Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

I read with great interest your paper’s recent article on the Sylva town board’s actions to avoid getting egg on their faces concerning the keeping of poultry within the town limits.

After brooding on the matter, and egged on by competing flocks of concerned citizens, the board finally arrived at a compromise solution that owes much to the pullet surprise of Councilor Gelbaugh, who, echoing the words of Abigail Adams, encouraged the board to remember the ladies, and not dispense with roosters, who up until then had been on the chopping block. This seeming lack of knowledge on the needs of hens by the board until then is perhaps at least partially explained by the current membership of the board. One downside of the enacted ordinance is in encouraging neighbors to call fowl on one another over too many birds. Hopefully animosities will remain cooped up, and no feathers will be ruffled going forward.

Thanks for keeping the public abreast of current happenings by doing essential journalistic legwork.

Baxter Williams, Webster

Circles of Jackson needs you

To the Editor:

Do something good. Volunteer! Volunteering offers vital help to people in need and to the community. If you believe that love is shown not only in word or speech but in action and that we should use whatever gift we have received to serve others, then know that volunteering will make you better stewards of the resources you have been given. 

Volunteering is really a two-way street. Not only will it benefit Circles of Jackson but it will benefit you.

As a volunteer, I promise that you will find great joy and deep satisfaction as you give just a couple of hours a week to help Circles of Jackson. That’s right! Just a couple of hours a week! And as you volunteer you will make wonderful new friends, connect with the community in new and exciting ways, make the community a better place, and provide fulfillment to your life. In Circles of Jackson, you will interact with folks from diverse backgrounds which I promise you will enjoy.

Volunteering with circles will strengthen your ties to the community as you learn more about the area and the many varied resources offered. It will also enlarge your support network as you meet folks with common interests.

If you still have children at home, I encourage you to bring them along and show them just how volunteering can make a huge difference in the community. Show them how volunteering gives one a real sense of purpose as they work to help others in a selfless way.

If you have retired or lost a spouse, using your time to help others can give your life new meaning as well as provide a real sense of purpose as you become a part of something greater than yourself.          

While writing this article I decided to do a little research on the positive effects of volunteering. Turns out research says that those who volunteer have 1) a lower mortality rate, 2) are less likely to develop high blood pressure, 3) have better thinking skills, 4) have less chronic pain and 5) that volunteering reduces the risk of heart disease.

Volunteering requires no special skills and I assure you that no matter what skill set you have, you can make a difference in the lives of others, and in the community.

So, we sincerely hope you will choose to volunteer for Circles of Jackson. We encourage you to come any Tuesday night to the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva at 6 p.m., have dinner with us, meet those in our organization, and learn what circles is all about.

Briefly, our purpose is to provide the short and long-term support that enables families currently living in poverty to move into financial sustainability through education, job opportunities, and community support.

Please come, do something good, and volunteer!

Ann Melton, Waynesville

Melton is founder, Circles of Jackson.