Feb/Mar 2011 Effingham Magazine

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FAMILY MEDICINE Effingham Family Medicine Offers Four Convenient Locations with a Team of Experienced and Professional Providers s Adult Acute Care: Injury Evaluation & Referrals s Annual Employment Physicals Effingham s #ANCER 3Creenings Family Medicine s #HILDren & Pediatrics Port Wentworth s $Ermatology & Lesion Biopsies 7306 Highway 21, Suite 105 s 'Eriatric Care 912-966-2575 s -ANagement of Acute Springfield 1451 Highway 21 South, Suite H & ChrONIC $ISEASE 912-754-1035 s 3POrTS 3chool Physicals Rincon s Women’s Health 100 Goshen Road 912-826-6000

800 Towne Park Dr., Suite 100 912-826-0052

H O S P I TA L

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GROWING WITH YOU

www.EffinghamHealth.org If you are in need of financial assistance for medical care, you may be eligible for free or discounted care through our Helping Hands Assistance program. Visit our website for information.

Š2010 Heidt Burns Real Estate. All Rights Reserved.

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features

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Underground Skating

Local skateboard makers want to spread the word about art and what skating means to them.

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Kacy Tedder tells a heart-warming story of the importance of dog adoption through her published book.

Sherry Sanford shares her 90-day journey around the world, most of which she traveled by herself.

For Sarah and Chris Lewis, getting married truly was a dream come true.

Fly Sally Fly

Around The World

Dream Wedding

departments 07 Publisher’s Thoughts 09 Editor’s Letter 35 Health & Wellness

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Sara Beasley shares her story of cancer recovery Effingham Hospital Coastal Empire Plastic Surgery Estrea Savannah Speech & Hearing Dentistry @ Godley Station Rincon Recovery Georgia Foot & Ankle

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Carter’s Pharmacy Hamby Chiropractic ENT Chatham Oral Bodyworks Towne Lake Dental Wiley’s

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James R. Presnell, Broker

Alicia Howe

Elaine Sherrod, Asst. Office Manager

Barbara Sharpe

Brandi Talton, Office Manager

James Neidlinger

Jennifer Rabon

Sue Anderson Agent of the Year

Stephanie Casey

Sonja Anderson

Sherry Murphy, Property Manager

Erv Bordner

Cynthia Parker

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We Were # In LIstIngs & saLes In effIngham County for 2010

Coldwell Banker Wishes Our Community Much Luck & Success Throughout The Year!

The Leader In The Effingham Market More Choices For Buyers & Sellers!

Coldwell Banker Intercoastal Realty 5805 Hwy 21 S, Rincon, GA 31326 912-826-0927 • 877-826-0926 INTERCOASTAL REALTY www.rinconcoldwellbanker.com

Skip Floyd

Bob Wargo

Crystal Sanchez

Bridgette Caldwell

Paul Bunch

Jan Manior

Jerry Shaufelberger

READER’S Respo n s e

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Dear Editor, First, may I say thank you for the wonderful exposure that United Way has received in the Effingham Magazine. Your last edition was remarkable in promoting the numerous United Way funded programs right here in Effingham County.

Of course you are aware that each year United Way embarks on a fundraising campaign to gather financial contributions from individuals, businesses, and industries. Success of the campaign depends a great deal on the leadership.

The leader must represent an outstanding and accomplished community-minded individual. They should have unblemished character and a personality which can adapt to any situation. Other assets we look for when selecting a campaign chair person is someone who is business savvy and truly connected with the community.

They need to be motivational, focused, and it is essential that they be highly compassionate about helping others.

In 2010 we were so very fortunate to have someone volunteer to be the United Way Effingham Campaign Chairperson.

She exemplified ALL of the qualities

we look for in a campaign leader. That individual was Julie Hales, owner and publisher of the Effingham Magazine.

Julie serves on our United Way – Effingham Advisory Board and has worked on the campaign in previous years in other capacities. She took command of the 2010 United Way campaign in May. At the end of the campaign Julie’s volunteer time to United Way and the community tallied up to be more than 275 hours.

She worked diligently with United Way staff and other advisory board members to formulate her plan of action.

Following a triumphant campaign kick-off in September Julie never looked back!

Reaching our campaign goal weeks before the conclusion she challenged all of the volunteers to continue working.

Her optimistic spirit and her strong desire to make a difference in the lives of those we serve pushed us to raise more than $41,000 over our goal! This was the highest amount ever raised in Effingham County for United Way. Understanding the economic downturn with job layoffs, reduction of work hours, and slow business just being able to reach our $270,000 goal would have been

considered a wonderful accomplishment.

Thank you Effingham County and Thank You Julie!

United Way – Effingham Advisory Board Members and Staff Dear Todd: I want to thank you for the wonderful article you did on me in the December 2010/January 2011 edition of Effingham Magazine. Your photographs and Ray’s writing are an unbeatable combination!

I have received congratulatory calls from all over the county, from New York City to Los Angeles (apparently my niece spread the word about the article and that it was available online).

Todd, this is unquestionably the best Christmas present I have ever had and I will be forever grateful to you for making it happen. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday!

With best regards, Norman Blackwell

Story by RAY STEELE Photography by TODD WOOD

NORMAN BLACKWELL

He’s still a country boy from Clyo, but Norman Blackwell’s paintings are also the toast of big cities here and abroad

This particular painting of Norman Blackwell’s isn’t for sale. He isn’t sure anyone would want it anyway. It hangs six feet from the door of the home off a dirt road in Clyo that has been in his family for generations – he half-jokingly says “I’ve got the land grant from King George back here somewhere.” The stilllife depicts an ordinary, solid lavender vase on a table next to a multi-colored floral arrangement. Blackwell was 12 when he painted it.

“I couldn’t do that again,” he says.

Considering that you are completely surrounded by Blackwell’s other paintings when sitting inside his living room, the statement makes as much sense as Beethoven in his prime claiming he couldn’t write another note. When asked to explain, Blackwell’s reasoning is rooted in youth. “I was young when I painted it, and I love young people and teaching young people. They do so many great things because they aren’t old enough

to know they can’t do those things yet.” If that’s the case, Norman Blackwell must be the youngest 77-year-old on the planet.

Board Game The square is mostly yellow, with bits of black and red in a variety of geometric patterns. It is part acrylic paint, part fabric. Blackwell calls it “Board Game” because, well, it looks like a board game, something he might have played in his youth which, despite his family’s Effingham County heritage, did not begin here.

“I was born in Greensboro, North Carolina because my father was a salesman for International Correspondence Schools at the time,” says Blackwell, the youngest of Roy and Ruby Blackwell’s three children. That was December 9, 1933, the middle of the Depression that would soon send the family back to Georgia. “We moved back down here when I was two after my father lost his job.”

Norman Blackwell in front of an old rustic barn located on his property in Clyo. Blackwell uses the old barn to hang his works to be photographed.

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COMM E N T S : Laura DeBose Young Your magazine featured my daughters wedding in this month’s issue and we are so excited!! This is one of our favorite

features of your magazine! Every month we turn it right to the back of the magazine to see who got married. Since both of my daughters graduated from South Effingham High; they have known most of the bride and grooms and Jennifer and Joe are so proud to be the ones chosen for this month’s issue. Please continue to feature these Effingham brides and grooms as we are not the only ones who look forward to this section of the magazine. Thank You Effingham Magazine and Thank You Denise Gonzales!

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Effingham Magazine Thank you so much Laura for the kind words!The pictures are terrific!

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PUBLISHER’S Thoughts

On the Cover

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Jimmy McIntosh is spreading the word about art through his skateboards while contributing to the community.

Cover Photo by Todd Wood

Connect with us on Facebook. Be the first to know what is going on with Effingham Magazine and what new and exciting things we are working on.

Become a fan today.

Excitement for 2011 The new year has gotten started with a bang. I cannot believe we are already into February. The time has certainly flown by!

It won’t be long now until we are experiencing the beauty of spring. I, for one, can’t wait. I am ready for some warmer weather and the opportunity to spend some time outdoors enjoying my family and friends.

I am also looking forward to the new and exciting things that will be happening in our community. Soon we will be into March, and able to enjoy the very first “Taste of Effingham.” This event has been put together by our Chamber of Commerce. They have secured around 20 vendors for this event.

It will be held on March 3rd at the Recreation Department gym in Springfield.

Then, we will be into the month of April, which brings us another exciting event in our county. Olde Effingham Days will be held in Springfield the weekend of April 16th. This has proven to be a great event for the residents of our county.

There will be plenty there to showcase the rich history of this great community we live in. The Living History Site will be open all day for all to enjoy….games for the kids…..a true family day of fun.

There will be great local entertainment, plenty of good food and arts and crafts. The Springfield Merchants Association Julie Hales, Publisher is sponsoring a Car and Motorcycle show on that Saturday, and the Swinging Medallions will be back on Saturday night to wow the crowd with their talents.

This past year, Effingham had its very first Oktoberfest. The event turned out to be fantastic. I can’t wait to see what the Chamber is putting together for this year’s event. We will definitely keep you posted as we learn the plans for this year’s Oktoberfest.

As we go through the year, you will also see some new and exciting things we have in store for the magazine. We have some wonderful issues planned for 2011.

You will see some new and exciting layouts as Todd has been diligently working on some great new ideas. You will begin to see them in our next issue as we will have a great special on “Portraits of Effingham Business.” If you own or manage a business in this community, you should give us a call to see how you can be a part of it!

Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 07

CONTRIBUTORS Peter Chiem pulling a trick as Noah McIntosh watches from atop the skateboard ramp.

-Photo By TODD WOOD

Katie Turner

Ray Steele

Katie is a freelance writer and Effingham County native who enjoys meeting new and interesting people. She earned her English degree at Georgia Southern University, and caught the travel bug while studying abroad in Costa Rica, where she received a minor in Spanish. After college, she worked briefly in Yellowstone National Park, where she enjoyed hiking and photographing the scenery and the wildlife. She is always up for visiting new places, but she loves the south and is proud to call Effingham her home.

