P.H.O.E.B.E. 'thanks'

Dear editor:

The merry Christmas and happy holidays might just about be over ... but there is always a time and a place for "Thank you."

People Helping Others Excel By Example, P.H.O.E.B.E., would like to do just that ... Thank you Hot Springs family and friends for making a wonderful evening for our holiday celebration. There was great food, a beautiful ambiance at The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa and certainly a plethora of talent.

Cora Jones was the MC that bought things together and made sure that we kept on schedule, the Fun City Chorus never missed a note, allowed us to enter the world of history by sharing the story behind "Silent Night" and in German; technical difficulty did not stop one of Hot Springs songstresses, Sylvia Stems, aka Angie Ezekiel, as she wowed the audience with no music singing "Santa's Baby!"

The event never felt a dull moment, it flowed with ease as The Marsalis Weatherspoon Ensemble kept our time in-between singers and the silent auction items musically rolling along. Artists Dr. Charlene Claye and Richard Stephens had eye-catching pieces for your home or a gift, authors Janis F. Kearney, Bud Kenny, Kai Coggin and John Crawford donated for the literary folks, Simply Unique Beauty Supply/two baskets made sure we would bring the year in with great hair and wonderful cosmetics, an inside donation by board member Connie Lacy and friend Jamilla Watson of a football dipping bowl/chips, right on time for the season, a wine donation by Celebrate! Maya Project, Community Coffee/Little Rock and the Hotel Hot Springs gift certificate had the folks in a bidding war! Which was great!

There were sponsors who helped set the tone of success behind the scenes, we would be remiss not to thank Haven United Methodist Church, Regions Bank and the Republican Party of Garland County.

As we move into 2017, the term volunteer takes on a very special meaning ... executive committee and board members Woodie Lee Davis, Connie Lacy, Geraldine White, Janis F. Kearney and Deby Couey; friends Lydia Kearney, Teressa Nevels, Terre Kaivalya, Cynthia Graves and Louise White all poured out for this effort to say "thank you" to the community of Hot Springs for supporting us in all of our efforts -- The Uzuri Project Youth Institute, Emerging Leaders, Phoebe Publishing and Save The John Lee Webb House.

Cheryl Louise Batts

P.H.O.E.B.E/The Uzuri Project

President and founder

Editorial on 12/31/2016

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