Burton Fletcher Foundation for Animals, Inc.

10/31/2026

Young People Do Not Need Less Responsibility. They Need More Opportunity.

Every generation has heard some version of the same complaint: “Young people today do not want to work.”

I do not believe that is the whole truth.

Certainly, young people need guidance. They need to learn punctuality, good manners, financial responsibility, work ethic, and the importance of keeping their word. But they also need something just as important: a real chance to prove themselves.

Too often, adults look at a young person’s lack of experience and decide that person is not ready. But how does anyone gain experience if no one will give them an opportunity?

Most of us can look back and remember someone who gave us a chance. It may have been a teacher who saw potential, an employer who offered a first job, a coach who demanded more, a pastor who listened, or a neighbor who showed us how to solve a problem. That person may not have realized it at the time, but a little confidence and responsibility can change the direction of a young life.

Young people do not need to be protected from every challenge. They need adults who stand nearby, set reasonable expectations, offer wise counsel, and let them learn.

A first job teaches far more than how to earn a paycheck. It teaches a young person to arrive on time, speak respectfully, follow instructions, handle disappointment, work with people who may be different from them, and take pride in doing a task well. Those lessons cannot always be learned from a textbook or a telephone screen.

Our local businesses play an important role. Whenever possible, hire a young person for an entry-level position. Offer an internship. Let a student shadow someone for a day. Teach them the basics of customer service, sales, bookkeeping, inventory, marketing, construction, farming, technology, or any other useful trade or profession.

An employer who takes time to teach a young person may be doing more than filling a position. They may be helping to build a future employee, business owner, civic leader, parent, or community volunteer.

Civic organizations, churches, schools, and nonprofits can also open doors. Invite young people to serve on a committee. Ask them to help plan an event. Give them meaningful work, not just a seat in the audience. Let them see how a meeting is run, how a budget is balanced, how a project is organized, and how people work together for the common good.

They may make mistakes. So did we.

The point is not to hand young people responsibility without instruction. The point is to give responsibility with encouragement and accountability. Tell them what is expected. Correct them when necessary. Praise them when they do well. Show them that character matters, effort matters, and a person’s word ought to mean something.

We should also teach practical life skills that too many young people have never been shown. Teach them how to prepare for a job interview, write a resume, balance a checking account, change a tire, make a simple budget, cook a meal, speak respectfully to customers, and understand the difference between wants and needs.

These are not small matters. They are the building blocks of independence.

It is easy to criticize the next generation from a distance. It takes more effort to invest in them up close. But that investment can pay dividends for a lifetime.

Valdosta and Lowndes County have bright, capable young people. They are in our schools, churches, neighborhoods, and families. Some are eager for an opportunity but do not know where to begin. Others may need a patient adult to see beyond a rough edge or a lack of confidence.

Let us be that adult.

If you own a business, consider opening a door. If you are retired, consider mentoring a young person. If you have a skill, teach it. If you have influence, use it to introduce a young person to someone who can help. If you see promise, say so.

A young person trusted with real responsibility often rises to meet it.

The future of our community will not be built someday by someone else. The young people we choose to encourage, prepare, and include are shaping it right now.

They do not need less responsibility.

They need more opportunity.

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, appears on Saturdays in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.

10/24/2026

The One Thing You Can Never Get Back

There are a great many things in life that we can lose and eventually replace.

Lose a few dollars and, hopefully, you can earn them again. Lose your car keys and, after turning the house upside down, you will probably find them. Make a bad business decision, and you may have an opportunity to correct it.

But there is one thing you can spend and never recover.

Time.

Every morning, each of us receives the same amount: 24 hours. That is 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds.

The richest person in Valdosta gets no more than the poorest. The president of a corporation receives the same number of hours as the newest employee. The college professor, the student, the small-business owner, the retiree, and the person looking for a job all begin the day with the same allocation.

What we do with those hours is largely up to us.

Being Busy Is Not the Same as Being Productive

I have known people who seemed to be busy every waking moment but never appeared to accomplish very much.

We probably all have.

They hurry from one activity to another. The telephone is ringing. Emails are arriving. Text messages need answers. There is another meeting to attend and another minor crisis demanding attention.

At the end of the day, they are exhausted.

But ask what they actually accomplished, and sometimes the answer is surprisingly little.

There is an important distinction between activity and accomplishment.

We should not measure a productive day by how tired we are when we get home. We should measure it by whether we accomplished what actually mattered.

