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PAGE 14A - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 27. 2008
library's Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Set Thursday, March 6
The Commerce Public Library’s
annual celebration of its volun
teers and their achievements will
take place Thursday evening,
March 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the
library’s meeting room.
A salute to those who help
the library out, in many and
sometimes unexpected ways, the
yearly Volunteer Appreciation
Dinner is an evening of good
food and good fun, and even the
occasional roast.
Catered by the Ila Restaurant,
the event will also feature a
guest speaker and some surprise
awards. Tickets are $12.50, and
are on sale now at the library.
The Cat
Comes Back
Earlier March 6, at 4 p.m., the
library will observe “Read Across
America,’’ a national celebration
of the birthday of Dr. Seuss, who
created the famous “Cat in the
Hat’’ and was also known for his
“Green Eggs and Ham.’’
Children of all ages and their
parents, friends and caregivers
are invited to turn up wearing a
favorite hat, and the Cat will turn
up, too. Following a reading of
a Dr. Seuss book, the event will
be topped off with Dr. Seuss’s
birthday cake.
So don’t let Thing One or Thing
Two keep you from coming to
join in the fun.
Get Tied In Knots
The library will offer a knot-
tying class for youngsters ages 9
and up Tuesday, March 11, from
3:30 to 4:30. Learn how to tie a
sheepshank, a bowline, and so
much more. Reserve a place in
the class by calling 706-335-5946.
New Titles On The
Library Shelves
How about a little Southern soul
food? If that sounds good at this
time of year, check out “Looking
for Salvation at the Dairy Queen,’’
by Susan Gregg Gilmore, and dig
right in. And if you’d like some
appropriate real food to go with
it, try “The Cornbread Gospels,’’
by Crescent Dragonwagon, with
200 recipes.
Mystery lovers can also enjoy
a literary feast. There’s Alex
Berenson’s “The Ghost War,’’ fea
turing CIA agent John Wells; Jack
Higgins’ “The Killing Ground,’’
in which intelligence operative
Sean Dillon goes after some
really scary terrorists; Michael
Palmer’s “The First President,’’
which Bill Clinton says captures
“the intense atmosphere of the
White House’’; Henry Shukman’s
“The Lost City,’’ a debut novel
rich in psychological drama and
political intrigue; and Martha
Grimes’ “Dakota,’’ about a drift
ing amnesiac who drifts into
trouble in North Dakota.
New on the nonfiction shelves
this week is Dr. Dean Ornish’s
“The Spectrum: A Scientifically
Proven Program to Feel Better,
Live Longer, Lose Weight, and
Gain Health.’’ (Now let’s see
... Where have we heard that
before?) Also new, Benazir
Bhutto’s “Reconciliation,’’ a now
heartbreaking account of what
turned out to be her final months
in Pakistan.
And perhaps the most intrigu
ing new book of all, “Before
Green Gables,’’ the prequel to the
famous and much-loved “Anne
of Green Gables.’’
Ongoing Or Upcoming
Wood Carvings on Display:
The imaginative work of
Commerce’s master wood carv
er, Royce Brown, including an
Staff member Paige Young will be The Cat in of the birthday of Dr. Seuss, author of children’s
the Hat for the Read Across America celebration books — including “The Cat in the Hat.”
entire choir, is now on display in
the main reading room.
Yoga: The library’s Yoga class,
now in its second session, will
not meet Tuesday, March 4.
Kidsercise: Wednesdays
at 10:30 a.m. Children’s librar
ian Catherine Harris leads a
program of activities for the
18-month to 4-year-old set (and
for their parents).
Mommy and Me: Fridays at
10:30 a.m., a lap-sit story time
for infants 6 to 18 months old
and their parent, grandparent or
caregiver.
