Rotary takes 56 children shopping for warm clothes
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–The Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake and some helpful volunteers, including the Interact students (young Rotary sponsored students) from Mabank High School, took 56 elementary students shopping.
The children were allowed to pick out warm clothing, including a jacket, underwear, gloves, scarves or hats and jeans.
The local club received a check for $1,350 from the National Rotary organization to be used for the Klothes for Kids project, allowing the club to serve 12 more students than last year.
The club spent an average of $115 per child at the annual event.
Teachers from the Mabank elementary and intermediate schools chose the students needing to benefit from the Rotary Program.
Children were brought to Walmart Oct. 26 and 27 for the adventure.



Courtesy Photo
Rebecca Smith (far left) Rotary Club of Cedar Creek Lake member and sponsor
for the Mabank High School Interact Club and Mike Moore (far right), club
president pose with Interact students who participated in the annual Rotary project
Klothes for Kids. The volunteers helped with 56 elementary students treated to a
shopping trip for warm clothing.
 

Family Resource Center supplies local needs
By Toni Muirhead
Special to The Monitor
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–The economy is bad. Times are tough. People are out of work and need help. The Family Resource Center is doing the best it can to meet these needs.
More and more are seeking assistance in all areas, i.e. electric, water, rent, food and clothing.
We are proud that for the last 20 years, through donations and sales from our resale shops, we have helped hundreds. But sales are down.
We have lowered our prices to accommodate those that cannot afford to shop elsewhere.
When you come into our shops, most people are amazed at what they find. Our motto is “If we won’t wear it, we will not put it on our racks.” Both the Gun Barrel City and Seven Points stores have the best selection of clothing and house wares you’ll find anywhere in Henderson County at very good prices. Lots of our customers prefer brand name shoes, and we have a good selection. Please visit us soon, and return often.
We have a special interest in the elderly. Their Social Security checks are just not covering their monthly obligations. When we cannot help pay an exceptionally high utility bill, we call on churches and other organizations to chip in and help.
We not only help with their finances, but guide them to other places where they can get help, such as Food Stamps at Human Services, the Aging and Disabled Office and local food pantries.
Sometimes, they just want someone to listen. Maybe they’re alone, because their kids are living out of town, or they’re just not around to help them.
We offer yearly programs for their benefit, such as our Easter Egg Hunt for seniors. They come in their wheelchairs and walkers. If they cannot bend down to pick up the eggs, the Rainbow Girls volunteer to help. There are prizes for best Easter Bonnet and Most Eggs Gathered.
We not only help seniors, our Back-to-School program helps clothe an average 300 kids year. They get one pair of new shoes, two complete and new outfits , so they can look as good as their peers.
Our Christmas Program is the biggest of all. New toys are given from donations and toys are gathered year round. If we don’t have the toy on their wish list, we buy it. Also, families are adopted.
People from the area come in and want to help a family at Christmas. They adopt that family and fill their wish list.
Others want just one child or three or four children. This is a hard job and many volunteers are needed.
There is both joy and sadness here. For instance, a single mother brought her four children in for coats. They were told to go into the store and pick out what they needed. One of the little boys was overheard whispering to his older brother, “Do they mean that I can pick out my own shoes?”
When they find a pair they really want, they don’t care what size they are. But we make sure they get a pair that fits.
Please come in and see our two stores. In Gun Barrel City, we’re located off East Main Street near the entrance to Tamarack Subdivision. In Seven Points we are located in the Gibson Shopping Center across from Dairy Queen on Highway 85. We’ve been called by some, the Neiman Marcus of the Lake. Call (903) 997-4711 or (903) 432-4427 for directions. Your patronage, donations and volunteerism help us fulfill our mission to help others in their time of need.

Police chief gives security tips
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
SEVEN POINTS–Seven Points Police Chief Curt Koger told business leaders Wednesday the problems in the city are not unique; other small towns have similar problems.
Koger, who has filled his post for a year and oversees six police officers, explained the basic process an investigation takes and what is necessary before a case will be accepted by the district attorney for prosecution.
First among these is a sworn statement. “It’s one thing for your good neighbor to tell you he saw what happened and has talked to the police about it and your good neighbor making a sworn written statement,” he said.
The statement commits the witness to testify to it in court and people start to waffle on their willingness to get that involved, he explained.
The lack of a sworn statement is the most likely reason an investigation grinds to a halt, he added.
Koger outlined police activity from June 1 to Oct. 1, to those gathered for the monthly chamber networking meeting held in Seven Points the first Wednesday morning of the month at Dairy Queen.
Over the four-month period, the department responded to 1,100 calls for service, issued 562 citations, 440 of which involved following up on warrants. “The majority of these were not traffic citations,” he said.
In that same period he said 13 burglaries were reported. Of those, two were cleared and six others have identified suspects.
“Some people aren’t going to get caught. That’s just a fact, but we can make it harder for them to get away, if everyone will help us, help you,” he said.
Koger advises businesses to post working cameras. Don’t use dummy cameras, he said.
“The DA’s first question is going to be, ‘Is there video? and if not, why not?’”
All Seven Points officers are trained in basic crime scene processing to develop evidence in the case, he added. “When we send off fingerprints and DNA evidence, it’s not like CSI. Sometimes we have to wait a year for results,” he said.
If one is dissatisfied with the way the police are handling an investigation, “don’t stew about it, give me a call,” he said. “I may not be able to get you the answers you’re looking for but I will keep you in the loop and help you understand why things are progressing or not progressing the way they are,” he said after handing out his cell phone number to those attending.
A citizens police academy is being planned. It takes 10 to 15 sign ups to begin the six-week course. Anyone interested in participating can sign up at the police station at city hall, he said. The course covers police procedures, crime scene processing, crime prevention, self-defense, a ride-along, and several other areas, he said.
More crime prevention tips included keeping things secured, leaving a light on at both front and back of building at night and clearing away shrubs that could hide the presence of someone not supposed to be there. “Keep cars and houses locked up and don’t leave valuables in plain sight,” Koger said.

 

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

For further information visit our website at petfinder.com