Filling a need
Thumbs up to 9-year-old Laynie Barnes, who recently began making paracord bracelets, keychains and zipper pulls to raise money to purchase food for the Kids Pantry in Crothersville. In the past month, she has made $400 in donations to the pantry.
The fastest
Thumbs up to Crothersville High School junior Kaylyn Holman, who won Saturday’s Salem Invitational with a time of 21 minutes, 26 seconds.
Winning ways
Thumbs up to Trinity Lutheran High School volleyball coach Faith Wilder-Newland, who recently netted her 700th career victory as a coach. She spent 29 years as coach at Columbus East before taking the job as the Cougars’ coach three years ago.
Spreading the word
Thumbs up to the local ALIVE Coalition, which is working to ensure people know about all of the resources available to help with suicide prevention. According to the Indiana State Department of Health, the number of deaths ruled suicides since 2012 in Jackson County is 60, and there have been seven so far this year. {span}The coalition, formed in 2018 under the umbrella of Mental Health America of Jackson County, plans to launch its first suicide awareness campaign that includes signage in the lawn at the former Indiana State Police post in Seymour from Sept. 5 to 11 and Jackson County Courthouse in Brownstown from Sept. 11 to 17. {/span}ALIVE stands for awareness, listening, informative, vigilance and engaged.
Sagamore of the Wabash
Thumbs up to 65-year-old Freetown native Warren Forgey, who recently was named a Sagamore of the Wabash. Forgey retired Monday as president and chief executive officer of Schneck Medical Center in Seymour. He spent 25-plus years at the Seymour hospital, where he was born in 1955. He began his career in health care at Bloomington Hospital in 1976 after graduating from Brownstown Central High School in 1973.
Fun-raising
Thumbs up to the organizers of recent FOP Pre-Scoop Cruise-In and Car Show Tom Gray Memorial, the participants who exhibited their vehicles and those who attended the event despite the COVID-19 pandemic. A little more than $15,000 was raised during the fifth annual event for the Fraternal Order of Police Donald M. Winn Lodge 108’s Cops and Kids program.