Newspaper Page Text
January 25, 2023
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.
Jan. 28
Carol O'Neal to speak
at symposium
The Traveling Tift Cutie Pies
announce the beginning of
a symposium entitled, “Bessie
Tift Girls Speak" on Satur
day, Jan. 28 at 12 noon in
the Monroe County Histori
cal Society Conley Building,
104 East Adams Street,
Forsyth. The kick-off speaker
will be Carol O’Neal with
the topic “Journey to, through
and beyond Tift College.”
O'Neal is a delightful, enter
taining and inspiring speaker
who attended Tift from
1964-68. She held numerous
class and campus offices;
her senior year she was
selected Campus Superlative,
WAA president and Who’s
Who. The Forsyth community
is invited to attend free of
charge.
Feb. 2
Ground Hog Day
ceremony
Georgia’s official ground
hog, who lives just north of
Monroe County at Dauset
Trails Nature Center, will
make his annual prediction
for when winter will end on
Ground Hog Day, Thursday,
Feb. 2 at 7:30 a.m. The
main gate at Dauset Trails
will open by 6 a.m. There is
no charge for admission or
parking. Souvenir shirts will
be available for sale.
Feb. 2-3
Hubbard Elem. presents
"Moana Jr."
Hubbard Elementary presents
Disney’s “Moana Jr." on
Thursday and Friday, Feb.
2 & 3 at 7 p.m. at Monroe
County Fine Arts Center.
Admission is $5, cash or
check only.
Community
Around Monroe County ► ► Forsyth • Juliette • High Falls • Bolingbroke • Culloden • Smarr
Kiwanis honors Forsyth’s Tom Perry
Bob Harris for 86 years (!) of service
Pictured, left to right, are Jonathan Adams, president of Forsyth Monroe
County Kiwanis Club; Joe Thompson, secretary; Bob Harris; Dr. Tom Perry;
Kiwanis Division 9 Lt. Gov. Jim David. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Adams)
By Joe Thompson
pet 195634@yahoo.com
Dr. Tom Perry and Bob
Harris of the Forsyth/
Monroe County Kiwanis
Club were honored by their
Georgia Kiwanis Division
on Saturday, Jan. 21 for 86
combined years of service
across the county.
Perry has completed 47
years as a Kiwanian, and
Harris has completed 39
years. Both received the
Governors Leadership
Medallion at the Georgia
Kiwanis Division Nine Rally
on Saturday at the Geor
gia Sports Hall of Fame in
Macon.
Kiwanis Governor Daryl
Gumz presented the awards
along with Division Nine
Lieutenant Governor Jim
David. The award recog
nizes Kiwanians who have
served as members and
officers of local Kiwanis
clubs for many years. It also
recognizes local projects
and community activities in
which the honored Kiwan
ians have served or led.
The Forsyth/Monroe
County Kiwanis Club was
founded in 1969 and is the
largest club in Division
Nine, as well as
ranking among
the top 20 clubs
in membership
across Georgia.
Jonathan Ad
ams, president
of the For
syth/Monroe
Kiwanis Club,
thanked state
Kiwanians for
recognizing
Perry and
Harris for
outstanding
service to chil
dren and the
community for
more than four
decades.
“Tom and
Bob have
been strong
leaders in their
service and
role models for
what Kiwanis stands for in
its international role of sup
porting children,” he said.
“It is an honor to serve with
these two men and to be
able to recognize their work
over these many years.”
Perry is well known from
his career as a local optom
etrist for many years. He
has served as president of
the local Kiwanis club as
well as vice-president and
as a member of the board of
directors.
He also is recognized for
his work with youth sports
and was co-chairman of the
original Kiwanis committee
that started T-ball within the
county. Perry estimates that
he has coached 75 youth
sports teams in various
sports and leagues over
the years. He also served
as the first chairman of the
Monroe County Recreation
Department board.
Perry has led local com
munity programs, including
Beautify Forsyth, and has
coordinated fund-raising
projects for Kiwanis across
the years.
Harris has held every
office within the local Ki
wanis club. He currently
is the longest-serving
T-ball coach in Monroe
County. He has a special
interest in the Key Club
of Mary Persons High
School, where he has
served as club liaison for
many years.
Other community
service roles by Harris
include being an officer
and on the board of the
Monroe County Cham
ber of Commerce, on the
board of directors of the
University of Georgia
Alumni Association, and
He has been co-stat
istician for the Mary
Persons’ football team
since 1991.
Currently Harris
serves on the board of
the Gordon State College
Foundation, and he began a
two-year term as president
of the foundation in 2022.
Joe Thompson of For
syth is the secretary for the
Forsyth-Monroe County
Kiwanis Club.
Pregnancy Center works through Advocates
Feb. 4
Monroe County Schools
Job Fair
Monroe County Schiools
will have a job fair for all
departments on Saturday,
Feb. 4 from 10 a.m.-1 2 noon
at Monroe County Fine Arts
Center, 25 Brooklyn Ave.,
Forsyth.
Feb. 5
Georgia Super
Museum Sunday
As part of the Georgia
History Festival, Feb. 5 will
be Super Museum Sunday,
which includes free admission
and special events at historic
sites, house museums, art
museums and other points of
interest throughout Georgia.
