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The
Sheaffer family
has not even finished the chore of unpacking
all the boxes from their recent move to Patton Valley, yet
they have already made a significant contribution to Angel
Medical Center. Dr. Michael Sheaffer, his wife Monica, and
their daughter Christina moved from North Dakota to Franklin
and have settled into our community. Monica, an avid quilter,
donated 2 lovely quilts to be raffled as a fundraiser for
Angel Medical Center. Raffle tickets will be available for
purchase at Angel Medical Center for $5 each or 6 tickets
for $25. Drawings for these beautiful quilts will be made
after 300 tickets are sold for each quilt. “It brings
me great joy to combine my love of quilting and helping others.
The quilts that I enjoy making the most are the ones that
I choose to give away.”
The queen-size Angel quilt with the tossed nine patch pattern
from Eleanor Burns pictured above is appropriately bordered
by angels and if you look closely you can see the angels embroidered
throughout the quilt. The second quilt, Heaven on Earth, has
a more personal connection to Monica, a breast cancer survivor.
Into the myriad of fabric Monica weaved four Cause for a Cure
pink ribbon blocks, along with the wheat sheaves depicting
the fields of North Dakota. She spent hours looking for a
special pattern when a friend suggested she include the wheat
fabric since she was living in North Dakota when she created
the quilt. “It is such a blessing for me to donate these
quilts to Angel Medical Center and I look forward to making
more. I hope someone really enjoys them.”
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The proceeds from the sale of the raffle tickets will be used
to retire the debt for the new digital mammography system
that is currently being used to save lives by detecting potential
problems during screenings. The images with digital are more
defined and the patient is exposed to half the radiation.
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. mammography
is the single most effective method of early detection of
breast cancer, on average detecting 80% to 90% of breast cancers
in women who have no symptoms.
Photo from left to right: Becky Cooper, Monica Sheaffer, Dr.
Mike Sheaffer, and Bea Sanford
The Sheaffers are quickly making Franklin their home. Dr.
Sheaffer is looking forward to working as a hospitalist with
Angel Medical Center on January 2, 2009. He will be employed
by Angel Medical Center and will admit all patients who present
on his 7 am to 7 pm shift. “I chose to relocate to this
area of the country to be closer to our children in Charlotte,
NC and Lexington, KY. I settled on Franklin because of its
beautiful location, small town appeal, and the challenge of
helping to start a new hospitalist program.” Hospitalists
are licensed medical doctors who have full staff privileges.
They help manage patients throughout the continuum of hospital
care, often seeing patients in the emergency room, admitting
them for inpatient care, and organizing post-acute care.
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The Foundation for Angel
Medical Center is $7,000 closer
to its goal of $391,000 to
pay for the Hologic Digital Mammography system that was
installed at Angel Medical Center on July 23. The Zeta Gamma
Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, an international women’s
sorority, voted earlier this year to make the Foundation
one of the beneficiaries of its 10th annual wine and cheese
tasting that was held at the McCullom House on May 3, 2008.
Jane Beck, president of Beta Sigma Phi stated “We
are excited to be a part of helping to bring the highest
quality screening and diagnostic imaging services to Angel
Medical Center and their patients. Women and men will now
be able to avail themselves to the latest in breast cancer
screenings without the hassle of driving to Asheville or
Toccoa. Our sorority is proud to partner with the Foundation
for Angel Medical Center to provide digital mammography
to Macon and surrounding counties.” There are 26 active
members in the Zeta Gamma chapter which was started in 1972.
Beta Sigma Phi membership is by invitation only.
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CAPTION: Jane Beck, president and Kathy
Wilde, treasurer of the Zeta Gamma Chapter of Beta Sigma
Phi present check to Bea Sanford, executive director of
the Foundation for Angel Medical Center Digital Mammography
Campaign while Victoria Bowman, Foundation board member
and Lori Smith, director of radiology look on. Photo by
Bonnie Peggs
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Daybreak Rotary
Presents $5,000 Check to AMC
In June, Bea Sanford, Executive Director of
the Foundation for Angel Medical Center, Bonnie Peggs, Director
of Marketing/Public Relations, and Lori Smith, Director of
Radiology, had the opportunity to do a presentation on the
new digital mammography system that the Foundation and the
Hospital had committed to having for the Macon County Community.