Decide What Matters

One of the best lessons I have learned about time management is that everything on your list is not equally important.

Suppose you begin Monday morning with 10 things to do. You could start with the easiest item and enjoy the satisfaction of crossing it off your list.

Then you could complete another easy item.

By lunchtime, perhaps you have crossed five things off the list. You feel wonderfully productive.

There is only one problem.

The most important task is still sitting there untouched.

A better question to ask each morning is:

“If I can accomplish only three things today, which three will make the greatest difference?”

Those deserve your attention first.

The urgent and the important are not always the same thing. A ringing telephone is urgent because it demands immediate attention. That does not necessarily mean the call is more important than the work you were doing when the telephone rang.

We have to learn the difference.

Technology Is Both Friend and Foe

We live in a remarkable age.

I can carry a device in my pocket that allows me to communicate with people around the world, read the news, take photographs, check my calendar, answer email, and obtain information that once would have required a trip to the library.

That is extraordinary.

Unfortunately, that same device can consume an enormous amount of time.

One notification becomes another. We check one email and notice another. We look at social media for five minutes and discover that 30 minutes have disappeared.

Technology is a wonderful servant, but it can become a terrible master.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is silence the telephone, close the email, and give one important task your complete attention.

The Myth of Multitasking

Many people take pride in being able to multitask.

For much of what we do, however, we are not really doing several things simultaneously. We are rapidly switching our attention from one thing to another.

Write a paragraph. Check a text. Return to the paragraph. Answer the telephone. Return to the paragraph and try to remember what you were thinking.

There is a cost every time we switch.

There are certainly routine activities we can combine. But when something requires serious thought, concentration is usually more valuable than multitasking.

One task. One period of time. Full attention.

That simple practice can make a remarkable difference.

Learn the Power of No

This may be one of the most difficult lessons, particularly for those of us who enjoy helping people and being involved in our communities.

Every time we say yes to something, however, we are also saying no to something else.

If I agree to spend two hours doing something that isn’t particularly important, those same two hours cannot be spent with friends or family. They cannot be spent helping someone who truly needs me. They cannot be spent exercising, reading, working, or simply resting.

There is nothing selfish about occasionally saying, “I appreciate you thinking of me, but I cannot give this the time it deserves.”

You cannot make more time by wishing for it.

Sometimes you make time by protecting it.

Don’t Wait for the Perfect Moment

Procrastination is another great thief of time.

We postpone things because they seem unpleasant, difficult, or overwhelming.

I have found that the best answer is often to begin.

Don’t think about writing the entire report. Write the first paragraph.

Don’t think about cleaning the entire garage—clean one corner.

Don’t think about completing the entire project. Decide what the first step is and take it.

Momentum has remarkable power.

You don’t have to finish everything today.

But you do have to start.

Leave Some Empty Space

Good time management does not mean scheduling every minute from sunrise until bedtime.

Life has a way of interfering with our schedules.

The car won’t start. Someone becomes ill. A customer has an emergency. A meeting lasts longer than expected. The computer decides today would be an excellent day to stop cooperating.

We need some margin in our lives.

Think of it as an emergency fund for your time.

And while we are scheduling everything else, we should remember to schedule ourselves.

There should be time for family. Time for friends. Time for exercise. Time for church and community. Time to sit on the porch. Time to play with the dog. Time to read a book. Time occasionally to do absolutely nothing.

Rest is not necessarily wasted time.

The purpose of time management is not to squeeze another 30 minutes of work out of every day.

The purpose is to make room for the things that matter.

The Clock Is Running

We often say, “I don’t have time.”

Usually, what we really mean is, “I have chosen to use my time for something else.”

That may sound like a small distinction, but I think it is an important one.

Our calendars reveal our priorities in ways our words sometimes do not.

None of us knows how many days we have been given. That makes today valuable.

When this day ends, its 1,440 minutes will be gone. There are no refunds, exchanges, or second chances to spend them differently.

So use some of those minutes to work hard.

Use some to help somebody.

Use some to tell the people you love that you love them.

Use some to laugh.

Use some to rest.

And perhaps use a few to sit quietly and appreciate the privilege of having another day.

We spend a lifetime watching the clock. Perhaps now and then, we should remember that what really matters is how we spend the time between the ticks.

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, usually appears on Saturdays in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.

10/17/2026

The Man in the Arena

There will always be critics.

Some sit on the sidelines and point out every missed opportunity, every imperfect decision, every time someone stumbled while trying to do something worthwhile. It is easy to criticize when you have no responsibility for the outcome. It is much harder to step into the arena.

