Fayette residents during the

past week have joined in the nationwide outpouring of aid and comfort

for victims of last week's terrorist attacks, and have paused to remember

those victims and pray for the nation.

Local churches responded to

President George W. Bush's call for prayer services at noon Friday, and

also sponsored numerous other services throughout the week.

America is experiencing "feelings

of patriotism that my generation has not witnessed in a long time,"

said the Rev. Dr. Sam Matthews, pastor of Fayetteville First United Methodist

Church, during prayer services there.

"How wrong they were to

think that [financial institutions] are the symbols of our nation,"

Matthews said, adding that the nation's churches, schools, neighborhood

associations, charities and other human institutions are the true symbols

of America.

Students decorated school grounds

with either yellow ribbons or red, white and blue bunting, and took up

collections to help victims.

Hundreds of residents turned

out to give blood, and still hundreds more are expected to attend blood

drives planned in Fayette County.

But a blood drive scheduled

for this past Sunday at Peachtree City Presbyterian Church was called

off because current supplies far exceed demand, and blood has a finite

shelf life. Donors are being asked to spread out their donations to future

drives.

Here are some other examples

of past and future projects to help victims:

The Salvation Army is asking

for donations of work gloves, hard hats, men's work boots, flashlights

and triple-A batteries to be used by volunteers digging through the rubble

in New York City and Washington, D.C.

The three Gold's Gyms of Fayette

County will be serving as collection points for those items. The gyms

are open seven days a week. Gold's Gym West is on the corner of Ga. Highway

74 and Aberdeen Parkway in Peachtree City (770-631-9901); Gold's Gym East

is on Ga. Highway 54 near Publix, just outside of Peachtree City (770-487-4273),

and Gold's Gym Fayetteville is on Ga. Highway 85 next to Big Lots (770-716-7090).

The Hwy. 54 location also is

serving as a collection point for monetary donations to the American Red

Cross. For information, phone 770-631-2922.

Students at Peachtree City

Elementary School decorated the school grounds in red, white and blue,

wrote letters to President Bush, and are collecting spare change to add

to the relief effort.

Local firefighters will accept

donations this weekend for the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in

New York.

A boot drive which begins Friday

and lasts through Sunday. Collections will be taken from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Citizens also can make donations

at any of the 14 fire stations throughout the county. Checks should be

made payable to The New York Firefighter and Red Cross Relief Fund. Joining

Fayette County firefighters in the effort are the Peachtree City Fire

and Rescue Department and the Fayetteville Fire Department.

Barbara Grayson, a parent

of two students at Spring Hill, Carly, second grade, and Andy, fifth grade,

suggested that the school collect socks and baby wipes for the firemen

in New York City. Grayson had heard reports that firemen involved in the

rescue effort at the World Trade Center have to change their socks once

every hour due to the buildup of dust and rubble and holes caused by friction

from the concrete sidewalks. Baby wipes are needed to wipe the dust and

sweat from the firemen's faces so that they can continue their task of

searching for victims.

Two large bins were placed

in the front hallway of the school Monday morning and by 7:30 a.m. the

bins were already filled to the top.

The school continued to collect

socks and baby wipes through yesterday, Sept. 18. Grayson plans to package

the supplies and mail them to the New York City Fire Department today.

Hoshizaki America Inc., which

has a manufacturing plant in Peachtree City, has donated $20,000 of equipment

to the disaster relief efforts in New York City.

The company is donating refrigerators,

ice and water dispensers, ice makers, walk-in coolers and an electrolyzed

water system.

"With a crisis of this

nature everyone's life is touched," said Mark McClanahan, senior

vice president. "I hope our donation in some way helps those who

are supporting the rescue efforts."

Volunteers from the Peachtree

City Fire Department and Gold's Gym teamed up Saturday with Kroger to

help raise money for the Red Cross. The volunteers stood outside the Braelinn

Kroger at the invitation of manager Paul Yellina and asked shoppers to

drop money into firefighters' boots.

The group raised $4,348.30

working from 9:30 a.m to 4 p.m.

All of the area Kroger stores

are doing a "round-up," asking shoppers if they would like to

round up their grocery bills to the nearest dollar, the extra money going

to the relief effort.

Gold's Gym will host a "spin-a-thon"

Saturday, Sept. 29 to benefit the families of fallen firefighters in New

York. The event will be at the Hwy. 74 location, Gold's Gym West. If there

is sufficient participation, it will be expanded to the Hwy. 54 location.

The fitness centers hope to fill up the bikes at both locations, and collect

donations from the riders.

Hartsfield Atlanta International

Airport had a moment of silent prayer in observance of the president's

declaration of a national day of mourning. The airport invited passengers

and employees to gather in the atrium of the main terminal building at

noon Friday with Hartsfield chaplain R. D. Spears.

A metro Atlanta resident,

Terri Twitty, is challenging Fayette residents to emulate her project.

She made up a flyer and, with the help of some neighbors, distributed

them to all 200 houses in her subdivision. Three other neighbors agreed

to use their homes as drop-off points for donations and the neighborhood

recreation center served as a fourth drop-off point for the Red Cross

Disaster Fund.

had raised $2,918.

For information call Twitty

at 770-469-5566.

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