The Charlotte News from Charlotte, North Carolina • 9

mai DD Lna THE CHARLOTTE NEWS Monday March 5 1984 TV 2-3B Lifestyles 4-5B Classified 6-13B SECTION Medicall scode flers free care for need ras I' to participate in Project Health will not add to that burden "I believe that this is a positive statement to our community that the physicians of Charlotte care" Project Health is being staffed by trained volunteers from the medical society auxiliary under a committee chaired by EJ Albergotti To sign up for Project Health call 332-4436 or 332-4421 from 9 am to noon can't qualify for public assistance or programs such as Medicaid said Dr Jessica Schorr who is chairing the Project Health program Many people who temporarily don't have the money to pay for medical care fall through the cracks of the health care system said Dr Schorr Project Health Is designed to plug that gap and to provide free care for up to six months "The idea is to avoid embar patients to seek help for acute illnesses and chronic problems Physicals and similar care aren't covered by Project Health Already more than 200 doctors have volunteered according to Michael Cates executive director of the medical society In a letter soliciting help from doctors Dr Robert Payne society president wrote "I know you 'write off' a lot of free care already but I believe that agreeing rassment" said Dr Schorr "We figure there are persons out there who need care who wouldn't be embarrassed to see a private physician but who Would be embarrassed to go to the Department of Social Services" Potential patients will be screened by trained volunteers working in the medical society office who will ask basic questions to determine eligibility Then they'll be sent to primary care doctors Those doctors will offer services on a rotating basis The program also includes specialists when needed Tests will be provided free under the program by Roche Biomedical Laboratories Inc The society is also trying to find pharmacies to participate Dr Schorr said all Charlotte hospitals have agreed to participate on a case-bycase basis Dr Schorr said she expected By ROBERT CONN MEDICAL WRITER To help families of people temporarily out of work and needing medical care the Mecklenburg County Medical Society is launching a program of free care called Project Health "We think there are quite a few people out there" who temporarily don't have the money to pay for needed medical care but who 111 'Unsung hero' shrugs off praise Beyond the Out and about WITH ALLEN NOR WOOD loor I He'll climb onto his jet skis and shiver and touch every cove on Lake Norman CARL BUFORD rents jet skis to Myrtle Beach tourists which is exciting aplenty Jet skis are those litHe one-person boats that look like a cross between a motor scooter and a pair of water skis and some of the tourists who flock to the SC coast In the summer think they know all about jet skis Which means they know just enough to drown themselves in the Atlantic "I always go out in the ocean and help them the first two times" Mr Buford said "Then after they realize it's not as easy as it looks I help them again" And again and again and again i Mr Buford who lives in Charlotte but owns -''--40 Quick Carl's jet ski rental near The Sands resort in Myrtle Beach has come up with something that's more exciting than 1Fil 1 protecting tourists from themselves And a -10 lot colder He plans to ride a jet ski 400 miles i 's 'f: around the shoreline of Lake Norman And 4 40 not in July but in less than a week '-IA 4 "I'm going to start on Friday" he said "I'm i'''''o going to start at 9 am at Wher-Rena s1 I Marina and cover 200 miles of shoreline I'll Buford stop Friday afternoon at Bilrs Marina Then I'll start at Bilrs at about 9 on Saturday morning and go the rest of the way ending up back at Wher morning and go the rest of the way ending up back at When I -'i: '4 ::1 i 1 1 7 0 3 Ai 4is 1: V0 I '1 Buford I 11kr 0 She served for several years on the board of the Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School PTA in the interests of their children Loycena 12 and Lamont 4 "I'm an advocate of public schools" she said "We fought hard for a traditional junior high school" They thought they had lost that battle and believing years of discipline would be wasted at a nontraditional junior high school Mrs Autry enrolled her daughter at Our Lady of Consolation a parochial school (Advocates of a traditional junior high have since won their war Hawthorne Junior High will become a traditional school in 1984-85) One evening a week Mrs Autry devotes around three hours at her church Wilson Heights Church of God As chairwoman of the church's day-care center board of directors she helps the bookkeeper do the payroll and pay bills She's also on her church board of trustees which led in a roundabout way to her November appointment to the executive board of the Mecklenburg County Council of the Boy Scouts of America She is the first black woman to serve on the board said Bob Bartlett assistant Scout executive During a dinner and political rally she organized to benefit her church's building fund she met Willie Stratford and decided to work in his recent campaign for city council Mr Stratford lost the race but he gained an appreciation for Mrs Autry who came to work at his campaign headquarters almost every evening and every Saturday for several months As a result he recommended her to serve on the Boy Scout council's board of directors "1 feel this woman has too much talent too much to give not to be able to do it" he said "She does so much for people and doesn't want people to know about it I think that's the greatest kind of giving These kind of people are the unsung heroes of America" By PAT BORDEN STAFF WRITER Omega Autry makes things happen in her church neighborhood and community at large But she doesn't like talking about it "I always have to have something to do" said Mrs Autry 32 shrugging off her involvements That "something to do" generally means getting things done Friends say she goes about doing good deeds in addition to her volunteer