7 minute read
Susannah O. MacKay
Bridging The Gap to Volunteers
BY SUSANNAH O. MACKAY
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The events of the last few years have touched every member of our community. From isolation and loneliness to job loss and hunger, we have all come through this difficult time in need of encouragement and support. There is one answer to this challenge that can strengthen everyone: service. The simple act of serving helps those in need, and heals those who serve. There is something each of us can do, individually or with our families, clubs or faith-based organizations. But, sometimes, it’s hard to know how to get started. If you’re looking for service opportunities in our area, JustServe.org is a free nationwide website and app that works to match volunteers with nonprofit organizations.
The goal of JustServe is to unify and strengthen communities, and the tool’s popularity recently has grown in the metro Atlanta area. By providing organizations with another resource for recruiting volunteers, and allowing volunteers an easy way to identify opportunities, JustServe is helping communities pull together and meet needs where they are happening.
In our area, JustServe has partnered with nonprofits including MUST Ministries, Simple Needs Georgia (SNGA) and more.
“MUST Ministries is so grateful for the JustServe platform, which helps us find amazing volunteers to serve our neighbors in need,” said Angel Radford, MUST Ministries’ director of volunteer services. “We can always depend on the JustServe volunteers to come with a servant’s heart and work hard. We love being able to partner with them to advance the work in our community.”
A partnership with Aroundabout Local Media will showcase different service opportunities monthly. If you run a nonprofit or are looking for ways to make service a regular part of your life, check out JustServe.org. You can sign up for regular updates and learn more about nearby organizations, too. JustServe makes it easy to just go out and serve.
Susannah MacKay is a local JustServe specialist. She grew up in Marietta and loves helping strengthen her community through service! Follow her on Facebook @JustServeGeorgia. 1. MUST Ministries Mobile Pantry. The MUST Ministries Mobile Pantry bus visits locations throughout Cherokee and Cobb counties for pop-up food pantries. Volunteers, ages 12 and older, meet the bus at the location and help set up the pantry, assist clients with food needs, and tear down the pantry at the end of the event. https://bit. ly/3djfE5K.
2. Simple Needs Georgia Comfort Kits. When new guests arrive in local homeless shelters, they often do not have much with them. To help them feel more comfortable, SNGA provides them with a duffel bag containing toiletries and other items they will need during their stay. You can help by purchasing items, donating money toward the project or putting the bags together. https://bit.ly/3doampn.
A LITTLE HELP
A BIG DIFFERENCE
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Where Chiropractic Care is Personal
Medical Knowledge, Sports Experience are Foundation of Canton’s DT Chiropractic
Dr. Daniel Turner treats patients who visit him at DT Chiropractic with knowledge he learned from his undergraduate degree in neurobiology from the University of California, his doctorate of chiropractic from Southern California University of Health Sciences, and experience helping amateur and professional athletes. His newest focus is helping people injured in automobile accidents in the personal injury field.
With such an extensive background, Dr. Turner does things a bit differently. He believes his office should be patient-focused rather than centered on the bottom-line. It is his mission to never sell patients wellness packages (a bundle of several appointments paid for at one time), or products or treatments that can be costly, and often unnecessary. The goal is to take things one day at a time, one visit at a time, treating the cause of symptoms for the quickest, most natural recovery possible.
“There is no way to know how anyone will respond to treatment,” he said. “It may take only one treatment before they feel better. We do not believe in selling someone a treatment plan of 20-30-plus visits. If they want to come in often, we will absolutely do that, but we don’t want our patients to come to us because they have to, we want them to come to us because they want to.
“I believe that if I take great care of my patients, helping them to feel their best, they will continue to come back to us for the right reasons. And that way of practicing has served us well and helped us to grow in a way we are proud of.”
DT Chiropractic accepts cash, credit cards and most insurance plans; many insurance companies allow for chiropractic treatments.
Doctors Ryan Petrini and Daniel Turner. PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL PEYTON
Growth Brings Positive Additions
As his practice has grown, Dr. Turner has added staff members to keep up with the demand. Dr. Ryan Petrini joined the practice recently
is Personal
as an associate. The Vermont native, and graduate of Life University in Marietta, has made a seamless transition to the practice. “He fits in perfectly, and the patients love him,” Dr. Turner said.
Dr. Petrini enjoys performing manual muscle work and exploring just how much the body is connected.
Lorena Reveles Cuevas has been a valuable addition to the team, with her dedication, knowledge and bilingual abilities. Originally from Mexico, Lorena has been a Canton local most of her life. “She gets the job done and definitely helps truly make this a Spanish-speaking office,” Dr. Turner said.
Dr. Turner’s wife, Rhiannon, is the social media guru and personal injury marketer. She has a background in marketing and pushes the growth of the practice behind the scenes. Her connections with personal injury attorneys and doctors throughout the metro Atlanta area have proven invaluable to the growth of DT Chiropractic.
A Twist in His Story
Dr. Turner didn’t follow the traditional path to becoming a chiropractor. In fact, the California native’s career plan was to become an orthopedic surgeon, following in his father’s footsteps.
“I grew up disliking chiropractors and thought the profession was a sham,” he said.
That changed when Dr. Turner was injured when he was a professional MMA fighter. The care he received from a chiropractor changed his views. The chiropractor took his time with Dr. Turner, and helped improve his injuries instead of merely prescribing pain medicine to mask the injuries.
After that experience, Dr. Turner enrolled in chiropractic school at Southern California University of Health Sciences. He started his first practice in 2009, and he has worked with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the Los Angeles Kings, and many gold medal Olympic athletes. DT Chiropractic opened in Canton in 2014.
From left, Rhiannon Turner, Lorena Reveles Cuevas, Dr. Ryan Petrini and Dr. Daniel Turner.
Making Plans for The Future
When he moved to Canton, Dr. Turner bought the 16-year-old practice of retired chiropractor Dr. Scott Starrett. Since, the number of patients has doubled year after year, a blessing Dr. Turner attributes to his patients who refer family and friends for care.
“I take pride in living in Canton. I have never felt connected to a city the way that I do here. I want to be the go-to chiropractor for this area, and earn the title of “Your Canton Chiropractor” year after year. I want you to be a patient for life,” he said. While he loves his hometown wholeheartedly, he plans to expand his practice to surrounding areas, extending care to more North Georgians.
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Patients are Saying
“I am a group fitness instructor, and I have to stay active and mobile. Recently, I pulled some muscles and my hips locked up causing terrible pain, and I was unable to teach. [Asked on social media] for recommendations for a chiropractor and approximately 75% of the replies were Dr. Dan, including my former chiropractor who had moved out of our area. I am so thankful because the staff is so caring, and he is definitely the best chiropractor around!” – Elizabeth S.
Krystia, who sought medical help before her chiropractic visit, describes how Dr. Dan helped resolve pain in her hand. “I went to my chiropractor, Dan, for an adjustment. Ryan worked the muscles in my shoulder, neck and hand before my adjustment. Both of them were super attentive to what was going on, and apparently knew exactly what to do. Now I have full mobility, no pain, no stiffness, and the swelling is almost completely gone. There’s a reason DT Chiropractic was voted the best in Canton. Dan is honest, downto-earth, and he doesn’t try to sell you anything. He once told me I could buy a foam roller cheaper on Amazon than what he had in his office. His staff (shout out to Lorena) has the best energy, too.” --Krystia Granger Sparks
