Local United Way surpasses campaign goal, raises $4M

DALTON, Ga. —  Joe Young raised his hand and took on the challenge in 2017 to be the United Way of Northwest Georgia campaign chair. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Robert E. Shaw, who chaired the campaign in 1967 and 1968, and continued the family’s legacy of giving back to the community. Although chairing the campaign can be challenging, Young believes strongly in the value of United Way uniting people and resources to create lasting change in our community. Witnessing firsthand the impact of United Way, Young led the charge to fight for the education, basic needs and health of every person in our community. “I am grateful that United Way is the expert in meeting needs in the most efficient and effective way,” Young said. This year Young and his team focused on making great things happen with United Way. He recently gathered the United Way campaign cabinet and board members to celebrate and announce that the community rose to the occasion not only raising the $3.9 million goal — but exceeding $4 million.

 

 

David Gerald returns to Allen’s Market for February First Friday

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Acclaimed blues and rock guitarist David Gerald will perform with his band next month in Allen’s Market. The performance is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.

This concert is part of Allied Arts’ First Friday concert series. Gerald, a Mississippi to Detroit transplant, began playing guitar at age 15. Inspired by Prince and ‘80s rock guitarists, he performed in multiple local bands trying to find his signature sound. He experimented with pop, rock, and finally, blues as he listened to the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Hill, and B.B. King.  The struggle of keeping a band together caused Gerald to learn bass, keys, and drums in addition to his guitar. Gerald’s next album, “N2U,” is scheduled to be released later this spring, and will showcase his talent in 10 new blues-infused soul rock songs. Tickets for this performance are $15 and can be purchased at www.milledgevillealliedarts.com, or by calling 478-452-3950. 

 

Rhythm Nation to Highlight ABAC Scholarship Fundraiser March 2

TIFTON, Ga. — When Rhythm Nation takes the stage at the annual scholarship fundraising event called An Evening for ABAC on March 2, students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will benefit in ways they never thought possible. The patrons at the annual ABAC Foundation-sponsored event will enjoy a cocktail reception, silent and live auctions, a fabulous dinner, and superb entertainment from Rhythm Nation, a group that blends elements of popular, timeless and recognizable music genres for music lovers of all ages. As the music winds down at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center on March 2, the student scholarship fund will grow so that freshmen can wrap themselves in the ABAC experience when they enroll in the 2018 fall semester. Tickets for An Evening for ABAC are $125 for singles, $225 for couples, and $1,500 for a reserved table which seats eight persons.  A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible. For tickets, interested persons can call (229) 391-4895.

 

Daddy Daughter Dance set for Feb. 3

MAYO, Fla. — The Alpha Delta Kappa is hosting its first Daddy Daughter Dance next week. The event will be held Feb. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Alton Church of God’s Family Life Center, 2365 US Highway 27 in Mayo. The dance is for fathers and daughters of all ages and ADK is hoping to see everyone from youth to adult daughters with their fathers join for a night of fun. There will be a DJ, refreshments and photos being taken during the event. The Daddy Daughter Dance was created because of the quality time between fathers and daughters being very important, said Lori Sadler with ADK. She added that father-daughter “date nights” are special and the group wanted to provide an inexpensive way to do it locally. ADK is hoping for close to 100 people with girls and ladies of all ages who want to come and enjoy a fun evening with their dads. ADK is an altruistic organization that helps raise money to help students of Lafayette Elementary School and Lafayette High School. One of its main purposes is to provide two scholarships for graduating seniors. All of the proceeds from the event will help fund scholarships and other needs in the community. The ADK’s biggest fundraiser is the Book Fair in the fall and spring. Tickets can be purchased for $5 from any ADK members at both the LES and LHS or at the door of the event. For more information or to buy tickets, contact Lori Sadler or Kateesh Hamlin at 386-294-1701 or Lorri Swafford at 386-294-2882.

 

Pleasant week lies ahead 

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Following weekend rains, South Georgia can look forward to a pleasant week, according to forecasters. Decreasing clouds Sunday were expected to be followed by sunny skies for most of the week, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast. “It should be dry all the way through the end of the week,” said Don Harrigan, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office. Sunday storms were expected to bring as much as two inches of rain to Valdosta, which would help a city that has been unusually dry this month, said Jake Sojda, a meteorologist with the private forecasting firm AccuWeather. “The airport (in Valdosta) has reported only 25 percent of the usual rain for January,” he said. A cold front expected to move through Monday morning will bring in dry air behind it, Harrigan said, while a high-pressure system should funnel cool air into the region from the north. Temperatures should be “seasonable,” with highs ranging from the mid-50s to the mid-60s and lows in the low to upper 30s, he said. It should be a “pretty dry and pleasant week,” Sojda said. Toward the end of the week, temperatures should start warming up ahead of another frontal system, Harrigan said. Both forecasters said there was no real chance of severe weather in South Georgia this week.