United Way’s Volunteer Center recruiting volunteers for six local projects
DSC’S Bandy Center kicks off Civil War book discussion series Aug. 28
United Way’s Volunteer Center, a HandsOn Affiliate Center, is working to recruit groups of volunteers for two projects in north Georgia for the 23rd Annual Day of Caring on Thursday, Sept. 13. The Day of Caring is an annual event celebrated by United Ways and Volunteer Centers nationwide. “Day of caring projects provide a great opportunity for employee teams to not only give something back to the community, but also to promote team building and strengthen a business’s presence in the community,” said Sheila Moore, executive director of United Way’s Center for Nonprofits, of which the Volunteer Center is a part. This year’s event also ties in with the nationwide “9/11 Day of Remembrance and Service,” an event focused on turning tragedy into triumph by honoring the victims of the 9/11 tragedy and their families by voluntarily engaging versary. On Sept. 13, hundreds of volunteers from local businesses and communities will partner with United Way’s Volunteer Center to serve local neighborhoods through work on community-based projects. The Volunteer Center has been recruiting volunteers for 35 different projects to take place throughout the region on this day. The Volunteer Center still needs the community’s help to find groups of volunteers for two of these projects in north Georgia, where willing volunteers can create impact in just one day. These projects include tornado clean-up at the Boy Scout meeting hall in Trenton, Ga., and renovations and construction at Heartland/Spirit Horse Therapeutic Riding Center in Flintstone, for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities. The Volunteer Center draws its volunteers for the day from area corporations and organizations that put together teams to work on the projects of their choice. Teams are preferred for these activities because groups of 10 or more are usually needed in order to complete the work in one day. Last year, more than 300 volunteers worked on almost 30 different projects ranging from improvement projects at area nonprofits to installing playgrounds at low-income day care centers or rebuilding public park spaces. This year’s Day of Caring is sponsored by Ace Hardware, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and T.G.I. Fridays. You can volunteer your corporate, church or civic team for a project by calling Windy Brooks at United Way’s Volunteer Center at 423-752-0316. You can also receive more information about other available projects by emailing windybrooks@uwchatt.org or calling the center at 423-752-0316. John Rutter Ace Hardware splits tree stumps to clear away tornado debris during United Way’s 2011 Day of Caring. in charitable service in observance of the anni- Dalton State’s Bandy Heritage Center and Roberts Library have teamed up to kick off a five-part Civil War book discussion series sponsored by the Georgia Humanities Council (GHC). The first session of the series, “Making Sense of the American Civil War,” will be Tuesday, Aug. 28, at The James E. Brown Center at Dalton State. Dr. John Fowler, professor of history and director of the Bandy Heritage Center, will facilitate discussion. The series will feature discussions of three books: “March” by Geraldine Brooks, “America’s War” edited by Edward L. Ayers, and “Antietam” by James M. McPherson. Twenty sets of the books are available to check out from the Roberts Library at Dalton State. Readings for the Aug. 28 session, entitled “Imagining War,” “March” and part one of “America’s War,” Fowler said. The second session will be “Choosing Sides,” and will cover part two of “America’s War.” That session will be Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Crown Archives, 715 Chattanooga Avenue and is hosted by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. “Making Sense of Shiloh” will be on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at the Creative Arts Guild and is hosted by the 150th Anniversary Committee. Part three of “America’s War” will be discussed. Part four of “America’s War” and “Antietam” will be discussed at the fourth session, “The Shape of War,” which will be Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Crown Archives. That session will be hosted by the Dalton Civil War Rountable. The series concludes with “War and Freedom,” sponsored by and held at The Emery Center, on Tuesday, Nov. 13. “America’s War,” part five, will be discussed at the final session; The Emery Center is at 110 W. Emery Street. The five-part series has been held across the state to facilitate understanding of the Civil War during the war’s sesquicentennial anniversary from 2011-15. “The Georgia Humanities Council was selected to host this program statewide through the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, which developed the series,” said Laura McCarty, vice president of the GHC. “This fall, programs will be in Dalton, Valdosta and Waleska. Programs have already wrapped up in Carrollton, Cuthbert, Fort Valley, Kennesaw and Savannah; in 2013, the programs will continue in Augusta and Brunswick, with other venues to be selected later.” will include