Driven
Thumbs up to Aayla Spurrier of Seymour who conducted a food drive for Community Provisions of Jackson County for her 10th birthday on Nov. 14. She collected 327 pounds of food.
Growing
Thumbs up to Michael Claycamp of Trinity Lutheran High School in Jackson County who placed second in the Radius Indiana high school pitch competition held Dec. 6 in WestGate Academy in Odon. Claycamp’s company, Aquapons, grows plants using one of the oldest farming techniques.
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Giving
Thumbs up to the Immanuel Lutheran School students and staff who conducted a toy drive to provide Christmas gifts to boys and girls at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. An extra thumbs up goes to sixth-graders Abigail Knollman and Lauren Bode for spearheading the project.
Positive interaction
Thumbs up to local policemen who spent part of their day Saturday helping children spend the $150 they received from the Cops and Kids program at Walmart Supercenter in Seymour. Besides providing the kids with presents, the program also allows the youth the chance to have some positive interactions with police. The annual program, organized by the Fraternal Order of Police Donald M. Wynn Lodge 108, served 127 kids and 58 families this year.
Providing presents
Thumbs up to the Jackson County American Bikers Aimed Toward Education for providing presents for 98 children during the 28th annual Jackson County Head Start Christmas Party at First United Methodist Church in Seymour.
A related thumbs up to everyone who contributed gifts or money to New Life Assembly of God’s Gifts for Inmates’ Kids outreach. The nearly 20 year old program was started by the church’s Pastor Steve Hyer to let caregivers and the children know somebody cares. There were 251 children — more than any in the past — on the list to receive gifts from the ministry, which receives support from Vallonia Christian Church and Central Christian Church. The effort also received the support Nippon Steel Pipe America Inc., Pet Supplies Plus and Silgan Plastics in Seymour.