Fuller Center seeks your help
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Fuller Center for Housing Greater Blessings Project in Claiborne Parish is
badly in need of volunteers and expertise to help give those who can’t afford
it a decent place to call home.
While
the organization does not have the funds to build new homes, they are receiving
some funds to repair some areas of homes badly in need.
The
Rev. Russell Grigsby, president of the board, said they have many projects that
need to be done, but they just don’t have the volunteers needed to complete
them and the ones they do have are physically limited in some areas. Some of
those projects include roofing, repairing structural damage, kitchen cabinets
and electrical work.
“We
have a number of projects, and we’ve put a couple of articles in the paper, but
no one has come forward,” Grigsby said. “We want this to be a community
project, because many of our board members are not able to climb roofs, they’re
not able to carry heavy materials or even the expertise that we need to do some
of these projects with.”
He told
the story of a woman whose roof desperately needs to be replaced. He said she
had 10 or 12 buckets throughout her home to catch water when it rains, “and because
we didn’t have a roofer or someone with the expertise, we tried to tar the
roof, but that didn’t work to well. So, we put a tarp over it until we can get
back to her.
“If it
does rain again, maybe it won’t rain into her house,” he continued, “but that’s
only a temporary fix.”
Currently,
they have six or seven qualified applicants, but they don’t have the funds or
the manpower to complete them. Fuller Center for Housing of Claiborne Parish
has also had three complete homes donated to them, but they don’t have the
funds to move them. They have two homes in Homer and one in Haynesville that
need to be moved. And once that’s done, Grigsby said, the homes will need
plumbing and electrical work done to hook them up.
It
costs about $10,000 each to move each home, Grigsby said.
The
organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, which means any monetary donations are tax
deductible.
The
Greater Blessings Project began a few short years ago, and at first, had some
trouble getting started. They were only raising enough money to do small
repairs, but as word got around, donations began picking up. However, this
year, donations have been down, which means they aren’t able to do as many
repairs as are needed.
For
many years, Webster’s Fuller Center for Housing was accepting donations from
citizens in Claiborne Parish. Grigsby and others in the community saw a great
need right here at home. And in Claiborne Parish, more so, needs a program like
this, because Claiborne is a rural parish and tends to have a higher low-income
population.
“Over
the years, we’ve had a handful of volunteers come from Claiborne Parish and
we’ve had some donations from Claiborne Parish,” Charlie Park, executive
director of the Fuller Center for Housing of Webster Parish. “They have given
to this ministry before and we encourage them to give to their local
organization.”
Not
only are they in need of volunteers and monetary funds, but the board is
seeking new ideas on how to raise money to make these repairs. They recently
hosted a bake sale, which brought in a decent amount, Grigsby said, but the
need is so much greater than what one fundraiser could bring in.
The
Fuller Center for Housing Ministry actually began as Habitat for Humanity in
1976, founded by Millard and Linda Fuller. The idea was to begin a Christian
ministry to give people safe, decent housing.
According
to their website, www.habitat.org, the “concept that grew into Habitat for
Humanity International was born at Koinonia Farm, a small, interracial
community outside of Americus, Georgia. Koinonia Farm was founded in 1942 by
farmer and biblical scholar Clarence Jordon.”
The
website continues, “The Fullers first visited Koinonia in 1965. They had
recently left a successful business and an affluent lifestyle in Montgomery,
Alabama to begin a new life of Christian service.”
At this
farm, the Fullers and Jordan developed the concept of “partnership housing,”
centered on those in need of decent shelter. They worked side by side with
volunteers to construct simple, decent houses.
Building
expenses are paid for through a revolving fund called “The Fund for Humanity.”
The fund’s money comes from the new homeowners’ house payments, which are
no-interest loans provided by supporters and volunteers. Funds also come from
fundraising events as well as generous donations from the communities.
This
program is not a handout, but rather a hand up.
“What
the poor need is not charity, but capital, not case workers but co-workers,”
reads to the mission statement. “And what the rich need is a wise, honorable
and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance.”
