Cub Scout camp continues with community help

June 22, 2005

By KENNY MAPLE
Index-Journal intern

Shooting BB guns and archery are two of the most popular activities at Greenwood’s Cub Scout Day Camp. However, someone tried to deny the Scouts this opportunity when more than $4,500 worth of camp equipment was stolen last week.
This week, though, the camp is going on as scheduled, thanks to donations of equipment and money from the Greenwood community. The Scouts are making the most of their summertime fun opportunity.
“I like the BB guns the best, and then I like the archery,” Cub Scout Jody Bartanus said. “It’s fun to shoot and see how good you are.”
Bartanus and many others have been coming to the camp for many years, which for the first time is at Connie Maxwell’s Oasis. Fellow Cub Scout Austin Hutchinson said he has been coming for three or four years and that he enjoys archery the best.
Bartanus and Hutchinson, who are rising fifth-graders, and the other campers are able to participate in this activity because of the donations from the community and people who wanted to help the camp, a Scouting leader said.
“I think we all should feel very fortunate to live in a community that feels so strongly about their youth and providing a better future for tomorrow’s leaders,” District Executive Greg Balog said.
Donations have helped with other activities, as well. Scouts also participate in games and arts and crafts, as well as work out of their handbooks.
The camp received donations from the Center of Performance at Piedmont Tech, Pfizer, Fuji Film, Capital Bank and Wal-Mart.
Individuals such as James Corbett, Dr. Glenn Stachurski, Newell and Caroline Whitener and many others contributed through donations as well.
To accept the donations, the camp set up the Long Cane District ScoutReach Fund.
“The tax-deductible fund is for people who want to help support our day camp as well as anything in addition, such as sleeping bags for the needy, uniforms, handbooks, enrollment and camp scholarships,” Balog said.
Balog also said that 17 out of the 72 youths came to camp this summer on scholarships. Some of the youths on scholarships are from Connie Maxwell Children’s Home and Bowers-Rodgers.
“If we didn’t have scholarships, these kids wouldn’t get to come,” Camp Director Pat Foulk said.
Balog said they still haven’t replaced everything and “any continued giving would be helpful.”
For people wishing to help, donations to the Long Cane District ScoutReach Fund can be sent to 105 Short Leaf Court, Greenwood, S.C. 29649.

Abbeville County residents unite to bring healing after violence

June 22, 2005

By SHAVONNE POTTS
Index-Journal staff writer

CALHOUN FALLS — It was the second time in nearly a month the public turned out to elicit a call to action in hopes of fighting back against violence in the community.
A large number of Calhoun Falls and Abbeville residents, teachers and others attended a forum Tuesday at the Calhoun Falls Civic Center.
The forum comes three months after an Abbeville teen was shot and killed in Calhoun Falls.
A panel of government and community leaders talked about not being able to see quick results, but building on solutions that would last a lifetime.
“It’s not always what you do but what you don’t do that could determine a child’s successes or failures,” said the Rev. Clinton Hall, one of the forum’s organizers.
Calhoun Falls City Councilman Rickey Holland Sr. said he thought the meeting went fairly well.
“We want more kids involved,” he said, “to say what they think the problem is and what they need.”
Although some thought the meeting was successful, the Rev. Howard Harmon, of Calhoun Falls, admitted that the focus needed to be more of the hands-on approach.
“We made good speeches, but until you get down where they are, the cause is not being met,” Harmon said.
“I think it was a very positive meeting. I’m glad that we could come together to bring healing to this situation,” Calhoun Falls resident Christine Long said.
Long said the large crowd showed her that the people were ready to put an end to the violence.
“I’m proud of the turnout, the young people that we had. It was a good sign,” she said.
At one point during the meeting, a woman interrupted one of the speakers to say the men on the panel weren’t acknowledging women’s contributions to society and the community.
After a few disapproving words, the woman willingly was escorted out by law enforcement.
With the outburst behind them, many listened as speakers tried to leave the people with auspicious words.
Also during the forum, a new program was brought to light called Victory Over Ignorance through Community Empowerment (VOICE). The program, geared toward young men, aims to address conflict resolution.
For information on the next forum, call Holland at 378-4240.

Christian Harris

Christian Harris, infant daughter of Pernell Harris and Danielle Williams, died Tuesday, June 21, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include her mother and father; a brother, Rodriquis Williams of the home; two sisters, Bryauna Williams and Radajah Johnson of the home; maternal grandparents, Deborah Williams and Eddie Drennon; maternal great-grandparent, Thomas Williams; paternal grandparents, Hazel Wideman and Johnny Harris; paternal great-grandparent, Ruth Wideman.
The family is at the home, 1401 Phoenix St., Apt. 12-E.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is in charge.