Theodore Roosevelt understood that truth when he spoke of “the man in the arena.” His words still carry power because they remind us that effort matters. Courage matters. Showing up matters.

The person who starts a business may make mistakes. The volunteer who leads a community project may face opposition. The young person who tries out for a team may not make it. The candidate who runs for office may lose. The writer who submits an article may receive criticism.

But each one has done what the critic has not: they dared to try.

Life is not lived safely from the bleachers. It is lived in the arena, where there is dust, sweat, disappointment, hard work, and sometimes failure. Yet it also brings growth, friendship, purpose, and the quiet satisfaction of knowing you gave your best to something that mattered.

We need people in Valdosta and Lowndes County who are willing to enter the arena. We need citizens willing to mentor a child, serve on a board, attend public meetings, support local businesses, help a neighbor, volunteer for a worthy cause, and speak up when something needs improving.

None of us will do it perfectly. We will all come short from time to time. But a mistake made while trying to serve is far more honorable than a perfect opinion offered from the comfort of doing nothing.

Roosevelt’s message is not a call to recklessness. It is a call to courage. It tells us not to let fear of criticism keep us from pursuing a worthy cause.

So, when the critics begin to talk, remember this: your job is not to please everyone watching from the sidelines. Your job is to be faithful in the arena God has placed before you.

Dare greatly. Serve boldly. And never be ashamed of the dust on your face if it came from trying to make a difference.

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, appears most Saturdays in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

Columbus Day: Looking Back, Looking Forward

On Monday, October 12, our nation will observe Columbus Day. For generations, schoolchildren learned the familiar rhyme, “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” We learned about three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, and about a voyage across an ocean into waters largely unknown to Europeans.

But history, like life itself, often becomes more complicated the longer we study it.

Christopher Columbus was a skilled and determined navigator whose 1492 voyage changed the course of world history. His crossing of the Atlantic opened an era of sustained contact between Europe and the Americas. That contact ultimately changed nations, economies, cultures, and millions of lives.

Yet we also know today that the Americas were not an empty land waiting to be “discovered.” Indigenous peoples had lived throughout North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean for thousands of years. They had families, communities, governments, traditions, languages, and deeply rooted cultures long before Columbus arrived.

The encounter between the Old World and the New World brought enormous change, but not all of it was good. Indigenous peoples suffered greatly from disease, warfare, displacement, and exploitation. Recognizing those truths does not require erasing history. It requires us to understand it better.

Perhaps that is one of the great values of studying history.

History should not be a search for perfect heroes or perfect villains. Human beings rarely fit neatly into either category. History asks us to examine people in the times in which they lived, while also recognizing the consequences of their actions.

Another part of the Columbus story that I believe remains worth considering is the willingness to venture beyond the familiar.

Imagine looking across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. There were no satellites overhead, no GPS devices, no weather forecasts on a cellphone, and certainly no Coast Guard waiting nearby. The ocean was enormous, unpredictable, and dangerous.

Whatever else history may say about Columbus, sailing into that uncertainty required courage.

There is a lesson there for all of us.

Most of the great accomplishments in our own lives begin when we leave the safety of the familiar. Starting a business requires taking a chance. Going back to school requires courage. Accepting a leadership position requires courage. Moving to a new community, beginning a new career, serving our country, raising a family, or simply starting over after disappointment can require us to sail into waters we have never traveled before.

We may not know exactly what is beyond the horizon.

We go anyway.

Our community here in Valdosta and Lowndes County was built by generations of people who were willing to do exactly that. Farmers planted crops without knowing what the weather would bring. Entrepreneurs opened businesses without guarantees of success. Teachers entered classrooms hoping to change lives. Veterans left their homes to serve our country. Volunteers stepped forward because they saw a need. Families worked, sacrificed, and dreamed of leaving something better for the generation that followed.

They looked toward their own horizons.

Today, Columbus Day also offers an opportunity to reflect on what America has become. We are a nation shaped by countless peoples and cultures. Our history includes exploration and immigration, triumph and tragedy, courage and injustice, progress and mistakes.

We should be mature enough as a nation to acknowledge it all.

We can recognize the historical significance of Columbus while respecting the Indigenous peoples whose ancestors were already here. We can honor courage without ignoring suffering. We can appreciate our nation’s accomplishments while learning from its failures.

Those ideas do not have to be enemies.

