Virtual farmer’s market brings fresh food to local buyers
KENANSVILLE — Tim Will doesn’t mince words when describing the current state of the food industry. “Our food system is broken. The average fruit you buy in grocery stores has come 1,500 miles and is 10 days to two weeks old and has been treated with poison four times. It’s horrible.”
Taking matters into his own hands Will has come up with a solution to what he sees as the wasteful, unhealthy way that food is distributed across the United States. Three years ago, he founded the Farmers Fresh Market, a virtual farmer’s market linking growers, chefs, and individual buyers. Businesses and individuals place their orders online, local growers process the orders and the Framers Fresh Market organization delivers them. The goal of the program is to provide fresh and nutritious produce in a convenient and sustainable manner.
A former Peace Corps member and telecommunications systems analyst who left the industry to pursue a career in teaching, Will has made a habit of following his passions. Relocating from Miami to Rutherford County in 2006, he took a job as a small business developer with Foothills Connect Business and Technology Center in Rutherfordton. The center was created to support small business entrepreneurs and provide community Internet access. Less than a month later the director of the center resigned. With no other candidates on the horizon, Will took over the job.
Will admits the position came with challenges. As one of the most economically distressed areas in the nation, Rutherford County had lost 75 percent of its textile and furniture manufacturing jobs to globalization. The county’s technology infrastructure also lagged far behind most urban communities. “I moved from a totally connected world to a mostly disconnected world,” recalled Will. “People didn’t realize how far down in the hole they were. Without broadband, they were never going to get out of it.”
Taking matters into his own hands, Will won a $1.4 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to wire the county’s schools and police and fire departments.
Will’s next project was to find new economic opportunities for the 6,000 families in the county that owned between five and 20 acres of land. Will learned that small farms had once been the county’s primary economic engine, but few of them were still in operation. Those that were relied on a central distribution network that set prices at subsistence levels.
Will said the idea for the Farmers Fresh Market originated during a visit with a cousin who worked in the Marriott Hotel in Charlotte, where he became aware of the dearth of fresh vegetables available to the hotel’s chefs. “The chefs were skeptical at first” said Will. “They wanted to know what I could provide them that the USDA couldn’t.”
Will said the answer came in the form of a little known, locally grown vegetable called creasy greens, which is similar to water cress and has a distinctive, peppery flavor. “They loved them,” said Will. “During that time, all they were getting was iceberg lettuce, which has no flavor at all, so they were excited.”
Sensing the potential market for fresh, local produce Will ran some numbers and conceived and idea: Foothills Connect could persuade farmers to grow for Charlotte restaurants while creating an online ordering system to facilitate business.
Wills said his initial vision was for farmers to get a retail price for their crops, increasing per-acre yields from a few hundred dollars to as much as $30,000, while allowing laid-off factory workers to return to farming.
One of the major benefits for growers, said Will, is the potential for an increased share of the profits. “This eliminates three to four layers of middlemen from the equation,” he stated. “Instead of getting 20 percent of the profits, they get 80 percent.”
These new economic incentives are vital, said Will, explaining that in the market place, government subsidies make up a significant portion of large, commercial farming income, while small farmers are left to fend for themselves. “For every dollar that these farmers earn, 62 cents come from state, federal or local subsidies,” said Will. “How many small farmers do you think get a penny of that? None.”
Will said another concern is the amount of pesticides large farming operations use on their crops. “Last year, farmers put over two billion pounds of poison on your food” said Will. “You’re not eating food, you’re eating chemicals.”
According to Will, the Farmers Fresh Market system is focused on three main goals: minimizing administration time and cost for growers, chefs and produce buyers; minimizing transport time and cost; and providing the freshest produce available. “With the Farmers Fresh Market, growers leave the trucking to us. By using one truck to pick-up and deliver on a local route, this one truck is more efficiently utilized. We’re able to move more produce for more growers and deliver to more locations than individual producers could reach by themselves.”
Another asset of the program is its ability to reach customers living in what Will describes as “food deserts,” areas where access to grocery stores that carry fruits and vegetables is limited. “Obesity has become a major problem in this country,” said Will, pointing out the number of health-related problems that can be tied directly to poor dietary choices. “We’ve traded off cheap food for high medical costs,” said Will. “You go to some places and you don’t see farmer markets, you don’t even see grocery stores, all you see is fast food places. It’s no wonder we have so many problems.”
Will said the current food distribution system has implications that stretch far beyond the farming community. “It costs a truck driver about $8,000 to drive a rig from the east coast to California. Once the price of diesel hits $4.50 a gallon, it no longer becomes sustainable; the whole industry collapses,” stated Will. “We’re in trouble; everybody knows it. We just don’t know how to get out of it.”
Will said it has been estimated it will take 10 million small farmers to fill the food void should the commercial farming industry go under.
Above all, said Will, the program is about helping to bring back a form of farming that sustained this country for hundreds of years, allowing more farmers to share in the economic opportunities available from crops that may not be staple household items. Throughout history, said Will, humans have managed to cultivate 80,000 plants, but Americans get 95 percent of their calories from only 30 crops. “We’ve encouraged a system of mono-cropping; we’ve encouraged farmers to grow only one or two things.”
According to Will the Farmers Fresh Market currently serves 20 restaurants and 300 individuals in the Charlotte area alone. Will said the program is already up and running in Rutherford, Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg, McDowell, Polk, Bertie, Rockingham, Stokes, Caswell, Columbus and Buncombe counties. Will said he has had offers to bring the “Farmers Fresh Market” concept to Kentucky and South Carolina as well.
Will said he recently acquired three acres of land in Rutherford County that will be used to teach young students how to raise their own crops. “We have to get these kids young,” said Will, “ to show them the value of these small businesses.”
During a recent workshop in Duplin County, Will spoke to a small but enthusiastic group of local farmers, running down the benefits of participation in the Farmers Fresh market program. “This is a jobs program,” Will told the group. “And it’s probably more about broadband, about the ability to get an Internet signal or else you can’t put in your inventory. But ultimately, for me, it’s about social justice.”
Will said anyone with fewer than 200 acres is considered a hobby farmer by the Department of Agriculture. “Let me bust that bubble,” said Will, explaining that where he lives, the average farm size is 80 acres.
“This is economic development,” said Will. “This is creating or sustaining thousands of small businesses and creating thousands of jobs. The market is already there; we’re just helping to expose farmers to multiple revenue streams.”
Will said the only requirements farmers need to join the program are “a good attitude and the ability to learn.”
