Angel’s Outreach Works To Help Fellow Teens With Basic Needs
August 12, 2009
Sometimes, it takes an Angel to notice the basic needs of people around them and to step up and make a difference. That’s the story behind Angel’s Outreach, a program started by local student Angel Mitchell, 13.
Most people take basic items like a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant for granted. When Angel noticed that some of her peers, especially at her church, did not have those basic personal hygiene items, she started “Angel’s Outreach” to lend a helping hand. Bimonthly, Angel distributes personal hygiene items to those in need.
“Upon seeing a need in the lives of her peers, she responded immediately, selflessly and compassionately,” said Leslie Johnson, a youth pastor at Angel’s church, Abundant Life Assembly of God in Century. “These necessities, often taken for granted by many, are not available to the teens of many struggling families in North Escambia.”
“I saw kids at church and school that needed these items,” Angel said Tuesday night as she packed items in plastic bags to be distributed at a Wednesday night church service. “It’s a good thing to help them, and I hope it will get more kids to church, draw them to church.”
Most items come from a donation box or monetary donations to Abundant Life Assembly. Sometimes Angel purchases the items with her own money.
“It is not very often that I, as a youth minister, see teenagers with this level of compassion,” Johnson said. “Angel has shown that it doesn’t take great financial resources to help others who are in need. It only takes a heart for the people to make a difference. There are not many like her, so willing to give of herself.”
Angel, who will be a freshman this fall at Northview, started her program last spring. Her distribution now includes 50-75 bags of hygiene items bimonthly to children and teens in her church and community.
Donations are accepted for Angel’s Outreach at the Abundant Life Assembly of God at 8040 North Century Boulevard. For more information, call the church at (850) 256-5227.
Pictured: Angel Mitchell, creator of Angel’s Outreach, packs bags with basic hygiene necessities to be distributed to less fortunate teens. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Relay For Life Gets Ready For 2010 With Birthday Bash
August 12, 2009
Planning for the 2010 Century Relay for Life got underway Tuesday night with a birthday bash.
The American Cancer Society’s latest advertising campaign calls the organization “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays…because a world with less cancer is a world with more birthdays”.
Susan Diamond will be taking over as Century Relay event chair from Paula Jernigan because Relay for Life limits a person’s service as event chair to two years.
An early bird Relay team registration event is planned for 7 p.m on September 22, most likely at the Century Ag Building on West Highway 4. More details will be posted here on NorthEscambia.com as the date draws closer.
Pictured top: A Tuesday night birthday bash celebrated the beginning of planning for Century’s 2010 Relay for Life. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Masland Employee Cuts Pony Tail To Help Rely, Locks Of Love
August 10, 2009
A Masland Carpets employee had a haircut at work this week, helping a child in need and the American Cancer Society at the same time.
The Masland Carpets Relay for Life team sold chances for one person in the Atmore plant to cut inventory control analyst Jim McMorris’ 12-inch pony tail for the Locks of Love program. Each chance was a donation to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
McMorris’ wife Jennifer has cancer, and they decided that this would be an opportunity to help both Relay for Life and Locks of Love.
Maria Hixon, who works as a creeler, won the chance to give McMorris his haircut. His pony tail was sent to the Locks of Love program, a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
“She was nervous and kept asking Jim if he was scared, but I’m sure he wasn’t,” Susan Gunn, Masland human resources assistant, said. “He did have an appointment a few minutes after the cut with (Atmore hairstylist) Hazel Strawbrige to get his hair adjusted.”
Pictured top: Masland employee Maria Hixon cuts the 12-inch pony tail of fellow employee Jim McMorris for the Locks of Love program and Relay for Life. Pictured inset: A Masland engineer measures the pony tail. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia’s Roots Found In Molino; UWF Uncovers Historical Site
August 9, 2009
Escambia’s roots have been uncovered in Molino, along with evidence of habitation thousands of years ago.
The University of West Florida archaeological field school has wrapped up a successful summer dig last week, uncovering evidence of the San Joseph De Escambe Spanish mission dating back to the 18th century in Molino.
The Mission San Joseph De Escambe was established upriver along the Escambia River — which, along with Escambia County, actually took its later name from the mission near Molino. The Apalachee Indian settlement with about 75 residents is well documented, according to archaeologist John Worth. It was established in the 1740’s. A Franciscan missionary was stationed by the Spanish at the village along with 15 members of a Spanish cavalry unit until about 1757.
The village was led by Apalachee Chief Juan Marcos Fant until it was destroyed during a Creek Indian raid on April 9, 1761. The village and the church were at least partially burned during the raid. Following the raid, the residents moved down the Escambia River to what is now downtown Pensacola.