Ray Steele thought he wanted to be Howard Cosell when he grew up. Instead, he played radio for 15 years as a newscaster and talk show host before becoming a writer. Ray is also a commercial voice artist and is the host of “The Johnny Mercer Hit Parade� on WSEG-AM (Star 1400). A lifelong baseball nut, Ray has spent the last two seasons as P.A. Announcer for the Savannah Sand Gnats. He is usually surrounded by women, his wife Jen, two daughters, and two female cats, at their home in Guyton.

Barbara Russell

Barbara Russell is a freelance writer and photographer, and in the past she was a high school English teacher and a flight attendant. Always an avid horse person and riding instructor, she enjoys writing for equine publications and she is writing a young adult novel about horses. For several years she wrote feature stories and a history column for Effingham CloseUp, and she has been published in a variety of magazines.

Currently she enjoys writing for Independence Day Publishing. Interviewing local people and having the opportunity to retell their unique stories is her passion.

Leslie Chavez

Leslie Chavez is a wife and mother of two amazing kiddos. She is married to husband, Jorge, who has made a wonderful impact on her life. Her daughter, Alexia, is 10 and is in the 5th grade. Her son, Caden, is almost 6, and in 1st grade. She homeschools both of them and she loves every minute of it, even the trying ones, she says with a chuckle. In her spare time, she loves to exercise, water-ski, and participate in family activities. She also enjoys writing, baking and making wedding and specialty cakes as a hobby. Writing is a passion for Leslie, and she hopes to continue on this path.

FREELANCE JOURNALISTS We are now accepting resumes, writing samples and portfolios for freelance writers and photographers. If you are a writer or photographer looking to get published, this is a wonderful opportunity to have over 36,000 see your work. Please email all resumes, portfolios and samples, or links to websites to todd@idpmagazines.com

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EDITOR’S Letter

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February/March 2011 Julie Hales owner/publisher julie@idpmagazines.com Todd Wood managing editor todd@idpmagazines.com Lynnette Tuck sales manager lynnette@idpmagazines.com Allison Arnsdorff account executive allison@idpmagazines.com Lane Gallegos graphic design lane@idpmagazines.com Penny Redmond distribution

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to Effingham Magazine by submitting a check and subscription information form found in every issue. You may also subscribe by calling (912)826-2760.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Write to us and tell us what you think. Effingham Magazine welcomes all letters to the editor. Please send all letters via email to Todd Wood at todd@idpmagazines.com Letters to the editor must have a phone number and name of contact. Phone numbers will not be published.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS Effingham Magazine welcomes story ideas from our readers. If you have a story idea, or photo essay you would like to share, please submit ideas and material by emailing Todd Wood at todd@idpmagazines.com All articles and photos will be reviewed by the editor, and if the articles and accompanying photos meet the criteria of Independence Day Publishing, Inc., the person submitting the material will be contacted. Stories or ideas for stories must be submitted by email. Only feature stories and photo essays about people, places or things in Effingham County will be considered.

CALENDAR SECTION We’re looking for your information about clubs, organizations, events and meetings. For events in April/May 2011, copy must be submitted by March 16, 2011. Please email all copy to todd@ idpmagazines.com.

Effingham Magazine is published bimonthly by Independence Day Publishing, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part in any manner without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Effingham Magazine 108 International Drive Rincon, GA 31326 (912) 826-2760

Pinpointing A Social Networking Opportunity

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’m going to pick up right where Julie left off with her letter. If you own or manage a business in this community, you should give us a call to see how you can be a part of what is going to be one of the most excellent community business networking projects ever.

In a time when relaying important business information to the consumer is so important, so too is relaying the message from business to business.

We are creating an issue that business owners, managers and aspiring entrepreneurs will find both fun, interesting and most of all, informative.

The collaborative process of coming up with an issue that would greatly benefit business owners first came to us years ago. Over those years, we have spoke with many business owners to identify what they would like to see in the magazine and we were able to pinpoint a social networking opportunity that will hopefully spawn even more great projects and ultimately your participation.

In the three and a half years I have been working at this magazine, we have run numerous special advertising sections. Those sections were always well received by our readers which in turn means our faithful advertisers were rewarded.

In coming issues, and especially the April/May issue, you will notice our attention to the importance of business networking in Effingham County.

This community is so unlike many other suburb communities in that we are very proud of our schools, neighborhoods and small businesses. We are also now happy to be the home of multiple world-wide and nation-wide franchises who’ve researched and pinpointed Effingham County as a great place to set up shop.

With the I-95 corridor literally a stone’s throw away, we will likely continue to see more of this type of growth so long as we stick together and support each other, and that is what this new section is all about.

With it’s rich history, and today’s innovators, Effingham County has become a highly sought after place to live and work. Won’t you join us in celebrating this. Call us today to find out how to be all you can be to your county!

-Todd Wood, Editor

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UNDERGROUND Photos by TODD WOOD

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SKATEBOARDING

cover Skateboarding story

Story by RAY STEELE

Skateboard-makers Jimmy McIntosh and Jeremy Dyches consider themselves artists.

They’d like a local place to display that art, as well as show the public that skaters are fine young men and women.

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Jimmy McIntosh watches as Effingham County skateboarder Peter Chiem pulls a trick on a skate ramp in Beaufort, South Carolina. Underground’s skate team must travel to Beaufort, Hilton Head or Richmond Hill to practice skating on ramps and rails.

ith ESPN’s X-Games almost two decades old and similar events popping up on TV virtually every day, skateboarding is almost as mainstream these days as football or basketball. But for Jeremy Dyches and Jimmy McIntosh, skateboarding goes much deeper than what they sometimes see as the superficiality of the televised product. They are using their Underground Skateboard and Clothing Company, AKA the garage of Jimmy’s home in Rincon to prove it.

“It’s still underground here,” Jeremy explains, meaning you don’t see a tremendous number of guys and gals skateboarding around Effingham County and the surrounding area. That was one reason Jeremy named his business Underground Clothing Company when he started it. “I wanted it to represent skating at it used to be, back when I started skating.”

That was in California, where Dyches grew up skating and surfing along the Pacific Coast. It is also where, at age 17, he designed his first clothing line geared for his people, and though he says he eventually got bored with it, the itch to produce products for surfers and skaters must have stayed with him when he moved east. “I joined the Coast Guard and ended up being stationed in Savannah,” Dyches says, “and pretty soon, I wanted to get back into the business again.”

Some six months after Underground Clothing Company was born, a fortuitous trip to the swimming pool in Jimmy McIntosh’s subdivision would take Jeremy’s company in a dramatically different direction. “We were at the pool at Lost Plantation,” McIntosh says of their chance meeting in the summer of 2008. “A guy who knew I loved skateboarding knew this guy Jeremy who was making these shirts, so he introduced us. Jeremy found out I had an art degree and was in web design, he said he was looking for someone to help him develop his website. One thing led to another, and pretty soon we were in business together.”

McIntosh, like Dyches a skater since his youth, moved here from Jacksonville, Florida after getting a job with the Savannah office of Great Dane Trailers. Like his partner, he missed the days when skateboarding wasn’t commonplace. “I got into skating because I was never good at team sports,” McIntosh says. “Skateboarding allowed me to compete not just with others, but also with myself. It allowed me to learn that, when you fall down, you get back up and keep trying. It taught me how to face my fears, and it really boosted my confidence.”

Pretty soon, the focus of Underground shifted from the clothes skateboarders wore to what they skated on. “I’ll never forget when

Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 11

“They still categorize skaters as destructive, disrespectful, sloppy people who don’t care, and that just isn’t true. We’re about building the community. We’re about supporting the art scene, and most of all, we’re about showing people that skateboarding is a positive way of life.”

Otherwise, a skater from Effingham I screen printed my first board,” Dyches says, “I thought, ‘man this is so cool’, has to drive to Beaufort, Savannah, or and we eventually decided that’s what Richmond Hill to find a skate park, and we wanted to focus the business on.” the Underground guys say that just isn’t Hence the current name, Underground right. “The biggest misconception about Skateboard and Clothing, skateboard skaters,” McIntosh says, “is that they are emphasized. “We still do clothing,” lazy and, especially that they are vandals.”

McIntosh says, “but we focus mainly on Part of this reputation stems from the designing and screen printing the decks vandalizing of the old skate park at the for boards.”

Richmond Hill Recreation Park, which They focus on those decks at the home McIntosh says came from non-skaters. of their business – McIntosh’s house. “We Underground helped host a fundraiser started out in my living room and then to create the new Ozzy Skate Park on the moved to my garage when we ran out of Richmond Hill Recreation Park grounds.

“A lot of people, especially in room,” McIntosh says. McIntosh comes up with most of the designs for their small towns,” Dyches says, “don’t view boards, though the company does accept skateboarding as having a positive submissions from other artists and, from influence on young people. They time to time, will hold contests to find still categorize skaters as destructive, new designs. Dyches, meanwhile, says disrespectful, sloppy, people who don’t his specialty is marketing the company care, and that just isn’t true.” Sure, they and the skating lifestyle. “I love to talk. I say, being a skater is about being a freelove to push the Underground brand, to spirit, individualistic, and this is evidenced introduce skaters to the brand, and I know in some of the art work that shows up on that once we get them, they’ll keep coming Above - Peter Chiem catching more air. their skateboard decks – a defiant raised back because of the quality of the product Below - Noah McIntosh finishing a move on the fist is one prominent feature of some of same ramp. that Underground puts out.” their boards. But, Dyches adds, “We’re uality is an emphasis especially about building the community. We’re since, in Dyches’s opinion, the about supporting the art scene, and most explosion of skateboarding of all, we’re about showing people that onto the national scene has led to some skateboarding is a positive way of life.” company’s producing what he and hile they work on their goal of McIntosh consider inferior products. “We a safe skate park close to home, still screen print all of our boards, every Jimmy and Jeremy continue one of them. We don’t do heat transfers to promote skating and the art of making (of images or artwork). Anyone can do a a skate board whenever and wherever heat transfer.” Dyches says their smallthey can. While you can buy their gear shop-out-of-a-garage reality is part of their at a pair of shops nearby, Woody’s in old-school “underground” mentality. “It’s Savannah and Soco in Beaufort, they do not something thrown together because most of their business at their web site, we know it will sell, it is art that contains undergroundskateboards.com, and a good influences in our lives and our style. chunk of their marketing via Facebook.