The
volunteers who build the homes are those in need of repairs on their own homes
or are receiving a new home. This idea is called “sweat equity” in which
volunteers or potential Habitat homeowners and their families work on other
homes in need. They also work on their own homes when construction begins.
Habitat
for Humanity International is worldwide, with ministries in many countries as
well as right here in the United States. The name changed in 2005 to The Fuller
Center for Housing, which is currently building and renovating homes in 14
countries and 64 communities in the United States, according to
www.fullercenter.org.
For
more information, to volunteer time or expertise, or to make a monetary donation,
please call Grigsby at 318-265-9266 or Jeffery Rhone at 318-205-8399. The
Fuller Center office is located at Believers Worship Center in Homer, but
meetings are held at Homer City Hall.
Honoring Our Veterans
Claiborne Parish pays tribute to local veterans
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
Linda Volentine, project director at the
Herbert S. Ford Museum displays World War II veterans during a recent speech at
the Homer Lions Club. During the presentation, she displayed various items used
by soldiers and pictures of veterans from Claiborne Parish who served during
World War II.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
On
Sunday, the nation came together to celebrate Veterans Day to honor veterans of
all wars for their sacrifices and duty to this great nation.
During
a recent Lions Club meeting, Linda Volentine gave a presentation highlighting
World War II veterans, recognizing several veterans from all wars in
attendance. Veterans in attendance were Lions Joe Richardson, Jim Hatch, Dale
Foster, Fred Lewis, O.P. “Pete” Pearson, Don Taylor, Clyde Hightower and Alf
Pike.
During
her presentation, she had set up a display board which pictured several World
War II veterans who are still living, including some in attendance: Lewis,
Foster and Pearson.
“Claiborne
Parish is so blessed to have so many people who have served our nation,” she
said. “In our nation, we’re losing 1,000 World War II veterans a day. There’s
never been a time when our nation was united as much as it was during that
time.”
Volentine
talked about the veterans/war exhibit at the Herbert S. Ford Museum, saying it
is an ongoing project. The goal is to recognize and tell the story of each
veteran from Claiborne Parish who served. The museum now has a DVD with many
veterans on it, but it is an ongoing project as well. The DVD contains photos
of those who served in wars from the Confederate War to the present. She is
also working to gather a photograph of every veteran in Claiborne Parish.
And
while this is an important project, they are really interested in the stories
behind the faces.
The
display at the Lions Club meeting mainly focused on World War II veterans and
how they lived. She showed “ration cans” which are similar to today’s MREs
(Meals Ready to Eat).
“Had
you been a soldier, you may have had a ‘K’ ration,” she said, showing a can
which contained sliced ham cooked in its own juices.
Other
rations contained applesauce, crackers and peanut butter. In another packet,
there was matches, chewing gum, toilet paper, coffee, cream substitution and
salt.
“This
was your meal,” she said. “Cecil Volentine gave us his can opener that he
carried in his pocket to open these cans.”
She
showed another item from George Tigner’s father that allowed a soldier to “spit
shine” the buttons on their dress uniforms.
She
also showed an old cigarette package that was red and green, which signified
the package was made before all green paint was confiscated to go towards the
war effort. After that, Lucky Strike brand cigarette packages went to white and
red.
She
also showed pictures on the board of her father and her uncle. “Uncle Jack”
(Jack Barnette) was killed in the Southwest Pacific in World War II. There is a
case at the museum that tells his story from the very beginning, she said. She
displayed a calendar from that case that her grandmother kept which showed
March 1945.
“It’s
the only part of the calendar my grandmother [kept],” she said. “In my grandmother’s handwriting, it says ‘Jack
was wounded on this day.’ And over here on the 9th, she wrote, ‘Jack died on
this day.’ My uncle was in the Red Era division of the 32nd Infantry Division,
and they were walking through heavily jungled areas, and a sniper shot caught
him. He died two days later. My grandparents received many sympathy cards from
people all over, (and) letters from Gen. MacArthur expressing condolences.”
