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The story on Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful in today’s paper is a reminder that many Valdosta and Lowndes County residents are dedicated to doing good for the community.
In preparing for the annual Rivers Alive waterway cleanup, KLVB Executive Director H. Aaron Strickland discovered he has more than enough volunteers to remove debris from eight water zones in the city and the county. So many that he’s actually turning people away from this Saturday’s Rivers Alive and asking if they can instead volunteer with KLVB for Make-A-Difference Day later this month.
Yet, none of us should really be surprised. We see this spirit of volunteerism each week in Valdosta and Lowndes County.
Instead of sleeping in Saturday mornings, hundreds of people rise almost weekly before dawn to run in 5K races dedicated to a cause.
A dying veteran wanted his family’s home repaired before he passed. Numerous volunteers have been working to make his dream a reality.
Though slowed by heavy rains, Habitat for Humanity volunteers have essentially built a house in the past few weeks.
The Valdosta Daily Times pages are regularly filled with students helping others, groups raising money, donations being made, etc.
In this day and age when even Facebook feeds, Internet posts and even our own Rant & Rave seem filled with people angry and often at one another’s throats, people tend to forget all of the good things happening. We tend to focus on people who are difficult rather than the people who are rising to the challenge of difficulties.
If the negativity of politics and the snarkiness of social-media commentary are bringing you down, think of these volunteers who make a difference each week, each day, in our community.
Or join them and become one of the better angels of our nature.
What We Think
Volunteers: Our better angels
- What We Think
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Charity never tasted so good
For one night, you can indulge your sweet tooth while contributing to a worthy cause at the same time.
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Historic day celebrated
On January 1, 1863, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are and henceforth shall be free.
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How this garden grew
A special-needs couple wanted a garden. A teacher not only wanted to teach gardening skills but she also wanted to instill a sense of community purpose within her young students.
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Happy Father’s Day
He beamed with pride on our birth. He understood worry upon our birth. He is the giant by which we would judge all men. He protected us. He provided for us. He often sacrificed time with us to provide for us. He spent time with us.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To Stevie Young of Valdosta. The owner of Artistic Taxidermy, Young won Best in the World, Turkey, in the 2013 World Taxidermy Championship. His eastern wild turkey display dominated the competition, earning him the distinction of best in the world. Another title for TitleTown!
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Canning preserves food, way of life
When the going gets tough, the tough getting canning. Valdosta-Lowndes County residents have this opportunity.
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PSST!: Round Two!
With tonight’s opening of “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” Peach State Summer Theatre presents its second show of the 2013 season.
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A responsible fix for pets
The photo and story in Sunday’s paper about the dog whose owners had left him tied up with an electrical cord elicited a tremendous response from readers, outraged at the dog’s treatment.
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A band-aid in a crisis?
The announcement Monday by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that a crisis stabilization center will be built in Lowndes County is good news for some, not so great for others.
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Slowing down for summer
Twenty-some years ago, it seemed Valdosta and South Georgia slowed down for the summer. School was out. Controversies seemed to dwindle. People seemed to work shorter hours despite the longer days.
- More What We Think Headlines
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Charity never tasted so good
