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 Realtors
review safety-first tips
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
KEMP–Common sense safety reminders were presented to the
Henderson County Women’s Council of Realtors Wednesday.
The program, “It Won’t Happen to Me,” was presented by Henderson County
Deputy Jannell Dunnington.
The first advice was to think and establish a mind set of caution before
going out with a client.
Other tips included:
• keep keys in hand to use as a pointer, and if necessary, as a weapon.
• get the client’s type of car, tag number, etc.
• meet first-time clients in the office.
• listen to instincts.
• don’t do a home visit with anyone under the influence of drink or who
is inappropriately dressed.
CTX Mortgage sponsored the breakfast.
The company presented five things one needs to know about finances and
mortgages in 2007.
The first item explained even cash buyers should take out a mortgage and
use cash as an investment.
Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
Jannell Dunnington
Those present welcomed new member Liz Loncar.
In other business, members were reminded:
• of the fourth annual golf tournament set to tee-off time 1:30 p.m.
Friday, April 20, at the Pinnacle Club.
• the next club meeting is 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, at Cedar Creek
Country Club.
• election of officers for 2008 is set for June.
Be garden smart and mulch
Special to The Monitor
TERRELL–Taking care of your lawn and garden is a labor of love.
You work hard to do things just right, because you want what’s best for
your landscape. But you also want what’s best for the environment as a
whole.
Mulch is a hero of the garden, keeping soil moist by slowing
evaporation.
Especially during the summer months, mulch can help slice your water
bills while at the same time promoting plant health with better growth
of plant root systems (an added bonus: mulches often impede weeds).
Mulches fall into two categories: organic and inorganic. Here are some
of the most popular options and their benefits, according to Earth Kind,
the environmental stewardship program sponsored by Texas Cooperative
Extension.
• Bark: Inexpensive and easy to apply, bark’s only downside is its
tendency to float away. (Cypress generally stays put better than pine or
redwood.)
• Chipper debris: Someone in your neighborhood getting trees chopped? If
the crew has a chipper, grab your wheelbarrow for an all-natural (and
free) windfall.
• Leaves: Just make sure they’re shredded and you’re set.
• Pine needles: ideal for acid-loving flora; last a long time, too.
• Inorganic mulches including stones, pebbles, recycled glass and gravel
chips: They don’t improve the soil through decay, but they keep roots
cool, look great and typically stay in place.
A healthy landscape contributes to a healthy environment in many ways.
In fact, healthy trees, plants, and shrubs actually:
• purify and conserve water resources by reducing runoff and recharging
the water table
• maintain air quality by absorbing air pollutants like carbon dioxide,
sulfur dioxide, and smog
• trap dust particles that can reduce visibility and sunlight, and
• generate oxygen through photosynthesis.
In addition, healthy lawns:
• slow the spread of fire by providing a buffer zone around buildings
• build topsoil through decay of grass clippings and other roots and
shoots, and
• reduce erosion of topsoil into streams.
Keeping your landscape well-groomed also promotes a healthy environment
for you, because it moderates temperatures and noise, reduces glare, and
controls allergens.
Protecting and enhancing your grass, trees, and shrubs helps your
pocketbook because it can increase your property value, and healthy,
mature trees shading your home can cut your energy costs significantly.
Also, March is Texas SmartScape Month. Texas SmartScape is a concept
that helps you make the most of your yard, time, and money
For more information visit http://www.txsmartscape.com/
Mulch is free for residents and can be picked up at Terrell Recycling
Center, located at the Terrell Citizen’s Convenience Station (972)
551-6628, and at the Kaufman Recycling Center, located at Kaufman
Citizen’s Convenience Station (972) 932-2161. Please call first to check
on availability.
If you would like more information on water saving tips, please contact
Environmental Co-op at (972) 524-0007, or stop by our office at 401 N.
Adelaide Street in Terrell.
Rotary has thirty $500
scholarships to give away
Special to The Monitor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–The Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake has $500
scholarships to give away to 30 high school graduates of Mabank, Eustace
and Kemp high schools. There’s not much time left to turn in
applications for this year’s awards.
Last year, five scholarships were not awarded because no one applied for
them.
Community members are encouraged to let graduating seniors from Kemp,
Eustace or Mabank who will be attending a community college, four
year-college, or a vocational-technical school in the fall, know to pick
up an application from their high school counselor and return it to
them, or mail it to Mabank High School, Attn: Rebecca Smith, 822 W.
Mason St., Mabank, TX 75147, postmarked no later than April 4.
Graduates must have/be:
• an overall grade average of 75 or higher, or G.P.A. of 2.5 and above
• a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher, counselor, or
principal
• a letter of recommendation from a member of the community, not related
to the student
• a member of a club or organization that participates in community
service or have completed some type of community service, personally
• a United States citizen.
Submit a copy of the most recent transcript, scholarship application,
and letters of recommendation to the school counselor by April 5, or
mail to the address above.
The Rotary Club will present two additional $500 scholarships to adults
25 years old or older, who are attending Trinity Valley Community
College and enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester hours with a degree
plan on file.
Anyone interested in these scholarships should contact the financial aid
office at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens at (903) 675-6233.
In accordance with the Rotary Club’s desire to further education and
literacy, scholarships are also available to anyone who does not have a
high school diploma but wishes to take the GED (Graduate Equivalency
Exam).
Applications for the GED scholarship may be picked up at the Library at
Cedar Creek Lake or Tri-County Library in Mabank or by contacting Glenda
Holbrook at (903) 498-7277.
The Rotary Club’s support of improved literacy in the Cedar Creek Lake
area has been promoted by the giving of personal dictionaries to every
third grader who attends a school in Mabank, Kemp or Eustace for the
past two years.
Additional literacy support is evidenced by the $10,000 used to buy
books, and give them to every elementary student in the Kemp and
Eustace.
The Rotary Club thanks everyone for their generous support of its
fund-raising activities that fund Rotary scholarships, as well as
donations to other organizations such as the Community Resource Center,
both local libraries, and the Kaufman County Children’s Emergency
Shelter.
The two major Rotary fund-raisers are the Celebrity Waiter Dinner set
for August 18 at the Athens Country Club and the Benefit Golf Tournament
to be held at Kings Creek Golf Club Friday, April 27.
You may support either of these events, by contacting the event
chairman.
Kim McClaskey (903) 451-5669 and Colleen Hinckley (903) 451-5050,
co-chair the Celebrity Waiter Dinner, and Debra Davis (903) 887-2870,
chairs the golf tournament.
The Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake currently has 47 members and is
always interested in new member applicants.
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