Book Vine: Friday, Feb. 29
(postponed from the 22nd), at
1:30 p.m. The library’s book-
discussion group will meet to
enjoy dessert and coffee, dis
cuss Sara Gruen’s novel, “Water
for Elephants,’’ and pick up a
copy of next month’s book,
“Housekeeping,’’ by Marilynne
Robinson. All who are inter
ested in discussing “Water for
Elephants’’ are urged to come
and join in.
Plant Swap & Sale: Saturday,
March 22. The annual event will
also feature a special class on
“Gardening in the Drought,’’
offered by landscapers Ron and
Jacque Craven.
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Boys & Girls Club
Decides To Go It Alone
By Jana A. Mitcham
At the end of this month — this
week, in fact — the employees of
the Boys and Girls Club serving
Jackson County will be out of a job.
Momentarily, that is.
As of March 1, the Jackson
County Boys and Girls Club will
be an independent entity, no lon
ger under the “umbrella’’ of the
Hall County organization. Current
employees serving the local club
will resign at the end of the week
and then will be hired by the official
Jackson County organization.
“We’ll be totally separate,’’ Bo
Braswell, chairman of the board
of directors, told board members
Monday morning. 'This is a huge
deal for us. It’s all on us now.’’
The Boys and Girls Club serves
children ages 6 to 18 after school
and in the summer at two locations
in Jackson County — Jefferson and
Commerce — for a minimal cost.
Twenty-one board members gath
ered at the conference room of
First Georgia Bank in Jefferson to
get an update on the move to an
independent charter, to make deci
sions on fund-raising and to set a
$289,500 budget. They also met
the newly-hired executive director,
Michael Williams, who hails from
Hemingway, SC.
Williams, who got his start
with the Boys and Girls Club in
Anniston, AL, has 25 years of expe
rience with the club.
Having visited both the Jefferson
and Commerce club sites, Williams
said his goal will be to serve more
children and possibly open up for
more hours.
For the past year or so, since
the departure of former executive
director Steven Mickens, Kathy
Wilbanks has served as executive
director for the Jackson County
group; she is also the recent chair
man of the board.
As the board reviewed the 2008
budget of $289,500 as presented
by Mitch Chapman — the 2007
operating budget was $293,875 —
Wilbanks pointed out that two key
areas for revenue have been or will
be cut, including a Falcons Fitness
grant.
The grant is in its last year,
and while the club can reapply,
Wilbanks said she doubted it would
receive the initial $85,000 again.
Fund-Raising A Key
In addition to grants, fund-raising
has always been a priority of the
Boys and Girls Club, but the local
group is now upping the ante and
has made decisions to resched
ule and, in one instance, “recreate’’
annual events.
The board of trustees voted
Monday to hold its annual auction
on a Saturday night in the spring
this year, rather than on a weeknight
in the fall, and to create a “night
out’’ atmosphere for the event. The
Steak and Steak fund-raiser, which
usually nets about $10,000, will be
held in the fall instead.
“Funds need to dramatically go
up,’’ said board member Rick Flint.
Hint suggested that the fund-rais
ing goal of $20,000 for the auction
be increased to at least $30,000. He
also suggested that the board look
toward a more formal event and to
actively sell tickets.
“We’ll have to build on it gradually’’
Hint said. “A weekend and a cash
bar, that’s a major change for us ...
The economy we’re in, it’s going to
be a challenge, no matter what.’’
While member Jennifer Scott
cautioned that such a change may
not “make a lot of money ... if we
move to the spring and a weekend,
it will still make more than if it’s on
a weeknight in the fall.’’
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Buhl Cummings
CHOICE...This is the season of
choices. The American people will
be making very important choices
leading up to and including the
presidential election in November.
Our military commanders are
making good choices as evidenced
by the continued success of “the
surge" in Iraq. Someone has wisely
said that life is largely made up of
the choices we make.
Athens Christian School can be a
great choice for your children’s
education featuring top quality
education in an atmosphere of
caring concern for each child.
Of course the greatest choice in
life is choosing the Lord Jesus Christ
as our personal Saviour.
ATHENS
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“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristian.com
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