April Issue

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First in Georgia for breast cancer. It’s true. WellStar is the first breast center in Georgia to be fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. What does that mean to you? Outstanding, state-of-the-art treatment. Here, every woman has access to a Nurse Navigator – a go-to team member who manages coordination among your doctors and helps you understand your treatment options. Treatment is provided by an experienced team of surgeons, oncologists, and radiologists, as appropriate, who have access to the latest cancer-fighting technologies. WellStar Kennestone Hospital, for instance, offers APBI (short for accelerated partial breast irradiation), one of the newest cancer-fighting options. In fact, WellStar treats more women using APBI than any health system in the nation. If someone you love has breast cancer, please tell her to call us. No one fights harder for women’s health than WellStar. For more information on the WellStar Cancer Network, call 770-956-STAR or visit wellstar.org.

Put your breast health first. To schedule your screening mammogram for $130, call 678-581-5900.

We believe you are stronger than cancer.

The vision of WellStar Health System is to deliver world-class healthcare through our hospitals, physicians and services. Our not-for-profit health system includes WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital), WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Medical Group; Health Parks; Urgent Care Centers, Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and WellStar Foundation.


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sixes living | April 2013

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April 2013

Volume 1, Issue 2

25 21 Teens and Drinking

34 & 35 On the Cover

Dr. Robin Loe, voted a favorite by her patients, opens a family practice in Cherokee County. Photo by Kim Bates 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.sixeslivingmagazine.com.

Sonia Carruthers shares startling facts that every parent needs to know.

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In Every Issue Around Sixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Community News. . . . . . .8 &10

25 Helping At-Risk Youth

Birthdays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Everyday Angels. . . . . . . . . . . 18

Cherokee Youth Works opens a world of education and possibilities.

30 Summer Camps

Options range from science and math to sports and drama.

Community Calendar. . . . . . . 20 Blankets Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 School Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 School News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Faith Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

32 Aquatic Center Preview

Church Listings. . . . . . . . . . . . 60

School Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Interior photos show progress as preparations continue for May 9 ribbon cutting.

42 Teachers of the Year

Is your favorite educator among this year’s winners?

Community Numbers . . . . . . 63 Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Home Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Elected Officials . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Advertisers Directory. . . . . . . 72

Contributing Writers

Patty Ponder is the Market Director for Sixes Living Contact her at (770) 615-3322 or AroundAboutPatty@gmail.com.

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sixes living | April 2013

Don Akridge..............................................16 Michael Caldwell......................................14 Sonia Carruthers.......................................21 Cindy Crews..............................................41 Dale Coker................................................40 G Lora Grooms..........................................56 Candi Hannigan..................................25, 59 Dr. Scott Harden.......................................36 Mayor Donnie Henriques.........................55 Kurt Johnson ............................................17 Kara Kiefer ...............................................23 Mark Kissel...............................................41

Dr. Mike Litrel ..........................................22 Debbie McAdory......................................24 Joe McKechnie..........................................48 Brian Poole...............................................15 Lisa Randall...............................................29 Lynne Saunders........................................26 Kirk Smith.................................................26 Pete Thomas.............................................48 Jodi Tiberio.............................................. 52 Tim Timmons............................................28 Stacy Ward...............................................40


Prom

Be featured on our

pages

Email your photos to

candi@aroundaboutlocalmedia.com

sixes living | April 2013

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Community Board The Sixes Living Community Board consists of well-respected community leaders, from different walks of life. Our board assists us in many ways: as contributors to the magazine, judges for the annual Trailblazer award and advisors who offer valuable feedback. Dale Coker: Dale is a pharmacist who owns Cherokee Custom Script Pharmacy in Holly Springs and lives in Woodstock with wife Susan. The University of Georgia graduate is vice president of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists. His community involvement has included Cherokee County Habitat for Humanity, youth league coaching and serving as a lay leader in his church. Dale’s latest achievement is co-inventing the patented Topi-CLICK, a topical metered dosing device that has been featured by Oprah, Suzanne Somers, Dr. Oz, and The Doctors Show. Contact Dale at dmcoker@bellsouth.net. Cindy Crews: Cindy is a longtime Cherokee County educator. She joined the Sixes community as the assistant principal of Sixes Elementary School in 2011. Cindy and her husband, Andy, have lived in Woodstock for 20 years, and they have two beautiful “young adult” daughters. Her motto: Children are the future of the human race; teach them well.

Dr. Joe McKechnie: Joe is the senior pastor of Sixes United Methodist Church. Joe grew up in Cobb County, where he graduated from McEachern High School. After earning a degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Georgia, Joe spent six years as a television sportscaster. He has a master’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary and a doctorate of ministry from Southern Methodist University (SMU). Joe is married to Catherine, and they have two children, David, 5, and Grace Ann, 2. Cheryl Ruffer: Cheryl is the co-founder and co-director of Give a Kid a Chance-Cherokee, Inc. After graduating from the University of South Florida in Chemical Engineering, Cheryl worked for 15 years in the chemical industry. Her work since moving to Canton in 2003 has been with MUST Ministries, The Salvation Army and starting Give a Kid a Chance. She lives in BridgeMill with her husband, Bruce, and children Jackson, 15, and Rachel, 14. Sonia Carruthers: Sonia is the executive director and CEO of Cherokee FOCUS and the Cherokee Youth Works program, based in Holly Springs. A native of Cherokee County, she grew up in Canton and for the past 17 years has lived with her son and daughter in Woodstock. She is very active in the community and currently serves on both local and regional boards and committees that focus on strengthening families and children. 4

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Sixes Living Publisher AroundAbout Local Media, Inc. Market Director Patty Ponder aroundaboutpatty@gmail.com (770) 615-3322 Executive Editor Kara Kiefer editor@townelaker.com (770) 615-3309 Title Editor Candi Hannigan candi@aroundaboutlocalmedia.com (770) 615-3318 Art Director Michelle McCulloch aroundaboutadvertising@gmail.com (770) 615-3307 Digital Marketing Director James Ball james@trustworkz.com (770) 615-3310 Sixes Living, a publication of AroundAbout Local Media, Inc., is a monthly community magazine. The magazine’s goal is to build a sense of community and pride in the Sixes, Holly Springs and surrounding areas by providing residents with positive stories and timely information. It distributes a total of 16,000 free copies. Approximately 14,800 are mailed to homes and businesses and an additional 1,200 are placed in racks around the community. Many readers catch the latest edition online each month. Sixes Living welcomes your comments, stories and advertisements. The deadline is the 15th of each month. Subscriptions are available for $24 per year. Send check or money order to the address below. The viewpoints of the advertisers, columnists and submissions are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher and the publisher makes no claims as to the validity of any charitable organizations mentioned. Sixes Living 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. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2013. Sixes Living 2449 Towne Lake Parkway, Woodstock, GA 30189 For Advertising: (770) 615-3322 Website: www.sixeslivingmagazinecom Powered by Trustworkz Inc. Volume 1, Issue 2


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sixes living | April 2013 5 2/21/13 4:15 PM


community

AROUND sixes by candi hannigan

People Places and Pleasures that make Sixes/Holly Springs

The , The The

As we reported in the March issue, the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency is building a $16 million aquatic center off Sixes Road near the I-575 intersection. You may have seen the sign on Sixes Road marking the construction site, or you might have caught a glimpse of the blue and yellow water slides through the trees along the highway just south of exit 11. It hasn’t been easy to keep up Candi Hannigan is the with the building progress – until editor of Sixes Living. She now. Photographer David Ruff has lived in Cherokee and I were given a tour, guided County for 25 years. Send your comments by County Commissioner Brian or questions to candi@ Poole, Cherokee Recreation and aroundaboutlocalmedia. Parks Agency Director Bryan com. Reynolds, Aquatics Manager Kim Baker, Aquatics Coordinator Cara Green and Recreation Division Director Neely Motiejunas. A ribbon cutting is planned for 10 a.m. May 9, followed by a grand-opening celebration May 11. But you don’t have to wait until then to purchase your season or annual passes or to sign up for swimming lessons, the center’s summer swim team and birthday party packages for indoor and outdoor pools. Visit www.crpa.net and click on the aquatic center tab. Residents have more recreational options – indoor and outdoor – with the improvements and growth at Blankets Creek, a new soccer complex at Badger Creek Park and the aquatic center. According to Bryan Reynolds, “We are expanding our recreational opportunities almost every day.”

What’s New? While the Hickory Log Creek Reservoir isn’t necessarily new to the county, the news is that it is now open for public use. The 411-acre lake is stocked with bass, brim, crappie and catfish. Boats with electric motors, canoes and kayaks will be allowed on the water, but not sailboats or boats with gas or diesel motors. The parking area will be open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. seven days a week, and 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Cost is $5 per day per vehicle. The reservoir, located near the intersection of Bluffs Parkway and Fate Conn Road, was built by the city of Canton on land leased to the city by Technology Park Atlanta. With one acre of parking, the facility can accommodate approximately 40 vehicles with trailers at one time. www.canton-georgia.com/ reservoir.php

What’s Moved? Cherokee Rhythm and Smooth is leasing space at the Dance and Music Academy of Woodstock, located at 6238 Old Hwy. 5, Suite C-3. The studio is moving from Riverstone Parkway in Canton to Holly Springs to be more centrally located for Cherokee residents. Visit www.woodstockdance.com and www. crsdance.com to learn more about each studio. Yawn’s Books & More, along with Yawn’s Publishing, has relocated to 198 North Street Canton, Ga. The purpose of the move was to be able to better focus on the publishing aspect of the business, but the business still offers books for sale. Customers can come into the store to shop or can order online at www.yawnsbooks.com. Special orders are also welcome. In stock at the store are all 95-plus books that they have published, as well as books by other local and popular authors. They are also still a JCPenney express store.

What’s Back? Winchester Woodfire Grill has reopened under new management at 110 Mountain Vista Blvd, Canton 30115. The restaurant is open for dinner only at 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and for brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. The chef offers seasonal menus that, for spring, include entrees with light sauces, citrus-based dressings and health-conscious cocktails. www.winchesterwoodfire.com

What’s Changed?

Commissioner Brian Poole (left), Bryan Reynolds and Kim Baker near the indoor competition pool. Photo by Ruffhouse Photography 6

sixes living | April 2013

MUST Ministries, which is moving to a new location on Brown Industrial Parkway in Canton, has pushed back the grand opening to the end of May. The delay will give volunteers, clients and staff more time to settle into the new facility without disrupting current services. For more details on the ministry, visit www.mustministries.org.


Quality Pediatric Care, Close to Home Northside Cherokee Pediatrics provides compassionate, comprehensive medical care for patients from birth to 18 years of age. Dr. Jamie Rollins offers the quality one-on-one care you demand to keep your child happy and healthy including, short wait times, sameday appointments and personalized care at a location convenient for your busy lifestyle. Northside Pediatrics offers:

• Board-certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Rollins provides attentive, complete care to children in every stage of development from infancy to adolescence. • Timely Access. For sick patients who require immediate attention, we offer same-day appointments whenever possible. • Efficient Follow-up. We are committed to providing timely feedback and reports to our patients. Exams are completed in our office and tests results are usually available the next day.

684 Sixes Road, Suite 220, Holly Springs, GA 30115 I-575, Exit 11

Call us today for an appointment (678) 388-5485.

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community

YOUR LOCAL NEWS County School District Receives Honor The Cherokee County School District has been named the top school system of its size in the state by Georgia’s Green Ribbon Schools Program. Winners were chosen among small, medium (Cherokee’s size) and large districts. The program honors schools and school districts where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together toward optimal efficiency in energy, water and waste management, healthy students and school environment, and environmental education. The Georgia competition is organized through a partnership involving the Georgia Department of Education, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, the U.S. Green Building Council of Georgia, Georgia EPD, the Clean Air Campaign and the Turner Foundation. The district plans to create a new page on its website to showcase green school activity practices that led to the honor.

Student Volunteer Helps Community Clinic Karen Fegely, director of Bethesda Community Health Clinic, accepts a $900 check from Woodstock High senior Nicole Hicks. The student dedicated her senior project to volunteering three days a week and organizing a fundraiser for the health clinic, which is located at 107 Mountain Brook Dr., Suite 100 near the water tower in Holly Springs.

United Way Collecting Filled Shoeboxes The United Way is collecting shoeboxes filled with toiletries to distribute to women and children in homeless shelters around metro Atlanta. The campaign, which ends May 1, will deliver shoeboxes to more than 80 agencies on Mother’s Day. To help, fill a shoebox top to bottom with unopened toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, lip balm and etc. A list of needed items can be found at shoebox. unitedwayatlanta.org. Include a note of encouragement in the box, wrap in creative wrapping and deliver to the United Way office near Holly Springs at 1600 River Park Blvd., Ste. 202. For more information, call (404) 614-2911. 8

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Forty vendors participated in last season’s market on Sixes Road.

Farmers Market Season Gears Up The community farmers market is open 2-7 p.m. Tuesdays on the lawn in front of River Church, 2335 Sixes Rd. The market featured 40 vendors at the peak last year, according to organizer Mike Gerard, with items ranging from fresh produce and baked goods to empanadas and candles. Canton’s Farmers Market is open on Saturdays in Cannon Park by the gazebo on Main Street in downtown Canton. Local vendors offer food specialty items, garden flowers and homemade crafts in addition to produce and baked goods.


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community

YOUR LOCAL NEWS New Soccer Park Ready for Tournaments Badger Creek Park recently opened on Blalock Road in Canton, providing 14 soccer fields of various sizes that will serve as the county’s soccer complex and home to Cherokee Impact Soccer. The facility will host local recreational events as well as statewide tournaments.

Ronald McDonald House Receives Gift The Goddard School in Woodstock participated in a nationwide effort among the schools to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The local campus hosted a birthday picnic and raised $646 that was matched by the school to total a $1,292 donation. Nationally, Goddard Schools donated $250,000 to the charity.

Earth Day 2013 in Woodstock Woodstock has combined several events into one, culminating in Earth Day 2013. Greenstock Day, Earth Day and the Keep America Beautiful Great American Clean-up will be celebrated 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 20 at the park at City Center in Woodstock. Waste Management and Reworx will be recycling on-site, collecting electronics, batteries, cell phones, and CFL bulbs. A shredder will be available for old documents. Participants can enjoy a party at the gazebo, featuring vendors, inflatables, crafts and games for children.

Kindergarten teacher Audrey Daniel with some of the Goddard School students.

Award Given in Memory of Collins Dixon Job Fair in Holly Springs A job fair is scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 8 in the Holly Springs Community Center at the Historic Train Depot, 164 Hickory Rd. Representatives from Cherokee County businesses will be present to meet with job seekers. Admission and parking is free. For more information, call Jennifer Stanley at (770) 721-7506 or email jstanley@ hollyspringsga.us.

Teasley Middle School (TMS) gave Zach Milholland, son of Denny and Christine Milholland, the new Collins Dixon Raider of the Year award, presented at a basketball and cheer banquet. Collins was a student athlete at Teasley before he passed away in January 2012. Several county-wide prayer efforts were organized to pray for Collins during his illness. “Collins’ legacy of honesty and integrity remains at TMS, so it is with these ideals in mind that the Collins Dixon Raider of the Year Award was founded,” Principal Dr. Susan Zinkil said. “The new award recognizes the eighth-grade basketball player or cheerleader who demonstrates a work ethic unmatched on the court and in the classroom and earns admiration from peers and appreciation from teachers.”

Award winner Zach Milholland (left) with Coach Brian Puckett, and Collins’ parents, Bob and Robin Dixon.

Send Us Your Community News! • Email Candi@AroundAboutLocalMedia.com Deadline is April 15 10

sixes living | April 2013


We’re honored to serve you It’s an honor to be recognized as the nation’s leading hospital for maternity and newborn care. Look a little closer and you’ll discover that Northside performs more surgeries and diagnoses and treats more breast and gynecologic cancer than any other hospital in Georgia. While people choose Northside for our expertise, they also know us for our exceptional compassionate care. Visit us online at www.northside.com

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Birthdays & Celebrations Patrick O’Brien Age 2 on April 11 Happy 2nd Birthday, Patrick! Love, Mommy, Daddy, Gracie and Cooper

Anniversary

Anniversary

Kailyn Grace Bridges Age 9 on April 12 Happy Birthday Kailyn! We love you bunches! Mommy, Daddy and Kyndal

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Hank and Kelly Cook 30 years married March 26, 1983 You are our inspiration for a happy marriage! Love, Morgan and Jade

Brandy and John Paul Maricle will celebrate their first anniversary on April 28.

sixes living | April 2013

Heri Bastidas Age 22 on April 4 Happy Birthday Sweetie! Thank you for being an amazing father and an exceptional husband! Love you always, Arly and Eden

Norah Kuykendall Age 1 on March 30 Happy first birthday! We couldn’t love you more! Mommy, Daddy andMallory

Residents of The Lodge at BridgeMill gather monthly to celebrate their birthdays. The April celebrants are (from left) Ken Shedd, Barbara Swain, Ann Sherman, Hortense Lawrence, Erma Shockley and Don Techentien.

Lukas Nordin Age 5 on April 18 Happy Birthday! We love our sweet, silly boy more and more every year! Love, Mama, Pappa and baby Wyatt

Birth

Makenzie Woodham Age 11 on April 3 I love you and am so proud of you! Daddy

Georthon Carmo Age 18 on April 26 Happy birthday Georthon We are proud of you! Love Mom, Dad and Vivien

Kenneth Anthony Beckford Age 3 on April 10 Son of Tiffani and Kenneth Beckford Grandson of Yolanda Storr and Daniel Evan and Kenneth and Deborah Beckford Happy Birthday!

Wyatt Nathanael Nordin Born November 26, 2012 in Kansas 5 lbs, 1 oz, 16 3/4 inches Welcomed to our family through the miracle of adoption on December 31, 2012. Son of Penny and Lars Nordin Brother of Lukas Grandson of Lilian and Dale Nordin and Dot Parker Great Grandson of Louise Parker

Wedding, Birthday and Anniversary Announcements are Free! E-mail to: Candi@AroundAboutLocalMedia.com. May deadline is April 15


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community

Introducing Legislative Tracker by State Representative Michael Caldwell

Every legislative session, there are approximately 1,000 bills and resolutions voted upon in the General Assembly. Already in 2013, there have been more than 400 votes in the General Assembly. With the amount of activity at the Capitol, how is a constituent supposed to keep him or herself well informed? Thankfully, Georgia has made large strides towards making vital information open to its citizens. Michael Caldwell is the For example, anyone can visit State Representative for District 20, which covers http://legis.ga.gov/, where voting southwest Cherokee records are made available to and Woodstock. He the public, as well as financial can be reached at disclosures and other information (678) 523-8570 or that is useful in keeping your email him at Michael@ CaldwellForHouse.com. legislative body accountable to the people. During session, live streams from both the House and Senate floors are broadcast live for public viewing so constituents do not have to actually visit the Gold Dome. As Georgians, we understand that a government that is accountable begins with an informed constituency. When people have access to the right information, they can make the right decisions. While the information made available by the state does a great job of providing a macro-level view of our government, it doesn’t always provide the information we’re looking for. For instance, we know “how” a legislator votes, but miss the “why.” With bills often ranging in length from 10-20 pages long, it’s not practical for a constituent to read through every piece of legislation. This is a problem I’ve attempted to make some headway on this session with the introduction of a new tool on my website called Legislative Tracker (http://www. caldwellforhouse. 14

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“Legislative Tracker is a service I am providing to District 20 that provides a description of every vote I make at the Capitol, along with a reason why I voted a certain way.” com/legislative-tracker/). Legislative Tracker is a service I am providing to District 20 that provides a description of every vote I make at the Capitol, along with a reason why I voted a certain way. This is a tool that complements the high-level view provided by the state with the “why” that seemed to be missing. Now, Legislative Tracker doesn’t fill in all the missing pieces, and it certainly won’t stop me from meeting with any constituent that wants to discuss legislation or my actions at the Capitol. However, Legislative Tracker makes a huge amount of information available to a large number of constituents at the touch of a button. Since first launching the tool, thousands of people have spent a combined 100 hours on Legislative Tracker - it’s certainly not the next Google, but it turns out that this is information constituents are clearly interested in. In an age where the Internet grants us instant access to almost any kind of information we want, we should be doing everything we can to make data relating to government available to the public. When critical information is not made available by other sources, I believe the responsibility falls to elected officials to leverage our current technology to make that information readily available to voters. There are certainly steps that can be taken to keep people more informed on legislative matters, and this is an issue I’ll continue to personally focus on. Outside of the news and the web, anyone is always welcome to attend my weekly coffee house meeting, where we can discuss topics that are important to the district. See https:// www.facebook.com/ VoteCaldwell/events for event details.


community

News and Views from the County Commission By Brian Poole

Brian Poole is the county commissioner who represents District 3, which includes the Sixes Road corridor, Holly Springs and south Canton. Each month he will write about relevant issues and county news that affect Sixes Living readers. You can contact him at bpoole@cherokeega.com

Fire Explorers Post 469 won several top honors at a recent Tennessee competition.

I am thankful for this opportunity to share what is happening in the county and in District 3 with the citizens of Cherokee County and the Sixes Road community. I would like to thank the voters of District 3 for giving me the opportunity to serve them on the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners for the next four years. My first 90 days in office have been really busy, but my door is always open to Cherokee County residents. There are a lot of new things happening over the next several months, starting with the opening of the Cherokee County Aquatic Center. I have visited the Aquatic Center, and it is simply amazing. Every family in the area should plan to visit and see for themselves how nice and kid-friendly it is. It will be great for our school swim teams to have a local site for competition, bringing in teams from other counties. We will also have the new Northside Cherokee Medical Office building opening this summer on Towne Lake parkway near I-575. The Outlet Shoppes of Atlanta have announced a July 17 grand opening. The area at Exit 9 off I-575 has really changed over the last year. I understand new restaurants, including Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s and Panda Express will be opening there as well. I would like to congratulate the Cherokee County Fire Explorer Post 469, who won several first place awards in an annual competition in Gatlinburg, Tennessee recently. Special thanks to Chief Tim Prather and his staff on a job well done with these kids. Fire Explorers Post # 469 is a co-educational program that allows young adults to get a hands-on introduction to fire and emergency services. Speaking of the fire department, they placed their new ATV Rescue in service this week, and all personnel have completed their training on it. Through a partnership with the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency, this vehicle was added to enhance

The county fire department’s new ATV will make rescue on bike trails easier.

rescue operations in off-road terrain accidents in areas like Blankets Creek Bike Trails or horse riding trails. The rescue vehicle, which is assigned to the BridgeMill Station, is basically a four-wheeler that pulls a trailer that carries a rescue basket. When I was campaigning last summer, I promised to have a quarterly town hall meeting to discuss with the residents what is happening within Cherokee County Government. I have set our First Town Hall meeting for 6:30 p.m. April 8 at the BridgeMill Fire Department Community Room. There will be no set agenda. I am looking forward to hearing comments and questions from residents. Please come and ask as many questions as you would like. I look forward to the community involvement and I would like as much feedback as possible from the residents of District 3. District 3 Town Hall Meeting 6:30 p.m. April 8 BridgeMill Fire Department Community Room 9550 Bells Ferry Rd., Canton 30114 sixes living | April 2013

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community

Retirement Seen Through Your Eyes After you leave work, what will your life look like? by Don Akridge, MBA, CPA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ U.S. Marine Corps Veteran – Emory University Alumnus

Don Akridge is President of Citadel CPA, Financial Planning & Investment Services founded in 1994 and conveniently located off Chastain Road between I-575 & I-75 in Kennesaw. Phone 770-952-6707.

