Moxie Magazine

fall|2016

celebrating women of nor th georgia

table of contents Moxie is a publication of The Times, 345 Green St., Gainesville, Ga. A Morris Multimedia Inc. property.

Norman Baggs General Manager Keith Albertson Editor Melisa Sizemore Advertising Michelle Boaen Jameson Art Director Steven Welch Design Director Scott Rogers Staff photographer Erin O. Smith Staff photographer

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Morris Multimedia Inc.

4

on the cover Lisa Chester is affiliated with Gainesville Housing Authority, where she started a mentoring group for at-risk young ladies as well as a dance program.

Portrait Showcase 9 women, 9 stories to tell. Capturing their spirit through the lens and showing sides of them not all get to see.

08| Liz Coates

34| Betsy Adams

10| Lisa Lassiter

38| Tate O’Rouke

14| Kelly Lee

40| Debbie Lawson Davis

26| Connie Stephens

42| Lisa Chester

46| Kelley Wilson Fall 2016

Lifestyles

12| Bon Appétit, Y’all Kim Waters and David Stovall, writers of the Better Than Eating Out blog, love to make their own Tomato Pie and share some of their favorite recipes.

12

30| 50 Plus & Fabulous Brenau’s Center for Lifetime Study provides opportunities for lifelong learning, leadership and cultural exploration to mature adults throughout northeast Georgia.

44| For the Health of It Tennis is popular in North Georgia. We talk to local league players and pros about the appeal of the game, and opportunities for team play.

moms with moxie While the average family has 2.3 children, some families believe in the more the merrier. We talk to two moms who are raising 7 or 8 children. And at least one felt “a call” from God to adopt.

28

They’ve got moxie

16| Minding Her Own

Emily Forrester set out to be a nurse, but a love of jewelry from an early age turned into a career with serious credentials.

18| Brava Sue Sigmon-Nosach crafts mosaics from recycled material and sells the works to help other women battling ovarian cancer through her nonprofit, The Partnership for Gynecological Cancer Support.

22| Making a Difference Glory, Hope & Life aims to enrich the lives of those touched by cancer through resources, programs and activities that promote a sense of well-being.

36| Historical Moxie Lucile Townsend Pearce was a longtime chairwoman at Brenau University, wife of president Haywood Pearce and namesake of the university’s bronze tiger sculpture. celebrating women of north georgia

5

Publisher’s Musings

A fond farewell

Moxie has officially turned one year old which means we are getting our teeth and looking forward to sinking them in to North Georgia. But before we take a bite out of life, we must wish Moxie founder and Times publisher Charlotte Atkins a joyous ‘bon voyage.’

Charlotte has moved to greener pastures (or more like bluer waters) to our sister publication in the Virgin Islands. While we are sad to see her go, we know she’s going to be relaxing on pristine beaches soaking up the tropical sun.

But we love our beaches right here on Lanier and are happy to call North Georgia home. And we think we have some of the most interesting and accomplished residents in the entire state.

In this issue we look at several women who have overcome obstacles to bring comfort and quality of life to others. Two organizations, Glory Hope & Life and The Partnership for Gynecological Cancer Support, both serve as aid and companionship for those battling cancer and both pay tribute to someone special but they each have unique starts.

We also take a peek into the homes of some rather large families to find out how they make it all work.

If you are more of an active sports fan, you’ll want to read about the growing tennis trend among women in North Georgia. There are lots of opportunities to play and several health benefits to the game.

Find out a little bit more about local history with our Historical Moxie feature focusing on Lucile Townsend Pearce, who was not only married to one of the Brenau University presidents, but actually served as president Former publisher Charlotte Atkins says her goodbyes during the Moxie herself for a short while.

Magazine’s one year anniversary soiree at Belk in August.

We also want to make your mouth water and residents Kim Waters and David Stovall show us how to make a scrumptious Tomato Pie with recipes from their blog, inspiration.

Better Than Eating Out. As always, we are looking for women with interesting stoAnd if you like jewelry, (what woman doesn’t) you will ries to tell. If you know a woman who you think has moxie, send us an email with their story and contact information to find our Minding Her Own story about jeweler Emily Forlife@gainesvilletimes.com. rester journey through gemstones and motherhood a true

6

Fall 2016

Come See Our Huge Selection of Certified Diamonds!

• Estate Jewelry • GIA Graduate Gemologist On Site • Jewelry Repair • 1000’s of Diamond and Gemstone Semi-Mounts Available

Gainesville

Layaway NOW for Christmas!

Pay up to 20% down and WE match the 20% down!

Excludes precious metals and all other discounts

1 Year Free Layaway Available • Financing Available Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm, Sun 1-5pm • 1020 Jesse Jewell Pkwy• 770-532-2592 •gainesvillejewelry.com

8

Photo by Scott Rogers

Fall 2016

Liz Coates Doing what she loves, loving what she does By jennifer Linn Liz Coates has called Gainesville home for the last 18 years and loves it.

“Gainesville is such a cool community and I’m forever grateful for how much the people and town have shaped and nurtured me,” Coates said.

“It’s got a unique genius, an inviting spirit about it, and I’m so glad to call this place my home.”

Though Coates loves her hometown, it hasn’t kept her from exploring the world around her. She has traveled to 21 countries despite not speaking a foreign language.

Coates values community involvement as well and is affiliated with several community groups, including First Baptist Church, Children’s Center for Hope and Healing, Center Point and the Hall County Foster Care Coalition.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her nephew, running and exercising, traveling and reading. She loves driving up U.S. 129 and watching the scenery change.

When it comes to passion in life, Coates says she loves running with friends and connecting with people on an authentic level. For her, this means

celebrating women of north georgia

doing work she loves.

“I’m an ordained woman in Baptist ministry who gets to follow her passions professionally and personally,” she said. “I get to teach and preach and create meaningful ways of making the world just a little better.”

Coates loves the work she does so much wouldn’t change her job — except maybe to add a personal assistant and an unlimited expense account.

Her hero in life, she says is, Martin Luther King Jr. “Courage and wisdom are an admirable combination and his legacy for using both, so incredibly, inspire me to no end,” she said. “The world needs more peaceful advocates.”

While Coates says getting divorced was one of her bravest moments in life, she said she’s never bungee jumped, which may take the title should it ever happen.

Fall comes with cool, crisp air that chases away humidity, a benefit according to Coates. “(I love) the month of October because it’s festive and beautiful and my birth month.”

9

Lisa Lassiter

For the love of family and football By jennifer Linn Lisa Lassiter is a die-hard college football fan who claims to be “obsessed” with Georgia football.

She works as the store manager at the Gainesville Belk but says that her dream job would be as a sportscaster for ESPN’s “College Game Day” and actually sit at the desk with what’s usually an all-male cast.

The football fanatic hopes to one day attend a college football national championship game and watch her Bulldogs win.

But football isn’t the only reason Lassiter loves fall.

“I love the trees changing colors, cooler weather and all of the fall festivals,” she said. “The crisp fall air, and of course all of the great clothes I can wear from Belk.”

Lassiter has worked for Belk the past 16 years. She held the position of regional vice president from 2006 to 2015 and worked out of the Gainesville store until the company restructured about two years ago. She was offered the opportunity to be regional vice president in South Florida or store manager of the Belk in Gainesville.

“It was a no-brainier. I wanted to stay in North Georgia,” Lassiter said. “I have two girls, (ages) 16 and 11, and I didn’t want to uproot them from their schools.”

The 49-year-old Winder resident has lived in North Georgia for 46 years. She grew up in Athens and graduated from the University of Georgia.

“I love the people of this community, they are friendliest people I have ever met,” she said adding the ability to be in the city, mountains, or the lake in a matter of minutes is also a benefit.

10

She’s also involved in the community serving as a board member of the executive leadership team for American Heart Association, chairwoman of the Atlanta Women’s Leadership Network and is a board member of the Professional Women’s Alliance.

Lassiter says her daughters are her true passion in life.

“I have dedicated my life to giving them the best opportunities possible,” she said.

“I also love my career.”

Lassiter said she works with the best team in retail, and sometimes her coworkers feel like family.

“I think it’s important that my girls see their mother be successful in her career and successful at raising children,” she said.

One of her bravest moments came in 1999 when her eldest daughter was born.

The baby was diagnosed while in utero with a heart condition.

“The doctors told me she might not live or if she did she wouldn’t walk or talk,” Lassiter said. “I knew in my heart that she would be OK. Today, she is 16 years old in the 11th grade. She is my miracle baby.”

Because of her experiences with her daughter Lassiter cites all of the doctors and nurses at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as her heroes.

“It takes special people to see the pain and suffering that these children go through day after day, and do it with a smile,” she said.

In her spare time, Lassiter said she likes to get together with friends and family.

“Time is so valuable, and I always try to spend it with the people I love,” she said.

Fall 2016

Photo by Erin O. Smith

celebrating women of north georgia

11

Bon Appétit, Y’all Tomato Pie: Heaven on a plate

By KIM WATERS I am always surprised when I hear somebody exclaim they’ve never heard of tomato pie. And especially when it’s someone who has always lived in the south.

This tomato pie is just as good with grocery store tomatoes as “homegrown ’maters,” so you can make it year-round.

But I think cardboard would taste good mixed with Vidalia onions and Duke’s mayonnaise.

Normally I make this pie with a deep dish frozen pie crust. On the morning I made this one for a family reunion, David had just returned from a fishing trip with the boys and there were no frozen pie crusts in the freezer.

