Angel Giving Tree

Be a Christmas Angel

Greystone Inn is inviting people across the Plateau to participate in its Angel Tree celebration, which assists local children and disabled seniors.

Lake Toxaway Charities and The Greystone Inn are again joining with Rosman area schools to provide gifts and food for over 200 pre-qualified school children, the elderly and disabled, in this fifth annual Angel Giving Tree celebration. “This year has continued to be a difficult time for our neighbors,” says Shannon Ellis, who owns The Greystone Inn with her husband Geoff. “Holidays are joyous times, and your gift ensures these local children and seniors will know they are not forgotten.” A tree hung with wooden angel ornaments will be on display at The Greystone Inn. Shannon encourages area businesses and residents to visit and select an angel – each one represents a local child or senior citizen. “Staff at the four Rosman-area schools will shop, wrap and deliver the gifts to the students and seniors.” says Shannon. “The choice of an angel from the tree for $250, does so much good, making the holidays of families in need a little brighter, while forming a real connection between giver and recipient.” Those not able to visit The Greystone Inn in person can support the

program by visiting The Greystone Inn website, greystoneinn.com The tax-deductible donation of $250 sponsors a child ages pre-K through high school, providing a complete set of new clothing from shoes to jackets along with a Christmas stocking filled with …Holidays are joyous toiletries and a small gift. There’s times, and your gift ensures also a larger wrapped gift from Santa these local children and seniors will know they are for each child and if there are other children in the family, they receive a gift as well. The elderly and disabled not forgotten.… receive a gift card with a local grocer, a blanket and a food box. For more information, please call Sherry Minnich at (912) 269-6508 or Paulettte Todd at (828) 966-4700. This fifth installment of the Angel Tree continues The Greystone Inn’s tradition of goodwill and generosity to its neighbors. by Marlene Osteen Scan to learn more.

How to Make a Difference

photo by Susan Renfo

The generosity and wise counsel of Cullasaja Women’s Outreach has enriched the community, far into the future.

Few people are better equipped to answer the question, “How can I make a difference in my community?” than the women of Cullasaja Women’s Outreach. Sixteen years ago, women of the Cullasaja Club community were invited to respond to the question of civic empathy. The handful of ladies who gathered that first day recognized a responsibility to give back to help make life better for others on the Plateau. They recognized that with affluence comes an understood obligation to reach out to those far less fortunate. The women envisioned a better way forward. By creating an umbrella organization, they could join together to raise funds to support the works of area non-profits. By the conclusion of their initial meeting, they pledged funding to be used for grants given collectively in the name of Cullasaja Women’s Outreach. They raised nearly $40,000 that first year. This year, the organization, now 95-women strong, raised $285,000. Since its founding, CWO has invested a total of $2,465,000 in area not-for-profit and charitable organizations. Determining the destinations for 2022 disbursements was made by a 19-women grants committee. They conducted site visits, evaluated proposals, and analyzed requesting organizations’ financials, community impact and effectiveness. “It’s quite a process, but it’s not cumbersome. It works beautifully for our grassroots, all-volunteer organization,” said Margaret Eichman, executive director. One hundred percent of funds raised were directed by the grants team to local charities and not-for-profits. All funds are remitted to CWO’s donoradvised fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

In 2022, individual grants ranging from $6,000 to $25,000 were awarded to 20 organizations. Reflecting upon the grants, Lindy Colson Harrison, Grant Co-chair said, “Our gifts are a way of saluting and supporting the selfless people who provide safety-net services in our area.” CWO grants work “to strengthen the Highlands/Cashiers community by helping our neighbors—enabling local programs that effectively provide medical and counseling services, as well as those that nurture literacy, arts and education, thereby enhancing the community for all.” CWO continues to fulfill their inherent goal of “making our corner of the world a little better, one grant at a time.” Ms. Eichman observed, “Through our giving, it has become ever more apparent that changing the world for the better begins with the actions we take in our own backyard.” For more information, visit cullasajawomensoutreach.org.

Lend a Hand. Bring a Smile.

Cashiers Cares delivers an unbreakable lifeline to Jackson County’s most vulnerable citizens. For more information, visit cashierscares.org.

