FORT WALTON BEACH — Supporters have pledged more than $20,000 in donations to the struggling Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Service.

The agency, which has served local AIDS and HIV patients since 1991, announced Dec. 24 that dwindling revenue might force it to close in the coming months.

The community’s response was a welcome surprise, said Butch McKay, executive director of the organization.

“It felt good. It was encouraging,” he said. “I’m a lot more hopeful than I was on Christmas Eve.”

Since going public with its funding woes, OASIS has received about $6,000 in small, private donations as well as a $10,000 commitment from an anonymous donor in Tallahassee.

The organization also received a pledge for $5,000 from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a national and international AIDS outreach group that has a location in Pensacola.

“Then we’ve got another $25,000 in additional prevention funds from the state (Department of Health),” McKay said. “So that’s going to help.”

OASIS also closed one of its two Pensacola offices and eliminated two positions.

OASIS assists people living with HIV and AIDS with medications, treatments, insurance challenges and counseling. In 2012, OASIS provided more than 900 free HIV tests and helped more than 200 people manage their HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

OASIS also hosts the annual Positive Living Conference, which is considered the oldest and largest conference for HIV-positive people in the nation. The event draws participants from across the nation.

The organizers of the conference learned of OASIS’ funding situation and also decided to help out.

“They’re going to start doing little fundraisers all over the country with people who usually attend the conference,” said McKay, who has been talking with supporters in Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and other parts of Florida.

The conference, which is usually held in March, has been moved to September, he added.

 OASIS also has received money from the  Red Ribbon Foundation to pay a consulting firm to help reorganize the nonprofit’s administrative structure.

McKay said OASIS lost a large piece of its funding when the federal government decreased the revenue going to smaller, more rural communities.

“When the national AIDS strategy came out, it really hurt rural communities because there were no new pots of money,” he said. “They just did this redistribution where they put most of the money into primarily your major cities.”

OASIS immediately saw its operating revenue drop by $208,000 a year, McKay said.

“And our caseload hasn’t dropped any,” he said. “We’re doing a good job of serving our clients; it’s just more difficult when you don’t have the funds to do it.”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: OASIS still facing funding crisis

HURLBURT FIELD — Three Air Force Special Operations Command airmen at the tip of the spear received one of the Air Force’s most prestigious awards, the 2012 Lance P. Sijan USAF leadership award.

The award recognizes airmen who exemplify the highest forms of leadership not only at work but in the community and their personal lives.

This is the first time AFSOC airmen have been selected in three of four categories.

Lt. Col. Nathan Green, commander of the 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, is the recipient in the senior officer category.

Capt. Blake Luttrell, a special tactics officer assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, N.C., is the recipient in the junior officer category.

Senior Master Sgt. Davide Keaton, a pararescueman assigned to the 720th Operations Support Squadron, Hurlburt Field, is the recipient in the senior enlisted category.

The award requires candidates demonstrate leadership through scope of responsibility, professional leadership, leadership image and community involvement.

All three airmen have something in common when it comes to leadership – people are their priority.

Green commanded AFSOC’s largest, manned flying squadron containing AC-130Us.

He also led the integration of seven Emirati special operations forces airframes into coalition operations, according to the award citation.

Green said he is extremely grateful to be honored with this award. He credits his leaders, mentors and family for shaping and supporting him throughout his Air Force career.

“I am speechless and very humbled to be able to lead our airmen, especially in AFSOC,” he said. “This award is a testament to them.”

Communication is central to his leadership style. The airmen have great capabilities to put the commander’s intent in action so long as that intent is conveyed clearly, he said.

“There are many facets to leadership – sometimes you have to be a coach, sometimes a teacher,” Green said. “You have to lead by example, and you have to trust your people.”

Luttrell was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest combat decoration, in January 2012 for gallantry in combat. He pulled his wounded team medic from a cave while under intense enemy fire and administered immediate medical treatment.

As the only Airman on an Army special operations forces team, he engaged in combat operations spanning 150 days including 25 high-risk missions resulting in 29 enemy combatants eliminated, according to the award citation.

He also instructed Afghan Army and local police force members on close quarter battle, assisting the transition effort in Afghanistan.

Luttrell says he learns just as much if not more from his people than they do from him.

“A leader is someone who is willing to listen to input, but isn’t afraid to make tough decisions,” he said.

Keaton, who completed his own tenth Global War on Terror deployment in 2012, also guided 14 deployments across four theaters that resulted in 3,023 combat operations and 568 enemy combatants eliminated, according to the award citation.

