kmherald.net
Volume 126 lssue 4
Brutko resigning
as chamber
director
DAVE BLANTON
.. dave.kmherald@gmail.com
‘When Shirley Brutko
assumed the job of the di-
rector of the Kings Moun-
tain office of the Cleveland
County Chamber 16 years
ago she felt that she could
tout mainly two things
about the city. :
“I would tell people ‘we
have great churches and
great schools.” Which was
true,” she said, in looking
ahead recently to her April
retirement.
Fast forward to 2014.
“We have an arts center,
a historical museum,
trails,” Brutko said, ex-
plaining that in her role
with the Chamber she’s
worked to get more out of
the town and an area she
has called home for most of
her life.
‘Steering
the right
gu ELIZABETH STEWART
Ba lib.kmherald @gmail.com
7
With money from his
own pocket, Al Adams
started The Steering Wheel
Organization seven years
ago from his home in
Grover becayse “I saw a
need.”
Seven years later he is
seeing kids he mentored
growing their ‘minds, ex-
panding their education and
following their dreams.
Adams is modest about
his leadership of the pro-
gram. He gives the credit to
the kids and to the sponsors
who help him and his wife
finance the program. “We
meet the challenges,” he
said.
Adams philosophy: “I
didn’t want to be one of
those people who say, they
ought to do this or that, and
then do nothing.” He looked
at his two children, Candus
and Travis, five grandchil-
dren and others in the com-
munity and decided his was
a calling.
He got his computer out,
made contacts, lobbied local
businesses for help and
today his one-on-one class-
room includes 31 young
people from elementary
school age to high school.
Their experiences and op-
portunities have resulted,
among other things, in debt
free college educations.
Seven of his original Steer-
ing Wheel kids are graduat-
ing from college ‘on
scholarships this summer.
[I]
98525700200
in KM
Shirley Brutko has served as
the director of the KM office
of the CC Chamber for 16
years. She will be hanging
up her hat this spring to pur-
. sue her love of art.
Through tireless promo-
tion and a lot of research
and elbow grease, Brutko
over the years has worked
See BRUTKO, 7A
> kids in
direction
Al Adams started the Steer-
ing Wheel Organization as a
way to hlep kids in need with
their education.
Taking a personal interest in
each kid, Adams is bursting
with pride at their accom-
plishments.
A self-employed busi-
ness consultant and project
manager, Adams and his
wife Jeanette chose the
name “Steering Wheel” be-
cause that’s the purpose of
the organization — to steer
kids toward a career path
and motivate them to reach
their potential.
“] saw ‘a lot of good kids
with . challenges in their
young lives and I wanted to
expose them to different ca-
reer paths in the community
and broaden their horizons,”
he said. By all accounts The
Steering Wheel Organiza-
tion is successful.
His first activity in 2007
was inviting four teenagers
to play golf through the First
Tee Program at Riverbend
Golf Club, where they learn
life skill lessons as well as
another sport.
He took older youth to
see businesses in Charlotte
like solar manufacturing,
those interested in home
building were shown the
mansion owned by former
Charlotte Hornets’ Larry
Johnson and taken to
See ADAMS, 7A
e Wednesday, January 22, 2014
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Christi Morrow is congratulated by Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey for winning first
place with her photograph “Forever Yours.”
Photo by Dave Blanton
MLK art contest evokes
kindness and peace
City leaders and art lovers gathered Mon-
day for a photography exhibit meant to cap-
ture the spirit of civil rights icon Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Photographers pointed their lenses at
subjects ranging from young children hold-
ing hands to radiant flowers in bloom in a
competition that drew more than 25 entrants.
“I am very impressed,” said Kings
Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey, who
of the day.”
these moved me and remind me of the spirit
Claiming first place and a $150 prize was
Christi Morrow, whose poignant photo “For-
ders.
helped judge the photographs. “So many of
ever Yours” shows a young child with the
hands of her adoptive parents on her shoul-
Kim Howell, a Shelby native who cur-
rently lives in New Zealand, won second
place and $100 for her “A Father’s Love,” a
See CONTEST, 7A
King breakfast celebrates
the dream in progress
ys ELIZABETH STEWART
lib.kmherald @gmail.com
The legacy of the vision-
ary Civil Rights leader Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., was
celebrated Monday morning
at an “I Have a Dream”
community-wide breakfast
hosted by Bynum Chapel
AME Zion Church by
speakers who said that
Kings Mountain has a rea-
son to celebrate.