But we did have a can of biscuits left over from his fishing trip. I add this because we don’t do canned biscuits in the Waters-Stovall household. So he volunteered to make the crust since buying the pie crust was on his “to-do” list.

It turned out so beautifully, I’ll never use the pre-made frozen crust again. Of course, you could use homemade biscuit dough instead of the canned biscuits. But why work that hard?

Tomato Pie 2 large tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick 6-8 sweet basil leaves 2 cups, Sargento Fine Cut Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican cheese 1/4 cup, shredded sharp cheddar cheese Duke’s mayonnaise, 1 cup Vidalia onion, medium (or sweet onion), chopped 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and deveined,

12

chopped 1 can refrigerated biscuits (Grands flaky preferable) Kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper, to taste For the crust: Roll out each biscuit with a rolling pin on the counter or a cutting board, one biscuit at a time and then

transfer each to a 9 x 9 Pyrex dish sprayed with nonstick spray, making a crust. Cook for 5-6 minutes, just long enough to set, at 375 degrees. Let crust cool.

Slice the tomatoes 1/4 inch thick and lay out on plate or cutting board. Sprinkle with salt, and then blot the moisture away with paper towels after approximately 15 minutes. Slicing each tomato ring in half Fall 2016

Proudly serving the Gainesville Community since 1936.

150 Pearl Nix Parkway Lakeshore Mall 770-532-7021

allows for easier placement in the casserole dish.

Combine the mayonnaise, chopped onion, jalapeĂąo, salt and pepper with the Sargento 4 cheese Mexican cheese.

Roll up the basil leaves and cut them into shreds. Layer tomatoes, then the basil leaves, then the cheese mixture. Follow with another layer of tomatoes, basil and cheese mixture.

Top with the shredded sharp cheddar. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Check for crust browning 5 minutes prior to completion to see if foil should be removed. Let it set for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

For lots more photos, check out our blog post at StoveandAll.com. celebrating women of north georgia

13

Photo by Scott Rogers

Kelly Lee

Giving back is a family tradition By jennifer Linn Born and raised in Gainesville, Kelly Lee is now raising her own family here.

Lee shares daughters Caroline, age 8, and Isabel, 5, with her husband Morgan.

“I have lived in North Georgia all my life,” she said. “I was born in Gainesville, Ga., attended Gainesville City Schools and went to University of Georgia. The furthest from North Georgia I’ve lived in Atlanta just after college where I worked for five years and got a master’s degree.”

Lee has an MBA from Georgia State and works as a financial consultant for the Strong Gaddy Lee Wealth Management Group Growing up in North Georgia, Lee’s mother taught her important life lessons she uses every day. Among those lessons was to give back to the community and be involved.

“I volunteer in numerous organizations throughout the community — one of the big reasons is because of her,” Lee said. “She taught me the only way you can make something better is to get involved and try to work towards solutions.

Giving your time to the community you live in is important.”

Lee’s mother told her the best way to make friends in a new setting is to get involved and work hard.

Lee is involved with Challenged Child and Friends, Gateway Domestic Violence Center, Glory Hope and Life, First Baptist Church, United Way and the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville. She’s previously been involved with the Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Georgia History Center and Junior League of Gainesville-Hall County.

In addition, Lee’s mother encouraged the

celebrating women of north georgia

importance of education and taught her about money and budgeting, skills that are crucial in her job as a financial organizer.

“She set a wonderful example of how to be my own person while being a good mother and wife,” Lee said.

“Mom taught me that family is important and showing your family that you care is just as important. We didn’t always agree but I always knew I could come to her and she would listen and offer advice.”

In addition to the five years Lee spent in Atlanta, she also studied abroad in Italy for three months.

Lee has called North Georgia home for most of her life and says the variety of the area plays a big role.

“I love the four seasons,” she said. “I love being close to the mountains while having the advantage of being close to Atlanta for museums and shows.

Most of the people are warm and friendly and will reach out a hand if someone needs help. The lakes and all they have to offer: peacefulness, recreation, beauty.”

Other hobbies Lee enjoys are reading, running, exercising, water skiing, traveling and cooking. She hopes to one day climb a challenging mountain and visit Alaska.

The crisp fall season in North Georgia provides a beautiful backdrop for football.

“I like football season,” Lee said, adding that she doesn’t really watch the games but likes to tailgate and spend time with friends. “I like the first time each year we go to a Georgia game and see the Bulldogs run out onto the field. It gives me chills every time.”

15

Minding her own business Emily Forrester balances love of gems with love of family

By Pamela A. Keene

Photos by Maggie Turner Photography

16

A part-time job at a local business during high school was a life changer for Emily Taylor Forrester. When Emily’s friend Mary suggested that she work part-time at Gainesville Jewelry in 1999, Mary’s father’s business, neither realized what the future held.

Emily has been married to Phil Forrester for five years and the couple are proud parents of twins, 15-month-old Harlow and Monroe. The Murrayville native earned her degree in nursing from North Georgia College, now the University of North Georgia, and is within a few months of completing her prestigious Graduate Gemologist credentials from the Gemological Institute of America. Emily also manages the day-to-day for the rental properties in Hall and Lumpkin counties that they own.

As a high schooler, Emily had a goal to become a nurse.

“I worked at Gainesville Jewelry during the holidays and attended college,” she said. “It was important to me to achieve a college degree and I did.”

She volunteered in psychiatric nursing for several years leading counseling sessions for patients. Emily says her time in nursing taught her patience and people skills such as “when to talk and when to just listen.”

All along, she earned more responsibilities at Gainesville Jewelry, assisting with business and personnel management while also working with customers. About 10 years ago, her relationship with Phil became more than friendship.

According to Emily, Phil learned the business world through the school of hard knocks.

“He started this business in 1977 with $8,500, one counter and six rings,” she said. “And he has always been sup-

Fall 2016

porting of people who want to become entrepreneurs.”

Forrester recently invested in a business venture with the son of a family friend.

“He has a great idea that Phil knows will be successful, to Phil agreed to help him out. He’s just always been like that, willing to see a person’s potential and help them achieve it.”

In 2011, Emily’s step-daughter, Lisa, decided to start the series of classes to become an Accredited Jewelry Professional through the Gemological Institute of America.

“I decided to go with her because I didn’t want her to go alone all that way to California, and I signed up for the classes. It turned out to be a door-opener for me. What usually takes people nine months to complete, I was finishing in three days. the yearslong process has still been a challenge, but because Phil has taught me so much about the jewelry business, it’s been so very rewarding.”

Emily kept attending classes throughout her pregnancy, but put her studies on hold after the girls were born. But their birth didn’t slow her down for long.

“The twins were born on a Tuesday and I was back at work on the following Sunday,” she said. “I came in between feedings to make sure that payroll was done and to help with operations.”

All the while, she also continued the manage the business side of the rental properties. She also returned to her schedule to complete her certification.

In her spare time, Emily volunteers in the community, helping lead counseling sessions at a local mental health facility. She and Phil are staunch supporters of several community organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County. Phil grew up spending time at the club.

“If it wasn’t for the Boys & Girls Clubs, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Phil says. “It’s an amazing organization that teaches strong principles and values.

We truly believe in it.”

Phil gives a great deal of credit to Emily for where his life is today.

“She came into my life when I was at my lowest point,” he said.

“I know it may sound … well … but she literally saved my life.”

The respect, love and admiration is mutual.

“Phil brought out the best in me, things that I didn’t know I had,” she said. “My life is very fulfilled and happy. With my wonderful husband, the twins and our work, it’s a whirlwind – in a very positive way. I can’t imagine God giving me a better life any other way. It is truly a blessing.”

Women are a driving force in North Georgia …. and at Milton Martin Honda!

Teams members, left to right, include: Caryl Roark, Rhonda Waltz, Kristina Morrison, Heidi Kennedy, Wendy Truelove, Kathryn Gardner, Susan Gittens, Jane Garrison, Audra Bachman, Karen Bryant, Nell Castleberry, Andi Farmer, Denise Rider

2420 Browns Bridge Road Gainesville, GA 770-534-0086 www.miltonmartinhonda.com

Brava

For Sue Sigmon-Nosach, art imitates life

By Bekah Porter Sue Sigmon-Nosach uses her mosaic art as a way to raise awareness for ovarian cancer.

Photos by Scott Rogers

The woman sat in the chair and cried.

She sobbed not because her disease-ridden body was being pumped with the poison known as chemotherapy.

She wept not because her husband had just lost his battle to his own cancer.

Rather, she shed angry tears as she raged that this sickness had robbed her of more

18

than her health and her spouse. It had also stolen her financial stability, leaving her unable to pay for her husband’s memorial.

Elizabeth Bernstein, an oncology certified registered nurse, watched her patient crumble, and she felt helpless.

“I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to help. I didn’t know how to fix it,” said

the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Gynecologic Oncology employee. “So I did what I always do when I don’t know where to turn; I called Sue, and she made it happen.”

Murrayville resident Sue Sigmon-Nosach never planned on spending her retirement helping widows pay for their loved ones’ burials. But she also never anticipated facing Fall 2016

her own death or watching her best friend slip away into the afterlife. And she certainly never expected all of this tragedy to transform her from a businesswoman to an artist and for what started as a creative outlet to be a funding source that would change the lives of hundreds of women.

Despite the odds In 2004, doctors told Sigmon-Nosach the unbelievable: She would be dead within the year.

