One hundred dollar challenge for Schley Community Park
Are you ready to accept a $100 challenge for the children of Schley County? The challenge is for parents, grandparents, family members, churches, civic organizations as well as local business and industry to donate $100 to provide a group of training and fitness exercise equipment and a playground structure in the center of the Schley County Recreation Complex for children to use for fun and exercise.
It’s hard to believe, but there is no public playground in Schley County other than Black/Edwards Park and the one at the elementary school. Although Schley County has a great school system with the elementary school ranking number one in the state and the high school ranking number seven in the state, there is no centrally located community park for families and children to enjoy.
With a population of almost 5,200 people and about 1,500 students in the Schley County School System, Schley County needs a fully functional recreation complex with a playground that is accessible for families and children. With your donation of $100, you will be making an investment in the future of Schley County.  With your help, the Schley Community Park will provide our children with both exercise and creative play.
This is where your investment in our children is needed. You can make a tax-free contribution to build the new Schley Community Park by calling the Schley County Community Foundation, a 501 C(3) organization,  at 937-5708 or by mailing your contribution to P.O. Box 606, Ellaville GA 31806. The foundation will give you a receipt for your tax records.
As the 2015 tax year comes to an end, now is an excellent opportunity to make a contribution of $100 or more that will not only benefit the children of Schley County, but also benefit you by providing a tax-free contribution that will have far lasting benefits for years to come.
Please consider accepting the $100 challenge to make the new Schley Community Park a success. Our children’s success depends on you and our community’s support.
John T. Greene
Coordinator, Schley County Family Connection
Ellaville

To the editor and Susan Stamper Brown,
A recent Opinion written by Ms Brown caught my attention. She is from Alaska, a state I know well, & I expected something different and fresh. Instead, I read a list of Tea Party and Right Wing talking points that were tedious and stale. I thought of writing and voicing my opinion on her first article, but deferred.  Many of my friends here in Americus can write on the same subject, only with a sense of style. There was not an original thought. All of her opinion piece can be gleaned from “Breitbart” or a number of other internet sites. A professional commentary should be informative, form a discussion, and can even upset people, but it should be original and well written.
I frequently disagree with conservative lions like George Will and Charles Kruathammer, but their writing is inspired. Their metaphors seem to come out of heaven and hit one on the head. They have a sense of humor. And they know history and government.
Ms Brown’s second article was too much to ignore. Obviously people disagreed with her, she is a professional, syndicated columnist. People criticized her. Some called her bad things – poor dear.
Ms Brown is not Martin Gilbert, nor Winston Churchill, nor Albert Einstein. She is not “a purged professional”, nor a Nobel Laureate. The First Amendment does not apply to criticism from readers, even if it is in bad taste. The First Amendment protects one from government, either local of federal. Her writing has not been “banned and cast into blazing bonfires”. Ms Brown’s writing is lazy and poorly researched and she accuses readers of trying to “squash divergence of thought and stifle man’s God-instilled unquenchable search for truth”. Oh my, how she has suffered!
A good commentary or opinion should be original, strengthen the Body Politic, and be well written. Ms Brown’s was none of these.
Ralph Cornwell
Americus