Meth is a challenge for law enforcement, society

Rotary President Stacey Blackmon, left, and Rotarian Sandra Morris, right, welcome Carroll County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Reagen Clayton.

It seems like a never ending battle for law enforcement. As soon as they shut down one meth lab, others are ready to take its place.

“By the time we’ve caught one person making meth, they’ve taught five others,” Reagen Clayton of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office told our club last week. Between 55 and 60 percent of those incarcerated at the Carroll County jail are being held because of direct involvement with drug-related crimes, according to Clayton. However, that is not an accurate reflection of how drugs affect society.

“The statistics are accurate,” Clayton said. “ But, what about other crimes? What about the person in jail on burglary charges? Why did he break into someone’s home and steal their property? Perhaps it was to fund his addiction.”

There also is the probability of conflict between drug users living together.
“People who share an addiction must share their drugs,” Clayton said. “That leads to conflicts and assaults.”

Another major concern for law enforcement comes with the dangers of the meth manufacturing process. “It’s explosive. Many homes, hotel rooms and vehicles have been destroyed,” Clayton said. “You take shadetree chemistry and, and in the process, they make bombs.”

Ninety-eight percent of those who try meth, we use it again, making it the most highly addictive drug available. But there is hope for addicts, according to Clayton. He said a variety of treaments methods are available.

“There is a 78-percent higher success rate for faith-based rehab,” Clayton said. “That tells me the answers for someone looking for help come from within. The question leading them to take the drug came from within, so the solution must come from within.”

SIFAT uses faith to provide world technology solutions

Tom Corson

Tom Corson, executive director of SIFAT, was the guest speaker at our Jan. 10 meeting.

Servants in Faith And Technology (SIFAT) is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides training in self-help programs for a needy world. SIFAT offers opportunities for Christians to get involved personally, both to learn from others and to partner with them in missions.

Acknowledging Christ’s concern for the spiritual as well as the physical aspects of His children, SIFAT responds to the great commission by sharing God’s love in practical ways. Faith and technology are merged for the purpose of enabling the poor to develop holistically in Jesus Christ. Since its founding in 1979, SIFAT has trained community leaders from 80 countries around the globe in practical skills to meet basic human needs.

The idea of SIFAT was conceived in the jungles of the Alto Beni of Bolivia in 1976, when Ken and Sarah Corson took their four children and moved to Sapecho to be pastors of a Bolivian church. Realizing that the homesteaders there needed more than spiritual nourishment, Ken and Sarah began work in integrated development with the people of the village. The Quechuan mayor of the town, Benjo Paredes, became a Christian that year and has been a great Christian community leader.

Benjo and Ken cofounded CENATEC (Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Sustenible), a nonprofit Christian organization in Bolivia. CENATEC was the mother organization out of which SIFAT was born. In 1979, the Corsons returned to Alabama and established SIFAT as a training center for meeting basic human needs. Since then, CENATEC and SIFAT have worked closely in many endeavors.

Public art campaign to benefit UWG annual fund

Wolves are invading Carrollton.

No need to panic. The wolves in question are statues being painted by local artists as part of Howl for UWG, a fundraiser benefitting the University of West Georgia’s annual fund campaign. University representatives Clint Samples and Bill Norris spoke to our club about the project last week.

Howl for UWG, an exciting new project that offers a unique opportunity for artists, business owners and community members to engage with UWG. Through the creative expression of our artists and the desire of donors to serve humanity, donors can assist with scholarships to help students achieve.

With creative designs from regional artists and donations from sponsors, more than 20 life-size, fiberglass-howling wolves will roam the UWG campus and community the fall semester of 2012.

Inspired by the popular Cows on Parade public art project, Howl for UWG seeks designs that celebrate the bond between the community and the University of West Georgia. Proceeds will benefit scholarship aid for the university’s annual fund campaign. A portion of the proceeds will be dedicated to providing scholarships for art majors.

