On the LAKE Front

Tommy Willis thanks Ken Sherrill for being Planning Chair

Has it been two years? Ken Sherrill has served his time as Chairman of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission. New Chairman Tommy Willis gave him a plaque of appreciation:

Tommy Willis says the plaque is real purty:

Anne-Marie Wolff: Not Ornery

Anne-Marie Wolff is retiring from her job as Valdosta Planning and Zoning Coordinator and moving to Montana. Chairman Ken Sherrill on behalf of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission awarded her the title of Honorary Commissioner.

Ken Sherrill reminds us she's not ornery:

CHANCE: Changing Homes and Neighborhoods, Challenging Everyone

Many people have talked about the recidivism problem, but here's a group trying to do something about it. Helping people right out of jail to learn how to get a job, convincing employers to hire them, mentoring them longterm with life coaches, lawyers, and accountants, and with some helping them start their own businesses and employ others. Jimmy Boyd is the principal organizer, and Steve Johnson is the outreach coordinator. They have some more people already signed up in a core team, and are looking for additional people, not to mention grants.

CHANCE had an organizational meeting 7 Jan 2010 at Floyd Rose's Serenity Church. Here's a playlist.

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE.

Help give some people a needed push? Take responsibility and help solve a problem what will reduce crime by increasing employment? Here's a chance to do that.

Valdosta Civic Round Table, 3 December 2009

Jane Osborn organizes a monthly Valdosta Civic Roundtable, which brings together all sorts of local organizations, ranging from the Rotary Club to the Historical Museum to the Red Cross to LAMP to LAKE. At this particular meeting, on 3 Dec 2009, Sidney Morris accepted the Louie Peeples White Award for Outstanding Community Service. Here's playlist of the 3 Dec 2009 meeting:

Meeting notes for the past year or so are are on the LAKE web pages.

If you're looking for something to do, like Jane says, all of our nonprofit boards are in need of board members....

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE.

New Members, Valdosta City Council, 7 Jan 2010

The Valdosta City Council inducted three members: Deidra White (first time), Alvin Payton Jr. (re-elected), and Robert Yost (re-elected). The Council then elected John Eunice Mayor Pro-Tem. Here's a playlist for the whole thing:

City Manager Larry Hanson read the election results.

Deidra White was elected for the first time, to District 2. Here she organizes the news photographers, gets sworn in, and gets a standing ovation. The Valdosta Daily Times doesn't appear to have posted a story about this meeting afterwards, but it did post a story beforehand, spelling her first name wrong, and concluding:

Backyard Gardens for Community Self-Sufficiency

If they can do this in Silicon Valley, we can do it here. Joe Rodriguez writes in the San Jose Mercury News that "Latino theater director quits the limelight to help poor people grow food at home":

Sugar peas, butter lettuce, red and white Spanish onions, cauliflower and other veggies filled the 4-by-8-foot planter boxes, which Lozano gave them. With four children of their own, the Lopezes live in a small house with two other families, 14 people in all.

The modest harvest won't eliminate Lopez's trips to the food pantry, but it does save the family the cost of fresh vegetables it would otherwise have to buy at the market.

"This is saving us quite a bit of money," said Arturo Lopez, a wall-framer who hasn't worked since injuring his back last year. "Our children are eating better. They come back here and eat a leaf of lettuce like candy."

Who will be the Raul Lozano of Lowndes County?