How do you picture your future? If you are like many baby boomers, your view of retirement is likely pragmatic compared to that of your parents. That doesn’t mean you have to have a “plain vanilla” tomorrow. Even if your retirement savings are not as great as you would prefer, you still have great potential to design the life you want. With that in mind, here are some things to think about.

What do you absolutely need to accomplish? If you could only get four or five things done in retirement, what would they be? Answering this question might lead you to compile a “short list” of life goals, and while they may have nothing to do with money, the financial decisions you make may be integral to achieving them. (This may be the most exciting aspect of retirement planning.) What would revitalize you? Some people retire with no particular goals at all, and others retire burnt out. After weeks or months of respite, ambition inevitably returns. They start to think about what pursuits or adventures they could embark on to make these years special. Others have known for decades what dreams they will follow ... and yet, when the time to follow them arrives, those dreams may unfold differently than anticipated and may even be supplanted by new ones. In retirement, time is really your most valuable asset. With more free time and opportunity for reflection, you might find your old dreams giving way to new ones. You may find yourself called to volunteer as never before, or motivated to work again but in a new context. Who should you share your time with? Here is another profound choice you get to make in retirement. The quick answer to this question for many retirees would be “family”. Today, we have nuclear families, blended families, extended families; some people think of their friends or their employees as family. You may define it as you wish and allocate more or less of your time to your family as you wish (some people do want less family time when they retire). Regardless of how you define “family” or whether or not you want more “family time” in retirement, you probably don’t want to spend your time around “dream stealers”. They do exist. 16

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If you have a grand dream in mind for retirement, you may meet people who try to thwart it and urge you not to pursue it. (Hopefully, they are not in close proximity to you.) Reducing their psychological impact on your retirement may increase your happiness. How much will you spend? We can’t control all retirement expenses, but we can control some of them. The thought of downsizing may have crossed your mind. While only about 10% of people older than 60 sell homes and move following retirement, it can potentially bring you a substantial lump sum or lead to smaller mortgage payments. You could also lose one or more cars (and the insurance that goes with them) and live in a neighborhood with extensive, efficient public transit. Ditching land lines and premium cable TV (or maybe all cable TV) can bring more savings. Garage sales and donations can have financial benefits as well as helping you get rid of clutter, with either cash or a federal tax deduction that may be as great as 30-50 percent of your adjusted gross income provided you carefully itemize and donate the goods to a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Could you leave a legacy? Many of us would like to give our kids or grandkids a good start in life, or help charities or schools – but given the economic realities of retiring today, there is no shame in putting your priorities first. Consider a baby boomer couple with, for example, $285,000 in retirement savings. If that couple follows the 4% rule, the old maxim that you should withdraw about 4% of your retirement savings per year, subsequently adjusted for inflation – then you are talking about $11,400 withdrawn to start. When you combine that $11,400 with Social Security and assorted investment income, that couple isn’t exactly rich. Sustaining and enhancing income becomes the priority, and legacy planning may have to take a backseat. In Merrill Lynch’s 2012 Affluent Insights Survey, just 26% of households polled (all with investable assets of $250,000 or more) felt assured that they could leave their children an inheritance; not too surprising given what the economy and the stock market have been through these past several years. How are you planning for retirement? This is the most important question of all. If you feel you need to prepare more for the future or reexamine your existing plan in light of changes in your life, then confer with a financial professional experienced in retirement planning. Securities offered through 1st Global Capital Corp. Member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc. Created by 1st Global or Peter Montoya, Inc. for use by our financial advisors.


Why Aren’t There as Many Homes for Sale? by Sheila & Kurt Johnson

We have been sounding the alarm for almost a year that we are in a seller’s market and the graphic to the right couldn’t do a better job of explaining why. Home ownership has never been as affordable as it is right now, and that has resulted in declining home inventory in all categories. The monthly payment on a median priced home is now only 12.9 percent of the median family income. Kurt and Sheila live in This is down from 36.3 percent southwest Cherokee and are top producing, Keller in the early eighties. The Williams Agents. They combination of historically low are Short Sale Experts mortgage rates and lower home and CDPE certified. prices relative to family income www.KurtandSheila.com has brought many first-time homebuyers into the market as well as homeowners wanting to trade up while they can still afford their dream home. Additionally, the decline in home prices and stable rental rates has brought investors into the real estate market like never before. Wall Street analysts estimate that hedge funds, private partnerships and foreign investors have bought between $7 billion and $9 billion worth of single-family homes in the last five years for the purpose of converting them into rental properties. At today’s home prices, an investor can earn a 20 percent cash flow return on their rental investment and then sell later for a long term capital gain when the market recovers. There has never been a more affordable time to buy, and with such strong demand for homes, this might be the right time to sell and buy something you will be happy with for the long term while rates are at historic lows.

Graphic courtesy of Keller Williams. Used with permission sixes living | April 2013

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Everyday

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.

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Everyday Angels would like to thank our readers for lifting up last month’s feature family – the Austins. As you may recall, Tim Austin lost his life in a bicycle accident. While faith and time is necessary when dealing with a sudden, tragic loss of a loved one, our community’s love and support has offered great comfort and encouragement. The Austins are grateful. Few things warm the heart more than witnessing young teens rally together to help someone in need. Everyday Angels received a call regarding a young student who is being raised by her disabled grandmother. This girl had outgrown her clothes and was in desperate need of basic necessities. After hearing this young girl’s background and all that she has endured in her short life, a group of high school girls from Hillside UMC were eager and excited to help. With the young lady’s sizes in hand, the girls went shopping that next weekend. They collectively shopped on a budget while chipping in with their own funds to ensure this student had a few outfits, shoes, undergarments, toiletries and make-up. It was difficult to tell who was more excited – the givers or receiver! Needless to say, the young girl was thrilled for her new clothes that finally fit, and was touched by the love from the girls. Understanding the importance of compassion and having a heart for others is more of what this world needs. We must teach our young children, through example, that it is better to give than to receive. Thank you, girls! You know who you are, and God does too. After all, it isn’t about photos, recognition or acknowledgement - it is about the blessing that now resides in your hearts, under His proud gaze. Keep up the good work! This past month, with the help of our readers’ support, Everyday Angels helped a single mom with two girls keep their power on, purchased food for a family of four who was eating Ramen noodles for each meal, and purchased clothing for someone in need. While we feature one main story most months, there are many other needs met behind the scenes, thanks to your continued support.


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EVENT CALENDAR April 13

SuperHero 5K Time: 8 a.m. Location: First Baptist Church of Woodstock, 11905 Ga. 92 Cost: $25 for 5K, $10 for one-mile Fun Run, $15 phantom runner. Info: Fundraiser for CASA for Children, Cherokee. www.casacherokee.org.

April 16, 24

Free Skin Cancer and Prostate Screenings Time: 6-8 p.m. Location: Outpatient Rehab Services building at Northside Hospital-Cherokee, 211 Hospital Rd. Canton 30114 Info: Free skin cancer screenings on April 16, and prostate screenings on April 24. Appointments only, call (404) 845-555 and press 0. www.northside.com

April 17, 25

Information Session on Virtual Gastric Band Times: 7-8:30 p.m. Info: Georgia Hypnotherapy Associates is hosting “Learn How You Can Lose Weight and Feel Better With the Virtual Gastric Band,” as seen on Dr. Oz. Free, but pre-registration required by emailing GeorgiaHypnotherapy@live.com or by calling (678) 938-7274. www.virtualgastricbandgeorgia.com

April 20

Blankets Creek Dirty Duathlon Time: 6:30-8 a.m. race check-in, 8:45 a.m. Dwelling Dash race start, 9 a.m. Duathlon race start Location: Blankets Creek on Sixes Road Info: Five-mile train run and 11 miles of single-track mountain biking. Solo and team divisions are available. New this year is the run-only five-mile Dwelling Dash. A portion of the proceeds will benefit SORBA Woodstock for maintenance of Blankets Creek and Rope Mills Park trails. Entries due April 18. www.blanketsduathlon.com.

April 20

20th annual Denim & Diamonds “An Affair to Remember” Time: 6-10 p.m. Location: Northside Hospital–Cherokee Conference Center, 1130 Bluffs Pkwy., Canton Tickets: $125 admits two Info: Cocktails, dinner and entertainment featuring country music artist Mark Wills. Grand prize drawing $1,500. Additional cash prizes of $1,000 and $500. Event is a fundraiser for Rotary Club of Canton, a nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofits in the county, and the Georgia Rotary Student Program, which brings an international student to study in the United States. For more information, call Bob Robinson at (770) 598-8046.

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April 20

Cherokee County Saddle Club Scavenger Hunt Time: 9 a.m. Location: Garland Mountain, 1411 Garland Mt. Way, Waleska 30183 Contact: Julie Richards (770) 377-1161

April 22

Cherokee Photography Club meeting Time: 7 p.m. Location: Cherokee Arts Center, 94 North St., Canton 30114 Info: Larry Winslett will make a presentation on the Georgia Sierra Club and the Georgia Wilderness photography contest. Contact: www.cherokeepc.org.

April 23

Dancing for the Children Competition and Annual Ball Location: Marriott on Windward Parkway, Alpharetta. Cost: $75 Info: Former UGA head football coach Vince Dooley is guest of honor. Dancers competing will be state Sen. Brandon Beach, Dr. Angie Falany, Misti Martin, Dr. Miles Mazzawi, Rev. Jim McRae, Trey Olson, Kimberly London Posey, Mitzi Saxon and Vaughn Williams. Money raised will be used to help children in need in Cherokee county. For tickets, visit www.serviceleague.net.

April 27

Hunter’s Helping Hands Family Fun Day Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Location: Woodstock City Park, Downtown Woodstock Info: Fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (www.curethekids.org). Activities include inflatables, petting zoo, photo booth, carnival games and arts and crafts. Kids can explore fire trucks, police cars, bulldozers and more. Live auction starts at 1 p.m. More information available at www.facebook.com/ huntershelpinghands.

May 3

First Friday in Downtown Canton Time: 6-10 p.m. Info: The downtown area is turned into a block party with activities for all ages, music, live entertainment, artists, vendors, and a car cruise-in. Restaurants and merchants will stay open late and offer First Friday sales and promotions. Sponsored by the Canton Main Street Program. Contact: www.canton-georgia.com

May 5

Musical Fundraiser for Cherokee County Special Olympics Time: 4 p.m. Location: Hillside UMC, 4474 Towne Lake Pkwy., Woodstock 30189 Tickets: $15 Info: Featuring composer Mark Hayes, Together In Harmony, and Above and Beyond from Hillside. www.hillsideumc. org.


community

Startling Facts About Teens and Drinking By Sonia Carruthers

Sonia Carruthers is the executive director and CEO of Cherokee FOCUS and the Cherokee Youth Works program based in Holly Springs. She can be reached at cherokeefocus@ windstream.net.

Spring is upon us, and if you are the parent of a teenager, you know spring means prom season, spring break and high school graduation. It is a busy time of year for high school teens with spring sports, homework, testing, college applications and social life. We all remember how exciting it was to be a teenager with the end of the school year in sight. It seems like just yesterday they were starting school, but it is very important to remember that, while they are growing up fast, they’re not yet 21. Underage drinking has lost a lot of the stigma that it had. There are so many other drugs that are perceived to be more dangerous. But here are the facts you should know about youth and alcohol.

Why worry about a teen just being a teen and having a glass of alcohol? • Alcohol kills more kids and young people ages 18-25 than all other drugs combined. What about the younger ages? • Youth ages nine - 20 use alcohol more than any other substance, including tobacco or marijuana.

I’ll make sure they’re safe at prom because they will be in a limo or a party bus.” Maybe you’re just having all the youth over to your house. Yes, they may not be driving, but what else could happen if they are drinking? • In 2009, underage consumption of alcohol caused a national average of 28,161 teen pregnancies, 949,400 nonfatal violent crimes (rape, robbery, and assault) and 1,844 homicides. Maybe you don’t have teens and don’t see how this may affect you. Alcohol is the third leading cause of death in Georgia and in 2010, underage drinking cost Georgia $1.4 billion. Our youth don’t get access to alcohol from shady drug dealers that stand on the corner of some dark street. Underage youth get alcohol from family members, the family of friends or other adults in their lives who are over 21. And while alcohol is legal and accepted in the world of adults, it can lead to serious issues for an underage child. Our youth can be damaged mentally, physically and emotionally. Older youth who have already progressed through the stages of marijuana, prescription drugs, cocaine, heroin or meth will tell you that it all started with that first drink at a young age. A recent survey done in Cherokee County shows drinking in our community begins at age 13. Teenagers may get away with drinking at parties or while hanging out with their friends, but what are the long-term effects? Teenagers who are 17 years old also need to be aware that if they are arrested for underage drinking, they are considered adults and will go to adult jail rather than the juvenile system. Talk to your youth about the dangers of underage drinking. Set strong ground rules and enforce them. To get more facts and information on underage drinking, visit www.StopAlcoholUnder21.org.

When do teens start drinking? • Nationally, on average per day, 2,842 young people ages of 12 - 14 begin to use alcohol, which means at least one million youth under the age of 15 start using alcohol per year. • Only seven percent of college students said that they first started drinking in college. The rest had already begun drinking before graduating high school. And did you know that here in the state of Georgia: • An average of 2,375 people die from alcohol-related injuries or illness each year. You may say, “It’s okay, I’ve talked to my child about drinking and driving, and sixes living | April 2013

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Learning From Women by Mike Litrel, MD

Last month, my wife and I put the finishing touches on a “he-said, she-said” book about marriage and family. Ann and I tell stories back and forth, confessing the numerous times we haven’t seen eye to eye. But recalling our adventures raising a family has also gently reminded me of the many life lessons a man —and an OB-GYN—can only learn from women. When I entered medical school, Dr. Litrel and his wife Obstetrics and Gynecology was Ann, co-authoring their “he said/she said” book the specialty at the bottom of on marriage and family. my list. And that list included For details and release proctology. date, register at www. My impression of gynecology mikelitrelmd.com was based wholly on a former girlfriend’s reaction to her first GYN exam. When I asked how it went, she just shook her head and grimaced. I thought I could even see a few tears in her eyes. I knew then that GYN was one field I would avoid like a minefield. God has a sense of humor. Years later, I found myself as a third year medical student entering the hospital for the first time to take care of patients. I was assigned to Labor and Delivery, under the supervision of a firm-minded intern with intense eyes, in her first year of training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. This young doctor, in that first night, taught me how to place IV lines, how to check for labor, and — just after three in the morning — how to deliver a baby. I was not prepared for the screaming that echoed through the halls of Labor and Delivery. It’s one thing to study the anatomy and physiology of pregnancy and childbirth in the quiet of a library. It’s quite another to witness the cries of a woman in agony as she pushes a human being out of her body. I watched the baby’s head enlarge the opening with each contraction. The young mother-to-be cried and writhed on the delivery table. Blood and body fluids gushed out each time she pushed. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t recall those little details being mentioned in my textbooks. The baby’s head finally emerged, and the intern guided my hands to correctly maneuver the baby as she was thrust from the dark warmth of her mother’s body. Clutching the tiny newborn to my chest, I watched the intern cut the cord, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by sublime emotion. There at my first delivery, before I could even put down the baby, I understood that I would dedicate my career to the care of women: I had discovered my purpose in life. No one was more surprised than I was. 22

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“By our nature, we men approach marriage and life differently. Women think first about the needs of others. We men tend to think about ourselves first. It’s sort of pathetic, really.” As an OB-GYN, I’ve cared for thousands of women over the past 20 years. I’ve been married to one woman for 25. As a physician, I’m graced daily with the stories of women – sometimes those of single moms soldiering through long work days, coming home to care for children alone at night, long after the fathers are gone. Sometimes the stories are from older women, struggling to be good mothers and daughters and wives, when they are tired and have nothing left to give. As a husband, I’ve watched my wife perform the thankless tasks that mark the seasons of motherhood – the years of changing diapers, the anxious nights awake caring for a sick child, the endless rides and school projects, and the final letting go as they grow up. Physicians receive an embarrassing quantity of gratitude and respect from their patients. Many have expressed the thought that since I so well understand the difficulties of womanhood, I must be one amazing husband. I wish I could say, “guilty as charged.” Unfortunately for Ann, I am still a guy. By our nature, we men approach marriage and life differently. Women think first about the needs of others. We men tend to think about ourselves first. It’s sort of pathetic, really. In the big picture, the purpose of our lives is to grow spiritually – to focus less on ourselves and more on daily acts of love. Women are hardwired to love in this capacity; they have a spiritual head start. We men have more growing up to do. This is why marriage is so important to a man’s spiritual journey. Through faithfulness to a wife and family, we share in the labors of marriage and raising children. Ideally, spouses learn from each other — if we’re paying attention. I have been blessed with many male mentors in my medical career. But it is perhaps women who have been my most important teachers – not just in my profession, but more importantly, on the path toward becoming a spiritual grown-up. The title of Ann’s and my book is “Family – A Mismatch Made In Heaven.” The point is this: marriage and family life were conceived in heaven, but are lived here on earth. As we journey together, it is only if we understand that our path begins and ends with God, that we can see the roadmap through our struggles – And in the end, find our way back home.


The Stump by Kara Kiefer

Kara Kiefer is the Editor of TowneLaker. She lives in southwest Cherokee with her husband Mike and sons Brandon and Garrett.

To say my son and I think differently is an understatement. He has always been a “highspirited” child with a mind of his own. To his credit, he’s a tenacious problem solver and is reluctant to give up…. especially when he’s saving money to buy something. His first major purchase was a truck, and now that he has the truck, his primary goal is accessorizing it. He has a laundry list of things he wants to do to it and buy for it. He works two jobs in order to accomplish his goal, but apparently, he felt he needed to do more. That’s when he called me at work one day asking if I knew where he could

buy a stump. This was his idea: He would get a stump and carve a logo or design into it and sell this piece of art on Ebay. Remember, we don’t think anything alike. He’s more entrepreneurial in spirit than I am, so he’s thinking this is a

great way to make some extra money. I’m thinking, “Who in the world would buy a stump off Ebay?” I can’t even imagine buying one of those carved bears I often see for sale in mountain towns, much less a stump. And my second thought is how does he plan on shipping a stump? I keep my thoughts to myself and tell him that our neighbor has a stump he said we could have. And so the project begins. A few hours later, I return home and my son is in the garage with his stump and a hacksaw. He’s feverishly working at cutting all the bark off the stump and creating a canvas for his carving. He even has sketched out his design and knows exactly how he wants it to look. Granted, a hacksaw was not the best tool for the job, and eventually, he grew weary and decided to take a “break.” The “break” turned into two hours, then days and now months. The half “shaved” stump remains in the garage, awaiting its transformation. We suggested this stump be part of his upcoming Senior Project. He wasn’t too impressed with that suggestion. Anyone want a stump?

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Protecting Our Senior Citizens by Debbie McAdory

Debbie McAdory is the marketing outreach coordinator for The Lodge at BridgeMill, a residence for seniors, and a volunteer with Triad S.A.L.T. Contact her at debbie.mcadory@ugoc. com.