It’s easy to get swept up in the beauty of the mountains, waterfalls, and scenery and to forget about our neighbors who are less fortunate.

Did you know 22 percent of the people of Jackson County live at or below the poverty level? About half of Jackson County is without adequate public infrastructure and a safety net for those in need. Residents are hungry. They can’t get where they need to go. They lack financial support for emergencies. Many residents need dental work and medical services, and they can’t afford it. Displaced women need transitional help. Scores of children and adults require tutoring and literacy assistance. Intervention and education about physical and sexual abuse is sorely lacking. It’s phenomenally expensive to support a quarter of the population of an entire county. The state doesn’t have enough funding to make ends meet in these areas, so in 2008 the Cashiers United Methodist Church, St. Jude Catholic Church, the Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, and Christ Church of the Valley pooled the seed money to form a fund-raising group to support needy charitable organizations in the area. With the help of those local churches, Cashiers Cares was able to launch their organization as an independent establishment. That means that 100 percent of the donations made today go straight to the Cashiers Cares has three goals: 1. Raise funds for select organizations 2. Raise awareness for these organizations 3. Facilitate communication and cooperation between organizations and the charities that support the needy Some of the groups Cashiers Cares provides for are Awake; Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau; Cashiers Valley Preschool; Hampton Preschool; SAFE; Pisgah Legal and Community Care Clinic.

Thanks to Cashiers Cares, conditions for Jackson County poor have improved in the past 14 years. But they still need your help. To learn more about Cashiers Cares and how you can give a hand-up to your neighbors-in-need this holiday season and all year round, visit cashierscares.org.

by Donna Rhodes

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Literacy & Learning Needs Your Help

As the 2022/23 Highlands School Year has taken shape, a need for generous, wise tutors has arisen.

The 2022/23 school year is busy at The Literacy & Learning Center, and we need your help! The Literacy & Learning Center truly depends on the talent and time of hundreds of community members each year to meet the needs of students of all ages. TL&LC serves adults and children in Macon County with a variety of services and programs, all of which are free of charge and open to the public. Its passionate and committed volunteers serve as tutors, after-school teachers, administrative aides, and event helpers. This school year, volunteer opportunities at TL&LC include:

• After-School Programs, MondayFriday 3:30 to 5:00 P.M.; • Individual tutoring in all subjects, for one hour twice week (we will work with your schedule!); • English as a Second Language classes, Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M.; • Various events throughout the year; • Administrative help such as organizing our library or assisting with direct mailings; Join us this school year for lots of fulfilling volunteer opportunities. Get to know some of our bright students and be part of this very rewarding experience. For more information about becoming a volunteer or tutoring, please contact Anna Norton at anorton@ theliteracyandlearningcenter.org visit www.theliteracyandlearningcenter.org, or call (828) 526-0863.

by Jenni Edwards The Literacy & Learning Center

If Only I Was Human

Zoey’s story is one of abandonment and undying hope.

Zoey

Hey everyone, this is Zoey. I have a story to tell, and I can’t type worth a darn, so I’ve asked David to basically just take dictation and let me share what’s on my mind. I’m 10 years old. Although there seems to be a little bit of confusion about that. My human friends at the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society recently took me for a checkup at the doctor’s office and when they closed the door to the exam room, there was a chart on the back of the door. It basically said that if I am 10 years old, then that’s like 70 for you folks. I’m in good health and I suppose that the only complaint I have heard about myself is that sometimes I pee a little bit when I don’t mean to. Well, according to that chart, do you know any other 70-year-old-somethings who do that sometimes? C’mon. I lived with my human companions for quite some time. But one day, they dropped me off here at this really nice facility. It is truly a nice place. Not like a home, but it’s the next best thing. My humans felt bad about bringing me here, and they cried a little, I think. I’m not sure, because they didn’t make eye contact with me very much that day. They said they would come visit me while I was here.

They never came back. I’ve heard that sometimes humans are dropped off, too, at nice places like where I am. And I’ve heard that their human friends and family always come to visit them and let them know how much they are loved and missed. Surely no one would ever leave a beloved human friend or family member, no matter how wonderful the place they brought them, and never come back to visit. Humans would never do that to each other. Would they? If only I was human. Established in 1987, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, one-and-a-half miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64. Our no-kill shelter is open TuesdaySaturday 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. For more information, visit us online at chhumanesociety.org or call (828) 743-5752. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.

as told to David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society photo by Marty Boone

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Give the Horses a Hay-day!