To be successful, said Will, small farmers must follow a business model that is the opposite of what he describes as the “industrial food system.”
“Let’s sell direct; let’s label every ounce of food so buyers know exactly where it came from; lets build a system that isn’t chemically dependent; lets build a system that instead of taking 10-14 days to get to market, lets do it where we pick it in the morning and deliver it in the afternoon. And let’s diversify what we grow; lets create regional food systems.”
For more information on the Farmers Fresh Market, visit their website at www.farmersfreshmarket.org.
Filed under Journalism
Retiree finds true calling heeding “pull of the land”
FAISON — Like many people contemplating retirement, Abigail Beltran knew she was ready for a change in both lifestyle and location when she left behind a 38-year career in nursing and social work. Unlike most who leave the workforce, however, the 73 year-old Puerto Rican native already had another career mapped out in her mind— owner and operator of a small, self-sufficient rural farm.
“After I retired I decided to follow my passion, I wanted a place where I could work to give my children a reason to come home,” remembered Beltran, during an interview at her home on Lake Artesia Road in Faison. “This is a big leap of faith but I was very unhappy living in the city; I felt the pull of the land.”
Beltran is a member of the Whitaker Small Farm Group, an organization that works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Advocacy and Outreach to help gain assistance for women and minority farmers throughout eastern North Carolina. Established in 2006, the group helps small farmers, often with limited resources, turn dormant land into a source of income.
Beltran said she first became aware of the group after moving to her current home 11 years ago. Having previously lived in New York, Michigan and, most recently, Alexandria, Virginia, Beltran sad she was looking for a place that would allow her the room and solitude to begin a new life.
Despite a lack of experience, Beltran said she was drawn to farming. “I don’t come from an agricultural background. I had no education in permaculture,” she stated, referring to the approach to agriculture she aspires to, wherein each element supports and feeds other elements, creating a virtually self-sustaining environment into which humans fit as an integral part.
Beltran said her desire to learn about agriculture goes beyond a simple, return-to-basics whim.
“I’m a firm believer that America is in a lot of trouble. If the problem in Europe gets worse, it’s going to get very hard for us,” she remarked. “If our supplies from overseas get cut off, there’s not going to be enough food to feed the entire country. It’s not going to be easy. When hunger hits, I want to be ready to step up to the plate.”
As a site to inaugurate her untested plans, Beltran said her new home proved somewhat less than ideal. When she first set eyes on the overgrown 7.3-acre lot, she remembered, the land’s three remaining structures—a mobile home, a barn, and a small house—were in advanced states of disrepair. “The only other things out here were three pecan tree. My sons made trips down here and helped me make all the repairs.”
After securing the mobile home as her living quarters, Beltran began making plans for the surrounding land. “I started by planting trees,” she said, pointing out that the land, in addition to nine new pecan trees, is now host to apple, Asian pear, persimmon, and apricot stock as well.
Looking for any information that could help with her new endeavor, Beltran said she decided to take a class being offered by the Whitaker Small Farm Group through Sampson Community College. When the college was unable to provide space for the class, Beltran offered the group the use of the newly-built greenhouse on her property in Faison. When the group offered to lease the building, Beltran said she ”leaped at the chance.”
According to Charles Whitaker, director of Whitaker Small Farm Group, the classes are designed to teach small farmers who are generally under-served by federal assistance programs how to better take advantage of the available resources. “Women and minorities aren’t participating in programs. We reach out to these groups to provide some level of training to increase their income.”
Whitaker, who previously spent 38 years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said his motivation for starting the program was simple “I know there are a lot of people, particularly women, who own land that is not productive. Many of these small farmers have no equipment to till land, and also lack a basic understanding about new technology. I want to teach them how to change that, how to make their land productive.”
Although small farmers may lack resources, said Whitaker, there are still opportunities for successful crop production. “We teach them techniques like seeding and how to grow plants in trays. We show them how to sell their plants at a time when the market is not saturated with that particular crop. One of the answers is going to be growing niche crops and selling locally.”
Whitaker said it is his hope that the farmers will take their new knowledge back to their communities, where it will be disseminated among other growers.
During a recent meeting at the Agricultural Extension Office in Kenansville, Whitaker said representatives from the state Office of Financial Assistance, Rural Development Agency, Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency, as well as the head manager for the N.C. A&T State University farm program were on hand to help guide participants through the often-confusing maze of grants and other forms of subsidies currently available.
“There’s money out there for low income housing; for help with storm damage repairs; for planting trees,” emphasized Whitaker. “But you have to sign up. Otherwise, it’s just setting there not helping anyone.”
According to Beltran, the classes at her home have proven popular beyond what she could have imagined. “We had about 100 at the last meeting. I’ve met all kinds of interesting people,” she remarked.
“Abigail’s place is a good location,” said Whitaker. “It’s the right size to appeal to women minority farmers. They can see that they can do this with their own farm as well.”
Having recently graduated from Whitaker’s six-month program, titled “Hands-on Training for Small Farmers and Women in Agriculture” Beltran now serves as a volunteer for the group, helping spread the word outside of her own community. “I do what I can,” she commented.
Beltran also serves as treasurer of the N.C. Small Family Farm Cooperative, a group that formed out of the training classes in October 2010. Whitaker said the co-op is a way to market the food grown by its members and currently includes 10 families. The group, which meets monthly, includes members from Duplin, Sampson, Pender, and Wake counties, while other counties may be included in the near future.
As other outlets for their crops, Whitaker said the group is also looking at sites in Raleigh as well as the farmer’s market in Wilmington.
While walking her property last week, Beltran stopped to talk with Nathan Pittman, a member of Whitaker’s group and the Cooperative’s production officer, as he took a break from tilling up a small, grass covered plot behind Beltran’s orchard. Beltran said the newly-turned land would be used for planting winter crops, including onions, beets, and lettuce. “We want to have something growing at all times of the year,” she stated.
According to Beltran, Pittman has been one of the saving graces of her upstart farm. “He’s always there when I need him,” said Beltran. “He’s totally immersed in what goes on.”
The owner of a small farm in Magnolia, Pittman said he’s been working the land “ever since I can remember.” Having met Beltran through Whitaker’s group, Pittman said he’s glad to lend a hand in any way he can. “The Lord has blessed us, it’s a nice thing we’ve got going here.”
Pointing to a row of guinea hens flocking around the tilled soil, Pittman pointed out one of the advantages of small farming. “See the way they’re eating the worms where it’s been turned up. I don’t use any pesticides or herbicides. You wouldn’t see that in most fields because the soil would have been chemicalized to death.”
