As Time Passes…!

“Time is free, but it is priceless. You cannot own it, but can use it. You cannot keep it, but can spend it. Once you have lost it you can never get it back.”  By Harvey Mackay

Time….!

Has it really been nearly three weeks since the last Post? Seems just a few days ago when I was experiencing euphoria from having made my presentation to my Kiwanis Club. The opportunity to speak to a group of positive supporters is heartwarming and provides a sense of rejuvenation and renewal. Again, I cannot thank the Tri-Cities Industry Kiwanis Club enough for having been “difference makers” over the years. 

By George…!

Speaking of euphoria, I was treated with a visit by my dear friend George Whitley. The name should be familiar to several of you. George is many things. He is a retired lawyer and we both are from the same small town of Marion, Virginia. I am older than George and we had never met until we found ourselves members of the Board of Trustees at the same time for the same college we both attended, Emory & Henry College. 

We spent an evening at a college dinner seated together and began discovering our common roots and interests. Our friendship began that evening.

George quickly heard my speech about “Friends of Copey” and soon afterwards he offered his lovely home in Abingdon, Virginia to be the official location for the Pathway Project’s annual reception.

As host, George, for the last five of the six annual gatherings has covered the vast majority of the expenses. Twelve of the fourteen students who have traveled from Copey to the United States under the Pathway Project along with many guests, have attended the reception and experienced firsthand George’s generosity.   

George has family residing close to Seattle. On his recent family visit a couple weeks ago, he traveled across the state to visit Carol and me in eastern Washington. Our time together was unforgettable. As I said, George is many things. He is a “wine aficionado” and that meant we spent most of our time visiting area wineries and sampling some of Washington’s best wines.  Note: I spent the last week in detox!

We were so impressed with George’s knowledge of wines, grapes, wine making processes, wine history, and knowledge of cuisines appropriate with certain wines. We wished we had recorded his many discussions with the wine experts we encountered along the way. We cannot wait to do this again…By George!  

Copey Learning Center Updates…!

The Copey Learning Center is moving along as well as possible. The semester is more of a struggle than previous years as two teachers are sharing duties part time. The semester is close to 50% over and we can be assured the best is being done to keep the educational process moving forward. 

The Copey Learning Center’s future looks bright. Recently, a volunteer from Canada has made a commitment to teach at the Copey Learning Center for all three semesters in 2024. This is a major development and certainly a surprising and welcomed change in events. I have had the pleasure of meeting the new volunteer on Zoom and I look forward to the new year being of full of promise and hope. Upcoming Posts will provide more detailed information about this new volunteer.