In fact, perhaps one of the best ways to honor history is to learn enough of it to understand that there is usually more than one story worth hearing.

So this Columbus Day, I hope we will do more than enjoy a day away from work, check the mailbox, and wonder why the bank is closed.

I hope we will think about courage.

I hope we will think about history.

I hope we will think about the people who came before us, including those whose stories were sometimes overlooked.

And perhaps most importantly, I hope we will think about our own horizon.

Every generation eventually reaches a shoreline and must decide whether to remain where it is comfortable or venture toward something better.

The ships are different today. The oceans are different. But the question remains remarkably similar:

What might be waiting for us beyond the horizon, and do we have the courage to find out?

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, usually appears on Saturdays in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.

09/26/2026

Leave Valdosta Better Than You Found It

There is a simple question each of us ought to ask from time to time: “What am I doing to leave Valdosta better than I found it?”

We all have opinions about our community. We talk about the roads, the schools, public safety, growth, taxes, businesses, neighborhoods, and the direction of our city and county. Those conversations matter. But at some point, good citizenship requires more than an opinion. It requires participation.

Leaving Valdosta better does not always mean doing something grand. Often, it begins with small acts done faithfully.

Pick up the litter you see in a parking lot, along a sidewalk, or near your home. It may seem small, but a clean neighborhood shows people someone cares. Support a local charity, rescue organization, church ministry, school program, or civic group. Our community's needs are real, and many good people are working hard to meet them.

Check on an older neighbor. Welcome a newcomer. Offer to help someone with groceries, yard work, a ride to an appointment, or a difficult task. A person may be carrying a burden we cannot see, and a little kindness can make a mighty difference.

We also need men and women willing to mentor children and young adults. A young person does not need us to be perfect. They need us to be present. They need encouragement, guidance, and somebody willing to say, “I believe you can do something worthwhile with your life.”

Attend a city council meeting, a county commission meeting, or a school board meeting once in a while. Learn how decisions are made. Listen respectfully. Ask thoughtful questions. Vote. Civic responsibility is not something we should turn on only when we are upset. It is a habit of staying informed and being involved.

Our community will never improve simply because we complain louder. It improves when ordinary people decide to become part of the solution.

Valdosta is blessed with generous people, hardworking businesses, dedicated public servants, strong churches, caring teachers, and volunteers who give their time without expecting applause. Still, there is always room for one more person to lend a hand.

You do not have to solve every problem in Lowndes County. None of us can. But each of us can solve one small problem, help one person, support one worthy cause, or make one corner of this community a little brighter.

That is how a good city becomes a great one.

When we leave a place better than we found it, we are saying that the people who come after us matter. We are saying that our children and grandchildren deserve clean streets, safe neighborhoods, strong schools, and a community where neighbors look after one another.

Let us not wait for somebody else to do it.

Let us be the somebody.

Let us leave Valdosta better than we found it.

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, appears every Saturday in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.

09/05/2026

Labor Day: A Salute to the People Who Keep America Working

Every morning, long before many of us have poured our first cup of coffee, somebody in Valdosta and Lowndes County is already at work.

A nurse is checking on a patient. A police officer is finishing the night shift. A firefighter is waiting for an alarm that everyone hopes will never come. A truck driver is moving freight down Interstate 75. A farmer is checking equipment, crops, or livestock. Someone is preparing breakfast at a restaurant. A custodian is cleaning a building. A teacher is getting ready for a classroom full of students. Somewhere, a small-business owner is unlocking the front door and wondering what challenges the day will bring.

That is what Labor Day is really about.

We sometimes think of Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. It means cookouts, family gatherings, football and perhaps one last trip before fall settles in. For many Americans, it is simply a welcome three-day weekend.

But Labor Day deserves something more from us.

It deserves our gratitude.

Working People built America

Labor Day has been celebrated nationally since 1894, when President Grover Cleveland signed legislation making the first Monday in September a federal holiday.

The holiday grew out of the American labor movement and the struggle of working men and women for better wages, reasonable hours and safer working conditions. Those improvements did not happen overnight, and they did not happen without sacrifice.

Whatever our occupation, political philosophy or economic circumstances, there is something fundamental upon which we can agree: work has dignity.

There is dignity in building a house.

There is dignity in teaching a child.

There is dignity in repairing an automobile, caring for an older adult, stocking a grocery store, driving a delivery truck, serving a meal, answering an emergency call, or operating a business.

The paycheck may be different. The uniform may be different. The education required may be different. But honest work deserves respect.

