NEWS BRIEFS: Hampton to be Veteran’s Day speaker on Nov. 11

Speaker for the 28th annual Veteran’s Day observance at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Gwinnett County will be retired Army Col. Dolores Hampton, who  lives in Atlanta, and retired from the United States Army in 1997 after 26 years of service. The ceremony will begin at 11:11 a.m. on November 11 in front of the Gwinnett Judicial and Administration Center.

Hampton

She is a native of Englewood, N.J. who entered the Army as a private as a member of the Women’s Army Corps and graduated from officer training school.  One of her earlier duties was as a lab technician in Fort McClelland, Ala.

The colonel is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson College and has a master’s degree from Florida A&M University.Her final military assignment came in 1991 at Fort McPherson, Ga., where she was the commander of the Army Medical Detachment, which took care of critical speciality Army Reserve physicians and nurses.  She was also previously the Inspector General for the U.S. Army Reserve Command for the nation at Fort McPherson, responsible to oversee all Reserve unit inspections and IG complaints.  

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority Inc, the first president (and president emeritus) of the National Association of Black Military Woman, a member of Ben Hill United Methodist Church and the Metro Atlanta Kiwanis Club, and has served as a volunteer with the Atlanta VA Medical Center

She says of her Army years: “It was a great career. Earlier we caught a lot of flak from our male counterparts, so I always did the best I could do. It was by no means always easy. But you have to put your blood, sweat and tears in anything worth having. Today’s youths seem to think that everything comes easy.”

In her retirement, Colonel Hampton  is a motivational speaker, community psychologist and counselor, and she enjoys playing golf, dancing and exercising. 

The Gwinnett Veteran’s Day observance was the brainchild of Carolyn and Ron Buice, then residents of Sugar Hill. The first observance was in 1995, when former Sen. and Veterans’ Administrator Max Cleland was the first speaker. 

Be alert! Study the sample ballot before you go to the polls

With voting just days away, GwinnettForum offers the Gwinnett sample ballot for the November 8 General Election. Votes should particularly study the constitutional amendments that will be voted on in this election. Note that the ballot is presented in both English and Spanish.

• Click here to see the sample ballot
• Have a comment?  Send to: elliott@brack.net

NOTABLE

Walton EMC members help local charities with $90,125 

With a dollar not going as far right now, every cent counts to those in our communities whose passion is caring for others. Tens of thousands of Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) customer-owners are helping with their spare change by allowing the cooperative to round up their electric bill to the next dollar. In turn, that empowers the Operation Round Up program to help local charities when they need it most. 

In the most recent distributions, $174,037, including $90,125 for Gwinnett charities,  aided worthy organizations and needy individuals throughout the utility’s 10-county service area. “No donations are used to administer the program,” said Walton EMC COO Ron Marshall. “Every penny goes straight to those who need it.”

Those recently benefitting include:

• Auditory-Verbal Center, $10,000: Scholarships for children with a hearing disability who do not have access to insurance.
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, $5,000:youth development programming at their Lawrenceville club.
• Childkind, $2,500: recruiting of foster families for children with major disabilities.
• First Book Club 165, $7,525: books for Title 1/low-income children.
• Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity, $10,000: critical home repair for low-income homeowners.
• Helping Mamas, $10,000: car seats and portable cribs for low-income families.
• Lekotek of Georgia, $2,500: scholarships for families with disabled children.
• Mending the Gap, $15,000: services for low-income and vulnerable senior citizens.
• Reach One U.S. Corporation, $4,000: mentoring program for at-risk middle and high school students.
• Salvation Army Gwinnett, $15,000.
• Skye Precious Kids, $7,200: medical equipment for children of families suffering a financial crisis.
• Special Olympics of Georgia, $2,000: funds for state fall Special Olympics.
• Words of Comfort Ministries, $8,400: tutoring services for foster children.
• Have a comment?  Send to: elliott@brack.net