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One of the primary concerns that senior citizens have is feeling safe and protected. In fact, all of us want to know that we are safe. Whether it is out shopping in the community or receiving a phone call from a telemarketer, many seniors are skeptical of purchasing from someone they don’t know. On the other hand, some seniors are willing to give out their social security number or other important information to a perfect stranger over the phone or online. Others fall victim to scams by thieves who knock on their doors and pretend to represent gas companies or government officials doing property surveys. Unfortunately, the news these days is full of people being scammed. If identity thieves have your

personal information, they can drain your bank account, run up charges on your credit cards, open new utility accounts or even get medical treatment on your health insurance. One of the most informative non-profit organizations is Cherokee Triad S.A.L.T. (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together). Triad works to alleviate fear of victimization, build confidence, enhance the delivery of law enforcement services and improve the overall quality of life to our senior population. Triad also works to educate individuals and businesses providing services to seniors. Members of Cherokee Triad S.A.L.T. meet monthly to discuss the latest threats, and send out alerts on Facebook (www. facebook.com/Cherokee-Triad-SALT) and through email. Children of seniors who aren’t internet savvy can sign up to receive the alerts. Triad addresses issues that range from elderly abuse and personal injury to drug interaction and prescription fraud. Workshops are held periodically throughout the year. An Emergency Preparedness workshop is set for 11 a.m. April 11 at the Bells Ferry Senior Center, 5323 Bells Ferry Rd., Acworth. The Senior Extravaganza will be held 10 a.m.–2 p.m. April 27 continued on page 68


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At-Risk Youth are Shown Hope for the Future By Candi Hannigan

Early one morning last fall – at five a.m., to be exact – Taylor and Kathy picked up Justin, loaded their car with his belongings, and drove him to North Georgia Technical College to begin his college career. They coached him through registration and financial aid and helped him settle into his dorm room. This may be a common occurrence for many each fall, but the circumstances surrounding this scene are pretty remarkable. Several years before, Justin had dropped out of school and had just recently earned his GED. And Taylor and Kathy weren’t his sisters. Or his cousins. They aren’t related to him at all. Justin is a graduate of the Cherokee Youth Works (CYW) program at Cherokee FOCUS, where Taylor Griffis and Kathy Garrett help youth like Justin take positive steps to overcome negative circumstances. The program targets youth ages 16-21 who have barriers to earning a high school diploma. Their situations can range from low family income, foster care, and disabilities to youth who have documented difficulties and need extra support and guidance. Garrett is the education specialist. Griffis is the workforce specialist who helps youth find jobs and determine a career goal. Stacy Cooper is the program A group of youth spent the day doing chores and director. helping the owners at Healing Hands Youth Ranch in “Some of Waleska. the things we see every day are difficult and sad. However, they are worth it for the days like this, the days when we see students who never thought they could move into a dorm start college and start heading in a drastically different direction than when we first met them,” said Cooper. Kelsey is another success story. She struggled through foster care, dropped out of high school, and had a baby at a young age. She was living with her grandmother when she An art gallery was part of a field trip taken by the youth. joined the program, and was

Stacy Cooper was a teenager when she realized she wanted her life’s work to revolve around helping youth.

struggling to find transportation and childcare to do the things necessary to get her life back on track. Now Kelsey is in her second year at Chattahoochee Tech, majoring in criminal justice. She works at a childcare center, which covers her childcare needs and college costs, and she’s planning a wedding for some time next year. Each weekday afternoon, the FOCUS office is filled with as many as 20 teens who may have been discarded, given up on or pushed aside. During the time spent in the meeting room of the 850-square-foot house in Holly Springs, they are encouraged, taught life skills and given hope and guidance for a better future. Field trips and working projects, in addition to classroom instruction, help the students see a world around them that they may not know exists. A visit to North Georgia Technical College opened their eyes to the possibility of attending college and living in a dorm. At the Holly Springs fall festival, the Birds and Herbs exhibit featured birdhouses built and herbs raised by the students. The youth learned the benefits — and satisfaction — of creating products, pricing and selling them. “To see students walk in our building feeling like a failure HOW YOU CAN HELP: and walk out with 1. Volunteer as a mentor or tutor. hope that although 2. Provide a job, internship or job they have made shadowing opportunity. mistakes in the past, 3. Sponsor a youth to take there is hope for a the GED, attend a camp or better future is such participate in sports. a fulfilling job,” said 4. Donate clothing, gift cards Cooper. “We try to and household items to the show youth that there organization. is still a path that can 5. Make tax-exempt financial lead to success for donation. them. It might take a little longer to get Visit www.cherokeefocus.org for there, but we will be more information. there to support them every step of the way.” sixes living | April 2013

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Multiple Interviews by Lynne Saunders

Every job-seeker fears the interview process, and rightfully so. This is show time, and one of the most critical moments in gaining new employment. Going under the microscope is seldom pleasant, yet it is the one part of the hiring process that is imperative so you can shine! Simple advice: dress well, be knowledgeable about the hiring company, know its needs, accentuate how your qualifications Lynne is the author of meet the needs, and simply be the newest job seeker’s yourself. book “21st Century The advice given so far is Keys to Employment” and Founder/Executive nothing different than what I have Director of Papa’s been teaching for years. However, Pantry and The I am beginning to see a new trend MastersTrainingCenter. in the interview and hiring process. com. Employment Multiple interviews are often Strategies Core Concepts classes and Advanced expected when applying for jobs Coaching sessions offered that require a significant amount bi-weekly. Call (770) 591of skills or expertise. More and 4730 for the schedule. more, employers are bringing For more information, in candidates for second, third, visit Papaspantry.org. fourth, and even fifth interviews. Secondary interviews for entrylevel positions are not uncommon. Employers are taking more time in making decisions. Should you be offered multiple interviews, do not get overly confident about getting the job. Keep in mind that there are always others being invited too. Continue to research the company and division, using information you gain in earlier meetings to enhance and build your knowledge. Be careful with your emotions and do not appear overly confident with each additional interview. Continue to seek new job posting for which to apply so your momentum does not stop. It is devastating to learn that someone else was selected if you are not the candidate of choice. If you receive disappointing news but have continued to keep other irons in the fire, it will be easier to keep on going without falling into bouts of depression and negativity. Stay in touch with the people you have been in contact with at the hiring company. Hand-write thank you notes after each interview. As the company makes news (in a good way), congratulate them! Send the email link, or cut out the newspaper or magazine article and send through the mail. These steps will help you become memorable. It may not bring immediate employment, but if this is truly a company of interest, wouldn’t it be wonderful for them to offer a better position for which you are well suited? Keep going! 26

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Spring Lawn Care Tips By Kirk Smith

Early spring is a great time to put down pinestraw or hardwood mulch in your landscape beds. 2013 may be the year to consider changing over from pinestraw to mulch, because mulch will last longer and retain moisture much better than straw. Over time you will use less mulch - less often than pinestraw - making mulch not only a healthier choice for your plants, but Kirk Smith is owner of also more economical. Lawn Smith Inc., which Now is also the time to be specialized in commercial and residential considering plant selections maintenance in Cherokee for your seasonal color County for 10 years. He planting beds. Plants like has a degree in golf and lantana and setcreasea are sports turf management great drought-tolerant plants. and is a licensed chemical applicator. April 15 is the safety date (678) 445-4283. www. for starting to plant flowers. lawnsmithinc.net, Typically, it is safe to say that the last frost has occurred by April 15. However, there are no guarantees to this rule. Hopefully, pre-emergent herbicides were applied last fall to help control those pesky winter weeds like Poa Annua, and a round of pre-emergent herbicides should have been applied to

“Now is also the time to be considering plant selections for your seasonal color planting beds.” your turf to help control summer weeds like crabgrass. Weeds will continue to germinate throughout the season, so the next round of chemicals applied will help tremendously. The sooner you can get the application done, the more weeds will be controlled. With warm season turfs remaining dormant through March and most of April, there is still a great deal to do in your landscape. This is the time to scalp your Bermuda turf, done by mowing your existing turf at a lower level to remove the dormant/dead turf on the top layer, and either bagging or blowing off what is removed. Scalping will open up the canopy of the plant, allowing more sunlight in and providing faster greening of the turf. Aeration should also be done to help loosen the compacted soil and allow more water and nutrients into the root zone. After aeration, many people consider topdressing to help with lawn leveling and incorporate sand and organics to allow for a healthier soil.


KIM BATES P O RT R A I T S • W E D D I N G S & E V E N T S

• P H O TO J O U R N A L I S M • F I N E A RT

P H O T O G R A P H I C

A R T

By appointment . . . www.kimbatesphotoart.com kbphotoart@comcast.net 770.617.7595 sixes living | April 2013

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Spring Is In the Hair! by Tim Timmons

Tim Timmons is the owner of Salon Gloss, Downtown Woodstock’s premiere salon. Tim has been a hairstylist for 13 years and has extensive industry experience. Tim has had the unique distinction of working with several celebrities including, Pamela Anderson, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton and Hillary Duff during awards ceremonies including The SAG Awards, Grammy Awards and The MTV Video Music Awards. Tim can be reached at (678) 483-8900.

Twice a year, as the new fashion seasons begin, each of us has the perfect excuse to freshen our personal sense of style. But while we all tend to focus on discovering, considering and sampling the latest clothing and accessories, it’s our hair that will be making a statement every day. For the fans of keeping up with hair trends, spring 2013 is a dream. Rather than a season of unachievable looks, this spring’s hair trends are totally within reach. The tidy knot, the low pony, the messy braid, and the Sicilian headscarf are a few trends you need to know and will want to wear this spring. Try one or wear them all! Read on to find out how to DIY and what products will help you to get the look just right.

Get Knotty Rather than a whimsical ballerina bun, this style is more severe and knotted, less round. The finish is high-shine and tied very tightly, ultimately resembling a Spanish flamenco dancer’s ‘do.

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Tools: Smoothing cream, a high-shine finishing spray and a skinny hair elastic. Apply smoothing cream to damp hair, and part down the center of your crown using a fine-toothed comb. Secure hair into a ponytail at the nape of your neck with a skinny elastic. Twist the ponytail into a tight coil while wrapping it around the elastic. Hold in place with a bobby pin and finish with a spritz of high-shine spray. The Low Pony This pony is slightly different than your average low pony because the hair is gathered into a wide and flat panel, rather than skinny and round as in most ponies. Separate hair into two sections, top and bottom, and tie the bottom section into two small ponytails. Let the top section fall flat overtop, and wrap all three sections of hair with a hair bungee. Finish with a firmhold hairspray. Braid-y Bunch This season there will be braids of all kinds, from braided updo’s to skinny plaits wrapped around ponytails. An easy one to try at home is a distressed braid. I recommend washing your hair and letting it air-dry before beginning. Then, spritz hair from root to tip with a salt spray or light texturizer. Gather hair into the middle of your crown and simply braid the length. Secure the ends with a skinny elastic. Voila! The Sicilian Headscarf Hair accessories are going to be a prominent feature this spring, but the silk headscarf will be one of the most popular. continued on page 68


recreation

Breaking New Ground at Blankets Creek By Lisa Randall

The new parking lot and restroom facilities at Blankets Creek Mountain Bike Trails are nearing completion, and SORBA Woodstock has begun work on the next trail project. Approval has been granted to the city of Woodstock by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a new trail system on the north side of Little River at Olde Rope Mill Park. SORBA Woodstock, working within a Memorandum Lisa Randall is a mom, of Understanding with the city, small business owner and is going to design and construct athlete from Canton. She is owner of Mountain Goat the new trails. With preliminary Adventures, LLC, which layout complete, this new 5.5organizes local trail running mile trail is shaping up to be open and mountain bike events. and flowing with fast, sweeping In her spare time, Lisa is turns and rolling momentum a competitive cyclist and competes in mountain sections. Uphill sections should bike, cyclocross and trail be primarily along gentle rollers running races. and steep grades kept to a minimum. This trail should appeal to a broad range of riders. Once completed, the total trail mileage at Olde Rope Mill Park may rival that of Blankets Creek, providing increased riding opportunities for this area’s growing population of mountain bike trail users. Although these are mountain bike trails, they also provide additional hiking and running opportunities for those who would like to enjoy the trails on foot.

Photo is courtesy of Joseph Cattoni.

The city of Woodstock has already committed $40,000 to this project. To complete construction of this trail, SORBA Woodstock is hoping to raise an additional $80,000, making it possible to complete the new trail within a year. With fundraising efforts well underway, SORBA Woodstock has already raised approximately $40,000 in contributions from local bike shops, area businesses, special event sponsorship and personal donations from the mountain biking community. A special sign will be erected at the new trail head to recognize donors, with those contributing more than $2,500 receiving special recognition. Anyone interested in making a contribution can do so via Paypal at www.sorbawoodstock.org or by contacting the chapter president, Jay Wilkes, at president@ sorbawoodstock.org.

Upcoming SORBA Woodstock Special Events at Blankets Creek Trails: April 20 - Blankets Creek Dirty Duathlon www.blanketsduathlon.com May 11 – Blankets Creek Cross Country Mountain Bike Race www.mountaingoatadventures.com/ blanketsmtb

Denise and Tim Ulrich are tireless trail volunteers. sixes living | April 2013

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summer camps Hide and Seek Day Camp Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 28-July 26 except week of June 17 Ages: School-age children Location: Mt. Zion Baptist, 4096 East Cherokee Dr., Canton 30115 Cost: $130 per week Info: Christ-saturated program includes outdoor games, arts and crafts and challenges appropriate for each age level. Each day a focus on teachable moments may include talking about various attributes of God during a walk around camp or while reading scripture. www.hideandseekdaycamp. net Club Scientific Summer Camps Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weeks of July 8, 15 Ages: 4-14 Location: Cherokee Charter Academy, 2126 Sixes Rd. Cost: $235 Info: Options include 28 themes and three groups set apart by age. Register at www.clubscientific.com or call (678) 880-6460. BridgeMill Athletic Club Ages, Times & Dates: 4-6 year olds attend June 3-6, June 17-20, July 8-11 7-10 year olds attend June 10-13, June 24-27. Hours 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: $120 per child per week. Info: Daily activities include arts and crafts, movie and snacks. Focus of the day rotates between pool, golf, tennis and making a meal at the restaurant. 770-345-2990. www. bridgemillathleticclub.com Camp Gideon Dates: June 15-21 IMPACT Leadership Camp, June 17-21 Discovery Day Camp, June 23-28 Adventure Camp, June 30-July 5 D4 Location: 3545 Walden Ln., Acworth 30102 Info: Christian camp on Lake Allatoona. www.campgideon.com Cherokee County YMCA Dates: May 28-Aug. 2 Parent Info meetings: 6:30-7:30 p.m. April 18, May 9 in Woodstock 6:30-7:30 p.m. April 25, May 16 in Canton Location: The Woodstock outdoor camp is on Lake Allatoona, 201 E. Bells Ferry Rd. (770) 345-9622. The Canton location is off Riverstone Parkway at 151 Waleska St. (770) 345-9622. Info: Daily activities include swimming, large and small group games, nature walks, sports, field games, fort building, organic gardening. Specialty camps available for older children. For detailed camp listing, visit www.ymcaatlanta.org. 30

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Nuno Soccer Experience (residential camp) Dates: June 8 – 11 for ages 9-13 June 14-17 for ages 13-17 June 27-30 for ages 9-15 Cost: $510 (commuter $450) Elite Camp $545 (commuter $495) Contact: www.nunosoccerexperience.com Elm Street Arts Camps Held at the Elm Street Cultural Art Village, 8534 Main Street, Woodstock. Call (678) 494-4251 or register online at www.elmstreetarts.org. Teen Improv Camp Times & Dates: 4-7 p.m. June 10-14 Ages: 13-18 Cost: $125 Drama Camps Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 10-14, 17-21, 24 – 28, July 8 –12, 15-19, 22-26 and 29-August 2 Ages: Junior 5-7, Senior 8-14. Cost: $200 Participants in each camp will write, produce and perform an original play. Creative KidSpace Art Camp at Elm Street Times & Dates: 9:30-11:30 a.m. June 17 – 21, 1:30-3 p.m. June 24 – 28 Ages: 5 and older. Cost: $95 per session plus $25 material fee. Info: Instructors will be professional artists Aubree Metlick and Shawn McLeod. Students will complete projects in clay, paint, pastels and print making. For questions or to register, email Shawn.mcleod@att.net or aubree.metlick@att.net. Bits, Bytes and Bots Times & Dates: Half day 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., full day 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. June 3-July 29 weekly. Ages: 6 and older Location: Varies throughout Cherokee and Cobb counties Cost: Half day $125, full day $325 Info: Creative technology camp including LEGO robotics, stop-motion animated movie making, computer animation and more. Register at www.bbb-atlanta.com or call (770) 826-0449. Safety Day Camp Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 12 Ages: 8-12 Location: Lazy D Farm, 848 Bishop Rd., Ball Ground Info: Sponsored by the Cherokee County Farm Bureau and the County Extension Service, the camp will include safety training in ATVs, animals, fire/severe weather, electrical, bikes and water safety. To register, call (770) 479-1481 ext. 0 or (770) 479-0418.


recreation

Bounce House Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. half day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. full day during weeks of May 28-July 29 Ages: 4-12 Location: 765 Ash St., Canton 30115 Cost: Prices vary Info: Weekly themes include Mad Science, Around the World, Wild West, Beach Week, A Bug’s Life. www. thebouncehouseac.com Kids Create and Cook Mini Camps Times & Dates: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays June 10-12, July 8-10 Cost: $144 per week/child. Ages: 6 and up Location: The BeesKnees Shop, 6687 Bells Ferry Road, Woodstock Info: Artist Adria Smith of paper.scissors.cake will be teaming up with Maureen Penniman, cook and caterer of the BeesKnees Shop, to host camps featuring art and cooking. Children will create everything from summer stromboli and mosaics to cookie pops and paper mache. Children can bring lunch or purchase a box lunch. To register, email paperscissorscake@yahoo.com. CRPA Harmony Lacrosse Camp Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-noon half day, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. full day. May 28-May 31 Ages: 7-18 Cost: $150 half day, $250 full day Location: Riverside Athletic Complex Info: Opportunity for young and experienced players to learn beginner and advanced level lacrosse. Coaches will teach the kids techniques and strategies. Campers will hear from local college coaches on what they are looking for in their players’ skills, work ethics and attitudes. www.crpa.net K.A.O.S. Camp 2013 for special needs campers Registration begins April 15 Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Weekly, May 28 through Aug. 2 Ages: 6-22 (Campers will be divided based on their age) Cost: $130 weekly Location: 7545 Main St., Woodstock, 30188 Info: For people who have special needs and need activity during the summer, with a 1:3 ratio of experienced counselors and staff to participants. Camps include three field trips each week. Other activities are arts and crafts, exploring local parks, swimming, bowling and roller skating. Bring a lunch and two snacks daily. www.crpa.net

Adventures Express Summer Camps Times & Dates: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. May 28 – August 2 (no camp July 1-5) Cost: $25 registration fee + $130 weekly. Siblings $120 weekly Ages: 5-12 Location: 7545 Main St., Woodstock, 30188 Info: Offers a wide variety of activities and weekly field trips. Bring a lunch and two snacks daily. Payment expected with registration. A parent orientation for ages 5-8 will be at 6 p.m. May 23 and at 7 p.m. for ages 9-12. Early registration (9 a.m.-6 p.m. April 8-12) will be offered to parents whose child(ren) attended four weeks or more of Adventures Express in 2012. Open registration begins at 9 a.m. April 15. www.crpa.net North Atlanta Fencing Center Times & Dates: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Competitive camp is June 17- 21, beginner/intermediate camp is July 22-26. Ages: 8 and up Location: 10029 Ga. 92, Ste. 124, Woodstock 30188 Cost: $350 for competitive, $300 for beginner www.northatlantafc.com Woodstock School of Ballet Location: 5939 Holly Springs Parkway (Old Hwy 5), Suite 103 Contact: Dana Crain at (770) 928-3966 or email woodstockballet@bellsouth.net. www.balletwoodstock.com. Info: Let’s Move! For ages 5-12 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 24-28, cost $160. Featuring ballet, Irish step, jazz classes, arts and crafts, dance education and choreography sessions. Alice In Wonderland Fairy Tale For ages 3-4, 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. July 15-19, cost $75 Schedule includes fairy tale ballet class, snack and craft. For ages 5-8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 15-19, cost $160 Schedule includes ballet class, acting, arts and crafts and end-of-week production. Terrific Tuesdays For ages 2 — adults One-hour afternoon and evening classes June 11-July 30 for Mommy and Me, ballet, tap, jazz, Irish step. $96 for eight weeks, one class each week.

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Photos by Ruffhouse Photography

recreation

The length of the 50-meter competition pool has 10 lanes. For races across the width of the pool, there are 20 lanes. The pool will be equipped with portable lifts for access by handicapped persons.

Aquatic Center Close to Completion for May Opening Workers are putting the finishing touches on Cherokee County’s newest recreational facility, the Aquatic Center, just off Sixes Road near I-575. With a ribbon cutting on May 9 and grand opening set for May 11, officials are eager to open the center to families, swim teams and others looking to improve their health through water aerobics or therapy sessions. Even before the center officially opens, residents can purchase memberships and sign up for classes, rent space for birthday parties and register for the new swim team. Visit www.crpa.net for all the options. Here’s what you can anticipate. The 7,900-square-foot outdoor pool is surrounded by a 10,000-square-foot deck for chairs and two pavilions that can be rented for parties. The area also includes a lazy river, two water slides and a play structure with water cannons, dump buckets and water sprays.

Cherokee County Aquatic Center 1200 Gresham Mill Parkway, Holly Springs, GA 30142

Upcoming events: A viewing area on the upper level, behind the glass walls, will offer seating that’s just a few feet away from concessions. 32

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Ribbon cutting: 10 a.m. May 9 Grand Opening: May 11


The indoor recreational pool, which will be kept at 86 degrees, has a wheelchair ramp and wheelchair lift. Aquatic wheelchairs will be available.

Guests will have outdoor access to the concessions area, and restrooms for men, women and families. Just inside the main entrance, which is one level above the pool, guests enter a glass-walled viewing area that overlooks the competition pool. The concessions area is just a few feet away. The 48,000-square-foot indoor space includes a 50-meter competition pool in a room with an arched ceiling that’s flooded with natural light. One side of the pool is flanked by bleachers that seat 700, two party rooms/classrooms as well as locker rooms for men, women and families. At the end is a 25-foot recreational pool for water aerobics, aqua therapy and swim lessons. The county purchased 37 acres for the aquatic center, but only 12 were disturbed for construction. A good portion of the land backs up to Corp of Engineer property and will remain undeveloped. A soft opening will take place when construction is complete. Operating hours for the indoor pools will be opening at 6 a.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday, and closing at 8 p.m. in summer, 9 p.m. during school year. The outdoor pool hours will be 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The water slides, one covered and one uncovered, sit next to a zero-depth entry pool that’s perfect for the smallest children just getting accustomed to the water.

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Photos by Kim Bates

cover feature

Patients are the heart of Dr. Robin Loe’s family practice

100 Stoneforest Dr., Suite 220 Woodstock 30189 For an appointment, call (678) 445-0819 www.townelakeprimarycare.com

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You don’t learn everything in medical school. One of Dr. Robin Loe’s patients was in for a check-up, and his blood pressure was elevated. “Did you get in a traffic jam?” Dr. Loe said. “Because I know how you are.” The patient’s wife laughed and agreed. That’s the kind of familiarity that is important to Dr. Loe of Towne Lake Primary Care. It’s also the kind of care that keeps patients happy enough to vote her a “Patient’s Pick Doctor” in Atlanta magazine’s Top Docs issue for 2012. She also finished in the top three percent nationally in the Patients’ Choice award for five consecutive years (2008-2012), and has earned Compassionate Doctors and On Time doctors awards. She’s very grateful for these honors, especially because they come from the heart of her profession: the patients. “They grade you on accurate diagnosis, bedside manner, doctor-patient face time, and degree of follow-up. It’s a confidence vote from the patient,” said Dr. Loe, a board certified family physician who recently affiliated with Northside Hospital. “I’m impressed with the culture of patient care at Northside. That seems to be the whole thrust, and with all the changes in healthcare, it fits me the best because the patient is my focus and always will be. I cannot change.”


