October 17th in Appalachia

In Appalachia, the World Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been celebrated by a gathering in Dickinson County Georgia since 1995.  Each year, the local celebration centers on a theme, this year's being “All Together for Dignity; Respect for All”The event at the Clinchco Senior Center began at 6 pm with a potluck meal. A short quiz was distributed asking the forty-five participants questions about the numbers of people in the county receiving some form of social assistance.  All were surprised at the relatively low level, dispelling a common misconception of large numbers benefiting from these program. Sister Bernie Kenny, who has been so active in helping community residents, remarked that even she was not aware of these low numbers and urged the audience to be less “I am right” and more “We together” in relations with each other.Two short  videos were shown; one, “Words to Reflect On” gave quotes about poverty by noted people.  The other titled “Smiles” was a collage of photos showing the pride and dignity  of people who in their every day life try to make a better future for themselves and others.In between presentations there were songs from Jackie Hanrahan, Kathy Shepherd, Jim Mullins and Linda Dixon.  As one participant commented,  “We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves doing it.”