The mission was uncovered by the UWF archeology students under the leadership professor Dr. John Worth. Worth spent years digging through historical records before the actual digging in Molino began.
The missions settlement is believed to have included a Spanish missionary church and a small Apalachee Indian village. Evidence of the buildings was discovered during the summer field school, including a wall that appears to have been a post-on-sill construction type that was commonly used on French colonial sites. It has also been documented in Pensacola’s Spanish presidios. UWF archeologists said the Molino site also included an apparent floor structure on the inside of the building.
While the walls have deteriorated over time and appear to the casual observer to be nothing more than darker soil, UWF students found almost 40 wrought iron nails in their original positions. In what was called an “amazing” find, students uncovered a wrought iron nail still embedded in piece of wood (pictured left), the remains of a beam or post where the nail was hammered about 250 years ago.
One of the wall areas discovered was considered substantial, possibly part of the Spanish Calvary barracks or the actual mission church.
In addition to the 18th century Mission San Joseph De Escambe, UWF archeology students uncovered evidence of much earlier prehistoric life along the river in Molino. The oldest item found was a spear point dating between 1,200 and 3,900 B.C.
Friday was the final official day for the UWF field school, with students spending 14 hours wrapping up their research and filling holes. A few students will return next week to finish some final documentation and fill the remaining excavations.
The mission site was located near Yuhasz Road near Fairground Park. The entire site is on private property and is not open to the public.
For more information on the project, visit pensacolacolonialfrontiers.blogspot.com for the project blog. Also see two previous NorthEscambia.com articles:
- UWF Archeology Uncovers Possible Spanish Mission Evidence In Molino (July 21)
- UWF Digging For The Past In Molino; 2,000 Year Old Artifacts Found (June 29)
Pictured above: UWF Archeology students carefully sift through soil while they search for artifacts near Molino. Pictured bottom inset: A wrought iron nail in a fragment of wood from about 250 years ago. The excavation below shows evidence of two walls (the darker overlapping areas). NorthEscambia.com and courtesy photos, click to enlarge.
Photos On The EDGE: Molino Church Wraps Up VBS
August 9, 2009
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Molino held their Camp E.D.G.E. Vacation Bible School last week.
The church averaged just almost 50 children and over 50 volunteers each night during the adventure filled week.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Community Outreach: Children At Bratt Church Wash Cars For Free
August 8, 2009
Children at the First Baptist Church of Bratt held a free community car wash Friday.
Pete Amerson explained that the car wash was for the community — a chance for the children to do something for the community and spread the Gospel at the same time. First to fifth graders washed cars and stood by the side of Highway 4 with handmade signs advertising their event.
Pictured top: Children at the First Baptist Church of Bratt held a free community car wash Friday afternoon. Pictured inset: Advertising the event. Pictured bottom: Anna Lee, 5, decided to cool off with a hose during the car wash. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Work Is Now Underway At New Bratt Park
August 6, 2009
Work is now underway on the new Bratt Community Park, with the entire park expected to be completed by early next year.
County employees are currently working to install the 8-foot wide, eight-tenths of a mile walking track around the perimeter of the 13-acre park, according to Joy Jones, director of Escambia County’s Parks and Recreation Department.
The next step will be in the installation of the playground at the park, which is located at the corner of Highway 4 and Bratt Road near the First Baptist Church of Bratt. The playground has already been delivered to the county, and it is in storage in Pensacola waiting for an installer from the manufacturing company to begin installation later this month.
“We are just getting started, but we are going to keep it going,” Jones said of work on the park. The county is still waiting on one permit to be issued, she said, and then the work on other park features like the picnic pavilion will begin.
The park will also include two softball fields, a full basketball court and exercise and rest stations positioned along the track. The softball fields will not be lit for night play; in fact, the park’s hours will follow that of other county parks — sunrise to sunset.
The park is being funded with $200,000 in LOST (local option sales tax) monies set aside for the park’s construction.
Jones expects that park will be completed within six months.
Pictured top: Work is underway on the walking track at the new Bratt Community Park. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge. Pictured below: Plans for the park. Click plans to view the park plan in pdf format.
Flomaton Grad To Release New Album Next Week
August 6, 2009
A Flomaton High School graduate’s new CD will be released next Tuesday.
John Boutwell, who now performs under the name Ryland Bael, will release his country/pop album “Gone Too Long”, featuring 10 new songs that he wrote.
