The Peggy Crosby Center

Gina Cogswelll

Help Raise the Roof

Keeping The Peggy Crosby Center in good condition is an investment that’ll pay dividends for the entire community for decades to come. For information on how to Raise the Roof, visit peggycrosbycenter.org.

There’s a venerable old roof, figuratively and literally speaking, covering much of Highlands. It’s sheltered a hospital and scores of organizations that reached out to groups and individuals over the years. Without Peggy Crosby Center and its roof over our heads, some of our most valuable services would be adrift, if not capsized. Organizations like The Counseling Center, Center for Life Enrichment, Highlands-Cashiers Health Foundation, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, International Friendship Center, and Overland Unlimited/Bridge of Hope depend on Peggy Crosby Center’s crown to keep their offices dry and functioning. And that’s just the nonprofits. Peggy’s Board has stayed on top of it, so to speak, but they can wait no longer. They’re faced with the formidable task of raising $65,000 to replace the former hospital’s old, leaky topper. While the center itself doesn’t provide community services, it does house and support organizations that do. Those businesses are counting on PCC and the town to upgrade the building’s overhead protection. Gina Cogswell, PCC advocate and spokesperson, has this to say, “Without PCC’s presence, many nonprofits and for profit organizations would not be able to afford rental rates in Highlands in providing their services to the community. Furthermore, keeping the building in good condition is essential to the delivery of their services. For example, the Center for Life Enrichment offers life enrichment opportunities through educational lectures, classes, and workshops to thousands of participants each year. Last year the PCC upgraded its IT equipment and improved its WiFi coverage to enable CLE to better provide these services.” So, is this a request for community support? Darn tootin’! Peggy doesn’t have fundraisers, parties, or auctions. While financial donations generally pour in at year’s end, storm clouds won’t wait ‘til then.

Peggy touches everyone in town, directly or indirectly. Did The Kitchen Carry Away feed you often during the pandemic’s quarantine? Did the Center for Acupuncture relieve pain for you or a friend? Were you engaged in rewarding activities during Covid isolation with a soul-satisfying CLE experience? Chances are you said “Yes!” to at least one of these. Please return the kindness and help Peggy continue to serve our community with no leaks, just peaks.

by Donna Rhodes

Shop for Words

An innovative game, offered in conjunction with Bryson’s Food Store, makes learning fun for the entire family.

The Literacy & Learning Center introduces a new partnership program with Bryson’s Food Store: Shop for Words! This program is intended to help children learn by making it fun and interactive at the grocery store. Game cards can be found just inside the doors of Bryson’s Food Store, so parents can easily grab one before getting started on grocery shopping. The cards include questions to ask your child relating to phonics, rhyming, shapes, and more! For example, “How many items can you name that start with the sound ‘m’?”

Anna Norton, Senior Programs Manager at TL&LC says, “This program is a great way for parents to engage with their kids on the basics of learning to read and count, and it underscores that the most critical learning starts at home.” For more information call The Literacy & Learning Center at (828) 526-0863.

by Jenni Edwards, Literacy & Learning Center

Highlands Heritage: a Hub of Hospitality

A strange confluence of geography and personalities has given us a town that’s an open invitation to those seeking something better.

Draw a line from New York City to New Orleans and another from Savannah to Chicago. Where they cross is the historical “X” that marks the spot – a place that intentionally evolved into the Highlands “Hub of Hospitality” we know today. Only the most resilient pioneer spirits made the trek to Highlands in the second half of the 19th Century. And there, in 1875, they created an extraordinary town atop one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful, forested mountain plateaus. Their migration brought a mix of unique demographics – entrepreneurial tradesmen from the north, Scots-Irish laborers, craftsmen/women from the surrounding region, and aristocratic agriculturalists and professionals from the south. The diverse talents of the original settlers gave rise to highly accomplished artists, authors, musicians, photographers, scholars, scientists, and educators. Highlands grew into a creative cultural center, accompanied by businesses that attracted and served visitors and potential residents from America’s four corners. Springtime, the season of awakening and renewal, is a reminder of the significance of new beginnings, chapters in an ongoing story. And so, with roots firmly planted, Highlands welcomes the season of abundant activity and its invitation to immerse oneself with experiences that delight the senses. From visual and performing arts to boutique shopping to culinary treats, it’s all here, waiting in the “Hub of Hospitality.” Surrounded by the beauty and serenity of the land are the opportunities to experience offerings from world-famous chefs, authors, artists and musicians. The spring calendar includes birding and wildflower walks, Friday and Saturday night outdoor concerts and Meander in May, to name a few events. Just listen for the live bagpipe performance on the first Saturday of each month at Town Square. It’s only one of the ways we keep Highlands’ heritage alive. See you soon. To learn more about all that Highlands offers, visit highlandschamber.org, call (828) 526-5841 or stop by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands Welcome Center at 108 Main Street.

by Donna Rhodes photo by Susan Renfro