February 2013
Volume 2, Issue 8
40
30
Features 20 Readers’ Choice
Vote for your favorite local businesses.
30 Tournament of Roses
36 & 37 On the Cover DK College Consultants. Janice
Kloess and Carol Doherty. Photo by Dan Carmody, Studio 7 Photography.
Jewel and Arvel Buck will celebrate 72 years of marriage in 2013.
Around Walton.......................... 6 Celebrations............................ 12 Community Calendar............... 26 Everyday Angels...................... 48 Houses of Worship.................. 60
34 Working in China
Clubs & Organizations.............. 62
School Information.................. 64
Local Architect Arthur Nerbas’ career takes an adventurous turn.
38 Downsizing A digital version of the magazine, along with information on how to contact us, submit a story or photo, or advertise is available at www.aroundaboutwalton.com.
In Every Issue
Reflecting on an empty nest.
40 Gwinnett Gladiators
Just a short drive to find fast-paced, exciting and affordable family fun.
Recent Home Sales.................. 65 Community Numbers.............. 66 Walton Community Map......... 67 Humane Society...................... 69 Elected Officials....................... 70 Advertiser Directory................ 72
Contributing Writers
Joan Steigerwald is the Market Manager for Around Walton. For information on advertising, she can be reached at (770) 615-3311 or joan@ aroundaboutlocalmedia.com. 2
Around WALTON | February 2013
Judson Adamson.............................19 Claudia Aguirre................................58 Peter Allen......................................47 Mary-Kathryn Boler.........................24 Nora Borne......................................28 Dr. Cristi Cheek................................42 Ben Clark.........................................18 Dr. Justin Fierro ...............................43 Lindsay Greene................................40 Sen. Judson Hill...............................14 Jennifer Jarosick..............................24 Linda & Kevin Keeton......................23 Kara Kiefer.......................................33
Lynne Lysaght............................ 30, 34 Barbara Donnelly Lane ....................38 Lisa Malice......................................46 Olivia Malice ..................................52 Zett Quinn.......................................22 Dr. Chris Rechter .............................43 Dawn Reed......................................17 Doug Rohan.....................................16 Dr. Jamie Rollins..............................44 Margot Swann.................................32 Scott Sweeney.................................56 Bryant Wright..................................59
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Community
Around Walton
Our Community Board
Your Community, Your Magazine in East Cobb
Publisher
Doug Rohan — Doug is a bi-lingual attorney and owner of Rohan Law, PC. Doug can be reached at doug@ rohanlawpc.com.
AroundAbout Local Media, Inc.
Executive Editor
Kara Kiefer kara@aroundaboutmagazines.com, (770) 615-3309
Title Editor
Dr. Cristi Cheek — Cristi is a dentist and owner of Cristi Y. Cheek, D.M.D., P.C. Dr. Cheek can be reached at dr.cheek@cheekdental.com.
Lynne Lysaght lynne@aroundaboutmagazines.com, (770) 615-3306
Market Manager
Joan Steigerwald joan@aroundaboutlocalmedia.com, (770) 615-3311
Caroline Whaley — Caroline is the past President of the Junior League of Cobb-Marietta and serves on the boards of five nonprofit organizations. Caroline can be reached at caroline.whaley@gmail. com. Judy McNeill — Judy is the Principal at Walton High School. Judy can be reached at (770) 578-3225, x229.
Art Director
Michelle McCulloch michelle@aroundaboutmagazines.com, (770) 615-3307
Digital Marketing Director
James Ball james@aroundaboutmagazines.com, (770) 615-3310 Around Walton is a publication of AroundAbout Local Media, Inc., a monthly community magazine. The magazine’s goal is to build a sense of community and pride in the Walton area by providing its residents with positive stories and timely information. It is distributed free by mail to approximately 14,900 homes and businesses and 1,600 in racks throughout the Walton community.
Judson Adamson — Judson is a 24-year veteran of the Atlanta Real Estate Industry. Judson can be reached at (770) 240-2001.
Around Walton welcomes your comments, stories, and advertisements. The deadline is the 20th of the preceding month.
Dawn Reed — Dawn Reed is a Certified Senior Advisor and the owner of Aloha To Senior Solutions Consulting. Dawn can be reached at dawn@alohatoseniors.com.
The viewpoints of the advertisers, columnists and submissions are not necessarily those of the Editor/Publisher and the Publisher makes no claims as to the validity of any charitable organizations mentioned. Around Walton is not responsible for errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Publisher.
Mary Stephens — Mary currently serves as Media Director for Right From The Heart Ministries. Mary can be reached at (678) 388-1862. Zett Quinn — Zett is the owner and founder of Quality Craftsmen. Zett can be reached at (404) 483-7446.
Subscriptions are available for $24 per year. Send payment to the address below.
All rights reserved. © Copyright 2013. Around Walton 2449 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock, GA 30189 For Advertising Joan Steigerwald, (770) 615-3311 joan@aroundaboutlocalmedia.com Website: www.aroundaboutwalton.com Powered by TrustWorks, Inc.
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Volume 2, Issue 8
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Community
AROUND WALTON by Lynne Lysaght
Lynne is the Editor of Around Walton magazine. She lives in the Walton community with her husband Martin and their three sons Kyle, Logan and Camden.
The People, The Places and The Pleasures that make Walton
Most of us have been touched by cancer in some way, either personally dealing with the disease or having a family member or close friend affected by it. The American Cancer Society is launching a new research study called Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). The Walton community has the opportunity to help save lives by participating in this study. The study is open to anyone in the United States and Puerto Rico who is willing to commit for the long run, which means completing periodic follow-up surveys at home for the next 20-30 years. To be eligible, you must be between 30 and 65 and have never been diagnosed with cancer (not including basal or squamous cell skin cancer).
To enroll in the study, there is a two-step process. The first step will take place at a local enrollment center. The participant will read and sign an informed consent form, complete a brief written survey, have his or her waist measured and have a small blood sample taken by a certified, trained phlebotomist. The second step will be completing a more detailed survey at home that will ask about lifestyle and other factors related to health. Then, periodically, participants will receive a survey to update the information. There will be enrollment centers at YMCAs and other locations in early March. To learn more about dates and to schedule an appointment, visit www. cps3atlanta.org or call toll free 1-888-604-5888. If you are eligible to participate, I hope you will consider it. If you are not eligible, please share this information with someone else who might be able to participate in this study.
What’s New? Batteries Plus has opened in the Providence Square Shopping Center at 4101 Roswell Road. Customers can get batteries for a laptop, cell phone, power tool, digital camera, motorcycle, alarm/security system and any other device. The store also carries incandescent and energy-efficient lighting products for your car, ceiling fan, microwave, garage door opener and more. There are on-site tech center services, such as free car battery testing, battery installation and recycling options. For more information, visit www.batteriesplus.com and download a Battery & Light Bulb Checklist to save ten percent on your next visit. The store phone number is (678) 539-6761. Parkaire Fitness, a new personal training facility, opened at 4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 40, in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center. Services available include personal training, guaranteed results fitness plans, nutritional plans and 6
Around WALTON | February 2013
more. There are no contracts or memberships. For more information, call (678) 638-9150 or visit parkairefitness.com. Coupons for a free session or for a 20 percent discount on a training package are available on the website. Valenti’s family style Italian restaurant is open in Paper Mill Village at 255 Village Parkway, Suite 330, the former location of Caffe Fortunato. The restaurant serves platters of homestyle antipasto, pasta, seafood and meat entrees, and homemade desserts meant for sharing with friends and family. Valenti’s has a large dining room, a special family table for up to 20 people, a private bar area and patio. For more information and to see a menu, visit valentifamilydining.com or call (770) 951-1394. This month in Around Walton, we are introducing a new reference page with Recent Home Sales in our community. It includes information on the list price, the actual sales price and the number of days on the market. This information is provided by our advertiser Lynne Davis of TheGo2Team with Atlanta Communities Real Estate. Look for it on page 65.
What’s Moved? HealthQuest Chiropractic Center, P.C. has moved to a new location at 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite D-100. Dr. Christopher Rechter, Dr. Justin Fierro and staff will continue to provide chiropractic care and therapies, exercise and rehabilitation instruction, massage therapy, kinesiotaping, nutritional counseling and supplementation, food and chemical sensitivity testing, antioxidant testing and more. For more information or to make an appointment, call (770) 5093400 or visit healthquestchiro.com.
What’s Closed? The School Box, located in the Woodlawn Shopping Center at 1205 Johnson Ferry Road, has closed. The School Box has locations nearby at Town Center, North Point and Perimeter. For more information, visit www.schoolbox.com. The Rhinoceros Boutique, located in Merchant’s Walk at 1311 Johnson Ferry Road, has closed.
Summer Camp & Scouting Features coming next month and we need your input! Send your submissions to lynne@AroundAboutMagazines.com The March issue deadline is February 20.
NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE: ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN
Second Honeymoons
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute is proud to have helped so many survive cancer. Northside diagnoses and treats more breast, gynecologic and prostate cancers than any other hospital in Georgia. Northside also has the best survival outcomes of any hospital in the nation for bone marrow transplants. And Northside
is the only hospital in metro Atlanta chosen by the National Cancer Institute as a Community Cancer Center, giving you access the latest cancer research and treatments. Cancer is a long journey. For thousands of survivors, Northside is where it begins.
Where the Extraordinary Happens Every Day
CANCER INSTITUTE Around WALTON | February 2013
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Community
What’s Happening in Walton... Circle for Children Annual Ball Ball Chair Kim Sherk announced that the theme for the annual Circle for Children ball will be “Havana Nights! A Caribbean Casino!” The event will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight on March 16 at Atlanta Country Club. The fundraiser will be an evening of music and dancing to the Latin beats of the group About Time for Jazz. There will be a casino and silent and live auction, which will be hosted by B98.5 morning radio show host Kelly Stevens. The Circle for Children is one of Atlanta’s oldest charitable organizations. It gives aid and encouragement to promote the education and welfare of children throughout Metropolitan Atlanta as well as the state of Georgia. Now in its 85th year, The Circle has raised millions of dollars to benefit Georgia’s children. This year’s financial efforts will be directed to The Center for Children and Young Adults, recently recognized by the state as “Outstanding Agency of the Year” for 2012. The Center provides homes for children who have been abused, neglected and/or abandoned by their caregivers, and more than $500,000 has already been raised by Circle members for the Center. Kim said, “We welcome not only Circle members but the entire Atlanta community to join us in this tropical celebration!” The Circle for Children is a 501(c)3 corporation. For ticket or sponsorship information, please visit www.thecircleforchildren.org.
Left to right: Shellee Spagnoletto, The Circle for Children President and Kim Sherk, Ball Chairman. 8
Around WALTON | February 2013
Special Concert for Sensory Sensitive Children and Teens Act3 Productions in Sandy Springs co-hosted a special concert for children and teens who are sensory sensitive. The concert was part of a new partnership between Star 94 radio, the Songs for Kids Foundation and the Sensory Friendly Foundation, and featured low lighting and low volume. “Children with sensory issues have over or under-developed sensory processing,” said Wendy Blumenthal, Ph.D., child psychologist, Walton community resident and founder of the Sensory Friendly Foundation. “A specific problem for many with sensory issues is the loud, synthesized noises generated at musical concerts,” Blumenthal continued. “Exposure to this type of music is extremely stressful and can be physically painful.” Cindy and Jimmy from Star 94 Mornings served as emcees for the concert, a closed, invitation-only event. The goal was to allow these children and teens to have a positive experience at a rock concert. The children were singing along, making requests and dancing. Musicians were provided by the Songs for Kids Foundation, which uses music to enrich the lives of children suffering from illness or hardship. The foundation brings music to children’s hospitals and special needs camps through live interactive concerts, hospital bedside performances and a songwriting and recording program. “Sharing the arts with children has always been an important goal for Act3 Productions,” said Patti Mactas, Founder and Artistic Director. Act3 Productions is an award-winning, professional-level community theater providing a full season of Broadway musicals, dramas, new works and improvisational shows. The Act3 Arts Academy, the company’s youth division, offers a wide range of classes, workshops, camps and performance opportunities for young performers of all ages. For more information, visit www. act3productions.org.
Children sing and enjoy the special concert held for sensory sensitive at Act3 Productions.
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Community
What’s Happening in Walton... Two Free Tax Preparation Assistance Programs Available Atlanta Prosperity Campaign
Free tax preparation services are available locally to households earning less than $49,000 a year through the Atlanta Prosperity Campaign. The program uses IRS-certified volunteers and has three locations in Cobb County. Those participating must bring documents, including the previous year’s tax returns and current W-2s, and proper identification. To locate a site near you or get more information about the program, visit atlantaprosperity.org.
AARP Tax-Aide
AARP Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest free, volunteer run tax preparation and assistance service offered to taxpayers with low to middle income, with special attention given to seniors. Taxes will be prepared by IRS trained tax counselors. The preparation is free and confidential with no appointments needed and electronic filing available. There are ten locations throughout Cobb County, with five in East Cobb. The tax filer must bring 2011 tax return, 2012 tax documentation and social security cards or other identification for all dependents and themselves. For direct deposit refunds, the taxpayer must have their checkbook, a valid blank check or cancelled check. Visit www.aarp.org/taxaide for information on locations, days of operation and times.
Cobb Chamber Seeks Nominations for Leadership Cobb Leadership Cobb, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s premier leadership development program, is seeking nominations for members of the 2013-2014 class. Class members will be selected from business, industry, education, government and other professions, as well as from volunteer, civic and religious organizations. Leadership Cobb program days combine lectures and dialogue with speakers, as well as class member interaction with leaders representing all facets of the Cobb community. Nominees should be able to assume increased community responsibilities, as the program demands significant time and effort for ten consecutive months. Attendance is mandatory for all regularly scheduled events, one day per month, plus two-day retreats in the fall and spring and periodic evening sessions. The program begins fall 2013 and runs through spring 2014. The program, which is in its 30th year, provides a learning environment that enhances personal and professional growth to benefit the community and the region. The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 22. Fill out a nomination form online at www.cobbchamber.org or contact Leadership Programs Director Michele Bickerstaff at (770) 763-429
Free Workshops Upcoming On Gardening Topics The Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County host free monthly programs on the second Friday of each month. Upcoming Lunch and Learn dates are February 8, March 8 and April 12. People are encouraged to bring their lunches and enjoy the hour-long presentations at Cobb Water Lab, 660 S. Cobb Drive, Marietta. The Master Gardeners also host “Gardeners’ Night Out Spring 2013,” an evening series of monthly programs on gardening. Dates in the series include February 12, March 13 and April 9 at various local libraries with various topics. For more information, visit cobbmastergardeners.org.
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Around WALTON | February 2013
Tracey Atwater of the WellStar Foundation and Greg Teague of Croy Engineering, LLC will be co-chairs for the 2013-2014 Leadership Cobb program.
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Community
Happy Birthday!
Noelle Outz Age 16 on December 16 Happy Birthday Noelle! Love, Mom, Dad, Katie and Colin
Trevor Goldenberg Age 8 on February 24 Happy Birthday! Love, Mommy and Daddy
Emma Borne Age 19 on February 14 Happy Birthday! We love you! Joanie, Matthew and Anna
Anna Schad Age 11 on February 14 Happy Birthday, Sweet Anna Love, Mom, Dad, Jack, EllieGrace and Daisy
Linda Davis Shelby Holihan Celebrating January 2 Age 11 on February 7 Happy Birthday! From your Happy Birthday Shelby! Legends family We love you, Mom, Dad and Gigi
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Sreenya Audireddy Age 4 on February 3 Happy Birthday Sreenya! Love, Mom, Dad and Sreeja
Jared Brown Age 8 on January 11 Happy Birthday to an awesome boy! Love, Mommy, Daddy and Ainsley
Chandler Williams Age 6 on February 12 Happy Birthday to our sweet boy! Lots of Love, Mommy, Daddy, Ansley and Hannah
Maryn Rhea Age 9 on January 28 Happy Birthday! Love, Mom, Dad, Lawson and Mia
Darrell Borne Celebrating February 10 Happy Birthday young man! Joanie
Leigh Ann Buice Celebrating February 17 Happy Birthday! From your Legends family
Lawson Rhea Age 6 on February 3 Happy Birthday! Love, Mom, Dad, Maryn and Mia
Greg Cavellier Celebrating on February 12 Happy Birthday!
Anat Levi Maggie Jones Celebrating 40 years Age 10 on February 10 on February 8 Happy 10th Birthday, Happy Birthday! Thank you Maggie! for being a wonderful We love you, Mom, wife and mother. Dad, Simon and Wish you the best. Love, June Bug Noya, Roei and Rafi Levi
Luke Katz Age 7 on February 21 Happy 7th Birthday Luke! Love, Mommy, Daddy and Lucky
Andy Aaronson Age 50 on February 14 Happy 50th Birthday! Love, Julie, Jordan and Adam
Hailey Tant (left) Age 17 on February 15 Hannah Tant Age 14 on February 1 Happy Birthday to our sweet girls! We love you! Mom and Dad
Birth
Anniversary
Christian Keeton Age 10 on February 26 Happy 10th Birthday Christian! Love, Mom, Dad and Matthew
Robert Shapiro Age 50 on February 18 Happy 50th Birthday! Love, Illicia, Carley, Sammi and Aaron
Sutton Matthew Wanek Born December 10, 2012 Welcomed with love by Dave, Colleen and big brother Robbie
Ed and Nancy Lauduskie Celebrating 45 years on February 23 Congratulations and Happy Anniversary!
Wedding, Birthday and Anniversary Announcements are Free! E-mail photo and caption to: lynne@aroundaboutmagazines.com. March deadline is February 20.
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Community
Georgia’s Responsibility Should Not Contribute to Illinois’ Emergency by Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta)
Sen. Judson Hill serves as the newly appointed Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee as well as the Chairman of both the Cobb and Fulton County Legislative Delegations. He represents the 32nd Senate District, which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at (404) 656-0150 or by email at judson.hill@ senate.ga.gov.
While we would all love to be able to purchase flat screen TVs, all-inclusive vacations and new cars and flashy clothes on a whim, I know many of my constituents pass up or strategically wait to buy these fun things in order to stay within their household budget. We all make sacrifices and say “no,” even when it’s as easy as pulling a plastic card out of our wallets. Now, imagine making these same sacrifices while living next door to a neighbor who indulges in all of these purchases regularly, and you can see the unpaid bills piling up in their mailbox. What would you do if one day this neighbor came to your front door and asked you to pay for all of these items because he or she can’t afford to pay those bills?
