The South Panola Student Council and North Delta Key Club have set a goal to deliver a tractor-trailer load of supplies to victims in Gulf Shores, Ala. or Pensacola, Fla.

"The students came together because they know a lot of these people don’t even have a home to go back to," Lisa Newcomb said.

Newcomb said the items they are most in need of are water, non-perishable foods, baby formula, diapers, underwear, T-shirts, socks, yard cleaning items such as rakes, saws and shovels, paper plates, paper towels, napkins, plastic utensils, plastic bags, rubber gloves, sponges, mops and brooms.

"They are in desperate need of chainsaws and generators to help with the clean-up efforts," Newcomb said.

Newcomb added that anyone willing to make large donations like generators, chainsaws or large monetary donations will be provided with a letter for tax purposes.

"We have spoken with the Red Cross and were told that donations such as these would be tax deductible," she said.

If a letter is needed, include your name or company name, address, phone and fax number along with a list of items being donated and their value when you drop off your items and a letter will be sent to you, she said.

Drop locations are South Panola High School and North Delta School now through Friday.

"Students will be at SPHS on Wednesday and Thursday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to accept donations," she said. "People can also bring their donations to either of the schools’ football games Friday night.

"There will be people set up on the home side of the field and at the gates to take up items," Newcomb added.

The final drop time is noon on Saturday, September 25.

Cash donations are welcome and may be left in the office at North Delta or South Panola High School in a sealed envelope marked hurricane relief, no later than Friday morning.

"The students want to thank the Batesville community in advance for their generous support," Newcomb said.

Do you know the legend of Johnny Appleseed? He was a young man who traveled out West where civilization was sparse. He planted apple seeds in hopes trees would grow, and make the west a nicer place to live.

Public Libraries are spreading books around Panola County in hopes of growing readers, and making pre-schoolers better prepared for school. First Regional Library recently received a federal grant to fund a mobile library service to bring age-appropriate material in story time kits to child care centers, preschools, and home daycares. The service is called Words on Wheels, and Tami Barger is the Children’s Specialist in charge of going out into the community. Tami was the Youth Specialist at the Batesville Public Library from 1999 until 2002. The four public libraries involved in the program are: Batesville, Como, Crenshaw, and Sardis.

"I will go anywhere there are a couple of preschoolers that would like to have a book read to them," Tami Barger said. "I don’t know many children who wouldn’t like to hear a good story."

The free mobile library service is needed in the county. A large number of the rural population does not live near a public library. According to the latest National Institute for Literacy Report, 37 percent of the residents over the age of 16 function at only the Level 1 literacy level. If Words on Wheels is successful, more children will enter the school system with a greater interest in reading.

The personal touch of reading to children reassures, entertains, and sparks curiosity and imagination. Reading aloud is a better learning tool than watching an impersonal machine for a large part of the day.

"We need to read to children to combat illiteracy, and strengthen their ability in writing, reading, and communication skills," Barger said. "If an adult reads to a child, they receive experience in listening and learning from an authority figure. The child will be more comfortable in the school environment because it will feel more familiar to them."

In the book, The New Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, reading aloud to a child is recommended as an important step before the child learns to read themselves.

"Listening comprehension must come before reading comprehension. The listening vocabulary is the reservoir of words that feeds the reading vocabulary pool."

The more words we can expose a child to, the greater their vocabulary will be when they enter school.

Barger added, "They are like little sponges; soaking up the world around them. I want their thirsty minds to soak up a growing vocabulary of words that will aid them for a successful future, not only in school, but in life."

The nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week since 1922. The theme for this year’s campaign is "It’s Fire Prevention Week: Test Your Smoke Alarms."

Even though smoke alarms are now widely popular, it is still true that roughly 70 percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

If a home fire occurs, smoke alarms cut your chances of dying nearly in half. They should be installed on every level of a home, including the basement, and outside each separate sleeping area. They should be tested once a month, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Batteries need replacing once a year or as soon as the alarm "chirps," indicating that the battery is low.

Replace all smoke alarms after 10 years, even those that are hard-wired or smoke alarms with "long-life" (10-year) batteries. Smoke alarms with "long-life" (10-year) batteries should also be replaced when the alarm "chirps" or fails to respond to periodic testing. The batteries in these units cannot be replaced.