While stateside, he also saved a 74-year-old woman from drowning in a submerged car when an automobile accident caused her to run off the road into a lake. An onlooker appeared with a hammer, Keaton said. He grabbed it, broke the window and removed her from the vehicle.

Like Green, Keaton, who characterizes himself as a really down-to-earth guy, said he is also humbled to be selected for the Sijan award.

Keaton credits the special tactics career field for emphasizing the importance of getting the job done and encouraging airmen to test their limitations, like Sijan was called to do.

To Keaton, leadership means taking care of your people.

“The most critical part of any project you work on are the people,” he said.

The Lance P. Sijan USAF leadership award bears the namesake of the Medal of Honor recipient who was shot down in his F-4C Phantom fighter jet over Vietnam in 1967.

For 45 days, Sijan evaded enemy forces, and when he was captured and tortured, he refused to divulge any information beyond what is permissible by the Geneva Conventions until he died in the Hanoi Hilton, January 1968.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Three Special Operations airmen receive Sijan award for leadership

CRESTVIEW — Civic involvement is one way to further Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision, speakers said on Saturday during events commemorating the civil rights advocate.

This year’s guest speaker, Adrienne McKinnie, spoke about King’s accomplishments before his death in 1968. The clergyman — who taught civil disobedience in response to racial disparities — earned the Nobel Peace Prize and was Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1964.

Marching and preaching for racial equality in pursuit of social justice was dangerous, but did not deter King, McKinnie said.

 “Many expressed their concern to him that death was a possibility, if not inevitable,” she said. “However, he kept on marching and being the voice of people who would not or could not speak for themselves.”

McKinnie, a funeral home director and Crestview Kiwanis club and Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society member, said the nation — despite making significant strides in racial equality since the 1960s — still has division.

“We are a nation divided on several issues and our elected officials in Washington cannot seem to mend it,” she said. “The American people need better representation.”

And if elected leaders can’t bring unity, perhaps a grassroots effort would help, she said.

“Remember to always capitalize on your strengths and build up your weaknesses,” McKinnie said. "Make a difference.”

She called on residents to become more involved in their community by voting and attending city council or county commission meetings.

"Martin Luther King didn't ask to be leader; he was passed the baton and he ran with it … citizens of Crestview and the surrounding areas, I now pass the baton to you," McKinnie said. 

Nearly 100 residents last weekend publicly took part in remembering King.

Residents gathered near the courthouse following the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, which wended down Main Street in downtown Crestview.

The Concerned Citizens Group of Crestview and the Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society presented the event. This year’s parade theme was “Living the Legacy.” The program featured guest speakers from the community, who spoke on the legacy that King, who would have been 84 on Jan. 15, left behind.

Turnout was lower than at previous events, Crestview City Councilman Tim Grandberry said. 

Jill Lewis-Daggs of Niceville agreed.

“I wish more people would have come out,” she said, adding it’s important for future generations to learn about what King had accomplished during his lifetime.

Those who did attend said it’s important to recognize past milestones to determine where the mission — or King’s much discussed “dream”—leads next.

 “It shows how much we appreciate what he has done and how far we have come,” Grandberry said. “We still have a distance to go, but we are still continuing going forward.”

Grandberry, fellow council members and city officials attended the program with Mayor David Cadle, who gave a proclamation for the event.

Participants sang the hymns “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “We Shall Overcome.”

The songs and efforts reached a new generation who can only imagine segregated times from reading school textbooks.

“I think that is wonderful that they do it in remembrance of (King),” Jenna Renee-Daggs, 11, said. “It means a lot to me.”

When asked what she hoped younger children would take away from today’s event, the Rocky Bayou Christian School student had one response.

“To stand up for what they believe in and to defend what they know is right,” said the student, who sang the National Anthem at the event.

A youth group from Beulah No. 1 Missionary Baptist Church in Milligan also took part in the parade and attended the program. The church youth director, Sylvia Hendrix, stressed the importance of continuing King’s legacy.

“I think it’s good for the youth to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. (for) what he did,” Hendrix said. “I think it’s a great learning experience.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Speaker: civic involvement can help further King's legacy (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — One of the city’s little-known gems, the McMahon Environmental Center, is tucked away on two and a half acres off Mapoles Street, in the shadow of a state forestry fire observation tower.

The park is a destination for local Boy and Girl Scouts, Crestview Public Library kids groups and students from area schools.

However, the McMahon Center is also one of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department’s most underused facilities.