The Daybreak Rotary members heard the story—one
in eight women will be affected by breast cancer in their
lifetime; breast cancer is the leading cause of death for
women between the ages of 40 and 55; when breast cancer is
found and treated early, the five-year survival rate is almost
100%; only lung cancer causes more deaths in women. They donated
$5,000 to help in the purchase of the new Digital Mammography
System going into Angel Medical Center.
Picture Caption: Lori
Smith, Director Radiology, Tim Hubbs, CEO, Bea Sanford, Executive
Director, Marla D’Ascoli, Past-President Daybreak Rotary,
and Chuck Sutton, Daybreak Rotary President
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Every gift is important whether it is $5,000,
$10, $15, or whatever amount that a person can give. Bea Sanford,
stated, “ We have the privilege of being affiliated
with the dedicated professionals at our community hospital
who provide compassionate and superior healthcare to all...The
joy we receive when we give is only surpassed by the joy we
get from making a difference for others.”
The staff is dedicated and caring people who
reach out a hand every day to the men, women, and children
of Macon County. You to can reach out a hand and give what
amount you can to help. Angel Medical Center is a nonprofit
organization, gifts qualify as a tax deductible contribution.
Miracles occur everyday at Angel Medical Center,
the miracle of healing, the miracle of birth, and the miracle
of family. If you would like to become a part of the miracle
and give a gift to the Foundation, please contact Bea Sanford,
at 828-349-6887.
Angel Medical Center is a full-service, acute care, nonprofit
hospital that has served residents of
Macon and surrounding counties since 1923. Angel is accredited
by The Joint Commission. For more information on Angel Medical
Center, please visit their website, www.angelmed.org
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Published in The Franklin
Press March 28, 2008
Glamour in Franklin
for Hospital
If you thought you noticed
there were more beautiful women than usual out for the evening,
it wasn’t your imagination. The Foundation for Angel
Medical Center sponsored Kiss, Kiss, and Make Up on Friday,
March 14 to raise funds for Angel Medical Center. Linda
Cherry of Mary Kay organized her team comprised of Sherri
Boyette of Mary Kay, Ashley Wolfe of Sophisticuts, and Chelsea
Reager, a cosmetology student at Southwestern Community
College, to provide makeovers to those in attendance. Donna
McCracken of Mary Kay, who happened to be visiting a relative
at Angel Medical Center, heard about the event and happily
rolled up her sleeves to provide assistance in primping
the women to prepare them for their photo shoots. Amber
and Tom Feagin of Feagin Photography provided the props
and cameras so that participants could capture their glamour
forever. Suzanne Watson of Sophisticuts and Linda Cherry
generously provided door prizes. Each woman was photographed
“before” and “after” so the makeover
was apparent.
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Bea
Sanford, Executive Director of the Foundation for Angel Medical
Center was excited about the concept when approached by Linda
Cherry. “Raising money for Angel Medical Center in this
manner is truly unique. According to Corinthians, God loves
a cheerful giver and these women were having fun. It was amazing
to see the transformation from ordinary to elegance and how
everyone left holding their head high as they projected their
beauty.”
Gay Todsen at Foundation for Angel Medical Center
fundraiser
Angel Medical Center will be
hosting another fundraiser to raise money for Relay for Life
on April 18 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Those who are interested
should contact Linda Cherry at 369-5615 to reserve a spot,
as seating is limited.
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Published in the Franklin
Press and Macon County News and Shopping Guide
Foundation
for Angel Medical Center meets $100,000 goal
It began with a quiet conversation
while visiting her family in California in 2006 during the
Thanksgiving holidays. One year later, the Foundation for
Angel Medical Center has generated sufficient contributions
to qualify for the matching gift of $50,000 from Stephen
and Eric Choi. Stephen and Eric knew of the keen interest
their mother, Juok Choi, held for The Century Club which
was established in 1989 to provide fundraising support for
Angel Medical Center.
