By Staff
Dogwood Hills is such a wonderful asset for seniors in and around Brewton. It is the only public recreational facility serving not only our seniors, but citizens of all ages, 12 months a year.
Do I play there? Regularly! As a senior citizen with some health problems, I thank God that I am still able to play and have Dogwood Hills to help keep me healthy. As it is currently designed, most seniors, like myself, can walk Dogwood Hills. However, if the Brewton Board of Education has its way, that may soon change.
As I understand it, if the BOE gets the land they want, it will necessitate significant changes to the course. Specifically, it will result in golf holes with large elevation changes that will prevent most senior citizens from being able to walk the course.
So what, you might say. Just rent a golf cart. Some of us may be able to afford to do so, but for most this would put a significant strain on their fixed income. As a consequence, I believe that a lot of seniors would be forced to limit their play or discontinue it early. Not good for the community or Dogwood Hills, and certainly not a very good way to treat your senior citizens.
Just remember that the population of the United States is getting older each year. You may be in the same situation very soon. Surely, with the amount of land in and around Brewton, we could find another site for a school without impacting Dogwood Hills.
The point is Dogwood Hills serves the community well, and senior citizens in particular.
Changes to the course to allow a school to be built, while sounding like a fair, win-win compromise, unfairly penalize seniors. A win-win compromise is for the BOE to spend its money on other property and build the school elsewhere.
Dick Jernigan
Brewton resident
Story shows need for more organ donors
Your story about Debra Johnson highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations.
More than half of the 96,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. More than 6,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage - give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition. LifeSharers has 9,065 members, including 119 members in Alabama.
David J. Undis
Executive Director
LifeSharers
www.lifesharers.org