The Kiwanis Club wants to change that.

“What we would like to do is take it on as a project for our club,” Kiwanis Club Public Service Committee chairperson Jim Lundy said. “There are some really nice things on this property. The museum has some really good things there.”

Named in honor of retired forester John McMahon, the center and the Kiwanis have been intertwined over the years. The club sponsored a Boy Scout troop at the park, and helped maintain the park until the state turned the facility over to the city.

The center is unique among the city’s parks. Its mission is purely educational: to teach park users about the region’s native flora and fauna.

The center contains more than 100 native trees, each labeled for identification; a fishpond; and a butterfly garden built as a project by Girl Scout Yvonne Masters. The park’s small museum contains exhibits about area animal and aquatic life, and local forestry traditions and industry. Its open-air pavilion is used for educational programs and kids’ picnics.

Local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts periodically visit the center. Nearby, at the foot of the tower, is a former scout hut, once a forester’s cabin, from the days when a Kiwanis-sponsored Boy Scout troop was based at the park. In December, Jacob Somers, an Eagle Scout candidate with Troop 773, produced new identification plates for the trees, McMahon said.

“There have been several Eagle projects there over the years,” Boy Scout area Unit Commissioner Rae Schwartz said. “It’s a great facility for the community. Our scouts would be happy to work with the Kiwanis on enhancing it.”

McMahon said he was encouraged by the Kiwanis offer and looks forward to working with the club to enhance the center and attract more visitors.

“There are so many possibilities there,” he said. “I can see some they haven’t even thought of it yet.”

Lack of staff at the park is one reason it is underused, McMahon said. Though retired, he frequently serves as a guide through the environmental center when groups visit.

“The city is fairly limited in manpower and they don’t have many people trained in environmental subjects,” he said, adding foresters would make ideal partners with the park’s redevelopment. “We have contacts in many areas and we could get specialists in many subjects to come over to the park and do presentations.”

“The Kiwanis has historically been involved with building parks and recreational facilities,” Lundy said. “In the big picture, the goal was to make (the McMahon Center) more user-friendly to the public so that the public would come to use it.”

Speaking before the Crestview City Council at its Jan. 14 meeting, Lundy said when his committee prepared to visit the park prior to preparing their offer to the city, only two members knew where it was located.

The site’s potential is almost limitless, he said.

“One of the problems we have right now is we don’t know exactly what we can do,” he said.

The club wants the community’s input on how to enhance the park, and would undertake coordination of fundraising to enhance the facility, Lundy said.

“We would take surveys of what community would like to see as a use for the property,” Lundy said. “We see it as basically recreational and educational.”

Councilwoman Robyn Helt praised the Kiwanis Club for its offer. At the recommendation of city attorney Jerry Miller, she moved to direct city staff to work with the club as it formulated a plan for the park. Helt’s motion passed unanimously.

“We are going to take this one step at a time,” Lundy said. “The Kiwanis is not looking to do this by ourselves. We’re looking for other organizations to partner with.

“The next thing is to put together a more formal plan and present it to the city.”

Want to go?

The McMahon Environmental Center is at 130 Butler Circle, off Mapoles Street. The park grounds are always open. Call the Crestview Parks and Recreation Department, 682-4715, ext. 123, to visit the museum by appointment. John McMahon, retired forester and the park’s namesake, is often available to guide groups around the park.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

VIDEO: See "Related Media" at top left of this article.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Kiwanis offers to help enhance city environmental park

CRESTVIEW — Theresa Herndon picked the perfect time to move to her new home.

Her house stands on a large plot of land with minimal trees, and the area’s recent Arbor Day observance let her put her green thumb to work.

With her grandchildren, Iagan, 6, and Lexus Foss, 5, in tow, she consulted the Florida Forest Service’s senior forester, Maria Wilson, during Friday’s Arbor Day sapling giveaway at the University of Florida/IFAS County Extension office.

 “I bought a house on five acres of land with nothing on it but three long-leaf pines,” Herndon said. “We’re going to fill it up with these trees.”

Among the indigenous saplings were red maples, which Wilson advised Herndon to put in a one- or two-gallon pot of soil for a year to allow their root systems to develop before planting them.

By the three-hour tree giveaway’s end, Wilson said she and fellow foresters had provided several hundred saplings to nearly 100 residents and answered countless questions about planting and caring for trees as well.

Across the parking lot, extension horticulture agent Sheila Dunning got down and dirty — literally — as she and Okaloosa Master Gardeners’ volunteers planted two donated trees.