The ovarian cancer that had wiled its way into her body would be her demise, physicians said. But Sigmon-Nosach’s persistence convinced the medical professionals to push ahead with chemotherapy and aggressive surgical procedures.

While open on the table, surgeons nicked an organ, leading to the dreaded infection known as sepsis. Soon afterward, she laid in a coma on life support. Her husband, Mike, was told to prepare for the worst. Then doctors administered a dangerous medication that caused Sigmon-Nosach to have a heart attack.

“It truly was a perilous time,” she said.

But she persevered nonetheless. And although she lost her corporate job, she remained alive, improving daily despite the odds.

To keep herself distracted from her condition, Sigmon-Nosach took an art class, despite having never demonstrated those creative capabilities before.

“A lot of people who go through a cancer journey have turned to art to express the emotions they can’t particularly talk out with people, and I think that was my case,” she said. “It was a challenge that got my mind off of what was going on.”

She dabbled with various artistic mediums, but she discovered her strength in working with broken glass. She took the shards of destroyed items and arranged them in stunning mosaics.

The symbolism was not lost on SigmonNosach.

“Anybody who hears the words, ‘You have cancer,’ is broken. I know I was broken,” she said. “When you hear that, life as you know it ends, and you don’t ever cross back into the ‘before’ territory. There’s life before cancer, and there’s life after cancer. And life after cancer, life in that broken place, it can be beautiful, if you let it be.”

So Sigmon-Nosach took the remnants of a once complete piece and carefully made them celebrating women of north georgia

into something new. Unbeknownst to her, the decision to take that course would alter the rest of her life, albeit a life she didn’t expect to be around to enjoy.

‘Not going to go it alone’ At the end of 2004, when Sigmon-Nosach was expected to be dead, she instead held a celebratory party to bask in her remission.

Initially, she wanted the event to be intimate and only include the closest of friends. But her husband insisted he be allowed to invite his own close friend who had supported him, as well as that friend’s wife.

Again, it was a seemingly insignificant decision that altered the course of SigmonNosach’s life.

The friend’s wife was Debbie Torbett. At that party, Torbett asked Sigmon-Nosach about the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Weeks later, Torbett called. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and would start aggressive treatment.

In a short time, the women went from being casual acquaintances who had previously found nothing in common to best friends.

Sigmon-Nosach insisted on accompanying Torbett to her chemotherapy treatments.

“She was not going to go it alone,” she said.

Sigmon-Nosach played cheerleader, even going so far as to insist Torbett make art.

Then, one night, in a moment that SigmonNosach describes as quite dramatic, she woke in the middle of the night with an epiphany.

“I woke up in the middle of the night, and I said, ‘Debbie and I are going to work in broken glass, and we’re going to call ourselves 2 Broken Broads, and we’re going to raise money for cancer, and our tagline is going to be, ‘Broken is Beautiful,’” she said. “And that’s what happened.”

Startling success The two women crafted mosaics from recycled material and sold the works at art shows and auctions, rapidly gaining a following. Their success startled them. They began their efforts in 2009, and as of today, they have sold more than 425 art pieces to people in 39 states and two foreign countries.

“As we became successful, we started writing checks to various organizations that were supposedly supportive of gynecological cancers,” Sigmon-Nosach said. “And we kept selling, and we kept writing checks. And Debbie kept going to treatments. And as

she sat in those chemo chairs, she never met another woman who had benefitted from any of these organizations that we were supporting, and honestly, it was maddening.”

So the two shifted strategies in 2013, instead founding their own nonprofit, The Partnership for Gynecological Cancer Support.

“Our mission was and still is solely to reduce the financial toxicity that a cancer diagnosis brings for a woman and her family,” Sigmon-Nosach said. “We give money for such daily noninsured expenses as gas, healthy food, medicine, utilities.”

Torbett and Sigmon-Nosach provided various organizations, such as the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Gynecologic Oncology, with gift cards for providers like Bernstein to distribute to the women who were fighting their cancer battles.

But it soon became apparent that Torbett was losing hers.

‘We had to do it’ In 2014, Torbett died, but not before Sigmon-Nosach promised her friend she would continue with their efforts as long as she “had two hands to hold out” and “breath in her body.”

So she presses on, spending her days in her studio, putting broken pieces back together.

“Art takes you away,” Sigmon-Nosach said.

“You just lose track of time. Art gives you that ability, especially if you let your art take you where it wants to go. You can’t humanize it, but art is a spirit of sorts, and if you’ve got that spirit in you, you can go places with it.”

For Sigmon-Nosach, those places are knowing that she’s making a difference in the lives of people experiencing what she and Torbett did. In the three years since the women formed the nonprofit that gave money directly to cancer patients, more than 500 women have received financial help.

While Sigmon-Nosach and Torbett had originally designated categories for fund dispersal (i.e. utilities, medicines, etc.), as well as limits as to what one person could receive, situations manage to arise that stretch the initial boundaries.

“I had a woman, 32 years old, with three little kids and a husband who adored her, and she had been put in hospice, and insurance wouldn’t pay for her pain medication,” Sigmon-Nosach said. “It wouldn’t pay for the medicine that would help her kids remember

19

her without pain. So we paid the $962 for her pain pills. Was it above our budget? Sure. But were we just not going to do it? No. How could we not help her children remember her without pain? We had to do it. We had the money.”

It takes gentle prodding, but SigmonNosach reveals the “we” to which she refers is not new staff at her nonprofit. She is still referring to she and Torbett.

“I can’t help it,” she said. “She has been gone two years, but it’s still ‘we.’ She’s still with me. Truly, she is. This is still our work.”

‘God meant for me to do this’ Sigmon-Nosach wishes her friend would have been able to be cancer-free, as she herself is now. She wishes her friend could have been seen first hand how successful their organization has been.

But she does not wish that her own life had not taken this particular path.

“I never would have chosen to get cancer, but I never would have chosen to not get

20

cancer. And I mean that with every fiber of my being,” Sigmon-Nosach said. “Cancer has done a lot for me. I can look at it now and see where it has taken me. It has introduced me to people who have hearts bigger than this planet, who have fighting spirits more intense than the Vikings had. Yes, cancer has done an awful lot for me.”

But she is not the only beneficiary.

Bernstein wants Sigmon-Nosach to know that.

“I see an awful lot of women here who get those gift cards to Kroger or who know their medicine is now paid for, and I see the huge impact it has made,” the nurse said. “It’s unbelievable.”

She thinks often of the day when her patient cried, not knowing how she would bury her husband.

“Honestly, I’m not surprised that Sue never mentioned that she made sure that woman’s husband was able to be cremated,” she said.

“I’m sure she doesn’t think of it as often as I do, because to her, that’s just who she is,

and that’s just what she does. But to me, that moment was unbelievable, as are the other moments when you know that (Sue’s help) is what gets these women a few more trips to their chemo or the reassurance that there will be groceries in their cabinet. It’s a big deal.”

And for the nurse herself, the knowledge that Sigmon-Nosach is available the next time she encounters an impossible situation is comforting.

“I can’t imagine not having her as a resource,” Bernstein said. “I know that if I have nowhere else to go and no other resource available, I can call Sue, and she will find a way to make it happen.”

To that, Sigmon-Nosach has only one response: “God meant for me to do this. If I didn’t take advantage of this second chance he gave me, what sort of person would I be?

No. This is what I’m meant to do. And I’m going to keep doing it, me and Debbie, until we go out of business from lack of need.”

Fall 2016

W O N N PE O

Enjoy Life on the Lake and see what separates us from everyone else.

Affordable Luxury Living Starting at $2800/month

Creating remarkable moments with elegant cuisine and a luxurious atmosphere.

2601 Thompson Bridge Road Gainesville, GA 30501

678.971.1900

LanierLodgeAssistedLiving.com

• Outdoor Covered Patios with Overhead Fans, Outdoor TV and Big Views of Lake Lanier • Warm, Cozy Fireside Seating • Daily Housekeeping • 14-Slip Community Boat Dock • Cable TV and All Utilities Included • Executive Chef with Elegant Plating

• Daily Wellness Checks • Bistro Bar • Medication Monitoring • In-Room Emergency Call System • Salon and Podiatry Services • Personal Laundry/Linen Service • Non-Denominational Church Services Every Sunday

Making a difference

Jackie Cooley and husband Counte Cooley work at their Gainesville offices with executive assistant Christy Lyon, left.

Photos by Scott Rogers

Glory Hope & Life helps face cancer with dignity

By Bekah Porter

22

Fall 2016

The man died quickly.

Cancer hit the man when he was in his prime – in his 30s, married, father of four.

And with no concern for the fact that this man was the sole provider for his family, the disease carried him away in a matter of 12 short weeks.

The wife had no time to seek out a job as she cared for her dying spouse, and after each organization collected their money – insurance, hospitals, funeral homes – the family’s resources dwindled until their bank account had nothing more to offer.

“So I called Jackie,” said Alicia Harrison, who works both as a nurse and as an oncology patient navigator at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. “And she did just the most phenomenal thing. She paid that family’s mortgage payment for a bit, and I am telling you, that made all the difference to that family. That took the burden off the wife long enough to get a job and to get back on her feet.

“She makes such a difference in people’s lives. I can’t stress that enough.”

Gainesville native Jackie Cooley shies away from such praise.

After all, the 65-year-old says, this is her calling.

“When you find out what you’re meant

to do, you just do it,” she said, “and it’s a blessing.”

