Snowball Derby Queens Named
November 29, 2014
Snowball 2014 queens have been named. They are: (L-R) Teen Miss Five Flags Speedway Raelyn Hurst of Tate High School, Miss Snowball Derby Arah Hans-Majors of Tate High School and Miss Five Flags Speedway Ashley Godwin of Pine Forest High School. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Georgia Church Reaches The Needy in Century With Free Thanksgiving Lunch
November 28, 2014
They came from all walks of life Thursday in Century to enjoy a free Thanksgiving lunch spearheaded by a Georgia church.
From the unemployed, to the disabled, to folks just down on their luck, they came. And then there was the man who struggled against his emotions to explain that he had just found a job, but was not yet able to feed his family of seven a good, hot Thanksgiving lunch.
For Rivertown Church of Columbus, GA, it was the latest in several trips to Century. It was their second year hosting a Century Thanksgiving lunch, and the church has reached out for a couple of years with volunteers painting and making improvements around the Carver Community Center in Century.
“We were looking around Pensacola for some outreach ministry opportunity where we could also maybe take our youth to the beach for a day,” Rivertown Senior Pastor David Rathel said Thursday. They spoke to ministry personnel at Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.
“And they told us that there was this place we might not want to go called Century, FL,” Rathel said. According to the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, Century is the 41st poorest place in America and the poorest place in the state of Florida. The median household income is just $17,188 — nearly half of all Century’s 1,698 residents live in poverty.
But Rathel and his Riverside flock soon learned that Century was rich in people, rich in spirit and rich in souls that needed comfort in the Lord.
“The Lord is doing good things here,” he said. “We love Century.”
Rivertown was not alone in their “Compel Century” outreach Thursday, with the Abundant Life Assembly of God in Century and the First Baptist Church of Flomaton also participating in the free Thanksgiving lunch with turkey and all the fixings.
“We had about 55 people here for lunch when we prayed,” Rathel said. “And they’ve just keep coming in.”
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Holiday Giving: Shop Wisely For A Reputable Charity
November 28, 2014
Millions of Americans have ventured out to big and small retailers in search of the best deal for their holiday gift giving, and experts advise them to have the same diligence when it comes to picking their charity.
According to AARP, older Americans are more likely to receive charitable solicitations than any other group, and not all requests are legitimate, warns Doug Shadel, author of AARP’s “Outsmarting the Scam Artists.”
“There’s a lot of charitable solicitations going on out there that really tug at the heartstrings, whether it’s disabled veterans or anything having to do with disasters, and so you really just got to be careful about that,” he cautions.
Shadel advises seniors and others to be cautious of charities whose names are similar to better-known organizations.
You can also request written information, avoid cash gifts and ask for a receipt.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 25 million Americans are victims of consumer fraud every year.
You can check to see if a charity is registered in Florida by checking with the state’s Division of Consumer Services.
Shadel also says to ask the person requesting the donation more about how the donations are used and how much goes to operating costs versus the actual cause it claims to serve.
“A lot of times, charitable solicitors will try and get you into kind of a heightened emotional state around their charity,” he explains. “The best way to avoid that is at the beginning of every year, come up with your own charitable giving plan.”
Northview Cheerleaders March In Macy’s New York City Parade
November 28, 2014
Two Northview High School varsity cheerleaders, Hanna Gibson and Morgan Ward, marched in Thursday’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Pictured top: Gibson and Ward in their All-American Cheerleader uniforms after the parade. Pictured inset: Enjoying Times Square. Pictured below: The Sesame Street float travels down the Avenue of the America’s during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City Thursday morning. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward, Northview Cheerleaders March In Disney Thanksgiving Parade
November 28, 2014
Seven UCA All-American Cheerleaders from Ernest Ward Middle School and Northview High School marched Thursday in the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Disney World. Pictured above: (L-R) from Northview: Jerni Crabtree, Kayla Galvin and Hannah Nelson; from Ernest Ward: Jayda Crabtree, Gabrielle Kline, Nikoal Creamer and Madison Sherouse. Pictured inset: Kline was chosen to march on the front row. Pictured below: The girls pose with Mickey and Minne Mouse. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Florida’s Adoption Reunion Registry Helps Adoptees, Birth Parents Reunite
November 28, 2014
Recognizing that adoption is a lifelong journey, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) offers Florida’s Adoption Reunion Registry to provide birth relatives and adopted children the opportunity to reunite.