Shockingly, this is a scenario similar to a proposed federal bailout for irresponsible states. Georgia is one of just a few states that is constitutionally mandated to balance its budget each year, and as a result, operates within its means, just like you and me. Unfortunately, not all states share our commitment to fiscal responsibility, and one state is asking for Georgia’s money to bail them out of the mess they created. In the fall of 2012, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed a federal bailout as one potential measure to fix the state’s seemingly insurmountable debt. Currently, Illinois directly owes more than $30 billion on top of their unpaid bills. The state’s credit rating is the worst of any state in America, and although state health and pension obligations total over $140 billion, funds are available for less than 60 percent of this amount. Why would Georgia want to help a state that has been so careless with their finances when it has taken great measures to ensure a stable
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Why would Georgia want to help a state that has been so careless with their finances when it has taken great measures to ensure a stable financial outlook? financial outlook? While I don’t foresee our state jumping to the rescue any time soon, we must be wary of any proposed legislation that would require us to contribute to any other state’s potential bailout—especially a state that is on track to spend more on state pensions than education by 2016. Any legislation providing for a state bailout is certain to set a new precedent, and it’s a precedent we don’t want. If such legislation actually made it through Congress, it would not only bring similar requests from other struggling states but would also cause a significant drain on Georgia’s resources. Although Georgia’s finances are stable, our elected officials and state agencies have to work incredibly hard to make sure we don’t spend beyond our means. In fact, with the difficult economic times over the past few years, we are once again faced with budget cuts and year-to-year challenges balancing our own state budget, which we have always done. I am pleased to see that several members of Congress are already standing up to oppose using taxpayers’ dollars to cover for Illinois’ mistakes. The “No Pension Bailout” campaign is recruiting Congressional delegates to join in the effort to stop Congress from pursuing legislation to rescue states with failing municipal and state pension plans. Georgia’s diligent state government does its part to protect itself from irresponsible financial operations, and our state’s hardworking citizens make many sacrifices to live within their means. We should not have to bail out those who won’t do the same.
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Community
Parking Lots and the Law by Douglas B. Rohan, Esq. ROHAN LAW, PC With three children, my wife and I have always placed a high priority on teaching our kids the dangers of traffic. The danger to pedestrians appears to be most acute in front of grocery stores at our local shopping centers.
Doug Rohan lives in the Walton community with his wife, Julia, and three daughters. He is a bi-lingual attorney and owner of Rohan Law, PC specializing in auto accidents, workplace injuries and criminal defense. He is a member of the Around Walton Community Board. You can email him at doug@ rohanlawpc.com.
Metro Atlanta consistently ranks in the top ten of the most dangerous cities in the country for pedestrians. Going to the store with young children can be challenging, and keeping control of your children in a parking lot is essential, but sometimes it’s an impossible task. As a driver, there is a substantial duty of care. So what is the law, and what are your responsibilities as a parent or as a driver?
As a general rule, pedestrians are obligated to observe traffic control devices as well as specific pedestrian control devices under O.C.G.A. §406-90. This is common sense out on the roadway, but what about the parking lot situations described above? Georgia law addresses the areas immediately outside the doors of grocery stores: “The driver of a vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within a crosswalk…” O.C.G.A. §40-6-91. Subsection (d) covers a situation that I have personally observed within the last 12 months. “Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk, the driver of any
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other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.” So if the person in front of you has nowhere special to be and is letting 30 people cross in front of him, your only option is to back up and go a different way. If a pedestrian encounters a car at any point other than the marked crosswalk, the pedestrian shall yield the right of way, unless the pedestrian, under safe conditions, has already entered the roadway, according to O.C.G.A. §40-6-92(a). This is not a carte blanche for pedestrians to try to beat cars out into traffic, for both legal and practical purposes. In a legal sense, Georgia law specifically prohibits the practice of crossing a road between intersections (jaywalking) where safe crosswalks are reasonably available, and simply establishing position in the roadway does not protect you. And of course, from a practical sense, once you are pinned under a car, the debate over who had position will seem quite insignificant. To go back to our central theme of the kids in the parking lot, O.C.G.A. §40-6-93 specifically calls upon drivers to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrians, and specifically mentions children, noting that a driver must “exercise proper precautions upon observing any child…” In the areas where the parking lot is not marked as a crosswalk, I believe deference will be given to the pedestrian, especially a child. For those who may want to argue that technically the parking lot is not a street and not governed by the rules of the road, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-3 specifically references shopping mall parking lots as examples as to where the “rules of the road” apply. So the next time you are in a hurry and want to make a quick exit, park at the back of the lot and walk in to the store. continued on page 68
Technology: Changing the Way We Age by Dawn Reed
Dawn Reed is the founder of Aloha To Aging, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit, which provides the Aloha Day Club (adult day respite), caregiver education, monthly Parkinson’s and caregiver support groups. She is also the owner of Aloha To Senior Solutions Consulting. She can be reached at (678) 777-7241 or at dawn@ alohatoseniors.com.
February is noted to have many themes associated with it such as President’s Day and Black History month, but were you aware it is also known as Inventors and Inventions month? When I heard this, it got me thinking about how many remarkable things have been invented over the last 200 years to make our busy lives run more efficiently. Just take a moment and consider about how much of your day is impacted by the invention of electricity, for example. From the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep, this one invention paved the way for countless other inventions that we probably feel we can’t live without. The sheer thought of not having light at night, refrigeration, hot water, or a computer is something that can seem impossible to many of us in order to survive in today’s society. With all the growing
changes in just technology alone, how will this affect us as we age? To begin, let’s take a look at medical records. These files can now be shared electronically so multiple disciplinary medical personnel can all be aware of a person’s total care plan. Medications, allergies, surgeries and diagnoses are all in a format, which medical professionals can review prior to treating a patient. Therefore medical professionals can have the most up to date and accurate medical records when visiting with a patient. There are programs that allow family caregivers to hold multiple family members’ medical records all on one drive to allow for ease of access, versus trying to find different paperwork and records for mom, dad, multiple children and grandparents. This one simple technology can ease the workload for a family caregiver, especially one caring for both children and their parents. In addition to medical records, technology is abounding in almost every in-home care aspect, especially for the aging. From the invention of sensor floor pads, which alert caregivers that someone is getting up and out of bed, to timed medication continued on page 68
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Community
Avoid Becoming a “Groundhog Day” Investor Provided by Ben L. Clark, CFP®, ChFC®, AAMS®, Edward Jones Financial Advisor
Ben Clark, CFP®, ChFC® and his wife June live in the Walton community. They have two grown daughters and six grandchildren. Ben is a seasoned financial advisor and his Edward Jones office is located at 1050 East Piedmont Road, Ste 122. You may contact him at (770) 977-4229.
For most of Groundhog Day’s history — which, according to some reports, dates back to the first celebration in 1886 or 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — it held little significance for most Americans. But that changed in 1993 with the release of the movie Groundhog Day, in which a semi-embittered meteorologist played by Bill Murray is forced to re-live the same day over and over again. He repeatedly makes poor choices until he finally learns from his mistakes and is granted the ability to move on with his life. Since the movie came out, the term “Groundhog Day” is often used to refer to a situation in which someone repeats the same mistakes. It’s a phenomenon that happens in many walks of life — including investing. So, how can you avoid becoming a “Groundhog Day” investor? Here are some suggestions:
• Don’t chase after “hot investments.” Many investors make this same mistake over and over — they hear about a “hot” investment from a friend, relative or television commentator, and they buy it. Too often, by the time they purchase this investment, it’s already cooling down. Even more importantly, it just might not be suitable for them. So instead of pursuing “hot” choices, pick those investments that are appropriate for your needs, goals and risk tolerance. • Don’t over-analyze short-term price fluctuations. Some investors check their portfolios’ performance every day, or even several times a day. But if you’re constantly evaluating how your investments are doing over short intervals, you may be tempted to make unwise decisions in response to sudden drops or jumps. You can get a good sense of the progress you’re making toward your goals by checking your portfolio once a month. • Don’t let fear and greed drive your choices. “Buy low and sell high” is the classic piece of investment advice. But too many investors only buy investments when they’re on the rise and 18
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To achieve your long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement, you need to invest early and keep investing, rather than wait for a time in your life when you may suddenly have more money ‘freed up’ for investment purposes. sell them when they’re falling. In other words, they’re doing the opposite of “buy low and sell high” — and they’re being driven by fear and greed. Keep these emotions out of your investment strategy, and you’ll help yourself greatly. • Don’t maintain unrealistic expectations. Some people consistently put off investing until “later,” figuring they can always catch up by putting away more money during their peak earning years. Don’t make that mistake. To achieve your long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement, you need to invest early and keep investing, rather than wait for a time in your life when you may suddenly have more money “freed up” for investment purposes. Also, don’t anticipate that you’ll steadily earn a good rate of return on your investments. Although the financial markets have trended up in the long term, we’ve seen many down markets that have lasted for a year or longer. Factor in these fluctuations when estimating the rate of return you’ll need to achieve your goals. For these types of calculations, you may want to work with an experienced financial professional. These and other “Groundhog Day”-type investment mistakes can be costly. But you can avoid them if you maintain a solid investment strategy, if you’ve got patience and perseverance — and if you stay focused on the longterm.
This Could be the Year for Real Estate by Judson Adamson Although challenges still remain for the housing market, 2013 could be the best year for real estate in years. There are many reasons why real estate professionals across the country feel that the housing market is finally providing us with some clarity going forward.
Judson Adamson is the President/CEO of Atlanta Communities Real Estate Brokerage serving the Walton community. He also is a member of the Around Walton Community Board. He can be reached at (770) 240-2001.
The foreclosure and short sale process has improved dramatically, and due to the extension of the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007, struggling homeowners who are considering a short sale or loan modification will be eligible for tax relief in 2013. The act was scheduled to expire December 31, 2012, but it was extended another year and excludes borrowers from paying taxes on debt forgiven through a short sale, foreclosure or loan modification.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) just announced new lending rules that lenders must use to determine if a borrower qualifies for a loan. The rules are scheduled to become effective January 10, 2014. For most borrowers, the rules put an end to interest-only mortgages, negative-amortization mortgages, balloon payments, and mortgages with loan terms that are over 30 years. The rules also state that the borrowers’ total debt cannot account for more than 43 percent of their monthly gross income. The CFPB hopes that the new lending rules will move the mortgage market towards a more sustainable, middle-ofthe-road underwriting environment and away from our current
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...2013 is predicted to be the third best on record in terms of household buying power, according to the National Association of Realtors. restrictive environment. Lenders are expected to embrace these rules because by doing so, they have a better chance of shielding themselves from lawsuits from borrowers that default on their mortgages. With 2012 clearly a record year for housing affordability conditions, 2013 is predicted to be the third best on record in terms of household buying power, according to the National Association of Realtors. New crops of buyers will probably be moving back into the housing market. The continued increase in rental rates will make homeownership more attractive to current renters. The 25-29-year-old age group, who has been affected by the weak labor market and stuck at their parents’ home or renting, should begin to see their situations improve and their home buying opportunities increase. Also, mortgage brokers report that homeowners who faced foreclosure a few years ago are now back and are increasingly wanting to buy a home again. The Federal Housing Administration allows people who have lost their home to foreclosure to purchase a home again three years following a foreclosure. This is especially important in our state because Georgia has consistently ranked in the top five in the country in the number of foreclosure actions.
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Feature
Readers’ Choice Awards It’s time to let your voice be heard! Vote for your favorite local businesses today! It’s that time of the year again! Time to vote for your favorite businesses in the East Cobb area! Please refer to the Question and Answer section below. Q: How do I vote for my favorite businesses? A: Go to www.AroundAboutWalton.com. Click on the “Readers’ Choice 2013” button. You will be directed to the online ballot. Q: How many times can I vote? A: You may vote four times from the same IP address, which allows additional members of your household to cast their votes. Q: Why are some businesses listed? What if the business I want to vote for is not listed? A: When a reader enters the name of a business as his or her selection, this selection will be added to the ballot. These selections will populate the ballot and is done strictly for the convenience of the voters and does not indicate endorsement or preference by Around Walton. Q: Do I have to vote online? A: If you don’t wish to vote online or don’t have access to the Internet, we will have paper ballots available at our office, 2449 Towne Lake Parkway. One ballot per person will be issued. Q: Are any photocopies of the ballots permitted? A: No photocopies of blank or completed paper ballots will be accepted. Q: How long do I have to vote? A: Voting will end on February 20, 5 p.m.
Look for this button:
Click Here to Vote 20
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It’s easy! Just log on to www.AroundAboutWalton.com and choose your favorites Today! Submit your votes by Wednesday, February 20 at 5 p.m.
Readers’ Choice Categories Restaurants
Electrician
Furniture Store
All-Around Restaurant
Financial Institution/Bank
Garden Center
Asian Restaurant
Hair Salon
Gift/Home Décor Store
Bakery
Home Improvement - HVAC
Grocery Store
Barbecue Place
Home Improvement - Flooring
Hardware Store
Breakfast Place
Home Improvement - Roofing
Home Improvement Store
Coffee Shop
Home Improvement - Handyman
Jeweler
Dessert Place
Insurance Agent (specify agent)
Liquor Store
Ethnic Restaurant
Lawn Care
Music Store
Fast Food Restaurant
Medical Doctor
Pet Supply Store
Fine Dining Restaurant
Nail Salon
Shoe Store
Italian Restaurant
Ophthalmologist
Specialty Foods
Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Optometrist
Sporting Goods
Lunch Place
Orthodontist
Tire Shop
Mexican Restaurant
Painter
Toy Store
New Restaurant
Pediatrician
Pizzeria
Pediatric Dentist
Seafood Restaurant
Pest Control
Recreation and Entertainment
Sports Bar
Pet Boarding
Dance Studio
Pet Groomer
Fitness/Health Club
Services
Plumber
Golf Course
Auto Repair
Photographer
Gymnastics Center
Car Wash
Physical Therapist
Carpet/Upholstery Cleaning
Tutoring
Caterer
Veterinarian
Chiropractor C.P.A.
Retailers
Day Care/Preschool
Boutique
Day Spa
Children’s Clothing
Dentist
Drug Store
Dry Cleaner
Florist
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Community
A Home for any Age by Zett Quinn
According to the AARP’s 2012 Member Opinion Survey, 70 percent of members are concerned about aging in their own homes. As we get older, some things become more challenging like climbing stairs and getting into a bathtub. Zett Quinn is the founder of Quality Craftsmen, offering more than 20 years of experience in the construction and renovation business. To learn more, visit www.qualitycraftsmen.com or contact him at (404) 483-7446.
There are some minor remodeling projects that will make your house more comfortable as you age or in case you break a leg, become ill or host grandparents. You’ll often hear these home enhancements called “universal design” or “aging in place.”
Improve access to your home with ramps, particularly at the front door and the garage entry. Ensure your front entrance is accessible to everyone, including those in wheelchairs. Add a portico or covered porch to shelter guests from inclement weather. Any steps can cause tripping. Many homes in the Walton Community built in the 1970s have recessed floors, requiring a step down. You can raise the floor, making everything one level. In addition, wider doorways will make pass-through easier for everyone. In the bathroom, install non-slip floors and a taller vanity that’s 36 inches for access without bending. Choose a “comfort height” toilet, which is two inches higher than standard. Replace all faucets with a lever style, and add a spray wand in the bathtub or shower. Bathing will be easier in a walk-in bathtub or step-less shower (without a curb to step over), and add a bench, which is both attractive and practical. Ensure the floor system is strong enough to support a new bathtub or shower, and double check that the walls will support grab bars. Handrails and grab bars are essential around the home. These can be disguised as decorative knee walls, so they won’t draw attention. All doors, drawers and cabinets should have 22
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lever-style handles, which are easier to grasp than knobs. In the kitchen, pull-out trays in pantries and cupboards provide easier access. In case you need a wheelchair, ensure everything is within reach, from light switches and faucets to kitchen counters and appliances. The main level of your home should include a full bathroom and a room that can be used as a bedroom. If not, an elevator can be added to two- and three-story homes in place of a closet. By making some minor adjustments, you can enjoy the comfort of your own home for decades to come.
Take Time for Annual Insurance Review Provided by Linda and Kevin Keeton
Linda and Kevin Keeton live in the Walton community with their two sons, Christian and Matthew. With a combined experience of over 36 years within the insurance industry, Keeton Insurance Services, Inc. is a Trusted Choice® Independent Agency specializing in property and casualty insurance. They may be reached by calling (770) 971-8900 or visiting www. keetoninsurance.com.
At least 32 million U.S. households own insurance policies that may not be right for them. A new national survey conducted for Trusted Choice® reveals that many families do not have enough protection, have too much insurance or have redundant coverage that is needlessly costing them money. It’s important to conduct an annual policy checkup, and the start of a new year is an excellent opportunity for a review. Among those homeowners who said they “significantly remodeled their homes” since 2003—including a structural change such as adding a room, porch or deck—nearly 40 percent had not updated their homeowners insurance, or weren’t sure if they had done so, to reflect the new value of their homes.
And of those owning a valuable collection, such as wine, fine art, jewelry or antiques, nearly half (47 percent) said they didn’t own special insurance coverage for the collectibles. More than four out of ten families who said they had a young driver move away from the home hadn’t updated their family’s
auto insurance coverage to reflect that change. Of those who are frequent carpool drivers to a job, school or activities with children, an alarming 85 percent hadn’t changed their liability insurance coverage to reflect the increased risk of additional passengers in the automobile. And a third of those families with a new baby, or five million households, hadn’t updated their life insurance protection. Insurance isn’t first on the minds of most consumers as they go through these changes in work and in life, but an annual review typically would uncover some coverage deficiencies. The survey found that fewer than 60 percent had performed “a comprehensive review” of all of their insurance coverage in the last two years. The survey also demonstrates a lack of understanding about property and liability risks faced by renters. Of families who rent, nearly seven in ten said they don’t have renters insurance, and another five percent weren’t sure. Landlords typically insure building structures, but not the contents or liability of individual tenants. Reviewing insurance is an important activity for families—and it doesn’t always mean buying more coverage. But the review does help you be a smart consumer and to truly understand what coverages you have, what you don’t have, and the reasons why. It sometimes means combining coverages to get the best deal. It also means examining deductibles to understand what you can afford, saving money on premiums in the long run. Take time in 2013 to have an annual insurance checkup.
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Community
The Value of a Vision
Budget Friendly Birthday Parties
by Mary-Kathryn Boler
by Jennifer Jarosick
Last week I attended three events where the topic of crafting and realizing a vision was discussed. Surprisingly, the speakers applied the concepts to a wide range of fields, including business, religion and professional athletics. Despite their different perspectives, however, the speakers shared many ideas. Mary-Kathryn Boler is the owner of Catapult Strategic Consulting, LLC (www. CatapultStrategies. com), located in the Walton area. Her proven approach to creating business strategies and action plans has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs grow their businesses faster and more profitably than they thought possible.
One definition of the word “vision” is, “a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation,” and a dream for the future is critical to progress in every aspect of life. Thoreau once said, “if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
Effective visions can help us focus intently, press on in the face of fear or adversity, and recruit others to our cause. The United Way, for example, “envisions a world where all individuals and families achieve their human potential through education, income stability and healthy lives.” It follows that without such a vision, we are lost. Could your GPS give you useful directions if you did not type in your destination? Imagine if you tried to paint a masterpiece without a vision of the finished product. You are as likely to end up with colorful ink blots as with a landscape or portrait. Similarly, in business you need to know where you are going to get there. Your vision is your ultimate destination, or the big, hairy, audacious goal for your firm, as I have heard it called. It is what the world will look like when you are wildly successful, and it is the image which should drive all actions and decisions in your organization for the next 5, 10 or 20 years. Well-crafted vision statements can be very short or a paragraph in length. For example, Mattel’s vision is, “To be the premier Toy Brands—today and tomorrow,” while Amazon’s vision is, “To be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” Your vision for your business can vary over time, especially when the economic, technological or political landscape continued on page 68
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Before staying home with her children, Jennifer was a kindergarten teacher and a kindergarten/ first grade reading teacher. She also served as co-president and board member of a local MOMS Club chapter. Jennifer and her husband Martin have four children. If you have any comments, feel free to contact Jennifer at jenniferjarosick@ gmail.com.