Juok explained to her sons that the Century Club had recently
reorganized as the Foundation for Angel Medical Center and
the Board members were in the process of seeking support
from the community. Stephen and Eric recognized the opportunity
to make a significant impact on the future of the Foundation
by offering a challenge gift to help raise money for the
Foundation for Angel Medical Center. With a gift of $10,000
from each son in 2006, Juok returned to Franklin and was
delighted to share with her fellow board members the promise
of up to $50,000 if the Foundation was able to raise a similar
amount from the board members of the Foundation and the
Hospital Board of Trustees during 2007. Both boards and
the medical staff responded generously to the challenge
with the Foundation for Angel Medical Center at 100% participation.
“I was so happy to accept the checks from Stephen
and Eric on New Year’s Eve” said Juok. “Their
matching gift helped to inspire others to step up and support
Angel Medical Center. Like most hospitals, Angel Medical
Center is faced with the challenge to provide care to all
regardless of their ability to pay. As medical costs increase
and reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid and insurance
companies decrease, it becomes increasingly important for
health care providers to seek funds from the private sector.
Our Foundation must grow in order to insure that our community
hospital is here for all.”
The Choi sons chose Angel Medical Center to honor their
father, San Ho Choi, who has dedicated his life to his serving
patients and Angel Community Hospital for more than thirty
years. In addition to the demands of growing his medical
practice, San Ho helped recruit other physicians and brought
a number of new specialties to Angel Medical Center. His
constant presence on the hospital campus has provided continuity
of care for patients at Angel. San Ho’s has been committed
to securing the future of the hospital and actively sought
opportunities to introduce fellow physicians to the benefits
of practicing medicine in a rural setting.
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Stephen
earned his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at University
of Colorado and his MBA from Southern Cal. Stephen is a real
estate developer. He is married to Eniluze and they are raising
their daughter Stephanie and son Dylan in Costa Rica.
Eric grew up in Franklin during
the 70’s after their father accepted a position as general
surgeon for Angel Medical Center. He attended Georgetown University
where he received his bachelor degree in Finance and continued
on to UCLA to earn his MBA. Eric enjoys his career as an investment
banker in California. He and his brother Stephen are organizing
a golf tournament to benefit disadvantaged youth.
Stephen and Eric both care deeply for the community where
they grew up and have many happy memories of time spent with
friends and family in the beautiful mountains of western North
Carolina. They received a solid education in the Macon County
school system where they encountered supportive teachers who
told them they were capable of reaching any goal they could
envision. They appreciated the encouragement they received
from their educators and mentors. Although they now live many
miles from Macon County, Franklin holds a special place in
their hearts.
Angel Medical Center is a full-service, acute care, nonprofit
hospital that has served residents of Macon and surrounding
counties since 1923. Angel is accredited by the Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Anyone who is interested in making a challenge gift to help
reach the goal of $250,000 for 2008, should contact Bea Sanford,
Executive Director Foundation for Angel Medical Center 828-349-6887
or email her at bsanford@angelmed.org
For more information on the Foundation for Angel Medical Center,
please visit their website, www.angelmed.org/foundation
Photo by Paula Alter
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Published in
The Franklin Press Friday, January 4, 2008
The Foundation for Angel Medical
Center was created to provide fundraising support to the
Angel Medical Center, Inc. The predecessor organization
to the Foundation for Angel Medical Center, the Century
Club, was formed in 1989 and has improved patient care over
the years by purchasing close to $140,000 of medical equipment
for Angel Medical Center.
The Women and Children's Unit
now has a Neopuff infant resuscitation system that helps
to save lives by keeping babies breathing. The Neoprobe
purchase allows for less invasive procedures during breast
cancer operations, therefore, providing patients with a
more rapid recovery. The Pro Time monitor used by Home Health
allows our nurses to perform laboratory tests in the comfort
of the patient's home. Since the results are immediate,
physicians can adjust the dosage of medication to ensure
proper doses of medication for optimal treatment.
