YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
WeeKLy edItIon
DEC 19-25, 2018
Vol. 40 No. 51 | 1 Section | 8 Pages
Memory Café opens in Jamestown by norma b. dennIs FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com A new café will be opening soon in Jamestown. Unlike most cafés that focus on selling food and drink, this one – called the Memory Café – will be serving a variety of activities that stimulate the mind. Some items on the menu are arts and crafts, music from days past, games and conversation. Patrons best served are people in any stage of dementia and their caregivers. Memory Café will be held at the Oakdale campus of Jamestown United Methodist Church on the third Tuesday of each month from 1:30-3:30 p.m. The meetings are free and open to the public. The first one is Jan. 15, 2019. If the JUMC office is closed due to inclement weather, the meetings will not be held. The Memory Café is a partnership with Senior Resources of Guilford County, which operates
similar cafés in High Point and Greensboro. “People with dementia tend to isolate themselves,” said Laura Gulledge, who along with Vivian Steward is organizing the new venture. “That brings on depression and loneliness which in turn progresses the disease due to a lack of stimulation.” Statics show that one in three seniors will die with some form of dementia and two-thirds of people with the disease are women. “As the population continues to age, we will likely see a progression in these numbers,” said Gulledge, whose mother had Alzheimer’s. In 2014, Gulledge was instrumental in beginning an Alzheimer’s support group, which meets at Jamestown United Methodist Church on the first Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. Steward, whose father had dementia, has also worked with the Alzheimer’s Support Group from the beginning. Those meetings provide
caregivers with encouragement and information about resources to help them better care for loved ones as they progress through the various stages of Alzheimer’s. “Through that and other support groups I saw the need for a stigma-free environment where those dealing with any form of dementia (including Alzheimer’s) could get together and do something,” Gulledge said. “This is an excuse for people with dementia and their caregivers to have fun together, like they did before the disease. We want to have activities that will interest both.” Each month will be somewhat different. Most will include music and an art project. “Music and art are areas of the brain that are impacted later in the dementia process,” Gulledge said. “It has been found that the arts stimulate the immune system, which leads to a healthier Photo by Norma B. Dennis life in general. The arts also (kin- vivian steward, left, and Laura Gulledge, members of Jamestown United methodist Church, are organizing a local memory Café, a see memory, PAGE 3 fun monthly event for people with dementia and their caregivers.
Special agents accuse Jamestown man of hiding vehicle he’d reported stolen
Photos by Norma B. Dennis
dana hughes recently met with sarah douglass, left, and mary ann yow to present them a check from dragonfly Properties for easter’s Promise therapeutic equine Center, a private park for veterans. douglass holds a picture of hughes’ daughter shelley.
Dragonfly Properties aids mission of Easter’s Promise by norma b. dennIs FREELANCE WRITER ndworddesign@gmail.com
reindeer names by CaroL brooKs FREELANCE WRITER cab1hp@gmail.com Jackson the cow loves to share kisses. here he gives one to mary ann yow, founder of easter’s Promise. Knowing her dad was working on the trusts, Shelley had expressed a desire that part of the profits from the trust be used to aid veterans. It was a natural request. Hughes, a former Jamestown resident who served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam era, had instilled in both his daughters a strong sense of patriotism. He is a member of several veterans’ groups including the Jamestown Veterans Committee.
For the past few years, he has honored Shelley’s wish by making sure some of the profits from the trust, were used for a cause that directly benefited local veterans. Hughes recently visited Easter’s Promise to present a check to Yow and Sarah Douglass, Yow’s partner in the veteran project. “I first learned about Easter’s see PromIse, PAGE 3
During our research of the reindeer games, we began to wonder if two of the reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, were living at the North Pole in the Witness Protection Program. You see, those were not their real names. Clement Clarke Moore see names, PAGE 3
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As guests turn into the long driveway leading to Easter’s Promise Therapeutic Equine Center, a large sign that reads “Offering Hope to Weary Hearts” greets them. Easter’s Promise is a small farm located on 40 acres in Pleasant Garden. It houses eight horses, a cow, three pigs, a dog and a variety of cats. “It is basically a private park for veterans and their families,” explained Mary Ann Yow, the center’s founder. “Veterans can come and go whenever they want or feel the need to. Many come and volunteer with the care of the animals, or just to walk the trails, fish in the pond and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. They can bring their families or come alone. “We have 20 veterans who currently visit the farm regularly, including two women.” Easter’s Promise is the recipient of the 2018 profits from Dragonfly Properties, a trust Dana Hughes established for his twin daughters Kelli and Shelley. Five days after he created the trust, Shelley was killed in an automobile accident.
RALEIGH — North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Luis Carlos Castano, 41, of 3908 Lake Meadow Drive, Jamestown. Castano was charged with felony insurance fraud, felony obtaining property by false pretense, and misdemeanor making a false report to a police station. Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Castano of falsely telling State Farm Automobile Insurance Co. that his 2005 Honda was stolen from 412 E. Hill St., Graham, when he had actually hidden the vehicle at 4426 N. Old 52 Road, Pinnacle. According to the arrest warrant, Castano was given a rental car, costing $699.61, as a result of the claim. He also made a false stolen vehicle report to Graham police, the warrant says. The offenses occurred between March 15, 2017, and Aug. 8, 2018. High Point police arrested Castano on Aug. 24 in Guilford County. He was released on a written promise to appear in court. Insurance fraud costs American consumers approximately $80 billion dollars a year. According to Commissioner Causey, fraud costs North Carolinians between 15 and 20 cents of every dollar paid on insurance premiums — and it’s getting worse. “I am determined to stem the tide of insurance fraud in this state in order to save residents money,” said Commissioner Causey. “That’s why I am dedicated to the mission of our NCDOI law enforcement officers who investigate and prosecute claims of insurance and bail bonding fraud.” To report suspected fraud, contact the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-8076840. Callers may remain anonymous. Information is also available at www.ncdoi.com.