Scattered back along the creeks with their families, men rose in the morning to pursue the mud-burrowing clam. They wrested a living from nature, surviving through their strength and their knowledge of seasons and tides.
Calling no person boss, they worked from their own boats, set their own hours, and sold independently to small packing houses. Unfettered by paper work, many never even filed income tax forms.
Then fickle nature changed the conditions of their lives. From the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the toxic marine algae that cause red tide silently drifted up along the North Carolina coast.
Lodging in shellfish, the toxin forced state biologists to close oyster, clam, and scallop beds for 300 miles along the coast. Some 10,000 North Carolina shell fishermen lost $5 million in four months. The red tide became one of the worst disasters shell fishermen faced in the century.
Here in this quaint 200-year-old town of 1,225, about 100 full-time fishermen clam year-round for their major source of income. Few had more than a couple of weeks' savings set by.
``It's been a trying time,'' says clammer Randy Bell, summarizing the crisis in gentle understatement.
Accustomed to a frontierlike independence, the clammers struggled to survive on their own.
But before the stinging, hazy red tide finally began to wash away in March, once-proud shell fishermen saw their self-reliance vanish. They accepted charity for boat and utility payments, and their families received handouts of food and clothing.
At its best, clamming is a challenge. Prices can vary between 14 and 8 cents a clam in one season.
In the tidal creeks that ebb and flow with the sea, the clammers crawl and scoop and pull their livelihood from the mud. There are flood tides, lightning, and storms.
In winter, clammers wade in the cold creeks, tonging or raking the mud-burrowing shellfish off the bottom. In summer, many crawl on their hands and knees through the water, digging the clams with gloved hands.
But despite its difficulty, clamming is a life the fishermen cherish.
The Bells are better off than some of the fishermen's families, because they own their 29-year-old house trailer near Bear Creek.
``On rainy days, I can stay home with my children, see them grow up,'' Bell says, watching six-year-old Danielle figure her math homework in the family's tiny living room.
Many clammers' sons work with them in the creeks. ``You put some gloves on and start digging,'' says Adam Pongratz, 14, who makes money in the summer by clamming with his dad.
Some women dig the clams, too.
``Put on some old clothes and get down on your hands and knees,'' Judy Pongratz remarks with a smile. She works at a grocery store in Swansboro during the week and does clamming with her husband John on the weekends.
Out in the brackish creeks, ospreys dive, porpoises jump, and sometimes there are alligators.
When the red tide washed up last fall, state marine biologists believed the poisonous microorganism would soon die out in cool waters. But by Christmas the citizens of Swansboro had set up local programs to aid the fishermen.
Stories about the clammers' pride and stubborn self-reliance quickly became legend among the civil servants and retired couples of the town.
``One man was three months behind on his mobile home payment and would not ask for help. He was trying to make it on his own,'' says Steve Marshburn Sr., manager of consumer loans at First Citizens Bank of Swansboro.
``They are independent people. They went out and did their work. They were loners,'' says Lee Miller, head of White Oak Ecumenical Council and a member of the Shellfishermen's Committee, which solicited donations of food and money for distressed fishermen.
As the tide lingered, clammers who had pitted themselves against nature for a living and never before asked for help found themselves struggling to justify their need in food stamps and welfare offices.
Those inexperienced with recordkeeping confronted a baffling and seemingly endless array of paper work needed for Small Business Administration loans.
``Quite a few of them, because they felt they didn't know how to fill out applications, just wouldn't come in. They had too much pride,'' says Mr. Marshburn, who helped shell fishermen fill out the SBA forms.
Only slightly easier was working in jobs created by a sympathetic business community. Randy Bell was one who got temporary work picking up trash on a building construction site.
``I felt like I was stealing the man's money,'' he recalls, referring to the $5 an hour he was paid for unskilled work.
As the tide showed no signs of abating, the state Division of Marine Fisheries began a program of moving oysters from contaminated beds to clean areas for later harvest. Shell fishermen working for the program could make up to $500 a week.
But the clammers had long been suspicious and resentful of state fisheries officials. Some now chafed at working for them. Others considered the oyster program make-work, equivalent to being on the dole.
Now, as water conditions slowly return to normal, some clammers are wondering if their primal independence is worth the vulnerability.
There is talk of a change in the fishermen's lives. Fisherman Bell is among those who would like to see an organization to bring fishermen and their families together.
``If anything comes out of it we'll get some unity,'' he says. Bell believes the shell fishermen should maintain an emergency fund for distressed fishermen's families, and organize a political voice to carry clammers' concerns to state officials. Others like the idea of trying to get group insurance rates.
Regina Sewell, founder of the Shellfishermen's Committee and mother of two clammers, would like to see fishermen hold regular meetings. She envisions classes and social opportunities for fishermen's wives, many of whom are isolated in rural areas of this tidewater country.
Jerry Schill, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, a trade association representing larger commercial fishermen and seafood businesses, has come at the fishermen's request to Swansboro to talk to clammers about the importance of group insurance and some sort of political involvement.
But Mr. Schill is unsure what will come of it.
``These little guys have never joined anything. They don't see themselves as businessmen, members of a group,'' he says.
But the clammers say the days are over when each man thought only of his own family, the creek, and the sky.
``I think people came a little bit closer together,'' says John Pongratz, referring to the winter's crisis.
``We've got people talking who have never talked before,'' Bell notes.
The clammers are aware now of their concerns for unity and security, he says.
But their livelihood is returning.
As it does, many of them will live again as free as the frontiersmen who settled the untamed West.
Life will return to normal for these courageous fishing people of North Carolina's shore. They will continue to call no man boss.


