Thumbs Up! Dec. 8, 2014

The recent announcement that Stewbo’s Restaurant Group is purchasing Albany’s landmark Shackleford House, aka “The Pink House”, on Dawson Road has success written all over it. Not only will the future of the grand home be assured of a long life, it will remain in local ownership. To sweeten the announcement even more, Stewbo’s will add renowned caterer, event planner and cookbook author Lynne Ranew-Mertins to the Merry Acres Events Center/ Stewbo’s business as manager of the catering operations. If ever there was truly a match made in heaven, this appears to be it.

While it is necessary to keep an eye on graduation rates in Dougherty County, there are other Southwest Georgia schools that deserve attention as well. In Bainbridge, the rates have met or exceeded those of the state for at least the past four years. In 2011, the state average was 67.4 percent while BHS touted a 71.52 percent. The most current statistics show the state average up to 72.5 percent as BHS topped that with 73.7 percent. To the students, teacher, parents and administrators, your hard work is showing.

Senior citizens wish for Christmas gifts just like their younger counterparts. Often those wishes are left unfulfilled. Enter Rotary Club of Dougherty County. Members raised $1,500 for the purchase of gifts for the fifth annual Santa for Seniors project and delivered numerous beautifully wrapped packages to the Kay H. Hind Senior Life Enrichment Center last week. Executive Director Kay Hind and SOWEGA Council on Aging Development Director Izzie Sadler were all smiles for a photo in The Herald. The two know just how much the gifts will mean to the elderly who are often forgotten. That photo was a great snapshot of what the Christmas spirit looks like.

Most readers have no idea what it is like for a child to spend Christmas in a shelter, and for this we are thankful. The Bridge and Liberty House in Albany have children today that will awaken Christmas morning to find themselves, for a number of reasons, in one of those two safe havens. Children have no control over such situations. They are, however, children with the same sugarplum dreams as those in every other home. Through the Albany Recreation and Parks Department, wishes can become reality as the staff works for the 11th season of “Make a Wish Come True with a Letter to Santa” program. Call (229) 430-5222 or drop by 1301 N. Monroe Street at Tift Park today to see if any letters remain unclaimed.

Tonight’s the night. At the entrance to Phoebe’s Cancer Center at 7 p.m. will be the annual Lights of Love ceremony, one of the largest fundraisers in the area for cancer patients. Jack Morrell will be the treelighter for the event. Data shows that a woman, any woman, is 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than a man. It was breast cancer, nonetheless, that brings the 70-plus year old Morrell to the base of this year’s tree. After a couple of years ignoring his body’s signals, Morrell was diagnosed with the cancer that is so rare in men. His message for everyone, men and women, is to act when anything is wrong with their body. It is not too late to plan on attending and donating to this worthy cause.