Angel Medical Center invests
in state-of-the art technology to provide superior health
care to our community. Our staff must attend workshops and
certification classes to stay current with this technology.
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“One can trace the
history of Angel and see the ongoing support the community
has provided with many Rotarians in the forefront of fundraising
efforts. We are grateful to the Franklin Daybreak Rotary
for their generous contribution that will be used for training
of employees and for purchase of equipment. We are pleased
the Franklin Daybreak Rotary is willing to help with the
continuing training of our dedicated employees.”
Bea Sanford- Executive Director
and Jane Shatley-Board Member of the Foundation for Angel
Medical Center accept $1,000 donation from Marla D'Ascoli-President
of the Franklin Daybreak Rotary
Tax deductible donations to
the Foundation for Angel Medical Center can be made by check
payable to Angel Medical Center Attention; Bea Sanford PO
Box 1209 Franklin, NC 28744, or by visiting the website
at www.angelmed.org/Foundation and
clicking on Donate online.
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Published
in The Macon County News and Shopping Guide
December 6, 2007
Angel Medical
Center is the recent recipient of two donation checks.
Members of Franklin’s
Zonta Club look on as Debbie Johnson, member, presents Sheila
Franks, Director of Angel Medical Center’s Medication
Assistance Program (MAP) with a $5,250 check to assist efforts
in providing medication assistance to qualifying area residents.
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Zonta member Debbie Johnson (left center)
presents Roberta Bowles, Director of Angel Medical Center’s
Women’s Health Unit, with a $3,000 check earmarked for
a new infant bassinet, as other members of Franklin’s
Zonta Club look on.
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Published in
The Franklin Press November 23, 2007
Giving Thanks
for Angel Medical Center Hospice Care
Thanksgiving is a time to give
thanks for blessings bestowed over the past year. This year,
although he will sadly remember the passing of his beloved
mother, Franklin resident Bob Justin is giving thanks for
Angel Medical Center’s Hospice Program and its “angels”.
Bob’s mother, Gemma, was
a retired school teacher who taught handicapped children.
At the age of 97, she kept her mind fit by doing crossword
puzzles, and her body fit by walking 15 laps per day around
the large deck at her son’s home. She knew every aspect
of her finances and could accurately discuss her medications
and their frequencies.
But, over the next few months,
a series of health issues made it increasingly difficult for
Gemma to get in and out of the shower and to maintain her
own personal care. Her son, Bob, realized that it was time
to look for personal care assistance for his mother, even
though he knew it would be difficult for her to accept. “Mom
was not one to like change at all, but once her caregiver
came in and she saw an improvement in her personal care, she
was all for it.”
After a hospitalization for pneumonia
in April 2006, Gemma’s physician recommended Angel Medical
Center’s Hospice care for her. “I thought Hospice
was for people who were going to die in a short time”
Bob explained. “But, that is not how it is at all.”
Gemma’s primary nurse was
Sallie Tallent, RN. Sallie would visit her once a week to
check vitals and monitor her Coumadin level. The Hospice care
team also arranged physical therapy for her to work on her
physical strength and stability. Angel’s Patty Cunningham
would stop by on Tuesday and Friday to assist Gemma with her
personal care. After helping Gemma bathe, Patty would assist
her in picking out a dress and accessories so that Gemma could
continue to look and feel her very best. “It was very
important to my mother to look her best. She always wanted
to have her hair styled, a nice dress and to wear her jewelry.
The Hospice staff helped her maintain her style and she was
a lady to the end.”
When Sallie visited Gemma on
Tuesdays, Patty would give Sallie a report. “They had
very good teamwork and would contact Dr. Charlie Vargas (Angel
Hospice Medical Director), if necessary, who came to the house
to check on my mother.”