Dr. Loe opened Towne Lake Primary Care at the first of this year. As a family practitioner, Dr. Loe treats patients ranging from elementary school age to senior citizens. She enjoys addressing a wide variety of patient concerns. “In one room, you may have to dress a wound, in the next a sinus infection, and the next, chest pain,” she said. “Providing this variety of treatments for my patients is very interesting.” Dr. Loe completed her medical training at Mississippi School of Medicine and residency at the University of Tennessee. She is a Fellow in family medicine, and has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance Bridges to Excellence Program for quality diabetic care and management. During her 25-year medical career, Dr. Loe spent almost six years in Texas before moving to Acworth 10 years ago. She has logged many hours in Cherokee County, attending sports practices and competitions with her children, who are now students at the University of Alabama and the University of Illinois. Husband Terry is a professor of sales and marketing at Kennesaw State University. Dr. Loe is eager to develop her practice in Cherokee County. “I’m thrilled about being a part of what’s happening in Cherokee County with Northside,” said Dr. Loe. “I want to be a part of the community. We will be adding two to four doctors, so we will be a strong primary care base that will be convenient for this community.” The approach to patient care through a family medicine practice includes a focus on disease detection, screening and management as well as creating individualized wellness plans and being an advocate for the patients. “Patients need to know they have an advocate who will pursue screening, chase down reports, find answers as quickly as possible,” she said. Dr. Loe recalls a time when family practice was the hub of patient care. As patients got away from seeing one doctor for all aspects of their care, they began to visit specialist after specialist. The downside? Elements of the patient’s care would often go undetected. “In general, the relationship patients have with their physician is underestimated. It’s so important for patients to have a physician who knows all about them.” The Northside network of physicians brings a wide variety of specialists to Dr. Loe’s disposal. “If you come in with a complaint of chest pain, I can pick up the phone and consult immediately with a cardiologist.” Some of those specialists could be just a few steps away after her practice moves to the new Northside-Cherokee Towne Lake Medical campus being built on Towne Lake Parkway near I-575. The location will be convenient to residents of Sixes, Holly Springs and Canton communities as well as Towne Lake. The facility should open late summer or early fall. Another element that attracted Dr. Loe to Cherokee is the new NorthsideCherokee Hospital off I-575 at exit 19 that has a proposed completion date of 2015. “This is a superb medical community with excellent doctors. It is going to be very good for this community.” Dr. Loe has worked to fill her office with staff members who share her passion for patient care. “The people who work with me care about our patients as much as I do. They’re as involved as I am,” she said. “The goal for our clinic is the whole patient experience – from start to finish – to know that they’re being cared for in the best way possible.”

Towne Lake Primary Care offers: • Chronic disease management • Same-day appointments for sick visits • Comprehensive physical exams for sports participation and college students • Pediatric care for school-aged children • Immunizations for children and adults • In-house EKG and pulmonary function tests • Comprehensive women’s health services • Free parking

Other patient-required services such as X-ray, CT, mammography and ultrasound may be handled at the partnering radiology lab located onsite.

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Health & Wellness

Are You Receiving an “A” for Your Dental Health? by Dr. Scott R. Harden

Every parent wants their child to bring home an A from school. Achieving an A requires hard work, consistency and dedication. We encourage our children to adopt these principles throughout their years at school. If any one of these principles is missing, then the grade can quickly reduce to a B, a C or worse. The same principles are important for good oral health. Consistency and dedication to Dr. Scott Harden is a good oral hygiene every day with dentist at Fountain View Family Dentistry and proper brushing and flossing is has served southwest important to eliminate bacteria Cherokee for more from your teeth and gums. In than 21 years. He comparison to seeing the teacher, is a Dental Advisor regular visits to the dentist every for two nationally renowned dental six months for a dental check-up research companies. create a successful formula for You can reach him at your oral health. (770) 926-0000 or visit So, what grade would you FountainViewSmiles.com. receive for your dental care? A: keeping regular six-month check ups, brushing and flossing three times per day, no pending treatment. B: last check up about one year ago, brushing and flossing two times per day, no pending treatment. C: last check up one to two years ago, brushing every day, flossing several times per week, aware of pending treatment required. F: check up more than two years ago, brushing every day, no flossing, no idea if teeth need treatment because it’s been too long since you’ve been to the dentist. Here are some interesting facts about dental care. Approximately 60 percent of Americans visit the dentist every year. The average person visits their dentist every three to four years. The average person does not floss even once per week. The average person has greater than a 75 percent chance for having gum disease based upon national statistics. The anatomy of your tooth facilitates tooth decay. Everyone’s natural teeth have grooves, which create spaces for bacteria to collect and form a cavity. Some grooves are like small elevator shafts that direct food and bacteria straight down into the center of your teeth. Without preventive dental care (i.e. sealants, fluoride), these teeth will develop cavities, despite the best homecare possible. Therefore, your teeth require routine checkups to assess for tooth decay. Tooth fractures are another common tooth problem that lead to cavities. Fractures occur 36

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“Approximately 60 percent of Americans visit the dentist every year. The average person visits their dentist every three to four years. The average person does not floss even once per week. The average person has greater than a 75 percent chance for having gum disease based upon national statistics.” from normal chewing, grinding your teeth at night, large fillings that thin the walls of your teeth or thermal changes over many years. Tooth fractures are typically 50 microns in diameter, as compared to bacteria that are only one micron in diameter. Fractures allow bacteria to penetrate into the center of the tooth beneath the enamel and result in significant decay. Another type of decay occurs from drinking soft drinks, sport drinks and sweets in any form. Sugar provides a food source to oral bacteria, which promotes the bacteria to produce an acid byproduct. The acid erodes your tooth enamel by causing demineralization, which is the removal of minerals from your enamel. Demineralized teeth appear white at first, commonly seen between teeth where plaque collects from not flossing and also on front teeth of young orthodontic patients due to improper brushing around brackets. If the bacteria stay on the teeth long enough, the demineralization advances deeper to produce light brown decay, and spreads even farther into the tooth to produce dark brown or black decay. Light brown decay spreads the fastest and can destroy a tooth quite rapidly, resulting in root canals or extraction. My best advice to patients is to visit your dentist regularly to discover problems involving your teeth and gums while they are small. Waiting until a toothache occurs or missing regular dental check-ups means enhancing the risk of substantial dental problems that are costly and avoidable. For dental anxiety patients, regular visits are crucial to avoid dealing with large dental problems that evoke more anxiety. Follow the same advice you would give your children in school and realize that you can set a good example for even yourself. Regular dental visits every six months, regular brushing and flossing and completing needed dental treatment are essential principles to receive an A for your dental care.


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Shefa Wellness Center A range of services, from urgent care to weight loss and cosmetic procedures, makes the practice a one-stop shop.

The Atlanta native attended Asbury College, Baylor University and The University of Texas at Dallas, graduating cum laude with a BA in Psychology. He earned his medical degree from North Texas State University Health Science Center at Ft. Worth. “I look forward to coming to work each day,” said Dr. Beecham. “I never worked with a better group of people. I couldn’t be happier.” Services offered at Shefa Wellness Center include:

Massage Therapy

Photos by Kim Bates

Back row (from left): Kim Warren, Karishma Rajani, Jill Hansbury, Dr. Randle Beecham, Joel Beecham, Helen Medlin and Sami Imam. Front row: Philip Brunk, Cheree Thomas and Margaret Roland.

Shefa Wellness Center is sprawled across the 12,000-square-foot second floor of Village Medical Building, a three-story medical facility at the corner of Sixes and Ridge roads. There’s a clear definition in the space: one side of the floor is dedicated to urgent care, while the other end is strictly wellness oriented. Depending on which of the 24 exam rooms you enter, you could find a doctor examining a sick patient, a technician performing a facial laser treatment, a nurse practitioner discussing bioidentical hormone treatment with a menopausal woman, or a Botox or Venus Freeze skin tightening procedure. The variety of services offered makes 38

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the Shefa Wellness Center a unique, onestop shop. “The wellness center is unusual because we’re combining a lot of different things into one location,” said practice manager Sami Imam. “Instead of being just an urgent care, we have the wellness focus which provides massage, Botox, fillers, Venus Freeze and laser treatments by licensed professionals under medical supervision.” Leading the three nurse practitioners and 18-member staff is Dr. Randle Beecham, a long-time Cherokee County resident who has more than 25 years of experience in family practice, emergency room and urgent care treatment in the area. ADVERTISEMENT

Licensed massage therapists Amy Dunn and Tracyann Unsworth offer deep tissue, Swedish and neuromuscular massage to help clients relieve stress and tension-related headaches, improve circulation, lower blood pressure, manage pain and improve flexibility and range of motion. The goal of massage therapy is to help the body heal itself and increase health and wellbeing. Patients find that their posture improves, they feel more relaxed and can even breathe better. “I like to take each client and customize treatments depending on what his or her activities or work require,” said Dunn. “I love massage and working with people that way.”

Weight Loss Plans are customized to the individual patients according to their age, weight, medical history and other factors. Patients who enter the weight loss program are strictly monitored through blood work and urinalysis. Dr. Beecham is also benefitting from this service. The doctor has lost 15 pounds using the Nutrimed supplements and meal replacement products.

Women’s Health A focus is made to help women suffering from menopause and severe PMS by providing hormone replacement


removal, skin rejuvenation for hyper pigmentation, removal of acne scarring, broken capillaries, and spider veins. It’s the number one FDA-recommended treatment for stretch marks, according to Jill Hansbury, project manager of the practice and Venus Freeze technician. The highly-sought-after fractional laser skin resurfacing allows penetration into deep layers of the skin, giving results that take years off your appearance by tightening and lifting skin to give a younger and fresher glow.

Skincare/Anti-Aging

From left: Amy Dunn, Katie Traylor and Genine Burgard.

therapy (HRT) to help with hot flashes, night sweats and low libido. Men experiencing male menopause are also getting help. HRT services include a comprehensive review of symptoms hormone testing, if indicated, and hormone replacement, if needed. In addition to HRT, Shefa offers pelvic and clinical breast exams, pregnancy testing, birth control and other diagnosis and treatment options concerning women. Family nurse practitioner Helen Medlin specializes in women’s health for Shefa. She’s a graduate of Brenau University in Gainesville, and earned a master’s degree in nursing as a family nurse practitioner from Kennesaw State University. “There should never be a time when women suffer from menopausal symptoms,” said Medlin.

Shefa offers Obagi medical skin care, PCA skincare, Botox treatments ($10 per unit), chemical peels, Juvederm fillers and Venus Freeze technology. Venus Freeze and laser consultant Philip Brunk said that Venus Freeze is the most popular skin-tightening treatment in the U.S. because it’s pain-free, affordable and offers natural-looking results with no downtime. “We focus on noninvasive techniques

Laser treatments The latest addition to the office is a Palimar Icon Laser, a new state-ofthe-art equipment that offers hair

Philip Brunk performs a Venus Freeze procedure.

Paula Thibault, a Canton resident, is a nurse practitioner.

that make people look naturally younger,” he said. The procedure, whose name alludes to freezing time, shrinks fat and breaks down collagen, which allows it to grow back thicker and shorter, resulting in tighter, more youthful skin. Patients quickly see results not long into their treatment, which ranges from a series of six for face and neck, and 10 for larger areas of the body. Medical supervision is a unifying factor for all Shefa services. “Everything here is medically supervised by a doctor or nurse practitioner. While other locations offer cosmetic procedures, you might not get the quality or safety somewhere else,” said Hansbury. The mission statement of the practice is to offer every patient the most innovative and affordable tools, techniques and services for a healthy lifestyle. The Shefa center has a strong commitment to the Sixes/Canton community that includes donating half of the cost of school physicals back to the schools. “Our goal since the beginning has been to hire from the local community and get supplies from local businesses when possible,” said Imam. “Eighty percent of staff members live in this area, and we support the local pharmacy. We are all about serving this community.”

2000 Village Professional Dr. Ste. 200 Canton, Georgia 30114

(678) 245-6244 • www.shefawellnesscenter.com Urgent Care hours: 10 am - 8 pm • 7 days a week • Wellness Center hours: 10 am - 6 pm • Monday-Friday sixes living | April 2013

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Health & Wellness

Old-Time Remedies By Dale Coker

Pharmacist Dale Coker is a University of Georgia grad with more than 30 years of experience that led to his opening Cherokee Custom Script, an independent pharmacy specializing in compounding. He also is a member of the Sixes Living community board. Email him at dmcoker@bellsouth.net.

With all the advances in modern medicine, sometimes it’s just hard to beat the old time remedies. I was reminded of this during a family vacation in St. Lucia last year. As our nice young tour guide led us through the rainforest trails, he gave us some time-honored medical advice. For instance, did you know that nutmeg can cure a migraine headache? Not your typical nutmeg that you buy in the grocery store in the States, he quickly pointed out. You see, you have to use the contents from within the nut. Soak this in alcohol and place it in a bandana and wrap it around your head. He swore that this treatment works every time. As we were riding out of the jungle, we asked

our bus tour guide about this fool-proof treatment. She also swore by it. We got a good laugh when we discovered that the concoction is placed in a bandana, not a banana, as we thought the trail guide had said (to my delight, even my adult children, who are quick to point out my impending deafness, heard it wrong). Old-time remedies are not confined to remote parts of the world. My mother raised five children, four of them boys (bless her heart), and I don’t remember any of us ever going to the doctor unless we had a broken bone or a gaping hole in our head from a baseball bat. Among other remedies, mom had her own remedy to ward off colds - a mixture of turpentine, camphorated oil and Vicks salve. This concoction was soaked in a cloth and placed on the chest. When asked about her concoction recently, she said this was nothing compared to what she had to wear as a kid: Asafoetida wrapped around the neck. When you consider that the slang names for Asafoetida are “stinking gum” and “devil’s dung,” you can understand her point. She said it warded off infections because no one dared get near you. Do you have a favorite old-time remedy? If so, please email to dmcoker@bellsouth.net.

Are You in a Fitness Slump? By Stacy Ward

Why is it that some people are able to maintain amazing bodies while you struggle with your weight? Do they know something that you don’t? The key to allowing you to see success and reach your health and fitness goals is simple: Motivation. Motivation is temporary Stacy Ward (left), author, unless it is fueled by purpose certified PT and fitness and passion. Do you know why instructor, and Laura Mikszan, you want to achieve your goals? journalist, entrepreneur and certified group fitness If so, why do you get caught or instructor, are co-owners of stuck in old habits that keep Envision Health Studio. Contact you where you are? Chances them at (770) 926-4180. www. are that you are stuck because envisionhealthstudio.com your daily thoughts, actions and self-imposed, limited beliefs don’t match your reasons for wanting to change. After working in the health and fitness industry for more than 40

sixes living | April 2013

16 years, I have created a five-step process for helping people who are in a slump. These steps lead to a lasting, healthy lifestyle by combining motivation with belief and purpose. Step 1 Know your goal or your vision of what you want. Can you measure it or know what it looks like? Step 2 Uncover core beliefs that are sabotaging your efforts. How will you overcome mental roadblocks and situations? Step 3 Develop a plan of action. What are you consistently going to act on each day that moves you toward your goals? Step 4 Develop a method of accountability. Do you have a positive support system in place that encourages you through your setbacks? continued on page 68


school & sports

Pass Program By Mark Kissel

The Cherokee County School District Police Department has worked to foster a communitypolicing philosophy with the underlying belief that safe schools depend on the proactive involvement of students, parents and other community stakeholders. As a result, the Parental Awareness for Safe School (PASS) program was created by the school district’s police Chief of Police Mark Kissel department during the 2004–05 has served the Cherokee County School District since school year and is coordinated 1999 and has more than 35 through school PTA units. The years of law enforcement PASS program was recognized for experience. He serves as its efforts to keep children safe in an adjunct faculty member the community by the National at Georgia State University and is recognized as a School Safety Advocacy Council at senior instructor by the its national conference in 2010. Georgia Peace Officer PASS, much like Neighborhood Standards and Training Watch, was developed to provide Council. relevant information regarding critical issues that may affect your child and to strengthen our department’s commitment to work with each of you to improve the quality of life throughout the school community. Four PASS meetings are required during the school year with at least two percent of the PTA’s membership participating in each meeting. Many of our schools have worked to combine their membership for a PASS meeting, recognizing that many parents have more than one child attending school. The benefits of being involved include: • Learning information that will minimize the chance of your child becoming the victim of a crime. • Learning how to recognize potential problems within the school community and understanding what can be done to resolve them. • Getting to know many other parents and staff so that information and best practices can be shared. • Establishing an ongoing relationship with your school community and the School District Police Department. Since inception, I am proud to report that 31 school communities are currently participating in the PASS program, and several of those schools are working toward becoming a Master PASS Community. Contact your local school for a schedule of PASS informational meetings. Next month, I will talk about the types of programs offered for community consideration at a PASS meeting.

In the Zone: School Clusters Offer Distinct Advantages By Cindy Crews

In 2001, under the direction of Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo, the Cherokee County School District began grouping schools into innovation zones. As an approach to decentralize and personalize education, innovation zones consist of a cluster of schools feeding into one high school. These schools share the same students, families and communities, allowing Cindy Crews joined the collaborative efforts on problemSixes Elementary staff as assistant principal in 2011 solving and initiating desirable and has been an educator change. Zone leaders work to in Cherokee County for 20 share resources, provide services years. She recently earned to increase school effectiveness her Education Specialist and improve overall education of Degree in Educational Leadership at Kennesaw our students. State University, where she Currently, CCSD has six will begin her doctoral work innovation zones. For example, next fall. Cindy.crews@ the Woodstock zone consists cherokee.k12.ga.us. of Woodstock High School and all the elementary and middle schools that feed into it (Carmel, Sixes and Woodstock elementaries and Freedom and Woodstock middle schools). All are unique, but they do share commonalities. Research shows smaller learning communities are an effective way to improve schools. In large schools and districts, teachers often feel isolated. Some innovation zones provide teachers with time to meet with other teachers in adjacent grade levels or with other departments to discuss expectations and develop/align syllabi for similar courses. Other zones focus on professional learning, ultimately benefitting all students in the zone. Writing across the curriculum is important, and some zones are pooling resources to help science and math teachers improve writing in their classes. When your children’s teachers have these opportunities, it translates into improved learning for your children. Creating a sense of belonging is a natural by-product of innovation zones. The Woodstock zone is working to offer a common T-shirt for all zone students in the fall. Students who purchase a shirt will be given free admission to a Woodstock High School home football game by wearing their shirt. Imagine the personal connection students will feel seeing other children in the community wearing their shirts! It is sure to continued on page 68 sixes living | April 2013

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teachers of the year Jamie Basso Cherokee High

Jamie has been a teacher for 25 years, nine of them at Cherokee, where he teaches science. “Students inspire me as a teacher because it is wonderful when students truly grasp a concept and then expand the concept to help them understanding the real world.”

Karen DeSue Hasty Elementary – a Fine Arts Academy

Karen, a sixth-grade reading/language arts teacher, has taught 23 years, five at Hasty. “To see students grow and change through their learning is very inspirational for me. They begin to challenge themselves and push for more information – what a wonderful life-long skill.”

Jennifer Forsyth Woodstock High

Jennifer has taught honors biology, AP biology and scientific research at Woodstock for seven of the 17 years she has been in education. “It inspires me to see the successes of my students, either in class or as they move on in their lives. I like knowing that I may have had a small part in providing them with the assistance and support they needed to be successful.”

Lori Hale Knox Elementary

The third-grade teacher has been an educator for 13 years, with five at Knox. Her students give her the most inspiration. “They are sponges and soak up every bit of information. I try to make learning fun and exciting for my students. The children are definitely what inspires me to teach.”

Tracie Jordan Liberty Elementary

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The fifth-grade teacher has been at Liberty for the last nine of her 12 years in education. “I am inspired when I look around a room and see students fully engaged and doing their personal best to learn a new skill or complete a challenging task. That sight makes me work harder, even when I feel a bit tired at the end of a long week.” sixes living | April 2013

Lorin Cook Woodstock Middle

Lorin teaches eighth grade science, reading and language arts. She has taught 21 years, 17 at Woodstock Middle. “I desire to see students thrive in every aspect of life, not just academically. Knowing that what I do makes a difference is one of the things that inspires me to keep going despite the growing hardships in the education arena … I feel extremely blessed to be where I am and doing what I’m doing.”

Beth Diss Hickory Flat Elementary

Beth has taught fifth-grade science and social studies at Hickory Flat for 14 of her 24 years in teaching. “My inspirations come from the simple everyday events that happen within our rooms: the light bulb moment when a student finally understands the concept you’ve been trying to teach, overheard conversations between students when you realize they’re actually talking about something you’ve shared, and getting a sneak peek into their future as students discover their strengths and talents.”

Angel Ginn Johnston Elementary

The media specialist has been in education 15 years, with 12 at Johnston and six of those as the media specialist. “The number one thing that inspires me are the students of Johnston Elementary. Coming in at a close second are the great parents that volunteer in the JES Media Center.”

Tracie Johnson Teasley Middle

Tracie, a teacher for six years, teaches physical science and accelerated physical science to eighth-graders. “I love to hear how [my former students’] interest in science has grown, how they recall information from my class, and how they are using that information currently. I am thrilled to hear that our time together may have ignited an interest in science, especially when that desire leads them to consider a career in a science-related field.”

Steven L. Keith ACE Academy

Steven, who teaches science and Georgia studies, is in his 19th year of teaching, with five at ACE. He is inspired knowing that “I am in a position of being a positive influence in the lives of my students - as much as a guide in their academics as being a role model in their lives. There have been few mornings in my 19 years of teaching in which I did not look forward to facing a new day with my students. If I have inspired them half as much as they have inspired me through the years, I consider my career a success.”


Each Cherokee County school honors a Teacher of the Year, chosen by his or her peers. We’d like you to meet the winners within the Sixes Living distribution area. As Superintendent Frank Petruzielo said: “The Teacher of the Year awards are an opportunity for not only the Cherokee County School District, but also for the entire community, to recognize outstanding educators and the important role public schools play in our community.”

Jennifer Lewis - Indian Knoll Elementary

Jennifer is a media specialist with 16 years’ experience in education, and has been at Indian Knoll since the school opened in 2011. Jennifer said the students inspire her. “They are so curious and love to learn. I enjoy learning something new every day alongside our students.”

Joyce McQuinn Woodstock Elementary

The kindergarten teacher has taught 23 years, 15 of those at Woodstock. “My inspiration comes from the kindergarten children I teach. The eagerness, wonder and innate curiosity that young children bring to school inspires me to learn more about this art of teaching. I also hope in some small way to inspire the children I teach to love to learn, to be open to new ideas, and to become lifelong learners.”

