Sharing the season

Members of the Carroll County High School basketball team are pictured with Richard R. Schwartz, left, and Ray Alimonos, residents of Green Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center in Carrollton. Team members distributed items Sunday, Dec. 16, to the residents. The items were donated and wrapped by the Family Worship Center. The individual packages included bananas, cookies, socks and candy canes, according to organizer Melanie Stewart. They also delivered a box with movies for residents to share, as well as snacks. “At Christmas, we all focus on the needy kids, and we don’t think about the elderly people,” some of whom don’t even have family to visit them during the holiday season, Stewart said.

Residents Virginia Thompson and Hayden Couch visit with Josh McCarty, whose brother Caleb is on the team. Stewart said she chose this as a character-building project to help the 10 members of the Panthers basketball team who were able to come to the facility.

Head coach Carroll Yager gives nurse Brandi Gibson several team posters to distribute or hang in a common area. Yager and Stewart also invited those residents who were able to come to the Jan. 7 home game as guests of the team. Any residents attending will be honored during halftime.