Rev. Dr. Andrew Smoke,
Presiding Elder of the Hen-
dersonville District AME
Zion Blue Ridge Confer-
ence, said King’s dream was
a dream for a better America
and issued the challenge that
“ours is a
progress.”
King’s “I have a dream”
speech is one of the most
revered orations and writ-
ings in the English language.
Smoke based his remarks
on Genesis 37: 19- the Bib-
lical story of Joseph. “Here
comes the dreamer, let’s kill
him (Joseph) and say a fero-
cious . animal devoured
him.” Smoke said that God
protected Joseph for the
good of others. “Dr. King
had a dream and his dream
is still in progress, he
planted a seed for justice
and love but his dream re-
mains unfulfilled; he taught
us how to serve and to con-
tinue in his vision but we
have miles to go before we
sleep.”
The pastor called King a
“drum major for justice.”
“God put a dream in his
dream in:
“But we have promises to tokeep and wiles to go before we
sleep,” Presiding Elder Andrew Smoke at the “I have a
dream” service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday at
Bynum Chapel AME Zion Church.
heart and we have come a
long way for equality for all
and now it’s time to push
ever forward,” he said.
Presiding Elder George
H. McNeely of the Lincol-
nton District, Western North
Carolina Conference, intro-
duced the speaker and said
he remembered King as a
classmate of McNeely’s
brother. ’He paved the way
for us and we need to carry
that banner forward,” he
said.
“Don’t let Dr. King’s
dream die,” said Mildred
Sadler, who was honored
with Ina Hager, with sur-
prise plaques of appreciation
Photo by DAVE BLANTON
for their leadership in the
church and community.
“Keep the faith,” said
© Sadler, 89, and active in the
church 54 years. “I have
seen segregation at its worst,
we need to fight for our chil-
dren, and make that dream
come true,” she added.
Other speakers on the
program were Rev. Joann
McGill, who presided and
presented special music, and
Phillip Hager, who gave the
welcome. Prayers were also
offered by Rev. Donald
Campbell and Miquel Mar-
ion. The national anthem of
African Americans, “Lift
See .DREAM, 7A
Grow your
business
in 2014!
The Herald's new
advertising rep
is ready to help
The Kings Mountain
Herald welcomes Annie
Jenkins as its newest adver-
tising representative.
A Kings Mountain native
and KMHS graduate, Jenk-
ins has previously worked
for Hoveround in Sarasota,
Fla., and Electrolux in Char-
lotte.
Jenkins is active in
Zumba and likes to call
Kings Mountain home be-
cause of its small-town
charm. She replaces Rick
Hord, who left the company
in December. “He felt like
he was leaving the accounts
in good hands,” she said.
Jenkins will handle new and
existing customers in Kings
Mountain and Gastonia.
Jenkins has recently
worked as an advertising
representative for the Bel-
mont Banner and The (Cher-
ryville) Eagle
Housing
plan on
the table
A down trend in the housing
market in 2006 put on hold plans
by Mecklenburg County develop-
ers to build a major subdivision at
the Kings Mountain intersection
of Crocker Road and Phifer Road.
The developers want to resur-
rect that plan.
One of the developers — John
Wayne Thomas — told city plan-
ners last week that the housing
market is improving and he wants
to develop 238 lots for single-
family homes at Crocker Road
and Phifer Road. Thomas took his
preliminary plans to the Kings
Mountain Planning & Zoning
Board last Tuesday night.
City Planner Steve Killian
said that the original request was
presented in 2006 by three devel-
opers in Mag Land Development,
LLC and Thomas, one of the trio
of developers, is resurrecting the
housing project.
In 2006 the plans for the de-
velopment were recommended
for approval by the city zoning
board and city council voted ap-
proval.
The Thomas plan includes a
connection to Carolina Thread
Trail.
The planning board is recom-
mending to city council the ap-
proval of Thomas’ request for
residential 8 rezoning, the first
phase of a four phase building
plan.
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