A Christmas Poem

Dear Editor,

At this season of the year, when many focus on the needs of others and extending kindness and caring to them, it is appropriate to give thought to a poem by Howard Thurman that has been set to music by Dan Forrest entitled The Work of Christmas:

 

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music from the heart.

The message to us all is clear: Go and do.

 

Bob Kollar

 

Big Brother Is Here

Dear Editor,

Have you heard about the FBI warning concerning smart TV’s? Your TV could be ”watching” you.  Several new vending machines were delivered to one of the places where I work. I noticed a spot on one machine that looked like the perfect place for a ”hidden” camera. Then I remembered reading somewhere that some vending machine corporations were going to put cameras in their machines. I talked to the vending machine guy and he confirmed that there was a camera in the machine but it wasn’t hooked up yet.

I used to write letters warning about how ”Big Brother” was almost here. Unfortunately ”he” is already here and watching us. Smile for the camera.

Chuck Mann

 

Thanks To The Firefighters

Dear Editor,

We want to thank and recognize the Professional Firefighters Association of Greensboro Local 947 for their continued support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and their commitment to MDA’s annual Fill the Boot fundraising campaign. The funds raised with their Fill the Boot campaigns will help transform the lives of local kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related muscle-debilitating diseases. We were thrilled to work with these firefighters for another year of Fill the Boot to help provide the funds needed to find treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility. The dedication of these firefighters to MDA’s mission is unwavering, they spend countless hours both with Fill the Boot and MDA Summer Camp to care for the kids and adults in our local communities. We know that their devotion to our families has made a major impact.

Continuing a 65-year tradition of giving strength to the MDA community, the dedicated firefighters from the Professional Firefighters Association of Greensboro Local 947 raised $776 at their Fill the Boot event in June. These funds will help MDA save lives and lift those up in need, by providing the MDA with vital resources to advance their mission of driving innovations in science and care for the neuromuscular community. Contributions have helped fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

They also help send 105 local kids to “the best week of the year” at MDA summer camp at Victory Junction in Randleman NC– all at no cost to their families.

The partnership between Firefighters and MDA began in 1954 with the first Fill the Boot and their unwavering commitment to MDA has remained strong to this day. As MDA’s largest national partner, firefighters across the country have raised more than $650 million for the MDA to date. Today the partnership is finding new ways to save lives by working to expand newborn screenings in the U.S. with Pompe disease or Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), so that they can be immediately eligible for lifesaving and life changing therapies. Over the past five years, MDA has experienced some unprecedented progress towards new treatments with the accelerated research that has been made possible by dedicated and passionate firefighters throughout the country.

MDA Greater Carolinas

Fill Boot Team

 

About