Florida Resident Donates Flower Pens to Help Fayette’s Troops

Margaret Sullivan and her daughter Inda Tinney show off a basket of flower pens that Mrs. Sullivan made and donated to the transportation department’s annual fundraiser for the troops.

Six years ago after 9/11 the bus drivers and staff of the Fayette County School System’s Transportation Department started an annual cookout fundraiser for the county’s deployed military personnel. Word about the fundraiser has spread over the years, even to other states.

Fundraiser organizers just received a shipment of 100 flower pens from an elderly lady in Florida who donated them to be used as giveaways at the cookout in March 2009.

Margaret Sullivan, 93 of Pinetta, Florida, has a long history of community service. She was instrumental in bringing the first opera and theatrical play to her long-time community of Homestead, Florida, as well as securing free dental care for migrant children in the area. She served on various boards and service groups right up until her health begin to fail.

Now legally blind and living in an assisted care facility, she passes her time making flower pens for different groups, organizations and worthwhile causes.

“She has made pens for all of the ladies at our church and a sister church down the road, as well as for her two caregivers. She has become known as the Flower Pen Lady,” says her daughter Inda Tinney.

Cookout participants will have an opportunity to win one of the handmade pens at the event scheduled for March 11, 2009 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the school bus barn. Proceeds from the cookout are used to purchase gift cards for the county’s men and women serving in the U.S. military.

Anyone who would like to donate prizes or money to the fundraiser can contact the Fayette County School System’s Transportation Department, 770-460-3520.

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Munson Puts Fayette County 's Starr’s Mill High on the Radar at Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament

FL Note: Kudos! Fayette County is proud of you!

Imagine walking into your office and being told that you have just 30 minutes to research and prepare a persuasive seven-minute speech on a particular topic. Well, if you were Molly Munson, you would not even break a sweat.

Molly, a student at Starr’s Mill High in Fayetteville, Georgia, was awarded second place in Extemporaneous Speaking at the 25th annual Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament held last month at the University of Florida. She competed against 51 high school students from Georgia, Pennsylvania and Florida to win the coveted honor.

Before the tournament even started, Molly proved she could hold her own against some very competitive debaters. She was one of six students selected to participate in the annual Blue Key Round Robin that foreshadows the general tournament. Only the nation’s most skilled and accomplished student speakers are invited to participate.

After competing in five grueling rounds with a cross examination after each speech, Molly emerged victorious taking third place in the Mixed Extemporaneous Speaking division.

“She had the eventual winner, the current national champion, shaking in his boots. She has done the best of any Starr’s Mill student in the history of the school,” says Molly’s proud mother Sue Munson.

Nine students from Starr’s Mill, including Molly, participated in the tournament. Eric Bogert, Hannah Mattia, Martin Halicek and Jacob Nails competed in the Lincoln Douglas Debate and Aaron Ash, Noah Brunner, Lauren Mattia and Syneva Runyan were competitors in the Public Forum Debate.

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