or in memory of some
one on the back of the orna
ment.
The cost is $5 for the orna
ment; personalized is $7.
Ornaments are avail
able through a relay team
or by calling Sandra Fite,
706-367-8574.
All proceeds benefit the
Relay For Life in Jackson
County.
group of students from J ackson
County Comprehensive High
School will sing.
Instead of bringing presents
or canned goods, Mended
Hearts will be taking up mon
etary donations for the local
food bank.
All members and interested
persons are invited to attend.
Mended Hearts is a support
group for heart patients and
their families.
Mended Hearts plans dinner
Herald
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