Everyone’s gearing up for winter at Carpe Diem Farms.

November…how did that happen? It seems to me that 2022 just began and now we are celebrating Thanksgiving with Christmas right around the corner!

We’ve had a magnificent, colorful fall on the mountain. Brisk cool mornings giving way to Carolina blue skies. The horses “show their oats,” kicking up their heels and playfully running through the fields. Their winter coats are fluffing up, nature preparing them for winter.

November is the month we ask our friends, family and supporters to help raise the necessary funds for hay for the horses. Forage is 90 percent of the herds diet and historically we bring in two semi-trucks filled with 600-700 bales of hay from New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio. It has been a particularly difficult year for hay, the Northeast having too much rain followed by drought. Only one cutting, instead of three has put a crimp in the hay industry. We work with a hay broker who generally finds us perfect Orchard Grass from one of his many farms and arranges directly with the farmers to get our hay delivered to our door. So far this year we have had to rely on hay from Oregon and Idaho – all in small quantities from our local feed store. You can only imagine what that does to the budget! With winter here the horses consume more and more hay to keep their bodies warm and nourished.

If you’d like to help feed the horses of Carpe Diem Farms this winter, please send your tax-deductible gift to the address below. Be assured that every dollar raised goes directly to the hay fund. Thank you in advance!

May your Thanksgiving be bountiful and the upcoming holidays fill your heart with joy. Carpe Diem Farms Inc. is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation, “Exploring the human potential through equines.” If you’d like to help, send your contributions to 544 Western Rhodes Drive, Highlands NC, 28741.

November is the month we ask our friends, family and supporters to help raise the necessary funds for hay for the horses. by Sue Blair, Carpe-Diem Farms

Pisgah Legal Serves the Plateau

Pisgah Legal Services provides legal aid to the Plateau’s most vulnerable citizens. For more information, go to pisgahlegal.org or call (828) 575-1353.

L to R: Adrianna Gomez, Staff Attorney; Patricia Caddell, Staff Attorney; Megan Quattlebaum, Community Engagement Manager and Mary Dotson, Office Manager

For Jenny (not her real name), the abuse started at the same time her husband began using drugs. Over four long years, the violence continued to escalate. With young children at home and no friends or family in the community, she felt trapped. When her husband eventually took a knife to her throat while her children looked on, she called nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services. “It was bleak when I reached out to Pisgah Legal Services,” Jenny explains. “I couldn’t afford lawyers. My attorney, Patricia, was just who I needed. She stuck with me and made me feel like I had a voice.”

With the help of Pisgah Legal, Jenny was able to obtain a restraining order, get a divorce and secure custody of her children. “I am in a much better place now. I have a job and the kids are happy,” she says. Jenny’s story is one among too many in our community. The right to an attorney which is enshrined in the sixth amendment is available only to those facing criminal charges. Those who seek help with civil matters do not qualify for a government appointed lawyer. Three years ago, with the help of area residents, attorney W. Stell Huie took steps to help provide the legal aid that the low-income population needed. As Huie explained at an initial get-together, “Our community suffers greatly when the poor are in our midst and are hurting. Practically every individual providing the services in our shops clubs and restaurants qualifies for legal aid, and they need to be taken care of.”

In the months that followed, Huie organized breakfasts in Highlands and Cashiers and invited local retired attorneys to attend. As a result, they raised more than $100,000 – enough to convince the Board of Pisgah Legal Services in Asheville to open an office in Highlands. Now, Since Pisgah Legal Service launched its HighlandsCashiers office in 2020, people living in poverty on the Plateau have increased access to free legal aid. Since its opening, Pisgah Legal Services has helped more than 1,000 people in our two counties by preventing homelessness, stopping domestic violence, increasing access to health care and securing basic income. Community Engagement Manager Megan Quattlebaum said that, “With winter approaching, the population we serve is facing a difficult time, and the need for funding is even more critical.”

Visit pisgahlegal.org or contact Megan Quattlebaum at (828) 575-1353 or email megan@pisgahlegal.org.