work She recently became an investigator for the NC Department of Human Resources in the Child Support Services program But for the previous 212 years she was a caseworker for the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services and she often found people whose needs surpassed her job description In December she visited a client's home where the couple had seven or eight children and the husband was disabled Wanting to help Mrs Autry and a friend Alice Evans collected clothes through their church and delivered them to the family About 18 months later Mrs Autry noticed the disabled husband's obituary and took food to the family Learning a granddaughter had nothing appropriate to wear to the funeral Mrs Autry went home got one of her daughter's dresses and bought a slip and a pair of socks for the little girl "We used to tease our mother about going out of her way to help people in the neighborhood" she reflected "And now I see myself becoming like she is" She was the last of 10 children hence her name "Omega" born to Henry and Bessie Rushing of Marshville One child died in infancy of pneumonia but the rest grew up to become practical nurses a bakery worker a building contractor a carpenter a teacher and a data processor for a bank "Our parents had strict guidelines" Mrs Autry said "They expected us to go to school and stay in school" At Johnson Smith University she majored in English ''11Si4 tit 44 Rena" Here are the answers to your two next questions: Each leg of the trip will take eight to nine hours and he plans to wear a diver's dry suit which is designed to keep cold water out and body warmth in He didn't say so but I'll bet he also plans to shiver a lot The answer to your third question is that he's going to brave the frigid waters of Lake Norman to promote jet skis if he can drum up enough interest he plans to jet ski from New York to the Florida Keys and to raise money for his church Eastway Church of God (If you'd like to make a donation in his name just call the church at 536-3709) "Out in California jet skis are like the van fad here" Mr Buford said "I'd like to bring a national event to Lake Norman maybe raise money for a charitable organization But the jet ski fad hasn't really come to this area yet" You reckon vans are more popular here because vans have heaters? Scout board member Omega Autry Staff photo by Fred Wilson edited the school newspaper and considered a career in journalism before opting to work in human services During her freshman year she married Loyce Autry from back home after his draft notice arrived "I've known him since the second grade" she said "We al ways had the understanding that if he ever went in the service we'd get married" After his tour of duty Mr Autry became a bondsman and they run that business together They live in the British Woods community in the Nations Ford Road area I Looking for some sin? Coll 555-1234 A young preacher watched hundreds of drivers pass his church every day apparently without noticing it He and his staff put their heads together and decided that a sign might draw attention and interest The sign said: "If you're tired of sin come on in" A few days later they checked on their sign Somebody had added: "If not call 555-1234" And if you've never heard that one before don't credit me I borrowed it from the Rev DOUG AGNEW pastor of Southside Baptist Church who put it in his church's bulletin and used it to make a serious point Cookie craving cure: Girl Scout goodies 11 Jazz music will ring out for little ones A big jazz concert maybe the biggest ever in town will be held March 18 to raise money for the Shakeeka Richardson and Shelley McConnell liver transplant funds The concert will be held at 7 pm at Dana Auditorium on the Queens College campus and will feature many of the biggest names in local jazz circles: BILL HANNA NEWTON THOMAS WILLIE GILLON LOONIS McGLOHON DEBBY DOBBINS the Dudes of Dixie and many others Advance tickets are on sale for $8 at McFadyen Music on East Independence and St Andrew's Episcopal Church on Central Avenue They'll also be available for $10 at the door Even though little Shakeeka died Feb 2 while awaiting a liver transplant many medical expenses remain Shelley meanwhile still is waiting and hoping for a donor If you'd like to see the elephants and trapeze artists and clowns and save yourself some money and help United Cerebral Palsy all at the same time just go to the circus March 21 Wendy's restaurants and WEZC-FM are sponsoring UCP night at this year's edition of the Ringling Bros and Barnum Bailey Circus which opens March 20 at the Charlotte Coliseum You can pick up your tickets to the March 21 performance at any Wendy's in Charlotte or Gastonia Tickets are $650 which is $2 off regular price On the other hand if fine wines are more your style than popcorn you might consider a wine-tasting party Thursday evening from 6 to 8 at the Sheraton which also will benefit a worthy cause There'll be 10 world-class wines information from experts and plenty of fruit and cheese to go with the wine and advice Proceeds will go to fight multiple sclerosis Tickets are $15 each tax deductible and are available at NCNB branches at SouthPark Myers Park Carmel Commons and downtown ter patty Do-si-dos peanut butter sandwiches and Medallions an assorted pack of southern pecan pralines and colonial shortbread The Medallions are a new cookie to celebrate the 50th anniversary of commercially baked Girl Scout cookies Girl Scouts call this year their Cookieversary The councirs top seller for the past two years has been Catie Starr She sold 777 boxes in 1983 and 584 boxes in 1982 Other big sellers last year were Mary Claudia Belk who sold 631 boxes Courtney Welch with 573 boxes Gina Mitzel with 458 boxes and Tonya Starnes with 420 boxes Mary Claudia Belk 10 won't get to be a part of the anniversary Her troop at Charlotte Country Day School disbanded She says she's kind of disappointed "She enjoyed it" said her mother Claudia Belk Mary Claudia was shy about revealing her selling techniques so her mother did it for