As many in Sevier and surrounding counties are aware, over the years Dale Carr has given generously of his time, talents and resources to both individuals and organizations in need. April 20 witnessed yet another unselfish act on his part when he came to the aid of the Friends of NRA.

My thanks goes to all the postal carriers in Seymour and around the country for their efforts in helping to stamp out hunger.

The May 13 edition of the Weekly Standard relates a statement made by President Barack Obama on Oct. 30, 2012 as follows:

Sevier County Food Ministries wants to say thank you to everyone who made the fundraiser Fiesta on April 18, 2013, a great success. We realize there have been lots of fundraisers in the past two months. We only have one a year, for cash.

Thanks for printing the letter in Sunday’s paper about Sevier County Food Ministries and the postal carriers food drive scheduled for this Saturday, May 11.

Sevier County residents should be alarmed by SB1248/HB1191, the anti-whistleblower bill that, if signed into law, will criminalize the actions of those who document inhumane and illegal activity at industrial farming operations and horse stables.

Celebrate Life would like to publicly thank everyone who helped make our fifth annual “Cruise Against Cancer” a tremendous success. There would not be a “Cruise” if it weren’t for Nathan Manning and the Hard Times Street Rod Club they are angels sent from God to Celebrate Life. You are wonderful people with big hearts.

The Sevier County High School Prom Committee would like to thank Life of the Party DJ Services of Dandridge, Tenn., for coming to our rescue Friday night, April 26, when our scheduled DJ didn’t show.

I am contacting you in regards to the editorial which was republished from the Paris Post-Intelligencer in last Saturday’s Mountain Press regarding the “animal cruelty bill” (SB1248/HB1191).

Unusual hats, pretty hats, crazy hats and flowery hats adorned the heads of guests at Hats for Hope, the brunch and silent auction held March16 at RiverStone Resort & Spa in Pigeon Forge. The proceeds benefit Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

There seems to be an immense misunderstanding as to the effect of SB1248/HB1191 labeled the video of animal abuse legislation.

Alcohol, drugs, same-sex marriages, pornography, crookedness, adultery, murders, child abuse, abortions — my God! Does this sound like a Christian nation? Do we expect God to pour out His blessings on us when we condone much of these things that He has warned us about?

We would like to thank everyone who came out to play in the first Underwood/Kodak/Northview alumni game. We think it was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Although I’ve been gone from Sevier County for nearly 20 years, I’ve never forgotten the five years I spent as managing editor of The Mountain Press. While the mountains never got old, and the politics kept life interesting, it was the people I missed the most when I moved to Nashville in 1993. So it’s with great sadness that I learned about the passing of former Mountain Press Entertainment Editor Terry Morrow. Terry, who was 52, died of complications from pancreatic cancer on April 16.

There’s an African proverb: “If you think that you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.” It’s this thought that propelled the United Methodist Women of First Methodist Church, Sevierville, to raise funds for Imagine No Malaria. Currently, one African child dies of malaria every 60 seconds. Through the Imagine No Malaria program, it takes only $10 to prevent the death of that child, so the churchwomen knew they were not too small to make a difference. But the women were also very aware of the needs of our own local children and the daunting task of the Sevier County Food Ministry to provide for them. To help meet both those needs, the UMW on Saturday, April 20, staged its Spring Bazaar.

On behalf of Vietnam veterans from 28 states and the Tennessee State Council, Vietnam Veterans of America, I would like to extend our deepest thanks to the City of Pigeon Forge for your hospitality and emotional outpouring of support during Welcome Home Vietnam.

I was never so proud of this area as on Friday to see all the folks who gathered on Dolly Parton Parkway to welcome Regen and his family home. What a feast for the eyes and the heart .

I just wanted to take this time to express our thanks to Dr. Alan Whiton, orthopedic surgeon, for bringing his expertise to make it possible for me to walk.

If one were to describe the students at New Center School they would use the words focus, determined, and goal oriented. When presented with a challenge, New Center students strive to succeed.

I recently visited Sevierville’s Pizza Hut on a busy Monday night when, unfortunately, they were shorthanded. I just wanted to commend one of their waiters for doing such a good job under such a bad working condition.

A variety of “pirates,” complete with hats, eye patches and in some cases swords, overran Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies March 7 as the aquarium hosted the annual Pirates’ Ball, a fundraiser for Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

This April Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center is honoring the brave children in our community who have come to us since 2005 to disclose their abuse. They are among the over 280,000 children served by a child advocacy center in the U.S. annually, and the majority of these cases were due to sexual abuse.

As we approach another tourist season, I hope and pray someone will get the ball rolling to fix the traffic signals on the Parkway. A little bad weather and a small spring break crowd created a miles-long traffic jam on Tuesday, March 26.