But, Hospice care wasn’t
just directed toward Bob’s mother. “Jennifer Wells
also came along with the team but had no direct involvement
in my mother’s care. Finally, I asked ‘Why are
you showing up here?’ and she said ‘I’m
here for you’. The Hospice staff always asked me how
I was doing.”
Sallie Tallent also tended to
Bob on her visits. “She would give me an update on my
mother’s condition but also checked my blood pressure,
too.” There were moments when dealing with his aging
and ailing mother made him tense and stressful. “They
let me know that what I was feeling was absolutely normal.”
AMC Hospice Chaplain, Victor
Greene, also visited Gemma and Bob, to provide spiritual comfort
to both of them.
The Hospice staff told Bob to
“call them 24/7 with any problems. If we did call them,
Sallie would visit if she could, otherwise another nurse would
be there.”
Hospice receptionist Pat Browning
also provided important assistance. “If I needed supplies,
I would call them and she would answer. I didn’t realize
until later, that she was a neighbor of ours. She went out
of her way, too, to bring supplies to us.”
Bob also drew strength and support
from his friend, Beverly Hatcher. Beverly, who lives in Clayton,
GA, spent a lot of time with Bob and Gemma and understood
what Bob was feeling as it had not been long since losing
her own mother. Gemma also found comfort in Beverly’s
presence as she could talk with her about her fears of dying
– something she couldn’t talk through with her
son. “I was Gemma’s special angel” Beverly
says, and the Hospice team were “true earth angels.”
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Gemma was under AMC’s Hospice
care from April 2006 to November 2006 when she went to Florida
until April 2007. She resumed AMC Hospice care in April 2007
and remained under it until she passed in July 2007.
While under Hospice care, Gemma
celebrated her 98th and 99th birthdays. AMC Hospice celebrates
birthdays in a big way. “For each birthday, the ‘Birthday
Club’ brought her cake, balloons, noisemakers, a special
Angel as a gift, and funny glasses. They sang Happy Birthday
to her and my mother was like a kid in a candy store again.
She really perked up and was wide awake.”
Gemma’s health had been
steadily declining prior to her 99th birthday celebration
but, on that special day, Bob says “The light was back
in her eyes.” In the two days following her birthday,
Gemma slept most of the day and her kidneys failed. Her lips
were very dry and she needed special moisturized swabs to
alleviate it. “Hospice brought them to us immediately”.
She became unresponsive and passed that evening.
“When Mom passed, we
called Sallie who was at our home in twenty minutes. Sallie
called the funeral home and they were there within thirty
minutes. “Sallie was there to help us with everything
that evening. The following day, Bette Balmer called again
to check on me, to see how I was doing.”
In a photo taken just two days prior to her
death, and on her 99th birthday, Gemma Justin delights in
her birthday angel, a gift from AMC Hospice “Birthday
Club”. Angel Bereavement Coordinator Bette Balmer looks
on.
Not long before Gemma passed, Bob and Beverly
attended a memorial service for a friend who had also been
under Hospice care. Before their friend passed, her Hospice
nurse had spied a guitar in the corner of her bedroom, picked
it up, and began to sing a song that she knew. The patient
was so moved by this spur of the moment gesture, that she
asked her nurse to sing it for her memorial service. So, some
Hospice staff members and Chaplain Greene complied with her
wish.
When Gemma passed, Bob asked
if the same could be done for Gemma’s service. The staff
agreed and, along with Chaplain Greene who presided at the
service, they sung it to honor Gemma. “You couldn’t
have asked for a better service” Bob noted.
It’s been four months since
Gemma’s passing, and Bette Balmer, Angel Hospice Bereavement
Coordinator, still calls Bob to see how he is doing. Bob also
attended September’s “Celebration and Remembrance”,
sponsored by Angel Medical Center Hospice and Palliative Care,
held at the Tassee Shelter on the Greenway.
