THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 7, 1996 TAG: 9602060091
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letters
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
United Way effort makes `community quilt' strong
As chairman for the 1995 United Way Campaign in Isle of Wight, I would like to thank the volunteers, organizations and individual contributors who helped make this year's fund drive a success.
During its fourth year, the Isle of Wight campaign reached a new level, with local contributions totaling over $97,000. Together with the local Combined Federal Campaign, Combined Virginia Campaign and other South Hampton Roads city United Way campaigns, our Isle of Wight fund drive helped the regional campaign raise over $15.4 million. This accomplishment demonstrates the strength in caring offered through our community as together we reached out to help those in need.
If our community were a quilt, each of us alone would represent a single stitch. But together we create a strong seam that makes the fabric of our ``community quilt'' strong, allowing it to provide warmth and comfort to those in need. This is made possible because of the people in Isle of Wight County who became a part of the United Way of caring.
My thanks to everyone in Isle of Wight for supporting their local United Way. Together, we make our community a mighty warm place to be.
Oliver D. Creekmore
Executive vice president
Bank of Isle of Wight
and volunteer chairman
1995 Isle of Wight Campaign PETA seeks to raise an awareness of cruelty
I would like to respond to the letter you received from Larry Rawls in the Jan. 24 issue of The Citizen, concerning his opinion of the PETA organization.
I would like to inform Mr. Rawls that PETA is not forming a war against anyone. They are not trying to force anyone to stop eating meat, nor are they trying to stop anyone from wearing clothing. What they are attempting to accomplish is to make the public aware of the unnecessary brutality and needless suffering of millions of animals.
I would like to inform Mr. Rawls that PETA is not an organization based on employment, so there would not be any need for them to ``get a real job.'' The people in this organization are of all races, religious denominations and political backgrounds, and all share the common goal of putting an end to the cruelty toward animals.
I would ask that Mr. Rawls look into and gain better information from the PETA organization before he would so callously slander them with such words of contempt. I was very troubled by his lack of compassion toward someone who he doesn't even know or understand, and for him to use the name of my Lord three times in such a retaliating manner deeply distresses me. How could anyone use such descriptions of their brothers and sisters on this Earth (``veg heads,'' ``politically irritating,'' ``Democrat voting,'' ``kitty-litter hugging,'' ``pro-abortion by large'') and use the name of God in the same text?
It is my opinion that God is trying to teach us, through His Word, to love our neighbor as ourselves and to respect all forms of life. Is brutality and cruelty respect? Is the over-production of animals, resulting in cruel living conditions, and the injection of toxic chemicals into the eyes and on the bodies of helpless animals respect?
PETA, Mr. Rawls, is not forcing you to wear any particular type of clothing, nor is it forcing you to eat a diet of all vegetables. Yes, we are a free country. Yes, you can eat what you want to eat. Yes, you can wear what you want to wear, just as others around you have the right to treat animals with love and respect.
Cathy Rhodes
Rhodes Drive
Windsor by CNB