Howl for UWG bridges art, academics and athletics using UWG’s wolf mascot and wolf pack as a metaphor for community.

2011 was a great year for Carrollton Rotary

Last year proved to be another successful one for our club. Following is a partial list of accomplishments from 2011:

• District Grant – Our club obtained a district grant for $2,500, which will be matched by the Friends of the Library for a total of $5,000. The grant will be used to purchase vocational materials for the library to help unemployed adults improve their job skills and train for a new occupation.

• Honoring Community Heroes – The Vocational Committee honored the following local heroes – Karen Henley, Teacher of the Year for Carrollton City Schools; Collen Farley, Carroll County Teacher of the Year ; Andy Denny, high school English teacher at Oak Mountain Academy; Bill Lambert Carrollton Firefighter of the Year.

• RYLA – Our club sent two high school juniors to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, a three-day camp in Americus, Ga. The students were Suhani Patel of Oak Mountain Academy and Mark Swindle of Carrollton High School.

• Donations to University of West Georgia – We donated $1,000 for a scholarship and $500 for the student loan program.

• Service Projects – Our club collected supplies and games for Boys and Girls Club, helped clean up at the Boys and Girls Club with the help of Keep Carroll Beautiful, collected school supplies for backpacks, participated in the Great Strides Walk to benefit Cystic Fibrosis and raised approximately $5,700, distributed hundreds of coats and sweaters through Share the Warmth, donated toys to Toys for Tots and donated food and helped pack and distribute Christmas boxes with the Carroll County Soup Kitchen.

• Rotary Foundation – Seventy-nine percent of our members contributed to the Rotary Foundation this year.

• Paul Harris and Will Watt Fellows – We had eight new fellows last year, including Lealon Anderson, Dick Tisinger, Stanley Tate, Susan Fleck, Mary Covington, Stacey Blackmon, Bryant Hightower and Bob Stone, who became a Paul Harris Fellow plus one.

Sheriff’s homes provide a safe haven for children

Shayne Goddard

For many Georgia children, remaining with their biological families is not a safe option. Parents who are hooked on drugs or who face other legal issues often create unsafe environments for their children. That’s where the Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes helps. Some 70 kids live on one of the organization’s five campuses across the state – including Pineland, a 400-acre farm near LaGrange.

“It really is a family,” Shayne Goddard, Pineland’s director told our club last week. “These kids are our kids.”

On average,13 youths live at Pineland at any given time. They live with house parents and meet regularly with counselors and other staff members. “We try to make life as normal as possible for them,” Goddard said.

In addition to residential service, Pineland conducts a summer camp each year that is attended by more than 7,000 kids.

In addition to providing a stable home, Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes also offers scholarships to residents, paying the entire cost of attending college.

“We provide them with a safe environment and opportunities they otherwise would not have,” Goddard said.

Event remembers sacrifices of those on Bataan Death March

John Harris, center, presented an inspiring program on the Bataan Memorial Death March. Rotarian Dick Tisinger, left, introduced Harris. At right is Stacey Blackmon, club president.

John Harris was the guest speaker for the Nov. 8 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. John spoke to the club about the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March scheduled for March 12.

The march is a challenging trek through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health and, in many cases, their very lives.

“My hope is to inspire you to participate,” Harris said. “This is more than an athletic event. It is a history lesson. It honors the legacy of heroes past and present.”

Sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the march honors a special group of World War II heroes. These brave soldiers were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. The conditions they encountered and the aftermath of the battle were unique. They fought in a malaria-infested region, surviving on half or quarter rations with little or no medical help. They fought with outdated equipment and virtually no air power. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles.

Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp. Others were wounded or killed when unmarked enemy ships transporting prisoners of war were sunk by American air and naval forces.

The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the memorial march in 1989 to mark a page in history that included so many native sons and affected many families in the state. In 1992, White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined in the sponsorship and the event was moved to the missile range.

In 2003, for the only time in its history, the memorial march was canceled. Operation Iraqi Freedom required extensive deployment among the units that usually support the march and event could not be safely and efficiently conducted.