The staff has invited Bob and
Beverly to visit Angel’s Home Health and Hospice office
at any time, and Bob is now volunteering his time and expertise
to assist with development of a Hospice newsletter. “It’s
amazing that so few volunteers did so much for my mother and
I. I would like to see more people volunteer with Hospice
or to help them financially. I gave them a donation in my
mother’s memory to help them provide this same type
of care to others, and to show my appreciation for this service.
You don’t have to give a lot, anything will make a difference.
When you use their care, they provide anything that you need.”
Bob emphasizes “One thing
about Hospice that people don’t understand is their
mission. It’s not just for the person who has a short
time to live. Without Hospice, my mother may have had to spend
the rest of her life in a nursing home.” “It is
important to have the human touch that Hospice provides”,
Beverly added. “They are like unknown angels until you
need them.”
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Published
in The Franklin Press October 9, 2007
The Foundation for Angel Medical
Center held their Board meeting on September 18 to discuss
their plans to increase visibility for the new Foundation
which is the successor organization to the Century Club. Larry
J. Pauley of Ford Thompson Consulting addressed the Foundation
Board and answered questions relating to the Foundation operating
as a division of Angel Medical Center.
The Foundation for Angel Medical
Center was created to provide fundraising support to Angel
Medical Center. Fundraising will take the form of soliciting
contributions from individuals, corporations, and grant making
foundations.
The annual fund will provide
donors choices of contributing to the Medication Assistance
Program, Education Assistance to Angel Medical Center employees,
capital projects for those who like to give to bricks and
mortar, and unrestricted funds where the money is allocated
to the greatest needs of Angel Medical Center |
There will also be a planned
giving program for donors who want to make a gift and receive
income tax benefits during their lifetime or estate tax benefits
at some point in the future. Individuals who include Angel
Medical Center in their estate plans and provide documentation
will be recognized in the Legacy Society.
The Board is planning a rollout
of the Foundation in late October. You can learn more about
the Foundation for Angel Medical Center by visiting their
website http://www.angelmed.com/Foundation
Angel Medical Center is a full-service,
acute care, nonprofit hospital that has served residents of
Macon and surrounding counties since 1923. Angel is accredited
by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
For more information on Angel
Medical Center, please visit their website, www.angelmed.org
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Bea Sanford,
Executive Director for the Foundation for Angel Medical Center
visited with the Auxiliary Board
On Monday, September 24 to discuss
her role at Angel Medical Center. Bea explained that she is
working Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to create visibility
for the new Foundation which is the successor organization
to the Century Club. The Foundation for Angel Medical Center
was created to provide fundraising support to Angel Medical
Center. The fundraising will take the form of soliciting contributions
from individuals, corporations, and grant making foundations.
The annual fund will provide donors choices of contributing
to the Medication Assistance Program, Education Assistance
to Angel Medical Center employees, capital projects for those
who like to give to bricks and mortar, and unrestricted funds
where the money is allocated to the greatest needs of AMC.
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Bea explained there will also be a planned
giving program for donors who want to make a gift and receive
tax benefits during their lifetime. Bea will be offering
estate planning consultations to AMC employees, volunteers,
and other interested persons at no cost or obligation. She
previously served as the Director of Gift Planning for Elon
University for five and a half years, where she was able
to use her extensive background in estate planning to work
with donors helping them to structure gifts that were mutually
beneficial to the donor, the family, and to the university.
She spent sixteen years in the personal trust business in
Naples, Florida working for Bank of America and Merrill
Lynch Trust Company assisting clients with estate planning
and acting as a liaison with their attorney, accountant,
and other professional advisors.
AMC Auxiliary Board Members
2005 to 2007
Front Row from Left to Right:
Executive Committee
Janet Tassillo, Charlotte Brown,
Kay Migliore, Dee Finn, Gaye Blaine
Second Row from Left to Right
Marlene Woods, Erma Brown,
Wilma Corbin, Betty Weiland, Milam Beasley, Clara Whitehurst,
Pat Matteson, Martha McClure, Carolyn Tomlinson, and Becky
Beasley
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Contacts |
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Foundation Contact number: (828) 349-6887
Foundation Fax number: (828)
369-4162 |
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