It represents a lifestyle as well as our They are also looking for new design talent experiences, and hopefully it will connect through their upcoming Blood, Sweat, with someone else who says “I get this.” and Board art show in March, where the Something else Jeremy and Jimmy grand prize is a limited production run of would like to get, or help get, is a safe place skateboard decks featuring the best art for Effingham County skaters to perfect design.

Sure, they’d like to see as many people their craft and display the Underground, or other, art work. There is one, small safe skating as possible, but if skateboarding place as of now – Jimmy’s house. “A lot of is to be mainstream, the Underground skaters in the neighborhood come over here because they know I Skateboard and Clothing guys want it to be on their terms, and have a ramp at the house, and they can pick out a board from the they plan on being around a long time to see it happen. “We garage if they need to,” McIntosh says. Indeed it is also where don’t think we will ever perfect the skateboard,” Dyches says, McIntosh’s own kids are learning to skate. “but we’ll sure have fun trying.”

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Fine Gifts & Jewelry Paula Duggar, owner of Milano Fine Gifts & Jewelry, welcomes Dennis and Morgan Webb. Dennis will be providing custom jewelry design & repair at Milano. Dennis has worked in Effingham County in the jewelry industry for 40 years. He is a Graduate Gemologist of The Gemological Institute of America. Dennis specializes in sizing, prong work, stone replacement, remount, and custom design work.

He provides insurance and estate appraisals, and engraving.

Morgan will be managing Milano and assisting clients with wedding and special event essentials, wedding invitations, tuxedo rentals, jewelry design and repair, and event coordinating. I am thrilled to have Dennis and Morgan join my team. Dennis and Morgan are a great match for Milano Fine Gifts & Jewelry.

Where Memories Begin Now opeN

next to Glaze Beauty Boutique & Day Spa

Your Personalized Gift Shop

• wedding Gifts • Designer Fashion Jewelry • wedding Accessories • Bridesmaid Gifts • Groomsmen Gifts • Fine Jewelry Design, Repair and Appraisal

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AUTHOR PROFILE kacy tedder

Sally’s Story

An Unwanted Dog Finds A Forever Home.

• Story by BARBARA W. RUSSELL Photo Opposite Page by TODD WOOD ••

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acy Tedder knew that Sally’s story had to be told. It wasn’t the story of just another pet adoption. It was the story of an unwanted dog that had the least chance of being adopted, and the parallel story of all the people who were involved in making a seemingly impossible adoption take place. Kacy’s book Fly, Sally, Fly, tells the true story of a special dog named Sally.

The story was important to Kacy. Ever since she was a little girl, she has loved dogs, and she has wanted to help make a difference in their lives. Although she has owned several dogs, she had not found her ‘niche’ with them until she and her husband moved to Effingham a couple of years ago. “I wanted to help care for unwanted dogs,” she said, “and I wanted to make a difference in my own community.”

The Effingham County Animal Shelter provided her with that opportunity.

“When we moved here from Atlanta I met Pat Manser, “ said Kacy. “She was a volunteer at the animal shelter, and she needed help transporting animals.” Kacy told me that very few of the dogs that get adopted are adopted locally.

There is a huge nationwide network of dog lovers who constantly work together trying to place neglected and abused dogs into forever homes. “For instance,” said Kacy, “if a rescue in Atlanta said they would take a dog from our shelter, we had

to get it there. My husband and I took a Labrador to Atlanta, so that’s how I started out getting involved.”

Pat had started out volunteering by helping to place unwanted Golden Retrievers, as they are her favorite breed.

If a dog was even part Golden Retriever, she would contact the Golden Retriever rescues across the country in hopes that they would be adopted.

“As Pat worked hard to

14 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

place unwanted dogs, (of many breeds), she made many contacts and started getting more and more dogs out,” said Kacy.

Now Pat goes to the shelter several days a week and takes pictures of the unwanted dogs and identifies breeds. She then contacts other rescues who might be able to place them.

She includes pictures and as much information as she can about the dogs. For example,

sometimes the dogs have been heartworm tested, or temper (temperament) tested. “She probably gets 100 to 200 dogs out of our shelter every year,” said Kacy.

Kacy is an English teacher at Effingham High School and she has a two year old son, so her time for volunteering is limited, but her passion to help the unwanted dogs is not. She helps whenever and however she can, but she mainly concentrates her efforts with a couple of breeds that are special to her. “I love the ‘bully breeds,’” she said, “and the German Shepherds, so I email out to those rescues, and Pat does the rest.”

Her love and knowledge of these breeds comes from her personal experience, as she has owned both, and she currently has a half pit bull named Brian that she rescued from Effingham’s animal shelter.

“Pit bulls are a misunderstood breed,” she said. “They’ve gotten a bad rap because of the dog fights, but they’re really a gentle breed. In the early 1900’s, they were called ‘nanny dogs,’ because they were protective of children.”

Many are still protective of children, and Kacy’s dog Brian is proof of that. “One night Brian kept trying to make my husband and me get up,” she said. “My infant son, Josiah, was sleeping in his crib. Brian kept nudging us, trying to get us up, and then he would go and sit by the baby’s door.

Kacy Tedder at the Effingham County Animal shelter where this mother dog awaits adoption.

Kacy’s website for her book is: kacyallentedder.tateauthor.com Her book can be bought in Rincon at the following stores: SweetPeas, Teach Right and Johnsons On 4th.

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Brian was adamant. He finally got us up, and when we went in there, Josiah had been sick in the crib and he had a high fever.”

Although Kacy worked hard to place the ‘bully dogs’ that she loves, it was a frustrating avenue that constantly led to dead ends.

“Never could we get pit bulls out,” she said with dismay. “They’re overpopulated. There are just so many.” But regardless of the bleak future for unwanted pit bulls, Kacy continued her efforts to try to place them.

When a pit bull named Sally came into the shelter she had little chance of being adopted – not only because she was a pit bull, but also because she was black. “Black dogs have the lowest rate of adoption,” says Kacy.

Sally’s life had been a tough one. She had been neglected and abused, but it was not believed that she had been used for fighting because she had no aggression. She had been used for breeding, and she came in with a litter of ten puppies. Although she was tired and hungry herself, she took meticulous care of them. They were adopted out one by one, and with her puppies gone, Sally was left to her fate.

An inmate who worked at the shelter saw that Sally had a lot of good things about her: she was a good mother to her pups, she was really good with people, and she was really good with other dogs.

Other people who worked at the shelter also realized what a good dog she was - fortunately for Sally, the shelter had fallen in love with her.

Kacy said that the inmate who noticed Sally’s good temperament took the initiative to do some training with her. A good friend of Pat’s, who is an animal behaviorist, had volunteered her time to come from Savannah to show him how to train abused dogs. She taught him that with positive reinforcement and reward that you

could rehabilitate an animal. He worked with training Sally, and soon she was ready for a forever home.

Pat began emailing to animal rescue contacts all over the country, but no one seemed interested in rescuing Sally, until finally, after several days, good news came. A rescue in Fairlawn, New Jersey that is called, A Second Chance at Life, committed to taking Sally and finding a forever home for her.

Although Sally’s future now looked bright, getting her to New Jersey would take a lot of planning, work, money and volunteers.

Her transportation would be a challenge, as they had never had to transport a rescue that far.

“So we started networking some more,” said Kacy. “It’s all about networking. Animal rescuing is all about many, many volunteers, and some of us never meet. By no means is it just me or just Pat. When it comes to rescue, overall it’s a number of people.”

Before she could travel, Sally had to get updated on her necessary shots, and to cover the costs of the veterinarian bills Pat and others held garage sales. Part of Sally’s transport to New Jersey would be in a private plane, and the volunteers also raised money to purchase an expensive special harness for Sally to wear during this part of her trip.

Several volunteers were needed to transport Sally, and her journey would include riding in three cars, a truck, and an airplane.

When the day came for Sally to begin her trip to New Jersey, she jumped onto the back seat of Pat’s car and slept comfortably on a patchwork blanket that Pat had made for Sally to take with her. Pat drove Sally to South Carolina where they met with another

Continued on Page 25

EFFINGHAM COUNTY DRY WASTE COLLECTION SITE 2750 COURTHOUSE RD. THE HOURS OF OPERATION ARE: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (closed on county holidays) THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT A CHARGE OF $160.00 PER TON (OR .08 CENTS PER POUND): (Price per ton subject to change per fiscal year budget) yard trimmings, concrete, brick, cured asphalt furniture, mattresses, old household items construction/remodeling debris textiles or other dry waste Tires are accepted and charged per the size of the tire THE FOLLOWING RECYCLABLES ARE ACCEPTED AT NO CHARGE: metal (including washers, dryers, grills, bicycles, aluminum, steel, etc.)

METAL MUST BE CLEAN OF DEBRIS SUCH AS WOOD OR CONCRETE!! Metal with debris will be charged .04 cent/lb. paper, phone books, magazines, cardboard, newspaper cell phones and rechargeable batteries, automobile batteries inkjet/toner cartridges **NO HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE (KITCHEN OR BATHROOM WASTE) OR ITEMS THAT CONTAIN OR PRODUCE ANY LIQUID WASTE WILL BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE SECURELY BAG YOUR HOUSEHOLD TRASH AND PLACE IN YOUR 90 GALLON CARTS TO DISPOSE OF THESE ITEMS AT THE CURBSIDE BY 7:00 a.m. ON YOUR COLLECTION DAY.

For more information, please contact the Effingham County Sanitation Department at # 754-4668, option 6

16 February/March 2011 |Effingham Magazine

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Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 17

Travel On A Budget Story by BARBARA W. RUSSELL Photo by TODD WOOD

Around the World in 90 Days Sherry Sanford travels alone, and finds helpful companions along her journey.

