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MONROE COUNTY
Community
Calendar
Calendar items run free
of charge as a community
service each week as space
allows. Mail items for the
Community Calendar to
Diane Glidewell at news@
mymcr.net by 8 a.m. on
Monday.
Sept. 15
Community Garden
meeting
Those interested in learning
more about the Commu
nity Garden on Chambers
Street (near the old jail,
behind Monroe County
Administration building) are
invited to a meeting on
Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m.
at Monroe County Club
house, 70 W, Chambers
Street, Forsyth. The raised
bed garden was established
this summer and plans will
be discussed for the fall and
the future of the Garden.
Sept. 17
Flea Market to benefit
St. James Food Distri
bution
There will be a Flea Market
on Saturday, Sept. 17
from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the
St. James Baptist Church
parking lot, 110 James
Street, Forsyth. Multiple
vendors are offering a wide
selection of goods, including
many delicious food items.
Proceeds from vendor fees
will benefit the St. James
Food Pantry.There is still
space for more vendors
($25/tent). The event is
under the leadership of Rev.
Antonio Proctor. Contact
Gloria at 478-994-5062
for more information.
Sept. 22
Monroe Co. Democratic
Committee to meet
The Monroe County Demo
cratic Committee will meet
on Thursday, Sept. 22 at
6:30 p.m. at St. Luke A.M.E.
Church fellowship hall, 143
James St., Forsyth. Superin
tendent Dr. Mike Hickman
will present information and
answer questions about ES-
PLOST, which will be on the
November ballot. Anthony
Dickson, candidate for
Georgia House Seat 134,
will also be a guest. District
134 covers upper parts
of Monroe County. Local
delegates who attended the
State Convention will share
information.
Sept. 24
Voter Enhancement
Festival
Because of rain, the Heart
of Georgia Voter Enhance
ment Festival has been
rescheduled for Saturday,
Sept. 10 from 10 a.m.-2
p.m. at Summers Field in
Barnesville. The family-
oriented festival will focus
on the importance of voting.
The Democrats of Lamar,
Spalding, Upson, and
Monroe counties, the Psi
Rho Zeta sorority and the
Omega Psi Phi fraternity will
co sponsor the event. Along
with music, food, and chil
dren's activities, there will
be information about the
three ways to cast a ballot
in this year's election. Check
voter registration status
and register, get ques
tions answered, and meet
candidates for offices at the
local, state and federal lev
els. For more information, go
to the FB Events link https://
fb.me/e/3nle54xKN
Sept. 25
Pam Tillis in concert
Grammy-winning singer
Pam Tillis will be live in con
cert at Monroe County Fine
Arts Center, 25 Brooklyn
Ave., Forsyth on Sept. 25
at 6 p.m.
Oct. 8
High Falls Triathlon
The High Falls Triathlon
sponsored by the Friends
of High Falls State Park will
return this year on Oct. 8.
It will be a three-mile run,
12-mile bike ride and a 1.5
mile kayak paddle to reach
the finish line. The event is
limited to 100 competitors
and benefits High Falls State
Park. The last High Falls
Triathlon was in May 2019.
Sign up at ultrasignup.com/
register.aspx?eid= 15162
Oct. 10
See CALENDAR
Page B4
/Reporter
September 14, 2022
That's a wrap, by George!
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
On Sept. 6 Forsyths may
or, city council and interim
police chief recognized
Major George Foster for his
37 years of service to the
Forsyth Police Department
and wished him well as he
begins retirement. Many of
his family members came to
celebrate the culmination of
his long tenure with the city.
Interim police chief Alex
ander Daniels spoke of the
many years he and Foster
worked together at the
police department and pre
sented Foster with a shadow
box encasing his gun and
badge. James Green, who
was at the council meet
ing on unrelated business,
said he couldn’t miss the
opportunity to say what an
asset Foster has been to the
Forsyth Police Department
and what a good neighbor
he has been over the years
as well.
Foster graciously talked
with the Reporter about
his many years working in
various assignments at the
local police department. He
said he came to the Forsyth
P.D. in 1984 after a rough
year in his personal life. His
father passed away in 1983.
He divorced and was con
cerned about maintaining
a close relationship with his
young son and daughter. He
had served a torn of duty in
the U.S. Air Force, enlisting
when he
was 17, and
was work
ing for the
Bibb County
Sheriff’s Of
fice.
Kenny
Freeman,
who had
become
his friend
when they
attended
mandate
school to
gether a few
years earlier,
was working
for Forsyth
P.D. and
suggested he apply. When
he was hired, he didn’t know
that he would subsequently
be responsible for screening
police department appli
cants and overseeing hiring
for 10 years.
Over the years Foster
worked patrol, investiga
tions, administration and
even code enforcement. He
manned the first substa
tion that the Forsyth P.D.
opened, which was at
Union Hill Apartments.