A personal toll

Unlike many individuals who get into the world of providing resources to cancer patients, Cooley never heard the words everyone dreads.

“I’ve never heard that I have cancer,” she said. “But I lost my mother to cancer when she was 62, and I lost my grandmother to cancer when she was 38, before I was even born. And so many friends and co-workers. Yes, I’ve been touched a lot by cancer.”

But perhaps no cancer diagnosis shook her more profoundly than that of her friend Judy Piotrowski, also of Gainesville.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, Piotrowski fought the disease with everything she had, undergoing chemo practically nonstop. Cooley determined that she’d be by her friend’s side as she fought, doing everything from accompanying her to doctor’s appointments to helping her choose her wigs each of the four times she lost her hair.

“And that’s where it started,” Cooley said. “Our future started in that wig shop.”

Cooley and Piotrowski were there to

weight loss laser treatments botox/juvederm

skincare ngwellness.com 770.532.3306

pick up Piotrowski’s newest wig when they overheard the shop manager arguing with somebody on the phone.

“You could tell the woman was upset,” Cooley said. “And when she hung up, you could see that she really was frustrated.”

The store employee went on to tell the women that she was trying to convince an insurance company to cover the cost of a wig for a mother in her 20s who was embarrassed about wearing a baseball cap to work to hide her baldness.

“And Judy and I looked at each other, and we said, ‘We’ll buy her the wig.’”

Cooley said.

Fulfilling a legacy

Piotrowski always knew that she had cancer for a reason.

“She always said that she really and truly was certain that God had been saving her for a reason,” Cooley said.

Piotrowski could have passed soon after her diagnosis, but she lasted nine years.

“She fought until the bitter end, because she knew that God was keeping her alive to fulfill a purpose,” Cooley said. “And as soon as she heard about that young mother who needed a wig, right then, she knew what she was supposed to be doing.”

“She lived long enough to know what her legacy was meant to be.”

Jackie Cooley is the Vice President of Electronic Sales Co. in Gainesville. She also helps run the nonprofit, Glory hope & Life, which provides assistance to cancer patients.

Shortly after, Piotrowski asked Cooley to help her found a nonprofit organization, For Her Glory, which would provide women with wigs. Cooley, a vice president at Electronic Sales Co. in Gainesville, used her skills as a task-oriented businesswoman to help get the organization running.

Four days after For Her Glory launched in 2004, Piotrowski passed away.

“She lived long enough to know what her legacy was meant to be,” Cooley said. “She lived long enough to see us get everything up and running and off the ground.”

Credit where credit’s due

Things have changed since the women’s foundation started.

For starters, the nonprofit has been folded into a larger organization, Glory Hope & Life, which brought together the services of four local foundations dedicated to helping families stricken by cancer.

Now their services run a wide scale, including things like paying for patients’ hotel stays, providing prosthetic compression

24

garments, and filling individuals’ cars with fuel so they can make it to their treatments.

“Really, we just want to do absolutely anything that can help,” Cooley said.

Alicia Harrison, who helps cancer patients through their journey, can attest to Cooley’s impact.

“We’ve had patients who were going to have their power turned off, and Glory Hope & Life paid their power bill. We’ve had patients who couldn’t afford the pain medications their insurance didn’t cover, and Glory Hope & Life paid for them,” she said.

“I’ll never forget, one winter, we had a patient who had a propane tank that ran out of gas, and we called Jackie, and they immediately had somebody come out and fill that tank up so that patient could have heat in the winter. I can tell you story after story like that. I don’t know how they do it.”

Cooley gives all the credit to God, donors and the foundation’s board, but she does admit the foundation requires a lot of her time.

“A patient navigator will call, and the world just stops until we can get that patient’s need taken care of,” she said.

Last year, Glory Hope & Life provided more than $140,000 in direct patient care, a number that makes Cooley emotional.

“That number even surprises me,” she said.

And she knows it would make Piotrowski proud.

“Oh, I know she’s dancing in heaven,” she said. “Yeah, I think she’d be very proud.”

On the other hand, she knows Piotrowski would want to push further, to do more, to keep making a difference.

“That’s just who she was,” Cooley said.

“She was always there for you. Anything you needed, she was there.”

She wishes her friend were still around.

“We laughed together, we cried together, we went through divorces together, we got remarried together,” Cooley said. “She was just a true, true person, and anybody who knew her loved her. So of course, there’s no substitute for her being here.”

But with no means of bringing her friend back, Cooley chooses to view the foundation as an extension of Piotrowski.

“Nothing will ever fill her shoes, but I feel so honored to be a part of her legacy, and that’s what (this foundation) is,” Cooley said. “It’s a part of me now, and just like it’s what Judy knew she was supposed to be doing, it’s what I know I’m supposed to be doing.”

Fall 2016

Photo by Erin O. Smith

26

Fall 2016

Connie Stephens

Putting the needs of children first By jennifer Linn She has been working for more than 27 years to help abused, abandoned and neglected children of Hall County and Connie Stephens wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I would not change a thing about my job working at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate),” she said. “I have recently stepped down as executive director to spend more time with my family. I will continue to write and manage the federal grants, volunteer my time and forever be a voice for these children.”

Stephens’ involvement came in 1989 after reading a story in The Times about a new Hall County program called CASA, whose mission was to ensure abused and neglected children entering the juvenile courts through no fault of their own can find a safe and permanent home.

“My purpose and passion in life was to protect the most vulnerable members of our society: children who are abused, neglected and abandoned,” Stephens said.

Stephens was working as a substitute teacher for emotionally and mentally disturbed children in the late 1980s when she came across a child named Tommy. She said Tommy had suffered from every kind of abuse and she could see the sadness and fear in his eyes. He ended up committing suicide and Stephens said she grieved his death and felt helpless to do anything about it — until she heard about the CASA program.

“This is where I felt a calling to help other children like Tommy,” Stephens said. “My purpose and passion in life begin as a volunteer for CASA. I was so passionate about the work, I devoted hours and hours without compensation, something my husband could not understand.”

Stephens eventually was offered a part-time job as the sole staff person to run the organization.

“I had no idea how I was going to do it,” she

celebrating women of north georgia

said. “But with God’s help and the help of this community, and our state organization, Georgia CASA, Hall-Dawson CASA took off as one of the first CASA programs in Georgia.”

Over the years, CASA grew and Stephens helped run the program. She also helped write grants and raise funds for the nonprofit.

“I am most proud of our wonderful facility called the Little House, a child-friendly facility that houses CASA and the Edmondson Telford Center for Children located on Washington Street,” Stephens said. “We are great partners providing services to abused children. Both agencies raised the funds to build and pay for the Little House. It has been a blessing to this community and the children we serve.”

While CASA has played a large role in Stephens’ life, she has several other passions, including her faith and family.

“My faith has guided me through every aspect of my life. I truly believe that God has a purpose for each of our lives,” she said. “My family means everything to me. I am blessed beyond what I deserve when it comes to family.”

Stephens has been married to her husband Tony for 43 years. They own Stephens Auto Sales on Cleveland Highway and are avid collectors and sellers of classic cars.

The Stephens have two adult children and five grandchildren.

“My grandchildren are truly my favorite pastime,” she said. “They bring me joy that only a grandparent can understand.”

In her spare time, Stephens likes to spend time at the beach or on Lake Lanier. She loves boating, skiing and fishing with the grandchildren as well as painting scenes that were inspired by sunsets, the beach or her grandchildren.

27

Moms with Moxie Blessed with large families While the benefits of having a large family outweigh the challenges, Kara Gilbert recently found herself pondering where all of the fruit and bottles of water she purchased the days before went.

Gone were several containers of berries, seven bananas and a 24-pack of water The answer, most likely, was her children found them. And with eight children, the Gainesville mother said she’s constantly restocking.

Gilbert and her husband James have been

married for 18 years and are the parents of Patton, 16; Courtland, 15; Auden, 12; Embry, 10; Ellie, 7; Ingram, 5; Logan, 4; and Evelyn, 2.

“It was never in the plans, we had two, and then we were just trying to decide if we would have more or not,” Gilbert said.

The couple waited a bit and then had a third boy. After that they decided to try for a girl, who was born next. After that they just kept thinking, one more.

“Maybe just one more and then at that point it just became one more, and one more, and

By Jennifer linn

one more, and then we adopted Logan,” she said. “I’m from a family of three girls and he’s from a family of two so it was never our plan -- it’s what God worked out in our lives.”

Kelly Leggerio and her husband, Jamie, have a similar story. They have been married for 21 years and have seven children ranging in age from 3 to 18.

“We thought we’d have three or four,” Kelly Leggerio said of the couple’s original thoughts on children.

The biggest reason the Braselton family is up

Clockwise: The Gilbert family poses for a photo at their Gainesville home. The Gilberts have eight children. The Liggerio family plays games at the kitchen table in their Braselton home. The Liggerio family poses for a photo with their two dogs. There are seven children.

Photos by Erin O. Smith

28

Fall 2016

to seven children is because the Leggerios say they felt a call from God to adopt.

“I don’t know that we’re done, we may have more at some point as well,” Kelly Leggerio said.

For now, Kelly and Jamie are parents to Jake, 18; Mark, 16; Nicholas, 14; Maria, 14; Brooke, 11; Emma, 6; and Levi, 3.

“You’re never bored, there’s always someone there,” Leggerio said.

Gilbert and Leggerio said their children all tend to get along pretty well and it’s been nice to see the older children help out with the younger ones.