“I’ve always been a wanderer,” said Sherry Sanford of Rincon. “I’ve traveled to the South Pacific and Cancun, but that was ‘before kids’.” Since then she’s raised three ‘kids,’ worked for the Department of Natural Resources for 16 years, and survived cancer for 8 years. “Several years ago I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. I thought about traveling, and I wanted to do it while I was healthy.”

The seed to travel around the world was planted when she talked with her brother, Steve, about his travels. “He had traveled around the world in the 1970’s when Pan American Airlines had a special ‘around the world’ ticket offer of $1,500.

As he spoke, I wondered, Do they still have those?” Sherry discovered that there is a website called Around the World that has similar tickets for less than $2,000, but their agendas were too confining for her. If she were to travel around the world, she wanted to be able to make spontaneous decisions.

“The seed germinated for the next year or so, and I did plenty of research,” she said. “Without the internet, my trip would have been a lot different, or maybe not have happened at all. I filled a notebook full of the places I wanted to go, and after hundreds of searches on the web, I found everything I needed to plan a trip. Finally, I determined which direction I would take….east….to Europe and then on to China, and I went from the Arctic Circle to practically the equator.

“Web sites were so helpful in the

18 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

Sherry Sanford set out on a journey that would span the circumferance of the earth from the Artic Circle to the Equator.

Tips for Aspiring World Travelers Passports and Visas Passport applications are available at passport agencies in major U.S. cities, at post offices and online (travel.state.gov).

Your passport will take about six weeks to process.

Money Will you be staying in five-star hotels, renting apartments, or using hostels? What types of foods will you be eating? Will you be fine dining, or will you be eating in cafe’s and pubs? Whatever you plan to do, you’ll need to access money as you travel.

Keep most of your money at home in your bank account. ATMs offer the best exchange rates and are available worldwide - the Visa/ Plus network is the most widely available (121 countries), followed by MasterCard/ Cirrus (105 countries).

Travel insurance Most insurance companies offer travelers insurance. The money spent on insurance is well worth the piece of mind alone. Check with your insurance companies for rates Weather and what to Pack Go online and study the weather patterns for the regions you will be visiting.

Language Amazingly enough, many countries have both their native language as well as English

planning stages as-well-as while I traveled. On virtualtourist.com, I looked at comments other travelers made, and that’s how I decided where I would stay.”

Planning her itinerary was exciting,

on most travel signs. However, it would come in very handy if you had a book for basic translation.

Food Stay away from raw foods and veggies. Eat only meats and seafood that you have seen prepared before you. Drink only water that has been boiled, bottled or purified. Be careful not to drink even small amounts of shower water.

Eat yogurt. Yogurt contains live bacteria, which helps prevent stomach problems.

Safeguarding your gear Keep your money in several different places on you. Keep your bags locked. Keep your identification on you at all times.

Avoiding Scams and Safety If a situation does not feel right, avoid it.

Example: if you are approached by someone asking if you have dropped something that is not yours, do not stop, keep moving in avoidance. Be aware. Avoid drinking heavy amounts of alcohol. You are more easily targeted if you are noticeably intoxicated.

Good Websites To Visit Before Traveling http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_ pa_tw_1168.html http://www.worldtraveltips.net http://www.hostels.com http://www.virtualtourist,com

but “How could I afford it?” she asked herself. “In order to save money I gave up my apartment and lived in a studio for awhile. I trimmed down all extra living expenses.

Sherry’s camera phone captures.

“Sometimes I didn’t think I would be able to pull it off, but my friend, Dianne, encouraged me to make it happen. She said, ‘If anyone can do it, Sherry, you can!’”

Her friend was right.

To be able to travel for three months, Sherry took an extended vacation from her job with the Department of Natural Resources. “A benefit of being a union person with a state budget was that I got time off instead of annual raises,” she said, “so I stockpiled paid-time-off, and I saved my vacation times.

“Once I actually launched on my trip, I lived paycheck-to-paycheck, just like at home. Automatic deposits went into my checking account every two weeks, and I took out the money via worldwide ATM’s.

I had a budget of $100 a day to cover all my expenses, including transportation.”

Her daughter, Samantha, wanted to go with her, but she could only take a two week vacation. They decided that they would travel together for the first two weeks, then Sherry would travel alone.

Purchasing discount airfares were next on the agenda, and on September 9, 2008 Sherry’s world travel adventure began.

At 4 p.m., she and her daughter boarded a plane in Chicago, and at 10am British time, they arrived in London..

“I wanted this to be a trip that my daughter would never forget,” said Sherry, “and I wanted her to visit as many countries and continents as possible in those two weeks.”

They didn’t waste any time. As soon as they arrived in London, they took a bus to Salisbury and then a taxi to Stonehenge where they marveled at the huge upright stone slabs at the prehistoric ceremonial ruin. They also enjoyed seeing the many houses in England that still have thatched roofs. “They look like something out of a Harry Potter movie,” Sherry said.

Before their first day was over they were on a plane headed for Spain. Their second day’s adventure was to see The Rock of Gibraltar, and it did turn into quite an adventure when Sherry was attacked by a wild ape. On the Rock of Gibraltar, the Barbary Apes are indigenous to the area. “They are wild and you don’t mess with them, because they’ll bite and stuff,” said Sherry. “We were told not to have anything plastic because they’ll think they are treats or

snacks. I didn’t realize that on the back of my back pack I had a bedroll that was in a plastic thing. I set it down and this ape came up and he grabs my bag. Here I am struggling with this ape to get my back pack back. I had to fight him off of it!”

From there they went to the tip of Africa, to Tangier, Morocco, and they had another unplanned adventure. “Morocco was a very uncomfortable place for me because the culture is so different. There are women begging on the street. That’s how they make their money, by helping travelers, but they would get right up in your face. It was creepy.

“We had to pick up a hotel voucher at a ticket agency called Marco Polo, but we couldn’t find it because everything was called Marco Polo. We were tired and stressed, and the people were making fun of us. We finally found the place, but I hadn’t had a chance to change the money. So I left my daughter there and I went to find a money changer machine. I found one, but it didn’t work, so I found another one, but I didn’t know how much I needed, so I just got as much as I could.

We finally got to our hotel and it was wonderful.”

Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 19

They continued their tour by flying back to Spain, and began touring the European countries via their Euro rail passes. “We spent a lot of time in the south of Spain,” said Sherry, “then we took a train from Madrid to Paris. From Paris we went to Amsterdam, then down through Germany to Luxemburg, Belgium then back to London.”

Together they visited two continents and six countries in two weeks. They had a couple of adventures and learned a lot about world cultures. They visited a friend who has a restaurant in Amsterdam, learned how to use a local laundramat in Paris, and shopped at a British dollar store called a ‘pound shop’. They also had their personal comfort zones challenged when they stayed in a ‘mixed hostel’ where the men and women slept on bunks in the same room. It was a trip they wouldn’t forget.

The two weeks came to an end, and Samantha flew back to America. Sherry was looking forward to more experiences “….and I continued on,” she said.

“I had some days left on my Euro rail pass, so I got out the book and said, ‘Where can I go?’ so I took it (the train) all the way up to Sweden, and then all the way up to the Arctic Circle in Norway.

Then I traveled down to Germany, then Switzerland and Vienna, Austria, then I took the train down to Rome, then to Milan, then to the French Riviera, then to Florence and Naples, and I went to the ruins of Pompeii. I took a ferry to Greece, then flew from Athens to Hong Kong.

In each European country and city, Sherry enjoyed taking tours and exploring history. She toured miles of underground catacombs where the bones of 6 million bodies are stacked from floor to ceiling, she climbed a volcano, and she enjoyed the Roman ruins.

On her limited budget, Sherry ate as inexpensively as she could. Sometimes she bought fresh fruit at an open air market, or sampled a local cuisine, but she always kept an eye out for an Irish bar. “Every Irish bar always had a spread of food,” she said. “I’d buy one Guinness and enjoy their version of Happy Hour!”

Sometimes she’d eat at a McDonald’s because there would always be fellow Americans there, and they had free restrooms.

“With the Euro rail pass you have to do overnight trains to get the most of your value,” she said. “I spent a period of time constantly on the train. I mean, I slept, I

20 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

ate, I lived on that train.”

Euro trains don’t have sleeping bunks or compartments: Sherry slept sitting up in her seat. There is no food sold on the train: Sherry carried food with her. There were friendly travelers to talk to: some were fellow tourists and some were locals, and they frequently shared travel food, and travel tips, and sometimes kindness.

When Sherry was on a train from Copenhagen to Vienna, she made friends with a local woman named Julie. Sherry’s travel book said that she would have to change train stations, and she was worried that she might miss the train since there was not much time allowed and she did not know how to get there. “I told Julie that I was confused,” she said.

“Julie got off the train with me, and she took me to a trolley. She got on the trolley with me and she paid for it, and when we got to the stop at the station she made sure I got to the train on time. I call her ‘my little angel’.

“I always felt safe while traveling,” she said. “Military presence is all over Europe.

At the boarders, the military would get on the trains with machine guns, and they’d take suspicious passengers off the train.

You’d see them being questioned, and they wouldn’t get back on.”

When she wasn’t sleeping on a train, Sherry spent the night in hostels, which are very inexpensive lodgings that are located throughout the world. When she was planning her trip, she felt a bit uneasy about staying in them because she didn’t know what to expect. Would they be dirty….or dangerous? She researched hostels on the internet at hostelworld. com, and decided that: “As long as they are cheap, I’ll stay at them,” and she was pleasantly surprised. Sherry stayed in many different hostels. “They were all clean and comfortable, except for one in Milan,” she said, “and fellow travelers are a wealth of information.” The rates at hostels are very inexpensive, some as low as $10. Breakfast is included, and every hostel has an internet connection and computers to use.