While Pittman said he is dedicated to helping his fellow farmers, he believes the future of the vocation among African-American growers is in jeopardy.
“It would be nice to get more young people involved, but they’re not interested,” commented Pittman. “We need more young farmers; ones who actually do the work and not just read about it in a book. There’s a whole lot of information in the ground that you can’t get from a book: what time to plant, when to harvest; these things mean a lot. All that is going to be gone.”
That lack of interest, said Whitaker, was among the reasons he formed the Small Farm Group. “African-American farmers don’t have replacements to take over farms; the numbers are way down. We need more 19-40 year olds in production agriculture.”
Whitaker said he believes the problem lies mainly in the lack of economic prospects. “They have seen their fathers involved and seen the money is not coming in; it’s a matter of vision and perception.”
Talk of the future leads Beltran to discuss her own plans for herself and her family. Standing beside the large greenhouse on the western edge of her property, Beltran said the heated building would allow her to grow tomatoes and other warm weather crops throughout the winter.
Pointing to an overgrown field adjacent to the greenhouse, Beltran said she plans, in the near future, to add goats to the menagerie of chickens and guinea hens already roaming her property. “That way we can have cheese and milk to add to the eggs,” she said, smiling at the thought.
Beltran said her ultimate goal is to bring her two sons, currently living in Kentucky and Florida, to live with her to help tend the land she’s worked for nearly a decade, cultivating it, one tree, one plant at a time, into the vision she dreamed of during her days as a city dweller.
“I had a masters degree, I worked for years and made it on my own. None of that did it for me. I may not have a lot out here, but I think I have a lot. I go to bed satisfied, and that is what life is all about.”
Beltran said she believes the change has had additional benefits as well.
“My grandma died when she was 120. I think I’m going to outlive her. I don’t get sick; I’m a vegetarian; I haven’t been to the doctor in years. This is the legacy I want to leave to my children.”
Reaching up to inspect the limbs of a pear tree in her front yard, Beltran said, despite the constant work, she wouldn’t trade her new life for a more typical retirement.
“Sometimes, when the light is right, when I’m here by myself, I swear this is paradise, warts and all.”
Filed under Journalism
Another One Gone: An appreciation of the life and work of Christopher Hitchens
My immediate reaction to the news of Christopher Hitchens death on December 15 was simple disgust, not with the fact that the man’s suffering was at an end but, selfishly perhaps, that there was one less voice in the small and increasingly de-populated universe of intelligent, clear-sighted thinkers unafraid to happily parade their immersion in the brute animal pleasures of the world.
Reading his work had the same effect on me as that of a handful of other, seemingly dissimilar, 20th century thinkers, writers, and musicians such as Hunter Thompson, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Howard Zinn, Nick Cave and Bob Dylan: A smile of recognition and empathy for a fellow human being with the intelligence to see through the intricate layers of bullshit our civilization has constructed for itself, and the guts to speak about it in a candid, creative, and deeply soulful manner.
I first became aware of his work nearly a decade ago through his frequent articles in Vanity Fair. The first piece I remember reading by Hitchens was “Living Proof,” a guide to the sensual pleasures and health benefits to be gained from a life dedicated to quality drinking.
“Not just the occasional drink—the daily drink. Not just red wine—any alcohol is better than none. An apple a day, they said in my boyhood, kept the doctor away. Yeah, that’s right—just bathe your teeth in sugar water and acid and see what happens. Much better to hurl the heartburn-inducing fruit into the trash and reach firmly for the corkscrew, which was the strategy that I began to adopt when I was about 15.”
In that same article he dispensed one of the best pieces of adult consumption advice I’ve ever come across: “Don’t drink if you have the blues; it’s a junk cure. Drink when you’re in a good mood.”
What impressed me most about his work, and his life, was the mixture of the deeply learned with the proudly debauched; an upper class, ivy league education with a near-mythic capacity for alcohol and late-night shenanigans. Here, it seemed, was a man determined to enjoy life on his own terms, conventions be damned.
Hitchens, of course, also held forth on subjects far removed from the distillations of the grape and the grain. He clearly relished documenting the absurdity of human civilization’s holy cows and cherished relics, the often corrupt and ridiculous idols venerated by so many and examined by so few: Mother Teressa, Henry Kissinger, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ronald Reagan, God — each came under the fine and bloody blade of Hitchens’s eloquent and deftly-detailed prose.
The deplorable state of affairs inside North Korea, which he described as “A nation of racist dwarves,” was another of Hitchens’s pet subjects. The death of North Korean leader Kim Jon- il a few short days after Hitchens is a cosmic coincidence that, if there is any shred of the journalist’s intelligence still floating around these parts, will surely elicit a satisfied chuckle or two.
Evisceration wasn’t his only talent, however. Hitchens wrote illuminating and deeply felt appreciations of Thomas Jefferson and George Orwell, arguing both for their continuing relevance and against the rote veneration that tends to cloud the men’s true accomplishments.
Something of a speaking engagement celebrity, on video Hitchens come across as rude, funny, smarter than his assigned host or adversary, and, invariably, just plain damn likeable. Even in his final appearances, when his head was shaved and he was clearly suffering from the affects of treatment for cancer of the esophagus, there is the undeniable sense that Hitchens never entirely grew up, that just beneath the surface of his considerable frame there lurks a young boy thumbing his nose at the foolish grownups.
Unlike many of his generation, Hitchens’s politics and viewpoints never grew calcified or recalcitrant. Moving from an avowed liberal Socialist to a defender of the war in Iraq to a human test subject bearing witness to the true nature of waterboarding, he remained curious, open to debate (which he cherished) and logical persuasion. As such, his was one of the few modern journalistic opinions I viewed as worthy of respect and consideration, even when I violently disagreed with it.
Many of his colleagues remember Hitchens as a rare-bird among veteran journalists: A mentor who often went out of his way to share his near-encyclopedic knowledge and experience with his younger colleagues. By all accounts, the man, on occasion, could also be a pompous asshole who delighted in arguing with friends simply for the sake of the argument. But, unfailingly, those same accounts also include some random act of kindness, hospitality, or support that I would guess go a long way towards defining what kind of man he truly was.
An iconoclast to the end, Hitchens went out on his own terms, standing firm in the principals he’d spent a lifetime formulating, and working, almost until the very end, to perpetuate the craft he’d dedicated himself to in his early twenties.
