Ministers
from page AI
Union Baptist Church
has also provided hotel
rooms for some Alder's
Point residents and provided
them food and clothing.
Alder's Point is a senior cit
izens complex in Happy
Hill. The fire there displaced
about 100 people.
The Minister's
Conference held several
meetings in the days after
the first fire. Local churches
amassed a large amount of
donated goods to give away
to victims on Tuesday. It
took volunteers all day
Monday to sort through
them. Hundreds of paper
shopping bags filled with
toiletries were assembled.
And what didn't fit in the
bags filled tables and racks
including clothing of all
types and sizes, linens, food -
and extra toiletries.
Approximately 150 vol
unteers from 25 churches
participated. Volunteer Pat
Bitting wore her Happy Hilt
Reunion tee shirt as she
checked off the displaced
residents who came through
the doors of the church. The
Alder's Point fire hit home,
because Bitting lived in
Happy Hill in the 1960s. Her
brother. Will "Rock"
Bitting, is one of the
founders of the Happy Hill
Reunion.
' "My heart just goes out
to those who have been dis
placed," said Bitting. "At
Photos fcyTodd Luck
Above: Volunteers serve
food.
Right: Fire victim Annie
Green.
any time I could find myself
without, whether it's
because of a fire, whether
it's because of job place
ment, whatever. 1 could be in
the same position."
Many volunteers pre
pared and served residents a
delicious meal that included
fried chicken and green
beans. Others helped resi
dents navigate the many sta
tions the church had set up
for them. There was a station
where medical volunteers
checked "their blood sugar
and blood pressure. Church
counselors were on hand for
those who needed to talk to
someone.
But before all that, dis
placed residents got a sheet
to fill out, listing on the back
their needs or all the things
they lost. If fire took all their
possessions, they were
instructed to write "every
thing." ~ -
Annie Green appreciated
the help. She lost everything
in the Alder's Point fire.,
escaping with only the
Clothes on her back.
"That's an awful feeling.
That's a sad feeling, 1 was
out there lost and had no
ptaye to go at the timeV* said
Gree.n.
She's currently staying in
a hotel room provided by the
Red Cross while preparing
to relocate to Chesterfield
Apartments, where many of
those displaced by the.
Alder's Point fire will be
staying until their apartment
building is rebuilt. She left
Tuesday's event with linens
and several bags of necessi^
ties - things that most of us
take for granted.
"I thank God for this."
she said.
A concert will be held to
benefit those displaced by
the fires this Sunday at 4
p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist
Church at the corner of
Martin Luther King,". Jr.
Drive and File Street.
Mentors
'from paxe A 1
Children are matched with a "big
brother" or "big sister" who has similar
interests, and the two are asked to get
together once a week to talk, interact
and just spend time together.
"We'd love to get into churches,
businesses and civic organizations to
explain the need for more male volun
teers," Sing said. "All they need to do
is to commit for a year to do one activ
ity a week ... however you like to
spend your free time, we have littles
who like to do that too."
While the agencies typically are
referred more young boys than girls,
volunteers are more often female, Sing
says. The organizations are hopeful
that the 100 Men campaign, which has
been utilized by other BBBS agencies
r across the country, will help to get
more men interested in giving back by
becoming mentors.
"We'd love to have 100 (men sign
up) here," Sing remarked. "... the
number is unlimited, because the need
is unlimited."
Each of the three Triad organiza
tions will host its own recruiting events
to support the 100 Men campaign.
Sing said the Forsyth County outlet is
focusing on events that might appeal to
men, such as a tour of the Winston
Salem Police Department, slated for
later in the campaign.
"1 think it's just (a matter of) get
ting the word out,'' Sing commented.
"Usually, when we have a big push (for
new volunteers) ... people will
respond."
While the program is designed to
benefit the children, the adult volun
teers also have much to gain from the
interaction. Sing believes.
"In my opinion, (volunteers) will
get more than they give," she said.
"When you have somebody asking you
for advice and looking up to you,
you're really helping somebody to"
grow, and it's helping your own
growth."
Winston-Salem resident Frank
Thomas can readily attest to the per
sonal rewards he has gained from being
a big brother.
Thomas, the director of custodial
services at Wake Forest University,
signed up to become a "Big" last
spring.
While he admits he was a little hes
itant to get involved at first, Thomas, a
45-year-old father of three daughters
and an ordained minister, says he is
glad he finally took the initiative.