Boutwell graduated from Flomaton High School in 1995 and went on to get degrees from Jefferson Davis Community College and the University of Alabama. He was born in Bay Minette, but grew up around the Boutwell and Lambeth communites on Upper Creek Road just outside Flomaton.
After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2003, he remained in Tuscaloosa and formed his own label — Boutwell Entertainment, LLC. and released “John Boutwell: Remember Me” in 2004. He toured the Southeast for a couple of years to promote the album.
For “Gone Too Long” Boutwell decided to go with the pen name Ryland Bael and write about his life experiences, the result of a three year odyssey of personal heartbreak, healing, and triumph for this south Alabama son.
Ryland’s musical talents have their roots in an old country church in rural Alabama, and his music can best be described as a unique blend of gospel and country intertwined with pop, soul, R & B, jazz, and classical influences.
“I started playing piano and singing almost from the time I could walk and talk. I cut my musical teeth on Southern Gospel music. As I was growing up, being a guy who had no musical education and played everything by ear, whenever I heard something I liked on the radio, I’d take different elements and incorporate it into my own piano style. I began as a gospel writer and gradually began to write more and more country and pop lyrics,” Ryland said. “If you listen close, though, you’ll hear those soulful, gospel licks in almost every song I write and record. I’ll never get away from gospel music. It’s in my blood. “
His days at Flomaton High School helped shape his career. He said he was “discovered” his junior year by the FHS Drama Department when they needed a pianist for a spring musical. Able to play Broadway scores by ear, he would help the cast by transposing the music for those that could not sing in the original key. During rehearsal breaks, he would forgo the Broadway tunes and play songs that were popular on the radio.
“It broke up the monotony of long hours of rehearsal and really was the beginning of my goal to become a recording artist,” Ryland said. ” Suffice it to say, my years in Flomaton laid the foundation for my career aspirations to be a nationally known recording artist. We haven’t quite made it there yet, but we feel good about where things are headed.”
With songs like “Lonesome Highway”, “This Ain’t Goodbye”, “You’ve Had Your Chance”, and “Smile For the Memory”, his new CD shows the soul of man with broken heart that is open to healing. The songs tell the story of human spirit, falling in love and finding one’s self.
“Music is who I am. It’s what I was born to do,” Ryland said.
The CD was scheduled to release last Tuesday, but was delayed by the manufacturing company. When released this Tuesday, the CD will be available from www.rylandbael.com, and online retailers like Itunes, Amazon.com. Rhapsody.com and Napster.com.
Releasing the CD on his own label was a business decision that Ryland hopes will pay off as more and more people discover independent artists online. And he’s hoping that country radio will be good to him with the airtime needed to introduce his music to the country music masses.
“It’s a great project. We just have to work a little harder to get it heard,” he said. “Obviously, from a business perspective, we want to sell as many copies and downloads as possible, but beyond that, I hope this album finds its way to a million listeners that can listen and appreciate this record for what it is. A journey. I think there is something on this album that everybody, no matter what age or demographic, can identify with at some point in their lives. I have this feeling there are a lot of us out there that set out out in life and at some point start to lose ourselves and come to the realization we’ve been ‘gone too long’.”
While the album reflects Ryland’s past, he hopes it leads to a bright future in the music business.
“I’ve made it this far, and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in my career holds,” he said.
The album can be sampled on www.rylandbael.com, and there are two videos on YouTube.
Walnut Hill Resident Finalist In Taco Jingle Contest
August 5, 2009
Olivia Godwin of Walnut Hill is hoping that a short tune about tacos will win an Alabama radio station contest.
Godwin is a finalist in a Taco Casa jingle contest sponsored by radio station 94.1 WZBQ in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where she is a student at the University of Alabama. The winner of the taco restaurant’s jingle contest wins a three day, two night stay at the Marriott Golf Resort and Spa in Panama City, Pepsi products and $600 worth of Mexican food from Taco Casa.
There are five finalists in the contest. Click here to vote. Olivia Godwin is in the photo at the bottom of the page. You must enter a valid email in order to verify your vote. To view Godwin’s video entry, click here.
Godwin is a 2008 graduate of Northview High School.
Old Fashioned Gospel Time At Century Care Center
August 5, 2009
There was some pickin’ and grinnin’ going on Tuesday morning at the Century Care Center.
Three of the residents’ favorite musicians all took part in a morning jam session for the residents. Harold Pope, “Brother” Kelly and Robert Strength entertained with old style gospel music.
Pictured above: (L-R) Harold Pope, “Brother” Kelly and Robert Strength Tuesday morning at the Century Care Center. Pictured below: The CCC residents enjoyed singing along. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