Herndon and her grandchildren joined the group of approximately 30 people who attended and gleaned planting tips.

As Dunning planted a winged elm donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution and a nuttall oak donated by the Dogwood Garden Club, she and county extension Director Larry Williams maintained a running commentary of tips and planting advice.

Season’s importance

The cool Northwest Florida winter is the perfect time to plant young trees, as they are dormant, and energy will be directed toward establishing foundation roots rather than branches, agents said.

“If you plant in March or April, the tree comes out of dormancy and directs energy to the crown, not establishing its roots,” Williams said.

“What happens in May? It’s like you threw a switch that turns off the rain and turns on the heat. Without a good root system, the tree becomes distressed trying to get moisture to the crown.”

Planting tips

“Planting depth and water management are keys to getting a tree to do well,” Dunning said, adding that a shallow hole is better than a deep hole.

Plant trees so the rootball’s top bit sticks out, she said.

“Fertilizer isn’t as important,” Williams said. “This tree (the elm) probably won’t be fertilized until next year.”

After three to five years, fertilizer is no longer needed because if the tree’s roots have been allowed to develop, they will extend far beyond the trunk area most people typically fertilize, he said.

Dunning recommended removing any covering wrapped around the rootball.

“It takes a lot of energy to push through that burlap,” she said.

Liberate roots that have wrapped around the ball, she said, to avoid training them in a “circling habit” that keeps the roots close to the trunk rather than spreading out to give the tree stability.

No weed killer

Finally, the experts advised never applying weed killer on grass within a tree’s root zone, the distance from the trunk equal to the tree branches’ spread. Such herbicides filter through the soil and attack a plant’s roots.

“Every year we get calls from someone who has killed his tree,” Williams said. “These products (weed killers) have no means of distinguishing a dandelion from the azaleas. You might as well say ‘bye-bye’ to the tree.”

“If you take the time to plant your tree right, the payoff is a tree that establishes itself,” Williams said. “It’ll do better and last longer.”

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Experts: January and February are best months to plant trees locally

CRESTVIEW — The time to begin filing tax returns is just around the corner.

To help low- to moderate-income households, the Crestview JobsPlus will host free income tax preparation, by appointment, starting Jan. 30.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, serves households annually earning $51,000 or less.

"The idea is that if someone can come to a free site and get their taxes done, than that is money that they saved," Elaine Courtney, a University of Florida Okaloosa County Extension Office agent, said. "It will be a service to those that need it in the community." 

The VITA program has been available to service members living on Okaloosa military bases, but this is the first time all the county’s residents may participate.

"There were two (counties) in Florida that didn't have VITA (last year), and we were one of them," Courtney said. The other county was Gadsden.

Crestview’s VITA program currently has seven IRS-trained and certified volunteers to help qualified households prepare their tax returns.

However, more volunteers are needed.

"The more volunteers we have, the more hours we will be able to staff," Courtney said.

Time is of the essence, organizers said.

"People can volunteer on different levels from greeters to tax preparers," Rita Smith, the career agency’s manager, said. "We just ask that they contact us as soon as possible so we can get them into training."

 Holly McCarroll, an IRS tax consultant, said VITA training primarily is web-based. Call Courtney at 689-5850 or email ecourtne@ufl.edu to apply for training.

"Depending on their comfort level, (the training period) can be anywhere from a couple of days to a week or so," she said.

The agency is a fitting site, McCarroll said.

“It’s the perfect location for the VITA program because our audience is the same people that they serve," she said. Many residents use the agency’s online workshops and attend its workshops to find employment.

In addition to volunteers, VITA coordinators also seek donations.

"We are going to need paper to print returns," Courtney said. The program also could use more ink cartridges. 

Need tax assistance?

Contact the JobsPlusin Crestview, 689-7823, beginning Jan. 30. JobsPlus is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Want to volunteer?

Call Elaine Courtney, a University of Florida Okaloosa County Extension Office agent, at 689-5850. Email her at ecourtne@ufl.edu.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Free tax preparation for low-income residents coming Jan. 30

To piggyback on reference librarian Sandra Dreaden’s “happiness project” in a previous Check It Out, Jamie Mitchell visited Lap Sit to fulfill her New Year’s resolution.

I am delighted she chose to participate in Lap Sit with her 1-year-old daughter, Katie. Jamie, a local Realtor, said she enjoys her job’s flexibility.

I am sure her New Year’s resolution could double as a happiness project!