It seems fitting to end this appreciation with a bit of the man’s own wisdom offered up in his own inimitable voice, a voice it will be hard not to listen for in the strange and maddening days to come.
“My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.”
Filed under Journalism
Crisis center faces economic impasse
WARSAW — The sharp economic downturn of recent years has left many businesses struggling to remain viable, as revenues become scarce and payrolls are cut. In what could be seen as a vicious circle of declining prosperity, many of the organizations that offer help to those trying to stay afloat now find themselves grappling with the same uncertainties.
One local organization witnessing the affects of the financial plight is Sarah’s Refuge, a crisis center located in Warsaw. Opening its doors in 1994, the center offers assistance, including a 24-hour crisis line, temporary shelter, transportation, counseling services and training to women and children who have suffered abuse and sexual assault. In addition to a housing shelter, the center also operates a thrift store on West Hill Street to help raise funds for their program.
Doreen Manley, the center’s executive director, has seen first hand how economic conditions can affect not just business decisions but the health of a community as well. “The economic situation contributes to a lot of the domestic violence,” she stated. “We have seen that.”
Manley said Sarah’s Refuge has also been hit hard. “The worst part is when the grant money doesn’t come and you want to help and you can’t help. You look for other sources, but there just aren’t many right now.”
Christy Williams, a manager with Sarah’s Refuge, echoed Manley’s concerns. “We need funding; donations are not coming in. We’re going through tough times but everybody’s in the same boat, so it makes it hard to ask for money.”
While the center has been receiving sufficient donations of items such as food and clothing, financial donations have been lacking, coming to only $5,000 over the last year.
“The list of donors this year has been mighty small,” remarked Williams, who said staff members have been forced to pay out-of-pocket for some of the shelter’s items.
Lack of funds has also resulted in employee pay schedules being pushed back several months. “We’re running on fumes,” commented Williams.
Manley said the crisis center relies equally on donations and grant money to fund their day-to-day operations. “They kind of even out. There’s three grants we receive under the umbrella of one grant and for two of those we have to do a 20 percent match.”
Manley said the match could be in the forms of volunteer time or in-kind donations.
“We need the private donations because we can only use the grant money for what it’s budgeted for,” said Manley. “Everything else has to come from our donations.”
A former hospice worker who took over leadership of the crisis center six months ago, Manley said she has tried to maintain a positive attitude throughout the crisis. “I’m a people person; I’m happier doing stuff for others. Even though we go through these financial situations, we still manage to find resources. We find extra gas money to get our clients back and forth to school; we take and divide whatever we’ve got at home with the shelter. We manage, by the grace of God.”
One local resident who has benefited from Manley and Williams’s persistence is Brenda Thompson. Last January, after a troubling encounter with the father of one of her three children, Thompson said she was forced to leave her parent’s home, where she was living at the time.
According to Thompson, conditions at the residence were harrowing.
“I was sexually assaulted by my stepfather, but I had no where else to go. After the outbreak with my daughter’s father, we had a huge argument and they (stepfather and mother) called the cops and told them I had to get out.”
The police advised Thompson to seek out assistance through the Department of Social Services, who directed her to Sarah’s Refuge. “I talked to the ladies and told them my story and they talked to Social Services. I had to fill out paperwork and give emergency contact numbers in case anything happened while we were here,” remembered Thompson.
After a place was secured for her at the shelter, Thompson said police escorted her back to her parent’s home so she could pick up her belongings as well as medication for her nine-year-old son, who suffers from a variety of health problems, including diabetes, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and seizures.
“Once I got settled in with the kids they helped me out if I needed it. I had to look for housing while I was here, and they told me about a few places and they would call and ask around if they saw something,” remarked Thompson, who said she remained at the shelter until the middle of May.
Thompson said finding an organization that was willing to lend a helping hand was crucial to her survival.
“It meant a lot. If I didn’t have the shelter I don’t know what I would have done. I thought I might lose my kids if I didn’t find somewhere. If it wasn’t for them there’s no telling what would have happened.”
While her children still aren’t allowed to see her family, Thompson said they have weathered the emotional storm surprisingly well. “We’re going to counseling every week. They’re getting through it pretty good. We actually got my oldest son into football. He loves that. His grades have picked up and he doesn’t seem as stressed.”
Thompson said she has remained close with the staff at Sarah’s Refuge. “I still talk to the ladies here, and if I don’t go to counseling that week, I vent it out on whatever I have to say, and they listen to me.”
Thompson said the relationships she’s built at the crisis center go beyond counselor and patient. “I consider them family,” she stated. “I also got to know others who had been through the same things I’ve gone through.”
Though currently unemployed, Thompson said she was well on her way to providing a better future for herself and her family. “I’m 95 percent better than I was. As soon as I get my nine-year-old straightened out, I want to go back to school to get my CNC license and my med tech license. I want to do medical billing and coding.”
The importance of Sarah’s Refuge, said Thompson, reaches farther than merely providing shelter. “It’s very important for the people that need it. Domestic abuse is a real problem everywhere; it’s just that people don’t see it all the time as abuse. It just depends on their situation. With the pamphlets that they gave me, I recognized some of the stuff I was going through previously, that I didn’t really know was abuse. It just starts to seem normal.”
According to Williams, the region’s isolated setting contributes to the climate of abuse. “In the more rural areas the poverty levels are greater; you see a lot of abuse going on.”
The recent influx of Hispanics to Duplin County has been another complicating factor, said Williams. “We don’t have an interpreter, so I have to use what broken Spanish I know to try and communicate. Also, if they’re here illegally, they may not go to the police because they’re scared of being deported.”
While increased donations would allow Manley to make many of the changes she would like to see at Sarah’s Refuge, such as hiring an interpreter, she said other forms of help would also be welcome.
“Right now we need some men to come in and fix some doors and put some windows in; carpentry work,” said Manley. “We also need someone to help with painting.”
Despite the hardships involved in trying to provide for both the shelter and their clients with the limited funds available, both Manley and Williams said their jobs provide returns that go beyond the material.
“I help people and I’m able to see what I do and how it changes things,” said Williams. “Just knowing I made a difference, that’s what makes you come to work every day.”
Manley said the most satisfying part of her job is seeing a client “come in and then go out to their own home, in their own place, and then continue to strive and walk in the right path and make the right choices.”
Fighting back tears, Manley spoke of a recent letter she received from a mother thanking the staff for helping find a home for her and her daughter. “I know we’re not supposed to, but it’s hard not to get attached,” said Manley. “It’s just gratifying to see people’s lives change.
