elder jeff winfrey shares experience of trip

Local Pastor’s Visit To Filipino Hospital Stirs Memories

Signage SySTeM in workS

plans are continuingfor derby at darby

aLong ForMer wk Parkway

new i-69 signageis Being installed

1055 Crossing Place Off Island Ford Rd.

Exit 44 Pennyrile Pkwy. Madisonville, KY

270-821-3372

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the dawson springs progressVOL. 93, NO. 6 Dawson Springs, Hopkins County, Kentucky 42408, Thursday, March 15, 2012 FIFTY CENTS

abiLiTy To SuPPorT FaMiLieS in danger

cuts Mean less frysc funds;More children need services

Elder Jeff Winfrey, pastor of the Dawson Springs Primi-tive Baptist Church, recently returned from his fourth trip to the Philippines — two in the 1990s, one in 2009 and Feb. 6–17 of this year. He and three other ministers had confer-ences with Filipino ministers in seven different locations on three islands, held services at island churches and visited an orphanage. In one day, Winfrey preached four sermons, taught a singing school and conducted premarital counseling with a young couple in the presence of the entire congregation of one of the churches.

To this busy schedule, the four ministers added a visit to a hospital at the request of Betty Jo Harter, who had established a clinic for severely malnour-ished children while she and her husband, Elder Gus Harter lived in the Philippines. It was at this hospital where she found the starving children whom she attempted to save.

That hospital visit was the part of the trip that had the most profound effect on Winfrey. The following is his account of the experience.

But by the Grace of God

In the midst of damp sultry heat and thick diesel fumes, the

five of us filed through secu-rity and found ourselves in a Filipino hospital in Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines. It was the same hospital that our dear friend, Betty Jo Harter, had entered many times in her sev-en-year stint of trying to save malnourished children in this impoverished island. Often-times Betty Jo had entered this place empty-handed and left carrying a skin-and-bones bundle of a half-alive child in her arms. Over a period of seven years she had nourished hundreds of children back to health in her makeshift clinic located on the property where she and her husband, Pastor Gus Harter, had spearheaded an orphanage they called Beau-ty For Ashes.

Though now back in Amer-ica, Betty Jo had asked us to tour the hospital while we were in the area. In her mind it was crucial that we see this loca-tion. She had even called from half way around the world to

make sure that we were not sidetracked. I’m not sure exact-ly why it was so important to her that we trudge through this lonely place. Perhaps she had wanted us to see what she had seen — to know what she had known — or most of all, to feel what she had felt.

There were five of us: four Primitive Baptist preachers from four different states in America and our guide, a Fili-pino lady named Annie. Annie is a special lady. Because of failing health, Betty Jo had been compelled to return to America a few years ago, and in her absence she had entrust-ed the care of her much-loved children at the orphanage to this lady named Annie. I some-what regret that I do not even know Annie’s last name. Like most Filipino women, she has a petite frame. Her brown skin glistens in the tropical sun, and her black hair frames an infectious smile that seems to win the hearts not only of the

orphans but also of the Ameri-cans who see her love for the children. But as we enter the hospital, Annie’s smile is gone. Her soft-spoken voice has a deep seriousness about it as she describes the scenes that our eyes try to grasp.

—Ward after ward of sick-ness and suffering.

—Row after row of deep-set sickly eyes, returning the stares of four invading Americans.

—Lonely looks from loved ones, sharing the space on the cot with ill family members.

—And always the heat — the humidity — the oppressive fumes.

—I don’t like being here — but something tells me to trudge on.

So I follow as Annie leads on. She climbs two flights of stairs, and we arrive on the pediatric floor. As we step off the staircase multiple wards surround a large open central

MAYOR Jenny Sewell reads “Mayor For A Day” by Carl Sommer, to students at the Dawson Springs Elemen-tary School as part of a “Season of Service” project sponsored by the Outwood Foster Grandparent Program Friday, March 9. Students (front, from left) are Caroline Corbitt, Vanessa Williams, Aaron Robinson, Calub Skimehorn; (back) David Horton and Misty Fields. In rear of photo are Betty Jackson, foster grandparent; Shelia Ausenbaugh, Foster Grandparent Coordinator; and Kathy Kelley, teacher.

As the threat of subsequent budget cuts increases, so too does the num-ber of Kentucky children that Family Resource and Youth Services Centers across the state work to reach.

The Kentucky Family Resource and Youth Services Centers were established under the historic 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act with the mission to help academically at-risk students succeed in school by helping to minimize or eliminate non-cognitive barriers to learning.

Currently, there are 819 Family

Resource Youth Services Centers in 1,160 schools serving 619,541 stu-dents throughout Kentucky.