Kimberly Moody R.M. Moore Elementary

The third-grade teacher has been at R.M. Moore for nine of her 15 years in education. She is inspired daily by classroom challenges. “Each child enters the classroom with specific needs, and it is my desire to assist these students in becoming the best they can be. I am pleased to help them reach their potential and become both well-rounded individuals who are eager to learn and productive citizens in our community.”

Phylis Preston Dean Rusk Middle

Phylis, who teaches reading to seventh graders, has been at Dean Rusk for 20 of her 28 years in education. Inspiration comes from many sources, including other teachers. “I am inspired by the importance of my job as an educator, and I am always inspired the by potential I see in my students and by the fact that I am part of helping them become the best they can be.”

Mary Werner Sixes Elementary

The fourth-grade teacher has been in education for 27 years, 21 of them at Sixes. “I am most inspired by the joy the students feel when they participate in an activity that showcases their humor, athleticism, musical talent, artistic ability, or kind heart. When the kids are proud of and excited about their accomplishments each day, I am thrilled.”

Angela Martin Canton Elementary STEM Academy Angela teaches sixth grade remedial education and fifth and sixth grade English language learners. She has taught in Cherokee county for 17 years, four at Canton Elementary. “I am inspired by children’s natural curiosity and the joy they experience as they learn something new.”

Jennifer Miller Freedom Middle

Jennifer teaches English and language arts to eighth graders at Freedom, where she has taught since the school opened in 2005. She’s been a teacher for 22 years. Jennifer is inspired by “making a difference daily and leaving a positive lasting impact on the students.”

Gerald Parker Sequoyah High

The theatre and literature composition teacher is chair of the Fine Arts Department, and has taught at Sequoyah his entire 23 years in education. Gerald is inspired “when I know I have helped in simply seeing a teenager make a good decision instead of a destructive one, gain confidence in himself or herself, become a loving parent or show kindness and charity to another soul.”

Betsy Purvis - Holly Springs Elementary

An educator for 23 years, Betsy has spent 13 years at Holly Springs, where she loves her job and the people. “I have a passion for teaching reading, especially to the struggling student. It’s not what inspires me, but who. Some of my best ideas, I am sure, have been Heaven-sent!”

Lisa Wright Clayton Elementary

Lisa is in her 25th year of teaching, 15 of which have been spent at Clayton. “I am inspired to teach every child who wants to learn more about a subject that I am teaching.”

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School & Sports

School Police Chief Receives Honor The Cherokee County school district police Chief Mark E. Kissel has been elected president of the Georgia Association of Secondary School Law Enforcement Executives. The association, chartered in July 2005, represents secondary school police chiefs with the purpose of promoting professional ideals and standards, enhancing professional development, encouraging proactive involvement between law enforcement, community and school staff, and providing a network for the members to obtain and share information. “With interest mounting in the public and private sector for safe schools across the United States, it’s in the best interest of our (school) communities for the school police chiefs to be of one mind and one voice to ensure that students and staff have a safe and secure environment for teaching and learning,” Kissel said.

Paperback Books Sent to Japan Cherokee High School students donated a box of books to students of military families serving at Cummings Elementary School on Misawa Air Base, a joint American and Japanese Air Force base in Misawa, Japan. The school, partnering with the Book Browser bookstore, donated the books through a program called Operation Paperback (www.operationpaperback.org). The third-graders received enough copies of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” from the nonprofit organization that each student was able to take a copy home to keep. “The kids were ecstatic to receive their books!” teacher Kari Frazier wrote in her thank-you note to Cherokee High. “We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your donation and supporting these military kids with your gracious act.”

Visitors Help Awareness of Exceptional Children Sixes Elementary School recently celebrated Exceptional Children’s Week to promote and educate students on various disabilities. Kindergarten through third-grade students experienced visual, hearing and fine motor skill impairments through various hands-on activities. Kindergarteners were visited by therapy dogs, Chase and Indy, and their handler, Linda Jones, who Kindergartner Serenity Billiot, daughter explained how the dogs of Melanie Byers, gives Indy a treat. help people in hospitals, schools and nursing homes. First-graders met Patti Pruitt, a visually impaired children’s author, who showed students the tools that help her function in her daily life. Fourth-graders learned about intellectual disabilities, such as Down Syndrome, and fifthgraders learned about dyslexia.

Golfers to Help Marching Wolverines The annual Woodstock Marching Wolverine Golf tournament will begin at 1 p.m. April 23 with a shotgun start at the Towne Lake Hills Golf Club. Four-man scramble format tourney costs $100 per person, which includes range balls, 18 holes of golf, dinner, and door prizes. A car will be given to a golfer who gets a hole in one. Hole sponsorship available for $50. To register, visit http://wwbbgolf.eventbrite.com. For info, call (678) 6622452 or email wwbbgolf@gmail.com.

Young Artist Takes First Place

Students at Cummings Elementary School on Misawa Air Base show off their new books. 44

sixes living | April 2013

Dean Rusk Middle School eighth-grader Liv Alverez earned first place in the Cherokee County Middle School Art Show at the Cherokee Arts Center. Her winning painting, acrylic and watercolors on canvas, is titled “Tear Drop.”


Cherokee Students Earn Technology Awards

High Schoolers Read to Elementary Students

Cherokee County School District students earned three first-place awards, three second-place awards and three thirdplace awards Indian Knoll Elementary student at the state Max Kountz (left) placed second, and Georgia schoolmate Collins Rakowski placed Educational third. Technology Fair last month. Students in Grades 3-12 entered categories such as 3D Design, Multimedia Applications, Digital Video Production, Animated Graphic Designs, and Robotics. First-place winners are Hannah Bradford of Woodstock High, Brittany Posy of Cherokee High, Josh Thrift and Matt Weissel of Woodstock Middle. Second-place winners are Elizabeth Akins and Madison Forsythe of Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy, Max Kountz of Indian Knoll Elementary, Maya Thomas and Robert Went of Carmel Elementary. Third-place winners are Samantha Crable of Cherokee High, Madison Forsythe of Clark Creek Elementary STEM Academy, Collins Rakowski of Indian Knoll Elementary, Jordan Viehmeyer of Cherokee High.

Fifty Sequoyah High School students read to students in neighboring Hickory Flat Elementary to celebrate Read Across America Day, an occasion that honors Dr. Seuss’s birthday. “It is a wonderful opportunity for the high school students to mentor and give back to their community while promoting literacy,” said Sequoyah Principal Elliott Berman.

Nancy Hunter’s kindergarten class, from left on front row: Brett Piskorz, Hailey Thompson, Hadley Grabrovac; second row: Will Moores, Lincoln McKeone, Cole DeWald, Samantha Lester, Sherlyn Salgado, Luke Miller, Andrew Miller, Jayden DeAngelis; back row: Matthew Lorenz, Nina Zucconi, Kylie Domangue, Mollie De’Laigle, Joey Lehman, Annette Franco, Sage Schrock, Emily Rivers and Brooks Joyner.

Sequoyah Students Headed to Internationals Johnston Recognizes Social Studies Winners Johnston Elementary School fifth-graders Megan Mullen and Grace Wartes placed at the Northwest Regional Social Studies Fair 2013 held at Kennesaw State University. Grace placed second for her project, entitled “How did the Great Depression lead to soup kitchens?” Megan placed third for her project, entitled “How did 9/11 affect the people of New York City?” Young Author’s Fair grade-level winners who were recently honored are: kindergartner Cami DiSciullo, first-grader Andrew Hand, secondgrader Jacob Barnett Bertsch, third-grader Ava Wiersma, fourth-grader Ciara Miles and fifthgrader Ava McDonald. The students’ stories were judged by volunteers from Partners in Education businesses Chick-fil-A, Publix and State Farm Insurance’s Kirk Buchholz.

Three Sequoyah High School students are headed to the International DECA Competition in California after placing at the Georgia DECA State Career Development Conference. Dylan Carson and Wyatt Miller placed first in the state in the Team Marketing Communications event, and Sydney Anderson placed third in the Food From left, front row: Dylan Carson, Sydney Marketing event, qualifying Anderson, Wyatt Miller; second row: the three students for the Alejandra Portal, Bethany Belanger, Nich Stinson; back row: Ben Dickerson, Ivette international competition. Also Burgos and Noe’ Magana. at the state conference, Nicholas Stinson placed fifth in the Business Speech event, and Sydney and Dylan placed sixth in the Testing Only event. Nine Sequoyah students participated in state competition: Sydney Anderson, Bethany Belanger, Ivette Burgos, Dylan Carson, Ben Dickerson, Noe’ Magana, Wyatt Miller, Alejandra Portal and Nich Stinson. sixes living | April 2013

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faith

community CALENDAR April 13 Mother’s Morning Out Registration Registration is open for the Sixes United Methodist’s Mother’s Morning Out program. The half-day program, for children ages 18 months to 4 years, is open 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. MondayThursday, and will be open this summer on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Contact the church at (770) 345-7644 for more information. www.sixesumc.org

April 8 SERV International Play for One Golf Tournament Time: 9:30 a.m. Location: National Golf Club, 360 Tournament Players Dr., Milton 30004 Info: $165 ticket includes one entry into the tournament, lunch and awards banquet with BBQ buffet immediately following the round of golf. Fundraiser for SERV International, which operates an orphanage in Africa, water filtration systems in the Dominican Republic and meals for the hungry in third-world countries. Contact: www.servone.org/playforone

April 12 Phil Keaggy Concert with Caspar McCloud and the Derek McCloud Band Time: 7 p.m. Location: Church of the Messiah, 415 Charles Cox Dr., Canton 30115 Info: Keaggy is a Dove Award-winning musician who has been voted one of the top finger style guitarists by Guitar Player Magazine Keaggy (left) and McCloud performing readers. $10 suggested together in 2011. offering. Contact: 770-475-5501 www.theupperroomfellowship.org

Let us know about your VBS plans! Email your information to candi@ aroundaboutlocalmedia.com by April 15. 46

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Community Yard Sale and Market Time: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Little River United Methodist Church, 12455 Ga. 92, Woodstock 30188. Info: Vendor applications available for $10 and $20 booth rental. Proceeds benefit foster children in Cherokee County. Contact Marie Blackwell at mblackwell@fosteroradopt. org. www.ccfapa.org

April 26–27 The Art of Marriage Times: 7 – 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday Location: Allen Temple AME Church Cost: $50 per couple Info: The sessions are designed to help couples apply what the Bible teaches about marriage. Contact Ed and Rhonda Grier at (770) 974-2824.

April 18–20 GodWHO Conference Time: 7 p.m. April 18 – 19, 1 p.m. April 20 Location: First Baptist Canton Info: Sponsored by Glorybound Quartet. Conference will feature The Talleys and Dr. George Anderson on Thursday; The McKameys and evangelist David Roper on Friday; and Mark Trammel and Jerry and Jan Goff on Saturday. Glorybound will perform each day. Talent contest at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tickets $20 per night or $50 for three nights. Contact: (770) 345-0920. www.gloryboundevents.net.

April 20 Barbecue Dinner, Car Wash Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. car wash, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. barbecue Location: River Church, 2335 Sixes Rd. Info: Car wash is a youth group fundraiser. Barbecue plates will be $8 per plate. Proceeds will benefit the building fund. www.riveratlanta.org.

April 24 Cherokee Christian Ministerial Association Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: Dayspring Church, 6835 Victory Dr., Woodstock 30189 Info: Meetings held on the last Wednesday of each month for pastors, ministry leaders and lay persons in Cherokee County’s Christian community. Annual dues $25. www.cherokeeministers.org

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April 29 Next Step Ministries Charity Golf Challenge Time: Register at 11 a.m., tee-off at 1 p.m. Location: Bradshaw Farms Golf Club Info: A best ball scramble with food and door prizes to benefit Next Step Ministries, which provides programs for people with special needs. Contact Stephen George at (770) 592-1227. www.nextstepministries.net

May 2 National Day of Prayer Gatherings Time: Noon Locations: Canton at the gazebo downtown in Cannon Park, Woodstock at the gazebo in City Park, and Ball Ground at Westminster Chapel, 9972 Ball Ground Hwy. Info: www.cherokeeministers.org

May 6 Feed My Lambs Golf Tournament Time: Register at 9:30 a.m., shotgun start at 11 a.m. Location: Marietta Country Club Info: The Fort Lauderdale format tourney offers prizes for low net and low gross categories, most accurate drive, closest to the pin, etc. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., with shotgun start at 11 a.m. A Varsity dinner for players and their families begins at 4 p.m. For more details, visit www. feedmylambs.net.

Never Alone Fundraisers

May 2 North Georgia Pregnancy Center Dinner and Auction Time: 5:30 – 9 p.m. Location: Yahoo Farms, 4729 Waleska Hwy. 108 West. Tickets: $10 Contact: (706) 253-6303. www.ngapregnancy.org

May 2 Give a Kid a Chance Organizational Meeting Time: 7 p.m. Location: SERV International, 3145 Marietta Hwy., Canton 30114 Info: Planning meeting to prepare for the July 20 backpack giveaway. This year’s goal is to give out 4,000 filled backpacks to Cherokee County students in need. Volunteers needed to plan for the outreach, and work on July 20. Volunteers and families who need backpacks can register at www.giveakidachance.org.

May 3-4 First Baptist Woodstock’s Women’s Conference Time: Doors open at 2 p.m. May 3, last session ends 11:45 a.m. May 4. Location: First Baptist Woodstock, 11905 Ga. 92 Cost: $50 no meal, $60 with meal Info: Pastor Johnny Hunt and wife Janet will speak, along with messages and music from Andy Andrews, Anita Renfroe, Francesca Battistelli and Shelly Johnson. www. johnnyhuntwomensconference.com

David Richt

April 25: Dinner and concert begins at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:45), with music by David Richt, son of University of Georgia Coach Mark Richt. Dinner from Moe’s. General admission tickets are $20. Guests have a chance to win an autographed football from Coach Richt. The fundraiser will be held at Catalyst Church, 9872 Main St., Woodstock 30188. Tickets available at www.neveralone.org.

April 26: Golf tournament sponsored by the Junior Service League of Woodstock at the Golf Club at Bradshaw Farms. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., with event starting at 1 p.m. Participants receive barbecue dinner and keepsake item, in addition to round of golf, and a chance to win prizes. $125 per player, $400 per foursome. Register online at www. jslwoodstock.org. Never Alone is a nonprofit organization that helps Cherokee County residents who are in need of food personal hygiene products and clothing. www.neveralone.org.

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faith

See the Potential by Dr. Joe McKechnie

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. One of the most successful teams on the planet is Real Madrid. According to a recent Wall Street Journal study, Real Madrid is the second most lucrative sports team in the world, behind Manchester United, an English soccer team (the New York Yankees ranked third, and the Dallas Cowboys fourth). Real Madrid recently sparked Dr. Joe McKechnie is the controversy when they signed senior pastor of Sixes United to a contract a bright young Methodist Church, and a prospect named Leonel Angel member of the Sixes Living Coira. The professional soccer community board. Email him at jmckechnie1@gmail. team believes he will be someone com. who will anchor their lineup for many years. But they have a while to wait – this player is only seven years old! A Real Madrid spokesman said, “We look for something different, that quality or talent that makes them stand out from the rest.” The team hopes to “strike gold” with this player. They are looking at potential more than present reality. Speaking of gold, after Sunday’s ice cream social, which was tons of fun, our five-year-old son David was talking to Larry Chapman, and Larry was showing David how to look at various rocks which may contain traces of gold. Since then, David has been enamored with the thoughts of striking gold and picks up every rock he sees with hopes that it is valuable. I see a basic, normal rock, but David sees potential for solid gold. These two stories have something in common with God’s love for you. No matter how you see yourself or how others see you, you are worthy in God’s eyes. You are someone worth dying for. You may focus on your inability, but God sees your availability. You may feel you don’t have what it takes, but God sees someone with unlimited potential. You may get caught up in your shortcomings, but God knows the amazing future He has in store for you. You may feel like a rock, but to God you are solid gold! Ephesians 2:10 says that we are “God’s masterpiece,” which is something we all need to remember. It’s not by our own doing or efforts – it’s the result of God’s love and grace for us guiding you in a certain direction? The journey may seem a bit uncomfortable at the time, but know that, in God’s hands and in His timing, you are being taken to where you need to be. Can you notice (and appreciate) the ways in which God is moving you?

Celebrate Recovery Offers Hope by pete thomas

Pete Thomas has launched and led three Celebrate Recovery groups before starting the latest one in Canton. Contact him at (678) 764-8660 or thomaspete334@gmail. com if you’d like him to speak to your group or organization. More information on Celebrate Recovery can be found at www.celebraterecovery. com.

I’ve worn a few hats in my life. Pastor. Police officer. Flair bartender. Alcoholic. Drug addict. Drug dealer. Abandoner. Relationship killer. Suicidal. I didn’t just wake up one day and say, “What could I possibly do to become an embarrassment to my family, addicted to drugs and alcohol, turn my back on my children for well over a decade and end up at the end of a rope?” Those aren’t the life goals of a sane person. But the results of being “me” brought me to every one of those consequences. My wife Linda has her own set of baggage. Her brother was Glenn Turner, the Cobb County police officer murdered by a wife who poisoned him with antifreeze. The hated and bitterness she carried for years was crippling. She also lived in an abusive relationship with her ex-husband until the night he pointed a gun in her face and

threatened to kill her. We have a dog named Champ. Champ would be put into a kennel when we left for work. Champ really did like his spacious kennel. Being in the cage was normal, comfortable and safe for him. That’s kind of like all of us. We all have those cages that keep us from being free, but it’s where we feel secure. No one can get to us as long as we live in our cages. We know what’s outside, but we’re scared to leave the safe place that keeps us in bondage. Linda and I have stepped outside of that safe place and found freedom from life’s pains, addictions and dysfunctions. And together we have spent the last four years starting Celebrate Recovery (CR) groups in Cherokee County to help others experience the same freedom that we have. While most recovery programs focus on a singular problem, Celebrate Recovery is a big-umbrella program that covers a wide range of issues. We are starting a new group at 6:15 p.m. May 2 at Scott Mill Chapel, the meeting place of Canton Adventist Church at 411 Scott Mill Road. We meet every Thursday at the same time. Celebrate Recovery has changed our lives and the lives of countless others across the country. It’s free and includes a continued on page 68

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DOWNTOWN WOODSTOCK There are many exciting things happening downtown that you will find on the following pages. The featured business for April is Salon Gloss.

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One Salon Fits All 220 Chambers Street, Woodstock 30188 (678) 483-8900 • www.salongloss.biz For many, going to the salon isn’t just about getting your hair done — it’s about the whole experience. In the 10 months since it opened, Salon Gloss has quickly become “Downtown Woodstock’s Premiere Salon.” Owners Tim Timmons and Nicolie Griffin believe in taking the client experience to the next level and delivering a state-of-the-art, sophisticated salon that offers the latest in technology, natural products and lavish treatment – in a modern setting conveniently located in the heart of Woodstock’s booming downtown district. The salon’s design, which Tim describes as “current, modern and relevant,” appeals to both the young and young at heart. To teenagers, it’s cool and contemporary; to the older patrons, it’s sophisticated and chic. The fresh minimalist décor features dark woodstained floors, vivid white furnishings, contemporary crystal chandeliers, and white walls accented with chartreuse statement walls that stretch into high ceilings. The service that sets Salon Gloss apart starts when the client walks in the front door. The receptionist offers a warm welcome and a printed beverage menu listing several varieties of soda, coffee, tea, wine, beer or fruit-infused water. She then escorts clients to a changing

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room where they can slip into a gown. New clients can expect an extensive consultation and return clients can have confidence their stylist will know them, their preferences and listen carefully to what that client wants out of that day’s experience. Clients are treated to a moisturizing paraffin hand dip treatment and an electronic back massage after getting their shampoo, which is made more comfortable by chairs that have been designed for extreme client comfort and a sink that features a built-in pillow as a headrest. Salon Gloss owners believe that beautiful hair starts with a healthy scalp, and offer all clients a complimentary Phyto Scope exam, which views the scalp and hair strand at 250 times magnification. This in-depth analysis allows the stylist and the client to see the specific needs of the hair and scalp so the best product can be recommended for treatment. The data helps the stylists detect possible nutritional, hormonal or environmental irregularities that can be treated and monitored. A focus on natural, chemical-free products is another unique salon feature. Salon Gloss owners say they have one of the few local salons that offers Phyto to its clientele. Phyto is an all-botanical hair color and hair care line that uses more than 700 active botanical

ingredients. “Traditional products often mask problem hair while not repairing it. With Phyto, problem hair is fixed, not masked,” said Tim. Along with Phyto, Salon Gloss offers the Parisian skin care line Lierac, as well as the mineral-based makeup line Mirabella. As appealing as it is to visit Downtown Woodstock, soon clients won’t have to leave their homes to enjoy the salon’s services. Beginning this spring, Gloss to Go will bring the stylists and their products to bridal parties, gatherings of girlfriends preparing for a night out, sweet 16 parties, and other off-site events. “Everything we do every day is geared to elevating the client’s experience. From each client having a newly packaged comb and brush used during their service to our complimentary makeup touch-ups, every item at Salon Gloss has been attended to with great detail,” said Nicolie. Salon Gloss clients can expect only the best service during their visit. Salon Gloss is the perfect addition to the Downtown Woodstock area with its hip, unique restaurants, boutiques, flower and coffee shops, bars and retail shops. Call today for an appointment!


downtown woodstock

Ribbon Cuttings Photos by Kyle Bennett

Venue 92, 12015 Ga. 92, Woodstock 30188. www.venue92.com

Woodstock West by Walton, 735 Market St. in downtown Woodstock

Ridgewalk Chiropractic & Massage, 1000 Woodstock Pkwy., Suite 160, Woodstock 30188 www.ridgewalkchiro.com

Elm Street Cultural Arts Village Closer to Completion The Elm Street Cultural Arts Village is an innovative Cherokee County cultural project. The finished Village will include an accurate restoration of the centuryold historic Reeves home in downtown Woodstock and its surrounding property. The home and property, situated on four plus acres, will be converted into a major visual arts, cultural and recreational destination. Planned projects include demonstration gardens, woodland walking trail, outdoor culinary gardens, instruction center, sculpture garden and open spaces for cultural events and festivals. The restored home will house exhibition space and artists’ studios and an historic visitors’ center that tells the story of

Woodstock’s past. A new state-of-the-art theater, The Elm Street Theater, will also be included. The space will be used for Elm Street productions, rehearsal space and theater workshops and classes. The Center will host a “Founders Circle” kick off party, May 16 from 5-7 p.m. The invitation-only reception will include county and city officials, business leaders and representatives from Cherokee County medical organizations. Citizen volunteers, community leaders, local businesses and corporate sponsors are needed to help bring the Elm Street Cultural Arts vision to fruition. For more information, visit www. elmstreetarts.org. For information on how to join the Founders Circle, please contact Ann Litrel at (678) 640-8217 or Sally Beanland at (469) 951-1951. sixes living | April 2013

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Last Minute Makeover by Jodi Tiberio

All the time, I have women tell me they would like to receive a makeover. But Jodi Tiberio owns Branch when it comes right down to Boutique for women in Southwest Cherokee it, most people are afraid to and THREADS boutique make a real change. I recently for men and women in asked my staff if they had Downtown Woodstock. any friends that would make Contact Jodi at info@ a good candidate. Sarah Jan shopthreads.net. Evans, our assistant manager at THREADS, told me she had a friend who would be perfect. Christen King is in her mid 20s and resides in Woodstock. She interns at a hospital and is always spending time making the lives of others better. Christen was willing to take some time for herself and commit to a change, making her a perfect candidate. Sarah selected some potential looks for her friend, but Erica Nix, our store manager was going to be the one to assist her. Christen came in ready for her fitting with total trust and an open mind. Given that she is only 4’10”, she has struggled to find clothing that fits, flatters her figure and makes her feel great. Erica had her try on the three dresses Sarah had selected. They settled on one with a high-low hemline to give her legs some length. The pretty floral print is trendy right now, giving her an updated look. They also picked out some pale blue jeggings (blue is her favorite color) and paired them with a long black lace tank to elongate her figure. I was able to stop by to show Christen several ways to tie one of our gorgeous new spring scarves to complete the look. Christen left with her two new outfits and coordinating accessories that complement her personality and enhance her natural beauty. Next came a visit with Tim Timmons at Salon Gloss. “Once I spent time with Christen, her playful personality came out and I really wanted her hair to match her personality,” said Tim. After consulting with Christen, Tim decided to transform her brown hair to a fiery copper red to enhance her beautiful blue eyes. He then cut Christen’s hair into graduating layers and finished it off with a full bang. The result was fun and flirty, pairing well with Christen’s personality. When Christen’s transformation was complete, we all were so excited! It was fun having our whole team involved to make a wonderful experience for this young woman. You could see her oozing with self-confidence and she could not stop smiling. With her beautiful and trendy new clothes and her amazing new hairstyle, Christen is ready to show off her new look!