Children dream of it all year; they count down the days and sometimes even the hours along with plans of what they expect to happen. It’s your child’s birthday, of course! And while children hope for the best birthday ever, parents often struggle to find a way to host the perfect day at a reasonable cost. Wring those hands no more, parents! Here are four basic tips to help you plan a low budget birthday party without skimping on the fun.
First, start with the guest list; try to keep it small. The kids will spend more quality time together ,and it means less money spent on food and other party supplies. Don’t be afraid to say, “no siblings, please” in the invitation. Additional siblings can easily spike the cost of the party. Second, have the party at your home and not at a mealtime. If you do hold the party at a mealtime, have the kids cook their own food, like making personal pizzas or decorating pancakes. Third, plan a basic, low cost activity
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... have the kids cook their own food, like making personal pizzas or decorating pancakes. like a treasure hunt, obstacle course, karaoke or a game that matches the party theme; it will keep them engaged at little or no expense. My daughter and her friends laughed and played for hours on her fifth birthday with just a sprinkler and a baby pool filled with water balloons. If you want, try a simple craft, especially one that they can take home as a favor, like decorating a pillowcase with permanent markers for a slumber party or an apron with sequins if they are cooking. And fourth, when it comes to favors, try buying one small thing per child or skip them all together. All the little toys can add more to the party cost and the parents will most likely be happy to leave the party without a bag full of candy or toys destined for the garbage. So stop wringing your hands, pull on your creative caps and be ready to get a little messy, for it is party planning time. Happy birthday party planning!
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Community
EVENT CALENDAR: February 15 – 17
Divorce Survival Weekend for Women Time: February 15, 5 p.m. – February 17, 6 p.m. Information: Visions Anew Institute will be holding its 46th Divorce Survival Weekend for Women in the country. The cost for the weekend will be $575 with a $250 deposit required. There are several payment options and some limited scholarships. The deposit will immediately entitle the registrant to more than 40 free hours with divorce professionals. The weekend will feature presentations by divorce experts on a wide variety of divorce issues. For more information and to register, visit www. visionsanew.org.
February 16, 23, March 2, 9 & 16
Wine Tastings Time: 6 - 8 p.m. Location: The Gifted Ferret, 1910 Eagle Drive, Suite 400, Woodstock Information: The Gifted Ferret will have wine tastings each Saturday featuring three new wines. Reservations are recommended. Visit www. thegiftedferret.com for more information and to reserve a spot.
February 19
Town Hall Meeting with Commissioner Birrell Time: 7 – 8:30 p.m. Location: 100 Cherokee Street, 2nd floor Information: District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell will hold a town hall meeting in the Board of Commissioners meeting room. The focus of the town hall will be the upcoming car tag tax changes. Tax Commissioner Gail Downing will conduct a presentation followed by a Q & A period.
February 21
Healthy Brain Game Day Lunch ‘N Learn Time: 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Location: Catholic Church of St. Ann, 4905 Roswell Road, La Salette Hall 26
Around WALTON | February 2013
February/March
Information: Aloha to Aging will present a brain health game day lunch and learn for those 55 and older. There will be a healthy lunch served and multiple brain building games and prizes. There will be limited seating so RSVP by Tuesday, February 19 to (678) 439-1177. The cost will be $15.
February 27
East Cobb Civic Association Meeting Time: 7 p.m. Location: East Cobb Government Center, 400 Lower Roswell Road Information: The meeting will feature speaker District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell with a Q & A session for the audience and will be open to the public. The members-only, general membership meeting will follow.
February 28, March 1 & 2
WHS Drama Presents Annie Get Your Gun Times: February 28 & March 1, 7 p.m.; March 2, 2 and 7 p.m. Location: Walton High School Theatre, 1590 Bill Murdock Rd. Information: Walton High School Drama students will present the Irving Berlin musical, Annie Get Your Gun. Tickets will be $10/person and will be available online at www.waltondrama.com and at the door. There will be a meet and greet with the cast after the 2 p.m. matinee on March 2. For more information, contact bhmcloughlin@gmail.com or call (770) 557-1245.
February 28
Communicating in Difficult Situations
Time: 10:30 a.m. Location: Catholic Church of St. Ann, 4905 Roswell Rd, La Sallette Hall Information: Aloha to Aging will present a class to teach strategies for being assertive versus aggressive and diffusing emotional situations. Class will be interactive and presented by Nancy Ptashnik, Master Trainer for Powerful Tools for Caregivers. Please RSVP to (678) 439-1177 or info@alohatoaging.org.
March 2
Champagne Brunch for Women Time: 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Location: Catholic Church of St. Ann, 4905 Roswell Rd, La Sallette Hall Information: Lewis J. Forbes, Jr., Financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial will host a fun and informative champagne brunch with guest speakers of interest to women. The event will be free. For more information and to RSVP, contact Sherry Matzkow at (678) 285-1200 or sherry.b.matzkow@ampf.com.
March 8 & 9
Mt. Bethel Children’s Consignment and Bake Sale Times: March 8, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; March 9, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Location: 4385 Lower Roswell Road Information: More than 400 sellers consign spring and summer children’s clothing, toys, books, furniture and more. There will be a bake sale featuring homemade treats. Childcare will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. On Thursday, March 7, there will be a volunteer and new mom preview. Visit www.MtBethelCCS.com for details on preview and to register to become a consignor or volunteer.
March 15 & 16
Second Chances Consignment Sale Times: March 15, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; March 16, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Location: Marietta Church of God, 1083 Allgood Road Information: For more information, visit www.2ndchances4me.com. To volunteer to sell or work, email karenm@2ndchances4me.com or call Karen at (770) 841-9710.
Send Your Calendar items to lynne@ aroundaboutmagazines.com
Deadline is February 20
It’s Better to Review Your Annuity
Than Rethink Your Retirement. If you own an annuity, it just makes sense to review it every now and then. That’s why we offer complimentary annuity reviews. Then you work to ensure sure your annuity stays in sync with your goals. Plus, there may be features your current annuity simply doesn’t offer.
So regardless of where you purchased your annuity, call your local financial advisor to schedule your complimentary review. Edward Jones operates as an insurance producer in California, New Mexico, and Massachusetts through the following subsidiaries, respectively: Edward Jones Insurance Agency of California, L.L.C., Edward Jones Insurance Agency of New Mexico, L.L.C., and Edward Jones Insurance Agency of Massachusetts, L.L.C. CA Insurance License #0C24309
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Lifestyle
Fabulous Style at any Age by Nora Borne
Nora Borne is a personal stylist and has had a passion for fashion her entire life. She lives in the Walton Community with her husband, Darrell, and daughters, Emma and Sarah. She will help you create a look of your own that celebrates your personality and inner beauty. She can be contacted at (678) 4275359 or at noraborne@ bellsouth.net.
There is a lot of hype in today’s society about how to stay young, and there is a billion dollar beauty industry to prove it. Women spend endless amounts of money on products in search of the “fountain of youth.” What women often overlook as they approach middle age is their wardrobe. A refined and updated style can rejuvenate anyone’s look, regardless of her age. The most common mistake many women make is clinging to a particular style or decade. A great example of this is the “mom jeans.” This is the style of jeans many moms adopted in the 1980s. These higher waisted, baggy, straight leg jeans have been out of style for years, yet many women still wear them and are uncomfortable trying anything new. I am not a fan of extreme trends, but it is important to edit your wardrobe as you age and to be open to fresh ideas.
Another prevalent mistake made by women is to try to look younger by wearing juvenile trends. Mini skirts and other funky styles worn by teenagers and twenty-somethings are best kept for the young and not the young at heart. It is completely understandable that many women struggle to evolve their look as they approach middle age. This is a busy time for most women, balancing jobs, children and often aging parents. Their lives are shifting along with their bodies. With this in mind, here are some tips on how to enjoy getting dressed with confidence: Take note of general trends, try on new things, and adjust your wardrobe as you make new discoveries. Get rid of dated, worn, and illfitting clothes. Your clothes should flatter your body type. Avoid
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skimpy styles and flimsy or faded fabrics. Refine your wardrobe. Make it polished and sophisticated but not too fussy. Relaxed classic pieces and feminine silhouettes can be modern and youthful. Update your shoes, bags and other accessories to reflect your personality and convey youthfulness. Scarves and chunky jewelry are an easy and flattering way to update your outfit at a variety of price points. Invest in good undergarments and shape-wear. An excellent foundation for your clothes is essential and will add to that polished look. On a final note, stay current with your hairstyle and make-up. Keep it natural and soft to achieve the most flattering look. Remember, you can be fabulous at any age!
LOVE the Way You Train In this non-stop, 24/7 world in which we live, women often put themselves on the back burner, attending to everyone but themselves. Most women know it’s important to schedule time for themselves to remain at their best for those who depend on them, but sometimes even that can feel like one more thing to get done. Women’s Premier Fitness makes it convenient, comfortable, and outright fun to take care of one of the family’s most important assets. At this exclusive fitness center, everything is tailor-made for women. All instructors are women, and the enticing amenities make it easy to come, work out and then get back to your daily routine, although what you’ll really want to do is to stay a little longer! Women’s Premier Fitness offers more than 60 fitness classes per week, including fitness expert Les Mills classes like Bodypump, Bodystep, Bodyvive and more. Stale routine? Not with Les Mills, who continues to research and update classes quarterly, and every instructor is a certified Les Mills trainer. This inviting fitness center
Women’s Premier Fitness 4961 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta 770.565.5450 www.WomensPremierFitness.com
also offers yoga and Pilates, Zumba, spin and treadmill classes. With more than 15,000 square feet of space and separate areas for different disciplines, this is every woman’s place to be. Members have access to circuit training, free weights, individual and small group personal training, and TRX suspension straps that let you use your own weight for strength training. Women’s Premier Fitness is excited to bring the Les Mills Grit™ Series exclusively to the women of East Cobb. The Grit™ Series incorporates the latest trend in exercise of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with small group training. New research by Les Mills and Dr. Jinger Gottschall at Pennsylvania State University has shown that HIIT burns more fat and has additional hormonal benefits with only 30 minutes of exercise. The key is increasing the intensity of the exercise, not the volume, which leads to getting fitter, faster. The staff at WPF will be glad to share more specific information about the science behind the Les Mills Grit™ Series. Members don’t need to worry about bringing anything but themselves; WPF provides all equipment needed for exercise, including mats, balls, weights, etc. The fitness center’s well-appointed locker room, which features showers, towels,
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robes and other amenities, is perfect for getting ready to head out clean and fresh to face the world. The center also has a massage therapist on staff, a sauna and tanning facilities. For those with children, free supervised childcare is available in a large area filled with toys. At Women’s Premier Fitness, women can come and go in a hurry with no hassles if that’s what they prefer, or they can also chat with friends over fresh coffee or a banana before returning to their busy days. There is a real feeling of community between the members and instructors; most are women from the area. They support each other in many ways by motivating, encouraging, networking, and helping causes in the community. Recent efforts by WPF and its members raised hundreds of dollars for the Diabetes Foundation, the Cobb County Humane Society and a local family, the Lombardos. Women’s Premier Fitness offers reasonable rates and several membership options. There is a workout for every woman. Don’t wait another minute to start taking some time for you. Visit Women’s Premier Fitness, where your health and wellbeing will improve from the start. You and your family will start LOVING the way you train. Call (770) 565-5450 for class times and more information, or visit womenspremierfitness.com.
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Feature
Roses
Tournament of by Lynne Lysaght The Tournament of Roses contest is Around Walton’s search for the couple in our community that has been married the longest. Once found, the inspirational couple is featured just in time for Valentine’s Day to celebrate a love that lasts. The 2013 Tournament of Roses winners are Jewel and Arvel Buck, who will celebrate their 72nd wedding anniversary on August 30. The couple was submitted by their daughter Sharon Johnson, whose family also resides in the Walton community.
Jewel Blakely and Arvel Buck grew up in Jackson, Tennessee. They first met in 1937, when Jewel started as a freshman at the high school where Arvel was a junior. It wasn’t long before they became high school sweethearts. Both Jewel and Arvel said that their relationship began with a friendship that turned to love. They enjoyed going to basketball games and hanging out with their circle of friends – there weren’t a lot of other entertainment options in Jackson in the late 1930s.
After Arvel graduated from high school, he moved to Memphis and began working for the Memphis Furniture Company. Although Memphis is only 80 miles to the west of Jackson, Arvel said, “It felt like it was a world away because I missed Jewel so much.” As often as he could, Arvel would take the bus or hitchhike back to Jackson to see his beloved Jewel. When Jewel finished high school, she and Arvel went to Marion, Arkansas to get married on August 30, 1941 and moved into an apartment in Memphis. On December 7, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese, and Arvel registered for the draft. He worked for a munitions company while he waited to be called up for service, which happened in 1943. He joined the Aviation Cadets, part of the Army Air Corps. His training took him to dozens of bases, including Miami, Florida and Northfield, Vermont. Jewel followed him, finding a room and temporary waitressing jobs all along the way except for his training in Miami. Arvel said that it was a good thing that she missed Miami as air conditioning didn’t exist, and it was summer. 30
Around WALTON | February 2013
Mr. and Mrs. Arvel Buck in 1941 soon after they married.
Jewel and Arvel in Northfield, Vermont during Arvel’s Army training.
(left) Jewel and Arvel with 9 of 10 great grandchildren
It turned out the war was winding down and instead of being allowed to finish his flight training, Arvel and many other men were reassigned. Arvel went to mechanics school and was assigned as a flight engineer on a C-46 Cargo plane before being stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany for approximately six months. In the meantime, Jewel was back at home in Jackson with her family. She was pregnant with their first child, Arvel Jr., who was born in 1945. When Arvel returned from Germany in 1946, the family moved to College Park, Georgia in search of a job. Arvel found work at Eastern Airlines and was employed by them for 35 and a half years. Daughter Sharon was born in 1947. The Bucks moved to the Walton community in 1978, close to where Sharon and her family lived. Sharon and her husband Ted have two sons that graduated from Walton High School in 1989 and 1993.
When Jewel was taking the train out of Boston to get to Vermont, she met a girl on the train whose husband was going through the same training, and she discovered they had a great deal in common. Juanita and Mac had married the same day as Jewel and Arvel; both couples had gone to see a movie the night before the husbands had to leave for training and now the wives had rooms rented in the same house. The couples feel that they were destined to meet, and they remain good friends to this day.
Since that time, the family has multiplied so that Jewel and Arvel have four grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. Their home is full of pictures of family including the newest member, a newly adopted great granddaughter from China. Katie, who was found abandoned in a grocery store in China is named Kathleen Jewel after her two great grandmothers. Arvel said, “I always wanted to live long enough to know my grandchildren, but I never in my wildest imagination expected to live so long to enjoy and know ten great grandchildren.” One of the perks of working for Eastern was being able to fly standby for free, and this allowed the Bucks to travel many places over the years, including three trips to Hawaii. They still enjoy traveling today and recently went on a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with Sharon’s family. Sharon said, “All I have to do is suggest a trip and their bags are packed.” Arvel and Jewel are active with their Sunday school class at Eastside Baptist Church and still enjoy spending time with friends. Jewel and Arvel said that they have had a blessed life, always loved each other and never took their commitment to each other for granted. Congratulations - Around Walton wishes you many more happy years!
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Lifestyle
Ask Margot by Margot Swann
Dear Margot,
Margot Swann is the Founder and CEO of Visions Anew Institute. She established this nonprofit to provide resources, education, and support for people going through divorce. Send your divorce questions to margot@ visionsanew.org, call (770) 953-2882 or visit www.visionsanew.org.
My husband and I will be divorcing. After he lost his job it wasn’t long before our house fell into foreclosure, leaving our finances in a shambles. I think we will have to file bankruptcy. I need to know whether we should do that before the divorce, together or after the divorce. I imagine there is one way that works more smoothly than the other. Please advise. Signed, In Shambles Dear Shambles,
How heartbreaking that so much is falling apart at the same time. You are wise, however, to ask advice before jumping into the still churning waters. Shayna Steinfeld, of Steinfeld & Steinfeld, P.C., would be a good resource. Below is her response to you dilemma. It sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate right now. I’m sorry your finances and marriage appear to both be in a shambles. Before you resort to bankruptcy, or divorce for that matter, you should consult with a family lawyer and bankruptcy lawyer; there may be alternatives you haven’t considered. If you do
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“
. . . tread carefully and understand your rights and remedies . . .
get divorced and do file bankruptcy, every situation is different. Generally, I think it’s better to finalize the divorce before the bankruptcy is filed because lots of important issues are resolved in the divorce. The “exception” to this “rule” is if there are little or no assets, and lots and lots of debt, in which case it may make sense to file the bankruptcy first and ‘clean up’ the debt so that you can move forward “post-divorce” with no debt and start fresh. Otherwise, the bankruptcy just muddies the water and complicates the divorce issues. There are lots of complicating factors. For example, the parties are usually “stuck” with divorce obligations after bankruptcy (they are generally “non-dischargeable”). That means it is very important to tread carefully and understand your rights and remedies, along with the complications involved. Consider attending some of Visions Anew Institute’s free Divorce Support Groups or Hot Shot Seminars. The next Divorce Survival Weekend will be February 15-17. No one ever expects to divorce. If it is unavoidable, do it with good information, with integrity and with a team of experts. You don’t have to face divorce alone.
My Stint as a Bravo Reality Star by Kara Kiefer One day, I posted on my Facebook page, “Every day, my job gets a little more weird.” After the inevitable “Haha’s” and “Mine too!” comments, I revealed that an upcoming interview I was to conduct would involve the Bravo network filming the interview as part of a new reality series it was doing.
Kara Kiefer is the Executive Editor for AroundAbout Local Media. She lives in southwest Cherokee with her husband Mike and sons Brandon and Garrett.
My Market Director, Patty, contacted me about this potential client but said that as part of the interview, I had to be willing to filmed for a TV show. I laughed. She said, “No, really. The client is filming for a TV show, and they want to film the interview.” I immediately said, “I don’t think so.” She convinced me to at least talk to the client to get the full details.
