Mary Jane Curry

March 2, 2021 Program

Mary Jane Curry is a former college English professor. Most of her working life she taught English, writing, and research at the university level. Her professional love is the novels of Jane Austen, with a focus on Austen’s portrayal of nature. 

Mary Jane became a Climate Reality Leader in March 2019 at former Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Training Conference in Atlanta. She had been a member of various environmental groups off and on for decades, but the rapid acceleration of climate change motivated her to devote volunteer time to doing something about it.

In August 2019, after Mary Jane’s Climate Reality presentation to the public, she and a small group of Haywood Countians started the WNC Climate Action Coalition. They are dedicated to working with local groups and government entities to mitigate the effects of climate change locally, especially supporting local farmers and outdoor education for young people.

Frank and Carol Platt

February 23, 2021 Program

Maslow’s Hierarchy of need.

Carol & Frank Platt both graduated from Florida State University with Masters in Clinical Social Work.  After graduation they began their 30-year careers working in long-term in-patient programs for children and youth in the big bend of Florida.  The focus of their work was in treatment and program development.  After working in the private sector for over 20 years they both began working for the State of Florida. The focus at the State level was policy/rule development and legislation mitigation/implementation.

Carol and Frank moved to Waynesville in February of 2018.  Both have spent a great deal of their careers as advocates for quality behavioral health services for children and youth at the local and state level.

Frank and Carol Platt gave a presentation on childhood advocacy.  They stated that children are a product of their environment.  In order to achieve full potential, a child’s physiological and safety needs must be met first.  Children need to belong and have intimate relationships with family and friends.  This then leads to self-esteem and self-actualization.

More than half of the children living in Haywood County live in poor or near-poor homes, and one-fourth live in food insecure households.  Children living in poverty are more likely to face negative education, health and economic outcomes, and children in food insecure households have higher risks to their health, safety and ability to learn.

To help children we need to adopt a holistic approach to education and learning.We need to consider the complete physical, emotional, social, and intellectual qualities of an individual and how these impact learning. The challenge for schools is to fit the program to the child’s needs, not try to fit the child into the school’s set program.

Steve Nowakoski

February 16, 2021 Program

Steve Nowakoski is Executive Director of Haywood Christian Ministries. Haywood Christian Misnistries is a Christian organization based in Haywood County which distributes food, clothing, and financial assistance.

Steve had a lot of great things to say about how our community has pulled together to help those in need.  During the Pandemic, they only distributed food, but the store is reopened now.  In a normal year Haywood Christian Ministries serves food boxes to about 12,000 people.  Since March they have served 62,000 people making an estimate of over 80,000 for the year.  Normally they were serving a hundred people a day and now it can be up to 250 people a day.  They distribute food to all who need it, but they still interview for financial need.  They have done all of this with just 7 staff members and 7 volunteers often working late into the night.  They pack the boxes and then put them in trunks of cars as cars drive through.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program, (TEFAP) a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans has helped provide boxes of food with 40 items in them.  Haywood Christian Ministries has been a center for distribution in Western North Carolina.

Haywood Christian Ministries uses our town buses to distribute boxes.  A bus can hold 50 to 100 boxes.  They are looking into moving the food operation to a new building they would build on land they own right on site. 

Dr. Les King

February 9, 2021 Program

Les is a Navy Veteran and a member of the Topsail Kiwanis Club.   Les was planetarium director for 10 years in PA in his teaching role.

Les spoke about the night sky and what people have imagined in the past and what we can see today. Les pointed out our hectic pace and the lack of time taken to go outside and look up at the night sky. However, the recent interest in the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky and people staying home during the pandemic has opened up the ‘fun’ of star gazing for many new people. As Les noted, the conjunction on December 21st was thought by ancients to be the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Wise Men to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

Les told us that we can see quite a bit just by using binoculars if we don’t have  a telescope. Les discussed the constellation of ‘Orion the Hunter and he told us where to find it in the sky  this time of year.’ Then he described the ancients belief that Orion fell in love with one of the maidens in the seven Maidens constellation and wanted her with him on Earth. Instead, the gods granted his wish by putting him in the heavens to be near her for eternity. Note: The Orion constellation appears to follow the Maidens constellation from east to west across the winter sky from dusk to dawn.

Erin Johnson

February 2, 2021 Program

Erin Johnson, Chip and Leigh Johnson’s daughter, Zoomed with us from Trieste Italy where she works for OWSD an Oganization for Women in Science in the Developing World.  This organization was founded in 1983. Erin has her undergraduate degree in microbiology and a Masters’ Degree in International Affairs. 

Erin stated that there is a negative stereotype about women and their abilities to do well in STEM areas, especially in developing countries.  OWSD is an international organization that provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their career.  They provide early career fellowships and PHD fellowships to women in the STEM fields.  Erin loves what she does.

Brooke Smith

January 26, 2021 Proram

Brooke Smith is the Director at Mountain Projects, a community based non-profit organization, founded in 1965 as a Community Action Agency.

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The Agency provides vital services to the elderly, disadvantaged and general public in Western North Carolina. There are two offices: one in Waynesville and one in Sylva. Mountain Projects started as part of the “War On Poverty” with a $52,000 Office of Economic Opportunity grant and a pilot summer Head Start program.Since then the agency has grown to an annual budget of eleven million dollars, a staff of 140, and provides a broad diversity of services to the community in response to its changing needs.

Brooke stated that during the Pandemic there has been an increase in abuse and neglect in Haywood County. There hs been more homelessness and more children placed in foster care. The Head Start program has been operating safely during the Pandemic, but at a lower percentage of attendance. This program helps prepare children for kindergarten. There are many needs . Other services that Mountain Projects provides are housing assistance, children’s services, food service,stransportation, prevention, and more. Call or go to the website to see how you can help.