Albany women who think that they might be pregnant will soon have another option for free pregnancy conformation, counseling, and referrals thanks to the Open Door Pregnancy and Family Resource Center’s new mobile unit.
“The Open Door mobile unit will travel fully-equipped to provide free pregnancy tests, limited free OB ultrasounds, options counseling, and referrals,” said mobile manager Margaret McKinney. “We plan to serve Albany twice a month.”
Members of the Albany High School band met on Monday evening for the first rehearsal of the 2018 AHS marching band, according to band director John Stockdale.
The band will continue rehearsing each week night, and they will try to adjust the time as needed to schedule around conflicts, Stockdale said.
“We need to be ready for the first football game, so we have to work as much as we can before then,” said Stockdale.
A retirement reception is set for Sunday, Aug. 12 for Supt. Shane Fields and the public is urged to attend.
The event will be hosted by members of the Albany ISD board of trustees.
Fields retired as superintendent effective July 2 to accept the position of executive director of the Region 14 Education Service Center in Abilene. He is replacing another former Albany superintendent, Ronnie Kincaid, who is retiring at the end of August.
The reception will be held at the Whitney Theatre in Albany from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Closet Angels invites people to come and save money on their back to school clothes shopping, as well as sign up for a chance to win one of two gift cards.
A special invitation is being extended to local educators as the ministry tries to build a stronger relationship with the Albany and Moran school staffs.
“We just feel that teachers are usually aware of any special needs of their students, and perhaps if they know what we have here, they will be able to better take care of those needs,” said Closet Angels director Lori Reames.
The United Pentecostal Church’s annual Back-to-School Bash will be held this Saturday, Aug. 11 in the church’s Family Life Center on Cook Field Road, beginning at 2:00 p.m.
All students, from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade, are invited to the celebration, along with their friends and families.
A hot dog meal with all the trimmings will be served.
In addition to music and prayer time, there will be games and drawings, with several gift cards given to different age groups, valued between $25 and $50.
A musical fundraiser for ResourceCare will take place from 1:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight on Saturday, Aug. 11 at Happy Wife Happy Life Weddings and Events Venue near Albany, and Carefest ticket holders will be able to enjoy hours of live music while they help raise money for a good cause.
The one-day music festival will feature 11 different bands each playing for about an hour on one of two stages.
School starts two weeks from today, and the final countdown for the new school year is well underway with registration for the majority of new pupils entering Nancy Smith Elementary School conducted yesterday and new student registration at the secondary campus to take place next week, both campuses fully staffed, and facility maintenance projects nearing completion.
Registration
The Feed Store’s final student events of the summer include last weekend’s lake retreat, next Monday’s pool party, and the Back to School Bash on Thursday, Aug. 9. Then the non-denominational youth ministry will take a short break before plunging into a new school year of activities.
The 2018 Lake Retreat was the “best weekend ever,” according to youth minister Ashlee Herron.
“So many memories and friendships were made,” she said. “God moved beautifully through the hearts of these amazing students! They are the best teenagers in the world!”
Closet Angels director Lori Reames recently announced that the clothing ministry will donate $50 cash to one local educator.
“Shackelford County Teachers and school employees, if you come check out Closet Angels to see what a great resource we are for students in need, we will enter your name for a drawing for $50 cash, to help offset what you spend on classroom supplies,” Reames said. “We will draw names on Wednesday, Aug. 15, after we close.”
Grant Head, Susan Jones, Hunter Owen, and Madison Ratliff recently returned from a mission trip to Namayumba, Uganda with Live Missions, a Christian organization founded to educate and empower Christ’s followers to share the gospel through intentional discipleship.
Jones’ husband Jeff is on the Live Missions board of directors, serving as treasurer of the organization founded by Thomas Aly, who until recently was the youth minister at First Baptist Church in Albany.
