Sweet on Soldiers
Shop's Patriot Boxes are a smash hit
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THE CHRONITI F
When "Jackie Williams says she supports the
troops, she means it. Williams, owner of Sweeties
gift and candy boutique has a vested interest in the
armed forces.
"I have two sons in the Marine Corps with a
collective four tours of duty and three Purple
Hearts between them," she said
proudlv.
The daughter of a World War
II veteran, Williams says
American troops are never far
from her mind. But she wanted to
find a way to keep them in the
hearts and minds of others, just as
they were hers.
As the July 4th holiday
approached last year, Williams
and her staff devised a plan to
send care packages, which they
dubbed Patriot Boxes, to soldiers.
The store held a small event to
get others interested in sending
Patriot Boxes, which are filled
with sweets and other goodies and
available at the shop year-round.
Positive word of mouth helped the
program explode. In just one year,
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more than 600 Patriot Boxes to
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It's not just a holiday event for us; it's an
ongoing event," Williams said.
This year, a day before the Fourth of July,
Williams held a celebration at her Reynolda Road
shop to celebrate the program's success and to get
even more local residents interested in taking part.
Military veterans were among those on hand
for last week's event, including several WWII vets
and members of the Winston-Salem chapter of the
vets-friendly Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club.
"We're mainly here to honor our troops who
are in harm's way; we feel they deserve some
recognition," commented Rolling Thunder mem
ber Bart Mearn, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
U.S Rep. Virginia Foxx spoke briefly at the
ceremony, before turning the podium over to US.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who served as keynote speak
er.
'The reason we do the things we do on
Independence Day and every other day of our lives
is because we have a wonderful military that is
willing to sacrifice for us,"
hoxx told the audience.
"Every morning when I wake
up ... I say, 'Thank you Lord
for letting me live in this won
derful country and thank you
for the people that are keeping
it free.'"
Dole - whose husband,
Bob Dole lost the use of his
right arm while fighting in
World War n - had high praise
for the men and women of the
armed forces, and for
Williams. Despite criticism
that Congress is not doing
enough to support those fight
ing in Middle East, Dole
applauded the recently updated
GI Bill and other legislation
that she says will benefit
^ K ? 1 troops.
"There are many things that
we need to do, to continue to (support) our men
and women as they return because they deserve
every benefit," said the senator, who like Foxx, is
up for reelection this fall. "Let's just remember, as
we celebrate tomorrow, that we keep the men and
women of our armed forces in our prayers."
Patriot Boxes are available for sale at
Sweeties, 1 228 Reynolda Rd. The cost is $25 per
box, plus an additional $10 S&H. Patriot Boxes
may be sent to a specific person or to a random
soldier. For more information, call (336) 723-4264
or visit www sweetie swinstonsalem .com .
News
Clips
Industries for the Blind gets
help to offer summer
program
Visually impaired chil
dren of Forsyth and sur
rounding counties are again
united by "A Brighter Path,"
a program offered by
Winston-Salem Industries for
the Blind, at the second annu
al summer camp. The Student
Enrichment Experience
(SEE) provides activities for
blind and visually impaired
children not only in summer,
but during the entire year.
The Winston-Salem
Foundation "invests in our
community by making phi
lanthropy and its benefits
available to all". With
$30,000 granted by The
Winston-Salem Foundation,
Winston-Salem Industries for
the Blind will make it possi
ble for visually impaired
children to enjoy education
al, developmental, and social
activities arranged by A
Brighter Path and its leaders.
By hosting over 20 chil
dren from Forsyth and sur
rounding counties for two
months of activities at the
day camp, SEE will enhance
children's success and inde
pendence. For example, with
volunteer assistance, the chil
dren will tour museums,
zoos, and parks and learn to
accomplish basic tasks in
specialized games and activi
ties. In addition, SEE offers
possibilities for children to
grow, learn, and reduce their
reliance on their parents and
sighted persons.
To supplement core needs
of the families of visually
impaired children, SEE also
provides regular meetings
and hands-on, comprehensive
training for parents who learn
techniques for easier and
safer communication with
their children.
Governor signs anti-gang bill
Gov. Mike Easley signed
into law Tuesday Senate Bill
1358, which is described as
"an act to adopt a strategic
approach to prevent youth
involvement in street gang
activity and to be entitled the
'North Carolina Street Gang
Prevention And Intervention
Act."'
This new law requires the
state Advisory Council on
Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention to
review the level of gang
activity
in the
s t a t ,e ,
develop
commu
nity
based
interven
t i o n
efforts,
assess
progress
and
accomplishments of efforts to
deal with juveniles who are
involved with, or at risk of
getting involved in, street
gangs and make recommen
dations to reduce the level of
gang activity in North
Carolina.
The Governor's Crime
Commission has reported
that there are more than 550
gangs in the state and nearly
15,000 gang members. The
new law, sponsored by state
Sen. Malcolm Graham (D
Mecklenburg), also calls on
the state departments of
Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention and
Crime Control and Public
Safety along with the
Department of Public
Instruction to report to the
General Assembly on issues
related to school violence
and gang activity. It also
calls on the Governor's
Crime Commission to devel
op guidelines for eligibility
for gang prevention grants
that include a 25 percent
local match.
Requests for bus stops must
be made soon
The Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools Transportation
Department's deadline for
parents' requests for school
bus stops for the coming
school year is quickly
approaching. The system
says requests must be made
before Thursday, July 24.
It is expected that the
number of requests will
increase as the deadline
nears. Therefore, officials
say, it is important for par
ents to inform the school sys
tem of their needs as soon as
possible to ensure a bus stop
for the first day of school,
Aug. 25.
Parents should call the
school that their child will
attend in the 2008-2009
school year and complete a
Transportation Stop Request.
Photo* by LayU Fanner
US. Rep. Virginia Foxx addresses the crowd as Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Jackie Williams
stand nearby.
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