Since its inception, the memorial march has grown from about 100 to some 5,200 marchers from across the United States and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians take the challenge.

Marchers come to event for many reasons – personal challenge, the spirit of competition or to foster esprit de corps in their unit. Some march in honor of family members or particular veterans who were in the Bataan Death March or were taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in the Philippines.

Rotary Foundation promotes goodwill and peace

Rotarian Jill Ducan discusses the many programs of the Rotary Foundation.

Jill Duncan was the guest speaker for the Oct. 11 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. Jill, herself a Rotarian, spoke to the group about the importance of the Rotary Foundation and how it impacts the day-to-day lives of people all over the world.

The Rotary Foundation is a charitable organization supported entirely by voluntary contributions. Its mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through projects that improve health, support education and alleviate poverty.

The foundation supports educational programs that promote international understanding by bringing together people from different countries and cultures. Ambassadorial scholarships are given to about 500 university students each year to study abroad and serve as ambassadors of goodwill. Rotary World Peace Fellowships are awarded to individuals for study related to peace and conflict resolution at one of the Rotary Peace Centers. Rotary’s Group Study Exchange is a short-term cultural and vocational exchange program between districts in different countries for non-Rotarian professionals ages 25-40. The foundation provides humanitarian grants that enable Rotarians to increase their support of international service projects. Clubs and districts use foundation grants for projects that provide essentials to people in need, such as water wells, medical care and literacy classes.

Eradicating polio is Rotary’s top priority. The PolioPlus program provides funding and support for the final stages of global polio eradication. Rotary is a spearheading partner with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in this initiative.

As a result of our efforts, over two billion children under age 5 have received the polio vaccine. Five million people who might otherwise be paralyzed are walking today. Some 500,000 new cases of polio are prevented each year, and the number of polio cases has declined by 99 percent worldwide.

Every dollar contributed to the Foundation funds its humanitarian and educational programs and program operations. The Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative encourages annual per capita giving worldwide of $100 or more to support these vital foundation programs.

Bowdon Middle School teacher Colleen Farley was recognized as our club’s Teacher of the Month for November. Farley also is the Carroll County Teacher of the Year for 2013. Pictured, from left to right, are Carroll County Schools Superintendent Scott Cowart, Rotary President Stacey Blackmon, Farley and Bowdon Middle School Principal Scott Estes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Fleck, left, and Mary Covington were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows during our Nov. 1 meeting. The Paul Harris Society, named after the founder of Rotary International, recognizes friends of the Rotary Foundation who annually contribute $1,000 or more to approved Rotary programs.

Developing personal brand key to career advancement

Carrollton Rotary Club President Stacey Blackmon, left, welcomes Dr. Paul Voss, who spoke to our club Oct. 25 about the origins of business ethics.

Dr. Paul J. Voss, president of Ethikos and an Associate Professor at Georgia State University, was the guest speaker for the Oct. 25 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. A gifted public speaker and award-winning teacher, Voss teaches courses on Shakespeare, Dante, Machiavelli, business ethics, renaissance literature and the history of the book. He publishes on a wide variety of topics (for both academic audiences and for the popular press) and regularly appears on television and radio programs.

His work on business ethics, sustainable development, and corporate stewardship builds on 2,500 years of intellectual history. His dynamic seminars, coupled with a compelling and thought-provoking curriculum, receive among the highest evaluations in the industry.

Dr. Voss spoke to the group on ethics and career building for the 21st century. Voss compared our current situation to that in Dickens’ “A Tale of two Cities.” “You might think we are in the same situation. We are. There is a lot of nervousness out there,” he said.
Voss went on to say we created an ethical hazard in our society by giving people the ability to do wrong.

“No one stood up because they were all making money,” he said. Another issue in our society, according to Voss, will be the massive shift of workers over the next 10 – 15 years as 50 percent of all workers, working now, will begin to reitre. This will be an excellent opportunity for youger workers, who are committed to their careers, to advance. Young workers seeking to position themselves for these jobs must develop their own brand equities.