He worked for five police
chiefs: Ponder, Tipton, Phil
lips, Corley and Harris.
While working for the
police department Foster
also served in the National
Guard, including deploy
ments during Desert Storm,
Iraqi Freedom I and Iraqi
Freedom II. He retired
from the Guard
after 21 years
(1986-2007).
He also worked
security at
McDonald’s and
Waffle House
for 23 years
while working
at the police
department and
serving in the
Guard.
“I wanted my
family to be
proud of the
life I provided
them,” said
Foster. “I didn’t
mind work
ing hard. I was
young and I’d
always been athletic. God
has been good to me and
my family ’
Foster grew up in a close
family of 10 siblings. His fa
ther served in the Air Force
and then worked as a
civilian at Robins AFB.
He said his mother, who
stood 5’2”, was very nurtur-
See FOSTER • Page 4B
Mobile dental clinic takes away the pain
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
“There’s nothing worse
than tooth pain,” said Alan
McCoy, who has worked
with the Georgia Baptist
Mission Board’s mobile
dental clinic throughout
the state for the last three
years.
Wanda Buff of Forsyth
agrees that dental pain
makes people miserable
and impacts everything in
their lives. Buff works with
the Circle of Care, which
tries to meet many needs
of the people in Monroe
County, and she is also
an active member of First
Baptist Church Forsyth.
Her contacts with people
at Circle of Care, par
ticularly the Thrift Store,
made her aware that there
were many people in the
community suffering with
dental issues who don’t
have insurance or financial
resources for care.
Buff said the Centen
nial Baptist Association
worked with First Baptist
Forsyth about five years
ago to bring the mobile
dental clinic to Forsyth
and the church’s Mission
Committee began the pro
cess of bringing it back in
about March. On its recent
visit to Forsyth it served
25-30 people.
Those people left with
praise for the dentists who
volunteered their time to
help them and for all of the
other people who worked
to make their access to the
dental clinic possible. The
clinic in Forsyth focused
on tooth extractions and
fillings because those pro
cedures let it provide the
most beneficial services
to the most people in the
time available.
Patients were screened
on the day before to keep
the clinic running as
smoothly and quickly as
possible. Reportedly the
clinics have performed
more than 20,000 pro
cedures in the last three
years.
The mobile dental clinic
seeks the services of local
dentists. Dr. Clell Mor
ris of Forsyth donated his
skills. Dr. Deck Neisler also
volunteered in Forsyth.
Neisler’s dental practice is
in Athens, but he has deep
roots in Monroe County,
where his father served
as veterinarian for many
years.
Neisler said he was
baptized and married at
First Baptist Forsyth, with
his father-in-law, long
Right, dentists and hygienists take care of patients on the dental bus, including Myra
Gill, left, and Dr. Clell Morris, second from right, and Dr. Deck Neisler, back center.
time pastor and dean at
Tift College I.W. Bowen,
performing the wedding
ceremony. He has many
stories to share about
growing up as the son of
the local veterinarian.
Local dentists Dr. Deena
Holliman Smith and Dr.
Stan Hickman had previ
ous commitments that
kept them from working
at the clinic but donated
dental supplies.
There were also two den
tal hygienists volunteering
their services, including
Myra Gill, who has worked
with the mobile dental
clinic for about 12 years.
John Paul Hasikwas the
driver for the big dental
bus, but he also greeted
each patient and helped
the other volunteers in
various ways.
It truly took a team to co
ordinate the mobile dental
clinic’s visit, and Kim Pit
man of First Baptist took
the lead in making sure
everything was covered.
Local nurses volunteered
to check blood pressure
before the patients saw
the dentist. Volunteers
helped complete all of the
required paperwork before
and after the visit, from
screenings to follow-ups,
and they were ready with
words of encouragement
or to hold a patient’s hand
if needed.
There were signs and
greeters directing patients
and a comfortable place
inside the church for them
to wait. Members of the
Mission Committee pro
vided breakfast and lunch
for the volunteers.
The mobile dental
clinic bus is a fully self-
contained dentist’s office
with three chairs. It
has everything needed
for cleanings to surgical
procedures.
“It is a great, great min
istry patterned after the
life of Jesus. He ministered
wherever he went,” said
McCoy. “We receive more
blessings than we give. We
are God’s hands and feet.”
He said the mobile dental
clinic served Ukrainian
refugees sponsored by a
Russian church at First
Baptist Lawrenceville in
August. Gill also helped in
that ministry. They said it
was a good feeling to serve
where they saw a great
need both for dental health
and spiritual support.
McCoy said another
ministry where they feel
especially needed is to mi
grant farm workers. When
the dental mobile clinic
serves farm workers, it
usually sets up in the com
munity for a week. McCoy
said he enjoys meeting the
people the ministry serves
all over the state.
Gill said the mobile den
tal clinic ministry has been
See DENTAL' Page 3B