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April & May

CALENDAR of events April 19-21 & 26-28

Sleeping Beauty Times: Fridays, 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Location: City Center Auditorium, 8534 Main Street Information: All tickets are $10 if purchased in advance and online. $12 at the door. Visit www.elmstreetarts.org or call (678) 494-4251.

April 27 & May 18

Latimer Hall Arts and Craft Show Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Location: 103 Towne Lake Parkway Information: www.facebook.com/LatimerHallArtsAndCraftShow

May 11

Concert Series Begins Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: City Park Info: The first concert is by Little Texas. June 8 is Yacht Rock Review - Friday Night Fever. July 13 is Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project (lead singer of Collective Soul). August 10 is The Dazz Band September 14 is The Marshall Tucker Band. www. woodstockconcertseries.com

May 25

Farmers Market Opens Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Info: Open each Saturday through Oct. 26 in the Woodstock City Center parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Towne Lake Parkway.

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downtown woodstock

New Economic Development Director Named In February, Brian Stockton was named Woodstock Economic Development Director by the city of Woodstock. Brian replaces former Director Billy Peppers. Brian, who was already employed by the city, started his new role in early March. He recently answered a few questions from AroundAbout Local Media. Q: Tell us what you did for the city of Woodstock before accepting your current position. A: Since 2006, I have been the city planner for Woodstock. In this role I worked with stakeholders to develop planning policy, zoning and development codes and design guidelines. My background in school dealt mostly with urban design, and I focused on promoting the principals of good design using the built environment for the people that use the spaces that were being developed. I also enjoyed working with business owners and potential business owners in identifying appropriate spaces and locations for their concepts, as well as developers seeking land to develop for residential or commercial developments. Q: What do you feel you can bring to Economic Development Director position? A: I think that my former job and this job are similar in nature. The background on projects, people and goals of the elected officials, businesses and residents of the city that I have give me an advanced starting point in hitting the ground running. I would like to see the city continue to support local businesses through efficient processes and flexibility to help get people the things that they need, while advancing the goals of the city. Q: What are your goals for the downtown area? A: I would like to see the development of the City Center site begin, which includes the city’s amphitheater project, the renovation of the building at the Chambers at City Center and some other exciting private development ideas. Increased pedestrian access and parking opportunities would have to also be at the top of the list. 54

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Q: What is your education background? A: I am a graduate from Harrison High School in west Cobb. I have a BBA in Finance from Kennesaw State and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech with an Urban Design specialization. Q: What’s your biggest accomplishment since working for Woodstock? “I directed the master plan of the mountain bike trails at Rope Mill. Last year, 18,000 people used the trails. While the Rope Mill and Blankets Creek trails are separate, one day we hope to connect them at some point. The other is the Woodstock West by Walton project. We were able to establish a real partnership and help them understand what we were looking for, and the result is a successful project with enough room left for future development as west Woodstock continues to grow.” Q: To what do you attribute the success of downtown Woodstock? “My background comes from the planning world, and the thing we’ve done that other places haven’t done is to plan the residential aspect of downtown that brings people in. The city then becomes their community center, so they take care of it and make it their own place to live and work.” Brian has been married for 10 years this coming July, and he and his wife have one son, Ryan. He not only works in downtown Woodstock, but he and his family live there, and they love the lifestyle. He is heavily involved in the Greenprints Alliance, and they enjoy mountain biking and spending time at the park with their dog.


Summer Concert Series By Mayor Donnie Henriques

I always get excited this time of year because it means that we have finished the planning and booking for the Woodstock Summer Concert Series. This will be the 16th year of the series and it will again be sponsored by Northside Hospital – Cherokee. Each year, we try to book acts from different genres of music that appeal to different age groups. In other words, we hope to have at least one concert that Donnie Henriques is the everyone will enjoy. This year is mayor of Woodstock. You may contact him by no different. calling (770) 592-6001 The series begins on May 11 or e-mail dhenriques@ with Little Texas, a rockin’ country woodstockga.gov. band that will open the series with its high energy performance. June 8 brings Yacht Rock Revue and Friday Night Fever to the Park at City Center for a tribute to the finest light rock of the ‘70’s and disco. July 13 brings the lead singer of Collective Soul to the park when Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project

perform. August 10 will see the 1980’s funk group The Dazz Band make its debut to the series. Finally, we are proud to host southern rock legend’s The Marshall Tucker Band to close out the series for 2013 on September 14. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free to the public and are held at the Park at City Center in downtown Woodstock. Sponsorships are still available for the concert series. You may obtain additional information for both sponsorships and the series itself at www. woodstockconcertseries.com.

FacesandPlaces

Woodstock held its first Friday Night Live event with a theme of Mardi Gras. Photos provided by Kyle Bennett.

Mardi Gras Queen Rhonda Pezzelo and King Dominique Amin

Candidates for Mardi Gras King and Queen. Left: Rhonda Pezzello, Jeff Armstrong, Jason Wilson, Erin Wilson, Dominique Amin, and Julie Kingsley sixes living | April 2013

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Experience Elm Street – Wonder and Life Skills by G. Lora Grooms

There’s nothing like seeing children come through our doors to see their first live play or to take their first drama class or camp. The anticipation, the wonder and the curiosity are so obvious on their faces that the words could almost be written there. Maybe that’s why we produce a good number of fairy tales and children’s stories at Elm Street. Using your imagination is such G. Lora Grooms is the an important part of growing Director for the Elm Street Cultural Arts up. When those little ones arrive Village. She has been in full costume as their favorite teaching, writing, princess or Peter Pan or Captain directing and performing Hook, you can tell they are ready in the Atlanta area to let their imaginations run free. since 1990. You can reach her at director@ And then when the show is over, elmstreetarts.org they can have their picture taken with the actors. Another thing we like to do with many of the plays is to allow for interaction and participation by the audience. Sometimes it’s a character acknowledging their presence or asking a question. Some of the answers we get are as entertaining as the production; kids do say the darndest things. Sometimes we even bring an audience member up on stage to help solve a problem in the plot. Perhaps most important of all, we like to take these fairy tale characters and stories and make it into something that’s not only magical, but useful or educational. With “Snow White and the Magic Mirror,” we were able to remind the children never to talk to strangers. With our brand new musical production of “Sleeping Beauty,” our princess is not just pretty, but very talented and smart with a university diploma and a talent for art. Same for her prince. And the audience helps the fairies get rid of the wicked fairy, too. Many of our young patrons will join us for our classes and camps after seeing a show. They want the chance to get up there and sing and dance and act. As part of that, they will also help create characters, plot lines, song lyrics, costume designs and much more. It’s way too much fun. But it turns out there’s more to it than just fun. A recent poll of Fortune 500 companies show that the Baseline Skills CEOs seek from employees are communication, writing, troubleshooting and creative problem solving, all of which are skills we teach in our drama camps and classes—skills that are great not only for stage, but for life, school and work. continued on page 68 56

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ZZ

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City Center • woodstock

APRIL

19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 Fri @ 7:30pm Sat/Sun @ 2pm

call or visit us on the web to learn about our

SummeR cAmPS elmstreetarts.org 678.494.4251


Why Does a Community Need Visual Arts? by kristina havens

My husband and I have moved several times throughout our relationship. From the everKristina Laurendi Havens is the owner of changing weather in Western Studio 81, Portrait and New York, to the vast open Fine Art, which shares spaces in Fort Worth, then on to a beautiful studio the sandy soil of Poquoson, and space in downtown finally to the community we now Woodstock with Ann Litrel Art. Kristina call home in Woodstock. offers painting classes Moving around with frequency for all levels and holds can be tough. Luckily there’s an open weekly Figure always been one aspect of every Drawing studio. For location that has made me feel more information, please contact her at like I was home – the artistic 81artist@comcast.net. community. As soon as I started to visit the local galleries, attend open drawing groups, or join the local art guilds and societies, I felt like I was home. I could speak the language of art wherever I went. Art can bring a community together in so many ways. For example, I host a weekly figure drawing group at my studio on Main Street in Woodstock every Wednesday night. Artists of all backgrounds and experience come together to share a little time each week and to chat about technique, materials, inspiration, and etc. Many of these artists may have never crossed paths if it wasn’t for the opportunity to come together and create. Art has no age limit or set skill requirements. One of my youngest students was only four, and showed remarkable natural talent. She could draw almost anything you showed her. My oldest student was 80 when she finally took her very first life drawing class. Her smile and enthusiasm lit up the room. All her life she had thought about art but never had the time to pursue her interest. Our community is very lucky to have the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village actively pursuing a stronger visual and performing arts element in downtown Woodstock. In addition to the already active theater, classes in the visual arts are taking place at the City Center. At a recent gathering of several local artists and instructors, ideas for future public art works, children’s classes and activities, and workshops and lectures were shared. As the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village’s dream of a visual arts center is realized, many of the activities will take place all around Main Street. I recently read an article that emphasized how

the economic development field has changed in recent years. The focus is no longer in location, location, location – it is more about human capital, as they put it. When a community shows strength of values, skills, and knowledge, and as the population is coming together to actively participate in various events, the community is seen as more desirable for growth. Visual and performing arts are a way that all of us can become a bigger part of our growing community – as a performer, a creator, or an avid audience. In an effort to keep the community informed of all of the opportunities to participate in the visual arts in downtown Woodstock, a new Facebook community page has been set up – the name is Elm Street Visual Artists and it will be a hub for all of the classes, workshops, children’s activities, lectures, and events that pertain to the visual arts.

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We Will Be Celebrating Moms in our May Issue! At Sixes Living, we feel that each and every mom is her family’s “Mother of the Year.” For this reason, we would like to honor as many of our moms as possible for our May issue with a special pictorial celebrating all mothers! We are looking for photos of our Sixes area moms with their children. The photos can be from babyhood through present day. If you don’t have children, we also would love to share your photos of you and your mom, even from the 70s! Here are the guidelines: 1. Please ensure all submitted photographs have identifications listed for each person in the photo. 2. Please submit the photos via email to Candi@AroundAboutLocalMedia.com 3. The deadline for submissions is April 15.

Next Buzz Meeting 8 am at City Center Friday, April 26

Send in Your Photos and Events for the Downtown Woodstock Section! Deadline is April 15 for May issue. Candi@AroundAboutLocalMedia.com

Y’all ComeBack BackNow! Now! Y’all Come 58

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National Day of Prayer is One of Many Projects for Cherokee Ministers By Candi Hannigan

For more than 20 years, the Cherokee Christian Ministerial Association (CCMA) has led a county-wide effort to unite residents on the National Day of Prayer. This year there will be multiple opportunities throughout the county to participate in a public prayer service on May 2. “Contrary to what is being taught in many school textbooks, prayer has been a part of American governance and American religion since prior to the Revolutionary War,” said CCMA treasurer Lynn Eynon, pastor of Woodstock Christian Church. “It has been a national event since 1952 as an act of Congress. The New Testament teaches Christians to pray for their governing authorities, so it is definitely a part of our Christianity.” Prayer gatherings will be held at noon at Westminster Chapel in Ball Ground, Cannon Park gazebo in downtown Canton and City Park gazebo in downtown Woodstock. Other locations will be added closer to the date. Check www.cherokeeministers.org for updates. CCMA members are encouraged after they hosted a successful prayer initiative in October 2012. The effort, called Heal Our Land, included more than 25 Cherokee churches that agreed to pray for the nation during their Wednesday services two weeks before the presidential election. This sort of collaboration — and camaraderie — is what brings county leaders and lay persons to the monthly CCMA meetings, which last an hour and a half and include lunch and an information session. It’s a short amount of time spent in exchange for a wealth of information. That’s how pastor Fred Goodwin sees it. As CCMA president, Goodwin wants to encourage Cherokee’s pastors and ministry leaders to attend a meeting to experience encouragement, support and wisdom. He also wants to invite new participants to help shape the group’s future. “One purpose of the CCMA is to partner with and become involved in Cherokee ministries like Give a Kid a Chance, the HOPE Center, Bethesda Community Clinic, the Anna Crawford Center – the list could go on and on,” said Goodwin, pastor of Church of the Messiah in Hickory Flat. “It seems that the Lord is also guiding us to be a networking facility for Cherokee County programs with a Christian basis that are serving the wider community.” Cherokee Christian Ministerial Association meets at 11:30 a.m. on the last Wednesday of each month at Dayspring Church, 6835 Victory Dr., Woodstock 30189. www.cherokeeministers.org Annual dues are $25.

Fred Goodwin chats with Papa’s Pantry founder Lynne Saunders (right), who is also CCMA vice president, and Sandi Harding of Papa’s Pantry.

Local effort seeks a national audience

Another National Day of Prayer effort is being coordinated by Banks and Kendra Brazell of AllPoints Church. The clergy couple has set up a way for churches to record the prayers of their members and play them through their sound systems on May 2. The Brazells are asking church members around the country to record their prayers for the nation through a partnership with Voice Quilt (www.voicequilt.com). A link on the website will give churches access for a two or three-week period (minimal cost of $39) preceding the National Day of Prayer. Participants go to the website to record their prayers. For more information, email pray@acryfromallpoints.com. www.acryfromallpoints.com.

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reference

Sixes AREA Community of Faith ADVENTIST Canton Adventist 411 Scott Mill Rd., Canton 30114 (678) 880-0106 www.cantonadventist.org Service: 10 a.m. Saturday Rev. Zane Yi

AME

www.hopewellbaptist.com Services: 9:30, 11 a.m., 6 p.m. Pastor Norman Hunt

Traditional service: 3rd Shabbat of each month at 10:30 a.m. Rabbi Zalman Charytan

Mt. Zion Baptist 4096 East Cherokee Dr., Canton 30115 (770) 479-3324 www.mtzb.org Services: 8:30, 9:45, 11 a.m. Rev. Doug Mulkey

Congregation Ner Tamid Reform Jewish Congregation (678) 264-8575, www.mynertamid.org

Allen Temple 232 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-6348 www.allentempleame.org Services: 8, 11 a.m. Rev. Carl Moore

New Victoria Baptist 6659 Bells Ferry Rd., Woodstock 30189 (770) 926-8448 www.newvicbaptist.org Services: 11 a.m. Pastor John Harris

St. Paul AME 390 Crisler St., Canton 30114 (770) 479-9691 www.stpaulame-canton.org Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Lemora Dobbs

Sutallee Baptist 895 Knox Bridge Hwy., White 30184 (770) 479-0101 www.sutalleebaptistchurch.com Services: 10:45 a.m., 6 p.m. Rev. Billy Edmundson

BAPTIST First Baptist Canton One Mission Point, Canton 30114 (770) 479-5538 www.fbccanton.org Services: 8:15, 9:30, 11 a.m. Rev. George Anderson First Baptist Holly Springs 2632 Holly Springs Pkwy., Holly Springs 30142 (770) 345-5349 www.fbchollysprings.com Service: 10:45 a.m. Rev. Phil Young First Baptist Woodstock 11905 Ga. 92, Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-4428 www.fbcw.org Services: 9:30, 11 a.m., 6 p.m. Pastor Johnny Hunt Heritage Baptist Fellowship 3615 Reinhardt College Pkwy. Canton 30114 (770) 479-9415 www.heritagebaptistfellowship.com Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Jake Hall Hopewell Baptist 75 Ridge Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-5723 60

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Toonigh Baptist 4999 Old Highway 5, Lebanon 30146 www.toonighbaptistchurch.lifewaylink.com Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Terry Sandidge Watermarke Church worship location: 2126 Sixes Rd., Canton 30114 (678) 880-9092 www.watermarkechurch.com Services: 9 & 11 a.m., 5 p.m. Lead Pastor Gavin Adams

EPISCOPAL Saint Clement’s 2795 Ridge Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-6722 www.stclementscanton.org Services: 8, 9, 11 a.m. Rev. James Stutler

JEWISH Chabad Jewish Center 4255 Wade Green Rd. NW, Suite 120, Kennesaw 30144 (678) 460-7702 www.jewishWoodstock.com Offers Canton and Woodstock study groups Introductory service : 1st Shabbat of each month at 11 a.m.

Congregation Etz Chaim 1190 Indian Hills, Marietta 30068 (770) 973-0137 , www.etzchaim.net Rabbi Shalom Lewis Temple Kol Emeth 1415 Old Canton Rd., Marietta 30062 (770) 973-3533, www.kolemeth.net Rabbi Steven Lebow

MESSIANIC JEWISH CONGREGATIONS Tikvah l’Chaim 4206 N. Arnold Mill, Woodstock 30188 (678) 936-4125 www.tlchaim.com Service: 10 a.m. Saturdays Rabbi Gary Maxted Congregation Beth Hallel 950 Pine Grove Rd., Roswell 30075 (770) 641-3000 www.bethhallel.org Friday Erev Shabbat 8 p.m. Saturday Shabbat 11 a.m. Rabbi Kevin Solomon

LUTHERAN Celebration of Grace 411 Scott Mill Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 503-5050 www.celebrationofgrace.org Service: 10:30 a.m. Good Shepherd 1208 Rose Creek Dr., Woodstock 30189 (770) 924-7286 www.gslutheran.org Services: 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Rev. Paul Baumgartner Timothy 556 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 928-2812 www.TLCWoodstock.ctsmemberconnect.net Service: 8:30, 11 a.m. Rev. Stephen Constien


METHODIST Bascomb UMC 2299 Bascomb Carmel Rd., Woodstock 30189 (770) 926-9755 www.bascombumc.org Services: 9, 11 a.m. Rev. Millie Kim Canton First 930 Lower Scott Mill Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 479-2502 www.cantonfirstumc.org Services: 8:30, 9:30 & 11 a.m. Rev. Jim McRae City On A Hill 7745 Main St., Woodstock 30188 (678) 445-3480 www.coahumc.org Services: 6:30 p.m. Saturday; 9:35, 11:15 a.m. Sunday Rev. Chris Bryant Fields Chapel 1331 Fields Chapel Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 479-6030 www.fieldschapel.org Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Anne Rex

www.gbgm-umc.org/woodstockumc-ga Service: 11 a.m. English, 5:30 p.m. Spanish Rev. Claude T. Herbert

ORTHODOX St. Elizabeth 2263 East Cherokee Dr., Woodstock 30188 (770) 485-0504 www.stelizabethga.org Service: 10 a.m. Fr. Frederick Watson

PRESBYTERIAN Cherokee 1498 Johnson Brady Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 704-9564 www.cherokee-pca.org Services: 10:30 a.m. Pastor Ross Ritter Geneva Orthodox Meets in Kings Academy Church Building, 471 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock (770) 833-3797 Sunday Services: 10 a.m. & 5 p.m. Sunday School: 11:30 a.m. Pastor: Matthew Holst www.genevaopc.org

Hillside 4474 Towne Lake Pkwy., Woodstock 30189 (770) 924-4777 www.hillsideumc.org Traditional: 8:25, 11 a.m. Contemporary: 9:25, 11 a.m. Rev. Doug Thrasher

Grace Church 1160 Butterworth Rd., Canton 30114 (678) 493-9869 www.gracecanton.org Service: 11 a.m. Pastor Robie Hembree

Holly Springs 2464 Holly Springs Pkwy., Canton 30115 (770) 345-2883 www.hollyspringsumc.com Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Ken Godfrey

Heritage 5323 Bells Ferry Rd., Acworth 30102 (770) 926-3558 www.heritagepres.com Services: 8:45, 11:10 a.m. Rev. Sid Gunter

Liberty Hill 141 Railroad St., Canton 30114 (678) 493-8920 www.libertyhillumc.org Services: 9:30, 11 a.m. Rev. Jamey Prickett

Woodstock 345 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-0074 www.woodstockpcusa.com Service: 11 a.m. Rev. Julie Ferguson

Sixes 8385 Bells Ferry Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-7644 www.sixesumc.org Services: 9, 11 a.m. Dr. Joe McKechnie Woodstock UMC 109 Towne Lake Pkwy., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-6440