For more information on Sarah’s Refuge call (910) 293-3467. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 222 W. Hill Street.
The 24-hour, toll free crisis hotline is 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 910-293-3206.
Filed under Journalism
Link to town’s troubled past reclaimed
FAISON — A group of citizens from the town of Faison has uncovered a crucial link to the town’s past, a forgotten landmark that reaches back in time to one of the most painful chapters in the nation’s history.
According to L.S. Guy, a member of the Faison Improvement Group (FIG), the team is making preparations for the dedication of the site of a pre-Civil War graveyard that was used to inter the slaves of Henry Faison, the town’s founder and namesake.
The graveyard was located in 2003 with the help of the N.C. Office of Archives and History, who identified the site and ascertained who owned the adjoining property. Once contacted about the sites history, Guy said the property’s owner, Ned Kottle, decided to donate the land to FIG. “That was an important step because it allowed us to have access to the grave site so we could get in there and do what we needed to do.”
After gaining the necessary access, the group cleared the one-acre site of brush and dead trees, and set about determining the exact location of the graves.
Guy said the group continues to try to identify specific interment sites, but believes there are approximately 15-25 individuals buried on the property. “We know of at least three families, Bowden, Smith, and Faison, who have members buried there, “ said Guy.
Guy said he believes Faison (1744-1788) dedicated the property, which sets opposite the town graveyard on East Main Street, specifically for the burial of his servants. “We know it was before the Civil War and this was a very common practice during that time,” said Guy.
Though the graveyard was all-but-forgotten for over half a century, one town resident can still recall a time when a small wooden cross marked the land and local children played and hunted in the adjoining woods.
Willie Hill, 87, has lived in the Faison area since he was eight. “Me and some friends used to play back there when were young. We knew it was a black cemetery, cause back then that’s how it was.; it was kept separate. I remember there was a wood cross, but I can’t recall what it might have said.”
Leaning on a silver handled cane as he walked the perimeter of the cleared lot last week, Hill remembered that neighbors who once lived in the area were distant relatives of the deceased slaves. “There were a family of Bowden’s who lived across the street, and one of them had a great grandson who was a Faison. Sometimes I’d see him going over there and he used to tell me he was going to go clean off his relatives grave.”
According to Hill, there are at least two former slaves who are buried across the street in the town cemetery, as well.
Hill said he recently asked a few of the older residents of the town if they have any memories of the graveyard when it was a recognized part of the neighborhood. “I came across only one other person, and they said they knew that there were some Smith’s buried there, but that’s all they knew.”
Sadly, said Hill, many of the town’s people who may once have offered vital historical information have passed away. “There’s not many of use left who would even know it was there,” commented Hill.
Though its origins may never be completely illuminated, Hill said he believes the restoration of the site is an important step for the town. “I think it’s nice that they’ve cleaned it up. A lot of young people don’t know how things were back in those days.”
Guy said FIG has ordered a granite monument constructed to commemorate the site, but has yet to determine exactly what wording will be inscribed there.
A small driveway as well as boundary markers will also be added.
Barring unforeseen delays, said Guy, a dedication ceremony for the site is planned for next spring.
Faison Mayor Elmer Flake, a FIG member, said he believes the discovery will prove critical to preserving a nearly forgotten part of the town’s past.
“This was something we didn’t even know was there until a couple of years ago. FIG and the town have worked together on this. It’s a part of our history that’s been lost and we’re looking forward to getting this up and running.”
Filed under Journalism
Local hunter offers safe haven for injured service members
MOUNT OLIVE — When Brian Willson speaks about the work that has come to define the free hours of his life over the last four years, the respect and reverence he feels for the men and women involved is written in the hushed tone of his voice and the wide-eyed, uncomprehending gaze of a man whose life has led him down a path he never expected to travel.
Willson’s trip into the unknown began in 2007 when a patient, a professional woodcarver, paid a visit to his dental clinic in Fayetteville. The man related to Willson that he was in need of a new wood sander for a project he was working on—making 300 walking sticks with compasses attached to the handle for men and women involved in the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP), a group that seeks to honor and empower members of the U.S Armed Forces who have incurred service-related injuries on or after September 11, 2001. The mission of WWP is to raise awareness about the needs of injured service members, while helping them to aid and assist one another. The group also provides unique programs and services to assist injured service members.
In addition to addressing the physical injuries, WWP also features a Combat Stress Recovery Program to help returning members deal with the emotional and psychological stress incurred as a result of combat and the mental strain of war.
According to the group’s website, with advancements in battlefield medicine and body armor, an unprecedented percentage of service members are surviving severe wounds or injuries. For every U.S. soldier killed in World Wars 1 and 11, there were 1.7 soldiers wounded. In Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, for every U.S. soldier killed, seven are wounded. Combined, there have been almost 42,000 injured in the two conflicts—nearly 32,000 injured in Operation Iraq and nearly 10,000 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Taking his cue from advice offered by his patient, Willson decided to become active in WWP by offering service members involved in the program a place to hunt on property he owns near Duplin County, a secluded stretch of 150 acres set in the rural farming community along Furney Jones Road in Mount Olive.
“I’ve always been into hunting, and my three sons hunt, so it just seemed like a natural way for me to be able to help,” remembered Willson, during a recent interview at the hunting site.
At the time, said Willson, he was in the process of building a hunting lodge on his property. After making the commitment to become involved in WWP, Wilson said he decided to turn the building into a gathering place for the service members.
“We put it up in about 10 weeks. We came in and made everything handicap accessible and we put in central air, a fridge, a stove, and a microwave,” said Willson.
The lodge, which is painted in camouflage colors, is also reinforced with walls of solid concrete. “It’s not going to go anywhere during a hurricane,” Willson observed.
Turning his attention to means by which he could make the hunting experience both easier and more enjoyable for WWP members, Willson decided to build a series of hunting stands equipped with special features to help them navigate the two story structures.
“I guarantee you we have the only stand in Duplin County with a 200 amp meter box,” smiled Willson.
The most unusual feature of the stands, which are built on concrete slabs and take three to four months to complete, is a chairlift which can be used to carry disabled service members from the bottom floor up to the second story, where a series of rectangular slots are cut into the walls to provide spaces to shoot from. The gun slots offer a clear view of the woods below, and an ideal vantage point for hunting deer.