All kinds of fears ran through my head: What if I froze? What if I asked really dumb questions? What if I looked horrible on camera? I called the client despite these fears, who confirmed that yes, the doctor and his wife were being filmed for a reality show, and the producers wanted the interview on film. But I wasn’t to worry because the focus would be on them, not me. That provided me with a little relief, and when I read a followup email, I interpreted that Bravo had changed its mind about filming, and this would be just a regular, normal interview. When I arrived, I found out that I’d misread the email. Immediately, I was greeted with a Bravo employee who needed me to sign release papers for my appearance and a
release to potentially show the TowneLaker and article on the physician. After I signed the necessary paperwork, I had a mic attached, just like I had seen on the Bravo shows I tend to watch religiously. While I had already entered the practice, I had to do it again for film. Then I had to sit there and look busy, like I was preparing for my interview. I was also interviewing his wife, who led me back to the doctor while being filmed. watch what happens His wife is a gorgeous and statuesque blonde, at least 5’11”, and all I could think of as 5’4” me walked behind her was, “Really?” while praying the back of me looked alright. There were a few times we had to re-do a scene for filming purposes, all the while trying to look “natural.” The interview went well, and while I could see the camera peripherally, I tried to ignore it even when it was pointed directly at me. “Don’t say something stupid!” was what I kept telling myself. After I was done with the interview, I was requested to ask a few more questions to solicit certain responses from the doctor, and then it was over. My mic was taken off, and my show business career was over (before it even began). I wasn’t given the name of the show, but I was told that it was scheduled to debut in March. The “Screening Party” won’t be anything spectacular by Hollywood standards — just me and my husband, probably in our pajamas, trying not to laugh.
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Feature
Economic Downturn Leads Architect to Job in
China
by Lynne Lysaght
Shenzhen with bridge to Hong Kong in the background.
When Arthur Nerbas, a Walton community resident, was a young boy, he made a trip to Paris, France with his parents to visit relatives. Traveling from their home in Vancouver, Canada, they toured around the fabulous, historic city of Paris. This was the beginning of seven-year-old Arthur’s lifelong obsession with architecture. Arthur went to college in the United States, studying architecture at Washington State University. When he graduated in 1992, he returned to Vancouver to work as an intern in an architecture firm designing single-family homes. Through one of the partners in the firm, Arthur landed a job in Atlanta in 1995 when the city was preparing for the Olympics. He stayed and worked on large commercial projects, including hotels, high rise residences and mixed use (business and residential) buildings in the city for a large Atlanta architectural firm. In 2008, Arthur opened his own firm and went back to designing single-family residences. As the owner of his own business, he was watching the economy very closely and saw that it wasn’t just the big projects that were slowing down, all building projects were, and architects were being laid off. There wasn’t enough work for his own firm, and Arthur began to search for a job with a firm. He wasn’t alone; a lot of architects were trying to get the same few jobs. Arthur began looking close to home, but soon, he was looking across the country. He was applying for jobs daily. Arthur had to tell his wife Ruthann that his job search now extended to other countries as well. She was surprised that he felt the need to look for a job that would cause such a dramatic change in their lives, but Arthur’s job search was making the lack of opportunity for architectural work in the U.S clear. In March 2009, he applied for two jobs in China. 34
Around WALTON | February 2013
The economy in China was the opposite of the U.S’ economy. There was growth and construction and a positive outlook. One potential job was in Shanghai, and he was flown to China for an interview with several other American applicants. Arthur took advantage of the trip to China and pursued the other job as well. He went to Shenzhen, a city across the river from Hong Kong. He received an offer of a two-year open ended contract with an attractive salary and housing allowance. This was at the end of April 2009, and he returned home to break the news that he would start his new job in China in three weeks. Arthur and Ruthann decided to embrace this move as the adventure of a lifetime. Ruthann got on the Internet and found an apartment on the 27th floor of a new high rise looking across at Hong Kong. Arthur moved first to China and Ruthann followed him in three months. He said that first week in Shenzhen was the most challenging; there were very few signs in English or people that could speak English. He felt very isolated. He recalled using charades to communicate, such as acting out taking a shower to communicate that he needed a shower curtain. At his new firm, he was fortunate to have as his assistant the person with the best English skills in the
Below: Arthur and Ruthann Nerbas on a riverboat in Guilin, one of their favorite places in China because of the peace and quiet.
Above: Arthur’s mom takes a rickshaw ride during her visit to Shenzhen, China. Left: Arthur Nerbas and his assistant with project model.
Above: Arthur and Ruthann during a trip to Hungzho, China.
entire firm. Shenzhen had grown to a city of 15 million people in only 30 years, and the people were extremely interested in bringing American architectural design to the growing city. In the U.S., the developer would have a set budget, but in China that was not the case. Arthur found that he would work on a 25 million square foot project with no idea of the actual budget. He was given great creative license because the focus was on innovation and design and not cost. Ruthann had her own challenges. She is a vegetarian, and some of the first Chinese words they learned were for “vegetables” and “my wife does not eat meat.” There was a large expatriate community and through it they learned the safe places to eat and more. The expat community was very social, and Ruthann and Arthur enjoyed being a part of it. In China, everything imaginable is manufactured but not sold to the public. They discovered that they had taken for granted the large number of choices of products for purchase available in the U.S. There would be times when the cultural differences
would start to get to them, and they would “escape” to Hong Kong, where there is a mix of Eastern and Western culture. Visiting Hong Kong let them get a little closer to home. They felt Hong Kong was a true sanctuary where they could buy things they missed from the West, with plenty of beaches and green space for hiking. They took the opportunity to travel throughout China and to Thailand and Bali during their three years in China. Arthur’s job allowed exposure to all corners of China, showing them some of the most scenic and unique places. They brought Arthur’s parents over to visit and share in their experiences. After the third year, the work was slowing as a result of government intervention, and Arthur and Ruthann decided to return to Atlanta in July 2012. He has his own architectural firm again, Studio AFN, LLC and she returned to her previous job as a lighting sales representative. Both were surprised by the reverse culture shock they experienced. The dependence on cars, the size of Americans compared to Asians, the pace and the overwhelming number of choices were just a few of the things they had to readjust to. They have even found themselves visiting a local “Chinatown” to use their language skills and to buy certain products. The experience of living and working in China has greatly enriched their lives and given them a new appreciation for the differences in culture. Around WALTON | February 2013
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Feature
Navigating the College Search and Selection Process:
DK College Consultants Get it Done for You As high school students start to ponder the college search and selection process, their parents quickly discover that the process has become much more complicated than it was in their day. Most parents took the SAT, decided where they wanted to go to college, printed out the application, mailed it in and then heard back fairly quickly that they were admitted. Many didn’t have hand wringing conversations about how they were going to pay for the college education and few were taking out substantial loans to get an education. Fast forward to now when the college search and selection process has taken on a life of its own! There are more than 4,000 colleges in the United States. Every college has a website and each one is different, making comparing schools anything but a simple task. The new vocabulary is particularly daunting: FAFSA, CSS profile, Expected Family Contribution, Student Aid Report, Superscore, Net Price Calculator, Score Choice, etc. And then there are decisions that need to be made: Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision, ACT versus SAT, how many schools to which to apply, to take or not to take a test prep course, how many AP classes to take, etc. Meet DK College Consultants, a partnership of two independent educational consultants, Carol Doherty and Janice Kloess. Recognizing just how complicated the college search and selection process had become, Carol and Janice identified the need to help students and their families navigate the maze of information. They saw there was a need to establish a personalized business to help kids identify their best fit college. They recognized the importance of staying within the family budget in pursuit of the higher education that their students need. They both are CPAs with real world experience of what it takes to make it in the job market, and can help students set realistic goals for the future. In addition, both are earning their professional certifications in Independent Educational Consulting from the University of California. The realization of the complexity of the process came naturally to them. Carol had gone through the process with her oldest son, Alex, and was embarking on it with her middle son, Patrick. Her two oldest sons had added one more dimension to the search: they wanted to play Division I tennis at college. For Janice, she had experienced the “deer in headlights” feeling at the high school night for her oldest daughter, Maddie, who was
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Around WALTON | February 2013
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Carol Doherty working with student Carly Kanwisher, a senior at WHS.
finishing up the 8th grade at Dodgen Middle School. Between the two of them, they have seven kids: Carol’s older boys are in college, Janice’s daughter, Maddie is a sophomore at Walton, Carol and Janice both have 8th grade sons at Dodgen (Michael and Matthew, respectively), and Janice has 3rd grade twins, Emma and James, at Mt Bethel Elementary. Both women and their families have lived in Cobb County for more than 18 years. Spanning all levels of public education, they are entrenched in the future of the kids in and around Atlanta. They see it as their mission to make the search and selection process manageable for the families with which they work. Woven in every facet of the process is the simple fact that college is often the second biggest financial investment that most families will make. Through conversations with the parents Carol and Janice ascertain the annual financial commitment the family can make. They are equipped to have discussions with students that explain the financial realities of the cost of college and the cost of debt if students need to include borrowing in the quest for higher education. DK College Consultants gives families the peace of mind that the investment of their child’s education has received the thought and care that it deserves. The first step in the journey to find the best fit college begins with a variety of assessments designed to help your teen
better understand his or her personality style, learning style, career possibilities and college readiness. This step is crucial. While your student does not always have to know what his or her major will be when he or she enters college, a little self awareness goes a long way towards managing the college budget. (Note, however, that some colleges require that students apply to specific schools within the college at the time of the initial application.) The perennially “undeclared major” often ends up spending a costly fifth year in college. Hence, that money you were able to save because they had earned HOPE or another four-year scholarship, won’t carry your student through their fifth year. The full expense of a fifth year has the potential to become a reality for those students who shop a variety of majors in their first few years of college.
colleges for consideration. At this point, the consultants also focus on scholarship opportunities for the students. They research the likelihood of merit aid for desirable out of state colleges for those students wanting to study outside of Georgia. Guiding students through research and college visits to educate the students about the four years ahead of them helps them to see their role as consumers in the educational process. This is an important step in the journey to adulthood. They encourage the kids to own the process since the kids need to envision themselves at a particular college for the next four years. Carol and Janice take the extra step and work to connect their students with current students at the schools they are considering to give the kids a clearer view of what lies ahead.
“Often What Seems an Impossible Climb is Just a Staircase Without the Steps Drawn In”
Finally, once the college list has been pared down, a matrix is prepared The next major step in the journey is for application requirements with identifying possible best fit colleges deadlines which include the financial for your student. For that phase, Carol filing and scholarship deadlines as well. and Janice administer questionnaires Once acceptances are received, Janice with both the parents and the students and Carol help analyze the options and to learn what college attributes are financial considerations, even assisting important for them. These questionnaires — Robert Brault students with establishing budgets for the help identify factors to be considered when college years. And once the students are off looking at colleges: size, location, majors, to college, they continue their contact with the diversity, social clubs, academic clubs, athletics, students. For them, the relationship they develop with etc. The parents get one final question: “How much of the students is the hallmark of their personal approach to the an annual financial contribution are you able to make?” From search and selection process. there, the consultants compile the information along with the student’s grades and test scores and identify an initial list of The search and selection process typically begins during the student’s 10th grade year but many families don’t start the process until their student’s junior or senior year. Carol and Janice can start this relationship at any time and have worked with segments of the process both earlier and later. In fact, they both work with college kids who realize that once they get to college, they simply don’t know what they should be studying. For these students, the relationship is much more compressed but equally as important.
Hayden Goldberg, a senior at WHS working with Janice Kloess.
Carol and Janice will be glad to schedule a 30 minute complimentary consultation to determine how they can best meet your family’s needs. Call (678) 353-6740 and see how they take the worry out of finding the best college match for your highly individual student.
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Feature
The Difficulties of Downsizing: Reflections of an Empty Nester by Barbara Donnelly Lane
I have happily raised a son in the suburbs of Cobb County, but now it’s time to downsize an empty nest. While I am excited to swap one lifestyle for another, I would be lying if I said moving isn’t hard. After all, while the fingerprints have already been painted away as we get the house ready for realtors, there are memories soaked into our home’s walls that will never be erased. After all, we have been here for a very long time — for more than a decade. In fact, when I look out the kitchen window at the modest pond which is our backyard, I can still see a troop of young Boy Scouts lined up on the dam with fishing poles in hand, way back when George W. Bush was still president. With a black dog trailing close behind him, my freckle-faced son passed out root beers and bait. My husband helped them cast their lines and proudly reel in their catches, those twisting silver fish, flopping hard when thrown in the grass, catching the attention of the canine. In addition, there have been many birthday cakes served on our back deck, tie-dye parties, fireworks, glasses of wine, lazy days in hammocks, and plates full of hamburgers and hot dogs straight from the grill.
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Around WALTON | February 2013
Once when sipping a cup of coffee and reading a book in the afternoon, I spied a teenager’s bare bottom as he accepted a dare to skinny dip, with little thought to the dangly things that might attract snapping turtles. I enjoyed watching his face turn red when I called out to warn him of his audience. There have been many other nights when the Jon boat slid across those black waters, with the Georgia stars twinkling above our neighborhood, filled with boys and girls paddling to the middle of the pond. They would sit and talk away the hours in those early years of adolescence before drivers’ licenses were earned and cars brought the freedom of wider travel.
Then there was the great freeze one winter, when chunks of ice floated in the water. My son and his friend--the one who insisted shorts were plenty warm in January--found great sport in maneuvering around the ice, my kid perched on the bow like George Washington crossing the Delaware as he barked out orders to his blue-skinned paddler. But I will not just miss the memories of people, the many special events marked with friends and family in this special place. I have also watched all manners of creatures visiting our tiny tract of wild, including white tailed deer in the wee morning hours. There is a crane with almost-blue feathers who is a frequent visitor to our pond. I have long called him Ichabod, and I am always excited to see him. Just the other day, he stood like an aristocrat holding court at the edge of the water, not even flinching when a flock of honking Canadian geese splashed down for a rest from their long journey to Florida.
The squirrel with a nest in the scraggly oak is Andy. All the rabbits are either Clementine or Winston. Harriet is our hawk. (She is the reason the rabbits’ names are recycled, and the scampering chipmunks are never given monikers.) I have watched blue birds and cardinals and wrens eating birdseed off the deck’s railings. (Andy does this, too, which is why he is fat.) I have listened to the music of frogs and crickets in the spring, marveled at the magic of fireflies lighting the back woods at dusk, twinkling like so many strings of light, as if it was always Christmas in my corner of Georgia. Just before New Year’s Eve, my college freshman had his last basement party ever in this house. A familiar parade of boys shot pool into the wee hours before the carpet cleaners came to wash away all the grime of such gatherings, and I was reminded for a final time how lovely it is to have been in a place long enough to truly get to know many of your child’s friends well. As always, I asked them about their schoolwork, their jobs, love lives, and families. They know if they are going to be raiding my refrigerator, they will have to engage in a conversation. But none of them ever seem to mind. Some of them touch base even when my son isn’t home, and I am so grateful that I have had the great privilege of watching so many children grow up to be such fine young men. Yes. Moving is hard because it means moving forward. Fortunately, the things that really enrich our lives are never really downsized. Time marches onward, but relationships and love can never be packed up in a box.
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Feature
Change of Scenery by Lindsay Greene
Everyone needs a change of scenery every now and then. We will feature interesting places to visit not too far from home, including museums, historical sites, family friendly activities and outdoor adventures. Send ideas and suggestions for Change of Scenery to lindsay.greene@ comcast.net.
Gwinnett Gladiators Thrilling Hockey Action! Lindsay Greene lives in the Walton community with her husband and son. When not working as Vice President, Marketing & Member Services for Community Bankers Association of Georgia (CBA), Lindsay enjoys writing and discovering new places.
If you are looking for fast-paced, exciting and affordable family fun, check out the Gwinnett Gladiators! The spectacular 11,000 seat arena at the Gwinnett Center serves as home to one of the nation’s premier minor league hockey teams and ECHL (AA-level) affiliate of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes.
Plan to be entertained with thrilling hockey action as The Gwinnett Gladiators offer a memorable and fun experience for your next date night, family outing, guys’ night out or an evening of entertaining business clients. The regular season runs from mid-October to early April. Ticket prices start at only $10. If you’re a sports fan, the Gladiators have delivered. The team has made the playoffs in seven of nine seasons, advanced to the 2005-2006 Kelly Cup Finals and have attained the Conference Finals twice (winning once). The Glads have won the South Division Championship twice as well.
Gladiators defenseman Ryan Donald moves the puck up ice at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
The Gladiator’s roster contains six Coyotes prospects, as well as one Buffalo Sabres prospect and one New York Islanders prospect. Seventeen former Gladiators have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. More than130 have gone on to play in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Gladiators forward Rylan Galiardi battles for position against the Florida Everblades. Photos by Steve Hampton/H&H Multimedia 40
Around WALTON | February 2013
Gwinnett Gladiator fans dressed to support the team.
Special Promotions: The Gladiators have several promotions coming up in March. Friday, March 15 is Friendly Friday. Adults receive a corner level ticket, a hotdog or pizza slice and fountain soda for $20 while kids receive a corner level ticket and a kid’s meal for t $15. Perfect for people who are tight on time - enjoy a “Friendly Friday” package and eat dinner at the game! According to Dustin Bixby, Vice President of New Media Sales and Communications, the combined philanthropic investment by the Gladiators to the greater Atlanta, Gwinnett County, and North Georgia communities in the nine years of the Gladiator’s existence is estimated at over $1.7 million.
Kroger Family Sunday will be held Sunday, March 17. The Kroger Family Sunday package offers four corner level tickets, a $5 Gladiators merchandise coupon and a coupon for a Kroger Family Meal Deal for only $50. Enjoy the game and pick up a chicken dinner with sides, dessert and drinks on the way home from the game.
Beneficiaries of the Gladiators community contributions include: • The Gladiators FUNdraiser program has generated more Saturday, March 30 is Fan Appreciation Night, which includes a than$300,000 for local schools. Kroger Mystery Gift Card Giveaway. The first 1,000 adults ages • Children’s charities including Dream House for Medically 18 and older to the game will get a mystery Kroger Gift Card, Fragile Children, the Miracle League, Special Olympics, Keep valued anywhere from $5 to $100! Georgia Safe, The Foster Children’s Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and many others. As you can see, the Gwinnett Gladiators offer something for • The Gladiators have donated more than 50,000 pounds of everyone - Go Gladiators! food through the annual Thanksgiving Game Food Drive. Local shelters and the Salvation Army have received thousands of coats and clothing through the annual For more information: Winter Clothing Drive. Tickets are available at the Arena Gwinnett • Local area cancer awareness has at Gwinnett Center box office and Gladiators March increased and prevention and research Home Schedule Atlanta Ticketmaster locations. charities have benefited from more than There is no convenience charge for $350,000 raised through the annual Pink • Thursday, March 14th vs. tickets purchased at the Arena at in the Rink Weekend. Orlando, 7:05 p.m. Gwinnett Center Box Office, and • Youth organizations such as Boy Scouts, • Friday, March 15th vs. parking is FREE! Girl Scouts, Robotics Club, youth hockey Orlando, 7:05 p.m. and youth sports teams, local college • Sunday, March 17th vs. Gwinnett Gladiators clubs, teams, and church and religiousOrlando, 4:05 p.m. 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 200 oriented groups. • Wednesday, March 20th vs. Duluth, GA 30095 • Other organizations such as U.S. troops Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m. (770) 497-5100 stationed overseas and domestically, • Saturday, March 23rd vs. www.gwinnettgladiators.com animal shelters, American Red Cross South Carolina, 7:05 p.m. Blood Drives and Disaster Relief have • Saturday, March 30th vs. also benefited from Gwinnett Gladiators’ Greenville, 7:05 p.m. involvement. Around WALTON | February 2013
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Health & Wellness
Replacing Teeth with Implants by Dr. Cristi Cheek, D.M.D.
