Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2010
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5C
Heritage farm project leads to award for Scout
CHECKING ON BLUEBIRDS
Daniel Butler and Kendall Cochran inspect one of
20 bluebird nest boxes constructed at the Shields-
Ethridge Heritage Farm, Jefferson, as part of a Boy
Scout project that earned Butler an award.
AN AREA Boy Scout has
earned a prestigious award
from a project he construct
ed at the Shields-Ethridge
Heritage Farm, Jefferson.
Daniel Butler — a Life
Scout with Troop 525 in
Loganville — recently
received the Hornaday Badge
at the Sweetwater District
Boy Scouts adult leadership
roundtable.
The fundamental purpose
of the Hornaday awards pro
gram is to encourage partici
pant learning and to increase
public awareness about natu
ral resources conservation.
“It’s an extremely rare
award” said Ed Foster,
advancement chairman for
the Boy Scouts of America
Northeast Georgia Council,
“In the 12 years I’ve been on
the advancement board, this
is only the third Hornaday
Badge we have presented.”
Requirements for the award
include earning conserva
tion-related merit badges and
completion of a substantial
service project under guid
ance by a conservation pro
fessional.
For his project, Butler
constructed 20 bluebird nest
boxes and erected them, with
the help of his troop, at the
Shields-Ethridge Heritage
Farm near Jefferson.
“Scouting is such a won
derful program for the youth
of today and I’m thrilled that
Daniel chose the farm for his
bluebird project,” said Susan
Chaisson, president of the
Shields-Ethridge Heritage
Foundation.
Nest box monitoring fol
lowed through the 2009
spring and summer to record
bluebird nesting activities.
“It was fun to peek into the
nest boxes each week, to see
if there were any bluebird
eggs or hatched baby birds,”
Butler said.
He then entered the nesting
information into the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology online
Nest Watch database.
“It’s important to share
your data with other research
ers,” he said.
Butler’s project showed
the earliest bluebird nesting
activity began in mid-March
and then followed in earnest
by the first of April.
His project showed that it’s
not too late to place a blue
bird nest box in the area.
Dr. William T. Hornaday,
founder of the National Zoo
in Washington D.C., created
the award in 1914 as the
Wildlife Protection Medal.
The medal was renamed in
his honor after his death in
1937. Since first established,
only about 1,200 awards have
been bestowed.
Eagle Ranch celebrates 25 years of operation
From humble start, program has grown into global model for children homes
WHAT BEGAN as the
vision of a young man with a
heart to help hurting children
has become North Georgia’s
largest home for children
in crisis and a global model
for children’s homes. April
marked the 25th anniversary
of the opening of the first
home at Eagle Ranch, which
now is able to house and
serve 66 children (42 boys
and 24 girls).
Many North Georgians
remember the story of Eagle
Ranch’s start. Founder Eddie
Staub, a newcomer from
Alabama, faced a bank’s
deadline to raise enough
money to purchase 180 acres
in southern Hall County. The
last dollar for the land pur
chase came just three days
before the deadline, inspiring
a CNN television report about
“the miracle on Chestnut
Mountain.”
Twenty-five years later, the
miracles at Eagle Ranch con
tinue. The old barn that once
served as Staub’s makeshift
office is still standing but is
now surrounded by six boys’
homes, four girls’ homes, an
on-campus school, an admin
istration and counseling cen
ter, a chapel, athletic center
and a recently completed
lodge. All of it is sheltered
amid a rural pasture setting
that has expanded to 270
acres. The program remains
firmly centered in its focus
on Christian principles and
teachings.
“The theme for our 25th
anniversary celebration was
focused on Eagle Ranch as a
‘home for new beginnings,’
Staub said. “We’re thankful
to have had the opportunity to
sow seeds for a fresh start in
the lives of hundreds of chil
dren since our inception.”
The famous deadline that
forced Staub to make full
payment on the land set the
tone for a no-debt philosophy
that Eagle Ranch has main
tained to this day.
“No construction or devel
opment has ever taken place
at the Ranch until all funds
have been secured,” Staub
said. “This philosophy has
been a hallmark of our fiscal
policy that has allowed us
to avoid paying interest on
debt - and invest even more
in the children entrusted to
our care.”
The Ranch’s current $3.2
million budget is supported
fully by private donations
and funds.
“Today’s economy has
challenged all charitable
organizations, and we are no
exception,” Staub noted. “But
we are continually grateful
for the faithful giving of so
many people. The commu
nity continues to recognize
the great need of children
in this region and wants to
support their care and heal
ing to create stronger future
generations.”
Like the growth of its facil
ities and campus, the Eagle
Ranch mission has evolved
well beyond its original
focus. The Ranch initially
housed and counseled boys,
then opened the doors to
girls in 2001. In addition, an
on-campus SACS-accredited
school was also established
in 2001 to provide extra help
to Ranch children in grades
six to nine.
Along with home life
and education, professional
counseling remains central
to the Ranch’s therapeutic
approach. But even this key
aspect of the overall program
has grown from the early
years. Though the child is
still the primary focus, his
or her entire family is now
brought into counseling ses
sions. Family reunification
in some shape or form -
whether it includes one or
both of the child’s natural
parents, grandparents, or
other legal guardians - is the
end goal. The programmatic
innovation of Eagle Ranch is
well-recognized by childcare
professionals.
