Letters to the Editor 7-5

July 04, 2009 08:40 pm

— Letters policy

The News Courier encourages letters to the editor. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and should include a name, address and telephone number for verification. Submissions that do not meet requirements are subject to editing. Send letters by noon on Thursdays to P.O. Box 670, Athens, Ala., 35613, or e-mail to kelly@athensnews-courier.com.

Good Samaritan strikes
Dear Editor:
This is to the nameless person at Walmart Saturday night who found and returned my checkbook, which I recovered and actually used to get something to eat. If you read this, I would like to give you heartfelt thanks for all the pain and suffering your good deed helped me avoid.
I am a graduate of UAB 1986 and have been a mid-level health-care provider since then. A stroke threw me down from this lofty perch and I have returned to sweet home Alabama to rebuild my life.
If you feel as though there is anyone I can help, please feel free to contact me through the newspaper and I would be glad to return the favor anyway I can.
Again, God bless you and thank you many times over. I’m glad the parable of the Good Samaritan has been in good hands.

Sincerely,
Stephen Lashley
Athens

Group lauds supporters
Dear Editor:
On May 30, the Athens Lions Club and the Learn-to-Read Council of Athens sponsored one of the Lions’ now famous pork chop dinners. The event was more than successful. We had fun working together, even washing the potatoes and the dirty dishes, and serving our supporters who bought tickets to eat the delicious pork dinner with all the fixings.
Learn-to-Read would like to thank all Athens Lions Club members for supporting this much-needed fundraiser. We particularly would like to thank Roger Andrews, Jack Skipper, Ken Hannah, Lynn Threet, Jack and Dean Sneed. Thanks to all of their efforts, we raised funds that will help our organization continue to work toward eliminating adult illiteracy in Athens and Limestone County.
The slogan for all Lions Clubs is “We Serve.” The Athens Lions Club is certainly a fine example of this motto.

Sincerely,
Patricia Hatchett, president
Learn-to-Read Council of Athens and Limestone County Inc.

Food bank gives thanks
Dear Editor:
On behalf of Athens-Limestone Food and Shelter, I would like to express our appreciation to the volunteers; the generous donations from the community; the storage units supplied by The Mobile Attic; the advertising from radio, TV and newspapers; and the shoppers who made our yard sale a great success.
Not only did we get some much-needed funding, due to the local FEMA board’s decision to deny our request for funds, we also distributed USDA commodity foods to 49 families on Saturday.
Athens-Limestone Food and Shelter remains a major presence in our community, thanks to the generosity of our wonderful county residents. Our program could not continue without your help. Again, many thanks.

Sincerely,
Laura Aldridge, interim director
Athens-Limestone Food and Shelter

Thief preys on elderly
Dear Editor:
This letter is addressed to the person in East Limestone who must be very hard up or very mean in order to steal from an 85-year-old man.
My 85-year-old father has lived in East Limestone for over three years and has been in the Athens Hospital Emergency Room and ICU about seven times this year.
Dad is confined to carrying around his oxygen bottle as he has had congestive heart failure and his kidneys are failing. His strength is extremely low and the poor man has feet that swell up like balloons. Dad has bruises all over his body from medication and medical tests that makes me want to weep as I watch my dad move on to God's arms.
Since dad isn't even strong enough to attend St. Paul's church anymore, his last little joy in life is to putter in his flower garden next to the sidewalk whenever he can muster up the strength to do so. Usually, he needs to stop and rest about every 10 minutes or he gets real sick.
The Limestone Fire Department knows dad's address real well as they've been extremely good, kind and caring to ensure he is been taken care of during his frantic ambulance rides to the hospital.
In the past year, during dad's gardening attempts, he has installed some relatively inexpensive solar powered sidewalk lights so he could look out his window and see them glow in the night. He always liked seeing the soft blue glow from the new lights. That was until a couple of nights ago when someone came along and stole seven of them.
So I ask the person who stole my dad's lights, are you that hard up to steal $40 of lights or do you just enjoy being mean to a helpless elderly man who may not be with us through the year? You have no clue as to much you hurt a frail person like my father when you perform a mean deed such as this. It takes everything he can muster just to walk out of the house. I hope you enjoy the lights.

Sincerely,
Edward Wensell Jr.
Athens