Dr. Cristi Cheek, D.M.D., is the owner of Cristi Y. Cheek, D.M.D., P.C., Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in the Walton community. Dr. Cheek is also a member of the Around Walton Community Board. You may contact her at (770) 993-3775 or visit www.cheekdental.com.
In years past, when you lost a tooth, you had only two options for replacement – a fixed bridge, which involves grinding down the teeth adjacent to the missing one, or a removable partial denture, which can feel bulky and uncomfortable and must be removed for cleaning. Today, dental implants are commonly chosen to replace missing teeth. Though implants have been around for decades, the design of today’s dental implant is an evolution from a large blade-shaped prosthesis into a sleek cylinder that resembles a tooth root. Dental implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own!
Implants are manufactured “anchors” that look like cylinders or screws and are usually made of titanium. Restoring teeth with implants involves surgical placement of the implant, which serves as a “root,” into the jawbone. This is usually done with only local anesthesia in a dental chair
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Around WALTON | February 2013
in as little as 30 minutes for a single implant. Most patients have only minor discomfort after the procedure. Typically, the implant is allowed to integrate with the jawbone for several weeks before a permanent restoration is placed over it. At that time, a post, or “abutment,” is attached to the implant and a crown is cemented onto it, requiring no anesthesia. Multiple implants can be placed in a patient’s mouth where there are several missing teeth or even no teeth where dentures normally would be worn. Implants can also be used to create “snaps” to which a denture can be affixed for stabilization, or implants can serve as a base for a fixed bridge. If properly cared for, dental implants can last a lifetime! Do you hide your smile because of spaces from missing teeth? Perhaps you have dentures that don’t feel secure, and you have difficulty chewing. If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, talk with your dentist about dental implants. To be a good candidate for implants, you must be healthy with good bone levels and have good oral hygiene. Whether you are a young, middle-aged, or older adult and whether you need to replace one tooth, several teeth, or all your teeth, there may be a dental implant solution for you!
Mind. Body. Spine? by Dr. Christopher Rechter and Dr. Justin Fierro
Dr. Christopher Rechter and Dr. Justin Fierro are owners of HealthQuest Chiropractic Center, 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite D-100. They may be reached at (770) 509-3400 or at info@ healthquestchiro.com. Visit their site at www. healthquestchiro.com.
The Mind The brain is the master controller of the body on every level. The automatic functions of the body originate in the brain, sending constant regulatory signals to the trillions of cells throughout your body. This allows activities like digestion, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, circulation, muscle activity, and immune function to be carried out. The other aspect of brain function is the mind, or thought. Thoughts are forms of measurable energy that have a powerful affect on the physical responses of the body. Every day, each of us is faced with decisions or choices that express as an outward result in life. If the choice in our mind is positive, a positive outward expression is likely in the form of health, happiness, and pleasure.
The reverse is also true. A negative thought or choice results
in outward expression of disease, struggle, and pain. Physical symptoms are a direct result of how you choose to let emotions affect your brain and body. The Body Your body is a dynamic machine that is constantly changing and adapting to its environment. It sends signals to the brain, allowing you to experience life through all of your senses. It gives the brain information such as chemical and hormonal balance and is responsible for movement and feeling. Health, or the lack of it, usually manifests through the body, which can cause us to focus only on the body when trying to improve symptoms or overall health. We must assess the whole person, incorporating physical and mental factors and realizing the interaction between the brain and body. The Spine The spine is your mind-body connection. It is unique because it is part of the body, and it contains nervous system tissue just like that found in the brain. The spinal cord is housed within the mobile spinal bones called vertebrae. Along with the nerves that arise from it, the spinal cord allows for constant continued on page 68
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Health & Wellness
Protect Your Family from the Flu This Season by Dr. Jamie Rollins, Northside Cherokee Pediatrics
Dr. Rollins of Northside Cherokee Pediatrics is a board-certified pediatrician who provides compassionate, comprehensive care for patients from birth to 18 years of age.
Winter means cold and flu season, and every parent worries about the flu invading the home. There are several things that we can do to protect our families from the dreaded illness.
Keep sick kids at home —Always keep your child at home if he or she is sick to prevent the spread of germs at school and daycare. Most schools and daycares ask that a child not return until they have been fever free for 24 hours or have been cleared by his or her doctor.
Vaccinate —The flu vaccine is recommended and safe for everyone ages six months and older. There is even a shot-free (nasal) vaccine for children over two years old that meets the criteria (ask your doctor for details). Children under eight years old may need two doses of the flu vaccine the first year they are vaccinated to achieve the best coverage. These vaccines are a safe and effective way to help prevent the spread of the flu.
Replace/sterilize toothbrushes —If anyone in your home has been ill with the flu, upper respiratory or throat infection, you should replace or sterilize his or her toothbrush (and any stored with it) every three days until he or she is well. You should replace or sterilize again at the end of a course of antibiotics as well. You may sterilize in boiling water or in a sterilization bag in the microwave.
Wash your hands — Frequent hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs that cause illness. Hand sanitizer is just as good, if not better than washing with soap and water, according to some reports. Teach your children to always wash their hands before eating, after using the restroom, after coughing or sneezing, and especially after having contact with anyone who is sick.
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Clean and disinfect surfaces and toys — Another way to decrease the germs in your home is to clean surfaces and toys with a disinfectant. Use a disinfectant cloth daily to wipe frequentlytouched fixtures like doorknobs, light-switches, tables, sinks and toys to decrease germs that cause illness.
Around WALTON | February 2013
Eat healthy and exercise —A balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables will boost your children’s immune systems. If you are concerned your child is not getting adequate nutrition, ask your doctor about age appropriate nutritional supplements and vitamins. Exercise is also important in keeping our children healthy. When it is too cold to play outside, encourage your kids to exercise indoors. Children can do jumping jacks or run in place during the commercials of their favorite shows. Every little bit counts! If we commit to these steps, we can keep our kids healthy and decrease our chances of getting the flu this winter.
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Health & Wellness
Money-wise Kids: Explore Careers with Kids Early to Minimize College Costs by Lisa Malice, Ph.D.
Lisa Malice earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Georgia Tech. She served as a PTA leader at the local and state levels for ten years. She lives in the Indian Hills subdivision with her husband and two children. Contact her at lisa@ moneywisekids.org.
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A college degree has never been more expensive. The average four-year degree for tuition, room and board at a public university is more than $64,000, and the price is $132,000 for a private school. If you’re a money-wise parent, you and your kids are already saving and investing to pay for it. But are you prepared to pay 50 percent more? Studies have shown that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of students change their major at least once during their college careers, and 60 percent of students in four-year degree programs don’t graduate within six years. If your teens haven’t a clue about what major they might pursue in college, the money-wise thing to do would be to spend some time and money towards exploring career interests. A good place to start is online at careeronestop.org/ students from the U.S. Department of
Around WALTON | February 2013
Labor. There you’ll find a wealth of free resources from interest inventories, job descriptions, educational requirements, and most important, employment outlook. Search the Internet for any youth outreach programs related to your kids’ fields of interest. For example, Women In Technology’s (mywit.org) Girls Get IT program offers some great opportunities for girls to learn about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers with speakers, job shadowing, and site visits. After picking a few areas of interest, consider signing your kids up for one of the many summer camps that offer real-world experience in career fields. Technology-based and other careerinterest camps are available at many local colleges. Georgia Tech’s Women In Engineering (WIE) group hosts an engineering exploration camp for rising 7th and 8th grade girls (www.coe. gatech.edu/content/tec-camp). If your upper class high school student is still undecided after these efforts, consider meeting with a career psychologist. continued on page 68
Clarifying the Focus of your Business. by Peter Allen Now that you have all your intentions and objectives set to create the best you for this New Year, this can be and should be your best year ever! As you look at your business, ask yourself these questions:
Peter Allen lives in East Cobb and has a degree in Business Management and holds several certificates from coaching institutes for life, business relationships and retirement. He can be reached at (770) 9772232.
purpose and mission.
What business am I really, really, really in? Get out of the box and give this some good thought. Brainstorm with someone if you can. The benefits will be many. It’s always more than the products and services you provide. This will help you get clear on who your specific markets are and how to communicate with them. Why am I in this business? This will give you clear information on creating or recreating your business
“
Answering these questions will take a fair amount of time and commitment. Your answers will infuse new energy and passion into your business.
Answering these questions will take a fair amount of time and commitment. Your answers will infuse new energy and passion into your business. You will get clarity and a laser focus to create much success and bigger results.
How did I get into this business? Write this story out. You may be very surprised by how much this will help you.
Useful Clarifying Questions: What Are My Intentions? What is my heart’s desire for this business? How do I want all my relationships to be? How and who do I want to be? What Are My Objectives? What do I want to specifically accomplish and when? What makes this truly meaningful for me? How do I want this business to look at the end of this year? What Is My Learning Plan? What do I need to learn to accomplish my objectives? What resources do I need? What alliances do I need to create? What Is My Environment? How well do your current environment, associates, family, friends and your working space support your objectives? Is your network sufficient to provide all the resources you’ll need? What are the obvious obstacles that will hinder your progress? Around WALTON | February 2013
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Everyday “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama
If you would like to make a donation, please visit www. townelaker.com/ everydayangels to donate via Paypal or send your donations to: Everyday Angels, 2449 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock GA, 30189. One hundred percent of your funds will go to the family you specify. Also, if you know of a special need within your community that you would like to share, please send an e-mail to aaeverydayangels@ gmail.com for consideration and qualification.
Happy New Year! Thank you to all who helped to make Christmas wonderful for several families this season. Despite the volatile economy, so many of our readers donated to our featured families and helped make a wonderful difference! A local mother and daughter wanted to have a mother/daughter Christmas party that would offer the opportunity to give back (or help someone in need) and The Gift of Giving Christmas Celebration was conceived. This mom and daughter had a special interest in the work of Everyday Angels and determined this would be where the funds raised from the celebration would go. They had decided to focus their efforts on raising funds in support of Jonathan, our November feature, who is in need of a service dog. The carefully planned event involved girls and their moms from Cherokee Christian Schools, neighbors and church. Joyful and inspiring entertainment was provided by Meg Murray. Meg is a singer/songwriter and motivational speaker from Nashville, TN whom the mother and daughter had previously met at Camp Greystone - a girl’s Christian summer camp in NC. The girls were introduced to their guest of honor, Jonathan, and also met Oscar, a special service dog for another local family. In addition to a wonderful night of song, stories and inspiration, the event raised more than $1,000 in support of Jonathan. We would also like to thank the Woodstock Hippie Shop and local performing artist, Garland Kelly, for their recent fundraising efforts in support of Jonathan and his service dog. Jonathan and his family are overwhelmed by the support of the community. Your efforts have helped make their hope for a service dog a reality. We cannot wait to share the pictures of Jonathan when he finally takes ownership of his new special friend. Everyday Angels has been busy throughout the holidays. Thanks to your donations and gift cards, we were able to insure that local families had sufficient food and utilities. We will begin 2013 working closely with our local schools and identifying and qualifying family hardship and specific needs. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of our readers. May God Bless you in your compassion for others.
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WHS Band at Bands of America’s Grand National Championship The Walton High School (WHS) Marching Band competed in the Band of America’s Grand National Championship in November in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Band is under the direction of Mike Back and Jeff Pollock. The WHS Band made it to the semifinal round and finished 20th overall in the competition that included 87 Marching Bands from around the country. Congratulations!
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The Dogwood Cotillion 20
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012-2013
www.dogwoodcotillion.com
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Schools & Sports
Mix Technology and Creativity: Create Sparkler Pictures by Olivia Malice
Olivia Malice is a senior at Walton High School and a member of the robotics team, Team WALT. Olivia serves as the Communications Director and the team photographer. Visit waltonrobotics.org for more information or to contact Team WALT.
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Because the sun goes down so early in winter, it is hard to find time to get outside for some fresh air. With adult supervision, using sparklers can make going out in the evening more fun. Even better, you can use sparklers as an outlet for creativity by capturing their light streaks with your camera. All you need is a tripod, a lighter, sparklers, and a camera with ability to manually set shutter speed. Be sure to check your camera’s manual for minimum outdoor temperature usage guidelines before heading outside. Set your f-stop to F/8 with a shutter speed of 20 to 30 seconds; this is the average life of a lit sparkler. Steady your camera on a tripod, light your sparklers and take a picture! Move the sparkler around while taking the picture to create light streaks. You can spell names in the air with the sparkler, draw pictures, or just dance around and have fun!
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With digital technology, there’s no worry about using up film; you are only limited by the number of sparklers you have. The shorter sparklers work best, as the longer ones tend to flop around more. Try experimenting with different distances, angles, and number of people. Wear dark clothing if you do not want to appear in the pictures. Sparkler safety tips from GoodHousekeeping.com: ● Always have adult supervision when using sparklers. ● Never hand someone a lighted sparkler. Hand them an unlit sparkler, then light it. ● Stand at least six feet away from one another. ● To prevent accidental fires or burns from used sparklers, place used sparklers in a glass of water. ● Don’t wear loose clothing or gloves made of flammable material.
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Schools & Sports
School & Sports News Dodgen Middle School Robotics Team Success Robotics team 4631 (Project Ninja) from Dodgen Middle School, had great success at its first qualifier at Baker Elementary in Acworth. Project Ninja competes in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge (FTC) division of the FIRST Robotics program. FIRST encourages students to promote S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). FIRST teams are made up of students and mentors working together to build a robot that will participate in a number of competitions. At a recent competition sponsored by Kell High School’s Robotics Team, the Project Ninja team was awarded second place in the Inspire Award category, which qualified the team to advance to the FTC Georgia State Competition at Southern Polytechnic State University in March. Project Ninja also earned first place for the Connect Award, and was nominated for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award for robot design, and the Think Award for its engineering notebook. Project Ninja was further honored by being chosen as an alliance partner by one of the top ranking teams, Steel Wolves, Team 5949 from Norcross. To learn more about Project Ninja, please visit www. projectninja4631.org.
Two Cobb Football Players Play In 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Walton High School Varsity football players Tyren Jones (RB) and Brandon Kublanow (OL) played in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game in January. The boys were selected in September to play in the bowl game by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Selection Committee. The game is considered Tyren Jones (left) and Brandon Kublanow the nation’s premier national showcase for high school football talent, featuring the best 90 players in an East vs. West match-up from the Alamodome stadium in downtown San Antonio, Texas.
Mathnasium Partners with ECCC PTA Mathnasium East Cobb, located at 1205 Johnson Ferry Road, announced its official partnership with ECCC PTA (East Cobb County Council Of PTA’s). The tutoring center will offer local PTA members a free two-week trial membership and diagnostic assessment of a student’s unique strengths and needs. For more information, visit www.mathnasium.com/eastcobb, call (770) 578-6170 or stop in for a tour of the facilities.
Fullers Park Improvements
Members of the Dodgen Middle School robotics team, Project Ninja.
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A construction project is scheduled to begin in Fullers Park, 3499 Robinson Road. This 2011 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project consists of replacing crosstie retaining walls near baseball field 2, near the pavilion, at the football field and at the tennis courts. A total of 38 parking spaces will be added near field 2. Initial demolition will begin in January, with the entire project completed by the end of April 2013.
Robotics Build Season FRC (FIRST Robotic Competition) students from all over the state gathered at Georgia Tech for the debut of the 2013 game Ultimate AscentSM, a spin-off of Ultimate Frisbee®. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) describes this year’s game as follows: “Ultimate AscentSM is played by two competing alliances (made up of three robotic teams) on a flat, 27 x 54 foot field. Each Alliance consists of three robots, and they compete to score as many discs into their goals as they can during a two-minute and fifteen-second match. The higher the goal in which the disc is scored, the more points the Alliance receives. The match begins with a fifteen-second Autonomous Period in which robots operate independently of driver inputs. For the remainder of the match, drivers control robots and try to maximize their alliance score by scoring as many goals as possible. The match ends with robots attempting to climb up pyramids located near the middle of the field.” For the next several months, students on the Walton High School Robotics team, Team WALT, will be designing, building, and testing a robot to complete this challenge created by FIRST. The first competition will be the Peachtree Regional in Gwinnett County, followed by the Washington DC Regional. Junior Nick Perry said, “I am interested to study the physics of the flying disc and how it will affect our robot design.” Rookie team members are caught up in the excitement of the coming months. “I was on our FTC team at my middle school, and it’s really exciting to finally work with the professional robots in high school,” said freshman Annika Daya.
WHS Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team Walton High School’s (WHS) Reading Bowl team competed at McEachern High School in the 7th Annual Cobb County Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl and won first place. The Reading Bowl is a quiz-bowl style competition that pulls questions from a list of 20 Georgia Peach Book Award Nominees. Each team uses a different strategy, and Coach Heather Kindschy, WHS Media Specialist said, “Our students divided up the books and essentially became experts on four to five books. They identify important and sometimes minute details that may be included in a question. I am sure the students would agree that some of the questions are very specific.” This was Walton’s first year with a team. Student Vineet Raman approached Ms. Kindschy last year about sponsoring a team. Ms. Colleen Ham, an English teacher at WHS, is the co-sponsor. In the county competition, WHS competed against six other high schools from Cobb. Hillgrove High School came in second and both teams advance to the regional competition to be held in Carrolton. Good luck!
Walton High School’s Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team. Left to right: Celine Arpornsuksant, Yogitha Chareddy, Vineet Raman, Sam Rapoport, Brett Borer, and Sarah Hudadoff.
Registration Open for Spring Sports It may still be cold outdoors, but it is time to register for spring sports and activities with Cobb County Park and Recreation. Many started registrations in January, including baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis and BMX. Cobb’s youth league programs are administered by volunteer organizations, so dates and times of registrations vary. For specific information on the activities in which your child wishes to participate, visit cobbcounty.org/prca.
WHS Robotics team member and freshman J. C. Howard brainstorms ideas for the team’s 2013 FIRST competition robot.
Adult spring softball registration will begin in February. For those interested, download a softball registration packet, or see a listing of all adult programs by visiting cobbcounty.org/prca and clicking on the “Athletics-Adult” tab. Around WALTON | February 2013
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Schools & Sports
Why You Should Vote to Continue Ed-SPLOST by Scott Sweeney
Scott Sweeney is Chairman of the Cobb County Board of Education and represents Post 6. Scott may be contacted at ssweeney. boardmember@ cobbk12.org or (678) 646-2470. For more information, visit www.cobbk12.org
East Side Elementary School provides an outstanding example of how the education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (Ed-SPLOST) has been beneficial for the Around Walton community. The new school replaced an aged, costlyto-maintain facility. Nostalgia aside, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone suggesting that the old school was better than the new school. Not long ago, the Cobb school district held classes in more than 650 temporary classrooms. With the recent completion of the Sope Creek Elementary School addition, all trailer classrooms there are gone. At Wheeler High School, more than 30 temporary classrooms will be removed this year. Similar reductions have occurred throughout the district. At the conclusion of this school year, the district will have well less than 100 temporary classrooms because of Ed-SPLOST.