“Uncle
Jack” is buried in the Philippine Islands, Volentine said, and unfortunately,
during those times, soldiers were buried in the country in which they died.
It’s not like today, where soldiers are brought back to U.S. soil to be buried.
“A lot
of these [soldiers] never came home during World War II,” she said.
In the
near future, she is going to change out the case in the David Wade Military
Room to display the story of a Haynesville man named Bill Kellum, who graduated
from Haynesville High School and went on to West Point.
“We
have artifacts from West Point, from Haynesville and from
his service,” she said.
She
showed a Western Union telegram his family received, which said Kellum had been
captured by the Communists and died while in their custody. Another soldier who
did not come back, Volentine said, is John Rushing. Mrs. Rushing received a
notice within a couple of days that both of her sons had been killed in action.
She
also told the stories of a few others who were killed in action or went missing
and never came home.
“We do
as much as we can to hail the stories of these people who gave so much for us
and for our country,” she said. “It’s quite moving to see all of this stuff
that people have so freely given, and we’re so proud of all of our veterans.
That’s one of the things we want to do at the museum is to continue to honor
them in all that they do.”
Those
pictured on the board were, from left, top row: S. E. “Stub” Adkins, Thomas M.
Deas, Dale Foster, C.C. “Hamburger” Austin, Cortez Bays, Charles R. Barnette,
James M. Robinson, Hollie Rushing, and John E. Rushing. Second Row, from left:
Frederick A. Lewis, O.P. “Pete” Pearson, John Earl Barnette, John Featherston,
George Ford, C.L. Tabor Jr., Claude H. Torbet, Troy Sanders.
Third
Row: William, R. Ford, T. Lawson Guice Jr., James Gladney, William M. Shaw, Robert
Earl Smith, Sidney E. Smith Jr.
Bottom
Row: Raymond T. Sanders, Mark Wiginton Jr., Paulanna Gladney, F.B. Martin, W.
Duane Rhea, Jessie E. Watson, Hugh Whatley and Perry Carter Wideman.
In
other news, Volentine also expressed her appreciation to the Homer Lions Club
for its generous donation towards the waterproofing project at the museum where
the west wall was leaking and causing structural damage. The interior and
exterior windows on the second floor have been re-glazed. The inside walls are
the next phase of the repairs.
“We’re
very grateful for the support that y’all have given us,” she said. “You always
support us, but you really went above and beyond for that project. The only
thing we have left to do is to finish the inside walls, which should be coming
at the first of the year.”
Red Ribbon Week winners
The Guardian-Journal photo/Michelle Bates
The Claiborne Parish School Board
recognized its Red Ribbon Week winners from across the parish, who won an essay
contest about how to say no to drugs. This year’s theme was “The Best Me is
Drug Free.” Pictured above are, from left, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janice
Williams, Libby Townsend, who won the K-3 division, Missouri Wade, who won the
4-5 grade division, Unique Johnson, who won the 6-8 grade division, Jacob
Hardy, who won the 9-12 grade division and School Board President Will Maddox.
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Claiborne Parish School Board recognized its Red Ribbon Week winners in which
each winner received a reward for their efforts to be drug free.
Students
from all Claiborne Parish schools participated in the essay portion of the
contest stating how they plan to live drug-free. Claiborne Schools
Superintendent Dr. Janice Williams said this year, the school system focused on
the essay portion of the Red Ribbon Week contests because of an increased
emphasis on writing from the Department of Education. The theme this year was
“The Best Me is Drug Free.”
Winners
included:
• K-3
Division winner is Libby Townsend, second grader at Haynesville Elementary
• 4-5
Division winner is Missouri Wade, fifth grader at Homer Elementary
• 6-8
Division winner is Unique Johnson, sixth grade at Haynesville Jr./Sr. High
School
• 9-12
Division winner is Jacob Hardy, junior at Summerfield High School
“Thank
you teachers, parents, principals and everyone who is involved in making sure
that our children maintain this pledge throughout their lives to be drug free,”
Williams said. “Congratulations to you all.”