ROMAN CATHOLIC Our Lady of LaSalette 2941 Sam Nelson Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 479-8923 www.lasalettecanton.com Saturday: 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 8, 10:30 a.m. English, 5:30 p.m. Spanish Rev. Victor J. Reyes

St. Michael the Archangel 490 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 516-0009 www.saintmichaelcc.org Saturday: 5:30 p.m. Sunday: 7:30, 9 & 11 a.m., 12:45 & 5:30 p.m. Spanish Mass: 2:30 p.m. Rev. Larry Niese

NONDENOMINATIONAL Christian Praise Center 1358 Sixes Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 924-7532 www.christianpraisecenter.com Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastors Charles and Betty Holden Dayspring Church 6835 Victory Dr., Acworth 30102 (770) 516-5733, www.dayspring-online.com Service: 10 a.m. Pastor Tony Crawford FaithPointe 330 Adam Jenkins Memorial Blvd., Canton 30115 (770) 485-0891, www.faithpointechurch.org Service: 10:30 a.m. Pastor Seth Kinneer His Hands 550 Molly Ln., Woodstock 30189 (770) 405-2500, www.hishandschurch.com Service: 10 a.m. Pastor Steve Craig New Covenant Bible 1095 Scott Rd, Canton 30115 (770) 479-6412, www.newcovenantcanton.org Service: 11 a.m. Pastor Rob Murphy Oak Leaf 151 East Marietta St., Canton 30114 (678) 653-4652, www.oakleafcanton.com Services: 9:30, 11 a.m. Pastor Will Goodwin Revolution Church 125 Union Trail Hill, Canton 30115 (770) 345-2737, www.therevolution.tv Services: 9:30, 11:15 a.m. Pastor Jason Gerdes Woodstock Community 237 Rope Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-8990 www.woodstockcommunitychurch.org Service: 10:30am

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reference

SCHOOL INFORMATION Public Schools Ace Principal: Mr. Richard Landolt 3921 Holly Springs Pkwy., Holly Springs 30142 (770) 345-2005 Cherokee High School Principal: Debra Murdock 930 Marietta Hwy., Canton 30114 (770) 479-4112 Teasley Middle Principal: Dr. Susan Zinkil 8871 Knox Bridge Hwy., Canton 30114 (770) 479-7077 Clayton Elementary Principal: Beth Long 221 Upper Burris Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 479-2550 Knox Elementary School Principal: Dr. Kelly Jo Page 151 River Bend Way, Canton 30114 (770) 345-4307 R.M. Moore Elementary Principal: Jan Adamson 1375 Puckett Rd., Waleska 30183 (770) 479-3978

Hickory Flat Elementary Principal: Dr. Keith Ingram 2755 East Cherokee Dr., Canton 30115 (770) 345-6841

Sixes Elementary Principal: John Hultquist 20 Ridge Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-3070

Johnston Elementary Principal: Kathleen Chandler 2031 East Cherokee Dr. Woodstock 30188 (770) 928-2910

Woodstock Elementary Principal: Dr. Christy Bowling 230 Rope Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-6969

Mountain Road Elementary Principal: Tammy Sandell 615 Mountain Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 664-9708 Indian Knoll Elementary Principal: Dr. Ann Gazell 3635 Univeter Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 721-6600 Holly Springs Elementary — STEM Academy Principal: Dr. Dianne Steinbeck 1965 Hickory Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 345-5035 Woodstock High School Principal: Dr. Paul Weir 2010 Towne Lake Hills South Dr. Woodstock 30189 (770) 592-3500

Liberty Elementary Principal: Dr. Nicole Holmes 10500 Bells Ferry Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-6411

Woodstock Middle Principal: Mark Smith 2000 Towne Lake Hills South Dr. Woodstock 30189 (770) 592-3516

Canton Elementary — STEM Academy Principal: Gwen Lince 712 Marietta Hwy., Canton 30114 (770) 720-6100

Freedom Middle Principal: Karen Hawley 10550 Bells Ferry Rd., Canton 30114 (770) 345-4100

Hasty Elementary — Fine Arts Academy Principal: Izell McGruder 205 Brown Industrial Pkwy., Canton 30114 (770) 479-1600 Sequoyah High School Principal: Elliott Berman 4485 Hickory Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 345-1474 Dean Rusk Middle Principal: Cindy Cooper 4695 Hickory Rd., Canton 30115 (770) 345-2832 62

sixes living | April 2013

Cherokee Charter Academy Principal: Vanessa Suarez 2126 Sixes Rd. Canton 30114 (678) 385-7322

Private Schools Cherokee Christian Academy and Cherokee Christian High School High School Principal: Rod Kirby Middle School Principal: Hal Scripka Elementary School: Robert Lester 3075 Trickum Road, Woodstock 30188 (678) 494-5464 Furtah Preparatory School Headmaster: Fred Furtah 5496 Highway 92, Acworth 30102 (678) 574-6488 Harvest Baptist School 3460 Kellogg Creek Road, Acworth 30102 Principal: Jamie Smithey (770) 974-9091 Lyndon Academy Headmaster: Linda Murdock 485 Toonigh Rd., Woodstock 30188 (770) 926-0166

Cherokee County School District 2012-2013 Calendar at a Glance

April 8 - 12 May 22

Spring Break Last day of School

Cafeteria account information: www.mealpayplus.com Aspen: https://sis.cherokee.k12.ga.us/aspen/home.do School District Website: www.cherokee.k12.ga.us


COMMUNITY INFORMATION Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce (770) 345-0400 Cherokee County Government

Building Permits, Business Licenses Commissioners Engineering Office (Traffic Signals) Environmental Health Extension Office Jury Phone Justice Center (Courts, Judges, etc.) Planning & Land Use Senior Services Voter Registration

www.cherokeega.com (770) 721-7810 (678) 493-6001 (678) 493-6077 (770) 479-0444 (770) 479-0418 (770) 479-9011 (770) 479-1953 (678) 493-6101 (770) 345-2675 (770) 479-0407

Taxes

License Plates/Tags, Property Tax – Canton office (678) 493-6400 Woodstock office (770) 924-4099 Renewals online https://mvd.dor.ga.gov/tags/ Tax Assessors/Evaluation (678) 493-6120

Children and Family

Anna Crawford Children’s Center (770) 345-8100 Cherokee County Boys & Girls Club (770) 720-7712 Cherokee County Foster & Adoptive Parents Assoc. www.fosteroradopt.org (770) 378-0759 Cherokee Family Violence Center (770) 479-1804 Cherokee FOCUS (770) 345-5483 Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) www.casacherokee.org (770) 345-3274 Division of Family & Children Services (770) 720-3610 Goshen Valley Boys Ranch www.goshenvalley.org (770) 796-4618 Hope Center www.hopectr.com (770) 924-0864 MUST Ministries - Cherokee www.mustministries.org (770) 479-5397 Never Alone www.neveralone.org (770) 363-5272 Next Step Ministries www.nextstepministries.net (770) 592-1227 North Georgia Angel House www.angelhousega.com (770) 479-9555 North Georgia Pregnancy Center www.ngapregnancy.org (706) 253-6303 Papa’s Pantry www.papaspantry.org (770) 591-4730

Hospitals

Kennestone North Fulton Northside Hospital — Cherokee

Hotlines — 24-hour help lines

Battered Women Hotline Drug Tip Line (Cherokee Co. Sheriff) Poison Control Center Poison Control Center (outside metro Atlanta) Probate Court Information Line Rite-Call (Child Medical Problems) Sexual Assault & Family Violence Center

Parks and Recreation

(770) 793-5000 (770) 751-2500 (770) 720-5100 (770) 479-1703 (770) 345-7920 (404) 616-9000 (800) 222-1222 (770) 704-2610 (404) 250-KIDS(5437) (770) 427-3390

BridgeMill Athletic Club Callahan Golf Links Cherokee County YMCA Cherokee County Soccer Assoc. www.csaimpact.com

(770) 345-5500 (770) 720-1900 (770) 591-5820 (770) 704-0187

Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency www.crpa.net. (770) 924-7768 (Includes Aquatic Center, Barnett Park, Blankets Creek, Cherokee Mills, Field’s Landing Park, Kenny Askew Park) Cherokee Youth Lacrosse Association www.cherokeelacrosse.com North Atlanta Soccer Association: www.nasa-ga.org (770) 926-4175 SCRA Baseball www.scrabaseball.com Wildlife Action, Inc. www.wildlifeactiongeorgia.com (770) 924-7464

Pets

Animal Control (678) 493-6200 Animal Shelter & Pet Adoptions www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA460.html (770) 345-7270 Cherokee County Humane Society www.cchumanesociety.org (770) 928-5115 Emergency Veterinary Clinic (770) 924-3720 Funds 4Furry Friends (770) 842-8893 Lost Pets: www.townelaker.com. (click on lost and found pet button to report missing pet) Pet Buddies Food Pantry www.petbuddiesfoodpantry.org Community Veterinary Care www.communityveterinarycare.com (678) 640-3512

Post Office locations Canton Holly Springs Lebanon Woodstock

(770) 720-8164 (770) 345-6318 (770) 591-9467 (770) 591-0364

Police Departments

Canton Holly Springs Woodstock Sheriff’s Office www.cherokeega-sheriff.org

(770) 720-4883 (770) 345-5537 (770) 592-6030 (678) 493-4100

Utilities

Atlanta Gas Light Co. www.aglc.com Canton Water www.canton-georgia.com Cherokee Water & Sewerage Auth. www.ccwsa.com Cobb EMC www.cobbemc.com Georgia Power www.georgiapower.com Woodstock Water www.woodstockga.gov Recycling Center

(770) 907-4231 (770) 704-1500 (770) 479-1813 (770) 429-2100 (888) 660-5890 (770) 926-8852 (770) 516-4195

Free, Reduced Price Health Care

Bethesda Community Clinic www.bethesdacommunityclinic.org Cherokee County Health Department www.nghd.org/CherokeeHealth

(678) 880-9654 (770) 345-7371

Urgent Care Facilities

M.D. Minor Emergency & Family Medicine, (770) 720-7000 off Riverstone Pkwy, 720 Transit Ave., Suite 101 Canton Northside Cherokee Urgent Care, off exit 11 at I-575 (678) 426-5450 SHEFA Urgent Care 2000 Village Professional Dr. #110 (678) 661-3166 Canton 30114 Wellstar Urgent Care off exit 8, 120 Stonebridge Pkwy. Woodstock, 30189

(678) 494-2500

sixes living | April 2013

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reference

SIXES AREA CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS Business Organizations American Business Women’s Association, Cherokee Eagles Charter Chapter Meets: 6:30 p.m. third Tuesdays at the Dynastic Buffet, 2800 Canton Rd., Marietta. Contact: Jackie Van Hook (678) 493-3618 www.abwa.org Canton Cherokee Business and Professional Women’s Club Meets: Noon on third Thursdays at IHOP in Canton Contact: Glenda Hinton (770) 345-1751 Canton Communicators Toastmasters Club Meets: Noon-1:15 p.m. Thursdays at the Canton YMCA. Contact: Steven Van Schooten, (770) 366-8224 www.toastmasters.org Cherokee Area Business Connection Meets: 7:15 a.m. Wednesdays Contact: Marci Zied, (770) 345-8687 customerservice@aloveoftravel.com Cherokee B2B Network Meets: 8 a.m. second and fourth Thursdays at Best Western, 705 Transit Ave., Canton 30114 Contact: (770) 781-3452 www.CherokeeB2B.com Cherokee Toastmasters Meets: Noon-1:15 p.m. Wednesdays at City On A Hill UMC, 7745 Main St., Woodstock 30188 www.CherokeeToastmasters.com Empowered Women Through Synergy Meets: Third Thursday at 8.30 a.m. at J Christopher’s in Downtown Woodstock Contact: Shahida Baig (678) 445-3900 Facebook: Empowered Women Through Synergy Woodstock Business Networking Group Meets: 7:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Atlanta Bread Company, 180 Woodstock Square Ave., Woodstock 30189 Contact: Lee West (770) 591-7101

Charitable Organizations

Contact: Deidre Hollands (770) 345-3274 www.casacherokee.org Bethany Place transitional home for single women, unwed mothers. (770) 479-9462 www.bethanyplacehome.org Hope Center offers pregnant teens, single women pregnancy testing and counseling, childbirth and parenting classes, budget counseling, provision of maternity and baby supplies. Contact: (770) 924-0864 www.hopectr.com Hope Center — Baby & More Thrift Store Contact: (770) 517-4450 www.babyandmorethriftstore.com Cherokee County Foster & Adoptive Parent Association of GA supports foster parents. Contact: Marie Blackwell (770) 378-0759 www.fosteroradopt.org Cherokee County Senior Services offers educational, social, leisure and recreational activities for senior citizens looking for socialization. Contact: (770) 345-2675 www.cherokeega.com Cherokee County Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. http://www.cherokeecountyspecialolympics.org Cherokee County Family Violence Center offers emergency shelter and crisis intervention, affordable housing, education, support services. Contact: (770) 479-1703 in Spanish (770) 720-7050 www.cfvc.org Cherokee Fellowship of Christian Athletes challenges professional, college, high school, junior high and youth level coaches and athletes to use athletics to impact the world for Christ. Contact: Bill Queen (404) 441-3508 www.cherokeefca.org

Ahimsa House for victims of domestic violence who need help getting their pets to safety. Contact: 24-hour line (404) 452-6248, Info (404) 496-4038 www.ahimsahouse.org

Cherokee FOCUS works to improve the lives of children and families through collaborative programs and initiative. Contact: Sonia Carruthers (770) 345-5483 www.cherokeefocus.org

American Heart Association - Cherokee Division Contact: (678) 385-2013

Community Veterinary Care provides professional veterinary care for pets whose owners have limited financial means. Contact: (678) 640-3512 www.communityveterinarycare.com

American Red Cross metro chapter Contact: (770) 428-2695 Angel House Girls Home is a residential facility for girls 12-18 to learn self-sufficiency. Contact: (770) 479-9555 www.angelhousega.com Anna Crawford Children’s Center a child abuse and prevention program for children and adults. Contact: (770) 345-8100 www.cherokeechildadvocates.org CASA for Children, Inc. needs volunteers to help advocate for children in the court system.

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sixes living | April 2013

Forever Fed is a mobile food ministry that addresses physical hunger and hopelessness in North Georgia by providing meals and sharing the gospel. www.foreverfed.org Georgia Animal Project offers high quality, lowcost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats throughout North Georgia. Contact: (770) 704-PAWS (7297) www.theanimalproject.org

Give a Kid a Chance – Cherokee sponsors a yearly back-to-school bash where thousands of children in need are given filled backpacks, haircuts, socks, underwear, gently used clothing and health screenings to prepare them to go back to school. www.giveakidachance.org Goshen Valley Boys Ranch offers care and counsel to young men in the DFCS system. 34 young men ages 8-21 call the ranch their home. Contact: (770) 796-4618 www.goshenvalley.org Habitat for Humanity North Central GA Contact: (770) 345-1879 www.habitat-ncg.org Healing Hands Youth Ranch offers safe, peaceful environment where abused and at-risk children are paired with rescue horses to find hope and healing. Contact: Jennifer Simonis (770) 633-4451 www.hhyr.org HopeQuest Ministry Group helps people who struggle intensely with life dominating issues related to alcohol abuse, substance abuse and/or sexual brokenness. Contact: (678) 391-5950, www.hqmg.org international City of Refuge (iCOR) exists to share God’s love, hope and healing with children in need by providing loving homes with emphasis on family unification when approproiate. Contact: Lily Colgate (404) 992-8155 http://icor-orphans.org Iron Hearts is a therapeutic horsemanship program for children and adults with special needs. Contact: (678) 493-5775 www.ironhearts.org MUST Ministries offers clothes closet, employment services, GED prep classes, food pantry for Cherokee residents. Contact: Kendall Jones (770) 479-5397 www.mustministries.org National Alliance for Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots organization in America working to build better lives for the millions affected by mental illness. www.nami.org Never Alone is an outreach to homeless by distributing food, clothing, and helping with home repair. Contact: (770) 363-5272 www.neveralone.org North Georgia Pregnancy Center offers help and care to young girls and women with an unplanned pregnancy or who are in need of counseling. Contact: (706) 253-6303 www.ngapregnancy.org Papa’s Pantry partners with individuals facing a critical shortage of food or finances due to an unexpected crisis or job loss. Offers life skills, job classes, food pantry. Contact: (770) 591-4730 www.papaspantry.org


Safe Kids of Georgia offers free child safety seat inspections. Contact: (770) 721-7808 www.cherokeesafekids.org SERV International operates the House of Hope orphanage in Africa, sponsors a clean water program in Dominican Republic and meal distributions worldwide. Also offers mission trips. Contact: (770) 516-1108 www.servone.org

Civic Organizations Cherokee County Service League (770) 704-5991 BridgeMill-Sixes Service League Contact: Marlyn Patouillet (770) 345-7941 www.bssl.org Canton Lions Club Contact: (678) 224-7878 www.lionsofcanton.org Canton Optimist Club Meets: 7:30 a.m. Fridays at Canton IHOP Contact: canton_optimist@hotmail.com https://sites.google.com/site/cantonoptimistclub/ home Canton Rotary Club Meets: Noon Tuesdays at the Cherokee Conference Center at the Bluffs www.cantongarotary.org Cherokee County Historical Society Contact: (770) 345-3288 www.rockbarn.org Rotary Club of Cherokee County Meets: 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Sidelines Grille on Reinhardt College Parkway, Canton Contact: (770) 683-1327 www.cherokeerotary.org

Political Organizations Cherokee County Democrat Party Meets: 7 p.m. 2nd Thursdays at Holly Springs Depot, 164 Hickory Rd., Holly Springs. 8:30 a.m. 1st Saturdays at IHOP, 3010 Northside Pkwy., Canton 30014 Contact: (770) 345-3489 www.cherokeedemocrats.com/d2/ Cherokee County Republican Party Meets: 9 a.m. first Saturday of month at The Lodge at BridgeMill, 10451 Bells Ferry Rd., Canton 30114 Contact: (678) 809-1411 http://cherokeecountygop.com Cherokee Tea Party Patriots Contact: Conrad Quaqliaroli (770) 592-6545 Republican Women of Cherokee County Contact: (404) 747-3353, (678) 520-2236 www.rwccga.com

Recreation & Hobbies Arts Alliance of Georgia, Inc. Meets: 10 a.m. second Saturdays at Studio 101, 101 Emma Ln., Woodstock 30188 www.artsalliancega.org

Blue Skies Laughter Club Meets: 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays at Northside Cherokee Medical Offices, 100 Stoneforest Dr., first floor conference room, Woodstock 30189 Contact (770) 517-3363 ext. 3 www.addlaughter.com Christian Authors Guild Meets: 7-9 p.m. first and third Monday at Prayer and Praise Christian Fellowship, 6409 Bells Ferry Rd., Woodstock 30189 www.christianauthorsguild.org Cherokee Amateur Radio Society Meets: 10 a.m. second Saturdays at the William G. Long Senior Center, 223 Arnold Mill Rd., Woodstock 30188 www.cherokeehams.com

Al-Anon and Al-A-Teen Meets: 8 p.m. Thursdays at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2795 Ridge Rd., Canton 30114; Al-Anon at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Al-A-Teen at 7 p.m. Thursdays at Hillside UMC, 4474 Towne Lake Pkwy., Woodstock 30189; Al-Anon at 6 p.m. Wednesdays at Studio 121, 121 Brown St., Canton 30114. Contact: (770) 516-3502 AARP Woodstock Chapter Meets: 11:30 a.m. 2nd Tuesdays at Featherstones, 1003 Towne Lake Hills E, Woodstock 30189 Contact: Rich Sanford (770) 926-1944. Alzheimer/Dementia Support Group Meets: 3rd Thursday at Emeritus Woodstock Estates, 1000 Professional Way, Woodstock 30188 Contact: (770) 926-0119

Cherokee County Arts Center 94 North St., Canton 30115 Contact: (770) 704-6244 www.CherokeeArts.org

Breast Cancer Support Group: Cancer Support Community Atlanta Contact: (404) 843-1880 http://cancersupportcommunityatlanta.org

Cherokee Community Chorale, a community of singers from all walks of life including housewives, teachers, retired professionals, office managers and professional musicians who love the art of choral singing. Contact: (678) 439-8625 www.cherokeechorale.org

Celebrate Recovery Christ-centered program for all types of habits, hurts and hangups • 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Sixes United Methodist. (770) 345-7644. www.sixesumc.org • 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at FaithPointe Church. (770) 833-7143. www.faithpointe.org. • 6:15 p.m. Fridays at Towne Lake Community Church. www.tlcchurch.com. • 6 p.m. Fridays at Action Church. (770) 815-4593. www.actionchurch.tv.