Willson said the chairlifts were provided by a company called Stairlifts, which is run by Charles Knapp, a former Army physician who served during Operation Desert Storm. Wilson said Knapp sold him the chairs for half price and divided the payments into two installments. According to Wilson, the company is able to provide chairlifts to Wounded Warrior members in their homes for no cost.
“Many of theses families are on a financial thread, so to get these chairs at no cost is a big factor,” said Willson.
The stands also offer a few modern day amenities, such as a coffee maker and a ceiling fan. Willson said he eventually plans to install bathroom facilities on the ground floor as well.
A typical outing, said Willson, begins with him picking up the WWP participants at 5:00 a.m. and taking them to the lodge. After returning from hunting, the service members are treated to a meal of deer stew and vegetables. After the sun sets, Wilson said everyone typically gathers around a large campfire to relax.
Willson said he has two to three hunts a year and normally takes out four to six individuals at a time. The next hunt is planned for November.
Though only one stand is completed at present, it is actually the second one built by Willson and his team. The first one, several hundred yards from the remaining stand, was toppled by winds from Hurricane Irene. “I was sick when I saw what had happened,” said Willson. “There were a lot of hours spent working on that stand.”
Looking over the first projects remains, Willson explained that the entire project has been an exercise in trial and error. “I’m not a construction guy; this has been a learning process for me. I just have to take it one step at a time and learn as I go.”
Willson said he hopes to salvage the stairs and part of the walls of the original stand, and have a new one completed within the next few months.
Joining Willson in the project was his longtime friend, Guenther Labann, who worked beside Willson on both the hunting lodge and tree stand projects. “It’s really rewarding to work with the guys,” stated Labann. “Out here in the country people come out of the woodwork to help.”
As proof of Labann’s words, Willson ran through a list of neighbors, businessmen and friends who have come to his aid since the beginning of the ambitious project. Dan Penny, a farmer from Beulaville, has provided Willson with corn which he uses to attract deer and prepare meals for the WWP members, selling it to him at cost while charging nothing for shipping or labor.
“If he was helping them, I felt like I could help him out,” said Penny about his involvement. “I think it’s a great thing; there’s a lot of people who don’t have the finances to do what he’s doing. We should do something for them (veterans), because they’ve done a lot for us.”
Willson’s neighbor, Dean Cooper, a Vietnam veteran who served in the war from 1967-1968, was generous enough to deed an easement to Willson in order to facilitate access to the property where the stands would be placed. Cooper, who suffers from prostate cancer due to his exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam, said it was his hope that the experience of the WWP veterans would be far different than his own. “It’s a very good thing Brian’s doing. When I came back from Vietnam we had people spitting at us and calling us ‘baby killer.’ I think it’s different with the people coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan; there seems to be a little more sympathy.”
Though the public’s reactions may have altered, Cooper said some things are all too familiar. “When these guys come back injured, the government puts them out. The benefits they’re getting aren’t as good as a lot of people think,” he stated.
According to Willson, two other Furney Road neighbors, Ray Bell and Mike Chambers have also played roles in the project: Bell by allowing him to cut through his property while constructing the stands, and Chambers by agreeing not to spray manure at his hog farm during the weekends that Willson hosts WWP members.
Another friend singled out by Willson was Jim Rich of Airco-Reco Heating and Cooling in Kenansville. According to Willson, Rich did all the electrical work on the stands, charging Willson solely for the cost of the materials. When he sent Rich a check for $200, remembered Willson, Rich sent it back a month later.
“Those guys have been terrific,” said Willson. “They didn’t have to do any of this; I’m an outsider and a lot of times people in small communities are very protective and distrustful of anyone not from the area. But everyone’s truly gone out of their way to help.”
Speaking about the men who have come to his lodge in wheelchairs and crutches, sharing their stories around the kitchen table in the hunting lodge, Willson and Labann both shook their heads as they described the mental and physical strength of the soldiers they’ve come to call friends.
“These guys sit around the table, and it’s almost like they’re telling camp fire stories,” said Willson. “One guy has a broken back, another one’s on crutches, some have post traumatic stress syndrome—most of these guys are pretty badly injured. They tell us their stories. They are beginning a whole new chapter in their lives, transitioning out of military life. It’s a whole new world for them.”
“It’s really heartwarming; when theses guys come out there’s no sob stories,” stressed Labann. “There’s never anyone feeling sorry for himself; it’s all uplifting.”
Wilson said he’s seen the stress placed on the families of injured service members first hand. “Being in Fayetteville, a lot of my patients are in the military. I see a lot of wives with husbands in the service. And sometimes the husbands are gone or injured and they’re left alone with three or four kids. They go through a lot.”
Just getting permission to go on the hunt can be an ordeal, said Willson. “They need three different clearances to come: physical, psychological, and legal. There’s a lot of paper work involved. The medical is the main one; if they can be transported and can fire a gun, then there’s no problem with them hunting with us.”
Noting the resolve of many WWP service members, Willson noted: “Everyone’s a unique story. All these guys are tough as nails. We recently met a guy who told us he has to make a decision about whether to keep his arm, which is severely damaged, or have it cut off and be fitted with a prosthetic.
“Everyone has their own everyday worries, but the things theses guys go through are something else entirely. It really puts things in perspective.”
Filed under Journalism
Father and son find common bond in beekeeping
BEULAVILLE — When most fathers and sons choose hobbies to enjoy together they turn to activities such as sports, repairing cars, or woodworking. For one Duplin county family, however, a shared interest in the natural world has led to a more exotic past time—beekeeping.
Darrell Penny and his son, Wade, are newcomers to the ancient craft of raising and caring for bees. “I messed with it growing up with my father, and I just recently decided to get back into it,” said Darrell. “I bought a couple of hives last year. We had some problems with those first hives, but the ones we have now are doing pretty well.”
According to Darrell, his son has been the motivating force behind his renewed interest. “He’s really gotten into it and enjoys working with them. If he wasn’t so enthusiastic about it, I probably wouldn’t have started back up.”
According to Darrell, the bees arrived in three-pound packing units that included worker bees, drones, and a queen, which can be distinguished from the other bees by pale blue markings on the head. Darrell said the bees had to be hand fed for a time until they could fly on their own and collect pollen from plants.
Walking into the back yard of the Penny’s home beside Old Highway 24 in Beulaville, the low hum of the insects collected around the six hive boxes is subtle but immediately recognizable. The bees congregate around the bottom of the boxes, which are raised off the ground with cinder blocks, lazily making their way inside to deposit pollen and water, or patrolling the perimeter to protect the hive inside from potentially hostile invaders.