In the third month of her travels, Sherry was headed for Hong Kong. “I knew the expanse of China, and I planned to stay there for the entire month,” she said. She wanted to visit China’s many ancient ruins and archeological digs, but she was a bit apprehensive about traveling there, anticipating that the Eastern culture would be dramatically different from the Western. “I thought it would be

mysterious and dark,” she explained. “It’s a third world country, and I thought the people would be antagonistic, and cold, and that it would be difficult to find my way around, but….it was thrilling,” she said. “I could so easily get around, and I was so comfortable. It was a dramatic cultural difference, but the people were so friendly, that I fell in love with China.”

She toured the archeological digs and ancient wonders. She saw an ancient mummy wrapped in Jade. She toured an eight mile section of The Great China Wall, which she said was very steep and took all day. She visited The Forbidden City, Beijing, and she ate at a Pizza Hut in Shanghai. But her favorite tour was seeing the burial site of China’s first emperor, where over 7,000 life size terra cotta soldiers, horses and chariots were unearthed from where they had been buried with their emperor.

She experienced the Chinese culture.

She took a Li River cruise where the dishes were washed in the river water.

She saw unusual puppies in a park that looked like something from a Dr. Zeus book: they had long bodies with wide stripes of black and gold fluffy fur. She was surprised when asked if she would like something to drink and she was given a cup of hot water. She remembers buying a sweet potato from a vendor and eating it as she strolled the streets.

The trains in China were different from the Euro rail trains: they did not have the standard seats; rather, they had sleeping bunks. The beds were called a ‘soft seat’ which is a bed with no walls. A ‘hard seat is a private bunk with a TV. Each car had a large pot of boiling water that people could use to make tea, or to pour over Ramen noodles that they carry with them to eat. In the morning, for breakfast, an attendant sells hot porridge from a big pot.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. After traveling the world for 90 days and exploring many of the world’s wonders, Sherry boarded a plane for America. It was time to get back to work.

Sherry knew how to plan and she knew how to budget. She slept on trains at night, or in hostels, and toured cities by day. She traveled light: everything she took with her was carried in her back pack or her very large purse. She had an unforgettable wonderful time….are you ready for your own adventure?

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Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 21

New Starts Crown Jewel

Story by LESLIE CHAVEZ Photo by TODD WOOD

Becoming the Crown Jewel

Conference for young women teaches about identity and royalty

T

he Becoming the Crown Jewel Conference is the talk of the county among teenage girls. Excitement is building as time for the conference draws near, and the girls are anticipating what this year’s conference will hold instore for them.

The staff is busy preparing the weekend’s activities and talks for the weekend, all which remain confidential until the weekend arrives. But why is this conference so special? What makes the electricity in the air rise with the anticipation?

It all started in 2003 when Danna Hathaway Jones was 17, and a senior in high school.

“A guy in the church had been ministering to boys about what it means to be a Godly man, and there didn’t seem to be anything to teach us girls what it means to be a Godly woman,” said Jones. “As a girl I had always struggled with self-esteem, identity and whether or not I was good enough. I knew I was God’s child, but I still struggled with these feelings. So, I talked to my parents after church one day about this. This guy does all of this stuff with the guys, but no one is teaching the girls about what it means to be a Godly woman, and that is really important.”

She was then a big fan of the singing group, Point of Grace, and they had a conference called ‘Girls of Grace,’ which she really wanted to go to, but it was always so far away.

“I had read their book and worked through the devotional,” says Jones. “I learned a lot, but the conference was just to far away to actually be able to go, and this gave my mom the idea to hold a conference for girls around here in Effingham County.

Originally they (Danna and her mother) wanted to have an overnight retreat to talk to girls about what it meant to be a Godly woman. “I came home from church one night, and my mom had sketched out the whole plan,” Danna remembered.

“She had spoken with several women who had a heart for teenage girls, and we ended up with about 12 women on board that first year.”

Because Danna was then a senior, she was able to be a part of the process and help plan, but more importantly she was able to watch a lot of the process. “It was amazing to see how God brought this special group of women together who really laid out the foundation of the conference.”

22

February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

Danna Hathaway Jones is excited to be hosting yet another Becoming the Crown Jewel Conference.

Through the planning meetings, the staff decided the main topics would be Purity, Royalty and Loyalty, and the name for the beloved conference: Becoming the Crown Jewel.

So where did the name “Becoming the Crown Jewel” come about?

“Well, that’s kind of a long and fuzzy story” said Danna smiling. “It was a long process, but this is what I remember: when thinking of a name, we wanted to come up with something catchy and that would be “cool” but would also embody what the conference was about. That MTV show “Becoming” was really popular at the time...so we kicked that around, but of course with the idea that instead of “becoming” like a celebrity, we’d be “becoming” like Christ. We decided to think on it and put off the decision until the next meeting.

In the meantime, one of our staff members went to the beach with her family. They were scouring the shore for shells and her husband suddenly exclaimed, “Aha! I found it! The crown jewel!”. Well that just struck her so she brought that back to the staff and we loved the meaning behind Crown Jewel- that idea that we are something precious, royal, and rare. Simply “Crown

Jewel” seemed like it was missing something, so we combined daughter of Christ; what it means to be loyal, and how to remain the two ideas and came up with “Becoming the Crown Jewel” as loyal in the hardest times; and what it means to remain pure, we are all in the process of becoming worthy of the title of God’s not just in the teenage years, but remaining pure for a lifetime.

Crown Jewel.”

The girls are given tools to help them combat the feelings of not being good enough, and they are able to take skills away The first year of the conference there were 90 girls present.

“I was blown away,” Danna exclaimed. “The next year, 2004, from the conference that help them instill a positive self-image.

I was a Junior counselor, and my mom was heading up the The idea is to set them up to be successful in themselves and conference. It was wonderful to be a part of mentoring young who they are, so that they are able to combat the worries of the girls, and seeing them grow and start to see themselves the way world.

God sees them.”

Last year, Danna shared her story for the Purity In 2005, the conference got to be too much for Danna’s mom talk: “When I was in 9th grade I read a book called ‘I Kissed to handle. With no one able to take over leading the conference Dating Goodbye,’ by Joshua Harris, and I felt God stir my that year, the conference sat idle. heart and I knew I needed to set some boundaries for myself.

I felt that God was calling me to save my first kiss for my “God just laid a huge burden on my heart because this was something so special,” says Jones. “This conference made such wedding day. I told my parents and one of my mentors about a huge difference to me, and my life, and I couldn’t just let the this goal, and they held me accountable to this calling. I was opportunity to minister to young girls slip away. I didn’t really 14 when I made this decision. It was one of those things that I know where to begin. So, I wrote a letter to the women in our thought, ‘okay this will be easy and not really a big deal,’ but church explaining what Crown Jewel was about and what God little did I know that God would bring my future husband into had laid on my heart to do. Then I called a meeting in our my life when I was 16 years old, and make us wait 8 years Pastor’s office, and we had about 20 women show up. God just before we could get married. moved through the meeting, and all 20 women were 100 percent We started out just as friends, and built a strong on board.” relationship. He was always so supportive of my goals and never pressured me to change my mind. Our relationship was Over the past eight years, the conference has continued to grow and now about 15 churches are represented on the Crown a courtship rather than a dating relationship, and through this Jewel staff. “Every year we think that there is no way it could get I experienced the mightiness of God. I know that if it weren’t any better, but every for the Lord we year God proves us “Royalty is the idea of who you are in Christ, and your identity. Our wouldn’t have been wrong. It just keeps able to wait until culture focuses on everything outward to find fulfillment, like outer our wedding day. getting bigger and beauty and acceptance by other people, but it isn’t there, and we In hindsight, I can better.” see that one of A lot of what want the girls to understand they really are royalty.” the girls learn and the reasons I was do while at the called to make this conference is confidential. It makes it exciting to only get a taste decision is because God new that our courtship would be so of what happens at the conference before participating, and this long. It is very difficult to keep those boundaries where they keeps an element of surprise for the weekend. need to be when you are in love with someone for so long, and setting those boundaries early was vital for us to protect Each year is different; the only common theme throughout the years of the conference is the topics: Royalty, Loyalty and ourselves.

Purity. Mirror’s throughout the facility are always covered, My wedding day was the happiest day of my life, and was and the staff writes encouraging quotes and bible verses on the so amazing to share my first kiss with him on such a special paper that covers the mirrors to help remind them that they day. Even though there was temptation, we learned what are beautiful and perfect the way they are. This, according to situations to put ourselves in and what situations to stay away Hathaway, helps the girls focus on what is important, and to let from. If I had it to do it all over again, I absolutely would go of the distractions of the world. because it was so worth it. Our relationships we have before we get married really do impact our lives forever.”

The girls also have the opportunity to ask questions they want to get a biblical answer to. “The girls can ask questions Danna wants to be sure that these girls decide for themselves they may be afraid to ask their parents or other people. We what boundaries they set for themselves, but to know there is talk about everything here,” says Jones. “We want them to an alternative to what our culture reveals to us. This conference not be afraid to ask the hard questions, and we will give them gives girls the alternative, and they feel they have options to answers from a Godly perspective. The world holds them captive keep themselves pure and set boundaries for themselves. At the so much of their lives; they are searching for things to find conference, the girls learn that they do not need a boyfriend to fulfillment, and they don’t realize they are looking to empty feel special or accepted. They learn that they are special and things and it will never be enough. Through Becoming the accepted just by being who they are.

Crown Jewel, we can help them find freedom and fulfillment in What about the topics of royalty and loyalty?

Christ. We teach them that Christ is our true Prince.”

“Royalty is the idea of who you are in Christ, and your identity. Our culture focuses on everything outward to find Every year, three new speakers will come to talk to the girls, each focusing on one major topic for the weekend. The speakers fulfillment, like outer beauty and acceptance by other people, share what it means to be royalty, and what that means as a but it isn’t there, and we want the girls to understand you

Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 23

really are royalty. We want them to realize and own who they are: daughters of Christ. We are a princess because of who our father is, and letting that play out in our lives. We want the girls to understand that they are worth so much more than the emptiness and unfulfilling things they are going after. Loyalty is being able to die to yourself daily, and remember who you are in Christ every day. It isn’t a change that happens overnight, but the girls are given tools to remember who they are in Christ each day. It’s a process, and it takes an awareness of what is happening around them, and to realize what they are feeling and why so that they can make the changes necessary to be who they are with confidence.”