Cherokee County Master Gardeners: (770) 479-0418 www.caes.uga.edu/extension/cherokee/ mastergardeners/ Cherokee County Saddle Club www.cherokeesaddleclub.com Cherokee Music Teachers Association: Contact: Linda Lokey (770) 720-1701 www.cherokeemta.org Cherokee Photography Club www.cherokeepc.org Cherokee Senior Softball Association www.cssasoftball.com The Funk Heritage Center Book Club Meets: 2 p.m. second Tuesdays at the Funk Heritage Center, 7300 Reinhardt College Pkwy., Waleska 30183 Contact: (770) 720-5970 www.reinhardt.edu/funkheritage Sons of the American Revolution - Cherokee Chapter Meets: 7 p.m. second Tuesdays at the Rock Barn, 638 Marietta Hwy., Canton 30114 www.cherokeechapter.com

Support Organizations AA Meetings Meets 9:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday, noon Monday-Friday, 7 p.m. Monday, 4 p.m. Sunday (for women) at Canton First United Methodist, 930 Lower Scott Mill Rd., Canton 30115 Contact: (770) 479-6961

Cherokee Christian Ministerial Association for pastors and ministry leaders of all Christian denominations. Meets: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month at Dayspring Church, 6835 Victory Dr., Woodstock 30189 www.cherokeeministers.org Grace Valley Ministries connects pastors by offering small group meetings, free counseling and a place to retreat. Contact: (727) 251-7690 www.gracevalleyministries.org MOMS Club of Canton, West GA (serving Canton, Ball Ground, Waleska and Holly Springs) http://momsclubofcantonwest.webs.com Next Step Ministries offers a therapeutic day program, Saturday Respite, camps and special events for people with special needs. Contact: (770) 592-1227 www.nextstepministries.net Northwest Atlanta Moms of Multiples for parents of multiples Meets: 7 p.m. second Mondays at North Metro Church on Barrett Parkway www.NOWAMOM.org Recovery Meetings in downtown Canton 9 a.m. Sunday 11th Step; 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays “Serenity Sisters” 6 p.m. Wednesdays “Wednesday Night Wisdom” at Studio 121, 121 Brown St., Canton 30114 Contact: (770) 479-696

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65


reference

Sixes Area Homes Sold in February Sixes Living Area Sales in February 2013 List Price

Address

Subdivision

Bed

Baths

Yr Built

Days on Market

Sales Price

80,000

224 Lee CT

Barrett Farms

3

2.5

2000

2

103,500

65

118,700

141 CARL BARRETT DR

Barrett Farms

4

2.5

2000

78

115,000

66

119,900

812 Hampton WAY

Barrett Farms

3

2

2000

5

121,000

85

122,900

511 Charles DR

Barrett Farms

3

2.5

2001

50

121,900

70

97,900

1037 Bridge Mill AVE

Bridgemill

2

2

1999

78

97,900

82

159,900

103 Ivygreen Chase

Bridgemill

3

2

2000

39

150,000

No data

169,900

364 Downing Creek TRL

Bridgemill

4

2.5

2004

177

168,000

70

189,000

336 Laurel Glen XING

Bridgemill

4

2.5

2001

86

188,500

93

217,777

545 Oriole Farm TRL

Bridgemill

5

4

2005

15

225,000

No data

224,900

154 Birchwood PASS

Bridgemill

6

2.5

1998

119

205,000

65

265,000

104 Birchwood PASS

Bridgemill

5

3.5

1998

44

250,000

75

267,900

158 Gold Mill PL

Bridgemill

4

3.5

2004

116

255,000

73

289,900

5190 Millwood DR

Bridgemill

4

2.5

2004

59

269,000

No data

374,900

5163 Millwood DR

Bridgemill

5

4.5

2003

7

376,100

82

550,000

5115 MILLWOOD DR

Bridgemill

5

4.5

2003

46

500,000

98

13,000

323 ALEX WAY

Cherokee Heights

1

1

1973

94

11,440

17

60,000

7604 Bells Ferry RD

Cherokee Heights

4

2

1979

198

55,000

No data

160,000

346 Gold RDG

Copper Creek

4

2.5

2001

23

166,500

55

179,900

507 CRESMONT LN

Crestmont

4

2.5

2008

55

169,000

63

249,900

505 BLUE RIDGE TER

Crestmont

5

4.5

2004

35

225,000

66

132,000

224 Diamond Valley PASS

Diamond Ridge

3

2.5

2004

11

135,000

77

198,000

417 Eagle Ridge TRL

Eagle Ridge

4

2.5

1995

150

189,000

80

174,000

330 Abbey CT

Harmony on the Lakes

3

2

2006

24

170,000

114

174,900

716 Berkeley TER

Harmony on the Lakes

3

2.5

2007

14

167,500

84

175,000

809 Durham CT

Harmony On The Lakes

4

2.5

2005

41

162,000

76

191,000

220 Glenwood DR

Harmony on the Lakes

4

3

2006

131

191,000

84

250,000

612 Redbud TER

Harmony On The Lakes

5

3

2005

222

240,000

65

94,900

319 HIDDEN CREEK LN

Hidden Creek

3

2.5

2010

120

105,500

67

110,000

1590 Kimberly PL

Holly Springs Place

3

2

1993

241

110,000

88

89,000

203 WHIPPOORWILL LN

Hunters Ridge

4

2

1983

390

86,500

No data

599,900

Lake Sovereign

5

4.5

2003

8

565,000

83

102,000

701 East Shore DR 310 MAGNOLIA SPRINGS TRCE

Magnolia Springs

3

2

1996

48

100,000

89

110,000

2260 Mills Wood RUN

Mills Ridge

3

2

1988

19

110,000

70

40,500

369 Stover RD

None

3

1

1960

19

30,000

22

69,900

957 New Light RD

None

2

1

1956

53

65,000

56

559,900

225 Park East DR

Parkeast On Crabapple

5

4.5

2012

121

570,813

148

100,000

703 MOUNTAIN LAUREL DR

Prominence Point

3

2.5

2007

27

100,000

52

147,000

811 Inkberry RD

Prominence Point

4

2.5

2006

70

148,000

72

99,000

366 Ridge Pine DR

Rich Copper Mine

4

3

1957

681

83,000

57

90,000

105 SWANEE LN

Rivers Edge

3

2

2006

235

90,000

69

106,000

214 Etowah WAY

Rivers Edge

3

2.5

2006

3

106,000

86

137,500

203 Hunters RDG

Station at Prominence

3

3

2004

45

130,000

55 No data

266,265

134 Willow Overlook

The Preserve

3

3

2012

184

240,807

99,900

220 Osmanthus WAY

Village At Holly Mill

3

2.5

2002

0

112,100

82

180,000

282 Villa Creek PKWY

Villas At Downing Creek

3

3

2003

85

175,000

83

124,900

2270 UNIVETER RD

Wildwood

4

3

1995

57

115,000

56

$181,150.91

AVERAGES

Because of the significant lack of supply, we are in a Seller's market. Home prices are starting to rise again and selling faster. It remains to be seen whether this Seller's market can be sustained when interest rates start to rise. Beat the Spring glut of new inventory and list now!

$175,436.09

Data compiled by the Kurt & Sheila Team / Keller Williams Realty Partners / www.KurtandSheila.com

66

$$/sq foot

sixes living | April 2013

$

73.50


SIXES LIVING DISTRIBUTION MAP 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 us your photos, ideas, stories or anything else you think the community would like to know about. It’s your community. It’s your magazine.

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67


Protecting Our Senior Citizens

Celebrate Recovery Offers Hope

at the Cherokee Recreation & Parks Center, 7545 Main Street Woodstock 30188. The free event features more than 70 exhibitors, fashion show, health screenings, door prizes, food and all-day bingo. For more information about Triad, visit www.saltcherokee. com or email cherokeetriad@gmail.com to join the mailing list to receive alerts.

Celebration Station for children ages 3-11. Like our Facebook page at Celebrate Recovery at Scott Mill Chapel. We’re here to help! A Celebrate Recovery meeting is taking place most days of the week in Cherokee County. In addition to the new group at Scott Mill Chapel, there are others: • 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Sixes United Methodist. 770-3457644. www.sixesumc.org • 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at FaithPointe Church. 770-833-7143. www.faithpointe.org. • 6 p.m. Fridays at Towne Lake Community Church. www. tlcchurch.com.

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Are You in a Fitness Slump?

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Step 5 Are your goals aligned with a greater purpose? By giving back, paying it forward and sharing your success with others, you will fuel that passion deep inside that all of us have. We were made to fulfill a purpose. When I decided to use health and fitness as a platform to raise awareness of and money for charity and to lift others, my mindset changed. Having a healthy lifestyle is now a passion for me because it is fueled by a bigger purpose. Your purpose has to get you out of the bed in the morning. It has to be worth fighting for, and it must be making a difference for someone other than you.

In the Zone: School Clusters Offer Distinct Advantages continued from page 41

bring a proud smile to the face of a youngster who dreams of being the next great scholar, musician or athlete crossing the threshold of Woodstock High School. Through innovation zones, administrators, teachers and students across CCSD are clearly “in the zone,” focused on school pride and optimal learning!

Experience Elm Street continued from page 56

Fine Arts classes and camps provide the same skill training as performing arts, and we’re so pleased our Visual Arts programs are growing at Elm Street with something for every age and interest—teen drawing, adult oils, youth fine arts, digital photography and more. So please come visit and see what all the excitement is about. We look forward to seeing you!

We are Digital!

Join the Sixes Living magazine Facebook fan page

www.facebook.com/SixesLivingMagazine

Spring is in the Hair! continued from page 28

Start off by applying a controlling mousse to damp hair and blow-dry it straight back, omitting the presence of a part. After placing a silk scarf (go for something colorful!) two inches from your forehead and tying at the nape of your neck, twist your hair into a knot at the base of your crown. Use your fingers to fan the hair on top your crown and create some body. That’s it! So while you remembered to change your clock this spring, don’t forget to spring your hair forward and try one of this season’s most stylish looks. 68

sixes living | April 2013

Follow us on

www.twitter.com/SixesLivingMag

Contact us and view the magazine online at

w w w.S ixesLivi ngM ag az i n e.com


3 5 . 23

$

Donate to Save a Life YOU can help us WIN the 2013 ASPCA Rachel Ray $100K Challenge! We invite you to donate towards the adoption fee of one or more of the 850 lives that we are planning to save in June/July and August 2013. To win the challenge we must save 300 extra homeless pets during these three months of 2013 than we did in the same timeframe of 2012. Cherokee County Animal Shelter plans to host some fantastic events, implement the most extreme adoption promotions, and get the word out about adoption, reclaim and rescue bigger and better than EVER. All because we LOVE what we do and we want to do MORE!

850 dogs and cats are depending on US and we can’t do it without YOU. If you can donate toward just ONE pet for $23.53 we will be able to do SO MUCH MORE ! Thank you for your support,

Susan Garcia

Director, Cherokee County Animal Shelter www.cherokeega-animals.org

1015 Univeter Rd Canton, GA 30115 sixes living | April 2013

69


reference

ELECTED & APPOINTED OFFICIALS United States Government

President Barack Obama (D)

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20500 www.whitehouse.gov

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R)

100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1340, Atlanta, GA 30339 http://chambliss.senate.gov

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R)

1 Overton Park, Suite 970 3625 Cumberland Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30339 http://isakson.senate.gov

Rep. Tom Price (R) District 6

85-C Mill St., Suite 300 Roswell, GA 30075 http://tom.house.gov

Rep. Rob Woodall (R) District 7

75 Langley Dr., Lawrenceville, GA 30046 http://woodall.house.gov

1130 Bluffs Pkwy., Canton, GA 30114

(202) 224-3521 GA: (770) 763-9090

lbahrens@cherokeega.com

(202) 224-3643 GA: (770) 661-0999

(202) 225-4501 GA: (770) 565-4990 (202) 225-4272 GA: (770) 232-3005

Governor Nathan Deal (R) (404) 652-7003 203 State Capitol, 206 Washington St. Atlanta, GA 30334 www.gov.georgia.gov barry@barryloudermilk.com

Commissioners

L.R. “Buzz” Ahrens (R) Chairman

hjohnston@cherokeega.com

Ray Gunnin (R) District 2

(404) 656-0034

Brian Poole (R) District 3 bpoole@cherokeega.com

Jason Nelms (R) District 4 jnelms@cherokeega.com

Cherokee County Coroner Earl W. Darby

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Roger Garrison (R)

498 Chattin Drive Canton, GA 30115 rdgarrison@cherokeega.com

Cherokee County Tax Commissioner Sonya Little

Sen. Brandon Beach (R) District 21 brandon.beach@senate.ga.gov

(404) 463-1378

Rep. Michael Caldwell (R) District 20

(678) 523-8570

Cherokee County School Board Superintendent, Dr. Frank Petruzielo

Rep. Scot Turner (R) District 21

(678) 576-2644

Rep. Calvin Hill (R) District 22 calvin.hill@house.ga.gov

(404) 463-7778

scot@turnerforhouse.com

Rep. Mandi Ballinger (R) District 23

Cherokee County Courts (678) 493-6270 (678) 493-6260 (678) 493-6240

Chief Judge Clyde J. Gober, Jr.

(678) 493-6480 (678) 493-6490 (678) 493-6480

Magistrate Court Chief Judge James E. Drane III (R) Judge Gregory Douds

(678) 493-6431 (678) 493-6431

Probate Court Judge Keith Wood (R)

(678) 493-6160

Juvenile Court Chief Judge John B. Sumner Judge Anthony Baker

(678) 493-6250 (678) 493-6280

District Attorney Shannon Wallace

(770) 479-1488

Clerk of Courts Patty Baker

(678) 493-6511

70

sixes living | April 2013

www.cherokeega-sheriff.org (678) 493-4100 fax: (678) 493-4228

(678) 493-6400 fax: (678) 493-6420 www.cherokee.k12.ga.us (770) 479-1871 fax: (770) 479-1236

Kelly Marlow (R) District 1

(770) 721-6298 x4369

Patsy Jordan (R) District 2

(770) 893-2970

Michael Geist (R) District 3

(404) 462-4950

Janet Read (R) District 4 (Chair)

(770) 516-1444

kelly.marlow@cherokee.k12.ga.us

janet.read@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Rick Steiner (R) District 5

rick.steiner@cherokee.k12.ga.us

State Court

(770) 735-8055

michael.geist@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Superior Court

Judge W. Alan Jordan Judge A. Dee Morris

221 West Main St., Canton, GA 30114 drp@cherokee.k12.ga.us

patsy.jordan@cherokee.k12.ga.us

mandi.ballinger@house.ga.gov

Chief Judge David Cannon Jr. Judge Jackson Harris Judge Ellen McElyea

Harry Johnston (R) District 1

2780 Marietta Highway, Canton, GA 30114 slittle@cherokeega.com

michael@CaldwellforHouse.com

www.cherokeega.com (678) 493-6001

rgunnin@cherokeega.com

State Government

Sen. Barry Loudermilk (R) District 14

Cherokee County Board of Commissioners

(202) 456-1414 fax: (202) 456-2461

Rob Usher (R) District 6

rob.usher@cherokee.k12.ga.us

(770) 704-4398 x4370 (770) 592-7864

Kim Cochran (R) District 7 (Vice-Chair) kim.cochran@cherokee.k12.ga.us City Government City of Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood

geneh@canton-georgia.com

www.canton-georgia.gov (770) 704-1500

City of Holly Springs Mayor Timothy Downing

www.hollyspringsga.us (770) 345-5536

City of Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques

www.woodstockga.gov (770) 592-6001

tdowning@hollyspringsga.us

dhenriques@progressiveaudiology.com


classifieds For sale

Home Services

Music

Diamond Wedding Set. Gemcorp appraised — one brilliant cut 0.71 carat round diamond with fourteen baguettes set in 18 karat yellow gold. Appraisal in hand $2,800.00. 770-656-0286.

Guitar Lessons in Towne Lake 10 years teaching experience — all ages and styles. Call Christian, (810) 599-2371, www.woodstockguitarlessons. com.

Garage sale

The Dynamic Clean Team. You will have 2 cleaning specialists take care of your specific needs. Let us make your life a little easier. We specialize in maintenance and deep cleaning 15 years experience, references available. Call TODAY Melissa Jones, (404) 414-7743.

Towne Lake Hills Community Garage Sale, Friday April 19, 9 am-3 pm and Saturday April 20, 9 am-3 pm. Flyers with map, locations and lists of items will be in bins located at the entrance to each participating TLH subdivision on the sale dates.

Golden Rule Cleaning “We clean your home or office as we would like ours cleaned.” The Golden Rule...Luke 6:31. Weekly, biweekly, monthly, occasional, move-in, move-out. References availble. 404-452-9850.

Home Services Another Lawn Sprinkler Co. Specializes in lawn sprinkler service & repair. Also experts in outdoor accent lighting. www.keithwiseman.com. Call Keith (770) 975-0108. Cleanup, hauling, lawn maintenance, re-sod, leaf removal, mulching, planting, aeration, tree removal, pressure washing and more. Call 470226-8135.

To place a classified ad, contact Michelle at 770-615-3307 aroundaboutadvertising@gmail.com

$

1/Word

(10 WORD MINIMUM)

Under Pressure Power Washing, LLC. “Driveways, Decks, Sidewalks — Insured — Free estimates 678-672-9375 or 678-777-6570. uppwashing@ gmail.com Woodstock Appliance Repair Company. We repair all major brands and models. Kitchen and laundry! FREE estimates, service call, travel charges -WITH REPAIR. $10 off any repair! Visit us at: www.tomarcollc.com. Call us: 770-875-9934.

CLASSIFIED FORM

PLEASE PRINT

Month(s):  Jan  Feb  Mar

PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY

pet sitting

Penny Clean “One Woman Show” moving and deep cleaning available on weekends. Over 25 years experience, reasonable rates. Licensed, bonded and insured. Free estimates. (678) 4943602.

Sixes Living

 Townelaker  Sixes Living

DJ Service , Any Occasion “Starting at $150.00 15 years experience. 770-485-0441.

JoAnn’s Pet Sitting. Loving and reliable in-home pet care. Bonded and Insured. Since 2004. 770617-0221. www.joannspetsitting.com

Mail this form with your payment to: AroundAbout Local Media, Inc. 2449 Towne Lake Pkwy. Woodstock, GA 30189 • Fax: (770) 516-4809

$

1/Word

(10 WORD MINIMUM)

(All Fields Must Be Completed)

 Apr  May  June  Oct  Nov  Dec

Category:

 July  Aug  Sept ¨ ADD A PICTURE (2.375" X 1.50") FOR ONLY $39 (Per Month).

Word Count:

$1/word, per month/per magazine (10 Word Minimum)

Box numbers, phone numbers, zip codes and abbreviations are counted as one word each.

Email picture to art@townelaker.com.

Ad Wording (please include contact info):

Please make checks payable to AroundAbout Local Form of payment: ¨ Cash or Check ¨ Visa ¨ Master Card CC Account #

Media, Inc. ¨ American Express

Exp:

Credit Card Authorization Signature: Name:

Street Address:

City, State, Zip: Daytime Phone: Sixes Living Classifieds is a monthly feature. All ads are accepted and placed under categories at the discretion of the publisher. Rates are only $1 per word, per month, with a 10-word minimum. “Pet Lost and Found,” “Ride Share” and “Free to Good Home” pet placement ads are FREE.

CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS THE 15 th FOR THE FOLLOWING MONTH'S ISSUE! sixes living | April 2013

71


Advertisers Directory ATTorneys/Legal Services Burns & Speights, PC (770) 956-1400, www.bsgalaw.com Merino & Associates (770) 874-4600

Funeral Homes 3

Back Cover

Woodstock Funeral Home (770) 926-3107 8855 South Main Street, Woodstock www.woodstockfuneralhome.com

53

Aspen Falls Auto Spa 6390 Bells Ferry Road, Woodstock (770) 591-3630

7

Banking/Financial Services Citadel Professional Services, LLC (770) 952-6707 225 Town Park Drive, Suite 440, Kennesaw

9

Azure Salon & Spa 23 (770) 345-8280 1359 Riverstone Pkwy., Suite 110, Canton Jyl Craven Hair Design (770) 345-9411, www.jylcraven.com

1

Salon Gloss (678) 483-8900, www.SalonGloss.biz 220 Chamber Street, Woodstock

50

Home Improvement/Repair & Service

Cleaning Services Noble Services (770) 363-0303 www.nobleservicesga.com

19

A-1 Concrete Leveling (770) 591-6500, www.A1Atlanta.net

19

Exact Comfort Air Cond. & Heating, Inc. 17 (770) 912-0552, www.exactcomfort.com

Computers Inside Back

Fountain View Dentistry (770) 926-0000 www.fountainviewsmiles.com 1816 Eagle Drive, Bldg. 200, Suite A

37

7

69

Cherokee Custom Script Pharmacy 24 (770) 704-6161 2260 Holly Springs Parkway, Suite 180 www.cherokeecustomrx.com Courtney Sinclair, MD 24 (770) 720-4100 310 Paper Trail Way, Suite 109, Canton Northside Hospital – Cherokee (770) 720-5100, 201 Hospital Road, Canton www.northside.com

13

Towne Lake Primary Care Cover, 34, 35 100 Stoneforest Drive, Suite 220, Woodstock (678) 445-0819 www.townelakeprimarycare.com Wellstar (770) 956-STAR Photographers Cherished Moments by Court Photography 19 (404) 966-3468 www.cmbcphotography.com Kim Bates Photography www.KimBatesPhotoArt.com

27

Ruffhouse Photography (770) 639-3146 www.ruffhousephotography.com

23

Real estate & related services Keller Williams, Kurt & Sheila Johnson Back Cover (404) 954-2486, (770) 874-6200 www.kurtandsheila.com

11

Plastic Surgery Center of the South 28 (770) 421-1242 www.plasticsurgerycenterofthesouth.net Shefa Wellness & Urgent Care Center 38,39 (678) 245-6244, www.shefawellness.com,

Canton Festival of the Arts Cherokee High School Fooball www.cherokeewarriorsfootball.com

sixes living | April 2013

5 13

Elm Street Cultural Arts Village 56 (678) 494-4251, www.elmstreetarts.org Envision Health Studio (770) 926-4180 envisionhealthstudio.com 101 Victoria N. Court, Woodstock Hunters Family Fun Day

13

3

Retailers Gifted Ferret, The 9 (770) 693-5889 www.TheGiftedFerret.com 1910 Eagle Drive, Woodstock Threads 9 (770) 485-0744 www.shopthreads.net

For Sixes Living advertising information, please contact Patty Ponder (770) 615-3322 or AroundAboutPatty@gmail.com. Advertising deadline is 15th of preceding month. 72

Inside Front

Recreation and Fitness

Northside Cherokee Pediatrics 7 (678) 388-5485 684 Sixes Road, Suite 220, Holly Springs

Education The Goddard School (770) 516-0880 3115 Parkbrooke Circle, Woodstock GoddardSchool.com

Cherokee County Animal Shelter (770) 345-7270 1015 Univeter Road, Canton Physicians and Medical Services

Spillane Orthodontics 1 (770) 928-4747 www.SpillaneOrtho.com 335 Parkway 575, Suite 200, Woodstock Werner Pediatric Dentistry of Woodstock 17 (678) 224-5722 www.ChildrensDentistWoodstock.com 250 Parkbrooke Place Suite 250, Woodstock Williams Orthodontics (770) 592-5554 145 Towne Lake Pkwy, Suite 201, Woodstock (770) 345-4155 205 Waleska Road, Suite 1A, Canton www.DrWilliamsOrthodontics.com

Lawn Smith 19 (678) 445-4283, wwwlawnsmithinc.net Pet/Veterinarian Services & Supplies

Dentists/Orthodontists

www.shefaurgentcare.com 2000 Village Professional Dr. Suite 200, Canton Thomas Eye Group 53 149 Towne Lake Pkwy., Suite 102 (770) 928-4544, www.thomaseye.com

Health & Beauty

Automotive

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