According to Darrell, he and Wade are currently raising Italian bees, which are conditioned for warmer climates.
The Penny’s explained that all of the worker bees in a hive are females, while the drones are exclusively male. After the female mates, she returns to the nest to lay eggs. Once the eggs are laid, they go through the same stages as caterpillars and butterflies do, first hatching into larvae, and then becoming cocoons and, finally, pupae. They then emerge from the cocoons as adults.
According to Darrell the temperature inside the hive must be kept at approximately 92 degrees in order for the eggs to develop properly. The bees are so adept at controlling their environment, he explained, that they will use wax to seal up the box should the temperature become too cool.
The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and specially fed royal jelly, a protein-rich secretion from glands on the heads of young workers, in order to become sexually mature. There is normally only one adult, mated queen in a hive who is the mother of most, if not all, of its bees. Darrell said the majority of drone bees are kicked out of the hive in the winter, and are replaced in the spring.
The average life span of a worker bee, said Wade, is 45 days, while a queen can survive for several years. “They re-queen every three to four year,” said Wade.
Darrell said the hobby takes both time and patience. “It’s time consuming, building the boxes, monitoring the hives. If it got any bigger it would also start to become a large expense.”
Using a metal can with a pumping device, Darrell spread smoke around one of the hives whose top had been removed to expose the brood chambers, where the eggs are kept, attached to removable frames inside the box. Each box contains approximately eight frames.
Donning a protective suit and gloves, Wade removed one of the frames containing the eggs, which was covered in a nearly solid mass of bees. Later, he explained that the eggs are moved from smaller, starter boxes once they have matured and placed in the larger containers.
According to Wade, the frames are first coated with a foundation of wax, which helps prime them for cell production, and are then placed in the box along with the bees. “A strong hive could fill a frame in 7-14 days,” he stated.
Darrell said, while he’s been pleased with the bees production so far, he feels more rain could have benefited the hives. “There’s an old saying, ‘April showers, bring May flowers, brings June honey.”
The Penny’s said bees also play an important role in crop production. “Bees are used by farmers for crop pollination, mainly cucumbers,” said Darrell. “A bee has to visit a cucumber 20 times to pollinate it properly.”
Last year, said Darrell, hive beetles devastated nearly all of the bees him and Wade were attempting to raise. “We didn’t do our homework. It was a mess. We managed to salvage only one hive, but it turned out to be a good learning experience for us.”
In addition to the six hive boxes in his back yard, the Penny’s have also placed three boxes dedicated to raising queens in the adjacent woods “It makes it easier to keep intruders out,” commented Darrell.
Honey production is one of the major draws for many beekeepers, although it takes time to see results.
“We haven’t taken any honey from the hives we’ve just started,” said Darrell. “We don’t even bother until the second year.”
In an effort to increase the bees pollen gathering, the Penny’s said they make sure to have all the hive boxes facing east to ensure that they catch the morning sun. “It gets them out a little earlier so they have as much time as possible to be outside working,” said Darrell.
Most of the honey the bees produce this year, said Darrell, will be used to feed the hive throughout the winter.
Apart from its sweet taste, Darrell said honey is rumored to have a number of medicinal uses as well. “A lot of people have told me honey helps with allergies,” he stated. “I’ve heard doctors say that local honey is best because of the nectar.”
In addition to their beekeeping venture, the Penny’s also run a bee removal business. “We worked at this house in Richlands one time and had to remove part of the siding to get to the bees,’ remembered Darrell. “Sometimes if you have a hive in a tree, you can just knock it down with a broom and they’ll crawl right in the box.”
Bringing home captured bees poses it own set of problems, said Darrell. “It’s more involved than using starter packs. You have to clean out the honey, get your brood eggs, and save the queen. Usually when you capture them from a nest in a tree, they’re in flight to somewhere else. So when you get them home, there’s not a lot you can do to make them stay. Sometimes they’re just determined not to.”
While both Penny’s said they would like to expand their bee keeping activities, they said they plan to keep things low key for now. “We may try to make it a little larger, but we’re just taking it slow and trying to learn as much as we can about keeping the bees healthy,” said Darrell.
Working with bees, of course, involves certain physical risks. Both Darrell and Wade said they’ve been stung in the past, but have managed to avoid it this year. “A sting or two isn’t a big deal,” said Darrell. “Neither of us is allergic.”
The potential danger, said Darrell, is one of the is one of the most interesting aspects of the hobby. “It’s like an adrenaline rush. There’s something about those creatures, just standing there and knowing they could do me major damage if they wanted to. Knowing they could sting me but they’re not. It’s intriguing; it gets out hearts pumping.”
Darrell and Wade said they’ve noticed a growing interest in beekeeping.
“I’ve seen more in the last two years,’ said Darrell. “I know of at least two people within six miles of here that keep bees.”
For anyone considering working with bees, Darrell had this advice: “Do your homework. If you don’t, your bees are going to get wiped out and you’ll get discouraged. But really, you can read all the books you want, but mostly it comes down to experience. Bees don’t read books; they don’t always do what they’re supposed to.’
Filed under Journalism
Service dog finds true calling with local student
PINK HILL — The white dog sits quietly beside the school building, watching through deep-set, pale brown eyes as the young boy plays quietly by himself on the playground several yards away. Though he appears relaxed, the dogs eyes never leave the boy, following him as he navigates a wavering circle around the other children grouped around the brightly colored slides; as he bends to look at a toy truck through a small magnifying glass, smiling down on his discovery from somewhere inside his own, private world.
According to Kenansville Elementary Special Needs Pre-K Teacher Gina Hardy, Puzzle, a one-and-a-half year old Goldendoodle service dog, has made himself right at home at the school, where he works during the school day with his charge, Aiden Price, a three-year-old special needs student who suffers from Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), a form of autism.
According to Hardy, Puzzle is the first service dog in the history of Duplin County Schools. The Board of Education recently passed a Service Dog Resolution specifically to allow Puzzle to accompany Aiden to Kenansville Elementary.
Hardy said Puzzle’s first day at the school was May 27, which gave him just enough time to get comfortable with his new surroundings before the end of the school year.
According to Hardy, Aiden’s autism manifests itself in poor communication skills and socialization problems, though she stressed that these issues in no way denote a lack of intelligence. “Most of his problems are verbal and receptive,” said Hardy. “But he knows his ABC’s; he can write them out. He also knows his numbers.”
