Alabama Sheriffs’ Girls Ranch needs your help

By Betty Hayes | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Did my readers enjoy the snow? It only lasted a day or so but was truly beautiful. It always amazes me how a snowfall changes the way your home, your town, and the surrounding areas look. (Even garbage cans covered in white snow are lovely. Ha.) Hope some of you sent your kids and grandkids outside to build snowmen. The teenagers on our homestead built one about five feet tall which we liked a lot.

Put on your calendars, Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast is Saturday, February 20 in the DHS cafeteria, from 7 to 11 a.m. Only $5 a ticket, all you can eat. Call Peggy Bullard at 825-9415 to get your tickets, or pay $5 at the door when you arrive. You know the routine, come early, visit with friends, listen to country music and grab a balloon for the kids. Children under six years eat free. Maybe you can get your picture in our Dadeville Record and/or Alexander City Outlook. We’ll be using the money to buy books for the Dadeville Kindergarten and to sponsor a Dixie Youth Softball Team, and I know you’ll want to be a part of those projects.

Attending the Presbyterian Church last Sunday was most enjoyable. Our choir loft was full and in fine voice, directed by Dale Brasell with Dawn on piano. The “Jesus Loves Me” song was a most unusual version of an old favorite, very nice. They also sang “His Love” which I accompanied with slightly stomping feet. Of course our favorite Presbyterian Preacher gave the sermon, the Rev. Monty Cook. Aren’t we lucky to have him back so soon? He first preached at Woods Presbyterian Church that morning, and then came on to do our 11 a.m. service. His message was called “Please Pass the Salt” which had us all wondering. It related to a married couple whose romantic (remember this was Valentine’s Day) husband told his wife he would swim the deepest river, climb the highest mountain, or walk the hottest desert, just to be with her. The wife smiled and responded with “please pass the salt.” It was an excellent story overall with Biblical and spiritual comments throughout. (You just had to be there!)

Last week’s program at Kiwanis was impromptu and enjoyable. The speaker was expected to be our Kiwanis President, Stan Gillies, giving the audience some “computer training” using the Kiwanis International Web site, however, he had major plumbing problems due to burst pipes and standing water, so had to cancel. Therefore, when the group of Key Clubbers entered the Kiwanis meeting, I said to Lauren Coe, their President: “Lauren, please sit at the head table today, since you’re giving the program.” She didn’t expect this and thought I was teasing, but soon realized we needed her at the podium to give a Key Club status report and answer questions. She quickly began writing items to be covered and, folks, you would have been impressed with this high school junior, as were we all! She seemed to enjoy the presentation as much as her audience did, answering all questions thoroughly and making these Kiwanis members feel really good about sponsoring a DHS Key Club with such fine leaders. The other officers are VP Dillon Gulledge, Secretary Melissa Smith and Treasurer Mallory Smith. I feel sure any of them would have also made us proud and they’re all juniors! Which means they will hold the same Key Club offices next year when they become seniors. Hooray.

If you have items in your household you’d like to give away, Please contact the Girls Ranch in Camp Hill at 896-4113. They’ve given the Kiwanis Club a list of “household needs” and “ranch maintenance needs” which is a two-page list of things such as storage containers, trash cans, cleaning supplies, first aid supplies etc. to bigger needs such as wheel barrows, leaf blowers, outdoor furniture, lawn mowers, etc. Please contact them to discuss their needs. I’m sure your house is ready to be “down-loaded” from those treasures badly needed at the ranch. Thanks for your help on this.

The B.B. Comer Memorial Library in Sylacauga has three more “Brown Bag Lectures” this year. On February 24, the program will be “The American Village: Rediscovering the American Journey for Independence” which will no doubt be another interesting story. Please arrive at the library by 11:00 and enjoy their refreshments, or bring your own brown bag lunch. For questions, call 256-249-0961. No charge for these lectures.

Stop by Lil Lambs & Ivy to buy your Girl Scouts Cookies at $3.50/box, all flavors! Peggy Bullard is the only person in town selling these cookies, and she has many boxes left.