“It’s been really cool watching the older kids help with the younger ones,” Leggerio said.

“It’s a whole different dynamic than when we had the first four kids who were really close together.”

Gilbert says she notices her kids having more compassion for younger children and children with special needs.

“The biggest thing I have noticed in my kids is a compassion that my older ones have for younger kids because most teenagers they don’t care about little kids or they think they’re a pain or whatever,” she said. The family goes to church and the older kids help get the younger ones out of their car seats and help carry in Sunday school supplies.

“They just know how to be with little kids

and they are loving with them and just so sweet,” Gilbert said.

Both women say church is one activity the whole family participates in together.

The Gilberts attend First Baptist Church in Gainesville while the Leggerios attend Victory World Church in Norcross.

Both women, who are friends, say finding activities the whole family can participate in can be a challenge with span in the children’s ages.

“We play a lot of games together, some of us, not all of us, go for trail runs or walks or go to the gym,” she said. “My husband and I do different sports with the kids.”

Pool parties and entertaining other larger families at their home are other family activities, Leggerio said.

With such large families, it can sometimes be difficult to find time for themselves.

However, both Gilbert and Leggerio take time to work out.

Gilbert goes to the gym at least three days a week, a habit she has carried on for years.

Leggerio teaches fitness classes, and is now teaching Saturday morning Zumba classes.

“It’s just nonstop, from the minute I get up in the morning until I go to bed,” Gilbert said.

One of the challenges of a large family is feeling you have enough time for everybody.

“Because I always feel like … I have age

Growing Our Center.

Expanding to South Hall.

Hear our stories at CenterPointGa.org/SouthHall.

16 down to 2, so trying to make sure the teenagers feel loved and the little ones feel loved is definitely a challenge,” Gilbert said.

As the Gilberts’ family grew, so did their dinner table. The family all sits around one table to eat together. With so many kids in the home, sometimes with several having friends over, getting everyone down to dinner can be a difficult.

“We have gotten bigger tables as the years go by,” she said. “We actually have a megaphone we use to call the kids to dinner.”

But still, it’s fun to have a house full of children, Gilbert said.

“For me there’s never a dull moment and I like it like that,” Gilbert said. “I like it just busy and you don’t have time to worry about things you don’t need to worry about, just focus on life because that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

As the Leggerios have grown, they’ve felt blessed.

“It wasn’t our plan to have this large of a family but it’s been the greatest gift,” Leggerio said.

Their youngest son has medical needs and at times it has been a little scary for the family, but Leggerio says adopting him was one of the best things they ever did.

“Something unexpected actually turned out to be a huge, huge blessing,” she said.

Life Begins at the Center Family & Youth Services Counseling • Mentoring • Teen Pregnancy Programs Drug & Alcohol Prevention • Religious Studies

50 plus&

fabulous

Kathy Amos is Brenau University Executive Director of the Center for Lifetime Study/BULLI. Photos by Scott Rogers

30

A lifetime of learning

By Bekah Porter The slightly stooped woman had faded hair and laugh lines.

If you were to define her by her age – 75 – you would likely use words such as, “grandmother,” “elderly,” “retired,” or, heaven forbid, “in life’s last phase.”

But on that day, as the septuagenarian climbed the stairs to a classroom that held her next adventure, she transcended those descriptors and preferred simply to be referred to as a dancer.

“Because that’s exactly what she was,” said Cheryl Vassiliadis, an instructor for The Center for Lifetime Study at Brenau University. “She was a ballerina.

She was graceful and powerful and ready to be known for this new chapter in her life.”

More than 2,000 people have had similar moments through the institution’s adult learning and leadership programs, which for 22 years have helped students, ranging in ages from 40 to 90, to find a new purpose and direction in their retirement. Arguably even more importantly, the opportunity has encouraged a new outlook on aging.

“That woman, as she was walking into that dance class, she looked at me, and I’ll never forget what she said,” Vassiliadis said. “She said, ‘Cheryl, I’m not afraid to get old anymore. I see now what I can still do, and I know now that I can still do new things and have fun.’”

If Kathy Amos had her way, she’d take Vassilidia’s story and write it in permanent ink on the walls of Brenau’s Center for Lifetime Study, where Amos serves as executive director.

Well, that, and her own personal motto about the programs for which Fall 2016

Virginia Hale, 72, holds a Masters of Library Science, but wanted to continue learning through BULLI classes. she is so passionate: “There is life after 60, and it is abundant.”

In her position, Amos oversees the Center’s mission to “provide opportunities for lifelong learning, leadership and cultural exploration to mature adults throughout northeast Georgia.” She and her staff realize these goals through two distinct ventures: The Brenau University Learning and Leisure Institute and the Wisdom Project.

The former started in 1994 and focuses on offering continuing education classes, like Vassiliadis’ dance lessons. It now operates in Gainesville and Braselton. The latter is a joint effort with the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and is designed to recruit retirement-age individuals into positions of leadership where they can use their lifetimes of experience to provide solutions for local needs.

Whether participants choose to take BULLI’s history class on the intricacies of the United States’ electoral college or join a committee that creates a 24-hour transportation system for the elderly and visually-impaired, the end goal is the same.

“I have had people say to me as they age celebrating women of north georgia

that they feel like they are disappearing,” Amos said. “When they’re no longer President of Such and Such or Doctor So and So but just Sam Jones, then their identity goes away… We want to help carry them through that process of being able to reach that true pinnacle, where their value is in themselves rather than in their title.”

Virginia Hale, 72, and her husband, John, retired to Flowery Branch in 2004 for one main reason: “the lure of the lake.”

But they soon found they weren’t content to spend their days just watching the lake lap up on the beach.

“We want to keep our skills as we age, and we want our brains tuned in to the world,” Hale said.

“We wanted to get involved in the community…, and we wanted to keep our skills as we age, and we wanted our brains tuned in to the world,” she said.

When Hale heard about BULLI’s classes, she didn’t hesitate.

“The idea of taking classes for the sheer pleasure of learning without the worry of grades and high prices – it was so appeal-

ing,” she said.

Although Hale earned a Masters of Library Science degree years earlier for her career in library services, she thirsted for more.

“We just did not want to close our minds,” said the public librarian who retired from her position as regional manager of six libraries in the Cobb County Library System.

She found herself entranced in lectures about art history and English literature.

She soaked up every academic morsel she could. “(BULLI) keeps our skills sharp, and our commitment to continuing to learn, I think, makes us good examples for our kids and grandkids,” she said.

But she insists the benefits expand far beyond gleaning new information and showing others it’s never too late to learn.

She praises the friends she’s made through her socialization at BULLI, as well as it introducing her to other activities.

For example, Hale now participates in the book discussion club that was born from a BULLI literature class. She also

31

now hikes regularly with a group that formed after a BULLI class on the Appalachian Trail And she’s not alone. The hiking group offshoot spawned its own club, an international hiking organization that travels across the world to venture down global paths. And a different BULLI writing class inspired the BULLI Bards, a poetry group that meets regularly.

These opportunities have helped Hale, who now serves as president of the BULLI Board, to view retirement quite differently than she did before.

“We aren’t looking ahead and saying, ‘Oh, we can’t do this or that,’” she said. “Rather, we’re looking ahead and saying, ‘Oh, we’ve got time to what we have always wanted to do.”

And that time is being well-spent, especially when considering the work done by BULLI’s counterpart, The Wisdom Project.

The program’s concept seems simple enough. Community members nominate individuals to participate in The Wisdom Project.

Those nominated folks attend eight sessions that focus on such topics as health care and education and social services.

Then the attendees enter into a dialogue with the presenters. Finally, the retirees offer solutions to the needs discussed by the guest speakers.

Results have astounded even Amos, who had high hopes when she helped create the program.

“I absolutely loved the idea of finding ways for leaders in the community who are retired to find ways to contribute to the community in meaningful and creative ways,” she said. “And when I say creative, these people really, really do get creative.”

For example, when Wisdom Project participants learned many elderly individuals struggled to find reliable transportation for non-medically-related trips, they brainstormed and created the now highly successful ITNLanier. The service offers rides to the elderly and visually-impaired 24-7 with no limitations on the purpose for the ride.

The Project also received national attention when The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on one member who solved a weight restriction dilemma at the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport.

Officials had determined the runway only had a capacity for 40,000 pounds, which meant corporate jets couldn’t land in the area. Wisdom Project participate Wayne Stradley learned about the problem during one presentation, and as former airline worker, the issue nagged at him. He went home and researched the runway and learned it had been built by the Navy during World War II. He reasoned its actual weight capacity was much greater.

He put together a pitch and convinced city and council officials to fund a $25,000 test to determine the runway’s actual weight capacity, which ended up actually being 100,000 pounds. The airport has since been reclassified and has seen a significant uptick in business.

Kris Golden, 65, who is secretary for The Wisdom Keepers

32

Board, an organization that assists Wisdom Project graduates, says the program’s focus on leadership is beyond valuable.

“Leadership is identifying a need, coming up with what you might think be a solution, talking through it, and then coming up with a plan to address that need,” she said.

The Gainesville resident said the Wisdom Project convinced her retirement held more than mere relaxation.

“I think when people retire, they think, ‘Oh, we’re going to golf every day,’ and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that,” she said. “But after a few days of that, they wake up and want to do and think about things that make a difference. And then they do just that. The community can benefit greatly from all of the wisdom and experience and skills that seniors have to offer.”

In turn, seniors benefit from remaining active in the community through such programs as BULLI and The Wisdom Project.