Allegheny National Forest, set along the Allegheny Plateau in northwest Pennyslvania, stretches for more than 517,000 scenic acres, nearly 90 percent of which are forested. The area serves as a natural habitat for more than 300 animal species, such as black bears, beaver, red and gray foxes, white-tailed deer and wild turkey. Pennsylvania's only national forest also provides an array of recreational activities, including hiking, swimming, fishing and canoeing. For riders of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the forest is most known for its more than 100 miles of ATV trails, the easiest of which is the Timberline Trail.
The main trailhead for Allegheny National Forest's Timberline ATV Trail lies along Forest Road 232, a mile south of the intersection of state highways 66 and 948, in the forest's Marienville Ranger District. The trail, open 24 hours per day, can also be accessed via two smaller trailheads with parking areas near the communities of Buehler Corner and Pigs Ear. The 38-mile trail is open to ATVs, motorcycles, mountain bikes and horses from Memorial Day weekend to the last weekend in September. During the winter season, typically from mid-December to early April, the trail is open to snowmobiles, mountain bikes and horses, but not ATVs or motorcycles. A daily or annual ATV trail permit is required, and users must also have proof of registration and insurance in their possession.
The Timberline Trail, designed for ATV users at the beginner skill level, is clearly marked with yellow diamond markers. The series of interconnecting trails, old forest road and railroad grades consist of wide, mostly level riding surfaces that wind through scenic forested hills. Two-way traffic is permitted on the Timberline Trail, which connects with the Marienville ATV/Motorcycle Trail to the east. The 37-mile Marienville Trail is more difficult and not recommended for inexperienced riders. The Timberline Trail has vault restrooms at trailheads but no water is available along the trail, so riders should bring a sufficient amount.
Children under 8 are not permitted to ride double on an ATV dirt bike. Children required to ride in a child safety or booster seat in an on-highway vehicle must do the same on the trail via a side-by-side ATV with seat belts. Children from ages 8 to 15 must be supervised by an adult and must have completed an ATV safety course and have the safety certificate in their possession. All operators are required to wear a helmet, stay on designated trails and must not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The trail is open 24 hours a day, and the lights on your ATV must be used between sunset and sunrise. Because trail conditions can change rapidly, always call or check the Allegheny National Forest website for updated trail reports before your visit.
The Allegheny National Forest offers a number of recreational opportunities. The forest is home to the Allegheny Reservoir, two scenic rivers, six boat launches, six canoe access sites, numerous hiking trails and more than 600 campsites, including a rustic camping area near the main Timberline trailhead. Allegheny National Forest also has two other ATV trails -- Rocky Gap and Willow Creek -- in its Bradford Ranger District to the north.


It's hard to find a more perfect location in the east valley. Literally a minute or 2 away from the US-60 this home is tucked away in the quiet, well maintained, and cozy subdivision of Crimson Creek Village. Offering 3 spacious bedrooms & 2.5 baths this home has a very nice and open floor plan. Kitchen has island with breakfast bar, granite counter tops, and lots of cabinet storage & counter top space. Beautiful flooring. Garage and more! Super close to shopping, restaurants, great schools & parks, theaters, and so much more. Priced perfect this home isn't going to last long...so you need to hurry. Come take a look. You won't be disappointed! Thanks for stopping in for a look.


