Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. AUGUST 17. 2023 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
Standup comedy comes to Jasper for benefit show
By September Hoeler
For The Tater Patch
Players
STAND-UP TO ATAXIA
will present an evening of
family friendly entertainment
as its annual fund-raising
event.
Jasper residents Dick and
Robin Manley have organ
ized and hosted these events
for many years to support
Ataxia research since
Robin’s diagnosis.
2023’s event will be held
Saturday, August 26 for
one night only at The Tater
Patch Players Theater at 95
Philadelphia Lane, Jasper.
Featured Comics:
Tyler Johnson from Can
ton, aspiring to be a comic.
Tyler not only stands-up to
ataxia he laughs at it, as he
himself wrestles with this
disease.
Ron Green from
Cartersville. Ron has per
formed at every major com
edy club in Atlanta and
appeals to all ages.
Yoshee So, a nationally
touring comedian who has
shared the stage with George
Wallace, TJ Miller, and Chris
Rock. Yoshee delivers hilari
ous takes on his upbringing
and quirky observances of
everyday life.
Join us for this side-split
ting night of laughter on Sat
urday, August 26. Doors
open at 7 p.m. for hors d’oeu-
vres, beverages and conver
sation which is included in
your ticket price.
show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $50 each/
open seating.
To pre-book your ticket
and/or make a donation, go
to ataxia.org/ComedyGA
or pay at the door, please
make checks payable to NAF
(National Ataxia Founda
tion).
Recycle your retro TV this Saturday
Recycle R«£troT Vs
t*il
‘*1
Do you have an old tube-style TV
or monitor to recycle?
Join KPB on August 19!
www.KeepPickensBeautiful.org
Submitted by Keep
Pickens Beautiful
It's time to clear that big
tube-style TV or monitor out
of your garage. But did you
know it has toxic metals like
lead in it? So don't dump it...
Recycle it.
Join KPB at the Pickens
Recycling Center (Ap
palachian Court only) this
coming Saturday, August 19,
from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
There is a requested recy
cling fee based on the weight
- we've partnered with a
company in Atlanta who is
certified to properly process
this old equipment. However,
it's more important to make
sure they don't end up in the
landfill, or worse, on the side
of the road, so we'll work
with you.
We also need volunteers
to help offload the TVs and
stack them on pallets. So skip
your gym day and come help
us.
*There is a small recy
cling fee per TV.
Learn more here:
https ://keeppickensbeauti-
ful.org/recycle-your-retro-
tvs.../
Dick and Robin Manley who are organizing the event
at the theater. Robin is living with ataxia.
METAL ROOFING
Roller-coaster' hoteling of Georgia
foster children at record low
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - The state’s
foster care system was
“hoteling” only seven chil
dren as of Tuesday night, the
head of the Georgia Depart
ment of Human Services
(DHS) said Wednesday.
“Our providers stepped up
because they want us to get
to zero,” DHS Commissioner
Candice Broce told members
of a state Senate study com
mittee looking for ways to
improve Georgia’s foster
care and adoption services.
“We couldn’t have done this
without them.”
Housing foster children in
state offices or hotels came to
the General Assembly’s at
tention during this year’s leg
islative session. The number
of children affected has been
on a roller coaster, falling to
fewer than 20 last summer -
a record low at the time -
then soaring to 95 at the end
of last month, Broce said.
Since then, the number
has plummeted to a new
record low of seven Tuesday
night, a number that was ex
pected to dip further to just
five by Wednesday night, she
said.
Lawmakers provided $10
million in the fiscal 2024
state budget to address the
hoteling problem. The legis-
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Please Join Us for an Evening of Music. Food and Fun
Grab Bag Purchases, Auction Items and a 50/50 Raffle
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$5 Donations Appreciated
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from Fannin. Gilmer and Pickens Counties
lature also passed a bill es
tablishing a uniform process
for placing a child in the cus
tody of the Georgia Division
of Family and Children Serv
ices (DFCS) on a “non-emer
gency basis” or absent
“exceptional circumstances.”
Broce said a total of 1,000
to 1,500 foster children have
been hoteled for at least one
day. About half of those chil
dren entered the foster-care
system to gain access to serv
ices, not because of abuse in
the home, she said.
Families often don’t know
how to navigate the red tape
necessary to apply for serv
ices on their own, Broce said.
The DHS is working with
DFCS to launch a pilot pro
gram in 58 counties to help
families gain access to treat
ment and services.
“We’re certain we’re
going to see an immediate
improvement,” Broce said.
Samantha Walker, direc
tor of reunification and safety
for DFCS, said the agency’s
primary goal is to reunite
children who have been re
moved from parental custody
with their parents, as long as
it’s safe to do so.
About 2,500 families
were enrolled in the reunifi
cation program at the end of
June, Walker said. The Gen
eral Assembly allocated $2.4
million to the program dur
ing the last fiscal year.
Sen. Kim Jackson, D-
Stone Mountain, expressed
disappointment that only
41 % of the children who ex
ited foster care in fiscal 2023
have returned to their homes.
But Dena Crim, a lawyer
with the DFCS office in
Cobb County, said some chil
dren have mental health and
behavioral issues that pre
vent their being returned to
their parents.
“Reunification is the
goal,” she said. “But there
just are some cases where re
unification is not possible.”
Broce said while the num
ber of children being hoteled
is low for now, it’s always
subject to going back up.
“Ultimately, we may get
to zero when it comes to
hoteling,” she said. “But
there are children where we
struggle to find the right
place.”
The study committee will
hold three more meetings
this fall before making rec
ommendations to the full
Senate to consider during the
2024 legislative session be
ginning in January.
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Do you seek an opportunity
to get involved in your community?
Do you want to make a difference?
Are you looking to meet interesting
people from this community?
W.O.U). is the time/
New Optimists Welcome
N.O.W. Social
Thursday, August 17, 2023
at 61 Main Restaurant
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Let us know you plan to attend.
Contact Stacey Godfrey at
706-253-8781 or just walk in.
The Jasper Optimist Club is a welcoming group of com
munity-minded individuals and includes people from all
walks of life. Some of our club projects and activities in
clude Legion of Character recognitions, STAR Banquet
and scholarships, citizenship awards, support of youth-
oriented organizations and more.
We are excited to meet you.
Any questions, contact Donna Enis
at donnaenis@amail.com