School
Board President Will Maddox said he is proud of these students for their
accomplishments.
“To
have a time to award something for doing well, that’s the best part of being up
here,” Maddox said of these children.
Williams
also said a special thank you to the businesses who contributed -- Regions Bank
Homer Branch, Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey, Gibsland Bank and Trust
Homer Branch and Capital One for their support in providing a token of
appreciation for the winners.
In
other news, the school board also unanimously approved several job descriptions
that were added or revised in the school board’s policy manual. According to
Twyla Hilton, they looked at different parishes to get an idea of what needed
to be in the job descriptions.
“We
also used the COMPASS system to see what things needed to be in the job
descriptions,” she said.
Also,
persons in these positions also reviewed the job descriptions and made any
changes necessary. Those job descriptions include accounts payable clerk,
business manager, clerk: federal program, data specialist, director of human
resources, district literacy coach, executive secretary to the superintendent,
insurance/payroll clerk, personnel/payroll clerk, receptionist, sales and use
tax collector and school food service clerk.
The board
also approved policy revisions for buildings and grounds management, employee
tobacco use and student smoking/tobacco use.
According
to Bob Bond, these revisions make the policies more comprehensive and more
specific such as the places they can’t smoke and naming smoking apparatuses
that can’t be used.
“It
becomes a more comprehensive policy,” Bond said. “It added portable buildings,
field houses; it was all about ‘where.’ It was all encompassing.”
In the
superintendent’s report, personnel activities included the replacement of two
positions, one replacing Keith Beard as a guidance counselor at Homer High
School. Catrenia Scott was hired to take that position. Also, Eleanor Key, a
fifth grade math teacher at Homer Elementary replaced Tammy Sutton. Both employees
will complete this year only (the 2012-13 school year).
Williams
said they are off to a fast-paced start to train teachers on the COMPASS
structure and working on how to interpret data and what’s important as far as
testing is concerned.
She
also offered her congratulations to the football coaches and players as both
football teams from Homer and Haynesville have advanced to bi-district
playoffs.
She
also reported that within the last couple of weeks she has met with
representatives with Mount Olive Christian School regarding the flashing
lights. They are at the point of waiting on them to identify who is going to be
the sponsor so they can proceed with the cooperative endeavor agreement.
“No
money will exchange hands,” she said. “It will be goods for services.”
Also
reported is student enrollment is down to approximately to 1,860 students,
where at the beginning, it was about 1,945 students enrolled. Fred Evans, CPSB
business manager, said that number will be re-evaluated in February 2013.
Williams said the school systems have gained some students as well but it won’t
be reflected until the count in February.
Danny
Lee congratulated the students, faculty and staff at Summerfield High School
for raising its overall school score to a C. They had a school performance
score of 102.1. Haynesville Elementary also raised their overall score to a C
with a 91.9 score.
The
next school board meeting will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, December 6, in the
school board meeting room at Central Office. For more information, or for
questions, please call their office at 318-927-3502.
OCS changes hands
MICHELLE BATES, Editor
The
Claiborne Parish Office of Community Services is tentatively changing hands as
Executive Director Jean Reynolds Sherrill is retiring.
For the
last few months, Jodie Heigle, who has been serving as assistant executive
director, was given the position at the recommendation of the Claiborne Parish
Police Jury’s personnel committee. She was promoted to executive director with
a raise to $30,000 per year salary. Her salary will be re-evaluated in six
months.
On that
note, a retirement reception will be held for Mrs. Sherill will immediately
follow the regular monthly meeting in December.
In
other news, the police jury was presented with a draft of a proposed amendment
to Ordinance 703, which will be Section 82-40. Access Permits -- New Oil &
Gas Explorations and Existing Work Over Rigs. This proposed amendment will
establish a $10,000 cash bond requirement on new wells in the parish. It will
be a one-time cost on any operator drilling within the parish. The maximum bond
that would be required to be posted is $10,000.