Today’s workers must see themselves as a small business and have the skill sets of value and reliability to appeal to businesses. “The world today is a very complicated place,” Voss said. “In the next year and a half we can expect slow growth, at best. We must all be at our very best and take our legacy seriously.”

Carrollton Elementary School kindergarten teacher Karen Henley, middle at left, recently was honored as our club’s Teacher of the Month for October. Presenting Henley with the award is Rotary President Stacey Blackmon, left, and Carrollton Elementary Principal Anna Clifton.

College/career-ready educational focus at the state level

Dr. John Barge, state school superintendent

Citing more a sharpening of focus than a cultural shift, state School Supt. Dr. John Barge told the Carrollton Rotary Club at its Oct. 18 meeting that getting the 1.7 million public schoolchildren ready not only for college, but careers, is a priority at the state level.

“I am convinced we can do a better job in helping kids find their way,” said Barge. “We need to recognize their unique differences. All kids are not the same.”

Barge talked about House Bill 186, introduced in the state Legislature last year, that requires all eighth graders to have an established career pathway before they enter high school.

By focusing on career pathways in middle school, students will be better prepared to determine the high school requirements that will get them ready for post-secondary options or the workforce.

Barge also said the state Department of Education has applied for a waiver from No Child Left Behind measurements in order to use a new accountability system that factors in more than test scores when evaluating a school or school system’s performance.

“We want to be held fully accountable for everything, not just test scores,” he said of the proposed College and Career Ready Index, which incorporates myriad measurements that provide a deeper understanding of learning and is tiered for growth expectations at every grade level.

Barge used himself as an example of a student who thrived in the public education environment, despite his personal home challenges—poverty and an alcoholic father. He credits his former football coach, Monty Fountain, as the teacher/mentor who led him down the right path.

“Because of him, my story changed,” said Barge. Barge established an annual award in Fountain’s honor that goes to a Georgia teacher who has had a tremendous impact on education and the lives of others.

Barge also credited Martha Berry, founder of Berry College, his alma mater, for influencing his overall philosophy about public education: “Head, Heart and Hands.”

Carrollton Mainstreet: Supporting community revitalization

Jessica Reynolds, Carrollton Mainstreet Program director, left, was the guest speaker for the October 11 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. Pictured with her is Stacey Blackmon, president of the Rotary Club of Carrollton.

Jessica Reynolds, Carrollton Mainstreet Program director, was the guest speaker for the Oct. 11 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. Reynolds said, “I am honored as a citizen of Carrollton and fellow Rotarian to speak to you today.” Jessica spoke to the group
about the accomplishments of Carrollton Mainstreet over the last year as well as plans for upcoming events and programs.

Carrollton Mainstreet, accredited by the state of Georgia, recently won a Best Design Improvement Award during the Georgia Downtown Conference held in Rome. The award was given for the Downtown Signage Project which was recently unveiled to assist with directions for downtown patrons and provide businesses with another way to advertise.

In addition to providing support for downtown businesses, Carrollton Mainstreet hosts six major events each year: MayFest, Taste of Carrollton, Wolves Take the Square, The Lighting of the Square, and the Christmas Parade. The funds raised through these programs are used for enhancements to and around Adamson Square and have included roof lighting, additional American Flags, 13 historic signs, and the 8 new directional
signs.

Reynolds announced plans for several exciting additions to Carrollton Mainstreet including a new iPhone application and an interactive website. In addition, Jessica unveiled the architectural rendering for the new amphitheater scheduled for completion by the end of the year. The amphitheater will seat 500-700 guests and feature a retractable awning cover, a large movie screen, and a projection system. “I envision this as a great asset to the community and city. I am honored to be a part of this project,” said Reynolds.

For more information on activities and how you can become a member of Carrollton Mainstreet please visit their website.