If you’d like to make this your happiness project, we have opportunities in the mornings for those with flexible schedules like Jamie, and in the evenings and on Saturdays for those with less flexible schedules.

Call 682-4432, come to the library or visit cityofcrestview.org/library.php for a full listing.

•••

The library is closed today (Jan. 21) due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

•••

DULCIMER HOEDOWN, UPCOMING EVENTS

We will host a dulcimer hoedown Jan. 29. The Pelican Pickers will fill Warriors Hall with Appalachian, old-time and gospel music, playing Appalachian mountain lap dulcimers.

They augment their sound with banjo, mandolin, guitar, Irish penny whistles, fiddle, harmonica, Native American flute, recorder and silver flute.

The songs — most of which come from the 1800s or early 1900s — start at 7 p.m. and will end around 8:30 p.m.

Evening Library Time is designed for adults and children 5 years old and up. Bring a finger food to share. Registration is not required for this free event.

STAFF PICK

“I Want to Be a Vet,” by Daniel Liebman, uses simple text and photographs to describe the work of veterinarians around the world.

Heather Nitzel is the Crestview Public Library’s youth services librarian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHECK IT OUT: More information on the Happiness Project

CRESTVIEW — A Bob Sikes Elementary School fourth-grader received a surprise on Christmas Eve when a mysterious manila envelope arrived at her grandparents’ Garden City home.

A U.S. Postal Service barcode sticker obscured the return address.

Curious, Justice Livingston’s grandmother, Pat Mosely, peeled back the sticker. Underneath was imprinted “The White House, Washington, D.C.”

“‘Justice!’ she shouted and I came running — ‘Yes? Yes?” Justice said.

Justice had written to President Barack Obama in late October wishing him luck in the November elections.

“I told him I had been keeping up with him and I thought he had done a good job,” she said.

It wasn’t her first correspondence from the president. She had written to him soon after his first inauguration, when she was a kindergartner, and was excited then to have received a card from the White House.

This time, a cascade of items fell from the envelope.

In addition to a photo of Obama, there was a smaller picture of Bo, the first dog; a brochure describing a typical day in Bo’s life, including photos of him romping with the first family; another brochure about the White House and its history; and “a letter signed by President Obama in ink!” Justice said, proudly displaying the now-framed missive.

Monday, she will get to see the president in person.

Her cousins, Crestview natives Libby Lewis-Reeves, Tawanah Reeves and Master Sgt. Tonya Lewis, will take her to Washington, D.C., for Obama’s inauguration and the subsequent inaugural parade. They also plan some sightseeing, Justice said.

“They (the girl’s cousins) just adore Justice,” Mosely said. “One is coming from Atlanta, one from Orlando and one is in the Army in Kentucky.”

“I want to see the Washington Monument,” Justice said. “I can’t wait! Two days in paradise! I’m not excited about the cold, but I’m excited.”

Mosely said she and her husband, Howard, encourage Justice to take an active interest in local and national affairs and to care about other people.

“We want Justice to be real civic-minded and help people in the community,” Mosely said. “She has a good start.”

Justice ran for fourth-grade class president, and though she didn’t win, she is involved with the student government and intends to toss her hat in the ring at the next opportunity.

Last fall, Justice started the Brownstone Manor News, a newsletter for her subdivision. In it, she welcomes newcomers and introduces them and their pets to their new neighbors. During the holidays, the newsletter — whose circulation has grown from six copies to 27 — launched a Toys for Tots drive. She later delivered the toys to City Hall.

Justice intends to prepare a report on her experiences at Monday’s inaugural events for classmates in Pat English’s fourth-grade class. And she’s already composing a reply toObama’s letter, in which he encouraged her civic involvement.

“I’m going to tell him I support him on gun control and the nation has to, too,” Justice said.

Obama on Wednesday presented a $500 million proposal to curb gun violence like the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in Newtown, Conn. The plan would ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and would require background checks for all gun sales, according to the Associated Press.

The National Rifle Association opposes most of the president’s plan, which faces “a doubtful future in a divided Congress where Republicans control the House,” the AP reports.

Justice offered advice for other students contemplating writing a letter to the president; she said the first time they write, they may not receive the number of enclosures she received.

“Don’t be afraid and just try and hope for the best,” she said. “Put some feeling and details into it. Be serious in what you’re saying and be true and meaningful.”

“And that’s very important whenever you’re talking to people,” Mosely reminded her granddaughter. “Always be true and sincere.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview fourth-grader to watch inauguration in Washington D.C.