Danna is glad the idea came to fruition and is now an annual conference.

“It feels unreal. I am just astounded at what God can do, and how he would allow me to be a part of it. I love working with our staff, and I learn so much from them. The best part about our staff is that we have everyone from girls who have just graduated to women in their 50’s and 60’s, which is biblical. Having the older women mentoring the younger women and learning from each other is how it is supposed to be. I think it is so good for the girls to see women in different phases in their lives. They see women not much older than them living for Christ, which gives them hope, and they see women who are much more experienced and wise. I rely a lot on the older women on our staff because they teach me so much. I am only 25 years old, and I still have a lot to learn, and their mentorship is such a blessing to me, especially my mom. I am also just amazed with our dedicated staff and counselors. It is really neat to see the bonds that are formed and that last through the years.”

What does the future hold for the Becoming the Crown Jewel Conference? The name “Becoming the Crown Jewel,” is in the process of being trademarked, which is a huge step for the future of the conference. “I would love to see this conference reach girls everywhere, but I am also happy with running the conference here in Effingham. This conference belongs to God, and I am excited to see what the future holds. I dream big, and I would love to see this conference make its way across the world, mentoring and teaching young women that they are special and do have a purpose.”

In 2006, one of the local churches took the Becoming the Crown Jewel conference to a village of women in Africa on a mission trip. They worked with the staff and speakers to plan and organize the conference for Africa. “It was amazing to me, because just a few short years ago I didn’t think this conference would get off the ground in Effingham County, and then is goes half-way around the world to impact women in Africa. We were able to show a video at our next conference of the women in Africa participating in the conference, which was huge to the girls at our conference here in Effingham County. It really showed me that God can truly do anything.”

“It is so neat to see girls walking into the conference so unsure of themselves and not sure where they fit into the world, and then when they leave it’s like a huge weight has been lifted from their shoulders. They know who they are, and the struggles they have had about not feeling good enough or pretty enough are gone. They had learned throughout the weekend that because this is how God made them, they are perfect exactly the way they are,” she concluded.

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TEDDER Continued from Page 16 transport volunteer.

On the second leg of her trip, Sally rode in the front seat of a pickup truck. She proudly sat on her new blanket as the volunteer drove her to an airport in North Carolina where she would be flown to New Jersey.

Her flight to New Jersey was made possible thanks to the help of another group of volunteers. They are airplane pilots who are part of a program called Pilots N Paws, and their purpose is to relocate rescued animals. Sally sat on the seat next to the pilot. She wore her new harness and she sat on her new blanket. As the plane took off she put her paw on the window as if to wave good-bye to those who had helped her.

When the plane landed Sally began the last leg of her journey.

Once again she jumped into the back seat of a car and slept on her new blanket as she traveled to her foster home.

Each of the people who helped transport Sally to New Jersey said that she was perfectly behaved for each part of her trip. Each of

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them treated Sally with kindness and helped to build her confidence in people.

In New Jersey Sally was spayed and treated for heartworms. As she was recovering, she slept in the warmth of her foster home, on her patchwork blanket that she shared with another foster dog. Her life was better than it had ever been, but it was to get better still.

When she had recovered from the heartworm treatment, she was adopted into a forever home, and now Sally lives happily with her new family.

“She was the first pit bull that we rescued,” said Kacy, “and the first dog that we flew. We have an issue in Effingham with overpopulation of dogs, and many more go into the shelter than go out. Sally was just one of the lucky ones.”

Many people in our county volunteer to help rescue unwanted and neglected dogs. If you would like to volunteer to help in any way, contact the Effingham County Animal Control at 754-2109.

ANN R. PuRcEll REPRESENTATIVE

House District 159 West chatham and South Effingham

State House of Representatives 401 State capitol Atlanta, Ga 30334 Office: 404-656-5139 Email: ann.purcell@house.ga.gov

912-826-5465

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Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 25

26

February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 27

HR InnovatIons

Effingham Magazine!

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• Human Resources Consultant • HR audit • Training Optimizing People Through Education and • Employee Relations Corporate Guidance • Employee Development

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February/March 2011 29

Sarah&Chris Sarah Chester and Chris Lewis met on a blind date that a mutual friend had set up. They both agreed to the now common setup. However, the couple’s story of friendship, love and their union is everything but common.

It was five and a half years ago. Sarah was getting ready to graduate from high school. Chris was working at Industrial Tractor company. The two went on a few dates, and their friendship was quickly growing into a love for one another.

It was soon time for Sarah to go to college. The couple knew it would be tough, but they weren’t overly worried. After all, she would only be a short distance away at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Four years later Chris would follow an old Georgia Southern tradition.

On November 6th of 2009, he hired a photographer to sit in a bush in Sweetheart Circle on the Georgia Southern campus. Luring Sarah there for a nice walk on her campus, Chris surprised Sarah, asking her to marry him as the photographer fired shots of her reaction like a paparazzi from a nearby bush.

She of course said “yes”, and Chris treated his new fiance to dinner at Ruth’s Chris, followed by a complimentary fireworks show thanks to first Saturday events on Riverstreet.

Soon after, the couple began planning their “Dream Wedding.”

They had originally wanted a November wedding in 2010, however venues were already booked, not to mention Sarah was slated to graduate from nursing school in December.

Chris and Sarah finally decided they would have their wedding the weekend before Christmas. With everything on their mind from work to school to the wedding, Sarah and Chris knew the year would fly by, leaving little time to plan the wedding. They also knew that it would be a financial strain.

That is when Sarah’s eye would catch an advertisement for a “Dream Wedding” giveaway in Effingham Magazine. `The ad called for entrants to write an essay of 300 words on why they think they would deserve a dream wedding.

Sarah immediately went to work on the essay. She worked on the essay every night for a month before mailing it in.

The couple knew it would be of great help if they could win, though they knew their chances would be slim as there were many other entrants to the giveway.

On January 30th (Sarah’s sister’s birthday), she received news that she and Chris had won the dream wedding giveaway.

“It was one of the happiest days of my life,” said Sarah.

The year went by fast, as the couple had expected. Sarah graduated a week before the wedding and earned her degree as a pediatric emergency room nurse.

She and Chris were married on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at the Bethesda Chapel in Savannah. They celebrated afterwards at the Knights of Columbus. The couple honeymoned in Lake Tahoe.

Sarah and Chris are a match made in heaven. Their journey from friendship to love and marriage, will forever be remembered, and thanks to the Dream Wedding Giveaway, the beginning of their life together was started on a great note.

Thank You to the following for helping make the Dream Wedding Giveaway possible:

30 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

N ew L i f e F l owe rs & G i f t s S h e i l a ’s C a k e s E ve r A f t e r B r i d a l To d d Wo o d P h o t o g ra p hy

DREAM WEDDINGS

L L Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 31

1500 GA. Hwy 21 South • Springfield

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32 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

Places to Eat & Drink in Effingham

U rban

cafe

Owners of The Loft Cafe in Rincon, Bruce Kirwan and Zach Wooten from the loft overlooking their cafe.

T

wo young aspiring entrepreneurs have laid it all on the line to bring a wonderful and unique dining experience to Effingham. Owners of The Loft Cafe, Bruce Kirwan and Zach Wooten literally spent every last dime to their name to open their eatery located in The Quarters on Waterford.

“We come from food service backgrounds, and we have always worked for someone else,” says Bruce. “We had been talking about opening our own place for over a year. Then late last summer an opportunity to open this place presented itself.”

Three weeks later, on September 21 of 2010, The Loft Cafe opened its doors for business with 70 people waiting at the door. “We hadn’t even had a practice run or soft opening,” chuckled Bruce. “We had no idea what to expect, but all turned out well and we are still here.”

Kirwan and Wooten’s idea to bring the urban cafe dining experience has been received quite well since their opening.

With sit down table service, and a menu featuring excellent flatbreads, sandwiches, soups and salads, The Loft Cafe is a great place for a casual lunch or even a business lunch. And

yes, The Loft Cafe actually features a cozy loft seating section with a view of the restaurant below.

The food is fresh daily, and they use all that is available in organic foods. They also slice their own sandwich meats.

They also run daily lunch specials for a very affordable $5.95.

“Upscale yet affordable is what we are all about,” added Kirwan.

The Loft Cafe is open M onday-Friday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Fresh organic greens, feta, black olives, tomatos, banana peppers and red onions on the Greek Salad

Flatbread featuring chicken and mushrooms, or try their very popular Buffalo Chicken flatbread

*Check out all the great places to eat on Pages 34.

Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 33

Places to Eat & Drink in Effingham

To Advertise in the dining guide, or to find out how to get your restaurant, pub or bar listed please call Lynnette at 912-5473684, or Julie at (912)657-4120 Also, find out more about our restaurant feature page

Dakota’s Grille & Spirits 336 S. Columbia Ave. Rincon, GA 31326 (912)295-5590

Simply Southern 986 Long Bridge Road Springfield, GA 31329 (912)754-1162

Domino’s Pizza 591 S. Columbia Ave. Rincon, GA 31326 (912)826-5383 dominos.com

Sweet Water Grill McCall Plaza Rincon, GA 31326 (912)826-0808

El Potro Mexican Restaurant 173 Commercial Drive Rincon, GA 31326 (912)826-0103

The Loft Cafe’ 109 Waterford Court Rincon, GA 31326 (912)295-5733

Serving the Best Mexican Food Since 1985 Buy 1 Dinner, Get the 2nD half Price haPPy hOur - 2 fOr 1 2PM-7PM 173 commercial Dr., rincOn 912-826-0103

o Twtions! a 220 hwy. 80, POOler c o L 912-748-9465

Frankie’s Smokehouse Grill 319 S. Columbia Ave. Rincon, GA 31326 (Next to Rincon Transmission) (912)826-1057 www.frankiessmokehousegrill.com

Appetizers • soups & sAlAds • sAndwiches • BAskets & Burgers • entrees

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34 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

tuesdays: Bike night • thursdays: triviA night saturdays: live entertAinment 826-0808 McCall Plaza • Rincon Monday-Saturday 11:00am-12:00am

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Health & Wellness 2011

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{

{ Friday, April 1 2011, Effingham County RELAY FOR LIFE Story by KATHRYN TURNER Photography by CAROLYN BEASLEY

A

the color PURPLE

pril Fools day will have a different meaning this year in Effingham County. On Friday, April 1, teams and supporters will gather together at Effingham County High School to participate in this year’s Relay for Life.

