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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009
coming up
ACS hosts Jackson County Relay for Life kickoff
in the community
‘Cancer Prevention Cooking
School’ for women planned
Registration for course due Feb. 18
A “CANCER Prevention Cooking School” for women will be
offered from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23, at the
Commerce Health Department, 623 South Elm St., Commerce.
Pre-registration is required by Wednesday, Feb. 18.
The program is sponsored by the Jackson County Health
Department, the American Cancer Society and WellCare.
The program will teach how to prepare food to lower the risk
of cancer and other diseases. Free taste testing will be provided
and health information tables will be set up. Door prizes will
be given.
Space is limited. To pre-register, call the Commerce Health
Department at 706-335-3895.
The “Cancer Prevention Cooking School” was developed by
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and
the American Cancer Society.
Beekeeping class set Feb. 26
Rescheduled from Feb. 24 date
A BEEKEEPING class will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb.
26, by the Jackson County Farm Bureau as a follow-up to its
previous beekeeping jumpstart class.
A meeting and meal will be held, with international bee
expert Keith Fielder of the University of Georgia Extension
Service offering a program on pest and diseases of hives in
Georgia.
The meeting is free, but an RSVP is requested. Contact Ali
Merk at ammerk@gfb.org or 706-367-8877.
Nicholson library lists events
THE HAROLD S. Swindle Public Library has announced
events and activities planned this month:
•Snowman display: Currently on display at the library in
Nicholson is a collection of snowmen belonging to Pauline
LaBarge, media specialist at East Jackson Comprehensive
High School. The collection will be at the library through
Feb. 23.
•Book sale: The library has a number of both adult and chil
dren books for sale for only $.25.
•Art exhibit: The library will begin hosting art exhibits from
several local Jackson County School System schools. Details
will be published as they become available.
The library is located on Hwy. 441 in Nicholson, near
Benton Elementary School.
Maysville library plans events
THE MAYSVILLE Public Library has released its February
calendar of events. Upcoming events include the following:
•February 13, 10:30 a.m., Pre-School Story-Time and
Valentine Craft.
•February 17, 5:30 p.m., Family game night with checkers.
Scrabble, cards and other activities.
•February 19, 6 p.m.. Friends of the Library meeting.
•February 28, 11 a.m. author visit. Best-Selling teen author,
Michelle Izmaylov, will speak to young writers about the writ
ing process and getting published.
All events are free and open to the public. For more informa
tion, call the library at 706-652-2323.
Maysville library group to meet
A FRIENDS of the Library meeting will be held February
19, at 6 p.m. at the Maysville Public Library.
The group will be discussing: officer nominations, March
author visit and volunteer opportunities.
For more information, call 706-652-2323.
County gets $35,000 in
federal emergency funds
JACKSON COUNTY has
been awarded federal funds
under the Emergency Food
and Shelter national Board
program. Jackson County
has been chosen to receive
$35,151 to supplement
emergency food and shelter
programs in the county.
Public or private organiza
tions interested in applying
for the emergency food and
shelter program funds must
contact Elaine Whitehead
at 706-546-8293, extension
31, for an application. The
deadline is February 20.
The selection was made
by a national board that
is chaired by the Federal
Emergency Management
Agency and consists of
representatives from The
Salvation Army; American
Red Cross; United Jewish
Communities; Catholic
Charities USA; National
Council of the Churches
of Christ in the USA; and
United Way of America. The
local board was charged to
distribute funds appropri
ated by Congress to help
expand the capacity of food
and shelter programs in
high-need areas around the
country.
The local board is made of
representatives of ACTION,
Inc. (Area Committee to
Improve Opportunities Now,
Inc.) the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
office, the Senior Center, the
Department of Family and
Children Services, a home
less advocate, and clergy.
This group will determine
how the funds awarded
to Jackson County are to
be distributed among the
Emergency Food and Shelter
Program run by local orga
nizations in the area. The
local board is responsible
for recommending agencies
to receive those funds and
any additional funds avail
able under this phase of the
program.
Under the terms of the
grant from the National
Board, local agencies cho
sen to receive funds must: be
private voluntary nonprofit
or units of government, have
an accounting system, prac
tice nondiscrimination, have
demonstrated the capability
to deliver emergency food
and/or shelter programs, and
if they are a private volun
tary organization, they must
have a voluntary board.
AT RELAY KICKOFF
Proclamations and community relay signs were pre
sented to municipality representatives at the Relay for
Life kickoff held recently. Pictured are: (L-R) Jefferson
councilman Bosie Griffith, Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner,
Pendergrass clerk Katherine Rintoul, Talmo clerk
Debbie Fontaine, Jefferson councilman Steve Kinney,
Arcade clerk Debbie Mockus, Nicholson councilman
Paul Cartledge and Nicholson Mayor Ronnie Maxwell.
