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Editor

On August 29th, 2005, Katrina, a storm of devastating proportions hit the Gulf Coast with a vengeance. While the media did an outstanding job documenting the event, none of the newspaper, T.V. or radio reports, could even begin to adequately describe the scope of what had happened. It was and still is shocking. The devastation from the storm was unprecedented. Over 73,000 sq miles were affected and 200 miles of continuous coastline was decimated.

I, like many others, wanted to do something immediately. Relief organizations were overwhelmed with people wanting to be involved, wanting to know what they could do. Phones started ringing off the hook, people started flooding the doors of the relief organizations and money started pouring in. Progress was being made.

Here we are 18 months later and the hurricane is "old" news, the phones aren’t ringing nearly as much and volunteer numbers are back to some what "normal". Unless you have been down there recently, or even at all, you may have the presumption that people of the Gulf are well on their way to recovery and that things should be somewhat back to normal. After all, this is America not some third world country. Right?

I wish that were the case. In my 12 trips to the area, the most recent being February 16 - 19, 2007, the showing of progress is painfully slow. As an advocate for helping people devastated by Katrina, it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise public awareness that our neighbors still need our help.

I invite you to revisit the thoughts and feelings that you had in the days following the storm. People of the Gulf still need our help.

I encourage you to volunteer for a trip whether it is with your friends, family, church group, etc. If you don’t know where to begin, contact me so that I can share information. The one thing that I can promise if you choose to be involved, is that you will never forget the experience. The smiles on the faces of the people you help will be priceless.Linda Edwards

Savannah

www.pickinupthepieces.org

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Dear editor: Another election cycle is finally over and the voters of Bryan County have spoken. We will have three new county commissioners in January 2011.
My congratulations go out to Jimmy Henderson of District 5, Carter Infinger of District 4 and Wade Price of District 2. I look forward to working with them as we continue to take care of the business of the county.
All three races were contested, which gave the voters a choice of who they wanted as their commissioner. Those who did not prevail in this election are to be applauded for offering themselves as candidates.
Our county owes a debt of gratitude to retiring commissioners Rick Gardner with eight years of service, Blondean Newman with eight years of service as a commissioner and 30 years as tax commissioner, and Toby Roberts with 18 years on the county commission.
These three spent many hours establishing policies and procedures for our county government and many meetings with state and local officials to achieve the best possible outcomes regarding our county on numerous issues. Their many years of experience will be sorely missed.
I well remember the first time I ran for public office and lost. Sometimes those who are not elected are the winners because they don’t have to go to all the meetings – that is said with tongue in cheek, of course.
After my loss, someone sent me the following quotation from President Theodore Roosevelt, which I keep on the wall in my office:
“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
And my wish for all the citizens of Bryan County is to have a truly blessed Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year’s.

Jimmy Burnsed
Chairman
Board of commissioners

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