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Monroe County Reporter • April 18, 2018
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More from the Community
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Pictured, left to right, are: back row, Madeline Johnson
Nix, Clarise Taylor Durden, Tom McCarty, Jean Ann Zellner
O’Neal, Charles Holloway; middle row, Anne Chatfield
Trippe, Kimbell Duckworth, Betty Ann Johnson Haygood,
Mary Emily Doster Butler, Bill Grubbs, Rosalyn McGee
Harbuck, Nell Sanders Joseph, Larry Williams, J.T. Bunn;
seated in front, Lee Willingham, Bobby Jackson, Hiram
Harbuck.
Class of 1958 cherishes
old & new memories
By Lee Willingham
Teenage memories in
the Indian Springs area
brought the Mary Persons
Class of 1958 to Fresh Air
Barbeque for its 60th class
reunion on Saturday, April
7th.
As attendees entered the
meeting room at Fresh Air,
they saw tables decorated
with beverage bottles of
their era: Nehi, 7 Up, and
Coke holding sunflowers
and black and white plaid
bows.
At each place was a
specially designed MPHS
bookmark, a rack card with
information about 1958,
famous people, songs,
movies and financial infor
mation (minimum wage
was $1).
Also at each place were
bottles of water with special
Class of’58 labels.
Bill Grubbs, Class Vice
President, presided dur
ing the business meeting.
Clarise Taylor Durden
gave a financial report and
thanked classmates for
their generous contribu
tions. She also read notes
from some classmates who
couldn’t attend.
Two classmates who died
after our 2017 reunion,
MPHS CLASS OP ‘58
__ REUNION
Caroline Ham Martin and
Bradford Freeman, were
remembered with candles
and flowers.
A fun game was played
by classmates and guests
as they competed for door
prizes donated by several
classmates. Rosalyn McGee
Harbuck led this activity.
On Friday evening,
some classmates enjoyed
a hamburger/hot dog
cookout at J.T. Bunn’s pond.
The weather was beautiful
and those present shared
memories of high school
days.
Dinner at Minori’s Italian
restaurant in Forsyth on
Saturday evening con
cluded the 2018 reunion
weekend.
Forsyth classmates at
tending were J.T. Bunn,
Kimbell (Dot) Duckworth,
Clarise Taylor Durden, Ro
salyn and Hiram Harbuck,
Betty Ann Johnson Hay-
good, Nell (Kelly) Sanders
Joseph, Larry Williams
(Linda Pippin) and Lee
(Jeaneen) Willingham.
Out-of-town classmates
were Mary Emily Doster
Butler, Bill (Betty) Grubbs,
Charles Holloway, Bobby
Jackson, Tom McCarty,
Madeline Johnson Nix,
Jean Ann Zellner O’Neal,
Glynn (Linda) Stuart and
Anne (Vinson) Chatfield
Trippe.
Serving on the reunion
planning committee were,
J.T. Bunn, Kimbell Duck
worth, Clarise Durden, Bill
Grubbs, Rosalyn Harbuck,
Betty Ann Haygood,
Charles Holloway, Nell
Joseph, Jean Ann O’Neal,
and Lee Willingham.
The motto for the Class
of 1958 was “Today we
follow, tomorrow we lead”.
The Class continues to try
to live up to that motto.
Classmates are planning
to gather for their next
reunion in April 2019.
Blue pinwheels stand for Child Abuse Prevention
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS
Maria Ham said there are
currently over 50 children
in the custody of Monroe
County DFCS. She said
that Monroe County leads
Region 6 in placing chil
dren with relatives, with the
goal of keeping the children
in the same county and
school district to disrupt
their lives as little as pos
sible. DFCS tries to keep
children within 50 miles of
their parents and to keep
siblings together. Right
now Monroe County has
all of its siblings together
Monroe County DFCS
is currently understaffed,
but Jones County DFCS is
stepping in to help. Brandi
Cunningham, Jones Coun
ty DFCS director, is acting
we can help,” said Ayer. “It’s
horrible when something
happens to an adult but
much worse when some
thing happens to a child...
We want to help from the
beginning on through the
process.”
The community also
reaches out to help. Ameri
can Woodmark’s Right En
vironment Council came
to the Monroe County pin-
wheels to show its support
for preventing child abuse.
