Week in Review

We have now entered into the holly jolly month of December and BRR it sure is cold. With the smell of candy canes and pine on the wind comes a wave of Christmas news. Here’s a recap of some of the most memorable stories of the last week here in our beautiful Montgomery County!

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IN ABBY MORGAN’S column late last week we learned that with the hustle and bustle to find the perfect gift for family and friends, please consider giving the gift of 4-H to the youth in Montgomery County. Indiana 4-H enrollment is open to all youth in Montgomery County in grades K-12. While they do not have a hard deadline for enrollment, they like to have as many youth enrolled by January 15th. This helps ensure that families receive timely communication and learn about the various opportunities within the 4-H program. Enrollment is easy with the 4-H Online system (https://v2.4honline.com) and can even be done while you work on your online shopping!

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IF YOU’RE LOOKING for something special to do this Christmas, Freedom Baptist Church near Waveland has you covered! On Sunday morning Dec 12 at 9:30, we will be featuring acclaimed jazz pianist Luke Gillespie in a free concert of Christmas music. Gillespie is Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and has performed with David Baker, Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, Sylvia McNair, Ann-Margret, Arturo Sandoval, and many others. Stick around for coffee and donuts following the program. Freedom Baptist Church is on SR 234 west, just minutes west of the intersection at SR 234 and SR 47. You won’t want to miss this!

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FROM BEGINNINGS that date back more than a century and link directly to the legendary Anna Willson, the Crawfordsville High School Sunshine Society Cheer Campaign is up and running once again.

This community outreach program that Tri Kappa Sorority works on as well, raised more than $20,000 a year ago. This year, the community-minded volunteers aim to raise at least $15,000. The program is labor intensive, but simple. Volunteers solicit financial donations from the community. The money is converted into Cheer Certificates and will be awarded to local families in need. The certificates can be redeemed at Kroger for food (no alcohol or cigarettes). Families are nominated through referral requests. Anyone may donate. Some donations are anonymous, some are in memory of family or friends. The Paper of Montgomery County and other media will publish lists with the names of the donations.  It’s important to note that all donations stay in this community.

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THE MONTGOMERY County Shrine Club donated $2500 to each Shriner hospital in Lexington, Chicago and Ohio plus $2000 to the Murat Shrine building fund. They also donated $500 to SHRINE hospital in Chicago in memory of Lady Marilyn Harris. They gave over a 1000 lbs. of can tabs for another $565. They want to thank Montgomery County for the wonderful support given to our club.

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TODAY CRIES of “Overturn Roe” will be voiced in Crawfordsville and across the nation as the United States Supreme Court hears arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson. The case gathered substantial attention from both pro-life and pro-choice because it is the most significant challenge to Roe v. Wade to rise up in the courts in more than a decade. OverturnRoe.org, a pro-life coalition, is taking the battle over abortion to the streets on Dec. 1 to voice their encouragement for upending the 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States. On Dec. 1, they will gather to rally at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Crawfordsville.

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IN A GUEST column was submitted by the Volunteers for Mental Health in Montgomery County they said that almost everyone knows the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Yet at the other spectrum of life, it requires a similar large collection of people to brighten Christmas morning for adults in need. It is during the months leading up to Christmas morning that the Volunteers energize the Montgomery County community to create a coalition of caring.  Youth are important to the success of the gift lift. It continues today with Student Council sponsor Libby Allen joining in the coordination of many different service-oriented groups at North Montgomery to wrap thousands of gifts stuffed into over 200 gift bags. The students will be enjoying treasures donated by Warehouse Bakery. This year, Michele Enlow’s scout troop members are also pitching in to help with tasks at VMHMC’s home base. Southmont’s FCCLA sponsors Jessica Barnhart and Kayla Datzman are also coordinating their students’ participation in two VMHMC events with enthusiastic plans to expand involvement next year.