The Department of Defense will trim its forced furloughs for employees to 11 days from 14.
Defense Department employees are getting a little bit of a reprieve.
Workers now face 11 days of furloughs, cut down from an expected 14 days, Defense Department Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Tuesday. Starting July 8 through the end of September, workers will be forced to stay at home one day each week -- a 20% pay cut over 11 weeks.
"I have made this decision very reluctantly, because I know that the furloughs will disrupt lives and impact DoD operations," Hagel said in a memo to employees on Tuesday.
The Pentagon is the nation's largest federal agency and has to cut as much as $40 billion by Sept. 30 because of forced spending cuts that went into effect on March 1. The furloughs will save the agency $1.8 billion, according to a senior defense official.
A senior defense official acknowledged that the savings from furloughs may not seem like a lot of money for an agency with an overall budget of $680 billion.
At least 120,000 of the agency's 800,000 civilian workers will avoid the 20% pay cut, because their jobs have been deemed critical to the safety of life and property or to national security interests, according to a senior defense official. That group includes some intelligence officers, Navy shipyard builders, Army firefighters and foreign nationals, among others.
After initially warning that its civilian workforce would have to take as many as 22 days of unpaid time off, the Pentagon in March said Congress gave it enough financial flexibility to cut furlough days to 14. On Tuesday, it announced pruning that further to 11.
The news is just the latest of a federal agency managing to cut furloughs. Last week, the Department of Education told its employees they wouldn't have to take unpaid leave. Earlier, meat inspectors and air traffic controllers also got their furloughs revoked by Congress.
In the meantime, employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal Public Defenders office and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, among others, are all being forced to take unpaid time off work this month.
The $85 billion in forced federal spending cuts called sequester has forced brutal cuts on programs like Headstart, which helps lower income families prepare young children for school, and Meals on Wheels, which helps feed poor seniors.
Supervisors will work with employees to schedule forced time off so that hospitals and school systems run by the agency remain open, said a senior Pentagon official. Government grocery stores on U.S. military bases around the world are expected to close at least one day each week.
Furlough letters will start going out to individual employees starting May 28. Employees can try to appeal their furloughs. However, a senior Pentagon official said it's unlikely that employees could get out of furloughs by pleading a financial hardship.
The official said it is possible that an employee facing furlough serves a role safeguarding lives or property that agency officials overlooked. They gave supervisors limited authority to make such adjustments, which means the numbers of employees who avoid furloughs could go up slightly.


The mall is part of a larger integrated mixed redevelopment project spread over 65 acres adjacent to Mumbai’s western express highway.
MUMBAI: Real estate developer Omkar Realtors & Developers is looking to monetise its upcoming over 1-million-sq-ft retail mall in the suburb of Andheri in Mumbai for Rs 2,000 crore, said two persons familiar with the development.
The mall is part of a larger integrated mixed redevelopment project spread over 65 acres adjacent to Mumbai’s western express highway. The total proposed development will be around 100 million sq ft, of which 60% will be residential development and the rest will be for mixed use.
“The entire project with a range of collaborations with leading names in hospitality for a five-star hotel and services business is being financed with a mix of internal accruals and external funding,” said one of the persons mentioned above. He said for the proposed monetisation of the retail mall, the company has already initiated talks with private equity funds that own and operate premium retail malls in key cities of the country.
The project has begun construction in January this year and is expected to be completed in 4.5 years in multiple phases for its residential and commercial inventory. The company is also planning to develop a five-star hotel in this project. While the deal for the retail mall is expected to be concluded over the next two months, the developer is also looking to bring in financial closure for subsequent phases of the project soon after this.
Omkar Realtors’ spokesperson declined to comment on the story.
As part of the proposed layout, the project will deliver around 9,000 free sale premium residential apartments while the five-star hospitality project will be spread over a 2.5 lakh sq ft area.
While the company has brought in Thailand-based GOCO Hospitality for its club facilities, the management is in advanced talks with one of the leading international hotel chains for managing the hotel.
Leasing activity in retail real estate has been on the rise and several prominent malls are witnessing robust inquiries for more space from leading brands. In the absence of larger supply of retail space, demand for space is rising as existing occupiers are seeking larger spaces.
Private equity investors have also revived their interest in retail real estate after a few years of reduced focus as part of a strategy to diversify their investment portfolios at a time when consumption levels are on the rise.
Global private funds, including Blackstone Group, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), APG Asset Management, Xander Group and GIC, have started investing in the retail sector to diversify their investment portfolios in the country.
In the latest quarter ended June, private equity transactions worth Rs 1,700 crore aimed at retail assets were concluded by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Xander Group. Private equity firms had invested more than $724 million in Indian retail real estate in the first nine months of 2017 alone against $846 million invested in 2015 and 2016, showed recent data.
This includes all types of investments, from platform and entity-level deals to acquiring stakes in leading malls in cities.