This March, Cobb voters will consider the continuation of
Ed-SPLOST for the Cobb County School District and Marietta City Schools. For the Cobb system, the process began with the delivery of the district’s five-year facility plan to the state in 2010. Since then, more than $2 billion in need-based projects were identified system wide. The proposed Ed-SPLOST IV is projected to generate approximately $717.8 million over 5 years, meaning that revenues will address less than 36 percent of identified needs. In addition to important system wide improvements for safety and support, transportation, and curriculum and instruction, there are several important projects within the Around Walton community to consider. The project list includes: • A new facility for Walton High School, including fine arts facilities with theater plus a main gymnasium • Re-roofing at Dickerson Middle School and band instruments • Roof and skylight replacement at Dodgen Middle school and band instruments • Roofing at Timber Ridge Elementary School • Temporary annex building replacements at Sope Creek, Mt. Bethel and Kincaid Elementary schools continued on page 68
Walton Facilities Foundation, Inc. Supports SPLOST IV On March 19, 2013, the SPLOST IV referendum will be put before Cobb County voters. If approved, the county district expects to collect about $718 million in the extension of the 1 percent sales tax. As a part of that referendum, Walton High School is scheduled to be re-built. Construction would include a new academic building, a fine arts building (including a theater), a gymnasium, and site work as required.
In the fall of 2012, Judy McNeill, Walton High School Principal, put together a committee to study Walton’s needs, knowing the SPLOST notebook would be put together in the late fall. After extensive review of existing conditions, the committee began meeting with Scott Sweeney to understand SPLOST. Ultimately, this committee helped form the requests that Mrs. McNeill submitted for consideration.
According to Scott Sweeney, Area 6 School Board Representative, an $89 million budget shortfall is projected for the 2013–2014 school year. He added, “SPLOST IV has the potential to deliver much needed infrastructure and capital improvements to the Walton community. The school district’s detailed needs assessment revealed greater than $2.0 billion in needs-based projects for the entire Cobb County School District. SPLOST IV passage will provide the continuing support for needed capital improvements in our schools.”
In putting together the needs for Walton for the SPLOST notebook, the county identified Walton’s need for a comprehensive gymnasium as well as fine arts facility needs. Walton’s orchestra program is the largest orchestra program in not only Cobb County, but the state of Georgia. The new Fine Arts facility included in the SPLOST IV referendum would provide properly sized teaching spaces for not only orchestra, but also band, chorus and drama. The new theater is planned to include the Cobb County standard of at least 750 seats.
The Walton Facilities Foundation, Inc. led efforts to identify facility needs at Walton High School. This included meeting with booster clubs, parents, school administration, county personnel, school board members and others to fully document Walton’s needs.
Marisyl Gardner, a Walton Orchestra parent who supports the SPLOST referendum, shares her experiences: “The Walton Orchestra is a nationally recognized program whose students and directors are invited every year to play at prestigious music events throughout the country. Because the orchestra teaching space is half the size it should be, the directors sometimes teach
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seven periods a day, foregoing planning time and eating lunch on the run. At the Walton Symphony Concert in October 2012, the Walton Theater, undersized by 300 plus seats, was standing room only and we were turning people away due to lack of space.” In February 2012, Walton Facilities Foundation, Inc. partnered with a local architectural firm to assess Walton’s urgent facility needs and to develop a master plan for long term planning at Walton. The firm determined then that Walton was at least 48,000 square feet short on space based on Cobb County Education Specifications of square footage requirements based on the population of the school and curriculum requirements. This plan is very preliminary, but it demonstrates that while Walton is landlocked, proper planning, efficient traffic flow, and correct placement of buildings will allow all 43 acres at Walton to be used well. Now, with the prospect of funding to address the issues identified, the Walton community is hopeful that a comprehensive plan will be implemented. Principal McNeill said it well: “I am excited about the prospect of Walton having a physical plant that mirrors the academic, athletic, and fine arts accomplishments of our students. Walton has a national reputation for excellence and excels in spite of the limitations of the facility. We are 48,000 square feet out of compliance with guidelines for a school of 2,000. Much of the facility we have has not been updated since 1975. The money from SPLOST IV would provide for a new, multi-story building, which would allow us to meet code and better provide for the needs of our faculty, students and community.” Walton is recognized as a major draw as families determine the best location for purchasing a home and raising a family. Sabra Pidgeon, a realtor with Keller Williams Realty First Atlanta
and Walton parent, said, “Investing in the Walton High School community always pays dividends. Walton’s reputation for excellence in academics and sports is a driving force on the stability of home values in East Cobb. Our fellow residents owe it to themselves to give the SPLOST vote serious consideration. Walton has the opportunity to keep pace with other state of the art facilities while continuing to lead Cobb County with high values in public education.” Maggie McMullen, Mortgage Loan Officer with the Bank of North Georgia/Synovus Mortgage and rising Walton parent, supports the notion adding, “Home values in the Walton area of East Cobb remained strong, even during the housing crisis. It is the only part of the metro area where I did not see consistently declining values, and now they are on the rise again. In my opinion, this is due to the combination of location and the reputation of excellent schools.” Vonda Shoemaker, President of Walton Facilities Foundation, Inc., said she, “considers it a privilege to continue advocacy efforts for Walton High School. We have incredible students, faculty and staff and parents. Additionally, the community is always eager to support the key stakeholders at Walton. The Foundation is committed to identifying avenues of greater success for our students, and we look forward to continued partnerships to meet Cobb County Education Specifications.” Walton is a clear example that excellence in education comes from teachers, students and families, not the surroundings. However, facilities at Walton do dictate some aspects of curriculum due to the severe shortage of space. The Walton community is hopeful that voters will take the time to look at the positive impact SPLOST IV would have on the school, housing values, and our community and vote on March 19. Around WALTON | February 2013
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When Grades Take a Turn for the Worst by Claudia Aguirre with C2 Education, East Cobb
With my years of experience in tutoring, I have seen many students whose parents are unhappy with his or her academic performance. Fixing the problem can often be tricky. Here are some tips for addressing less than stellar grades. Do not jump to a punishment. Although it’s tempting to yell at and ground your child, we find that bad grades often have a deeper root cause, and it is important to discover the reason behind the bad grades before jumping straight to the punishment. Sometimes it is a social problem at school; other times students might have an issue with a particular teacher. Whatever the cause, it is important to make sure that bad grades are not a sign of a bigger problem. Claudia Aguirre has been an education specialist and director at C2 Education in East Cobb for the past four years. You may contact her regarding ideas for future articles at eastcobb@ c2educate.com.
Do not immediately take away school activities. These include school teams, clubs and sports. Students need
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extracurricular activities for two reasons: burning that extra energy to relieve stress and for their future college applications. If your child is overloaded with school activities, this might be the time to narrow it down to the most important ones, but do not automatically force them to quit everything. Sit down and talk with your child. Ask your child to explain his or her grades. Listen carefully to what he or she has to say and try to come up with a solution together. When you involve your child in the process of creating expectations, he or she is more likely to try to live up to them. After you have communicated with your child, your next step should be to reach out to his or her teacher. Find out if there are missing assignments or poor test grades. Ask the teacher if he or she grades homework for completion or accuracy, and if there is enough time to bring up the grades. Talking to your child’s teacher should give you some insight as to what is really going on in the classroom. When nothing else works, it is time to get expert advice such as from a tutor. Tutors can offer individualized instruction and help with study skills.
Faith
Mid-life Can Be Unsettling by Bryant Wright
“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 Mid-life has come to millions of Baby Boomers, and the thought of more than 70 million Boomers in a mid-life Bryant Wright is crisis can unsettle even the most stable the Senior Pastor of person. Mid-life is often a time when Johnson Ferry Baptist hard-driving adults begin to grow weary Church and the founder and chairman of of all their responsibilities. In fact, they Right from the Heart can feel trapped. Boredom may kick in Ministries. He is the with realized goals, and depression may past President of set in from goals that have not been the Southern Baptist realized and never will be. Bob Buford Convention. He can be calls this stage of life “halftime.” At reached at (770) 973halftime, the team regroups and catches 6561 ext. 2962. its breath to go out and do better in the second half. He argues that a key for doing well in the second half of life is shifting our focus from success to significance. Here are two keys to lasting significance: 1. Meaningful relationships – first with God, then Christ, then with your fellow man. Mid-life is a key time to get those things right before the second half begins. If you’re at the midpoint of your life, I hope you’ll take the time to assess and adjust. 2. Using your gifts, talents and time to your best for the glory of God versus the glory of self. Then, the second half can be better than the first.
Copyrighted material. Used by permission of Right From the Heart Ministries, Marietta, GA.
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Faith
WALTON AREA Houses of Worship Anglican The Church of Our Redeemer 2625 Canton Road (770) 421-1928 Rector: Fr. James Danford www.ourredeemeracc.org
Apostolic Northside Apostolic Church 2115 Northfield Court, (770) 975-3001
Baha’i Faith Baha’i Faith of Marietta 2601 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 509-0070
Baptist
Mt. Arbor Baptist Church 2235 Morgan Road, NE, (770) 971-9339
Christian and Missionary Alliance
New Life Baptist Church 4010 Canton Road, (770) 592-6880 Pastor: Roger Brink www.thenewlife.org
Marietta Alliance Church 1787 E. Piedmont Road, (770) 973-2189 Pastor: David Hayes www.macweb.org
New Providence Baptist Church 3740 Providence Road, (770) 971-3519 Pastor: Charles Whittaker www.newprovidencebc.com
Christian Science
Northside Primitive Baptist Church 5265 Roswell Road, (678)481-2793 Pastor: Jason Solomon www.northsidepbc.org
Church of Christ
Bible Baptist Church 2025 Eula Drive, NE, (770) 592-2660 Pastor: D.L. Cooper
Piedmont Baptist Church 570 Piedmont Road, Marietta, (770) 422-2566 www.piedmontchurch.tv
Chattahoochee Baptist Church 375 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 977-2058 Pastor: Rick Shoup www.chattahoocheebaptistchurch.org
Sandy Plains Baptist Church
Cornerstone Baptist Church 1506 Sawyer Road, (770) 422-3579 Pastor: Carl George
Sewell Mill Baptist Church 2550 Sewell Mill Road, (770) 971-3746 Pastor: David Watson www.sewellmill.org
Crossview Baptist Church 1100 Piedmont Road, (770) 973-0063 Pastor: John E. Johnson www.crossviewbaptist.org East Cobb Baptist Church 1940 Shallowford Road, (770) 928-2233 Pastor: David York Eastside Baptist Church 2450 Lower Roswell Road, (770) 971-2323 Pastor: Dr. David H. Chauncey www.ebcfamily.org Eastwood Baptist Church 1150 Allgood Road, (770) 973-9011 Pastor: Mike Hatton www.eastwoodbaptist.org Elizabeth Baptist Church 315 Kurtz Road, (770) 427-3325 Pastor: Steve Echols Galilee Baptist Church 2050 Bentley Lake Road, (770) 422-6487 Holt Road Baptist Church 675 Holt Road, NE, (770) 971-3052 www.holtroadbaptist.org Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 973-6561 Pastor: Bryant Wright www.johnsonferry.org Liberty Hill Baptist Church 1053 Liberty Hill Road, NE, (770) 422-1406 Pastor: Amos Williams
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2825 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 971-8525 Pastor: Dr. Alvin Southerland www.sandyplains.org
Shady Grove Baptist Church 1654 Bells Ferry Road, (770) 428-0216 Shallowford Free Will Baptist 1686 Shallowford Road, (770) 926-1163 Pastor: Len Blanchard www.shallowfordchurch.com
Catholic
Holy Family Catholic Church 3401 Lower Roswell Road, (770) 973-0038 Pastor: Darragh Griffith www.holyfamilycc.org St. Ann’s Catholic Church 4905 Roswell Road, (770) 552-6400 Pastor: Tom Rielly www.st-ann.org Transfiguration Catholic Church 1815 Blackwell Road, (770) 977-1442 Pastor: Monsignor Patrick Bishop www.transfiguration.com
Christian
Atlanta Chinese Christian Church Northwest 1837 Bill Murdock Road, (770) 971-1837 Pastor: Rev. Christopher Pu Chestnut Ridge Christian Church 2663 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 971-8888 Pastor: Byron Wells Walking By Faith Christian 1821 Kinridge Road, (678) 560-1144
Christian Science Churches & Reading Rooms 2641 Old Sewell Road, (770) 565-7271
Church of Christ-Piedmont Road 1630 Piedmont Road, (770) 971-9933 Minister: Neil Richey www.pr-coc.com East Cobb Church of Christ 5240 Roswell Road, (770) 587-5888 Pastor: Ray Hawkins www.eastcobbcoc.org Emmanuel Tabernacle Christ Church 2692 Sandy Plains Road, #A32, (770) 422-3268 Pastor: Dwight Graves North River Church of Christ 320 Austin Avenue, (770) 792-8133 www.nrcoc.com
Church of God Church of God of Prophecy 3393 Canton Road, (770) 427-5923 First Church of God 592 Shannon Drive, (770) 461-1925 Mount Paran North 1700 Allgood Road, (770) 578-9081 www.mtparan.com Town Center Church of God 1040 Blackwell Road, (770) 424-4004
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 3195 Trickum Road, NE, (770) 509-9074 Pastor: Bishop Ho Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints — Paper Mill Ward, 95 Holt Road, (770) 578-8734
Community Churches Cobb Community Church at Highlands 4649 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 992-3330 Pastor: Alan Daniels www.cobbcc.com Shallowford Falls Community Church 3662 Shallowford Road, (770) 565-7468 Pastor: David White www.shallowfordfalls.com
Vineyard Community Church 2692 Sandy Plains Road, #A25, (770) 565-1505 Pastor: Tommy Papevies
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 2922 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 971-4600 Pastor: Ronald Grunke www.holytrinitymarietta.org
Restoration Life Church 2692 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 509-1481 Pastor: Ken Kessler www.lifeschoolinternational.org
Episcopal Church of St. Peter & St. Paul 1795 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 977-7473 Rector: The Rev. Dr. Robert G. Certain www.peterandpaul.org
Lutheran Church of Incarnation 1200 Indian Hills Parkway, (770) 971-2738 Pastor: Rev. Jerry Reynolds www.lcilutheran.org
Orthodox
Episcopal Church-Annunciation 1673 Jamerson Road, (770) 928-7916 Rev. Paul McCabe www.annunciationepiscopal.org
Lutheran Church of Resurrection 4814 Paper Mill Road, (770) 953-3193 www.lcrmarietta.org
Episcopal
St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church 571 Holt Road, NE, (770) 971-2839 Rev. Jim Nixon www.stcatherines.org
Greek Orthodox
Methodist East Cobb United Methodist 2325 Roswell Road, (770) 971-3643 Pastor: Brian Germano www.eastcobbumc.org
St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church 2263 East Cherokee Drive, (770) 485-0504 Priest Frederick Watson www.stelizabethga.org
Presbyterian Christ Presbyterian Church 495 Terrell Mill Road, (770) 956-7572 Pastor: Legree Finch www.christpreschurch.org
Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church 3431 Trickum Road, NE, (770) 924-8080 Rev. Father Panayiotis Papageorgiou www.HolyTransfiguration.info
Mount Bethel United Methodist Church 4385 Lower Roswell Road, (770) 971-2880 www.mtbethel.org
East Cobb Presbyterian 4616 Roswell Road, (770) 973-4114 Pastor: Richard Holmes www.ecpca.org
Jehovah’s Witness
Mountain View United Methodist 2300 Jamerson Road, (770) 928-0050 Pastor: Bill Burch www.mvumc.org
Eastminster Presbyterian Church 3125 Sewell Mill Road, (770) 977-2976 Pastor: Dr. Tim McConnell www.epres.org
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church 1770 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 971-1465 Pastor: Dr. Joe Peabody www.mtzionumc.org
Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian 3605 Sandy Plains Road #240-161, (404) 786-9815 Pastor: John Fesko www.genevaopc.org
Powers Ferry United Methodist Church 245 Powers Ferry Road, (770) 973-5271 Pastor: Jane Nugent www.powerumc.com
Hope Presbyterian Church 4101 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 971-4673 Pastor: Martin Hawley www.hopepca.org
Sacred Tapestry UMC 3000 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 605-5083 www.sacredtapestry.com
John Knox Presbyterian Church 505 Powers Ferry Road, (770) 973-5050 Pastor: Fritz Bogar www.johnknoxpcmarietta.org
Jehovah’s Witness 2065 Bells Ferry Road, (770) 427-1881 Pastor: Hope Torkornoo www.watchtower.org
Jewish Chabad of East Cobb 4450 Lower Roswell Road, (770) 565-4412 Congregation Etz Chaim 1190 Indian Hills Pkwy, (770) 973-0137 Rabbis Shalom Lewis and Paul Kerbel www.etzchaim.net Temple Kol Emeth 1415 Old Canton Road, (770) 973-9205 Rabbi: Stephen Lebow www.kolemeth.net
Korean Bethany Korean Presbyterian Multi-cultural (Korean, Brazilian and American) 4644 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 643-1459 Pastor: Byeongho Choi www.bethanykorean.org Korean Covenant Presbyterian 2100 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 565-4777 Pastor: Paul Sim www.sungyahk.org Korean United Methodist Church 945 Old Canton Road, (770) 321-0020
Lutheran Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 2240 Shallowford Road, (770) 928-7919 Pastor: John Guse www.bslc.us Faith Lutheran Church 2111 Lower Roswell Road, (770) 973-8877 Pastor: Carl Schneidert www.faithLCMS.org
St. Andrew United Methodist Church 3455 Canton Road, (770) 926-4961 St. Paul United Methodist Church 244 Kurtz Road, (770) 422-1089 Pastor: Dana Overton-Garrett Wesley Chapel United Methodist 4495 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 993-4919 Pastor: Jimmy Hood www.wesleychapelumc.com
