The PEACH Pit
Horses helping heal your heart and mind. Come join us at the barn.
Hey, federal friends: CFC giving ends Jan. 15
Dear Federal Retirees,
The 2023 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is ending. The final day to pledge using the CFC‘s Online Giving System is Jan. 15, which is a federal holiday. If you have already pledged, thank you! If you haven’t, please consider doing so today.
Here’s the thing: You can give even while you’re home over the holiday weekend by going to https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/welcome. The PEACH Pit’s CFC code is 27220.
Here’s how your donation can help:
$26 buys a box of hand warmers
$120 buys grain for three horses for two weeks
$180 provides two equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions for a client
$500 sponsors a child for summer camp
$1,000 sponsors travel, lodging and meals for a woman Veteran at a retreat
Know a U.S. military Veteran whose commitment to country made him/her larger than life?
The PEACH Pit and The P.E.A.C.H. Center are partnering to honor U.S. military Veterans with ties to Peach County, Georgia. A proposed art installation will commemorate the service of 16 Peach County Veterans with larger-than-life portraits on the side of 118 West Church St. in downtown Fort Valley.
The building has 22 bricked up windows that are about eight feet tall each. Six window spaces will be for the military emblems: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Space Force.
Here’s how the project will work: We’re soliciting nominations (with pictures a mandated part of the nomination packet) for 13 U.S. Veterans from all branches.
One image will be of 2nd Lt. Richard Davis, an original Tuskegee Airman from Fort Valley, and another will be Marine Pvt. First Class CJ Davis, his brother, who earned a Silver Star. The building owner, Gwendolyn McLeod, will also have a spot since it’s her wall. She’s an Army retiree.
A committee of community participants will select the final 13 nominees, and their names will be announced on Veterans Day 2024. The timeline for the portraits and emblems spans two years, with the first eight images being completed by Veterans Day 2025. All others will be completed by Veterans Day 2026.
Nominations for U.S. Veterans to be included will come from the community, and we’re seeking partner funds to allow us to complete the project without charging residents for the portraits. The project will cover about 2,400 square feet on the side of the two-story building, which has high visibility: It’s next to the police department, two buildings from City Hall and the county courthouse, and is one block from the post office. Anyone doing business downtown will see the exhibit.
ARTSi B! (aka Bobbi Stephon), a California-based multimedia artist and with ties to Middle Georgia, will be the portrait artist. She has been commissioned to paint portraits of Kobe Bryant and Oprah Winfrey. Here’s their artist statement. “By recreating portraits with vibrant colors, notable accuracy, and subtle yet identifiable details, I get to tell a story and add images to the collective body of artwork that we have in this world. Making people feel seen, respectfully, and fully represented, often requires composite images and a combination of mixed media. It is a passion and great joy to be witness to the experience art has on generating joy, promoting wellness, and rebuilding esteem. I am humbled and honored to capture the likeness of the U.S. Veterans in Peach County, Ga., in this dedicated, large-scale, visual arts project.”
If you would like to nominate a U.S. military Veteran (living or dead), please download and complete the form below and return with a picture to Veteran Wall Nomination, PO Box 891, Fort Valley, GA 31030. The nomination deadline is May 31, 2024. Selections will be announced Nov. 11, 2024.
Step 1 — after we have the names and pictures of the U.S. Veterans to be honored — would be to order all material needed for entire mural and then give the artist the photographs to do the portraits. Step 2 is painting the mural and the military seals/emblems. Step 3 is prepping the wall, putting up adhesive with the portraits section by section; seamlessly and sealed.
Call 478-827-3224 if you would like more information on the project or to become a sponsor.
When nature calls
Listening to Nature’s sounds can be incredibly healing.
Take a moment to listen to these sounds to see if you can figure out what creatures are making them.
Ahhhh! Peaceful, right?
Oh, a hint: These creatures weren’t on Old McDonald’s Farm.
Think you have PTSD? You’re not alone
Today is PTSD Screening Day — a day we mark to spread the word about self-screening. If you think you may have PTSD, take this self-screen, or share it with someone you know who is concerned they may have PTSD.
We don’t always know how to talk about a trauma or what it’s been like since the event. The online self-screen is a few yes-or-no questions about how you’ve been feeling. Your responses are private and are not collected or shared.
Why Self-Screen?
Taking a self-screen can be a good way to open a conversation with a health care provider. You can print your results to share with a provider to help them decide whether you should be assessed for PTSD or other conditions. Either way, knowing what is causing your symptoms is a step toward taking control.
If you think you might have PTSD, you’re not alone. There are PTSD treatments that work. So, why wait?
Going through a traumatic event is not rare. At least half of Americans have had a traumatic event in their lives. Of people who have had trauma, about 1 in 10 men and 2 in 10 women will develop PTSD.
Take the self-screen. Call The PEACH Pit at 478-827-3224 to chat about your results.
Need photoshoot backgrounds?
To help raise funds for The PEACH Pit, we’re offering unique, historical backgrounds for your photoshoots. Take a look, and contact us at info@thepeachpitgeorgia.org to schedule a space.
How can I donate?
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