| Woman was Redlands PD dispatcher
REDLANDS - As a teen, Mary Anderson would get behind the wheel of her old Rambler and challenge boys in her neighborhood to a race through the desert. The former Redlands resident always ended up beating them, much to their chagrin. From her years as a teen in Twentynine Palms to when she was a dispatcher for the Redlands Police Department and even when she battled a prolonged illness, the Mariposa resident was a feisty and independent woman who got things done, those who knew her recalled. "She made things work more effectively in dispatch," said her husband, Warren Anderson, "and she thought of becoming an advocate for people with disabilities because she was frustrated with the way people in wheelchairs get treated," . Mary Anderson died Jan. 29 at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno.
ARC sponsors "American Ideal" singing competition
As Americans sit glued to their television sets to watch the sixth season of "American Idol," many local residents are looking forward to a unique singing competition in Rockland County. ARC of Rockland, a resource center for people with disabilities, is sponsoring its fourth annual "American Ideal" singing competition open to people of all ages with developmental disabilities. "Everybody loves to sing. People have a lot of talent and they have very few opportunities to show that talent publicly," said Karyl Caplan, executive director of ARC of Rockland. "It's a great showcase for them." ARC of Rockland, a 50-year-old Congers-based nonprofit, provides services to about 2,000 Rockland individuals and their families from birth through senior years. It offers early intervention services, day care, pre-school and teen programs, employment training, job placement, residential opportunities, a senior center, and recreational and leisure services for its members.
Our area's firefighters help Gulf Coast kids
NORTH ARLINGTON -- The devastation of Hurricane Katrina moved Brian McGorty so much that he joined nearly three dozen other career firefighters in vowing to continue to help the region and its children. "Wherever we went, people said please don't let us be forgotten," said McGorty, 56, a captain with the North Hudson Fire Department who visited Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in the months after the hurricane. "There was a great sense among the people that they would be isolated. That no one would remember after it was out of the headlines." .
Ready for Baseball Fun?
When 12-year-old Eddie Vestermark started playing Challenger Baseball six years ago, he was in a wheelchair hitting the ball off of the tee. Now the Herndon resident enjoys hitting a pitched ball and the thrill of running the bases with the help of one of his family members or a volunteer. This is exactly what Challenger Baseball is all about.
DESIGNED FOR physically and mentally challenged children between 5 and 18, Challenger Baseball started off as a division of Little League Baseball. Led by Coach Fitzsimmons of Fairfax, the Sully Challengers will begin its 14th season on April 13. Parents of children with any kind of disability are encouraged to sign up their children for some excitement this season.
"Challenger Baseball is for everyone regardless of disability," Coach Fitzsimmons says.
Community Calendar
7 p.m. Jan. 16, Performing Arts Center, Georgia Southern University. Rev. Bernice King, youngest daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, will present. Call (912) 681-0336. "Singin' in the Rain" 6 p.m. dinner and 7:30 p.m. movie Jan. 16, Jewish Education Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St. Candlelight dinner and showing of the classic film. Cost: $16 general; $10 seniors. Seating is limited. Call 355-8111 by Jan. 11. WEDNESDAY Trustees' Garden Club 11 a.m. Jan. 17, Coastal Georgia Center, 305 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Lecture by Dr. Dan Krall and Suzanne Vandermark on Ellen Biddle Shipman. Shipman was named the Dean of Women Landscape Architects by "House and Garden Magazine." Call 233-6950.
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