“When you are thinking about something other than yourself, you thrive more mentally, physically and emotionally,” Golden said.

The educator for the deaf and hardof-hearing sees herself as an advocate of aging since joining the Wisdom Project.

“We want people to understand that aging is not something to be ashamed of or to avoid,” she said. “It’s a great thing, and we want to do it in the best possible way we can.”

Maria Zayas agrees. The professor of psychology at Brenau teaches classes for BULLI on the concept of resilience in aging.

“Developing resilience is much like developing any muscle; you have to practice doing more than you were doing before,” she said. “Just like working out at the gym, it is important to work out our brains so that they can benefit and keep us stronger, healthier and happier…

The more we use our brains in different ways, the stronger they become. Exposing ourselves to new and different things is one of the best things we can do to stay young at heart, and in other ways, too.”

For that reason, Cheryl Vassiliadis, 63, keeps teaching her dance classes.

As she stretches her body, she stretches her mind.

“Once you learn to do something and you start to get proficient at it, at any age, you do feel more powerful, and you feel so proud of yourself,” she said.

So, she pressed forward, remembering the moment when the 75-year-old woman told her she was no longer afraid of aging because of her experiences in the classroom. Vassiliadis chronicled the moment in the book she co-authored, “Creative Aging: A Baby Boomer’s Guide To Successful Living.”

“That moment there, when she told me that, it said it all. It really did. That moment when an elderly woman now sees herself as a ballerina with worth tells you that society is wrong when it tells older people that they’re too old to do this or that. The reality is that you’re never too old to do anything.”

Fall 2016

Sleek. Elegant.

Just my style.

Hearing aids can restore your hearing while not being visable to others.

Designed for all-day comfort.

Choose from over 80 hearing aid styles, sizes and silhouettes.

800 off

FREE HEARING SCREENING

$

one pair of Legend hearing aids

Buy one get one free Pack of Batteries

Beltone Hearing Aid Centers

Servicing Greater Atlanta, North East Georgia and Gwinnett Counties

Christopher Campellone

HIS; HHCP: SMHP #859

3885 Mundy Mill Rd Suite 107

5485 Bethelview Rd Suite 440

5415 Sugarloaf Pkwy Suite 1103

9925 Haynes Bridge Rd Suite 105

Oakwood, GA 30566 Phone: 770-287-0012

Lawrenceville, GA 30043 Phone: 678-226-4322

Cumming, GA 30040 Phone: 470-695-7444

John’s Creek, GA 30022 Phone: 770-442-0123

www.beltone-georgia.com

Betsy Adams Looking for opportunities to explore in North Georgia By jennifer Linn Betsy Adams of Flowery Branch has called North Georgia home for 30 years.

North Georgia offers an opportunity to experience a variety of activities with it’s proximity to other cities, such as Atlanta, Greenville, S.C., and Asheville, N.C. North Georgia is also a place where the 54-year-old can participate in some of her favorite hobbies, which include fly fishing, visiting art and antique galleries, theater, taking girls’ trips to Las Vegas, sporting clays, reading, cooking, wine and fine dining and cheering on her favorite SEC football team — Auburn.

For Adams, following current events and understanding the preceding history that led to those events — notably politics — is a passion in life.

Adams also has a passion supporting professionals willing to work in the public sector, not only as a voter but as a donor and campaign volunteer.

Adams grew up in Northwest Alabama. She lived on a farm with her family where they grew their own vegetables and canned or froze many of them. There were also cows, chickens and pigs.

She went on to attend Livingston University in Livingston, Ala., where she studied history, English and political science. Now, Adams works as a marketing manager at the Adams Companies: Adams Transfer & Storage Co., Inc and Adams Real Estate and Property Management, all headquartered in Gainesville.

“My college education was funded through scholarships provided by the Alabama’s Junior Miss and Miss Alabama/America programs,” Adams said.

“One year I served as Miss Talladega 500, which afforded me opportunities to represent the NASCAR Speedway at events throughout the Southeast.”

While in high school, she rode a bike into town to work at the local newspaper and radio station.

During college, she spent summers tending bar and

34

waitressing on the Gulf Coast. After college she held several marketing positions related to retail, hospitality and tourism, market research, health care, nonprofit and professional services.

“I’ve always enjoyed working and find businesses and industries fascinating,” she said.

Now Adams remains active in her community.

She’s involved with the Quinlan Visual Art Center’s Gala and is a partner in an investment club that meets monthly, which she describes as a “high-spirited, intelligent group of women who keep the bar high for business discussions.”

Adams tends to be drawn to smart women and cites iconic British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as her hero.

“She worked steadily upward through England’s government and was relentless,” Adams said. “When challenged, she demonstrated resolve, character and integrity. Those are qualities to rely on in tough times.”

Adams herself has shown bravery during tough times. She says one of her bravest moments in life was taking care of her mother as she was growing up.

Her mother, Hazel, passed away when Betsy was 13.

Adams also has an interest in traveling; she said her dream job would be to be a destination reviewer — evaluating dining, lodging and attractions for travelers.

Earlier this year Adams, traveled to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha, Neb., where she saw Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger answer questions from investors and the media.

One day, she hopes to attend other high profile events such as The Oscars, the Kentucky Derby and the Westminster Kennel Show. She hopes to visit the Homestead in Virginia, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan and L’Auberge Del Mar in California.

Fall 2016

celebrating women of north georgia

Photo by Scott Rogers

35

Historical Moxie

Lucile Townsend Pearce was a tiger for Brenau growth

By JOHNNY VARDEMAN The tiger sculpture that lounges serenely on the Brenau University campus fronting Gainesville’s Green Street is named “Lucile.”

The name was selected from more than 300 suggestions from students, staff and others.

But who is or was this “Lucile?”

Just one of the most outstanding students in the school’s history, eventually the wife of the college president and interim manager of the college after her husband died.

She was Lucile Townsend Pearce, who graduated when the college was still called the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary and Conservatory in 1900. She was the daughter of the Rev. George W. and Emily Alsop Townsend of Montgomery, Ala. He was a prominent minister who became involved with the college and the community while Lucile was a student.

Lucile Townsend enrolled in 1897 at age 14 and soon became prominent in student activities. She apparently acquired her musical tastes growing up in Montgomery, and her parents scouted higher education options that emphasized music.

She became first violin in the college orchestra and performed in numerous concerts both on piano and violin. The Georgia Cracker newspaper described her as “the bright little daughter” of the Rev. and Mrs. Townsend.

Seminary Notes, news about college students, called her “one of the most talented musicians, as well as successful pupils in the literary course in the seminary … one of the best performers on the violin … that can be found in this country-wide.”

An 1899 article in the Georgia Cracker said she was “a petite, charming little lady, yet in her teens, who has shown a remarkable degree of talent in playing the violin.”

Lucile was active in honor organizations Mu Phi Epsilon and Phi Beta Sigma and the sorority Alpha Delta Pi. She was senior class prophet and treasurer and first honor graduate in 1900.

36

Sissy Lawson is the granddaughter of Lucile Pearce, who was the wife of Brenau University President H.J. Pearce and served as the president of the university for a brief time. Photo by Nick Dentamaro, courtesy Brenau University.

Her parents became close to the college while Lucile was a student, spending a year on campus in the cottage of A.W. Van Hoose, a co-owner at the time. The Rev. Townsend preached at Hall County churches, sometimes conducting revivals.

It is no wonder then that their daughter became close friends with the president, Haywood J. Pearce. His first wife, Mamie Matthews, died in 1897.

After Lucile’s graduation, she studied further in New York and Chicago. She and Pearce apparently began courting soon after because they were married in January 1904 in New York. A brief article about the wedding in the Gainesville News reported the Pearces would leave immediately for Europe, where Pearce was to study psychology, and the two would tour the continent before returning to Gainesville in 1907. He was 12 years older than she.

Haywood Pearce, of course, already was engaged in community activities as president

of Brenau. His new wife dove right in as they setPhoto tled back in their Gainesville home.

She was active in the Progressive Arts and Book clubs and First Methodist Church and continued to hone her talent as a musician.

The new Mrs. Pearce maintained her connection to the college through her husband, but also helped attract musical festivals and other events to the campus and community.

Sissy Lawson, a Gainesville granddaughter who never knew her grandmother, learned a lot about Lucile from family. “She was a leader always,” said Lawson, who herself was the first woman elected to Gainesville City Council and the town’s first female mayor. “She was a pacesetter, driven and decisive.” She also was a non-conformist.

“She didn’t like tea parties,” Lawson said.

“She’d rather be on a horse.” She was more comfortable in boots and a riding habit.

Having grown up around horses on the Townsends’ plantation in Alabama, Lucile furthered that interest by purchasing land and

Fall 2016

providing stables for her and Brenau students’ use.

With her own money, she accumulated scores of acres, including where Sherwood Plaza, Sherwood Heights residential area and First Presbyterian Church are today.

Lawson estimated she had 60 to 80 horses.

The horses were a big part of Camp Takeda, based off Perry Street on the Brenau campus.

Lucile is said to have been behind her husband’s launching the camp in 1920. As many as 300 girls from all over the South, many from Gainesville, would attend for one- or two-month terms. Lucile taught horseback riding there, and trails led throughout the wooded acres she had bought.

Horses weren’t Lucile’s sole mode of transportation, however. She is said to have been the first woman in Northeast Georgia to own a car.