The Remarkables ski field near Queenstown got down to business yesterday, 48 hours early.
Regular snow over the last few weeks and busy work with snow-making gear gave field managers confidence that most runs were ready for customers.
Area manager Ross Lawrence said: "We have been grooming and preparing trails. It's great to see so many snow addicts up here getting back on the boards and boots, and loving it."
Two other Central Otago fields have held pre-season open days after early winter snow and cold days created promising conditions on the slopes. Coronet Peak and Cardrona held one-off opening days ahead of scheduled June 16 openings.
A warm front is expected to push northwards over the country during the day, WeatherWatch says, although another front coming through will keep temperatures down.
Meanwhile the country can expect more settled but still cold weather in the weekend after gales and heavy rain.
WeatherWatch's Aaron Wilkinson said a large high in the Tasman Sea was directing a southwesterly airflow over New Zealand. MetService said the front, which produced snow to low levels in the South Island was crossing the North Island. "Significant snow" was expected in parts of central North Island above 500m, with 5cm-8cm expected at the top of Desert Rd.


January 15, 2015 Budget, Charter schools, Common Core, Construction, In the classroom, Palm Beach County schools, Students, Technology, Testing.
A is for Assessments: The school board is among many that would like to see relief from testing. They’d like more time to transition to the state’s new tests – time in which schools and districts would not be penalized for poor performance. There’s also concern about the number of tests, the technology demands the state has tied to testing and the use of the test results.
B is for Buses: Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Delray and the guy who often leads the charge in Tallahassee when it comes to highway safety, had some questions about buses. Are they safe? What challenges do we have?
COO Mike Burke says they’re safe, we know this because they must be inspected monthly. But, Burke said, “We get (from the state) about a dollar each way to get students to and from school.” The fleet average age is 10 years old when it should be closer to six and breakdowns have “been a source of inconvenience.” Driver turnover is also an issue, he said.
The calendar: State law says school can’t start earlier than two weeks before Labor Day. Palm Beach County wants that to be something each district decides on its own, based on its constituency. Board member Karen Brill argued that here, many residents value having off for the Jewish holidays. And for years, students have benefitted from a semester that ends before the winter holiday break. Brill and other board members say those values collide when the district is forced into a start date that right now would be Aug. 24.
Charter schools: Can their regulation be tightened? Can a district require schools to post performance bonds?
Chairman Chuck Shaw offered this math: Of 22 charter applications the board saw this year, the board turned down six, 16 withdrew. Some 14 charters are deferring their openings. Five school closed and $420,000 “disappeared into thin air” ; 609 students lost a seat in one of those schools and had to transfer somewhere else.
Rep. Dave Kerner, D-Palm Springs also asked about security on charter campuses. The school district has a police force, but the officers don’t operate on charter campuses. Emergencies are handled by the local policing agency, Shaw said. But Shaw too said he had concerns about campus safety at charters.
Will Wellington teen make it through TV monster make-up competition?


