Here’s another round of applause for individuals and organizations doing great things in the community.

 

At 12, Tierney Walton has accomplished what several students her age have not. The Hahira Middle School seventh-grader has been selected to serve on the state Superintendent Student Advisory Council where she’ll act as an educational liaison and introduce initiatives. According to her application, she’ll “discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Georgia.” Tierney Walton is the only one chosen from Lowndes County though several others applied, said Claire Walton, her mother. The young student was nominated by Ashleigh Kenny, her English-language arts teacher, who notified Claire Walton that her daughter had been selected. “When she (her mom) told me, I just started to jump up and down and laugh,” Tierney Walton said. “I was just very excited.” The 12-year-old will travel to Atlanta five times during the 2019-20 year to meet with State School Superintendent Richard Woods.

 

A homeless shelter will soon open its doors to the general public. Lowndes Associated Ministries to People will connect the homeless community with resources while welcoming visitors to its shelter 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22. “We’re just extremely excited about the path that LAMP is on now and how it’s going and so we want as much of the community involved as possible,” Yurshema Flanders, interim shelter director, said. Anyone attending will learn about LAMP services and will receive the opportunity to meet clients face-to-face. Some of its services include Rapid Re-Housing, street outreach and a re-entry program for people released from prison. Guests will hear video testimonials and meet staff. LAMP encourages representatives from the eight counties it serves to attend. They are Lowndes, Berrien, Echols, Cook, Brooks, Lanier, Colquitt and Tift counties. “We want those counties to know there’s a role you can play in the success of people not being homeless,” Flanders said.

 

The Atlanta Braves may been been knocked out of the postseason but the Gwinnett Braves kept Choptober alive this past weekend. Led by head coach Elmo Victorio, the 12-member softball team traveled down to South Georgia in hopes of a gold medal in the Special Olympics fall state games. Hosted in Freedom Park, Special Olympics athletes descended on Valdosta to compete in the fall state games during the weekend. Ranging from Hall County in the North Georgia mountains to Augusta to the coast, athletes from across the state participated in softball, bocce and golf from Friday to Sunday. Coaching the Gwinnett Braves for the past 10 years, Victorio has traveled all across Georgia for Special Olympics events. Victorio’s connection to the Special Olympics is a personal one. His son, Thomas Hickman, is a shortstop on the team. “Early on, I knew he was athletic, so I started coaching him,” Victorio said. Hickman gravitated toward baseball and softball early on and hasn’t stopped playing since. “Baseball has always been my number one,” Hickman said. “I’ve been playing it since I was 6.”