Despite the difficulties associated with his condition, Hardy said Aiden is inquisitive and eager to learn. “He’s my little scientist; he loves to look at things through a magnifying glass,” explained Hardy. “He also loves textures. He’ll pick up a handful of sand and let it run through his fingers, and he loves running his hands through Puzzle’s hair.”
A primary concern for the school staff has been Aiden’s inability to recognize potentially hazardous situations. “He sees no danger in anything, and for someone who likes to climb as much as he does, that can be a real problem,” said Hardy.
Aiden’s parents, Sara and Adam Price, began researching service dogs shortly after Aiden was diagnosed with PDD last October. While web surfing, they came across the site for Highland Training Service, a dog training facility in Harmony, N.C. that specializes in dogs disciplined to work with special needs children. Though initially discouraged by the costs of training and purchasing a dog, which can run in excess of $10,000, the Prices turned to their church and community for assistance, eventually raising the required money plus additional funds that they say will be used to help other families in need of similar assistance. “We really thought the financing was going to be a problem,” commented Sara, “but the community was very supportive. We couldn’t have done this without them.”
In addition to Aiden, the Prices also have a one-year-old son, Colton, a five-year-old daughter, Danielle, and will soon be the parents of a new baby girl.
After the administrators at the Highland Training Service approved Aiden for their service dog program, the Prices went through a five-day training period, learning proper commands, physical requirements, and other essential details to ensure a successful working relationship between dog and family. Two trainers from the facility also came when the dog was delivered to the Price’s home, staying several days to help introduce them to their new family member.
The Prices were initially given a Great Dane to work with, an arrangement that proved to be less than ideal. “It just wasn’t working out,” said Adam, “Luckily, they were great about letting us get another dog that was calmer and better suited to Aiden.”
Sara said Aiden and Puzzle took a few days to warm up to each other, but have since become inseparable. “At first, Aiden didn’t know what to think, but they’ve really bonded since then. It took Puzzle a few days to relax also, but now he lets Aiden sit on his back and he sleeps with him in his room.”
Puzzle’s main task involves helping Aiden negotiate environments outside of the Price’s home, where the three-year-old has a tendency to become agitated and wander away from his parents and teachers. Puzzle has been outfitted with a special harness that allows him to be tethered to Aiden, enabling the dog to guide him and preventing Aiden from moving quickly away from adults.
“He goes everywhere with us. We mainly use the harness when we go out in public somewhere,” said Sara.
“Aiden’s very quiet and sometimes he’ll try to slip off,” explained Hardy. “When you’re trying to keep a whole class full of children in check, it makes a big difference to know that Puzzle is there if we need him.”
Hardy said she often uses the tether when the children go outside to play after lunch, or when she needs to work with Aiden one-on-one.
“If he starts to wander off, we’ll use the tether. You can give Puzzle a ‘down’ command, and he’ll automatically drop and not move,” said Hardy.
Puzzle also underwent search and rescue lessons while at Highland Training Service and is trained to track Aiden should he become lost, a skill Adam said the family could have used several days prior to Puzzle’s arrival, when Aiden wandered away from a babysitter, who was unable to locate him. Aiden was eventually found in a neighbor’s yard, unharmed.
One issue Hardy hasn’t had to deal with is figuring out Puzzle’s bathroom habits. “I usually take him for a walk when we’re outside, but he hasn’t used the bathroom for me yet. The trainers said he might not go while he’s here, because he considers himself to be working.”
According to Hardy, the dog’s presence has had a calming effect on Aiden. “When they come back in from playing the lights are off for naptime and sometimes Aiden doesn’t like to go to sleep. Puzzle will get on the cot beside Aiden and sleep with him, and it’s really helped.”
Hardy said the school held an assembly on the day Puzzle arrived to educate the student body on the dog’s role at the school. Trainers from the Highland facility instructed the students to avoid making sudden, loud noises or running quickly towards Puzzle. “The students have been awesome,” said Hardy. “We told them he’s Aiden’s buddy and that they could pet him if they wanted to. It’s been a really neat and positive thing.”
For Puzzle’s part, Hardy said he is still getting used to his new environment. “It’s a lot of new faces and a lot of new smells. It’s been a real change for him as well. It took him about a week to really get relaxed.”
Hardy said Puzzle will remain with Aiden throughout his next two years at the school.
While the Prices said they haven’t encountered any negative feedback from taking Puzzle into local business establishments, Hardy said one of the trainers who accompanied him to the school told her he was initially denied a room at a local hotel that had a strict no-pets policy. “Its something the public needs to know; they need to be educed on this,” remarked Hardy. “The law says these animals can go anywhere the general public is allowed to go.”
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), privately owned businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto their premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.
The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.
Aiden’s parents said he has shown marked improvement since Puzzle’s arrival. “He’s blossomed, he really has,” said Adam, while Sara added, “It’s amazing how much his speech has improved in the last few weeks. Who would have thought a dog could help a child talk?”
Hardy concurred with the Prices assessment. “It’s amazing how much better he’s done since Puzzle’s been here. He’s actually had a calming effect on the whole class. Puzzle has been a real asset.”
At home, the Prices said Puzzle is officially off duty unless a special occasion arises. “We try to give him time to relax and have a little bit of down time,” explained Sara, glancing over at Puzzle as he stretches out on his bed in the Price’s living room. “He’s a lazy dog if he’s not working.”
Adam said Puzzle has already grown protective of the family. “He paces the house to check on things,” he stated. “His biggest problem is he doesn’t like new people coming into the home.”
When not at school, the Prices said Aiden likes to watch his favorite TV program, The Wiggles, and also enjoys dancing and swimming. “Our computer has a touchscreen monitor and he loves to play with that,” said Adam. “He likes anything tactile; things he can touch.”
As for the immediate future, The Prices said they are cautious, but hopeful.
“He’ll start speech therapy soon,” said Sara. “We would love to see him mainstreamed, to be able to do things on his own. He may be delayed, but he shouldn’t be held back. We’d also like to see him handle Puzzle on his own, with no help.”
The Prices said they have worked to keep Aiden as engaged with the world as possible, and recommended that other parents facing similar situations use their own judgment when assessing their children’s mental and behavioral health. “Try to catch it early; follow your instincts,” insisted Adam. “If you think there may be something wrong with your child, have him checked out. You can’t always listen to doctors who tell you to wait.”
Despite the challenges involved in raising a child with autism, Sara said the rewards are far greater. “It’s been so amazing watching him grow. You can’t give up on them, because it’s a lot to handle, it really is, but it can always be worse.”
Filed under Journalism