Jerome Wood explained
that many of the 575
employees at the American
Woodmark plant in Jack-
son live in Monroe County.
The company wants to
make the work place a bet
ter environment by making
the communities that its
workers call home better
places. The goal is to make
Representatives of Monroe County Department of Family & Children Services (DFCS), C.A.R.E. Cottage, Monroe County
Sheriff s Office, Towaliga District Attorneys Office, American Woodmark Corporation and Georgia Department of Juve
nile Justice take time to stand together in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month. (Photo/Diane Glidewell)
employees feel empowered
to make their communities
better and to feel proud of
their company because of
its involvement and sup
port.
Randi Peek works with
American Woodmark and
also has a personal connec
tion with Monroe County
DFCS as she is providing
foster care for her nephew.
She is the link that drew
American Woodmark’s
Right Environment Coun
cil to voice its support for
Child Abuse Prevention
Month in Monroe County.
It also provides support in
Butts, Spalding and Henry
counties, where many of its
employees work.
Pinwheels, seen as a
reflection of hope, health
and safety, have been a
national symbol for Child
Abuse Prevention since
2008. They are said to
connote childlike whimsy
as reminders of unmarred
childhood. Blue has been a
symbol of child abuse pre
vention since 1989 when
a Virginia grandmother
tied a blue ribbon to her
car antenna to remember
her grandson and alert the
community to the tragedy
of child abuse.
In his March 29 proc
lamation of April 2018 as
National Child Abuse Pre
vention Month, President
Donald Trump said that
one-fourth of all children
experience some form
of child abuse or neglect:
“By some estimates, the
lifetime cost of child abuse
and neglect is $124 bil
lion per year. The human
cost—measured in lost
development, potential and
flourishing—is incalcu
lable.”
as the interim director
for Monroe County until
about mid-June. And Mon
roe County DFCS workers
like Ham, who has 17 years
experience, and Nash, who
has 23 years experience, are
making the effort to make
up for what the office lacks
in numbers.
“Monroe County has a
great bunch of casework
ers and supervisors,” said
Cunningham. “They make
it happen.”
One important asset in
the fight against child abuse
in Monroe County is the
Sheriff’s Office’s C.A.R.E.
Cottage, which opened in
1992. K.B. Ayer has been
the director of C.A.R.E.
Cottage since 2001. She is
now also the Director of
Victims Services for the
District Attorney’s Office.
“We work hard to prevent
child abuse and to make
it better for those children
who experience it,” said
Ayer. “People often don’t
realize that parents fight
ing in front of children is a
form of abuse... There’s a
lot of mental abuse.”
Ayer said many local
children are witnesses to
domestic abuse. In addition
to other services for vic
tims, a counselor is avail
able two days per week at
C.A.R.E Cottage to provide
free counseling for victims.
Referrals come to C.A.R.E.
Cottage from schools,
DFCS, Forsyth Police
Department and Monroe
County Sheriff’s Office.
Sometimes people walk in
off the street seeking help.
“We try to give assistance
however and for whomever
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
There are blue pinwheels
on the Monroe County
Courthouse lawn spinning
in the brisk breezes today.
They are there because
April is National Child
Abuse Prevention Month.
The pinwheels are remind
ers that children are being
abused and neglected every
day in Monroe County;
they are also reminders
that there are people work
ing to prevent the abuse of
children and to help those
who have experienced it
heal and break the cycle of
abuse.
Coming out to support
Child Abuse Prevention
Month and to remind all
those who see the pin
wheels that they can be a
part of the solution were
some of those who deal
with the effects of child
abuse locally, representa
tives from Monroe County
Department of Family &
Children Services (DFCS),
the C.A.R.E. Cottage, Mon
roe County Sheriff’s Office,
Towaliga District Attor
ney’s Office, American
Woodmark Corporation
and Georgia Department
of Juvenile Justice.
Monroe County DFCS
investigated 82 cases of
reported child abuse and/
or neglect in the first three
months of 2018, up from
70 cases during the same
time last year, according
to Alison Nash, Child
Protective Services super
visor. During one recent
week, the local DFCS office
responded to 12 reports.
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