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Magic of
Christmas Section
Vol. 129, No. 37 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 - $1.00
Renitta Johnson sorts through hundreds of packages donated for students in need this year.
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‘Angels’ bring joy to local children
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
Santa Claus has some serious competition ... a sleigh full
of it.
It stems from the generosity of families and businesses
around Burke County.
Minus the fanfare and red-nosed reindeer, local donors
have quietly provided Christmas gifts for more than 250
students at SGA Elementary and Waynesboro Primary
schools.
Some 187 of SGA’s 377 students will receive Christmas
gifts this year, thanks to the folks Renitta Johnson refers to
as “angels.”
Johnson, who serves as the school’s parent coordinator
but often goes far beyond her job description, heads up the
effort to make sure children there don’t go without.
She says a simple word of mouth campaign yielded awe
inspiring results from donors whose names the children may
never know.
Individuals, churches and businesses fulfilled wishes for
toys, clothes, shoes and more with the help of lists compiled
by the children.
“About ninety percent of them buy exactly what’s on those
cards,” Johnson says, adding that one angel went as far as
stocking a family’s pantry and freezer with groceries as well.
If the students have siblings, Johnson makes sure they have
packages to open on Christmas morning, too.
Johnson started the program when she came to SGA three
years ago, helping 77 children the first year. But layoffs
and plant closings have hit the area hard, especially since
many residents had previously been employed in Jenkins
County where the economic downturn has been sharp. Johnson
says referrals, which she gets from teachers and other school
employees, have poured in this year. Fortunately, so did the
donations.
“It just gives me such great joy to do this,” Johnson says.
“We just tell parents that an angel has provided this for their
children.”
At Waynesboro Primary School, pre-K family coordinator
Lois Rouse has been busy with angels of her own. The school’s
angel tree, which is adorned with angel ornaments bearing
children’s needs, has helped students for the past five Christ
mases. This year,
some 73 families
will benefit from
the generosity of
those who adopted
angels on the tree.
While many of the
gifts are items the
children need,
Communities in
Schools (CIS) is
making this
Christmas espe
cially bright by
donating bicycles
for two of them.
Lois Rouse distributes gifts to fami
lies helped through the school’s an
gel tree program.
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Here comes Santa Claus
Edmund Burke Academy students got a surprise visit from the big guy during their annual Christ
mas play last week. Pictured is Santa waving to the k-4 class as they act out a manger scene.
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Burke County
quarterback to
lead in Georgia
all-star game
By Anne Marie Kyzer
annemariek@thetruecitizen.com
The Bears’ star quarterback will take his talents to a new level.
Burke County High School senior Terrell Brigham has been
selected to play in the annual North-South All-Star Classic in
Columbus on Tuesday, Dec. 29. The game pulls together the
best players from all classifications, A-AAAAA, in Georgia and
has been played since 1938.
Brigham and Swainsboro quarterback
Malcolm Eady will lead the South team.
The South’s roster is packed with play
ers headed to Georgia, Georgia Tech,
Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, South Caro
lina and other Division I schools next fall.
Brigham and others who have yet to
make a decision about next year arc sure
to get some extra visibility at the game,
which should attract plenty of scouts.
Brigham said he was flattered and ex
cited when Bears head coach Eric Parker
told him about his selection a couple of weeks ago. But to any
one who has watched him play over the past few years, it is no
shock.
Brigham has logged record breaking seasons at QB over the
past two years. In 2008, he became the first player in Burke
County High School’s history to surpass 1,500 yards passing
and 1,500 yards rushing in the same season.
When the Bears ended their season in the first round of the
state playoffs this year, Brigham had racked up 1,710 yards and
14 touchdowns in the air and 1,418 yards and 20 touchdowns
on the ground. During his time at the helm of Burke County’s
offense, he broke more than a dozen school records.
Still, the honor to play among the best hasn’t escaped him.
“It’s all the big names in Georgia,” he said, anticipating the
opportunity “to put all that talent together.”
Burke County’s last player in the game was 2004 graduate
Marcus Washington, who will finish up his career with the Geor
gia Bulldogs in the Independence Bowl against Texas A &M on
Monday.
Coach Parker represented Burke County as assistant coach
in last year’s all star game.
The game will be played in Memorial Stadium, the same
field where the Bears ended this season against Carver. Brigham
will head to Columbus the day after Christmas to begin practic
ing and getting to know his teammates.
The return to Columbus is a little bitter-sweet for Brigham,
who would like to have seen his entire team earn statewide hon
ors, but the reason is enough to give him plenty to smile about.
“Even though it would have been better to go out with a state
championship,” he said, “to know I’m going out on a good note
feels good.”
Terrell Brigham
EMPTY STOCKING FUND
This week: $14,398.25
Grand Total $21,613.25
Rebecca Mobley $25
Mrs. Dalton Minor $25
Hilda W. Royal $25
Home Grown Band $25
“In Jesus Name” $25
Mrs. and Mrs. Preston B. Lewis, Jr $25
Tionne Curese Lavren $25
TJ Braswell $20
Hannah Jenkins $20
Grant Mobley $20
Madison Mobley $20
In Memory of Ralph L. Chandler $20
In Memory of Lynn Broome $50
Madison & Miley Jones $50
Henry & Dale Tinley. $100
Women of First Presbyterian Church $200
Kozy Kids Childcare $150
Burke County High School $1,223.25
SGA Elementary School $1,335
Burke County Middle School $1,500
Blakeney Elementary School $1,500
Waynesboro Primary School $2,500
Waynesboro Jaycees / Rebal Corps $5,495
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