Now here’s an item of interest. I don’t make the claim that every piece of news rises to the level of a matter of national importance, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t get a kick out of hearing some of the odd things that happen across our nation.
Let’s play a little word association game. I’m going to say a word, and you tell me the word that pops into your mind. Ready? The word is: “Shark.” Now take a minute to think, and tell me what your reaction was.
Confused? Don’t worry—that’s perfectly normal. In fact, the more normal you are, the more you would quite naturally be confused. Two seemingly unrelated terms—“shark” and “shopping cart”—are here being dangled in a tantalizing but mysterious manner. Is there a method to this madness, or is it just a canard? I can see that you’re intrigued. We’re not here to play games, so let me reveal to you now the full picture of the events that form the basis of this little foray into psychological mystery.
The time: last Friday. The place: the parking lot of a Walmart store in St. Augustine, Florida. So far, our story sounds quite normal, does it not? Every day, across America, the sun rises on thousands of Walmart parking lots. In and of itself this is unremarkable. Knowing that you have responsibilities, as we all do, I wouldn’t deign to waste your time with the simple fact of the existence of a Florida Walmart parking lot on a morning like any other.
Setting: police headquarters. A phone rings. The operator answers. On the other end of the line is an assistant manager at Walmart with a surprising tale to tell. It seems that on that morning the Walmart parking lot was home to more than cars and other assorted vehicles. “What else was in the parking lot?” you might be asking yourself. I’ll tell you now the remarkable answer to that question—the very same answer that the Walmart assistant manager relayed to the police phone operator in what I imagine was a breathless, urgent tone.
There was a shark in a shopping cart.
The shark was deceased. Scientists have never found one that can survive for more than a few minutes outside of the water, and you can be sure that a Walmart parking lot is a dry area. Even if the parking lot itself were water (perhaps there was a flood?), the shark was sitting inside the basket of a full-sized shopping cart, elevated at least two feet off the ground. That shark didn’t have a chance.
Need a minute to process this news? I’m not surprised. You’ve just been bombarded with—quite literally—a fish-out-of-water tale. It’s bound to cause some cognitive dissonance. Let’s review the elements of this mystery: 1) a shark; 2) in a shopping cart; 3) in a Walmart parking lot; 4) not in the water. It’s hard to tie the threads together. The human brain, conditioned by thousands of generations of evolution, will work overtime to devise a story to explain this situation. Where did the shark come from? How did he get there? Who captured him? Did he get into the shopping cart freely, or was he forced? Like you, I’d love a thorough exploration of each and every one of these questions. But the fact is that the Sheriff’s department deputy who found the shark in the Walmart parking lot did not perform an autopsy. He took no DNA evidence, fingerprints, or toxicology screens. In fact, we have no indication that any stakeouts were performed, background checks run, or undercover operations launched in an effort to uncover the truth. What we do know is that the shark was disposed of. He may have been born in the sea, but he met his end far, far away from the cresting blue waves—somewhere in a St. Augustine, Florida dumpster.
So here we are. At this point I’m afraid there’s little more I can add to the story. I’ve brought you the facts. Now it’s your job to put on your thinking cap. Where are the answers? Are they in a Walmart parking lot? Are they at the bottom of the ocean? I hope that the act of learning about this situation and its attendant unanswered questions has inspired you to do what you can to seek out the answers. One day, it may be possible to tell this tale from start to finish, painting a picture detailed enough to render any further puzzlement moot. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet. For now, we are left to ponder the uncomfortable possibility that the real predator here was not a shark—but instead, a human being.


Now that Avengers: Infinity War has come out on home release, Marvel has been dropping all sorts of fun featurettes online. The first one is talking about why Thanos is one of the best villains that Marvel has made so far — mostly because everything exists to fight him. The Avengers exist because of Thanos.
Next we get a more behind-the-scenes look at the villain, and it’s really amazing how all of the visual effects make this character look pretty realistic. They also praise Josh Brolin and his ability to bring this character to life via motion capture.
Avengers: Infinity War, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, stars Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Bettany, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Wong, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Bradley Cooper, and Anthony Mackie.
The film released on August 14th on 4K Blu-ray, DVD, and digital.


Some time in eighth grade, my sister and I decided we would get matching heart tattoos on the left corner of our left wrists. I’m not sure when we decided this; there was never a definitive moment. However, I suspect it developed when we, and the rest our friends, were really into doodling all over our hands and arms.
I always drew three stars on my left wrist — a classic middle-school move — but I knew the permanent ink must be a heart. My sister and I are twins born on Valentine’s Day. It had to be honored.
Come mid-May our senior year of high school, we hopped into my mom’s minivan with our best friend and headed to a tattoo parlor on a Tuesday night. Clad in my American Red Cross sweatshirt and black yoga sweats, I walked into the tattoo and piercing place where my sister had gotten her belly button pierced just three years earlier.
But we had to leave. My sister and I didn’t have driver’s licenses at the time, and forgot to bring our birth certificates. It didn’t help that I had a young face either (and wet hair). Despite their condescension, the fact that they required ID was a good sign in retrospect. They were only following the rules.
We drove home and picked up our birth certificates. Then we headed to the other side of town to the tattoo parlor where my mom got her tattoo over a decade ago (Also a heart! But different.).
Because the tattoos were small and simple, the process was quick. I let my sister go first, as she is the older twin. She made some faces indicative of a little pain, but it really didn’t hurt her at all. And the same went for me. When the needle buzzed away at my skin, the area would go numb until the tattoo artist lifted it up again.
After cleanup, payment and care instructions, we walked out of the tattoo parlor, happy with our first ink.
The most basic principle of a tattoo is that it is permanent. So yes, get something meaningful or a piece of artwork that is beautiful to you. More importantly, make sure to take care of it.
There is always a risk when you tamper with your body.
1) 9 Essential Tips for Tattoo Aftercare. Inked. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
2) How to Care for a Tattoo. Ink Done Right. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
3) Behind the Ink: Common tattoo beliefs debunked. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
4) Is Tattoo scabbing Normal? What NOT to Do When Your Tattoo Scabs. Authority Tattoo. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
5) The Very Best Tattoo Sunscreen Products. Ink Done Right. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
6) Tattoo Infection. MDDK. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
Another option for tattoo aftercare is pure emu oil. https://emujoy.com/pages/tattoo-aftercare-with-emu-oil Many tattoo artists swear by it, and it absorbs into the skin better than ointments.
I have always wanted a tattoo. I might finally get one now that I have this detailed guide. Very informative article!


