Author Topic: Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .  (Read 2140 times)

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Offline BuzzKill

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« on: March 09, 2006, 02:55:00 PM »
http://www.timesenterprise.com/homepage ... d=topstory





Published: February 14, 2006 12:00 am

Magnolia rezoning hearing March 6

By Brewer Turley

THOMASVILLE ? The Thomasville Planning and Zoning Commission will meet March 6 to determine whether plans to turn the old Magnolia-Chappelle school property into a boarding school have a future.

Dr. Harold Dabel, director of the Pillars of Hope school in Costa Rica, along with partner Doug Pennock, have applied to have the property rezoned from R1 residential to R1 conditional use, college or university.

Dabel and Pennock have a contract with the Thomas County School System to purchase Magnolia for $750,000 ? the highest bid entered for the property. However, the purchase is contingent upon the City of Thomasville?s ruling on the zoning request.

?We want to continue using it as a school. There are a lot of classrooms already ideally sized, and things that work really well for us in a boarding school environment,? Dabel said. ?Some areas will be converted into dormitories.?

Dabel said the school will work with teenagers, mostly between the ages of 14 and 18, sent there by their parents.

?The type of students that come in are typically students who have fallen behind in their schooling for different reasons,? he said. ?Some kids suffer from depression. Some were home schooled and the parents have seen it just wasn?t working.

?Other students had some type of issues, gone to therapy, and been recommended to go to a boarding school, where they can be supported with high standards and 24-hour chaperoning.?

Dabel was briefly hired as part of the management team for the Dundee Ranch, a Costa Rican boarding school that was shut down in 2003 amid allegations of student mistreatment.

?Two weeks after I got into Costa Rica, the school had closed down,? he said. ?The decision to close was made by the administration and by the owner of the school at that time. Within a week, all of the students? travel arrangements had been made to return to the United States to their parents, or to another school.?

After the school?s closing, Dabel transformed the facilities into Pillars of Hope, an international boarding school that still helps teens today.

If the rezoning request is approved, Dabel said a local advisory board would be put together to give the school direction. He also said the historical legacy of the Magnolia Chappelle School will remain intact.

?We?re huge on investment in tradition and history. Those are things we would love to resurrect,? Dabel said. ?We will make sure the grounds are well kept. We plan on investing quite a bit in beautifying the area of the school.?

Magnolia was an all-black high school prior to the integration of all public schools, after which it was a middle school. Most recently, the facilities housed Hand-In-Hand Primary School, which relocated last year.

Dabel is now hoping to use the old school to teach other students.

?The kids we work with are great. They go on to be very successful. They?ve just made some poor choices,? he said. ?But once you get them away from that environment, they have tremendous potential, and they prove it.?

Part of the curriculum of the school is to teach students about community service, by way of local projects and fund-raisers.

?They become all about service. That?s what the community will see if we are provided the opportunity,? he said.

The Thomasville Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the rezoning request, then make a recommendation to the Thomasville City Council for final consideration. The commission meeting will be held at City Hall March 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

To contact reporter Brewer Turley, call (229) 226-2400, ext. 226.
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Offline CCM girl 1989

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2006, 03:37:00 PM »
Is it the starfish? Or is it the octopus that when you cut off one of it's arms it regrows again?

Unfuckingbelievable!!!!!
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Offline Anonymous

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2006, 04:16:00 PM »
Where is this school located and why don't we get on the bandwagon of writing and calling to let them know what is going to happen in this school?

We were pretty successful last year when they tried to open one with Randall.
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Offline Anonymous

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2006, 09:04:00 PM »
Dabel and his partner, Harold Pennock, are trying to sell a bill of goods to Thomasville, GA about the "intent to rehabilitate" children whose parents have lost control of them.  There are too many articles, lawsuits, etc. that oppose this school.  Please send any reference you can to keep our community from being scammed.
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Offline Anonymous

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2006, 10:49:00 AM »
Where should we write or call?
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Offline Anonymous

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2006, 11:41:00 AM »
Email the Thomasville City Council members TODAY - they are deciding on the issue at 6 p.m. tonight at their meeting. The planning board turned it down but the city is undecided because of the $$$ offer from Dabel and Pennock.  Councilmembers are Max Beverly [email protected] or Camille Payne [email protected].  Hurry.
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Offline CCM girl 1989

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« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2006, 12:01:00 PM »
Hey, thanks for the notice! J/K!!!I would have written them had I known earlier. Is there anything that I can do now?
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Offline Anonymous

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2006, 04:14:00 PM »
Fortunately, last night at their meeting the City Council of Thomasville denied the petition for rezoning of the property in question, so unless they find another location it looks as if there will be no Pillars of Hope in Thomasville.  It would still be good to write them emails, though, in case they reconsider.
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Offline 001010

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2006, 04:48:00 PM »
Quote
On 2006-03-28 13:14:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Fortunately, last night at their meeting the City Council of Thomasville denied the petition for rezoning of the property in question, so unless they find another location it looks as if there will be no Pillars of Hope in Thomasville.  It would still be good to write them emails, though, in case they reconsider."


YEAH!!!!!!!!!!  ::bigsmilebounce::  ::rocker::   :em:

Thanks to everyone involved in this!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline 001010

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Harold Dabel/ Pillars of Hope/ THOMASVILLE/ *sigh*. .
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2006, 04:50:00 PM »
Quote
On 2006-03-28 09:01:00, CCM girl 1989 wrote:

"Hey, thanks for the notice! J/K!!!I would have written them had I known earlier. Is there anything that I can do now?"


Write a thank you letter to the city council members.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
[size=79]EST (Landmark/Lifespring/Discovery) \'83
Salesmanship Club \'84-\'86
Straight, Inc. \'86-\'88[/size]