On Saturday February 27 at 11:00 a.m., there will be a fashion show benefiting Camp ASCCA and Children’s Miracle Network featuring Johnathan Kayre, the Project Runway Top 5 Finalist and star of Gown Crazy on TLC. Also participating in the show will be Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Top 12 Teens. Cost is $25 per person, or $200 for a table of eight people. Please contact Taylor Yates at 825-9226 for more information.

DHS News:

Here are the lucky winners of the DHS Sound of Gold “valentine drawing” fundraiser: Jennifer Shockley won a gift basket from Lake Martin Pharmacy; Joyce Smith won a gift basket from LaKays; Maribel Nava won a gift basket from Pearsons; Pat Henderson won a Valentine Dinner at Poplar Dawg; Tina Bryan (DHS Secretary) won a Valentine Dinner at Lake Martin Oyster Bar; and Harvey Garrett won a Valentine Dinner from Oskars. Congratulations to all of you. Winning is MUCH more fun than losing, isn’t it?

Many thanks to those generous vendors that donated these gifts. The Sound of Gold made some money from this fundraiser and had a lot of fun doing it. Partnership is key and we have a lot of that in this area.

Most Important: Parents of 8th graders: plan to come to the DHS auditorium to attend one of the upcoming orientation sessions. Either come on Tuesday, February 23 at 9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m., or Thursday February 25 at 6:00 p.m.

Hooray for our DHS boys’ basketball team for winning the area tournament and making it to the State Sweet 16, the playoffs for State Championship. It’s the first time since 1982 that our team has made it to Sweet 16 and we are thrilled!

Hooray also for the DHS men’s tennis team on their win over LAMP (“Loveless Academic Magnet Program”) in Montgomery. Good job.

DHS Beta Club is collecting as many dollars as possible to help the Haitians. The Beta Club convention will be in Birmingham on April 1 & 2.

Both fellow Kiwanian Lee Rearden and I enjoyed attending the Key Club’s Valentine Party last Monday afternoon at the Recreation Center, hosting the DES Little Brothers and Sisters for an hour of fun and games. The little ones received valentine gifts of coloring books, crayons, sweet treats and snacks and had a wonderful good time. I’m so proud of our Key Clubbers for successfully mentoring these youngsters. Watching their interaction is rewarding for me, and I can’t say enough good things about the Faculty Advisors Beth Pierce (DHS) and Christi Jones (DES). Working with these ladies is a real treat.

DES News:

On Friday February 12, DES held Valentine parties and Kindergarten “weddings”. I hope I get to see some photos of that.

A group of us had a great time Tuesday morning reading to the Kindergarteners. The teachers and kids make us feel so welcome that it’s hard to say goodbye and leave! Many thanks to my friends and to Kiwanis Chairman Peggy Bullard for making the “Reading is Fundamental” Program a success year after year.

Worth Repeating: Jelene Duck, DES Bookkeeper and Secretary, says that all of Dadeville Elementary wishes to thank surrounding communities for giving great support for the “Little Hands Helping Haiti” project. In Tallapoosa County alone, we collected over 1,200 bags! Good job and great cause.

Now for library news, if you are not a member of our Friends of the Dadeville Public Library, I urge you to join. Stop by the library for a membership form, or download one from the website www.dadevillepubliclibrary.com. All donations are tax deductible. The cost is $10/yr for individual memberships; Family memberships are $15/yr; Business memberships are $25/yr. These funds are used for supplying special programs, buying materials, etc. They also hold book sales, sponsor book signings and plan other special events to create interest in library use. Paperback books are fifty cents, with hardcover books at $1. The library has a large, constantly changing selection of books, audio books, videos and puzzles. For questions, call the library at 825-7820.

The Book Club of the library will meet on Wednesday, March 17 at 12:30 p.m. in the lower level of the library. The book to be covered is “Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery. Check out the website shown above to learn more about the Book Club. Librarian Amy Huff sent me a synopsis of this book and it sounds great. The story takes place in a bourgeois apartment building in Paris and contains many interesting characters! Stop by and join the Book Club on March 17. You’ll have an entertaining time with a group of intellectuals. After all, people that read by choice are smarter than the average bear.

Betty Hayes is a columnist for The Dadeville Record covering Dadeville.

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