Symbolizing the fact that cancer never sleeps, participants will stay up all night walking or running around the track to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The event will begin at 7pm and last until 7am. During this time, teams will raise money for much-needed cancer research while celebrating the lives of cancer survivors, remembering those lost to the disease, and uniting as a

36 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

community in the fight against cancer.

Many participants will be wearing the color purple, which represents the Relay for Life and cancer awareness in general.

And for Rincon resident Sara Beasley, the color purple has come to symbolize much more, for it is also the color representing pancreatic cancer awareness.

Until a year ago, Beasley had no clue of the severity of pancreatic cancer, let alone the color that represented it. “I did not know anything about pancreatic cancer,” she says. “Until I got it.”

Notoriously known as one of the deadliest types of cancer, pancreatic cancer is the fourth-highest cancer killer for both men and women in the United States. It is often called the “silent killer”

because its symptoms are often unnoticed until it is too late. But despite the severity of the disease, it is often overlooked in the bigger scheme of cancer awareness.

Sara Beasley wants to change that fact by telling her story to raise more awareness and support those affected by pancreatic cancer. Though it has only been a year since she was deemed “cancer free,” Beasley and her family know that she has been blessed for each and every day.

It all started last year on Christmas Eve, when a guest at Beasley’s Christmas celebration noticed that Beasley’s skin appeared yellow. She decided to go to the hospital, where she would later learn that she had a mass on her pancreas that would turn out to be cancer.

After her cancer diagnosis, she had to have a surgery known as the Whipple procedure. In this surgery, they removed the mass in her pancreas, six lymph nodes, and some of her intestines as well.

She was 69 years old at the time of her surgery, but despite her age and the risk factors involved, Beasley’s surgery was a success.

“They told me that I’d be in the hospital anywhere from ten to fourteen days, and I was in there six days,” Beasley says with a triumphant laugh.

Her daughter-in-law, Carolyn, sits with her and explains that it is this positive attitude that has kept her mother-in-law alive.

“She has never worried about this one bit at all,” Carolyn Beasley says. “Her faith has kept her going through it.”

Beasley says her doctors, Christopher Delisle, Jennifer Yannucci and Steven Brower, have also told her that her outlook has influenced her outcome as well.

Even though Beasley was up against stage-three pancreatic cancer, she endured her surgery, her fifteen chemo treatments, and her doctor visits with patience and grace. At one point, she was so used to hearing bad news that she finally asked a nurse if there was any good

Cancer survivor Sara Beasley.

news at all. When the nurse said, “YesGod,” Beasley simply responded, “You’re right.”

As she sits telling her story, there is a certain tranquility that emanates from Beasley- a calm positivity that is almost tangible. She says that her positive attitude has made all the difference through her ordeal, but she could not have done it without the support of her family. “They were so good,” Beasley says.

The support she got from friends, family and the community was overwhelming for her. Not only did Beasley have continuous support from her church, Rincon Baptist Temple, but she also says she received prayers and get well cards from various other churches and community members as well.

Now Beasley wants to continue to help those battling pancreatic cancer by educating others. “I would like for others to know the signs of it, so they can catch it,” she says. “Because the sooner they catch it, the better their chance of living.”

Beasley says that jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin, is one of the most common signs. She also wants everyone to know that people with diabetes and high blood sugar are especially vulnerable to the disease and should be mindful that

they are at a higher risk.

She wants people to realize what she did not know a couple years ago: there is support out there for those with pancreatic cancer, and this diagnosis does not have to be a death sentence.

November is National Pancreatic Awareness Month, and dark purple is the color for pancreatic cancer. On November 6th, 2010, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network hosted the first 5K walk/run on Tybee Island called the Purple Stride.

Teams were made up of survivors, friends, and family members of those affected by pancreatic cancer.

The Chatham and Effingham areas raised over $38,000 in the Purple Stride, and Sara Beasley is proud to say that her team was a part of that success. Her team, “The Blessed One,” was comprised of fifteen friends and family members who attended the Purple Stride to walk in her honor.

As she sits at the kitchen table, appropriately wearing the color purple, Beasley shows proudly the pictures of the Tybee Island fundraiser. “With the help of my family and friends, our team raised over $1,600,” she says.

Despite all that she has been through, her experience with pancreatic cancer has

been a learning experience. “It’s given me a different outlook on life, “she says.

There is an inspirational song that she has taken on as her own: “Whether I go or whether I stay, I have won the victory,” she says. And Beasley wants those with pancreatic cancer to know that they can beat the disease. “I have a friend who has a son who has had it going on thirteen years,” she explains. Her best advice for people who have been diagnosed with cancer is to never give up, and to always rely on the encouragement and support of friends and family.

“Keep the faith,” she advises.

Cancer could not destroy the spirit of Sara Beasley. She just celebrated her 51st wedding anniversary in January, and she is ready to celebrate many more.

With local cancer fundraisers like the Purple Stride and the Relay for Life, the community now has the opportunity to put on their purple, raise cancer awareness, and celebrate the lives and memories of those battling cancer.

For more information about the Relay for Life or the Purple Stride and pancreatic cancer, visit www. relayforlife.org or www.pancan.org.

Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 37

Health And Wellness 2011

Effingham Hospital & Care Center Building a New Beginning

T

oday, more than ever, people view maintaining their health and wellness as a necessity in the way they live.

A strong and viable hometown healthcare system is not only important for a community; it also plays an important role in local economies.

A strong healthcare system in Effingham County and its surrounding communities helps to attract new physicians and allied health professionals, provides essential medical services, catches the attention of new businesses and residents, and enhances community pride.

Hospitals in Georgia and throughout the United States are revitalizing healthcare in their communities through replacement hospital facilities. The Effingham Hospital Modernization Project is a shining example of how casting a big vision can make the dream of a new hospital become a reality.

The Vision Why did Effingham Hospital need to modernize its facility?

Healthcare has changed dramatically over the years and so too has the community. Effingham County’s population has experienced tremendous growth. Since the year 2000, statistics show a population increase of 30.42%. With over 50,000 residents today, projections indicate that over the course of the next two decades, Effingham County has the potential to grow to over 80,000.

Effingham Hospital was built 40 years ago and until this

38

February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

project began, had undergone only a single update in its history.

After extensive study and many years of meticulous planning, it became clear to the Effingham Hospital Authority and leadership team, that the time had come to add to the existing campus. In doing so, the following important objectives would be met:

Meet the long-term healthcare needs of the community Comply with current requirements for patient privacy and safety Update its facilities to provide efficient space for the most advanced healthcare delivery Maintain a strong workforce Recruit needed physicians

The Project Construction of the new 58,000-square-foot addition to the hospital began on January 3, 2011, just one day after the official groundbreaking ceremony and celebration. On a day when many were at home watching holiday bowl games, several hundred community members, hospital employees and their families opted to gather in the rain at Effingham Hospital to turn the dirt and release balloons to the sky, signifying the start of a new chapter – a new beginning for the community’s only 24 hour healthcare facility.

In February of 2010, The Effingham Hospital Authority Contract Manager Selection Committee awarded the construction management project to R.J. Griffin and Company and Rives E. Worrell Company, based in Savannah. The two companies partnered to provide a joint application. The committee was impressed with their extensive healthcare construction expertise.

Walter Murphy of Rives E. Worrell is a longtime local contractor and it was his company that constructed the original Effingham Hospital and Care Center in 1969.

Once completed, the $30 million project will create a complete medical campus, designed to improve patient privacy, provide needed space to accommodate additional physicians and advancing technology, create room for additional and future community-based health programs, all while expanding essential healthcare services, including a designated Alzheimer’s unit. It will also provide the space needed to bring many of the business operations back into the main campus and out of the external offices they now occupy on the campus. The new hospital space is expected to open during 2012.

The Progress While the construction phase has only been in progress for just over six weeks, there are already many visible signs that the campus is transforming. There is no need to worry about navigating the Effingham Hospital campus during construction because E-Z-GO, a global leader in golf carts and light transportation vehicle production based in Augusta, Georgia, has loaned a four-seat golf cart to Effingham Hospital for use and to help transport visitors around the campus and from parking areas during the construction period.

Further updates on the Effingham Hospital Modernization project, as well as information on the growing team of providers, can be found at EffinghamHealth.org.

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Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 39

THE frEsH

approacH To

skin care

Estrea USA, headquartered in Rincon, GA, is pleased to introduce its European skin care line for the first time ever in the United States.

The product line originated and is manufactured in Budapest, Hungary, and has been popular in Europe since 1996.

Zsolt Boros, owner/distributor of Estrea USA, is a long-time resident of Rincon and member of the family who owns Estrea in Hungary.

Customers in Hungary and throughout Europe fell in love with the products’ quality and the restorative results they generate. Estrea is now available in the US exclusively through www.EstreaUSA.com, or by contacting a sales representative at 866-502-4343.

chestnut, vitamins E and A, and Vitamin C, which incidentally was discovered in Hungary in 1937.

“At Estrea USA our goal is to provide our customers with the best and most effective skin care products,” said Boros. “We are very excited about the opportunity to introduce this product to the American market and make it available to customers throughout Estrea’s twelve cleansing and moisturizing the greater Savannah area for the first time.”