“Eagle Ranch is a family
of sacrificial, compassionate
caregivers who model what
each provider of out-of-home
care for children and youth
should be about - family-
centered practice built on
a belief that every child
deserves a safe and loving
home where they can thrive”
said Mark Washington,
Assistant Commissioner of
the Georgia Department of
Human Services, Division
of Family and Children
Services. “Clearly, this is a
place that has the hand of
God on it.”
While the Ranch looks
back on its history during
an anniversary celebration
planned later this spring, the
original vision is still mov
ing forward. Under its Wings
Initiative, Eagle Ranch is
now reaching out far beyond
its borders to help children
across the country - and even
overseas.
The Wings Initiative pro
vides guidance and training
to new or existing children’s
homes. Wings helps start
or retool existing children’s
homes and has given flight
to dozens of programs from
Oak Ranch in Sanford, North
Carolina, to My Father’s
House in San Salvador, El
Salvador.
As part of its anniversary
celebration. Eagle Ranch
recently published an updat
ed commemorative edition of
“On Eagle’s Wings,” a his
tory of the Ranch’s founding
that was written in 1995 to
mark the 10th anniversary.
Since then, the popular book
has been reprinted numer
ous times along with anoth
er book, “Seasons,” which
includes an inspiring collec
tion of “chicken-soup” style
short stories about the Ranch
children.
Additional information about
the Ranch, its program and
an historical scrapbook can be
viewed on its website, recently
updated for the 25th anniver
sary, at EagleRanch.org.
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AT TEXAS MARATHON
Bert Elder traveled to Dallas, Texas, on March 14 for
the inaugural running of the Dallas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half
Marathon. He took along a copy of The Jackson
Herald.
UGA offering summer
day camps for kids
THE UNIVERSITY of
Georgia (UGA) Center for
Continuing is accepting stu
dents to enroll in the 2010
Summer Academy at UGA.
Summer Academy is a
series of summer day camps
designed to keep the minds
and bodies of 11- to 17-year-
olds active during summer
break.
Camps began the week
of May 24, and are held at
the Georgia Center, 1197 S.
Lumpkin St., Athens.
Since 2001, Summer
Academy at UGA has
enriched the summers of
more than 300 campers and
has provided fun instruction
al activities in a wide range
of subjects.
Programs are divided
into one and two-week ses
sions. Space is limited, and
pre-registration is required.
Discounts are available.
This year’s Summer
Academy at UGA camp
offerings include: Adventure
travel camp; animation and
graphics; aviation; bugs,
plants and pathogens; comic
book, manga and cartoon
art; computer science camps
(CSC); crime scene inves
tigation (CSI) academy;
dance academy; digital fdm
schools; digital photography;
GameWerks video game
camps; graphic design; mini
med school; secret agent
camp; and website design
For more information or to
register, contact Jen Schumann
with the Department of
Professional and Personal
Development at The
University of Georgia Center
for Continuing Education
Conference Center & Hotel at
706-542-3537, 800-811-6640
or e-mail Jen.Schumann@
georgiacenter.uga.edu.
The 2010 Summer
Academy at the University
of Georgia Web site can be
viewed at www.georgiacen-
ter.uga.edu/ppd/summer_
academy/.
Braselton makes plans to
celebrate Fourth of July
THE TOWN of Braselton has announced its schedule
of events for the annual “Celebrate Braselton” festival on
Sunday, July 4.
Booths will be open in the Braselton Park from 9 a.m. to 7
p.m. A parade through downtown will be held at 4 p.m.
Miss Lollipop the Clown will offer free face painting and
balloon animals in the Braselton Park, at 10 a.m.
Live music will be provided by the Daniel Lee Band, at 11
a.m.; the Big Don Band, at 2 p.m.; and the Sons of Sailors,
at 5 p.m.
A fireworks show will start at dusk behind the Publix on
Ga. Hwy. 211, across from Chateau Elan.
For more information, visit www.braseltonfestivals.com.
Art school open in Hoschton
BEAUX ART and
Design Academy of
Jackson County opened
on Tuesday, May 25, in
downtown Hoschton.
The school will offer
six-week courses concen
trating on the elements
or principles of design.
Classes will be available
for those 14 and older, and
for beginners to master-
level students. The six-
week courses will be $150
each.
Classes will be held on
Mondays, from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m., and from 6-9
p.m., and Tuesdays and
Wednesdays, from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Additional class
es may become available
on Thursdays, depending
on the number of enrolled
students.
The beginners class will
feature drawing mediums,
such as graphite, charcoal,
colored pencils, pen and
ink and pastels.
The school is also avail
able for community-ser
vice projects.
For more information,
contact Regie Kennedy at
706-983-0518 or artwith-
regie@yahoo.com. The
school is located at 54
White Street, Hoschton.
SUCCESS...The dictionary is
the only place where success
comes before work. At ACS
we strive to put our students
on the road to success. So. of
course, we teach the work
ethic.
We tell our students, "Get a
God-given dream and then,
with His blessing, move on
toward that dream with dedi
cation, discipline, and drive.
Aspiration, inspiration, and
perspiration are all a part of
the "success formula."
ACS teaches students to
learn how to make a living and
also how to enjoy the best life,
a life with Christ as Savior
and Guide.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
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