Center Hill Masonic Lodge #77 Makes Donation to DCHS Special Needs Prom

April 14, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A week after making a donation to DeKalb Middle School in support of its student garden project, members of Center Hill Masonic Lodge #77 presented another $200 check Friday, this time at DeKalb County High School for the Service Society Club’s Special Needs Prom which will be held at the school Friday, May 3.

Making the presentation were Lodge Master Don Adamson, Senior Warden Dustin Estes, Junior Warden Danny Pirtle, and Secretary Don Craze. Receiving the donation were Sara Young, DCHS Service Society sponsor and Math teacher, and Hope Carter, CDC Special Education Teacher.

The Special Needs Prom was started five years ago for DCHS students unable to attend the regular high school prom.

“Every year we host a special needs prom for the 15-18 students in CDC classes mostly but a few other students are also invited. They are our honored guests at this prom,” said Young. “ Its held at DCHS because the environment here is more conducive to them and they are able to enjoy the night more than going to the regular prom in Lebanon. Some of these students are not able to attend that prom,” Young explained. “This is their opportunity to have their own prom and not miss out on that event. We will assign peer buddies to the special needs students to make sure they have a good time, dance, and get to go on a limo ride around town. They will get a full meal and we will have a photo booth set up. Chris and Holly Moore will deejay for us. We appreciate this donation from Center Hill Masonic Lodge and we will use this money to provide a full meal for the special needs students. Usually the CDC Class covers the limo rental through their fundraisers including the sale of car fresheners that they make,” said Young.

“Yes, we make car fresheners,” added Carter. “Its an industrial type lesson for the kids to help them learn money and job skills. They make them (car fresheners) and we have some (students) who distribute them if its within the school setting and they save up that money and it goes into their account to rent the limo,” said Carter.

In addition to being involved on Special Needs Prom Night, Service Society students join in the effort to make preparations.

“We will transform the cafeteria and make it look nice,” said Young. “The Service Society students will help decorate before the prom. My service society kids say this prom is more fun than the regular prom. We always have so much fun and its my favorite event of the whole school year,” said Young.

“I also enjoy being with the kids and seeing their happy faces,” added Carter.

April 14, 2024
By: Bill Conger

A flavor of true African culture filled Smithville First Baptist Church when the Sozo Children’s Choir took the stage April 7.. The Ugandan choir made a tour stop in DeKalb County, telling about their mission and showcasing part of the lifestyle.

“The whole beginning part is to kind of expose people to African sounds, and colors and dance and style,” Ministry Outreach Leader Miguel Zayas explained. “Some of the songs were written by Ugandans. Some of the songs had Ugandan, which is their language, in it. So we have songs that are worship songs that everybody knows. So we want to have a good mix of both.”

The children’s joyous voices and vibrant enthusiasm led the people in a worship experience that had them on fire for the music and the ministry.

“Every even year we bring a group of kids from the village that we serve and our people that came in off of the rescue program to come to the United States to tour and tell their stories,” Zayas said. “We get a chance for them to have a missions trip to come to the US. Most have never been outside of their village, definitely not outside of Uganda. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and really what we want to do in that is show the kids what God can do when we submit our lives to Him.”

“I love the roads,” Alex said when asked about what he likes about America. Miguel explained that the roads in Africa can be rough and quite bumpy to travel on.

Alex is a big fan of the plain chicken wings and Ssanyu likes to munch on eggs and especially cheese since that’s not available in her country. They both have spent more than a year preparing for this tour of the U.S.

“People are very welcoming, very loving,” Ssanyu said. “What I liked about today is that I got an opportunity to stand in front of people and worship the Lord.”

“Don’t ask me to sing or dance like the kids,” jokes Miguel, who is also the choir director. “We have a group of professionals in Uganda, a true choir director who teaches all the lines, breaks out all the harmonies. We have a choreographer who works on all the dances. So, the kids are in our care practically for a calendar year from January on to the end of the year, and then they’re performing the entire time when they’re in the US. The next picking of a choir will happen somewhere in July or August. They’ll move into a home with us in January of 2025 to prepare for 2026.”

Zayas explained that Sozo Children exists to empower vulnerable children to become thriving leaders for Jesus Christ.

“God gifts us with some of the most vulnerable children in Uganda in the villages and townships around where we’re working,” Zayas said. “The government or the police or the village gets involved, they call us, and they say we need to have a child rescued from either rape, abuse or neglect. There’s a variety of things that happen unfortunately in some places in some children’s lives. So, we immediately jump into action, figure out a plan and a way in which we’re going to rescue that child.”

The Sozo Children’s choir continues its tour in parts of Alabama and North Carolina the rest of this month before traveling to New York in May. To find out more about the organization, to make a donation or sponsor one of the children, go to www.Sozochildren.org.

April 14, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson of Knoxville was in Smithville Saturday for a campaign event hosted by the DeKalb County Democratic Party.

Johnson is among four candidates vying for the nomination of the Tennessee Democratic Party in the primary on August 1. The winner will likely face first term Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood in the November General Election. The term is for six years. Blackburn has one opponent in the state GOP Primary in August.

After a potluck meal, Representative Johnson spoke to supporters and then had a meet and greet.

Johnson spoke with WJLE after the event.

“The campaign is going great. We are showing up everywhere. That’s one of the things this campaign is going to do. We are going to visit every county. We are so excited about the crowds we are bringing and the people that are fired up for this election. I just can’t thank the people enough for all their support,” said Representative Johnson.

Currently a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representative from District 90 based in Knoxville, Johnson explained how she became interested in politics.

“I was a schoolteacher and taught for 27 years. I taught special education. I really wasn’t into party politics or politics at all. I voted but really wasn’t involved or engaged. I got involved because of Barack Obama. He really spoke to me about so many things. I said I am a schoolteacher, but you (Obama campaign) can have all my weekends and my vacations, and I will work for your campaign,” said Representative Johnson. “I got trained up with a lot or organizers and after that (Presidential) election was over I wanted to get involved locally because what affects you is what is happening locally. I started getting involved in issues like healthcare and public education. I already was involved because of public education. I really wanted to work for Medicaid expansion because my sister was very ill and lost her insurance after a time because everything was so expensive. She finally got her insurance back because of the pre-existing conditions problem going away thanks to the ACA (Affordable Care Act). The more you find out the more you want to work for these things that are so good for Tennessee families. Making sure every family has access to health care. Making sure that everybody, no matter your zip code, has a great public school, and make sure that everybody is earning a living wage so they can feed the family and keep the lights on, buy the medicine they need, and maybe take a vacation and retire in dignity. That’s the American dream. Everyone should be able to access that who works a 40-hour week. These are policy choices made at the state, local, and federal level. We are sent to work for the people of Tennessee and that’s what I intend to do,” said State Representative Johnson.

Johnson gained national attention a year ago when she and two other state representatives, Justin Pearson of Memphis and Justin Jones of Nashville faced expulsion votes from the Tennessee General Assembly after taking to the floor of the State House unrecognized to protest gun violence. Johnson was the only one of the three legislators not to be expelled. Both Pearson and Jones later reclaimed their seats in a special election.

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