Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
iReporter
April 11, 2018
New 4-H program assistant
brings experience & enthusiam
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
There are several new
faces at Monroe County
Extension. One that has
a wonderful smile and is
being enthusiastically wel
comed by the 4-Hers with
whom he works, as well as
Extension staff and other
members of the commu
nity, is Reggie Sams, who
became Monroe County’s
4-H program assistant in
November.
Coming to a new county
to work with over 700
5th-12th graders would
be intimidating for most
22-year-olds, but as Sams
said, this is not his first
rodeo. He has been active
in 4-H since he was in 5th
grade, was elected by his
peers to the 4-H board
of directors while in high
school and worked with
over a thousand children
weekly as a camp counselor
at the busy Rock Eagle 4-H
Center in Eatonton.
In the summers of 2014
and 2015, he worked with a
10-week, five-day per week,
7 a.m.-7 p.m. program for
at-risk 5th- 11th graders
at East Macon Park. From
2016-17, he was a 4-H
program assistant in Cobb
County. He has also been
attending college and is on
track to get his B.S. in sec
ondary education in math
next year and is serving as
youth pastor at Bloomfield
Baptist Church.
Sams said that the wealth
of experience he has had
with pre-teens and teens
Wgeorgia
F4S50CM TIOISI
April 22-28
2018
Mass
Georgia Cities Week Events
April 16,2018 Town Hall Meeting: 6 pm Alderman Hall
April 16,2018 Community Garden: 5 pm Alderman Hall
April 21,2018 Photo Day in Forsyth: 10:30am til 4:00pm
Lee Street Park (go to website to register)
April 25,2018 Downtown Business Breakfast 8 am
Alderman Hall
Month of April Keep Forsyth Beautiful
Forsyth Main Street
68 N. Lee St.
Forsyth, G A 31029
www.mainstreet.cityofforsyth.net
and being young himself
help him relate to young
people. The easy-going,
positive attitude he exudes
probably helps, too.
For example, Sams said
that the first year he was
hired as a counselor at
Rock Eagle, he was as
signed to the Cloverleaf
Adventure Program, which
meant he was overseeing
the zip lines, rock climb
ing wall, etc. He wanted
to work with sports at the
camp, but the problem was
he had a fear of heights. He
had no choice but to get
over his fear. He said that
one good result was that
throughout the summer
he could tell kids who
were scared of the zip lines
that just a couple of weeks
before he was crying just
like them.
Sams said he loves the
Monroe County students.
He wasn’t too sure what
they thought of him, how
ever, when some of them
turned everything in his
office upside down on one
of his first days on the job.
He felt better when long
time Monroe County 4-H
agent Abbie Bunn told him
that the local kids wouldn’t
mess with him unless they
liked him.
He said that although the
job title is the same, work
ing in Monroe County is
very different from work
ing in Cobb County where
he was one of six program
assistants. Right now all the
4-H programs and plan
ning rest with him. The
office has authorization to
hire a new 4-H agent, but
that person is not expected
to be in place until July,
long after the bulk of the
busy summer.
Sams grew up in Macon,
graduated from Howard
High School in 2013 and
went to the University of
West Georgia. In 2017 his
church called him to be
youth pastor and he moved
back to Macon. He is now
attending Georgia College
and State University two
days per week with plans
to teach math when he
finishes his degree.
In case he doesn’t get
enough experience work
ing with young people in
4-H, church and education
classes, he also has that
opportunity at home. He is
the fourth of eight children,
ranging in age from 5 to
27. His older sister lives in
Crawford County, his old
est brother is in the military
in Japan, and another
brother is playing basket
ball in Nebraska. So when
he told his mother he was
moving back to Macon,
she asked him if he would
move back home and help
with his younger brothers
and sister.
Sams wakes up each
morning and takes time for
a daily inspirational to get
started right, then he hits
the ground running. His
job with Monroe County
4-H takes him into 5th and
6th grade classrooms at
Monroe County Schools to
teach agriscience lessons.
He has also taught skills
like how to handle stress at
test time. He helped 60 stu
dents prepare to compete
in 4-H project achieve
ment, which requires
public speaking, and was
very pleased with how well
they all did. He remem
bers being shy before 4-H
pushed him to develop
public speaking and leader
ship skills.
He is signing up Monroe
County 4-Hers for summer
camp now. Last week 63
spots out of the 90 allotted
to Monroe County were
already taken. He is also
busy organizing the local
Summer Fun activities.
There will be a Food Week
with a French cooking class
and a Build with Cup
cakes activity among other
choices. There will be a trip
to the Museum of Arts and
Sciences and an ‘Escape
the Space’ adventure for
older teens where they will
find themselves locked in
a room with 15 associates
trying to escape as quickly
as possible.