Non-Denominational Marietta Vineyard Church 1492 Roswell Road, (770) 977-9496 Pastor: Jeremy Graves www.mariettavineyard.org North Atlanta Church 2800 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 518-0303
Overcomers World Church 2300 Shallowford Road, (770) 924-0607 Pastors: Allison and Isaac Crawford overcomerswc.org
Ray-Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church 4644 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 998-9321 Pastor: Carrie Scott www.rtmchurch.org
Unitarian Universalist Emerson Unitarian Universalist 2799 Holly Springs Road, NE, (770) 578-1533 Pastor: Rev. Jeff Jones
United Church of Christ Pilgrimage Church UCC 3755 Sandy Plains Road, (770) 971-0007 Pastor: Kimberleigh Buchanan www.pilgrimageucc.org
Unity Unity North Atlanta Church 4255 Sandy Plains Road, (678) 819-9100 Acting Spiritual Leader: Rev. Richard Burdick www.unitynorth.org Around WALTON | February 2013
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Reference
WALTON AREA CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS Business Organizations APICS, The Association for Operations Management Meeting: 3rd Tuesday for 5:30 p.m. networking; 6:15 - 8 p.m. dinner & speaker Location: Villa Christina, 4000 Summit Blvd, Atlanta Contact: www.atlantaapics.org or programs@ apicsatlanta.org East Cobb Business Association Meeting: 3rd Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Contact: Susan Hampton, (404) 218-6216 www.eastcobbba.com East Cobb Open Networking A referral network for professionals Meeting: Fridays at 7:30 a.m. Location: Capozzi’s NY Deli, 4285 Roswell Road Contact: Tim Langley, (770) 289-9711 East Cobb PowerCore Team Meeting: Thursdays at 7 a.m. Location: IHOP, 3130 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (404) 816-3377 Northeast Cobb Business Association Meeting: Third Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. Location: Piedmont Church, 570 Piedmont Road Contact: crba@cantonroadba.org or (678) 229-2893 www.northeastcobbba.org
Cobb County WWII Veterans Meeting: 2nd Tuesday at 1 p.m. Location: Windy Hill Senior Center East Cobb AARP Meeting: 1st Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Location: East Cobb Senior Center 3332 Sandy Plains Road East Cobb Civic Association, Inc. Meeting: Last Wednesday at 7 p.m. Location: See website for location. Contact: Jill Flamm, President www.eastcobb.net East Cobb Civitans Meeting: 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 12 noon Location: Old Towne Athletic Club, Marietta Contact: Mary Karras, (770) 422-6485 East Cobb Community Friends for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Meeting: 3rd Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Contact: Suzanne Strickland, (770) 992-2882 East Cobb Lions Club Meeting: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Location: Eastside Baptist Church 2450 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta Contact: Susan Hampton, (404) 218-6216
Y Business Network Y membership not required. Meeting: Every other Friday, 7:30-8:45 a.m. Location: Northeast Cobb Y, 3010 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: Rosemary Macmillan, (678) 569-9622
East Cobb Optimist Clubs Meeting: Mondays at 7 p.m. Location: Shillings on the Square 19 N. Park Square NE, Marietta Contact: Jim David, (404) 683-0196
Charitable Organizations
Kiwanis Club of East Cobb Meetings: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Location: Paradise South of the Border 3605 Sandy Plains Rd. Contact: Johnny Johnson, (770) 977-2026 www.eastcobbkiwanis.org
Aloha To Aging, Inc. Support Programs for Seniors and their families. Contact: Dawn Reed, (678) 439-1177 Animals Deserve Better, Inc. Animal rescue and adoptions Contact: Kimberly Brenowitz, (770) 402-0297 kimberlyadb@aol.com Boys and Girls Clubs Contact: (770) 427-0418 Foundation for Hospital Art Contact: Scott Feight (678) 324-1695 www.hospitalart.org Meals on Wheels Contact: Shelia Perkins, (770) 528-5381 MUST Ministries Contact: (770) 426-7667 SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc. Contact: Elizabeth Underwood (770) 801-3465
Civic Organizations American Legion Post 29 Meeting: 2nd and 4th Wednesday and Saturday at 11 a.m.. Location: 921 Gresham Ave. NE. Contact: (770) 427-5900 Cobb American Association of University Women Meeting: 2nd Tuesday at 7 p.m. Contact: www.aauwcobb.org
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Kiwanis Club of Marietta — Golden K Meetings: Thursdays at 10 a.m. Location: East Cobb Senior Center 3332 Sandy Plains Rd. Contact: Joe Van Horn, Sr., (770) 428-3419 gajosbarb@comcast.net League of Women Voters of Marietta-Cobb Meeting : 2nd Monday Location: Various Contact: mariettacobb@lwvga.org or Elizabeth at (770) 592-0625 President’s Club Toastmasters Meeting: 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Location: East Cobb Government Services Building, 4400 Lower Roswell Road Contact: Judi Rogers, missiontur@aol.com Rotary Club of East Cobb Meeting: Wednesdays at 7 — 8 a.m. Location: Indian Hills Country Club Contact: (770) 971-2605 www.eastcobbrotary.com VFW Post 2681 Location: 140 Powers Ferry Road Contact: (770) 977-2088 www.vfwwebcom.org/ga/post2681
Political Organizations Cobb County Democratic Party Committee Meeting: 2nd Saturday at 9 a.m. Location: Piccadilly Cafeteria, 536 Cobb Parkway Contact: (770) 420-7133 ccdc@cobbdemocrat.com Cobb Democratic Women Meeting: 2nd Thursday at 6 p.m. Contact: Beverly McMurry, (770) 426-6916 btmcmurray@comcaStreet.net Cobb Young Democrats Meeting: Wednesdays at 12 noon Contact: webmaster@ydcobb.org www.ydcobb.org Cobb County Libertarian Party Meeting: 1st Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Location: Council Chamber Marietta City Hall Contact: Ted Skirvin, (770) 795-1331 www.cobblp.org Cobb County Republican Party Meeting: 1st Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Location: Williamson Bros. BBQ, Marietta Contact: Billy Dendy, (770) 272-0458 dendyjoe@gmail.com, www.cobbgop.org Cobb County Republican Women Meeting: 4th Friday at 11:30 a.m. Location: Marietta Conference Center 500 Powder Springs Street Contact: (770) 785-2522, www.ccrwc.org East Cobb Democratic Alliance Meeting: 3rd Thursday at 7 p.m. Location: Delkwood Grill, 2769 Delk Rd. Contact: Tom Barksdale (770) 592-9424
Recreation and Hobbies American Needlepoint Guild Meeting: 2nd Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. Location: Mountainview Library, 3320 Sandy Plains Road Contact: Penny Boswinkle, (770) 394-0065 Bridge Club Meeting: Mon. – Fri. 10:30 a.m., Mon. – Sat. 7:30 p.m. Location: 1089 Roswell Road Contact: (770) 973-7717 Cobb Alley Cats People who help stray cats Contact: Sue Verner, (770) 436-6758 Cobb County Special Olympics Contact: (770) 819-3223 www.prca.cobbcoga.org Cobb County Stamp Club Meeting: 2nd and 4th Sundays at 1:30 p.m. If new to club, call contact below. Location: Atlanta Ballet Studio, 2000 Powers Ferry Rd. Contact: C. Rejent, (770) 330-0790 crejent@stampsclubs.com www.stampclubs.com/cobb Dog Hikers of Georgia Meeting: Sundays at 10 a.m. Contact: Dan Batchelor, (770) 992-2362
Sope Creek Garden Club Meeting: 1st Wednesday at 10 a.m. Contact: Karin Guzy, (770) 955-1303
Support Groups Al-Anon Meeting: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (770) 794-2978 www.johnsonferry.org/counseling Alzheimer’s/Caregiver Support Group Meeting: 1st Monday at 10:30 a.m. Location: Aloha to Aging, Mt. Bethel Community Center, 4608 Lower Roswell Road Contact: (678) 439-1177 Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group Meeting: 1st Monday at 6 p.m. Facilitated by Dawn Reed of Aloha to Aging Location: Arbor Terrace at East Cobb, 886 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: Shelly Ealey, (770) 977-4420 Autism Support Group Meeting: 3rd Thursday at 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. Location: Mount Bethel United Methodist Church, 4385 Lower Roswell Road, Room F002 Contact: (770) 971-2880 Blended Families Support Group Meeting: 3rd Sunday at 7 p.m. Location: Mount Bethel United Methodist Church, 4385 Lower Roswell Road Contact: (770) 971-2880 Breast Cancer Support Group Meeting: 1st and 3rd Thursdays at 7 p.m. Location: St. Andrew United Methodist Church 3455 Canton Road Contact: Sandy, (770) 926-3488 sandy@thepumpkinchurch.org Cancer Support Group Meeting: 2nd and 4th Mondays at 7 p.m. Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (770) 794-2978 www.johnsonferry.org/counseling Career Quest Ministry Meeting: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Location: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 4905 Roswell Road Contact: (770) 552-6400 x 6104 Codependents Anonymous Meeting: Monday and Thursdays at 7:30pm Location: Unity North Church, 4225 Sandy Plains Road (Administration Bldg upstairs) Contact: Janet D. 770-578-6368 Website: northgeorgiacoda.org Compassionate Friends Support group for bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. Contact: Chapter Phone Line (404) 539-4287 or email erica_beltz@yahoo.com Website: www.tcfmarietta.org Dad 2 Dad For stay-at-home dads Contact: Richard Collins, (770) 579-5445 Diabetes Support Group Contact: Wellstar, (770) 793-7828 East Cobb CHADD For parents with children who have ADHD. Contact: east-cobb@chadd.net Website: www.chadd.net/300
Families Anonymous (FA) Support group for families who have loved ones struggling with addiction. Meeting: Every Tuesday at 7:30 Location: Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Youth Center, 1770 Johnson Ferry Rd. Contact: jawadta@yahoo.com Family Caregiver Support Group Meeting: First Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Location: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 4905 Roswell Rd Facilitator: Dawn Reed, (678) 777-7241 Foundation for Ensuring Access and Equity Contact: Mychal Wynn, (678) 395-5825 or (678) 620-3685 Website: www.accessandequity.org Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Meeting: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:15 p.m. Location: Transfiguration Catholic Church Blackwell Road Contact: Jeannie DeCarlo, (770) 919-9275 Grief Support Group Meeting: First Tuesday at 10 a.m. Location: Aloha To Aging, Inc. , Mt. Bethel Comm. Center, 4608 Lower Roswell Rd. Contact: (678) 439-1177. JACS (Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent, and Significant Others) Meeting: 1st and 3rd Tuesday Location: Congregation Etz Chaim, 1190 Indian Hills Pkwy., in the library Contact: (770) 928-2523, teshuva12@aol.com Job Seekers Meeting: 1st and 3rd Saturdays at 8 a.m. Location: Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 3125 Sewell Mill Road Contact: (770) 977-2976 Moms In Prayer (formerly Moms In Touch) for parents of East Side Elementary students Meeting: Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Contact: Rachel Bloom, (770) 973-4705, familybloom@gmail.com Moms In Touch — Walton High School Meeting: Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Contact: Cynthia Eller (770) 578-6301 eller2905@aol.com Mothers and More Meeting: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Location: Saint Catherine’s Episcopal Church, 681 Holt Road Contact: www.mmeastcobb.homestead.com National Alliance for Mental Illness Family Support Group Meeting: Second & Fourth Tuesdays, 7 — 8:30 p.m. Location: Hillside United Methodist Church Contact: Robin (770) 928-2762, Terri (678) 497-5657 Website: www.nami.org Newcomers of Cobb County Meeting: 3rd Tuesday at 10 a.m. Location: John Knox Presbyterian Church, 505 Powers Ferry Rd. Contact: (770) 234-5068 newcomersofcobbcounty@yahoo.com Next Century Youth, Inc. Location: 791 Mimosa Boulevard, Roswell Contact: Mary Brooks Green, (678) 278-9278 Website: www.nextcenturyyouth.org Northwest Atlanta Moms of Multiples Club
Meeting: 2nd Monday at 7 p.m. Location: North Metro Church on Barrett Pkwy. Contact: (678) 404-0034, www.NOWaMOM.org. Overeaters Anonymous Meeting: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 a.m. Location: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 4905, Roswell Rd Contact: Betsy, (404) 226-4931, www.oa.org Parents of Prodigals Children with self-destructive lifestyle. Meeting: 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 6:45 p.m. Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (770) 794-2978 www.johnsonferry.org/counseling Parkinson’s Disease Support Group Meeting: 2nd Sunday at 4 p.m. Location: Roswell UMC, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Bldg. A Contact: Robin Cleveland, (678) 819-3915 rcleveland@visitingangels.com Parkinson’s Disease Support Group Meeting: First Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Location: Aloha to Aging, Mt. Bethel Community Center, 4608 Lower Roswell Road Contact: (678) 439-1177 PASA (Parents of All Stages and Ages) Meeting: Fridays at 10 a.m.Free child care available Location: East Cobb UMC Lower Level Activities Building, 2325 Roswell Road Contact: Lisa Hunt (770) 984-0699 Road to Recovery Divorce Support Group Meeting: Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m. Location: Mount Bethel United Methodist Church 4385 Lower Roswell Road Mission House Contact: (770) 971-2880 Sexual Assault Support Group Meeting: Mondays at 7 p.m. Location: YMCA of NW GA, 48 Henderson St, Contact: Marie Mertilus, (770) 423-3589 Single Adult Ministry Location: Mount Bethel United Methodist Church, 4385 Lower Roswell Road Contact: (770) 971-3447, www.mtbethel.org Single’s Ministry Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (770) 973-6561, www.jfbc.org Treasures in Heaven (miscarriage/infant death) Meeting: 4th Monday at 7 p.m. Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church 955 Johnson Ferry Road Contact: (770) 794-2978 www.johnsonferry.org/counseling VOICE Today Survivors of child sexual abuse Meeting: 1st & 3rd Tuesday at 7 p.m. Location: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church Room 334 Contact: Tom Scales, (678) 578-4888 Website: www.voicetoday.org Widowed Helping Others Meeting: Twice each month Location: St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 4905 Roswell Rd Contact: Marguerite Williamson, (770) 977-8438 Women’s Divorce Support Group Meeting: 1st Thursday & 3rd Wednesday, 7 - 9 p.m. Location: East Cobb Government Center, 4400 Lower Roswell Rd. Contact: Facilitated by Visions Anew, (770) 953-2882 Website: www.visionsanew.org Around WALTON | February 2013
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Reference
SCHOOL INFORMATION Elementary Schools East Side Elementary School 3850 Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 578-7200 Principal: Elizabeth Mavity Mount Bethel Elementary School 1210 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 578-7248 Principal: Joan Johnson Murdock Elementary School 2320 Murdock Road, Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 509-5071 Principal: Cynthia Hanauer Sope Creek Elementary School 3320 Paper Mill Road SE, Marietta, GA 30067 (770) 916-7085 Principal: Martha Whalen Timber Ridge Elementary School 5000 Timber Ridge Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 642-5621 Principal: Dr. Tracie Doe
Middle Schools Dickerson Middle School 855 Woodlawn Drive, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 578-2710 Principal: Dr. Carole Brink Dodgen Middle School 1725 Bill Murdock Road, Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 578-2726 Principal: Robin Lattizori
High School Walton High School 1590 Bill Murdock Road, Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 578-3225 Principal: Judy McNeill
Private Schools East Cobb Christian School At East Cobb Presbyterian Church 4616 Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 565-0881, www.eccs.org Grades: K — 8 Principal: Teresa Staley Eastside Christian School 2450 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 971-2332, www.eastsidechristianschool.com Grades: K – 8 Head of School: Judy Cripps Faith Lutheran School 2111 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 973-8921, www.FaithLCMS.org Grades: Pre-K – 8 Principal: Jack Hibbs Mt. Bethel Christian Academy 4385 Lower Roswell Road Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 971-0245, www.mtbethelchristian.org Grades: K – 8 Head of School: Jim Callis Lower School Principal: Vivian Lovett Middle School Principal: Jack Grimm Omega Private Academy 2960 Shallowford Road, Marietta, GA 30066 (770) 529-1717,www.Omegaprivateacademy.com Grades K – 12, Certified Teachers, SACS Accredited/GSNS Approved Director: Kathy Keeton Shreiner Academy 1340 Terrell Mill Road, Marietta, GA 30067 (770) 953-1340, www.shreiner.com Grades: Toddler – 8 Director: Sarah Walker
2012-2013 School Calendar at-a-Glance February 15 Student Holiday/Furlough Day February 18 Presidents’ Day Holiday March 22 Report Cards Elementary & Middle Schools March 23 Kindergarten Registration May 23 – 25 High School Graduations May 23 Last Day of School May 24 Walton High School Graduation at KSU Convocation Center June 4 Report Cards Elementary & Middle Schools
Woodacres School 1772 Johnson Ferry Road , Marietta, GA 30062 (770) 971-1880, www.woodacresschool.org Grades: Pre-K – 8 Head of School: Judy T. Thigpen
School Websites: School District Website www.cobbk12.org Pinnacle https://pinnacle.cobbk12.org/Pinnacle Picasso www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/picasso Meal Pay www12.mealpayplus.com 64
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Walton AreA Homes Sold in DecEMBER List Price $449,000 $1,000,000 $799,000 $750,000 $186,000 $272,000 $199,900 $435,000 $565,000 $550,000 $315,000 $350,000 $629,900 $198,500 $249,900 $435,000 $375,000 $365,000 $499,999 $479,900 $450,000 $298,500 $275,000 $350,000 $999,900 $325,000 $740,900 $370,000 $425,000 $199,000 $2,800,000 $549,000 $275,000 $187,400 $549,900 $400,000 $824,900 $699,000 $289,900
Address 2910 Ashebrooke 525 Willow Knoll 811 Dorado 791 Burning Tree 2180 Groover 964 Bridgegate 1448 Brookcliff 4739 Balmoral 4615 Traywick 2029 Winstead 1708 Emerson Bridge 5071 Fields Pond Close 5040 Hampton Farms 2188 Heritage Trace 1583 Old Hunters 3610 Clubwood 3940 Audubon 1331 Nantahala 951 Point 1691 East Bank 1845 Jacksons Creek 1272 Colony 1382 Colony 5091 Lake Fjord 457 Anniston 961 New Bedford 3239 Lost Mill Trace 1305 Barlaston 1075 Princeton 4021 Coyte 492 Gramercy 4044 River Ridge Chase 1349 Murdock 1265 Seven Springs 1796 Danforth 5340 Tally Green 1296 Waterford Green 3867 Streamside 1682 Huntingford
$515,705 Averages December '12
Subdivision Ashebrooke Atlanta Country Club Atlanta Country Club Atlanta Country Club Barbara Acres Bridgegate Brookcliff Chadds Lake Easthampton Easthampton Emerson Bridge Fields Pond Hampton Farms Heritage Trace Hunters Trace Indian Hills Indian Hills Indian Ridge Jacksons Creek Jacksons Creek Jacksons Creek Lake Colony Lake Colony Lake Fjord Lauren Park New Bedford Preserve at Lost Mill Trace Princeton Corners Princeton Walk Providence Walk River Park River Ridge Roswell Downs Seven Springs Sewell Farm Tally Green Waterford Green Waters Edge Willow Point
Bed Bath Days on Market 5 6 4 5 3 3 5 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 4 5 5 6 4 4 4 4 6 5 3 5 4 4 3 8 4 4 3 4 4 5 5 4
4 6 4 4 2 2 2 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 5 5 2 4 3 2 2 8 3 3 2 4 2 6 5 2
Data Provided By Lynne Davis with of TheGo2Team.com Comparion Dec. 2011 For a Value Analysis Call 678-910-1811
58 3 84 200 18 39 7 144 89 135 115 107 8 33 78 3 2 5 85 194 54 7 164 159 4 67 152 98 2 36 161 152 199 255 107 66 45 11 14
81
Sales Price $445,000 $1,000,000 $700,000 $600,000 $180,000 $265,000 $192,000 $415,000 $542,000 $517,500 $305,000 $329,500 $614,900 $194,000 $229,000 $400,000 $375,000 $355,000 $487,000 $455,000 $425,000 $283,000 $259,500 $322,600 $980,000 $307,500 $712,000 $348,500 $415,000 $192,000 $2,100,000 $535,000 $260,000 $142,000 $535,000 $385,000 $750,000 $680,000 $287,000
$474,872
Dec. 2011 vs 2012 Comparison: Sale prices up 29.5%. Days on Market down 30 days. Time to List!