Look Around Valdosta and Lowndes County

We do not have to travel far to see the importance of labor.

Look around our community.

Think about the thousands of people who keep South Georgia Medical Center operating around the clock. Doctors may receive much of the attention, but a hospital also depends upon nurses, technicians, therapists, pharmacists, food-service employees, maintenance workers, housekeepers, security personnel and countless others.

Think about our teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and administrators who educate and care for our children.

Think about our law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and 911 dispatchers who go to work knowing that an ordinary day can suddenly become anything but ordinary.

Think about the men and women at Moody Air Force Base whose service contributes not only to our national defense but also to the life and economy of our community.

Think about our farmers and agricultural workers. South Georgia understands something that much of America has forgotten: food does not originate on a grocery store shelf. Somebody has to plant it, grow it, harvest it, process it, transport it, and sell it.

And think about the thousands of people employed by the small businesses of Valdosta and Lowndes County.

Every locally owned restaurant, repair shop, law office, retail store, construction company and service business represents somebody’s dream, investment and hard work.

Behind every “OPEN” sign is a story.

The People We Sometimes Don’t See

Labor Day should especially remind us of people whose work becomes almost invisible precisely because they do it so reliably.

We notice the garbage collector when the garbage isn’t collected.

We notice the power company when the electricity goes out.

We notice the plumber when the water stops flowing.

We notice the truck driver when the shelves are empty.

We notice the custodian when something isn’t clean.

We notice the restaurant worker when the service is slow.

Perhaps Labor Day is a good occasion to notice these people when everything is going right.

A community does not function because of one important person at the top. It functions because thousands of people perform thousands of jobs, day after day, many without applause or recognition.

There is an important lesson in that.

No honest job is beneath our respect.

Work Is About More Than Money

Certainly, we work because we need to earn a living. Mortgages, rent, groceries, utilities, and automobile payments do not pay themselves.

But meaningful work can give us something beyond a paycheck.

It can give us purpose.

Work allows us to contribute. It allows us to develop skills. It gives us opportunities to solve problems, serve others, and become part of something larger than ourselves.

I spent many years as an educator and attorney, and one lesson became increasingly clear to me: success is seldom the product of one spectacular moment. More often, it is the result of ordinary effort repeated over a long period of time.

Show up.

Do your job.

Keep your word.

Treat people fairly.

Learn from your mistakes.

Then come back tomorrow and do it again.

There is nothing glamorous about that formula, but it has built a great many successful lives.

A Simple Thank You

This Labor Day, perhaps we can do something besides enjoying the day off.

We can thank someone who is working.

Thank the person behind the counter.

Thank the server who brings your meal.

Thank the cashier at the grocery store.

Thank the first responder.

Thank the person who delivers your package.

Thank the person who repairs your air conditioner during a South Georgia summer. That individual may deserve an especially enthusiastic thank-you!

And if you are an employer, Labor Day is an excellent opportunity to remember something important: employees are not simply numbers on a payroll. They are people with families, ambitions, worries and dreams. A sincere word of appreciation costs very little and can mean a great deal.

The Hands That Keep America Moving

America has always celebrated great leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs and visionaries. We should.

But behind almost every great accomplishment are ordinary people doing extraordinary amounts of ordinary work.

They built our roads.

They constructed our homes.

They taught our children.

They harvested our food.

They cared for our sick.

They defended our country.

They opened businesses, punched time clocks, worked overtime, raised families, and came back the next morning to do it all over again.

That story continues every day right here in Valdosta and Lowndes County.

So, this Labor Day, enjoy the barbecue. Enjoy the football. Enjoy the extra day with family and friends.

But somewhere between the hamburgers and the holiday sales, remember why we have this holiday.

Labor Day is a celebration of the dignity of work and the people who do it.

To everyone who gets up in the morning, puts on the uniform, opens the business, enters the classroom, climbs into the truck, reports for the shift, tends the farm, cares for a patient or does an honest day’s work:

Thank you.

You may never have your name on a building. You may never receive a trophy. You may never make the front page of the newspaper.

But you are helping keep Valdosta, Lowndes County and America moving forward.

And that is something worth celebrating.

Happy Labor Day.

Burton Fletcher, JD, MBA, appears every Saturday in the Valdosta Daily Times. A retired attorney, professor, and active community volunteer, he frequently writes about life, leadership, faith, and service in South Georgia. To reach Burton, you can email him at [email protected] or [email protected], or send a text to 229.560.8180.