'Tart of my apprehension was I'm
too busy, my plate's too full. Well,
that's a cop-out for some of us," he
remarked. "What's an hour a week?
Not to mention the long lasting impact
you could have on a young man . maybe
even keep him out of the penitentiary
or the cemetery."
Thomas and his little brother,
Ja'Kishe. 11, have made the most of
their time together, going bowling, to
the movies and even the Opening Night
of the Winston-Salem Dash's season.
"It's been great," he said. "...We
are going down that road to doing some
things that I was never able to do with
my daughters - guy stuff."
Thomas is so sold on the idea of
mentoring, that he works to recruit new
volunteers to BBBS and the First Tee, a
golf mentoring organization he also is
involved with, all the time.
"Every chance I get when I talk to
friends of mine or acquaintances, I
drop hints about either Big Brothers
Big Sisters or First Tee," he declared.
"It doesn't take anything to volunteer
but time and an open attitude."
For more information about Big
Brothers Big Sisters Services inc., or to
volunteer, call (336) 724-7993.
-r^-- -lyi . -y" . ?? ; ..1 > ' nil' n|<y
Kids enjoy the refreshing water at a city pool.
New pool rules issued
in wake of child's death
CHRONICLE staff ki por i
Nearly a month after six
year-old Ja'Nae Nicole
MeCullum drowned at
Kimberley Park Pool. the.
Winstun-Salefn Recreation
and Parks Department
announced enhanced policies
and procedures for city swim
mum pools. The\ arc:
? A second safety line has
been added in the -shallow,
water to create a restricted area
for non-experienced swim
mers. This is in addition to- the
saieiy. line iruu ues
ignates the deep
end for diving.
? Effective
immediately, the
minimum adult-to
child ratio for day
cares, day cafnps
and other groups
that visit the pools
is. changed to. one '
adult for every lit
children or leu or in
the water. Visiting
groups should
bring at least two counselors
for every 10 children, so that
the 1-10 ratio is maintained in
the event that an adult must
accompany a child to the rest
room or the concession stand.
All camp counselors age IS
and up will be admitted free of
charge because they also have
a responsibility to assist With
watching their children.
?A wristband system is
being implemented to enhance
the safety of the children with
groups. Red wristbands iden
tify children age 5 and
younger. All children wearing
a red wristband must stay in
the wading pool, water play
ground, concessions or deck
area. Children wearing red
wristbands are prohibited from
(Irani
the big pool.
Yellow wristbands identi
fy weak swimmers. All chil
dren wearing a yellow wrist
band will be allowed to play in
the shallow .area of the newly
established section of the pool ? ,
Green wristbands identi
fy the- swimmers These swim*
mers have passed a swim test
at the swimming pool they are
visitjng. All children wearing a
green wristband may -'sjvhti .in ,
any area of .the pool and may
use the diving boards.
; 'Daycare, staff wilfdesig-.
nate swimmers and
n o 11 - swi m.m e r s
upon arrival; if the
staff does not
know a child's
swimming ability,
the child will
receive a yellow
wristband if at
feast 6 years of
age. -
Recreation and
Parks Director Tim *
Grant said the
changes will make it easier for
the pool staff to enhance
swimmer safety.
"The wrist band system 1
will make it easier for life
guards to know at a glance if a
child is in the appropriate area
of the pool, and it will give day
care supervisors a clearer
understanding of where their
children should be."
He added that swim les
sons are available at all city
operated pools.
Ja'Nae Nicole McCulliim
was among a group of about
20 children from the Salvation
Army Boys and Girls Club
who went to the pool for a
summer outing. There were
eight lifeguards on duty and at
least two adult chaperones on
hand when she drowned.
NBTF
from pa^e A1
Classic Fairgrounds, but
organizers have moved them
to the lower level of the MC
Benton Convention Center
this year to allow the youth
to he more a nart
of the action.
"We recog
nized that down
town is the hub,
so we've tried to
establish events
(there) ... to make
it a positive expe
rience for every
body with a focus
on assimilating
the youth to the
festival," said
Assistant City
Manager Martha
Wheelock.
While organiz
ers want young
people to take full
advantage of
Teentastic events
- which will
include a talent
show and celebri
ty guests - they
discourage young
people from coming down
town at night for adults-only
events such as the nightly
Celebrity Receptions at the
Marriott Hotel.