The Registry is the only program in Florida that reunites adult adopted individuals with members of their birth families without either party needing to take court action. The Registry is a voluntary and confidential cross-referenced file of the people who were the principal parties in an adoption. It is available to adult adopted individuals over the age of 18, adoptive parents, birth parents, maternal and paternal grandparents, birth siblings and siblings of the birth parents.
“We are proud to be able to offer this service to individuals who are adopted through the Florida foster care system because we know that many adopted children are naturally and rightfully curious about their birth families,” Interim Secretary Mike Carroll said. “Sometime the process of finding your birth family can be difficult and heartbreaking but it is more often filled with love, surprises and relief that can help bring about a more full and complete family of both adoptive and birth relatives.”
The Registry does not initiate searches for birth families. If two or more people impacted by an adoption in Florida list themselves on the Registry, then the Registry gets them in touch with each other. There is a onetime $35 fee. The fee may be waived if there is a proven financial hardship. There are currently 10,190 individuals listed in the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry –55 percent are adult adopted individuals, 38 percent are birth parents, 7 percent are grandparents, siblings or other relatives. The Registry averages three to four successful matches each month.
To register for Adoption Reunion Registry services, an applicant must complete the Adoption Reunion Registry Form which may be obtained by calling the Florida Adoption Information Center at 1-800-96-ADOPT or visiting www.AdoptFlorida.org/ReunionRegistry.shtml.
Photos: Camp Fire Kids Celebrate Thanksgiving With Feast
November 27, 2014
Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center held a Thanksgiving feast this week for children and their parents. The daycare’s children, many dressed as Pilgrims or Native Americans, enjoyed a full Thanksgiving meal following a special Thanksgiving production on stage at the Century Community Center.
For a photo gallery from the event, click here.
Pictured: Children enjoy a Thanksgiving feast at the Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center earlier this week. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
From The Farm To The City: A Thanksgiving Bounty For The Needy (With Gallery)
November 25, 2014
About 200 students from schools in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties worked in fields near Jay Monday to harvest turnips and bag sweet potatoes that will feed hundreds of needy families later this week for Thanksgiving.
The event at the University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center was part of Farm-City Week, bringing the bounty of the farm to the needy of the city.
The FFA students from Northview High School, Tate High School, Jay High School, Central School, King Middle School and Ernest Ward Middle School harvested about 1,200 bundle each of collard and turnip greens and sorted about a ton and half of donated sweet potatoes.
The greens were harvested in assembly line fashion — one student picking the greens, another bundling them with a rubber band and passed student to student to a waiting transport vehicle. Then teams of students worked to wash the greens.
Along the way, the students learned not only about teamwork, but also about the farming process.
The greens and sweet potatoes will be delivered Tuesday with the help of Tate High FFA students to about 600 families that were pre-qualified based upon need through the Waterfront Rescue Mission.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tax Free Turkey? Florida TaxWatch Talks Thanksgiving Dinner
November 25, 2014
Floridians have another reason to be thankful this holiday season – Florida is not one of the 14 states in the nation that tax groceries, according to Florida TaxWatch, a statewide, non-profit, non-partisan research institute.
While most food that Florida residents prepare themselves for a Thanksgiving feast is exempt, some of the items on dinner tables may be subject to the state’s sales tax, ranging from six to 7.5 percent.
In Florida, groceries are generally exempt as long as they are not prepared in-store. For example, a raw turkey is tax exempt, but a prepared turkey is taxed. However, there are some nuances. Deli foods prepared off-site are not taxed as long as the grocer leaves them in their original sealed container. Bakery products are only taxed if items are sold for consumption at in-store dining facilities. Deli meats and cheeses are not taxed unless they are arranged and sold in party platters, and fruit and salad platters are exempt unless they are packaged with utensils.
“Understanding Florida’s tax laws can be very difficult for Florida shoppers, so Florida TaxWatch is helping taxpayers understand their tax obligations, and get a better sense of what they are buying this Thanksgiving,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.
In nearby Alabama, tax on that Thanksgiving turkey can be as much as nine percent or more.
Ernest Ward Middle Names Students Of The Month
November 24, 2014
Ernest Ward Middle School has named Students of the Month for September and October. They are (pictured L-R) October – Crystal Douglas, 8th grade, and Savannah Spence, 7th grade; September – Liby Pugh. Not pictured is Abenia Diggs, 6th grade, October. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.