Reece returning to football field

After year off, ex-Eagles standout to play at Carson-Newman College

June 22, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Most high school football players who get an opportunity to play college football are chomping at the bit to do so.
And most take the traditional route, heading to school where they will play directly after graduating high school. Such is not the case with Greenwood native Randy Reece, Jr. Reece will be heading to Carson-Newman College to play football in the fall, after attending Lander University this past school year.
Reece, Jr., a 2004 graduate of Greenwood High School and former Eagles standout cornerback, turned down several scholarship offers to play football after graduating high school, choosing instead to enroll at Lander and concentrate on his studies.
“I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue playing football,” Reece said. “I felt like I needed a year of academic experience in college, sort of get adjusted to college life.”
His father, Randy Reece Sr. agrees with that assessment.
“I think that had a lot to do with it,” dad said. “He has always valued academics. I think he was hesitant about trying to balance football, academics and college life.”
Reece Jr. made the most of his year away from the game, making the National Dean’s List at Lander.
About midway through the school year, however, Reece began to have a change of heart.
“I wasn’t happy just going to school,” he said. “I was starting to want to play football again. I had gone to a couple of games in the fall, and that got me started thinking about playing again.”
That’s when fate and networking came into play.
Mike Clowney, who had been an assistant coach at Greenwood during Reece’s playing days, was named assistant head coach and linebacker’s coach at Carson-Newman.
Clowney heard through the grapevine that Reece was thinking about getting back into football, and called the former Eagle standout.
“I knew Randy really well from Greenwood,” Clowney said. “We had talked a bit about him coming up here (to Carson-Newman) to play for us after his senior year, but he was determined to go to Lander.
“When I heard he was thinking of playing again, I decided to get in contact with him.”
Reece said that having a former high school coach on staff at Carson-Newman really helped seal his decision.
“I enjoyed playing for coach Clowney at Greenwood,” he said. “When he came and talked to me about Carson-Newman, I thought I’d give it a try.”
Clowney said Reece will bring several benefits to the Carson-Newman program.
“Randy has tremendous speed and good technique,” the coach said. “Most of all, he brings a positive attitude to the team. He’s very coachable.”
Clowney said that a situation such as this is not altogether unheard of at a school the size of NCAA Division II Carson-Newman.
“It’s not extremely uncommon, but it’s also not extremely common,” Clowney said. “A lot of guys think they can hang it up. But then, a year or so goes by and they miss the game. “Because in football, unlike say tennis or basketball, when it’s over, it’s over.”
Reece said that having a year of academics under his belt should help him incur a smoother adjustment to college football and campus life at Carson-Newman.
“I spent the last year getting to know how college works,” he said. “That has to be at least a small benefit for next year.”
Clowney agrees.
“He has spent a year adjusting himself to the classroom and learning some of the nuances of college life,” Clowney said. “He has four years of athletic eligibility, and now he already has one year of academics under his belt. It gives him a little bit of a comfort zone coming into our program.”
Reece, Jr. is taking a laid back approach to the coming season at the Johnson City, Tenn., college.
“I just want to go up there and have fun,” Reece, Jr. said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

Observations ... and other reflections

June 22, 2005

It’s generally agreed that this year’s Legislative session was not the most productive in the history of South Carolina. It got some things done, of course, but those things won’t drastically change the course of history. One thing it did accomplish, though, and it must be satisfying ….. for the lawmakers.
The members of the GOP-controlled House and Senate demonstrated one more time that they are mighty jealous of the power they hold in this state. Once again they made it clear that they, not the governor, calls the shots.
Being in control didn’t make any difference. The Republican governor took a licking from his “friends.” As they say, with friends like that, who needs enemies.

* * * * *

Contradictions show up everywhere. In a nation that prides itself on First Amendment rights, does anyone wonder why President Bush gets so much criticism over demonstrating his Christian beliefs?
When you get right down to it, that says more about his critics than it does about Mr. Bush’s religious demeanor.

* * * * *

Something unusual happened in the Islamic nation of Kuwait the other day. The response, however, was typical. For the first time, a female was sworn in as a Cabinet member.
That’s a breakthrough for women. However, when she took the oath of office, she was met with angry shouts from Muslim fundamentalist and tribal lawmakers.
Westerners have learned a lot more about Middle East societies in recent years. Muslim women, they have learned, by western standards are second-class citizens.
That naturally makes you wonder. Where are the voices of all the women liberationists?

* * * * *

South Carolina Methodists discussed something the other day that sometimes is overlooked: churches in textile communities that also feel the crunch of a shrinking industry.
In recent years the textile industry has faced hard times and many mills have closed. The people who worked in those mills and lived in those communities have historically been served by neighborhood churches. Some of the churches have survived, certainly, but others have not. Some are barely making it.
When textile jobs go, sometimes so do jobs in other unexpected places ….. even churches.