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Reference
COMMUNITY INFORMATION Emergency — 911 • Around Walton (770) 615-3311 Cobb County Chamber of Commerce Driver’s License Health Department Post Office Recycling Center
Cobb County Government:
Business License CCT Bus Service Commissioners Engineering Office Traffic Signals Extension Office Jury Phone — State Court Jury Phone — Superior Court Keep Cobb Beautiful Planning and Zoning Senior Services Tax Assessors/Evaluation Taxes: License Plates/Tags Property Tax Voter Registration
(770) 980-2000 (678) 413-8400 (678) 784-2180 (800) 275-8777 www.usps.com (770) 528-2500
(770) 528-8410 (770) 528-8465 (770) 528-1000 (770) 528-1616 (770) 528-1600 (770) 528-4070 (770) 528-2626 (770) 528-1804 (770) 528-1135 www.cobbcounty.org/kcb (770) 528-2004 (770) 528-5355 (770) 528-3100 (770) 528-8247 (770) 528-8600 (770) 528-2581
Children/Family:
Aloha to Aging, Inc. Family Caregiver Support
(678) 439-1177 ww.alohatoaging.org Child and Adolescent Services (770) 514-2300 Child Support Enforcement (770) 528-2410 Department of Family and Children’s Services (770) 528-5000 Meals on Wheels (770) 528-5381 Mothers Making a Change (770) 499-2422 Next Steps (Child/Adolescent) (770) 514-2300 MUST Ministries (770) 427-9862 YMCA of Northwest GA, Rape Crisis Center (770) 427-3390
Clubs/Groups:
AARP Kiwanis Club Lions Club Rotary Club
Public Service:
Fire Departments: 2905 Library Lane 4431 Trickum Road 3892 Oak Lane Georgia State Patrol Non-Emergency 911 Sheriff’s Department
Hospitals:
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North Fulton Hospital Northside Hospital Atlanta WellStar Kennestone Hospital Around WALTON | February 2013
(678) 290-9895 (770) 912-9632 (404) 218-6216 (770) 422-7551
Hotlines — 24 Hour Help Lines:
Cobb Judicial Victim Assistance Domestic Violence Unit Drug Tip Poison Control Center Public Outreach/Programs
(770) 528-3047 (770) 499-4665 (770) 590-5520 (404) 589-4400 (770) 499-4719
Libraries:
East Cobb Library East Marietta Library Gritter’s Library Mountain View Regional Library
(770) 509-2730 (770) 509-2711 (770) 528-2524 (770) 509-2725
Parks and Recreation: Aquatic Centers: Mountain View Sewell Park East Cobb Park Fullers Park Harrison Park Harrison Tennis Center Main Office Mount Bethel Park Sweat Mountain Park YMCA
(770) 509-4927 (770) 509-2741 (770) 591-3160 (770) 509-2737 (770) 591-3150 (770) 591-3151 (770) 528-8800 (770) 509-2748 (770) 591-3160 (770) 977-5991
Pets:
Animal Control Animal Shelter and Pet Adoptions Cobb County Animal Control Cobb County Humane Society Emergency Veterinary Clinic Good Mews Animal Foundation
(770) 499-4136 (770) 499-4136 (770) 499-4136 (770) 428-5678 (770) 424-9157 (770) 499-CATS
Schools: Board of Education
(770) 426-3300 www.cobbk12.org
Utilities: (770) 528-8000
(770) 205-5400 (770) 499-3900 (770) 499-4600 www.cobbsheriff.org
(770) 751-2500 (404) 851-8000 (770) 793-5000
AT&T Broadband/Comcast
AT&T Residential Phone Service Atlanta Gas Light Co. Cobb County Water System Cobb EMC Georgia Power Water Emergency
(404) 266-2278 www.comcast.com (888) 757-6500 www.att.com (770) 907-4231 www.aglc.com (770) 423-1000 water.cobbcountyga.gov (770) 429-2100 www.cobbemc.com (888) 660-5890 www.georgiapower.com (770) 419-6201
Our purpose: At AroundAbout Local Media, we believe the world functions at the community level: diverse groups of people living in close proximity; sharing commonality of culture, values and local pride; developing safety nets for those in need; and helping each other to live richer lives. It is our heartfelt desire to contribute to the fabric that helps make a community happen. Through our magazines, we aim to provide everyone in the communities we serve with uplifting, interesting information about the community they are proud to call home. We encourage you to send your photos, ideas, stories or anything else you think the community would like to know about to lynne@aroundaboutmagazines.com. Sincerely, It’s your community. It’s your magazine in East Cobb.
Your Friends at Around Walton
The Walton Community in East Cobb
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Mind. Body. Spine?
Technology: Changing the Way We Age
communication between the mind and body. How well do you think your body can function if this pathway is not clear?
dispensers set to open a medication drawer and dispense an accurate amount of medication at a specific time of day. Technology is flourishing. As a professional in the field and a member of DATHA (Design and Technologies For Healthy Aging), I see first hand the amazing inventions and opportunities technology holds for our future that will no doubt change the way we age.
continued from page 43
Create Your Life Create the life you want. Try to make positive decisions in your mind so that health and happiness will be the results. Try not to let negative emotions consume your mind. Take deep breaths. Take time for yourself. Be good to your body by paying attention to it. Eat foods that are right for you. Move your body, but when it’s tired, listen to it and rest. Keep your spine clear. By maintaining a healthy nervous system, the brain and body can send proper signals to each other ensuring a healthier, better feeling person and allowing the body’s built-in healing abilities to work more freely. Healthy people make healthy choices that create healthy lives. Create your life with a healthy mind, a healthy body, and a healthy spine.
Parking Lots and the Law continued from page 16
Beyond criminal offenses, you open yourself up to a civil suit as well. A jury will not want to hear about how late you were to X, Y or Z. Assume that there is always my little three-year-old walking out of the store, just below the height of your bumper, munching happily on her free cookie from the store without a care in the world.
Money-wise Kids: Explore Careers with Kids Early to Minimize College Costs continued from page 46
These services cost a fraction of a year’s worth of college costs, and can help identify careers that best suit your teen’s strengths, weaknesses and interests and direct you to the right college and major. Olivia, Lou and I were impressed with the results of our sessions with such a professional (email me for my recommendation). If your student does have a career in mind and has explored it with camps, it’s time for a summer job or internship, even if these opportunities are unpaid. They will get no better realistic job preview for an entry level job in their chosen field. An option for upperclassmen are the National Summer Youth Leadership Programs (http://www.nslcleaders.org/), which offer intensive ten-day camps to explore careers in medicine, forensic science, business, politics, journalism, and more with college students and professionals in the field. Spend some time and money to explore careers with your kids. It will pay off big for all concerned. 68
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continued from page 17
The Value of a Vision continued from page 24
changes. For example, Microsoft revised their vision statement from, “A computer on every desk,” to, “Create experiences that combine the magic of software with the power of internet services across the world of devices.” These two statements yield dramatically different business priorities. All of the speakers I mentioned above spoke about purposeful actions as a companion to a clear vision. Success is most easily achieved when all members of your organization work in concert toward a common goal or vision. Without the detailed dream, common and purposeful deeds are not possible.
Why You Should Vote to Continue Ed-SPLOST continued from page 56
• Technology upgrades at East Side, Kincaid, Mt. Bethel, Murdock, Sope Creek and Timber Ridge Elementary schools The historical support of Ed-SPLOST since 1998 has permitted the Cobb district to become and remain debt free while simultaneously addressing important needs. If there is absent support for Ed-SPLOST, bond financing coupled with a rise in property taxes would be needed to fund improvements and other capital outlay expenditures. Regardless of Ed-SPLOST funding, the Cobb district has $20 to $50 million in annual capital expenditure requirements for items such as buses, text books, technology, printers and copiers to name a few. Entering this budget cycle, the preliminary forecast is that the Cobb district is facing an approximate $80 million budget shortfall. The projected shortfall will increase substantially if EdSPLOST is not supported. I encourage you to continue Cobb County’s support for EdSPLOST. Detailed information about Ed-SPLOST IV can be found by visiting the Cobb County School District website at www. cobbk12.org.
Lucy
ADOPTION INFORMATION: Please call first to see if we have what you are looking for. We have many resources to help you find what you are looking for if we do not have it. (770) 428-9882 We screen potential adopters to make sure our pets will be a good match for your family and vice versa. New adoptive dog owners will also need a home check before they can take their new dog home.
Serena Pebbles
DOGS: We only house small breed dogs. Our adoption fee is $200 for dogs. All of our dogs or puppies will be altered before they can be adopted. They will have as many vaccines as we can give them for the time they have spent here. If the dog is over six months old it will have been heart worm tested negative and be on preventative. All of our pets are micro chipped and will have flea preventative on them.
Animals like us need a home!
Blanche
Progresso
CATS: Our adoption fee for cats is $125. All of our cats and kittens (10 weeks and up) will be altered before they are adopted. If you would like a kitten younger than 10 weeks old, we can refer you to other resources. Our cats or kittens will have as many vaccines as we can give them for the time they have spent here. They are all tested negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV, and will have been micro chipped.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP: Please visit our wish list on Amazon at www.humanecobb.com. It is a fast and convenient way to support the pets at our shelter. Items chosen can be shipped directly to our shelter. Use the, “this is a gift� section to let us know your name and address so we may acknowledge your kind gift(s).
Around WALTON | February 2013
69
Reference
ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS United States Government: President Barack Obama (D) 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20500 Website: www.whitehouse.gov
(202) 456-1414 fax: (202) 456-2461
Senator Saxby Chambliss (R) 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1340 Atlanta, GA 30339 Website: www.chambliss.senate.gov
(202) 224-3521 GA: (770) 763-9090 fax: (770) 226-8633
Senator Johnny Isakson (R) 1 Overton Park, Suite 970 3625 Cumberland Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30339 Website: www.isakson.senate.gov
(202) 224-3643 GA: (770) 661-0999 fax: (770) 661-0768
Rep. Tom Price (R), District 6 (202) 255-4501 85-C Mill Street, Ste 300, Roswell, GA 30075 GA: (770) 565-4990 Website: www.tomprice.house.gov fax: (770) 565-7570 e-mail: tom@mail.house.gov Rep. Phil Gingrey (R), District 11 219 Roswell Street Marietta, GA 30060 Website: www.gingrey.house.gov e-mail: gingrey.ga@mail.house.gov
(202) 225-2931 GA: (770) 429-1776 fax: (770) 795-9551
(770) 528-2290 fax: (770) 528-2214
Solicitor General, Barry E. Morgan
(770) 528-8500 fax: (770) 528-8578
District Attorney, Vic Reynolds (R) cobbda@cobbcounty.org
(770) 528-3080 fax: (770) 528-3030
Cobb County Coroner Brian Frist (770) 528-2200 150 North Marietta Pkwy, Marietta, GA 30060 Cobb County Board of Commissioners 100 Cherokee Street Marietta, GA 30090 www.cobbcountyga.gov
(770) 528-3300 fax: (770) 528-2606
Commissioners: Tim Lee, Chairman tlee@cobbcounty.org
(770) 528-3305
Helen Goreham, District 1 hgoreham@cobbcounty.org
(770) 528-3313
(770) 528-3316
Bob Ott, District 2 bob.ott@cobbcounty.org
JoAnn Birrell, District 3 (770)528-3317 joann.birrell@cobbcounty.org
State Government: Governor Nathan Deal (R) 203 State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334
Director of Juvenile Court Services Michele Marchant-Wellmon
(404) 656-1776 fax: (404) 657-7332 www.gov.ga.gov.com
Lisa Cupid, District 4 lisa.cupid@cobbcounty.org Cobb County Tax Commissioner Gail Downing
(770) 528-3312
(770) 528-8600
Senator Judson Hill (R), District 32 judson.hill@senate.ga.gov
(770) 565-0024
Rep. Sharon Cooper (R), District 43 sharon.cooper@house.ga.gov
(770) 956-8357
Rep. Don L. Parsons (R), District 44 repdon@donparsons.org
(770) 977-4426
Rep. Matt Dollar (R), District 45 matt.dollar@house.ga.gov
(404) 656-0254
Cobb County School System www.cobb.k12.ga.us Superintendent, Dr. Michael Hinojosa 514 Glover Street, Marietta, GA 30060 (770) 426-3453 michael.hinojosa@cobbk12.org fax: (678) 594-8559
Superior Court Judge Reuben Green
(770) 528-1800
Board of Education Kathleen Angelucci, Post 4 kangelucci.boardmember@cobbk12.org
Magistrate Court Chief Judge Frank R. Cox
(770) 528-8900
David Banks, Post 5 dbanks.boardmember@cobbk12.org
Probate Court Chief Judge Kelli Wolk
(770) 528-1900
Scott Sweeney, Post 6 ssweeney.boardmember@cobbk12.org
Juvenile Court Presiding Judge James Whitfield
(770) 528-2220
County Government:
70
Around WALTON | February 2013
Cobb County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Neil Warren 185 Roswell Street, Marietta, GA 30060 www.cobbsheriff.org
City of Marietta:
Mayor Steve Tumlin stumlin@mariettaga.gov
(770) 499-4600
(770) 794-5501
Around Walton
Is Your Magazine in East Cobb!
Please continue to send in your stories and photos The content of this magazine is 100 percent reader-driven and advertiser supported. We welcome your feedback and suggestions! We are the only magazine in the area to be directly mailed to everyone in the Walton school district (14,900 homes and businesses, a distribution map is provided on page 67). Additionally 1,600 magazines are placed in racks at strategic locations around East Cobb, see below for rack locations. Editorial: lynne@aroundaboutmagazines.com Advertising: joan@aroundaboutlocalmedia.com
Call Michelle at 770-615-3307 or email aroundaboutadvertising@gmail.com to place a classified ad.
Where to Find the Magazine Around Walton is mailed free directly to homes and businesses in the Walton community in East Cobb. If you do not receive a copy and would like to pick one up, you can find us at any of these fine establishments: Johnson Ferry Road: Houlihan’s Restaurant J Christopher’s Restaurant Wells Fargo Bank Nail Eagle Publix Wellstar Physician’s Group North Atlanta Women’s Specialists Platinum Auto Spa Arbor Terrace EH Sellars Dr. Cristi Cheek, DMD Jazzercise Kids R Kids Shallowford Road: Berner Family Chiropractic
Need an Extra Copy?
Roswell Road: Panera Bread at the Avenue Dance Stop LGE Community Credit Union Marietta Eye Clinic Rick’s Farmer’s Market Frankie’s Italian Restaurant HealthSource Chiropractic Atlanta Communities Real Estate Parc at Piedmont Robinson Road: Fullers Recreation Park Lower Roswell Road: Johnny’s Pizza Legends Elite Aloha to Aging
Piedmont Road: YMCA
Let us know if you would like some at your place of business. Around WALTON | February 2013
71
Advertisers Directory
Help Support Local Business Owners and this Magazine Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in Around Walton!
attorneys/legal services Rohan Law, P.C. (404) 923-0446, www.rohanlawpc.com
33
Banking/Financial Services Angel Oak Funding-Rick Fantucci (404) 637-0361 Rick.Fantucci@AngelOakFunding.com
17
Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Ben Clark 27. (770) 977-4229 1050 East Piedmont Rd Suite 122, Marietta Southeastern Mortgage Solutions, Inc. Travis Johnson, (404) 786-5859 travis@semtgsolutions.com
43
chiropractic HealthQuest Chiropractic Center, PC 46 (770) 509-3400, www.HealthQuestChiro.com 1000 Johnson Ferry Rd, Suite D-100, Marietta
Cleaning Services 47.
Dentists Cristi Y. Cheek DMD, P.C. (770) 993-3775, www.cheekdental.com
25
Education/ Instruction/ Youth Appleton Learning East Cobb location — (770) 971-1500 4250 Roswell Road, Suite 610, Marietta Roswell — (770) 998-1500 625 W.Crossville Road, Suite 104, Roswell
32
Connective Tutoring 27 (470) 377-4809, www.ConnectiveTutoring.com 255 Village Pkwy, Ste 520 Cover, 36, 37
DanceStop Studios (770) 578-0048 www.dancestopstudios.com
16
Dogwood Cotillion www.DogwoodCotillion.com
50, 51 9
Best Choice Changes Weight Loss Program 5 (678) 687-1239, jill@bestchoicechanges.com www.bestchoicechanges.com
Around WALTON | February 2013
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Mimosa Salon Spa 15 (770) 640-9899, www.MimosaSalonSpa.com 590 Mimosa Blvd., Suite 50, Roswell Nail Eagle 1255 Johnson Ferry Road #32 (770) 565-5634 Women’s Premier Fitness 4961 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta (770) 565-5450
11
23, 29
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, PA (770) 973-4700 2155 Post Oak Tritt Road, Suite 100
25
Plastic Surgery Center of the South (770) 421-1242 www.plasticsurgerycenterofthesouth.net
19 .
WellStar 3 (770) 956-STAR, www.wellstar.org
Real estate Atlanta Communities Real Estate 45 (770) 240-2000, www.atlantacommunities.net
Atlanta Communities Real Estate -Lynne Davis 43 (678) 910-1811, www.TheGo2Team.com LynneDavis@mindspring.com
Home & gARDEN
REstaurants/Food/Beverages
Findlay Roofing Inside Front (770) 516-5806, www.findlayroofing.com
Fuji Hana 25 (678) 560-8071, www.fujihanaeastcobb.com
Plumbing Doctor, The (770) 516-9000
5 58
Quality Craftsmen 5 (404) 483-7446, www.quality-craftsmen.com Studio AFN — Architect (404) 966-9977 arthur@studioafn.com
11
42
Greg Cavellier — Allstate Back Cover (678) 403-1825, gregcavellier@allstate.com 3535 Roswell Rd., Suite 49, Marietta
Photographers Studio 7 (770) 685-7391, www.studio7hub.com
52
Physicians & Medical Services
Northside Hospital Sleep Disorder Centers (404) 851-8135 www.northside.com.sleep
7
27
The Queen’s Pantry 45 (678) 483-0900, www.thequeenspantry.com
Retail /Miscellaneous services
Humane Society of Cobb County (770) 428-5678, www.humanecobb.com
69.
Quick Lube (770) 973-1643
58
TrustWorkz, Inc. Inside Back (770) 615-3275, www.TrustWorkz.com
Senior Services Parc at Piedmont — East Cobb 999 Hood Road, Marietta, GA 30068 (770) 565-8828
53
Sterling Estates 59 4220 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, (678) 946-4454, www.sterling-estates.com
11
Marietta Plastic Surgery Inside Front (770) 425-0118 823 Campbell Hill Street, Marietta Pearle Vision 1401 Johnson Ferry Road, (770) 509-8480
Sugar Benders Bakery (678) 665-2211 255 Village Parkway, Ste. 240A, Marietta www.sugarbenderscakes.com
Able Investigations 11 (770) 789-9250, www.ableinvestigations.net
Insurance
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute www.northside.com
Health & Beauty
72
Hanan Day Spa (770) 565-3333, www.hanandayspa.com
Keeton Insurance Services (770) 971-8900
Bethany Christian Services 45. (770) 455-7111, www.bethany.org/atlanta
The Science Chain (770) 309-3153
Get In Shape for Women 42 (770) 605-8788, www.getinshapeforwomen.com 3822 Roswell Road, Ste. 114, Marietta
G-VAC Gutter Cleaning Specialists 1-877-703-4822, www.g-vac.com
Carpet Dry-Tech (678) 368-5991
DK College Consultants (678) 353-6740
Fit for Life 44 (770) 321-4550, www.FitForLifeAtlanta.com
1
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