Newspaper Page Text
September 28, 2022
Page 6C
Reporter
Family Connection hears of ways to connect resources
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Lacey Resch, community
engagement manager for
Unite Us, explained the
function and goals of Unite
Us to Monroe
County Family
Connection at
its September
meeting. Unite
Us is a nation
wide company
that uses tech
nology to con
nect health and
social service
providers to
those who need
their services.
The company
has established
a large network in
Georgia.
Resch said the com
pany was established in
2013 when the owner was
looking for resources for
veterans. It began with the
goal of supplementing what
the U.S. Veterans Admin
istration does for veterans,
of using technology and
networking to make it easier
for individuals and those
seeking to help them to
locate resources.
Resch said Unite Us
expanded in 2018 from
veterans to everyone. Those
seeking help can use the
network at no charge. There
is also no charge for “boots
on the ground” people, such
as churches, schools and
other non-profits. Those
who have joined the Unite
Us platform can instantly
send referrals for clients;
subsequently the sending
and receiving organizations
stay in touch, letting one
another know whether the
needs have been met. Resch
said this saves time for both
clients and organizations.
She gave examples of
clients seeking emergency
food or seeking medical
care. Resch said facilitating
resources can halt bigger
problems, like going to an
Emergency Room later.
“It’s person-centered care,”
she said. “It’s more than
referrals; it’s coordination.”
Resch said that since
the network is online, it’s
possible for clients to use it
24/7. Instead of losing sleep
worrying about a problem,
a client can find possible re
sources, sleep and be ready
to follow up on solutions the
next morning.
Unite Us derives its profit
by charging for-profit pro
viders to join the network. It
creates custom dashboards
for a cost. Its goal is to have
a nationwide network.
Unite Us has several state
networks and can measure
the impact they are hav
ing. She said location is
considered but county lines
are not. Resch said there
are safeguards in place to
protect client privacy and to
keep data as safe as possible.
Resch said that 99 percent
of the time when a referral
is rejected, it’s because there
aren’t resources to meet the
need.
“We’re as
strong as our
partners on the
platform,” she
said.
Margaret
Holloway,
a member
of Monroe
County Family
Connection,
said she at
tended a Unite
Us training
and that it is a
great thing to
have in Monroe
County. Jeff
Holcomb, chair of the M.C.
Family Connection board of
directors, said he sees value
in Unite Us for Family Con
nection as a collaborative
and for faith-based groups
in to community to find out
what resources are available
and where there is a void in
resources.
Resch said another prod
uct of Unite Us is the data it
can provide. Partners have
access to data after sending
five referrals.
In other Family Connec
tion business, Holcomb said
Vickie Nickel is the interim
coordinator for Family
Connection since Tammy
Selman resigned as coor
dinator. Nickel was previ
ously the coordinator for
several years and has agreed
to serve as interim for not
more than 12 months. She
wasn’t present at the Sep
tember meeting.
Holcomb said no financial
report was available because
Family Connection is in the
process of changing bank
account information to
reflect the interim coordi
nator. He said a quarterly
report of disbursements and
donations will be provided
at the October meeting.
The report tracking Family
Connection initiatives was
also deferred to the October
meeting.
Holcomb said one board
member resigned since the
last meeting so that there
are nine board members.
At the August meeting
Family Connection had 10
board members and was
discussing the addition of
one more since it is required
to have an odd number of
board members. Holcomb
said the number can remain
at nine.
“We need more worker
bees,” said board member
Scott Bogulski. “You don’t
have to be a board member
to have a key role.”
Holcomb agreed that it
isn’t necessary to be a board
member to be involved and
said that he thinks nine is
a solid number. He said
the board needs a new vice
chair since Nickel previ
ously held that position.
In response to a question,
board member Gwen Byrd
said that board members
are elected for two-year
terms.
Bogulski asked for discus
sion about the two bee
boxes Family Connection
bought for $200 each with
plans to place bee hives
near the community garden
on Chambers Street. The
bees were removed after
the county decided they
created a liability on county
property, meaning that
Family Connection has no
need for the bee boxes at the
garden. Bogulski asked if he
can give the boxes back to
the beekeeper from whom
he bought them. He said
she donated her services to
remove the bees. Holcomb
said that giving her the bee
boxes would be a gift to the
community. The Family
Connection board voted
to give the boxes to the bee
keeper.
