CASA representatives make pitch to lawmakers for support

Three people representing the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program for the Ogeechee Circuit attended the annual "CASA and Foster Youth Day at the Capitol" event in Atlanta on Feb. 12 as they met with senators and representatives to ask for support of a funding increase for the CASA organization in Georgia.

Gallmeier deploys to Persian Gulf

Air Force Staff Sgt. Anthony J. Gallmeier has deployed to Southwest Asia in the Persian Gulf region to support the mission of Operation Enduring Freedom as a member of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. The servicemember is normally assigned to the 116th Maintenance Squadron, Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins.

Green gets commissioned

William Green was recognized at a commissioning ceremony Feb. 15 where he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy.

Sweet treats for burn victims

Girl Scouts with Troop 848 donated Girl Scout cookies to Imperial Sugar employees recovering from their injuries in the Feb. 7 explosion at the Port Wentworth refinery and their families.

Dancing with the stars

The residents at Effingham Care Center enjoyed an afternoon outing filled with dancing and music as they watched the University of Georgia Ballroom Group perform on Saturday. The residents said, "It was wonderful."

Sunrise Rotary hears central command briefing

Members of the Effingham Sunrise Rotary heard an unclassified briefing from retired Master Sgt. Michael LeFlamme of the U.S. Central Command Communications Group. LeFlamme described the major components of the communication system that supports U.S. operations at home and abroad.

Effingham Care Center crowns Valentine's king and queen

Shriners say thanks

Members of the Effingham Shrine Club, Richard Gormley, Mike Stanley and Cle Lynes, show their appreciation to S.L. Rutland, owner of Rutland Tire and Wheel, for letting the club use Rutland's parking lot for boiled peanut sales from May through November. The money raised went to support Shrine Club activities and projects. The Effingham Shrine Club is an affiliate of the Alee Shrine in Savannah.

Sunrise Rotary donates to YMCA

Effingham Sunrise Rotary President Ace Herring presents a check for $1,000 to the YMCA of Effingham. Accepting the check on behalf of the YMCA were Patrice Morris and Bonnie Dixon. Effingham Sunrise Rotary Club meets every Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. at the Guyton Christian Church activities building. Anyone interested in joining this progressive and philanthropic organization should come join them for breakfast next Tuesday. For more information, call Lonnie J. Pate at 1-888-395-0440.

Time to line up for Girl Scout cookies

Brownie Troop 358 is ready to sell Girl Scout cookies. They will join with other area Girl Scouts to make the cookies available over the next month. The cookies will be available for purchase at the Wal-Mart and Kroger on Friday evenings from 4-8 p.m. at both locations; Saturdays at Wal-Mart from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Kroger from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and on Sundays beginning at noon.

Oglesby gets garden club lifetime membership

Brenda Helmly, current president of the Rincon Garden Club, honors Annie Oglesby with a lifetime membership in the Georgia Garden Club. Oglesby has been an active member in the Rincon Garden Club since 1955. The club normally meets on the fourth Thursday of the month at 1 p.m.

Girl Scouts pitch in at Manna House

On Jan. 29, the girls and leaders of Junior Troop 549 had the wonderful experience of volunteering at the Manna House. They had an attendance of 14 out of the 16 girls in the troop.

Ellison graduates from basic

Air Force Airman Brandon J. Ellison has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

Exchange Club honors business, individuals

The Exchange Club of Effingham County honored a citizen and a business in the county for their daily display of patriotism - flying the flag every day. James Sapp of Rincon was awarded the plaque as the citizen flying the flag in 2007. Springfield Ford was awarded the plaque as the business for the daily display of the flag at their business.

Keeping the Guard up

Sen. Jack Hill of Reidsville, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a former Air National Guardsman converses with Col. David Lee, commander of the National Guard Training Center at Fort Stewart during the annual National Guard Legislative Dinner held recently in Atlanta. More than 30 ranking legislators met with Georgia Air and Army National Guard leadership from around the state to review the accomplishments of the 13,000-member Georgia National Guard.

Civilian engineer team heads to Iraq

After months of extensive training throughout the country and the world, a team of eight local professionals with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District deployed to Iraq this weekend to provide specialized engineering support to U.S. troops and assist with construction projects.

Young graduates from basic training

Air Force Airman Dundrea M. Young graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

Spivey completes basic training

Air National Guard Airman Joshua D. Spivey graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

Patterson honored for his service

As the Sunrise Rotary Club recipient of the Service Above Self Award, Frank Patterson took very little credit for his work.

Exchange hears about real estate market

Scott Morgan and Chriss Allen from Savannah River Mortgage recently spoke to the Effingham Exchange Club about changes in home mortgages and the real estate market in this area. Mark Czachowski, program director, thanked Morgan and Allen for their informative presentation.

YMCA, Spine & Sport announce partnership

The YMCA of Coastal Georgia will be partnering with local Physical Therapy Company Spine & Sport to offer their members free injury assessments on site. The partnership gives an added value to the members of the YMCA in the case they have an injury or pain that they need to see someone about.

State Patrol plans for busy weekend

ATLANTA-Plan carefully, use caution, and buckle up are the recommendations from the Georgia State Patrol for a safe Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Local CASA volunteers attend state conference

Ten community CASA volunteers from CASA program for the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit attended the Georgia CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) state conference in Atlanta on April 16 to enhance their skills as CASA volunteers as they work with abused and neglected children involved in juvenile court proceedings.

EFACEC visits Exchange Club

Joe Martucci was thanked by Effingham Exchange Club President, Pete Lancaster for speaking to the club about the history of EFACEC and the specialized transformers than the company manufactures at its Effingham plant - its first U.S. manufacturing venture.

Class is in

Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office Investigator Erick Riner discusses proper search warrant techniques with fellow members of law enforcement at a continuing education seminar, hosted by the Rincon Police Department.

Local author visits Sunrise Rotary

The Sunrise Rotary Club of Effingham heard from local author Julia Cochran, who writes under the pen name Julia Arrants. She has just published her second book, a collection of poetry. You can see her titles at www.JuliaArrants.com.

Going for green — and getting gold

SAVANNAH-The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) certified Effingham County's newly renovated courthouse as LEED Gold, the second highest rating possible. This means that the building was designed and constructed using materials, systems, and operations that reduces its impact on the environment and improves energy efficiency.

Tea party gathers

Effingham Tea Party activists and supporters gathered Thursday evening for the third annual Tea Party rally, held near the Lowe's on Highway 21 in Rincon.

CASA calls on rotary club

Lainie Jenkins, executive director/volunteer coordinator of CASA, gave the Effingham Rotary Club an overview of CASA, which stands for a Court Appointed Special Advocate.