THE AMERICAN Cancer
Society Relay For Life kickoff
celebration was held recently at
the Jefferson Civic Center. The
theme for 2009, is Hometown
USA - Hope Starts Here.
Committee members had tables
decorated with this theme in mind
as there were tables representing
the library, post office, newspa
per, restaurant, church, hardware
store, gas station and bank.
The theme also carried over
to the program as it was handled
as a town meeting with a mayor
and council giving reports. Keith
Ariail served as mayor. The invo
cation was given by Larry Banks
and Beth Doss led the pledge to
the flag. The 2008 financial sta
tus was reported. Jackson County
was eighth in the nation in funds
raised based on per capita at
$242,000. There were 48 teams
that participated and there were
237 survivors that participated.
The top teams from 2008 were
recognized and given a framed
certificate stating how much was
raised by them.
Steve Kinney reported on the
state of the relay for 2009. He
noted in these economic times
we would be very happy to match
our monetary donations from
2008 and hopefully raise at least
$1 more. He urged everyone to
invite more teams and survivors.
Each municipality in the coun
ty was asked to send their mayor,
councilmen or a representative to
the kickoff so that they could be
presented with a proclamation
about the relay and be given a
relay community sign to display
within their city limits. Mayor Jim
Joiner, City of Jefferson, signed
the proclamation at kickoff.
Bosie Griffith reported that the
relay will be held at East Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School football stadium. This is
a change from the past years
when it was held at Peach State
Speedway. Because of changes
at the speedway and work being
done, the event is being moved
for 2009.
There was a short ceremony
honoring the survivors and care
givers and then the honorary
chairpersons were presented.
Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner
was introduced as an honorary
chair and a cancer survivor. Joiner
has been mayor of Jefferson since
2002. He retired from State Farm
Insurance after 24 years of ser
vice. Besides being a prostate
cancer survivor he has also bat
hed heart disease. Both his par
ents died of cancer. His mother
had colon cancer and his father
had lung cancer.
Joiner said when he had an
elevated PSA and the doctor told
him they needed to do a biopsy, he
began to worry. When the results
of the biopsy came back. Joiner
said, “the shock was about more
than I could handle. You think
that cancer can never happen to
you and when you are faced with
it you are truly shocked.”
Joiner had his prostate removed
and because of early detection, he
needed no treatment.
“The survivor lap is for me and
so many that battle the disease
daily,” he said. “I have many
friends that have had to have
chemotherapy and radiation that
I did not have to endure because
of early detection. I urge all men
to get their PSA checked and
have a digital exam. Caucasians
need to begin these tests at age
50, African-American men at age
45. If you have a father, brother or
son that has had prostate cancer,
you need to begin testing at 45,”
he said. “Early detection saved
my life and I am one of the lucky
ones,” he concluded.
Priscilla Daves, president of
The Daves Group, was also
introduced as an honorary chair
and breast cancer survivor. She
is presently taking treatment for
breast cancer.
“There are two kinds of women
in America,” she said. “Those
who have cancer and those who
will have cancer.”
In 1985, she had a cancer scare
but found out she was alright.
After that she had several other
cancer scares, but each time
everything was ok. In 2007, she
was very busy and didn’t think
that she had time for her mam
mogram and thought that nothing
was wrong anyway.
“But a little voice said you
need to go just one more time,”
she said. “When they found a
lump this time, they also found
involvement in the lymph nodes.
It was a small lump that was
stage three cancer that had moved
into the lymph nodes. The shock
was so great it could have killed
me right there,” she said. She got
a second opinion and received the
same news.
“I decided I would be the
champion cancer lady and I had
several cancer warrior shirts
made that fit every occasion,”
she said.
Daves went through a clinical
trial and had a double mastec
tomy. When they took off her
breasts there was no cancer in the
tissues because the chemo they
gave her before the surgery made
the cancer go away, she noted.
“In a few years we hopefully
won’t need massive surgeries to
get rid of cancer,” Daves said. “I
have found that the great life’s
truth in cancer survival is atti
tude. It makes it so much easer
on you and your caregivers if
you adopt a good attitude,” she
said. “Caregivers and nurses are
true heroes and are some of the
most wonderful people I know.”
“This community of Jackson
County is the greatest I know of
because of the people,” she con
tinued. “Thank you for all that
you do in the battle against can
cer and all that you do to make
this relay for life event happen
each year.”
Before “Mayor Ariail”
adjourned the meeting, a cere
mony of remembrance was held
for those who have lost the battle
to cancer. Everyone was urged
to remember why we relay and
our mutual desire to win in the
battle against cancer. The bat
tle starts here in our hometown
and in every hometown across
America. Hope starts here with
each of us.
J
PRESIDE
DAY
FEBRUARY 13-16
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