In
part, the proposed amendment would read, “The OPERATOR shall provide the PARISH
a cash or letter of credit bond for the sum of $10,000.00 annually for any
newly Permitted Well sites. If the OPERATOR has more than one newly Permitted
Well annually, the initial $10,000.00 cash or letter of credit bond provided to
the PARISH shall be sufficient, the OPERATOR shall not be required to purchase
additional bonds...
“(b)
The Road Superintendent shall issue a Special Permit -- Work Over Rig, at a
cost of $250 annually to the applicant, to any person who applies for temporary
access to a Parish road for a commercial operation concerning such rigs, provided
such a person is not in violation of this Ordinance. Such Special Permit shall:
1. Be for duration not to exceed one (1) calendar year, 2. Apply to a
particular access or provide for multiple, unspecified occurrences of access to
the same well location.”
No
action was taken on this issue except to set a public hearing for the proposed
amendment. The public hearing has been set for 8 a.m., Wednesday, December 5
before the regular monthly meeting at 9 a.m. At that time, the proposed
amendment will go before the police jury for approval.
In the
buildings and grounds committee report, District 3 Police Juror Bob McDaniel
reported that two quotes were given for the repair of the voting warehouse
roof. Arklatex Builders came in with the lowest bid at $12,430 to put a metal
roof on the building. The warehouse is to store the voting machines for the
parish, which is located one block east of the courthouse. The building is
approximately 4,000 square feet.
Also in
his report, he said that Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey volunteered the
use of the women offenders from the Claiborne Parish Women’s Jail to help out
with mowing the parish’s properties next season. In October, there was some
discussion about bidding out lawn care because parish employees just aren’t
able to keep up with all of it. Road Superintendent Tommy Durrett had said then
that his crew has vast areas to cover. So, instead of bidding it out, Bailey
volunteered the labor, and now all the police jury has to do is look into
purchasing the equipment needed for them to perform the work.
In
other news, the police jury agreed to start the process of closing a portion of
Peterson Road from the store at Pleasure Point Marina Bar and Grill to the
lake.
“This
portion of roadway will not affect any other landowner, all property on both
sides and end of the road belong to me,” Mills said in his letter to the police
jury. “Motorists will still have access to make a turn around.” The access to
Boat Ramp Road will still be open, but he only wants to close the portion
beyond the store to the “point.”
In
other news, the police jury approved:
•
Setting the Thanksgiving holiday with lunch on Tuesday, November 20 at the Road
Barn. Employees will be off work from Wednesday, November 21 until Friday,
November 23. The police jury office will reopen on Monday, November 26.
•
Setting of the Christmas holiday with lunch on Friday, December 21, with
employees off on December 24 through Tuesday, January 1, 2013. The office will
reopen on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
• A
request from Tommy Sanders requesting permission for use of the courthouse lawn
on Saturday, May 4, 2013, from 5 a.m. until 3 p.m. and the use of the Police
Jury chambers and foyer for use with the silent auction fundraiser for Cystic
Fibrosis.
• A
request from Durrett for a merit raise for Truck Driver Terry Mitchell.
•
Resolution 2012-020 Authorizing Resolution for 2013 for the Application with
the LA DOTD for a Grant Under 49 CF 5311, Non-Urbanized Area Formula and/or CFR
5309, Discretionary Capital Program. Secretary Treasurer Dwayne Woodard
explained that this is something the jury must do every year. This is the
funding for the parish’s transportation program with the Office of Community
Services, which provides transportation to those who meet eligibility requirements.
The
jury also approved several sealed bids for road materials and fuel.
The
next police jury meeting will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, December 5, in the police
jury meeting room. For more information or for questions, please contact their
office at 927-2222.