New York Observer editor-in-chief Elizabeth Spiers has hired The Daily reporter Hunter Walker, she announced today.
A Brooklyn native, Mr. Walker is currently stationed in Los Angeles, with Richard Johnson’s “Flash” gossip column. He will relocate to New York in October.
Mr. Walker has written for Gawker, the Village Voice, New York, Forbes.com and Mediabistro, among others. He graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism in 2010.


Fire ruled an accident; cat rescued from one of houses.
Two houses caught on fire in Northeast El Paso early Sunday morning in what fire officials are calling an accidental fire.
The El Paso Fire Department was called out to a fire along the 5300 block of Annette Avenue at about 4 a.m. Sunday.
When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of one house and from the side of another. Firefighters began to simultaneously fight the fire and look for occupants. One of the houses was empty and the residents of the other were able to get out on their own. Firefighters rescued a cat from the empty house.
Firefighters knocked down the fire at about 4:45 a.m. and continued to check for hot spots until about 5 a.m. The fire was confined to about 25 percent of one house, with damages estimated at about $55,000, and to 10 percent of the other house, with damages estimated at $12,000.
The cause of the fire was accidental, fire officials said. No other details were available.
A total of 11 units and 29 firefighters responded. El Paso Police, Texas Gas and El Paso Planning and Inspections also assisted.


A donation from the Knights of Columbus ensures the children will stay active throughout the year.
AVONDALE - The Avondale Youth Center is home to 22 children between ages 10 and 18, so sporting activities are a popular part of the day. Equipment is needed for most of those tasks, and the center was short on most of them.
The Knights of Columbus Council 505 made sure to change that.
The council, including Grand Knight Mark Hill and Youth Program Chair Robert La Prad, presented the center with several new sporting good items this week as part of its Christmas in July program.
Around 70 percent of the items were purchased new, like new footballs, softballs, fishing equipment and tennis rackets — to name a few — from the K of C's general fund. The rest came from donations from members, including a pool table and ping pong table.
Gary King, youth center director, said in an article published last summer in the TR that the center had been in need of sporting goods for some time. La Prad read the article and decided to approach the council about helping.
The K of C 505 picks one organization annually to help.
"In talking with Gary he had indicated that they needed some sports equipment, and lots of it," La Prad said. "So we took the lead and decided to put it together."
La Prad and his wife, Dorothy, took care of the shopping from local sporting goods stores.
The children will use the equipment during activity time and down time around the facility. The gymnasium on campus is also in need of upgrades, King said, which is something they have tried to do this year. Much of the equipment on hand is good for warmer weather, but the ping pong table and pool table will offer something the kids can use year round.
King said keeping the children active is a must.
“A healthy body is a healthy mind, is the way I look at it,” King said. “Our kids, they’ve been through a lot of trauma. They have a lot of stress in their lives and they come from difficult backgrounds. To be able to do group activities and stay active is just very, very positive. It really has a deep impact on our kids."
Some children are at the center because they have behavioral problems, other simply don't have family to care for them. Many are from Muskingum County, however the center also houses children from surrounding areas such as Coshocton, Guernsey, Noble and Fairfield counties.
One resident in the center, Peyton, was the first boy to see the delivered goods. He was particularly happy about the new basketballs, since The Sidwell Foundation is currently revamping the outdoor basketball courts.
He said he was certain the others at the center would be extremely happy and thanked the K of C members for their generosity.