One of the sites included is
the Jarrell Plantation near
Juliette. It will be open from
9 a.m.-4 p.m. for visitors to
experience one of the largest
collections of agricultural
artifacts in Georgia and take
a ranger guided tour of both
plantation houses. 478-986-
5172
Feb. 13
Monroe County Schools
Steam Night
Monroe County Schools
“Steam Night” will be
Monday, Feb. 1 3 at 6 p.m.
at Monroe County Fine
Arts Center, 25 Brooklyn
Ave., Forsyth. Targeted for
pre-kindergarten through
8th grade, It will feature
Michael Green, The Science
Machine.
March 10
Forsythia Festival Golf
Tournament
Forsyth Monroe County
Kiwanis Club will sponsor the
Forsythia Festival Golf Tour
nament on Friday, March 10.
The tournament is a 4-Man
Scramble, all play from
the forward tees, a short
game tournament. There is
an 1 8-team maximum, first
come, first served. Entry fee
is S240 per four-golfer team
and includes lunch, golf and
prizes. Lunch is at 12 noon
with a shot gun start at 1
p.m. All proceed go toward
local student scholarships. To
register or for more infor
mation, contact Lee Smith at
478-994-1666, 478-394-
4001 or Lee’s Haircutting, 76
N. Jackson St., Forsyth.
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Peggy Witherspoon is the newest
Advocate at the Pregnancy Center
of Monroe County. A bit uninten
tionally, she accepted a position
where she
knows God
will use her
to make a
difference
in lives.
Peggy said
that when
she moved
to Forsyth
three years
ago she
noticed the
sign for the
Pregnancy
Center,
which was
then on the
square in
downtown
Forsyth,
and she
thought it
might be
somewhere that she
would be interested
in getting involved.
Peggy is on the board of directors
of the Mitchell County House of
Hope, a homeless shelter in Camilla,
her hometown. She knows how
important it is to respond to those
who ask for help. Peggy is a profes
sional make-up artist, and when
she saw that the Pregnancy Center
was offering its clients a day of free
beauticians services, she decided to
volunteer her skills to add to the day.
When she did, she met the
Center’s director, Ashley Mulvihill,
who persuaded her that she has
the ability to help the clients much
more than one day as an Advocate.
The Centers Advocates are those
who meet with clients face to face,
inform them of the services available
through the
Pregnancy
Center and
other resourc
es, listen to
them and
guide them
as they make
choices and
decisions.
Peggy
said she is
still learn
ing about
the Centers
services and
resources. It
offers preg
nancy tests,
prenatal
care and
classes,
parenting
classes, a
clothes closet with items
from maternity clothes
to baby and toddler clothing and
accessories. The Center welcomes
everyone to its Bible Class on
Mondays. It provides information
on adoption, and it collaborates with
other agencies. It offers a monthly
night of child care for parents. The
Pregnancy Center has a long-time
association with Monroe County
Schools to provide abstinence-based
sex education.
Peggy came to her new hometown
of Forsyth somewhat by chance. As
she retired from her career in Atlan
ta, she was looking for an affordable
apartment that offered the lifestyle
she wanted. She found Forsyths
Brentwood Apartments and decided
to make it her home. She feels she
made the right decision.
“I love Forsyth,” she said.
She feels that God has also led her
to work with the Pregnancy Center.
“I have such a deep passion for
the work of God,” she said. “I want
to advance His kingdom any way I
»
can.
She said one reason she wants to
help others is because of those who
reached out to her when she needed
help. At one point in her life, she
found herself out of a marriage and
with two small children to support
with limited resources, including
no furniture. When her landlady
realized that she didn’t have a bed,
she brought two beds to her home.
Someone else unexpectedly donated
a car to her.
“I never expected the help I got
along the way’ said Peggy. “I want to
dedicate my life to helping people.”
When Peggy agreed to work for
the Pregnancy Center as an Advo
cate, she was immediately asked to
represent the Center on its float in
the Hometown Holidays parade
and to contact a young woman who
had asked for an abortion pill. She
accomplished both tasks.
Each day brings something new
to the Pregnancy Center, which is
now located at 562 N. Lee Street,
not far from Volume Chevrolet. It
has been working hard to become a
medical center and offer sonograms;
the Pregnancy Center hopes to
celebrate that milestone within the
next couple of months. For more
information, call 478-994-3173.
Peggy Witherspoon
Phil Ham receives Service Award
Monroe County
District 2 Commis
sioner Eddie Rowland
presented on Tuesday,
Jan. 3 a Citizen Service
Award to local cattle
farmer Phil Ham.
Ham, who was
accompanied by wife
Dana and son Cody,
was given a plaque for
his work in the local
community.
Among his many
achievements, Ham
owns and operates
Sleepy Creek Farms.
He is also a current
member of the Central
Georgia EMC Board of
Directors, the Devel
opment Authority of
Monroe County, and
has been active for years
as a local boy scout
leader and as a mem
ber of Forsyth United
Methodist Church. He
also formerly served
as a City of Forsyth
Councilman. While a
member of the EMC
Board, Ham has helped
to keep power costs
among the lowest in the
state and has been in
strumental in obtaining
state and local funding
for the expansion of
rural broadband. Ham
also recently helped the
Board of Commission
ers identify the location
and acquire property
from Oglethorpe Power
for the upcoming new
Smarr fire station.