Boros went on to products for the face, say that he expects We are very excited about the hands, body and feet, tremendous sales opportunity to introduce this product bring together modern of this beauty care to the American market and make it science and the restorative line throughout the available to customers throughout the properties of nature to create a rejuvenating skin greater Savannah area for the first time. US and is already looking forward care regimen. Derived from the natural splendor and resources of its to expanding the line to include even more home country, this Hungarian beauty product products. line delivers proven results for softer, healthier and younger looking skin, and fewer wrinkles. At a recent focus group, many area women The line’s most popular products, the fast- tested Estrea products. Most, including some absorbing hand lotions and creams, have who are nurses and mothers of small children, been proven to promote fingernail growth. commented that they wash their hands many The natural ingredients in Estrea include aloe times throughout the day, so their skin tended vera, collagen, coffee, olive oil, citrus extracts, to be dry and their nails broke easily. Most

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saw better results than they got with their old hand creams the first time they used Estrea’s Hand & Nail lotion. They particularly liked that it was fast absorbing and kept their hands feeling moisturized even between uses, without feeling oily. After a week of using Estrea Hand & Nail Lotion regularly, the participants commented that their nails appeared to grown faster, and break less.

Overall, the focus group members said they were pleased with the products they tested and would highly recommend Estrea.

Estrea’s skin care line not only offers great benefits to its users, it also offers a business opportunity to women who’d like to start earning an income as resellers of their products. Estrea agents sell products directly to customers, away from a retail location. This direct sales business allows agents to connect with customers one-on-one, in groups, or with online sales, while working within their own schedules. To find out more about the benefits of being an Estrea Sales Executive, contact an Estrea consumer representative today at 866-502-4343.

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Health And Wellness 2011

Savannah Speech and Hearing Center: Sound Principles, Speak Volumes

Savannah Speech and Hearing Center has been serving the community since 1954. Our audiologists, Dr. Sheana Richardson and Dr. Caroline Zuck, are dedicated to providing the best hearing healthcare possible. Our audiologists evaluate, diagnose, and manage hearing loss and hearing related disorders. Comprehensive hearing assessments for children and adults are provided.

We recommend and fit a full range of hearing devices.

Our Center serves as a cochlear implant specialty program for audiology in the area. Our staff audiologists are certified cochlear implant audiologists specializing in implants for children and adults. Additional services include industrial hearing services, hearing aid repair, and hearing aid adjustments.

Possible signs of a hearing loss include difficulty understanding speech, turning up the television, trouble hearing on the telephone, and ringing in the ears. If you or someone you know may be suffering from a hearing loss, we recommend that you schedule an appointment for a comprehensive hearing evaluation.

For your convenience, we now have two offices. The main office is in Savannah and a satellite office in Rincon, located in the United Way Service Center. Please call our office to schedule an appointment in either Savannah or Rincon to discuss your hearing and your unique needs.

Dr. Sheana Richardson & Dr. Caroline Zuck

are currently accepting patients for: • Hearing Evaluation/ Hearing Loss • Tinnitus or any perceived sounds in the ear • Hearing Aids/Hearing Devices • Cochlear Implants • Effects of Noise Exposure • Hearing Protection

Resound Alera Hearing Aid with Accessories

Please contact our Savannah office for an appointment with an Audiologist at either location

912-355-4601 www. SpeechAndHearingSav.org

NOW 2 LOCATIONS: Savannah Office 1206 E. 66th Street Savannah, GA 31404

Rincon Office 711 Zitterour Road Rincon, GA 31326 Located in the United Way Service Center Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 41

Health And Wellness 2011

A High-Tech Way To Manage The Stress Of Tax Time Both individual tax- payers and small-business owners can find tax time a stressful season—and with good reason.

It’s estimated that self-employed people spend about 57 hours each year complying with the tax code. That’s time they could be spending growing their business or tending to their family.

According to the IRS, individual taxpayers can find return preparation so overwhelming that about 60 percent now pay preparers to do it for them. An additional 29 percent use tax software, with leading software packages costing $50 or more.

For many, just choosing the right accountant can be stressful.

That’s because, according to the Government Accountability Office, there are about 90,000 tax and accounting firms out there to choose from.

Fortunately, there are practical steps individual and smallbusiness owners can take to reduce stress—and possibly their tax burden as well. Here are some tips: • Don’t put it off. According to the IRS, more than 10 million taxpayers procrastinate every year and end up filing a tax extension.

Misery may love company, but you don’t have to keep putting off filing, particularly since there is a new online service that can help find the expert assistance that’s right for you.

• The right expert can make a difference. According to the National Taxpayers Union, in 2007, nearly 37 million taxpayers forgot to claim a tax credit due to overwhelming tax regulation changes.

Many taxpayers recognize that finding an accountant they can trust may actually save them money.

• Take advantage of the latest technology. Much in the same way that online services help consumers select movies to rent or a travel destination, there is a new online service designed to help taxpayers select the right accountant or tax preparer.

Called Teaspiller, the company also employs an individualized accountant reviews system. Maintained by the community itself, the reviews system ensures that both accountants and customers are matched based on a host of critical factors, including unique tax preparation needs, specific industry characteristics, location and size. In addition, the service allows users to transfer essential tax files, conduct conversations with the accountant, file and securely exchange payment for fees without ever stepping foot into a tax preparation office.

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HoURS: Mon-Wed 8:00am-5:00pm Thurs-Fri 7:00am-2:00pm Extended Hours Available Upon Request

42 February/March 2011 | Effingham Magazine

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Cool News About Frozen Foods

More recently, new techniques mean frozen food is even longer lasting, safer and just as nutritious as the “fresh” or refrigerated products found in your kitchen. For example, frozen fruits and vegetables are processed within hours of harvest, “locking in” their vitamins and minerals. Researchers at the University of California Center for Excellence in Fruit and Vegetable Quality found frozen fruits and vegetables are nutritionally similar to their “fresh” counterparts at the time of consumption. And the Produce for Better Health Foundation says that when it comes to good nutrition, all forms count—fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice.

More good news: Frozen products are often much lower in cost per serving and have a much greater shelf life than refrigerated foods.

They can also be more easily portioned and stored for use at a later time, reducing spoilage and waste. A recent Zogby International survey found that 87 percent of consumers purchase frozen foods because they’re convenient and easy to prepare.

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Effingham Magazine |

February/March 2011 43

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“Sugar....not so sweet!”

Tired of seeing those old jeans that you can’t zip? Do you wish they looked as great on you as they once did? If you answered YES, here are a few health tips that may be just what you need to know to get you looking fabulous!

Did you know that 90 percent of weight loss/gain is due to dietary regimens? Learning about what to eat, when to eat, why you need to eat specific foods is very critical to understanding healthy weight loss (or maintaining a comfortable weight). America has put so much emphasis on omitting fatty foods and non-carbohydrate options from your diet. You can pretty much find a fat-free and low-carb option for most of your favorite foods in the grocery store.

What most people don’t know and understand is that fat doesn’t make you fat (nor do carbohydrates).

Now let me be clear and stress that I am not suggesting you rush out and pick up some fried chicken and mashed potatoes loaded with butter and grease either. Choosing the healthy fat (also may be known as “good fats”) options, the complex carbohydrate options, combined with moderate consumption spread out through the day is not only acceptable, but it is recommended.

A huge part of stored fat in the body comes from sugar. I know it’s sweet, I know it’s delicious and I know it enhances the flavor of foods; but it also enhances....your waistline. This hidden enemy is added to more American foods than most people realize. Ketchup has sugar, most “healthy” salad dressings have some form of sugar added for flavor and most all “fat-free” products on the market have subtracted the fat and added the sugars! Sure, it’s yummy to taste but what you don’t realize is that any form of refined sugar is not broken-down, utilized or digested in our bodies. These sugars are

Health And Wellness 2011

stored as fat.

The human body is designed to burn fat, it is designed to utilize proteins that we consume to help build/recover muscles (among other beneficial functions protein serves in our bodies), and it is designed to turn complex carbohydrates into usable energy for the brain and body. Unfortunately, sugar got the short end of that cane stick.

Refined sugars are considered a foreign substance to our bodies; therefore, instead of it being broken-down and digested or turned into some form of reusable energy/building block for an overall health benefit to the body, it is stored as fat. This is not to say that you can’t eat foods that are of natural, pure and unprocessed sugar. Sugars that have not been put through a refining process are essential to the body and are included in daily recommendations for optimal health. One of the main sources of natural sugars is found in fruit. Honey, pure maple syrup and some dairy products are all examples of natural sugars. Now, just because they are recommended doesn’t mean it is suggested that you gorge yourself with them. Moderation is key, as it is with any aspect of a wellbalanced diet regimen (‘good fats’, complex carbs, proteins, etc.).

Next time you are shopping for food take a minute to read over the ingredients (not just the Nutrition Facts....the actual ingredients) of some of the foods you are eating. Refined sugars come in different forms such as the following: sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and sucrose. You will be amazed at how many foods and products have added fat-storing sugars.

Making better choices about your diet can really make the difference in both weight loss and maintaining optimal health.

Sometimes that just means learning more about the foods you are eating, the foods you should be eating and the foods your body needs to achieve goals, look great and feel fabulous!

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Effingham Magazine | February/March 2011 45

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A Serta Mattress For The Perfect Night’s Sleep

Why is the Serta Mattress Perfect Sleeper so perfect? This is a question on the minds of many Serta shoppers as they test a variety of mattresses in their search for comfort and durability.

Serta has been the leading name in mattresses for over 75 years and the first choice of many consumers due to the company’s excellent reputation for providing excellent products.

The mattresses are comfortable, supportive, safe, durable, and of the highest quality.

The popularity of Serta mattresses stems from the science behind the mattress. The company has perfected the “perfect night’s sleep”. The quilted top, the innercoil system, and the box springs of each model have been specifically designed and tested to alleviate body aches and pains, even in the lower back. For even more support each mattress can be special ordered with Serta’s special cushion system.

So, is the Perfect Sleeper a perfect mattress? According to sales and customer satisfaction, Serta is one of the most popular mattresses available in stores today.

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