Interviewed for a Brenau Window magazine article, Kathy Amos, director of Brenau’s Center for Lifetime Study, who has researched college history, said, “She (Lucile Pearce) was a really powerful woman who

shaped what the school would become. She’s responsible for the fine arts reputation of the university.”

“She was afraid of nothing,” Amos said. “You might have found someone like her in New York or Chicago, but she wasn’t what you’d expect to find in the hills of North Georgia.”

Family members also described Lucile as independent-minded, ahead of her time and active in such causes as women’s suffrage.

She could have been involved in the controversial appearance of peace activist Jeanette Rankin at Brenau in 1934. Rankin was an aggressive women’s rights supporter and in 1916 was the first woman elected to Congress.

She delivered a series of lectures at Brenau, but drew criticism from the national American Legion because of a proposed “peace chair” at the college, which never materialized.

Haywood Pearce, who eventually became sole owner of Brenau, turned the college over to a board of trustees in 1928. Lucile served on the board, and when her husband died at their home on Academy Street at age

71 in 1943, she became in effect manager of the college. The school still carried debt from repairs to the campus after the 1936 tornado, but Lucile had Brenau back in the black by the time a new president, Josiah Crudup, came on board two years later in 1945.

Enrollment also had increased, and accreditation regained.

It wasn’t long after that, however, that Lucile died. On April 17, 1946, she had been chatting with friends and shopping downtown. On her way back to her home on Academy Street, her car collided with one driven by James Self of Union County, the Gainesville News reported. Other reports indicated the car also struck a tree. The accident happened near the corner of Green and Brenau Avenue just a block from where Lucile the Tiger rests.

Lucile’s pastor, the Rev. M.L. Twiggs of the First Methodist Church nearby, witnessed the accident and took Lucile to Downey Hospital down the street. She apparently died, however, of a stroke while driving the car and not from injuries in the wreck.

Lucile Townsend Pearce and her husband are buried in Alta Vista Cemetery. Her epitaph reads in part: “She loyally shared the administrative responsibilities resting upon her husband, and her fine intelligence, executive ability and capacity for toil won her wide prominence as a citizen.”

Cool, No Iron Tops In Pastel Colors Regularly $72 to $87

Sale Price $54 to $65.25

100 Main Street Gainesville GA 30501

770 532-4301

Photo by Erin O. Smith

38

Fall 2016

Tate O’Rouke Her biggest passion is ‘being a mom’ By jennifer Linn When she’s not traveling the world or broadening her horizons, Tate Izlar O’Rouke can be found at the University of North Georgia as the director of economic development.

The mom of two, however, can be classified as a world traveler. She has been to four continents, and one of her personal goals is to visit all seven.

“I just need to get to Africa, Antarctica and Australia,” she said. “Also, I went on a mission trip to Ecuador in 1999. I would love to do another international mission trip, this time with my husband.”

One of the places she has visited was the Taj Mahal in India, which she visited while on an agricultural leadership trip.

“It is an amazing place that is hard to describe.

It is one of those sites you have to experience in person to truly appreciate,” she said.

The 35-year-old (as of Aug. 19) was born in Mississippi but grew up in Gwinnett County.

In 2005, she graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in political science and telecommunication arts. In May 2016, she received a third degree, a master’s in agricultural leadership.

After her undergraduate education, she lived in Washington, D.C., for two years then moved back to Athens, where she resided for three years before moving to Hall County.

While traveling has been an one of her favorite leisure activities, O’Rouke now says her biggest passion in life is being a mom to her 2-year-old twin boys, Wright and Benson.

“It’s been amazing experiencing life through

my boys’ eyes. It puts life, and what’s important, in a whole new perspective,” she said. “In a lot of ways, they have changed me for the better. They have helped me focus on what’s important — faith, family and community.”

O’Rouke has been in the area since 2011, when husband Jim’s job brought him to Gainesville. She had been working in the area as regional director for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. The family now lives in Chestnut Mountain and O’Rouke says it’s wonderful to call Hall County home.

“North Georgia is a place unlike any other,” she said. “There is so much to discover from wineries to state parks to national forest land. The area provides something for everyone’s interest, which I believe is one of the reasons it is so special.”

She also says the family plans to stick around for quite awhile.

“The residents of the area understand what’s important to a good quality of life (jobs, education, recreation) and it’s exciting to live and work in an area that is seeing so much growth,” O’Rouke said.

O’Rouke love of the area is demonstrated by her involvement in several community groups. She is a member of Gainesville Rotary, Gainesville-Hall ’96, Women’s Source. She is also a verger in training as well as choir member, lay reader and Bicentennial Vision Committee Member at Grace Episcopal Church. She serves as the vice-chair of marketing at the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and was the volunteer coordinator for the 2016 Pan American Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.

Debbie Lawson Davis Carrying on a family legacy By jennifer Linn Deb Lawson Davis has built a life in North Georgia with her husband and sons.

Deb and her Husband Vince met in fifth grade and started dating at age 15. They’ve now been married for 36 years. After trying to start a family for 12 years they adopted their first son, Taylor, from Chile. Six months later, the couple discovered they were pregnant with Travis, their youngest son.

Davis has lived in North Hall County her entire life. She lived in Gainesville until age 15 and then her family moved to North Hall to their lake property. She and Vince built their home on that same parcel of land and are in the process of building their next home on the land where her parent’s home was previously located.

She also hopes to recreate her father’s bee colony at the new home and venture into a bee keeping hobby.

Davis says her father, L.D. Lawson is her hero.

“Daddy served as a marine in World War II, just after marrying and having two small children,” she said. “After he returned from service, he worked for my grandfather opening a fuel oil business — Lawson Oil Company. He sold fuel oil furnaces in order to boost oil sales.

He saw the possibility of a newfangled invention called air conditioning in the early 40’s and began to sell air conditioning to a skeptical public in 1946 at the age of 27.”

Davis said her father developed his business into one of the most respected dealerships in Georgia and affiliated with the Carrier brand.

“Today Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing is the oldest single line Carrier dealer in the state of Georgia,” she said. “Daddy was the epitome of integrity and held true to the principles of devotion to his God, love of his County

40

& dedication to his family, while responsibly running a business.”

Davis, journalism major in college who never took a business class, now runs the company her father built.

“I love what I do now... carrying on the legacy of my Daddy’s company and now teaching those principles of hard work, integrity and customer satisfaction to our son, who has become a third generation owner,” she said of her career.

In addition to spending time with family and friends, Davis also enjoys relaxing and enjoying nature on Lake Lanier or the Chattahoochee River.

She’s currently on the Board of Northeast Georgia History Center, the Brenau Advisory Board for the Business Division, and is a charter member of Women’s Source, member and panelist for Women in HVAC, and a member and occasional Sunday school teacher at Lakewood Baptist Church.

Davis is also a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with it in October of 2010. After a double mastectomy, doctors felt early detection had enabled them to eliminate most all of the cancer and she chose not to do radiation or chemo and recovered well after reconstruction.

However, in spring of 2013 Davis began having unexplained pain and a biopsy revealed the cancer had returned. Chemotherapy began in June 2013. The process also included surgery in fall of 2013 followed by radiation which ended in January 2014. Davis continued taking care of her elderly mother and running her family business.

“I felt like I could not disappoint anyone — I had to fight as hard as I could to overcome this vicious disease,” she said.

Fall 2016

celebrating women of north georgia

Photo by Scott Rogers

41

42

Photo by Scott Rogers Fall 2016

Lisa Chester A passion to help Gainesville’s at-risk youth By jennifer Linn Lisa Chester has lived in North Georgia for all 36 years of her life, but someday she plans to travel the world.

“What I love about North Georgia is that everyone knows each other, and if you get connected to the right people you will obtain the support you need,” she said.

One of her favorite seasons is fall because temperatures are not too hot or too cold, you can dress nice and take in the beautiful fall colors.

Chester, who is a licensed cosmetologist and mentor, said her passion in life is helping others and seeing them overcome their obstacles.

“I could not live without helping others,” she said. “I always end up in a situation and say I’m done helping people, but as soon as someone needs me, there I go!”

Chester is affiliated with the Gainesville Housing Authority, where she started a mentoring group for at-risk young ladies as well as a dance program. She also helps out with the Gainesville Housing Authority’s College Bound Program, which helps seniors and juniors at prepare for college.

Other community involvement has come in the form of recruiting for Lee Adams for the Job Corps Program and working with Center Point’s teen pregnancy program.

celebrating women of north georgia

If she had the chance to fill any job, however, Chester said she’d like to own a group home for troubled kids to get them back on path.

Despite her passion to help people, Chester also enjoys her alone time and says her hero is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The self-described loner said one of her favorite pastimes is relaxing in a hot bath with no interruptions. She also said she enjoys going to activities her children are involved in.

“I would say overcoming my obstacles of stopping the teen pregnancy cycle of my family, which was four generations of, and graduating college and earning several degrees is the most notable thing I could have done,” she said.

Chester will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in human services in December, and looks forward to being able to continue to help the less fortunate by showing them that you can achieve a goal if one works hard enough.

So what’s left for this Gainesville native?

“My bucket list consists of traveling the world and taking lots of vacations,” she said, adding that she’d also like to meet a nice guy and get married someday.

43

For The Health of It

North Georgia women stay active at every age with tennis

By Kristen Oliver

Clockwise: Becky Smith, 56, plays tennis at Brenau University. Dolores Pyne, 86, waits for Marie Bartlett, 75, to serve.

