Thumbs Up! May 2, 2016

T. Marshall Jones, John Culbreath and William Berry are a cheerful group. When these and other members of the Gamma Omicron Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity gather a good time is a sure thing. When mentoring middle school-age boys in Albany, there is still time for fun, but the business also is a serious one to them. The annual Project Alpha Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Retreat took place in mid-April, an event that has a history spanning better than 30 years. Guided by some of the best male role models in our community, the boys were instructed about the facts of hormone-raging adolescence and the consequences of fathering a child as a teen. The information was fact based but no lecture. Participants are encouraged to ask any and all questions. For one weekend, it’s all guys all the time. Fraternity brothers willingly spend time with these soon-to-be young men, man-to-man, something many lack in their lives. Pointing away from life on the streets or in jail but toward first completing high school and later learning a skill or going on to college is truly foreign to many young males. Guest speakers ran the gamut from a physician to a football coach to the district attorney. The domino effect of teenage pregnancy is something that needs to be taught and these frat brothers don’t just know that, but act on it. Thank you for stepping up to the task.

When former teacher, assistant principal and current Lincoln Elementary Magnet School principal Ellen Lane began what would turn out to be 30 years with the Dougherty County School System, the world was different place. Issues that bombard students, parents, teachers and administrators today were the exceptions to all the rules. There was no internet bullying, deficit in attention was treated with a good paddling and who knew anyone, certainly not a classmate, who had attempted suicide? As the years have moved along, Lane has kept pace but never really changed her methods. She states that building a relationship with students is the starting point for academic success. Letting the kids know they are loved and that what is important to them is also important to the classroom teacher can lead to nothing but positive results. The DCSS is losing one of its best at the end of June . Here’s wishing you a happy, joy-filled retirement.

Women suffering from cancer are burdened with many issues. One such issue is their appearance. Look Good Feel Better is a mission of the American Cancer Society along with community volunteers and sponsors to help the patients do just that. A group of women recently gathered in Albany and were treated to makeovers and tips for skin care. Those in need were given a wig. All were given free makeup. Stories were shared and at the end of it all, the program’s name made a lot of sense. Another session will take place on May 23 at the ACS office at 507 West Third Avenue. For information and/or registration call (229) 446-0986.

A genuinely amazing story was told in The Herald on April 25. The tale is inspiring and worth sharing with family and friends. Former city commissioner and retired MCLB-Albany supply systems analyst Ivey Hines, having never run more than a few hundred feet in his life, decided to run the full Snickers Marathon. His trainers, Harry Davis and Isom Williams, knew the job would be difficult but also knew that if Hines said he was going to do it, it would be so. The workouts started and Hines admits it was not all fun and games. But, through it all, he persevered (as did his trainers) and when the big day arrived, everyone was ready. Hines ran the complete 26.2 miles, a man that has been blind since 1977. Ivey Hines may have a disability but he is in no way disabled. Thumbs up!

— The Albany Herald Editorial Board