The needs of Kentucky’s families and students continue to grow. The resources that FRYSCs have to meet those needs continue to shrink.

“Because of recent economic pres-sures on the national, state and local levels, our centers are doing more with fewer resources in their com-munities and shrinking funds in the FRYSC budgets,” said Michael Flynn, president of the Kentucky FRYSC

Coalition and coordinator of the Estill County Youth Services Center. “For instance in Fiscal Year 08, centers were receiving $210 per free lunch student and currently receive $177.05 during FY 12.”

The trend of growing free lunch eligible students has continued. In the past year alone, there are 3,846 more students eligible for free lunch meals. The proposed FY 13 reduction of 4.5 percent will produce even further

A PREMATURE infant in a Filipino hospital receives oxygen via a primitive delivery system.

ByCarolyn Walker

State mandated testing began last week with juniors across the state taking the ACT. Local principal Terry Hayes was pleased with the effort of Dawson Springs students.

“I think their effort was really there this time,” he told the SBDM Council Monday. “Students are showing inter-est in it; they’re taking pride in it. The

students want to do better than last year.”

The ACT scores will be available in May.

After a second reading of a math department proposal, the council voted to approve changes to the cur-riculum. Two new math courses will be added to better prepare students for the required end-of-course exams in Algebra II. Freshmen who are not ready for Algebra I will now take

pre-algebra. Algebra 1.5 will also be added to the course offerings for students who have struggled with Algebra I. The course is expected to close the gap between Algebra I and Algebra II.

Cassie Bruch said she wants to see specific requirements for placement in pre-algebra and Algebra 1.5.

Hayes said placement will be based

ByCarolyn Walker

Plans for Derby for the Darby, a fund-raiser to benefit the Darby House, were updated at Tuesday’s chamber of commerce meeting. The event, to be held April 28, will fea-ture a ladies’ luncheon and a horse race bean dinner. Activities being planned for the day include horse-shoes, corn hole, checkers, stick horse races, a hat contest, a “Darby” pie contest and two parades. Raffle tickets are being sold for a two-night stay at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park. Vendors are still being sought for the event.

Chamber president Jenny Sewell reported that she is working with Tracy McKnight to develop a signage system to be used in the city. The system will direct visitors to different locations in Dawson Springs.

Earl Menser said his son Trace is working on an app which will serve a similar purpose. The app will direct tourists to various events, products and attractions in town.

The membership voted to spend up to $250 to update and reprint bro-chures listing local businesses and landmarks. Charlie Beshears designed the brochure last year, and approxi-mately 2,000 copies were distributed.

Sewell reminded members of the chamber membership kickoff at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at the com-munity center. The guest speaker will be Rodney Kirtley, director of the Barren River Development District.

Other community events this month include the Friends of Pennyrile meet-ing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and a trail town meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 27.

The next chamber meeting will take place at noon April 10 at the Darby House.

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has started installing new Interstate 69 signage along the former Western Kentucky Parkway (WK) between Eddyville and the Pennyrile Parkway inter-change near Madisonville.

The contractor is starting at the interchange and working westward along the WK with initial work focused on placement of concrete anchors for the new signs.

Until now, temporary signs have denoted I-69, which covers 38 miles ofthe former WK and 16 miles of I-24. Permanent signage is part of a $9.9 million project to bring the sec-tion of former parkway up to federal standards for interstate highways.

Other improvements include upgrad-

ing ramp tapers and raising bridges to meet clearance requirements.

“The sign work should go almost unnoticed, creating only a few lane restrictions here and there as crews go about their work,” said Kevin McClearn, chief district engineer for Department of Highways District 2, in Madisonville. “Some of the additional work can also be completed with only minor traffic restrictions.”

McClearn said some of the more significant upgrades will be announced as work rolls out over the summer construction season. They include:

– Mile point 0.0: Extend merge lanes and complete slide repair at I-24/WKP/I-69 Interchange

– Mile point 3.70: Extend merge lanes at U.S. 62/WK /I-69 Inter-change

– Mile point 11.70: KY 91/WK/I-69 - Extend merge lanes, increase overpass clearance, widen railroad overpass lanes

– Mile point 13.12: KY 293/WK/I-69 Interchange - Increase overpass clearance

– Mile point 20.88: KY 2619 over WK/I-69 - Remove and replace bridge superstructure

Blood drive atclarkdale courtThe Regional Medical Center

Blood Bank will have a blood drive in Dawson Springs from 2 to 6 p.m. today (Thursday).

The drive will take place in the Clarkdale Court Community Room.

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sBdM discusses act tests, Math curriculum