A rose to 9-year-old Andrea Cannady who gave up birthday presents this year in favor of spreading the “good news.”
Instead of gifts for herself, Andrea asked for donations to the Southern Baptist Convention”s Lottie Moon missionaries.
Her grandparents, George and Faye Cannady, are SBC missionaries in Botswana, Africa. With funds for the program tight, the couple are expected to return home soon, but Andrea has launched her own small campaign to help the cause.
Andrea”s parents, Nick and Heather Cannady, are proud to have such a giving child, and we”re impressed with her unselfish efforts, as well.
During a season when many of us are guilty of indulging in extravagant wish lists, Andrea truly is showing the spirit of the season.
Donations to the Lottie Moon fund pay the salaries and expenses of missionaries around the world.
For more information or to donate to the cause, call Fairview Baptist Church at 662-328-2924 or mail donations to the Lottie Moon missionary fund c/o Fairview Baptist Church, 127 Airline Road, Columbus, MS 39702.
A bouquet of roses to the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority, Concerned Citizens of Ward 1, the Columbus Police Department and all area volunteers who helped bring Thanksgiving to more than 1,000 area residents.
Volunteers were at Stokes-Beard Elementary Technology and Communication Magnet School early Thanksgiving Day picking up preparing and picking up boxed meals to deliver to the elderly and shut-in as part of the Annual Seniors Thanksgiving Day Program.
About 300 volunteers prepared and delivered 1,100 plates in Columbus, Artesia, Crawford and other areas in Lowndes County.
Volunteers poured in individually and from area churches, Columbus High School, the Columbus Boys and Girls Club, local sororities and fraternities and other groups to help with this year”s event. The event has been going on for at least a dozen years and has gotten bigger — with more people served and more volunteers — every year.
A rose to a team of Mississippi State University students who have won their second national Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering championship.
This year”s contest promised even more challenges than in years past for the young engineers — the wireless, remote-controlled robot had to pick up four racquetball and one bocce ball and deliver them to the team”s 12-inch-by-12-inch, taped-off corner, push or pull another robot without intentionally damaging the other robot and defend itself without damaging the other robot.
The nine-person group, all of whom are members of Mississippi State”s ATMAE chapter won Nov. 13 the contest held in conjunction with the ATMAE”s annual convention in Louisville, Ky.
The State team won the contest last year and repeated its top finish this year.
Two of the team”s industrial technology majors get to spend a week in Dayton, Ohio, for training at Rixan Associates, suppliers of robotics and automation equipment.
The team also gets $1,000 to put toward its efforts in next year”s contest.
Andrew P. “Andy” Langford and Charles T. “Chad” Stowell, both of Starkville and concentrating in manufacturing and maintenance, were on the winning team.
The team also included Bradley Jones, of Kosciusko, Adam Brown of Lake, Trenton Cockrell of Louisville, Cory Greenough of Moss Point, Jonathan Mosley of Vernon, Ala., Steven “Pokey” Prewitt of Winona and Richard Morgan of Yazoo City.
Roses to the West Point and the Aberdeen high school football teams for advancing to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A and Class 3A state title games, respectively.
West Point beat New Hope 41-21 on Friday to win the Class 5A North Half State title and earn a chance to play for its first state title since 2005. Aberdeen defeated previously undefeated Booneville 47-12 to win the Class 3A North Half State title for a chance to play for the state title.
Both teams will play Saturday in Jackson. Congratulations also go to New Hope and West Alabama”s Pickens County and Lamar County for fine seasons. The two West Alabama schools lost Friday in the state semifinals.
We also commend Noxubee County and East Webster, two Mississippi teams that lost last Friday, for strong showings. Good luck to the teams that are still alive in their quests to win state championships.
Roses to first-time state football champions, the fifth-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College. They”ll take on No. 6 Arizona Western College in the Mississippi Bowl, Sunday, Dec. 6 in Biloxi.
Under Coach Buddy Stephens” guidance, the 10-1 EMCC Lions have claimed back-to-back Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges North Division championships and made consecutive state football playoff appearances for the first time in school history.
The 2009 Lions will be making the program”s first post-season bowl appearance since the school”s Hall of Fame head coach, Bull Sullivan, took the East Mississippi Junior College team to the 1963 Hospitality Bowl title over Tyler (Texas) Junior College.
Good luck to the Lions as they take to the Coast with plans to bring home another momentous victory for EMCC.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.