Atlantic City Weekly

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If there is one thing I love, it’s winning — whether it’s board games, competition at work or whatever, it’s always fun to win. 


Eight years ago, my husband and I won our wedding through the Mike & Diane Morning Show on 95.1 WAYV. That was probably my biggest personal win, however, a great feat is when you’re able to win something for an admirable cause and get people rooting for you, voting for you online, and cheering you on to victory. 


Well, that is the situation Terry Dougherty, a third-grade teacher at Roland Rogers Elementary School in Galloway Township, finds herself in right now. She needs community support in order to win a $10,000 classroom grant. Out of hundreds who were nominated for this grant, Dougherty came in as one of 10 finalists in the contest, which is hosted by the online site GOOD (good.is) and the University of Phoenix. 


Three years ago Dougherty, a military spouse for 30 years and a mother, started a program called “Free Military Child Tutoring — They are Heroes Too!” She understands the separation and transition issues that children whose parent or parents are in the military face on a daily basis. Her program brings attention to the needs and sacrifices the children of our military have to endure. 


Recently, Dougherty received a separate grant and purchased a laptop for her class. 


“As a teacher I am always looking for innovative ideas,” Dougherty says. “The laptop is used in many ways when I am working with children. One way is that we can Skype with a parent that is deployed, so they can feel a part of the tutoring program also. In addition, the kids can Skype with family members and we even managed to figure out a way where a parent can Skype and be at back to school night even though they are deployed.”


Dougherty also hosts a reading cafe to give students the opportunity to share quality time with their families while encouraging a love for reading. She says the children take orders from a menu they have written, with book summaries, and then they serve their parents the book and read together. 


Dougherty is an inspiration with her innovative ideas and she deserves this grant. Please help your neighbor make a difference in children’s lives, vote today at good.is/gato. People can vote once a day and each week the lowest vote getters will be eliminated. Good luck, Terry!


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Keep your calendars open on Sunday, Nov. 6, because the Lois Braymes Foundation presents Stars & Strikes, a bowling event at King Pin Bowling Lanes in EHT, saluting military men and women past and present. For $25 you will get two-and-a-half hours of bowling, bowling shoes, food, snacks and soft drinks, a free “Thank You Veterans” T-shirt, a voucher for future bowling at King Pin, and a photo of you and your team members. You can choose between two sessions: 1-3:30pm or 4:30-7pm. There are also various sponsorship opportunities. Find out more at lbfmilitary.org or call 892-8020. 


The mission of the Lois Braymes Foundation is to continue the lifelong dedication the organization’s namesake made to the service people of America and their families. Lois Braymes and her husband Mark have brought 33,000 U.S. military veterans to Atlantic City for all-expenses-paid mini vacations provided by the city’s casinos and hotels. The program has continued to evolve, including helping wounded veterans and sticking up for veterans’ rights. Eventually Lois was honored with medals and awards, and was named an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Green Berets (she is one of only two women honored). 


Currently the foundation continues its 47-year mission of providing service people with comfort, care and the assistance as well as fighting for veterans’ rights and total medical care. The members strive to be a lighthouse of hope for any veteran in need. The all-expenses-paid mini vacations donated by Atlantic City casinos and hotels are still offered, and now other venues in the region and throughout the country are participating. The ultimate goal is to bring a genuine, modern veterans hospital to New Jersey. Most importantly, the group’s mission is to have veterans and military men and women recognized as the treasures of our nation. 


For more information and for upcoming events, check out the Lois Braymes Foundation Facebook page or lbfmilitary.org.

Whitney Ullman dishes out advice on various topics related to networking, dating, current affairs, shopping, events and more. She is the Founder of GoToWhitney.com.