Thanksgiving Service set for Nov. 18
The
Homer Ministerial Alliance is sponsoring the annual Thanksgiving Community
Service on Sunday, November 18 at 6 p.m. The service will be held at First
United Methodist Church in Homer, where the Rev. R.B. Moore is pastor.
The
speaker will be the Rev. Ben Booth, pastor of Lighthouse Family Worship Center.
Music will be provided by Alice Gandy of Emmanuel Baptist Church in the
Hurricane Community.
Everyone
is welcome for this time of community fellowship and giving thanks for what God
has done for us and our community.
FPC hosts Thanksgiving meal
No
plans for Thanksgiving? Planning on spending the day alone?
Then
you are invited to come join us for a wonderful meal at First Presbyterian
Church in Homer on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 22.
Church
members are making plans to prepare a delicious meal at noon on Thanksgiving
Day for individuals in the community who would normally be alone, or who have
no family members or friends to spend the holiday with. We will also provide
transportation for those who need a ride.
For
more information, if you need a ride, or if you know someone who will be alone
on Thanksgiving, please call Pastor John McClelland at 318-927-3887 or
927-4804, or Susan Herring at 318-927-4352 or 318-548-9146.
Please
plan to come join us for a wonderful meal and an opportunity to not only thank
the Lord for His enduring love for us, but to also thank Him for the “thorns”
in our lives.
Law enforcement urge caution, safety
during Thanksgiving travel
The Guardian-Journal
Millions
of travelers will be hitting the roads as they head out of town to visit with
family and friends over the Thanksgiving holidays.
Claiborne
Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey wants to remind drivers to be safe during their
travel as the roads will be filled with other drivers going to visit their
families. According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission (LHSC), the
latest statistics available show that in 2009, 19 people were killed and 658
were injured in crashes in Louisiana during the Thanksgiving holiday. From 2005
to 2009, an average of 16 people each year were killed in crashes over the
Thanksgiving holiday.
According
to LHSC, part of the reason for the high crash rates during the Thanksgiving
holiday is the volume of travel. According to the U.S. Department of
Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average Thanksgiving
long distance trip is 214 miles.
“What a
lot of people need to understand is that a high percentage of traffic
fatalities are the result of poor decision-making,” Bailey said. “These are
tragic and needless deaths. I urge all motorists to protect themselves and
their fellow travelers by practicing the following simple, safety driving
tips.”
• Don’t
drink and drive. If you suspect a driver is intoxicated, do not follow too
closely, because he or she may make sudden stops.
•
Buckle up. This is one of the most effective methods to protect against injury
or death in a motor vehicle crash.
• Use
approved child restraints. Louisiana law requires that all children age one
year or less than 20 pounds ride in a rear-facing child safety seat; ages one
to three or 20-39 pounds in forward-facing child safety seats; ages four to
five or 40-60 pounds in a booster seat; and ages six to 12 or greater than 60
pounds may use an adult seatbelt.
• Avoid
distracted driving. Distracted drivers continue to endanger the public by using
cell phones, operating electronics or eating food while driving. A safe driver
is a focused driver. Remember, text messaging is illegal in Louisiana while
driving.
• Slow
down and obey the speed limits. Studies show that higher travel speeds are
responsible for a significant increase in highway traffic deaths.
• Get
enough sleep. Sleep deprivation and fatigue can cause lapses in attention,
slowed awareness and impaired judgment.
• Be
extra cautious around large trucks. These vehicles have larger blind spots and
much longer stopping distances than passenger cars.
• Don’t
tailgate. Follow other vehicles at a safe distance.
• Expect
the unexpected. Watch traffic around your vehicle and be prepared to react.
Scan the road ahead for potential hazards such as other vehicles and road
debris.
• Be
extra alert around construction zones.
• Take
frequent breaks to keep alert during long distance trips.
“Safe
travel ultimately comes down to the people on the roads,” Bailey said. “The
individuals behind the wheel are not only responsible for themselves and their
passengers, but responsible for all the other travelers they share the roads
with at a given time. Every thought and every action counts.
