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Noteworthy
First-time Authors Fulfill Personal Goals
“The Red Clay of Eden” by Genee Graves
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At 78, a local woman whose pen name is Genee Graves has written her first novel, and is dedicating 100% of the proceeds to her favorite local charity, Cherokee FOCUS. For Graves, it’s not about fame or fortune. It’s about helping families and children in our county. Cherokee Youth Works, an initiative of FOCUS, helps young people complete their education, gain life skills and obtain employment with a strong career path. Two of the author’s grandchildren have been successful in this program, along with hundreds of youth. The novel is a suspense story, filled with twists and turns, and features an elaborately carved box with a mysterious, faded note containing a reference to Eden. It is available at amazon.com.
McKinney is a Canton native who has accomplished a dream so many of us have: writing a book. He graduated from Cherokee High School in 2008, and spent a year at the University of Georgia before calling the University of North Georgia home. During college, he ran cross-country and track before switching his focus to triathlon. “Writing has always been an interest of mine, but I never grasped the idea of writing a novel until after college,” McKinney said. “ ‘If and Only If’ is the first novel of a series that follows Sarah Mills during the most challenging, exciting, yet deterministic times a young woman faces while in college: emotionally, physically, and spiritually.” More details are available at www.csmckinney.com.
Doing Good in the Neighborhood
Girl Scout Troop 14665 held a 10-day book drive to kick off a January 2021 community service effort and collected 3,819 books. All books were donated to the Little River United Methodist Church to help encourage reading in our community. The donation was presented to David Bailey, the church’s scout leader.
Samuel Verniero Jr.
Local Resident Proclaimed a Hero
Woodstock resident Samuel Verniero Jr. has been named 2020 MPN Hero of the Year by Incyte Corporation and CURE Magazine. He has had a life of distinction in service to others as a United Nations diplomat, honorary Kentucky Colonel and Georgia leader for people with disabilities. He speaks with authority for people with disabilities, because he knows what it’s like.
Verniero is living with polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood cancer that is compounded by multiple serious medical conditions. He uses his public platform and contacts on various boards and commissions to raise awareness of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), which are blood cancers that occur when the body makes too many white or red blood cells, or platelets, according to cancersupportcommunity.org.
He and his fiancee, Lanora, have been approached by two motion picture companies that want to tell his story. Verniero is excited that these opportunities can make a greater impact for the MPN community by reaching a nationwide and maybe even global audience.
Several strokes have disabled his body, but not his personality or spirit. He continues to work for change and voice the need for additional MPN research that could improve the lives of patients with MPNs. www.voicesofmpn.com/ meet-mpn-heroes.aspx.
Crocheting Gives 93-Year-Old ‘Something to Do’
It’s a challenge to keep up with 93-year-old Izetta Stoner, especially when trying to get a count on how many hats she has crocheted for her favorite nonprofit. With an average of two hats a day, the tally as of Jan. 10 was 2,479 since she began in February 2017.
“It gives me something to do,” the Woodstock resident said. “I used to read a lot, and I still read, but I love to crochet and I’ve enjoyed this so much.” She also walks early every morning and evening for about a half hour, when the weather’s good.
Izetta donates her hats to The Encouragement Project (TEP), a nonprofit with a heart for encouraging and helping people. “We thrive on connecting volunteers to opportunities, and encouragers to those who need encouraging,” CEO Stephanie Cervantes said. “There are many ways to help and encourage others — with gifts of time, service, provisions and words, and we encourage people to bless others in ways only they can. The variety in that is beautiful.”
One ministry within TEP is the Hugs and Kisses project, with hugs being scarves, and kisses the hats that Izetta makes. They are given to organizations serving children in the North Georgia mountains, Appalachian areas in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, and also Romania. Over the years, her hats also have gone to kids in foster care and homeless organizations.
Stephanie has encouragement for others like Izetta, who have a skill they enjoy and want to help others. “TEP has a number of projects you could get involved with (www.theencouragementproject.org), or, if you don't see something that fits your likes and abilities, we encourage you to look for places near you that focus on your interests and … get involved.”
Izetta Stoner crochets two hats a day for children in the U.S. and Romania.
Cherokee Boasts Top Two Teams in Competition
During a recent state lifeguard competition, one Cherokee County team won a tie breaker by just 3 seconds against fellow county lifeguards. The Cherokee Head Guard team emerged as the winner, after a tie-breaking paddle board relay against Cherokee A team during the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association’s Fall Lifeguard Competition.
The teams not only competed, but served as hosts at the Cherokee County Aquatic Center, which meant they were charged with setting and cleaning up, and welcoming guests.
Nine Georgia swim teams took part in the inaugural competition, which had been rescheduled from earlier in 2020. Five Cherokee County teams competed, along with others from Clayton County and the city of Cumming.
Members of the Cherokee Head Guard team include Chris Cox, Phoebe Hart, Zoie Hart, Kendall Kalbach, Brennan Lindquist and Ethan Lindquist. Cherokee A team members are Spencer Espelid, Isaac Martin, Lilly Windham, Carson Portis, Skylar Thompson and David Wences.