"Everything that we're
doing (with respect to rules
and regulations) ... is being
done out of concern for
patrons' safety," Patton
explained. "It's not that
we're trying to prevent any
one from participating;
we've added all of these
activities so that there's a
place for everyone."
Grant Minnix is the festi
val coordinator for the Twin
City Quarter, which encom
passes the convention center
and the Marriott and
Embassy Suites hotels. He
Palton
Minnix
says hotel areas will be off
limits to guests under 21.
unless they are staying at the
hotel. Those under 21 with a
ticket stub from the Monday
Aug. 3 Opening Night Gala
will be allowed to enter the
Celebrity Reception on that
night only. For the
rest of the festi
val, ID's will be
checked. and
NBTF gatherings
at the hotel will
be strictly 21-and
up, Minnix said.
Planning
ahead will help all
those who choose
to attend Festival
events get the
most bang for
their buck, organ
izers say. Those
who attend should
be mindful that
traffic will be
heavy, parking
will be in high
demand, and seat
ing at most pfays
will be first come,
first served.
Justin Gomez
of the Downtown
winsion-aaiem rarmersnip
says that downtown mer
chants hope that the large
crowds mean extra activity
for their cash registers.
"Everyone's really excit
ed," Gomez reported. "I
think there's a good bit of
energy around downtown,
judging from the people I've
talked to. It's a good eco
nomic boost:."
The National Black
Theatre Festival will he held
Aug. 3-8. For a full schedule
of NBTF events, visit
www.nbtf,org . Teentastic
events, most of which are
free, are also listed on the
Web site.
Suggs
from page A1
4
of two children, she decided
to finally pursue her movie
making dreams.
Suggs entered into the
project with a semester of
film classes as her only train
ing, so she "read and read
and read" everything that she
could to learn how to make a
movie. She financed the proj
ect herself, with the support
of friends and family mem
bers.
Suggs hired Gorilla
Productions, which provided
her with an experienced crew
and filmmaking equipment.
She turned to April Gerald of
Head to Toe Styling Studio in
Greensboro to do the actors'
hair and makeup. All the
scenes were shot locally at
places like a Jamestown fit
ness club and even Suggs'
own house.
She advertised for actors
on local radio stations and on
the mega-classified Web site
Craigslist.com. Charlotte
actress Tosha Thompson,
who plays one half of the
married couple, saw the
Craigslist ad and responded.
Thompson already had
commercial and film work
under her belt and also some
theater. She said her experi
ence making "CAUTION"
was a positive one. and that
working with Stanis
(Thompson is a huge "Good
Times" fan) was icing on the
cake.
One scene she shared
with Stanis involved their
characters getting into a
shouting match.
"I grew up watching her
and so now I'm sitting here
across from her. screaming at
her," said Thompson. "I had
to pinch myself a little bit. I
was a little intimidated; I was
like, I can't scream at
Thelma.'"
Photos courtesy of DD&G Entertainment
Above: Will Da I ton and
Tosha Thompson playing
husband and wife.
Right: Dornycya Suggs
(standing, left) gives direc
tion on the set.
Will Dalton, who plays
Thompson's husband in the
film, also had a pretty
impressive resume when he
was hired, including a lead
ing role in a production of the
highly-charged stage drama.
"A Soldier's Play."
A friend told Dalton. who
lives in Greensboro, about
the audition. After working
with Suggs, he predicts big
things for the budding film
maker,
"She was brilliant!" he
said.
Suggs found Stanis by
sending out letters to talent
listed with the Screen Actor's
Guild. Suggs explained in the
letter what she was trying to
do and that the pay rate for
the role would hot be stellar.
She was thrilled when Stanis
- who plays Thompson's
overbearing mother in the
film - responded
Since all of her actors had
screen experience, Suggs
said she found them all indis
pensable during the shoot.
She calls "CAUTION" an
educational experience that
taught her that even for short
films, everyone puts in long
hours.
"It's hard work," said
Suggs "We were there at 6 or
7 o'clock in the morning and
sometimes didn't leave until
9 o'clock."
On Fridav. the film will
have a red carpet premier at
the Bulger Center in
Potomac. Md., near where
Suggs used to live. She said
she will screen the movie
locally sometime after the
premier. She hopes the film
will help her obtain better
funding for her next project.
For more information
about Suggs' film company,
DDAG Entertainment, ami
to view clips from the film,
visit wWw.ddandg .com .