Bogulski said the printer
that Family Connection
bought last year was bad
and a new one was installed
that morning. He will send
the old one back. He asked
whether he should give the
smoke detectors that Family
Connection bought to the
Fire Department or whether
Family Connection should
distribute them. There
wasn’t a decision.
Bogulski said Amanda
Harner, the new Monroe
County Extension agent,
will try to get more in
volvement with the com
munity garden. Harner
said there should be more
organization for the garden,
including some rules and
guidelines. She planned a
community meeting for
those interested in the gar
den on Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at
Monroe County Clubhouse.
Bogulski said some people,
like the ones who had
worked with the commu
nity garden at First Baptist
of Forsyth, had expressed
interest in the Family Con
nection garden.
Holcomb thanked those
who have worked with
the garden over the last
six months and said that a
committee will set a path for
the garden going forward.
Holloway told of a friend
who had been prepar
ing a meal, realized she
didn’t have fresh basil, then
bicycled over to the Fam
ily Connection garden and
picked the basil she wanted.
Holcomb said making fresh
fruits and herbs available
to the community is the
purpose of the garden.
One member said that
she would like to see Family
Connection start raising
Lacey Resch
Forsyth M. C. Rotary Club visits
Hubbard Black History Museum
The speaker at
Forsyth Monroe
County Rotary
Club on Sept. 15
was Rosemary
Walker of the
Hubbard Black
History Museum.
After eating lunch,
Rotarians took a
field trip to visit the
museum.
Walker grew up
and continues to
live in Forsyth. She
Pictured, left to right, are Nolen Howard, Barbara Dean, Alicia
Elder, Rosemary Walker, Kenny Walker, Dr. Mike Hickman, Beverly
Savage.
served three terms
on the Forsyth City
Council and con
tinues to give back
to her community
by sharing her collection of artifacts that
document the achievements and history of
the Black community in Monroe County.
Three years ago she and her husband, Kenny,
had a vision of a museum to celebrate the
accomplishments of African Americans who
lived in Forsyth and Monroe County. It was
her desire to have a place where this history
and achievement could be celebrated daily
and not just in February during Black His
tory Month.
The museum is at the William Hubbard
Community Complex (near the Boys and
Girls Club). All are encouraged to visit the
museum’s artifacts that represent the people
and families of Monroe County.
Family Connections board member Scott Bogulski discusss plans at their September meet
ing. (Photo/D iane Glidewell)
funds for the shelter/wom
en’s shelter it has previously
discussed. She would also
like to find the best way to
tackle the need for a shelter
in the community.
Holcomb said the next
Family Connection meeting
will be Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 1
p.m. It will be at Monroe
County Clubhouse and will
also be available through
Zoom.
Remember when...
1992
• Highland Aquariums
and Pets, owned by David
& Dawn Potter, opens in
the Plantation Hill Shop
ping Center, specializing
in unusual pets.
• Of four Monroe
County ostrich breeders,
Bill Bradley is one of two
who breed emus.
• The Brewster Boys
softball team of Forsyth,
coached by James Watts
and Robert King, wins the
state championship of the
Class E division of the U.S.
Slo-Pitch Softball Associa
tion.
• An accident near Main
Street and MLK Jr. Drive
causes a truckload of
chickens bound for the
processing plant to shift
and fall off in the midst
of morning school traffic.
Employees of Cagle’s come
to collect loose chickens.
• More than 450 citizens
from Monroe and sur
rounding counties pack
First Baptist Church to
voice their opposition to
a state lottery. Atlanta’s
WSB-TV is on hand to
film the rally for a special
series on the lottery.
• Forsyth’s newest indus
try, PrideCraft, introduces
itself with a party at Geor
gia Public Training Center.
• Juliette will hold its first
Old Grist Mill Festival on
Oct. 3 with a parade, arts
& crafts, food, doggers,
square dancers and a street
dance.
• The William Carter
Company honors four em
ployees with a combined
140 years with the compa
ny: Lillie Mae Mays, 21 1/2
years; Mary Williamson,
40 years; Eloise Easier, 40
years; Anita Harwell, 39
years.
• Russellville Baptist
Church will dedicate its
new activities building.