Sams is working on some
new ideas for the Annual
4-H Awards Evening on
May 14. He is also helping
pack up Monroe County
Extension as it anticipates
its first move to new offices
in decades. It will move
to the renovated Hubbard
Dormitory Building within
the next few months. He
also reminds everyone that
Monroe County 4-H has
an important new fund
raiser on Saturday, April 14
selling mattresses and some
related items at the Recre
ation Department from 10
a.m.-5 p.m.
“It’s been a nice company
to work with,” said Sams.
“We have a lot of support
from the kids. It’s like a
mobile showroom.”
Some other schools and
counties have done well
with the fundraiser, and the
money will help expand
the programs for Monroe
County youth.
Sams said he is learning a
lot in the Monroe County
office. Working with agri
culture teams, like Horse
Judging and Dairy Quiz
Bowl, is new for him and
the strong local Shotgun
Club is a new experience.
“I’m grateful for the entire
Monroe County team; they
have pulled together and
helped me,” said Sams. “It’s
an awesome team, like a
family in this office.”
But he finds that the
youth are not different, and
he said working with them
is the best part for him.
“I love how the kids and I
relate. At age 22, they’ll talk
to me,” he said. “It feels re
ally good to have a positive
impact.”
FIRE
Continued from Front
clean-up from the fire was
still ongoing. “I’ll let you
know as soon as I decide.”
She said the building was
folly covered by insurance.
It housed the flower shop,
her office and the office
other husband’s business.
She had rented space to a
collection agency, but when
it moved out last year, she
expanded her office space
rather than rent to another
third party. The two-story
building was reportedly
built in 1890.
Carol and Curtis Jenkins
BRIDGE
Worship • Grow • Connect • Go
Announcing
a
NEW
WORSHIP
Opportunity!
“The Bridge” is the new Contemporary service that will begin
April 15, 2018 at 11AM at First Baptist Church of Forsyth, GA.
The music will be led by Angelica Scoggins Butler and our
worship band. The songs will be those you are familar with from
Passion, Elevation Worship, Christ Tomlin, David Crowder,
Jesus Culture, Kari Kobe, Matt Redman and many more of
today’s comtemporay artists.
The sermon will be delivered by Dr. Hambric Brooks, Pastor
at FBC. The sermons will be revelant to daily living, something to
challenge you to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ.
Multi media will be used for songs and for the sermon, and the
various other components in the worship service. We are excited
about what God is doing at First Baptist Church in Forsyth, GA
and we would love for you to come and partner with us in what
God id doing!
SERVICE TIMES:
9 AM Traditional Worship
10 AM Sunday School
11 AM “The Bridge”
Contemporary Worship
Nursery and Chidren’s Church
will be provided at both services.
Coffee and donuts are
available in the Fellowship Hall
from 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
We hope you will make plans to come and join us for Worship
Sunday, April 15 th at 11AM.
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Hambric Brooks
First
Baptist Church
Porsyth, C5/\
Worship - Grow • Connect • Go
95 West Morse St.
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-5240
PHOTO DAY
April 21, 2018
10:30am - 4:00pm
Lee Street Park
68 N. Lee Street, Forsyth, GA 31029
First 20 registered will
get a Free 8x10
Photographer: John Belknap
For registration form go to:
www.mainstreet.cityofforsyth.net
Forsyth Main Street • (478) 994-7737
of Ham & Jenkins, attor
neys, whose office is next
door to Flowers by Helen,
said that their building is
fine. Bill Bazemore said his
office on the other side of
Flowers by Helen suffered
some smoke damage.
Thankfully there were no
injuries.
City administrator Janice
Hall said firefighters, who
were dispatched to the
fire around 3 a.m., have
determined an electrical is
sue sparked the blaze. Even
after they contained it, it
flared back up again about
90 minutes laster said
mayor Eric Wilson. Fire
chief David Herndon was
out of town at a fire chiefs
convention, but Wilson
said Capt. Eddie Bowden
led well and city and
county firefighters worked
together.
The fire brought back
memories of the 20 f 2 blaze
in the same block that de
stroyed Grits Cafe and did
significant damage to the
neighboring Rose Theater.
This fire was more easily
contained.
“Everything went as well
as it could,” said Wilson.
“I’m very sorry for Angie
and Mike’s loss.”
MEET & GREET
Before you HEAD TO THE POLLS. join us for a Meet and Greet
with your District 3 - BOE Candidate, GREG HEAD.
Thursday, April 12th • 6pm-8pm
River Forest Golf Club • One Clubhouse Dr.
Come discuss your concerns
and see where I stand on the issues
surrounding our school system.
"Your Proponent for College
and Vocational Students.”
LET’S GET THIS GENERATION WORKFORCE READY!
LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE! ~ GREG HEAD