Photos by Lay la Farmer
Men listen ideas for the school's mentoring program.
North Hills
from pa fit' A1
' Q ?
spill their heart."
Other community members
were invited to stand in for
dads who are absent or were
unable to attend the April 16
event.
"We are so excited to see
men stand up, take time off"
from, their jobs ... from what
ever activity they had
(planned) to come in and say,
'Yes, I care enough about my
child ... to come in and encpur-,
age them in some way,'"
Bitting commented. "Just
knowing that the time ... has
been taken gets these children
excited."
The men met with Barber
for a question and answer ses
sion at the start of the program.
They then dispersed to visit the
classrooms and spend some
quality time with the students.
"I can't speak for your past,
but somewhere along the line,
my guess is one or two people
influenced everybody in here
i in a positive way," Barber told
the group. "Somebody has
I helped all of us - this is a way
l.of giving back."
Jesse Hymes' children are
? grown. He felt it was impor
Itant to reach out to the children
Rat North Hills anyway.
"I know there's a need for
'help, especially with young
Pat Biting with members of her class.
A volunteer teads to students.
males," said Hymes, a real
estate appraiser. "I don't know
if it's going to happen today
but I'm optimistic - and I'll
speak for the lot, sort of - that
some kid's going to be saved
from a path that they would
have chosen had we not been
here."
Eighty-two-year -old
Lawrence Reaves came out to
support his grandson Kie
Hughes, a kindergartner.
"I thought somebody need
ed to represent him," said
Reaves, a retiree. "I think they
learn better and they are much
more mannerable when you
show them that you love them.
By me coming here and sup
port him in whatever he does
here, it let him know that I do
love him."
Kindergarten Teacher
Wendy Campbell had four
"dads" visit her classroom.
"I think they enjoy adult
interaction; it gives them a lit
tle individual time," said
Campbell, "I think they enjoy
that it's a male figure. We
talked a little bit this morning
and some of the children did
express that they don't have
male figures in their lives so I
think this is really beneficial."
For more information
about Dougnuts for Dads or to
volunteer at North Hills, con
tact Bitting, at 336-661-4940.
WSSU Photo
Donald Reaves speaks at his recent installation ceremony.
_ i
FTCC grads will
hear from Reaves
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State
University Chancellor Donald
Reaves will address the
newest graduates, of Forsyth
0Technical Community
College at their commence
ment ceremony 08 Thursday,
May 8.
The event will be held at 7
p.m. at Lawrence Joel
Veterans Memorial Coliseum
in Winston-Salem.
Reaves had been vice pres
ident for administration and
chief financial officer at the
University of Chicago before
coming to WSSU nearly a
year ago. Before that he was
executive vice president for
finance and administration
and chief financial officer at
Brown University. A native of
p
Cleveland, Ohio, Reaves
graduated from Cleveland
State University in 1976, and
went on to earn his master's
and doctoral degrees, both in
political science and pubic
administration, from Kent
State University."
Approximately 1,100
Forsyth Tech students will
earn associate degrees, certifi
cates and diplomas that signi
fy successful completion of
their programs of study this
semester. Forsyth Tech offers
programs in Arts . and
Sciences, Business and
Information Technologies,
Engineering Technologies,
and Health Technologies,
s The graduation is open to
the public at no charge.
Parking at the Coliseum will
be free for the event.
doctor
*rom page AI
at the mosque for most of
the last 20 years.
"I am very happy; I /eel so
lappy after seeing patients;
ley are so thankful and giv
ig me a great deal of satis
iction," said Athar, 67, of his
motivation to continue the
jwork. "I really feel very
?.happy, like at the end of the
T clinic, I feel so glad that I
I came, although coming on the
I weekends isn't a very pleas
ant thing."
Over the years, hundreds
of patients have come to the
clinic in need of medication
for a variety of ailments.
Athar says he makes an effort
to reach them emotionally as
well as physically.
"I treat patients as friends
- I want to emphasize that -
\ve are not just physicians, I
wish to be a friend of the
patient so I can advise them
very informally," he
remarked. "I am Muslim also
- I want people to have a bet
ter image of Islam, especially
after all of these happenings."
Community Mosque Imam
Khalid Griggs helped bring
Athar to the mosque over two
decades ago.
"I was chairing an organi
zation called Winston-Salem
Improvement Association,"
he explained. "We had a
health task force and we'd
talked about doing free com
munity health clinics and we
couldn'f find a doctor at that
time who was willing to take
what many doctors feel is the
risk of malpractice suits ...
Dr. Athar was very willing
and able."
And so the partnership
began. Griggs says it was a
match made in heaven.
"I hope that I have a com
mitment to try to serve the
community in whatever ways
that I can, and he has the
commitment to do his own
thino^' he commented. "It's
just oten a union - I have the
enthusiasm, he has the expert
ise. I think the sacrifice that
he makes to do it is tremen
dous. He drives frorti Mt.
Airy, rain, sleet, sfiow or
shine, he'll come down for
the clinic."
The existence of the clinic
is increasingly important to
the community it serves,
according to Griggs.
Photos by Layla Farmer
The Community Mosque on Waughtown Street has offered the
free clinic for many years.
Imam Griggs
Mahaman Moussa
"The southeast part of
Winston is the most under
served; the medical needs of
the community are the most
under-served of any part of
the city," he stated. "So it's
very important to have this
offering in this part of town."
Mahaman Moussa, a fami
ly nurse practitioner and
member of Community
Mosque, studied under Athar
at Winston-Salem State
University and regards the
physician as "an absolute
mentor".
"When I was doing my
master's at Winston^Salem
State, he was my preceptor
for about two semesters,"
explained Moussa. a native of
Niger, Africa. "I know him
very well and he treats people
wonderfully."
He credits Athar's gra
cious bedside manner with
the large number of returning
patients.
"Many of them when I
talk to them, they say they
like coming here instead of
going to their primary care
physician," he revealed. "Dr.
Athar and myself, we really
take time - we're not rushing
them - and we holistically
treat them."
Working at the clinic
under his mentor has been a
great experience; Moussa
says.
"It's really rewarding; I
love it. This morning in
about a few hours, I was able
to do like four physical exams
- that helped those young
children," he said. "It's real
ly a blessing; it's a very good
opportunity and he is a won
derful person to work with."
For more information
about the free clinic, contact
the Community Mosque at
(336) 650-1097 or Dr. Athar,
at <336) 789-7555.
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