• About 20 College
Street residents protest a
proposed name change
to Julius Wright Drive at
Forsyth city council.
• The new Monroe
County Middle School
has 107,932 square feet of
space, 9,074 square yards
of carpet, 213 doors, 24
drinking fountains, 61
toilets and 20 urinals.
2002
• Forsyth protests it
will lose $275,000 if its
percentage of the LOST
Local Option Sales Tax is
reduced from 33.1 percent
to 26 percent. However, if
the matter isn’t resolved
by Dec. 30 it will lose $1.3
million and the county
will also lose several mil
lion dollars.
• The Southern Texiles
plant that relocated to
Forsyth from McDonough
four years ago will be
moving because it has out
grown its building. It may
leave Forsyth because the
city says it can’t lower its
electric rates to the levels
the company wants.
• The Older Americans
Council Quilters, includ
ing Annie Ruth Clark,
Nellie Dumas, Roberta
Smith, Florence Jones,
Nell Bunn and Bertha
Evans, will raffle a quilt
they made. Tickets are 50
cents.
• Eddie Rowland, presi
dent of Forsyth-Monroe
County Exchange Club,
presents a plaque in rec
ognition of outstanding
service for nearly 40 years
to Earl Etheridge.
• Each day Mrs. Col
vin’s students at Hubbard
Primary are greeted by
hummingbirds feeding on
the Mexican sage outside
their window.
• Monroe County Exten
sion says armadillos have
invaded the county.
2012
• Monroe County Library
adds a computer targeted at
ages 2-8 thanks to a grant
obtained by Friends of the
Library. Librarian Debbie
Melton said response has
been very positive.
• Monroe County ACE
(Adult & Community
Education) gives diction
aries to all 3rd graders in
Monroe County public
schools and a thesaurus to
each 6th grader.
• Monroe County Hos
pital celebrates Christine
Wynn, the only employee
that has ever worked for
the hospital for 50 years.
She was hired as an LPN
in 1962. She will continue
to work part time.
• Margaret Niblett, who
grew up in Juliette and has
lived in Monroe County
most of her life, will cel
ebrate her 100th birthday
on Sept. 25.
• Shelly Shuman takes
the Reporter along on a
scuba diving trip to Fiji.
• Former Mary Persons
star Mario Harvey makes
his NFL debut with the
Indianapolis Colts.
• Monroe County
Achievement Center wel
comes new faculty: science
teacher Holly Hamlin,
principal Steve Edwards,
paraprofessional Vanessa
Jones.
• Former Monroe Coun
ty finance officer Kim Ro-
mine is sentenced to three
years probation for using
a county credit card to pay
personal expenses. She
paid $11,324 in restitution
and a $1,000 fine.
• Former K.B. Sutton
Elementary principal Joe
Parlier is sentenced to five
years probation and has
his teaching certificate re
voked after pleading guilty
to stealing more than
$6,000 from the school
system.
• Monroe County restau
rant inspector Tom Baird
is reassigned to office work
in Macon after complaints.
• Monroe County Adult
Community Education
(ACE) surprises Mon
roe County Deputy Jeff
Thompson with recogni
tion as ‘Literacy Cham
pion of the Year.’
• Dale & Susan Myers
have created their dream
home at Hill Top Farm in
northern Monroe County,
where they have flower
and vegetable gardens and
raise poultry and small
livestock.
• Students around Mon
roe County join together
around school flagpoles at
7 a.m. on Sept. 26 to join
the nation-wide ‘See you
at the Pole’ prayer event.
• The 2012 Mary Persons
Marching Band’s half-time
show, under director Jim
Blanton, will feature music
from the group Chicago.
Drum majors are Clay Ve-
dder and Brittany Walker.
• Garrison Walker wins
1st among all 4th graders
and Suzanne Woodberry
wins 2nd among all 5th
graders in the annual
art contest sponsored by
Jimmy Carter National
Historic Site Education
Program. Artworks by the
two T.G. Scott students
were picked from 8,000
entries.
• Monroe County Moose
Lodge members present
Tommy Moose stuffed
animals to Forsyth Police
Dept, and Fire Dept, to
give to children affected by
traumatic situations.
Remember When
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86 West Main Street • Forsyth
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