her "We had a Democratic Women's Club party here one night and she sold quite a bit" said Mrs Belk whose husband is former Charlotte Mayor John Belk Gina Mitzel a 16-year-old sophomore at Garinger is an old pro at cookie selling She's been doing it since she was a Brownie nine years ago Gina said it wasn't very hard to peddle the 458 boxes she sold last year especially with the sales she made at the business her mother owns Miss Donna's School of Dance at 3847 Rosehaven Dr "People come in who bring their children in and 1 get the orders" Gina said council area by selling 596 boxes of cookies making her one of the top sellers "The first thing I do is tell them my name" Tama la said "Then ask them if they want to buy the Girl Scout cookies" Her mother quickly adds "You tell them they don't have to have the money now Make sure you tell them that because the money counts" For the past five weeks Tama la and the 8000 other girls have gone to local businesses churches club meetings and anywhere else people gather Top sellers like Tama la usually have a few secret spots but they all say they still use the traditional way of selling door-to-door As with many Girl Scouts Tama la's mother is just as much involved in selling cookies as Tama la "When we get the cookies we're just busy going and going every day" Mrs Harris says She says people often make requests early "They know she's a Girl Scout and they know they can't get them but once a year" Mrs Harris said "We have people asking her in May 'When can I get some more Girl Scout cookies' and say 'You've got to wait another year' In that one short campaign the Girl Scouts sell 10 of all cookies in the United States More than 127 million boxes were sold nationwide in 1983 Nationally the cookie sellers say the most popular kind is the Thin Mint a chocolate-peppermint wafer The others include Chocolate Chunk a chocolate chip Samoas toasted coconut caramel and chocolate Trefoils old-fashioned shortbread Tagalongs peanut but By LINDA BROWN STAFF WRITER The passenger seat and trunk of Gloria Harris's car get pretty crowded this time of year Beginning tonight she and daughter Tama la Monique Harris 10 will start loading the cases of Thin Mint Chocolate Chunk Trefoils and Do-si-dos inside the car Their job wouldn't be complete without them They will be delivering Girl Scout cookies The work is often rough and sometimes tiring said Gloria Harris but worth the fun of getting to be among the top sellers in the annual Girl Scout cookie contest Through March 26 thousands of cookies will be distributed by more than 8000 Girl Scouts in the Hornets' Nest Council which includes Anson Cabarrus Mecklenburg Montgomery Rowan Stan ly and Union counties in North Carolina and York County SC The council's goal for this year is 515000 boxes Last year it sold 474090 boxes That's a lot of cookies and at $175 a box a lot of money In 1983 cookie sales provided 48 of the council's operating budget Each troop gets 22 cents per box which often pays for added activities such as the three-day trip to Atlanta that Tama la took with her troop last year The scouts also are given incentives points for selling cookies that translate into gifts For instance Tama la earned a tape recorder last year after she sold more than 450 boxes of cookies This year she's got her eye on an AMFM headphone radio which she'll earn if she sells 400 boxes In last year's sales Tama la stood out in the Got a tip for the column? Give me a call at 379-6493 8 am5 pm weekdays Thanks Charlotte sharing job transit concerns with other cities buses Mrs Trosch said the city is considering joining the caucus to ensure its fair share of federal transit money Charlotte competes for money with larger cities with costly rail systems and in some cases their own lobbyists Other members of the caucus are Newport News Va Kansas City Salt Lake City Phoenix and Champaign-Urbana "You're much more effective in a collective effort" Mrs Trosch spid 1984-85 For Charlotte that would mean a loss of $377000 City officials here plan to lobby against those cuts Charlotte council members are expected to meet this afternoon with Sen John East R-NC and Tuesday with Sen Jesse Helms R-NC and Rep Jim Martin Mayor Gantt and council member Minette Trosch also are expected to meet today with the representative of the Bus Transit Caucus a group of cities whose transit systems consist solely of "While we recognize this is a problem in Charlotte" Mr Leeper said "we're trying to reinforce this on a state or national level All these things which we are dealing with on a local level have some federal significance" Like job training public transit Is an area where more responsibility has fallen from the federal lap to the cities' President Reagan for example has proposed cutting federal operating aid to transit systems from $875 million to $545 million in the government greater say in determining what training programs are created City officials in Charlotte plan to propose a new economic development policy this month that City Manager Wendell White said would link training with development Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt recently asked executives of the city's major businesses to help the training of what he called the "hard-to-employ" ing and economic development programs Both areas were among priorities the Cha4otte City Council set during a January retreat "We can make sure that people who are being trained for jobs are being trained for Jobs that will be available" said council member Ron Leeper Earlier publicly-funded training programs have been criticized for training people for jobs that didn't exist New efforts are designed to give private firms not By JIM MORRILL STAFF WRITER WASHINGTON The priorities of the Charlotte City Council are echoing throughout this week's conference of the National League of Cities Among those priorities are economic development Job training and public transit Speakers at the conference Sunday told municipal leaders from around the country that it has become necessary to Unk job train i NI ').