Jodi Penosky, 55, serves the ball.

Photos by Erin O. Smith

44

It’s a sport that requires endurance, agility, strength and mental toughness. It asks as much of the mind as it does of the body.

Tennis has long been popular in Northeast Georgia, and the “game for life” helps keep women in the area active and healthy at every age.

According to Charlie Fischer, tennis director at Chattahoochee Country Club, tennis is particularly good for cardiovascular health, conditioning and stamina.

“There have been printed results showing, because of the cognitive and problem-solving abilities you need to play tennis, it keeps the mind very fresh and active and helps with longevity too,” Fischer said. “So it’s not just helping the body, but it really helps the brain. You’re always trying to problem solve on the tennis court, you’re thinking on your feet, making instantaneous decisions.”

Teri Miller, league coordinator with the Northeast Georgia Tennis Association, said tennis is not necessarily aerobic, but it “gets you out there.”

“Anybody can play it up to any age,” she said. “And I’d say it not really about how well you play, because every game we play we play differently.”

Miller said she has one woman in the association playing tennis after recovery from a stroke. Others are playing after hip replacements and knee replacements.

Miller herself had major back surgery, but she is back to playing tennis.

“We’re all aging, and we’re all still playing,” she said.

Marie Bartlett, president of the Northeast Georgia association and a former teacher, said the association has an apprentice program for beginners at any age.

Bartlett also said she recently worked with Gainesville City School and Hall County Schools to bring tennis to physiFall 2016

cal education. This year, five Gainesville schools and 10 Hall schools will have tennis lessons thanks to the partnership. “(Tennis) improves fitness, develops hand-eye coordination, builds self-esteem and teaches self confidence,” said Amanda Boudreau, junior recreation coordinator for the United States Tennis Association.

“It also provides a great opportunity to introduce and reinforce essential character traits including respect, honesty, teamwork, caring and responsibility. Not only is tennis a lifetime sport, but it is an activity that families of all ages can play together.”

Miller said the association has people playing tennis from age 5-85.

“I’ve got 85-year-old women and 80-year-old men playing tennis,” she said.

“It’s actually a game for life.”

Fischer agreed.

“We start them off here at 4 years old,” he said. “It’s called Little Hitters, and we have a group of 4- to 6-year-olds. We start them in summer camps, and the ones that are interested and talented progress on different stages.”

The Chattahoochee Country Club has every level and age, and hosts organizations including the Northeast Georgia Tennis Association and ALTA players and tournaments.

Fischer said nationally, USTA has tournaments for seniors at age 80, 85 and even 90.

“It’s a game you can play as long as you’re healthy,” he said. “When people get over 40, 50, 60 and up, they start getting these nagging injuries. To play senior tennis, you have to manage your injuries and find a way to stay healthy, so conditioning is very important, and not just at the pro level.”

The Northeast Georgia Tennis Association is a local branch of USTA, and holds players from Hall, Habersham, Banks, Stephens, Dawson and Lumpkin counties, according to Miller.

She said her favorite thing about tennis is the way it connects people.

“It’s the camaraderie,” she said. “It’s the teams we’re on, the friendships we make that are as important as anything else. It’s about getting out and being active together.”

Miller said tennis is a great option for women because “it’s not like playing cards and bunco.”

“You get out there, you move and you live longer,” she said.

Fischer said tennis is especially popular among women, and he sees women playing at the club “almost every day.”

Claire Ehrhardt, 56, plays tennis at Brenau University.

“Without the women, you wouldn’t really have a successful program,” he said.

“You have women’s leagues, lessons and social events that women are more apt to attend. They’re the crux of any tennis program at any club.”

46 Photo by Scott Rogers

Fall 2016

Kelley Wilson

Loving life, family and wine

By Moxie staff At 50, Kelley Wilson has lived a pretty full life. But there are a few things she would still like to accomplish now that her children are grown.

“I really want to visit Alaska one day and see the Northern Lights.”

For now, she’s busy keeping the lights of Lanier Islands twinkling over the lake.

As Director of Sponsorships & Events at Lanier Islands Resort, Kelley juggles schedules, clients and even mother nature.

(Nobody wants rain on their wedding day)!

And marriage happens to be what brought Kelley to North Georgia. “I came in 1986 when I got married. I (currently) live in the Braselton area.”

What does she love about living in North Georgia?

“What’s not to love? Everything from the weather, to the people, to the culture is absolute perfection. I love living here and being so close to the lake and the mountains.”

She also loves this time of year.

“I love the sights and smells of the fall season. It’s an absolutely gorgeous time of year. Being surrounded by the beautiful scenery and perfect weather really opens my eyes to the wonderful world that we live in.”

But Kelley has a secret love.

“I love the job that I have now and am very blessed with my career. If I could do anything else however, I would love to work with dogs.

That would be a really relaxing job!

“Most ideally though, I would love to be a full-time grandmother and spend more time watching my little ones grow and develop.”

Family is the highest priority for Kelley.

“The most notable thing on my bucket list that I have accomplished is becoming a mother.”

celebrating women of north georgia

Asked three things people would be surprised to learn about Kelley?

1. “I absolutely love sci-fi and vampire movies.”

2. “I am really skeptical of the water that I swim in.”

3. “Two of all my all-time favorite meals are rather simple. One is ramen and the other is wine, cheese and crackers.”

And if there is one thing she can’t live without?

“Wine! Just kidding. My true passion is my family. I could not live without my children and my grandchildren. They make me smile each and every day.”

Keeping in touch with her community is also very important for Kelley.

“I attend church regularly.”

And she draws strength from her community and close ties.

“I would have to say my bravest moment would be going through the trials and tribulations of raising three sons. Life can bring rebellious children (and that’s putting it very lightly).

“There are many scary things that can, and do happen while raising kids. Thankfully though, after many years of mishaps and misadventures, my kids have developed into outstanding young men. I’m proud to be their mom.”

“Mom” is a big deal to Kelley, both being one and her own.

“My hero is my mom and I love her so very much. She has taught me what it means to lead a happy, successful, and fulfilling life.

My mom has shaped me into the person I am today and I cannot thank her enough for all that she has done for me.”

47

Moxie Happenings Sept. 10 33rd annual Fuzz Run, Covington. 8 a.m.

1143 Oak St. SE, Covington. $10-$25 before Aug. 25. 770-385-2126. www. covingtonfuzzrun.com.

Sept. 10 Aaron Lee Tasjan, Lawrenceville. 7 p.m.

Bowman House Concert Series, 323 Wilcrest Drive SW, Lawrenceville. $20.

BYOB and a dish to share. Reservations required. bowmanhouseconcerts@gmail. com. 770-979-1314.

Sept. 15 “Ghost the Musical,” Roswell. Through Oct. 2. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Prices vary. 770-6411260. www.get.org.

Sept. 16 Clermont Days Festival, Clermont. 4-10 p.m. Sept. 16 and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sept.

17. Downtown Clermont, 639 Main St., Clermont. Free. 770-983-7568. www. clermontdays.net.

Sept. 17 Hall County Library book sale, Gainesville.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. 1-4 p.m. Sept. 18. Hall County Library, 127 Main St., Gainesville.

770-532-3311. www.hallcountylibrary.org.

Sept. 17 Eighth annual North Hall Lions Cupcake Challenge 5K/1K road race, Clermont.

7:30 a.m. W.R. Strickland & Sons Funeral Home, 260 Main St., Clermont. $15-$25. www.runsignup.com.

Sept. 17 Open water swim, Buford. 8 a.m. to noon. Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. $50 before Aug. 15 or $75 after Aug. 15. www. swimacrossamerica.org.

Sept. 17 15th annual John Jarrard Foundation

48

Sept. 24 Concert, Gainesville. Brenau University front lawn, 500 Washington St., Gainesville. Garden of Eden Ball, Atlanta. 6:30 p.m. www.johnjarrardfoundation.com.

Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. $500 and higher. 404-876Sept. 17 5859. www.atlantabg.org.

Open water swim, Buford. 8 a.m. to noon. Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Sept. 24 Islands Parkway, Buford. $50 before Team Maggie 5K/10K, Roswell. 7:30 a.m.

Aug. 15 or $75 after Aug. 15. www. start for 10K, 7:45 a.m. start for 5K. Kings swimacrossamerica.org.

Court Chapel, 9435 Willeo Road, Roswell. $35 until Sept. 1. Sponsorships starting at Sept. 17 $250. www.teammaggieforacure.org. 678Georgia’s Spirit festival, Sautee 977-5755.

Nacoochee. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historic Hardman Farm, 143 Ga. Sept. 24 17, Sautee Nacoochee. Free. www.

Jim Henson’s 80th Birthday Celebration, whitecountychamber.org.

Atlanta. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. NW, Sept. 17 Atlanta. $14.50 per person. 404-873-3391.

“The World’s Largest Dinosaurs” www.puppet.org. exhibition, Atlanta. Through Jan. 2.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 767 Sept. 22-24 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta. Included with Landscape oil painting workshop, admission. www.fernbankmuseum.org.

Gainesville. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Sept. 20 Gainesville. $250. 770-536-2575. www.

Art of Golf tournament and art auction, qvac.org.

Helen. 10 a.m. tournament, 6 p.m. auction Helen Arts and Heritage Center, 25 Sept. 24 Chattahoochee Strasse, Helen. $100 per Standup for the Cure, Buford. 9 a.m. Sept. player. $25 admission. www.helenarts.org. 24. Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Islands Sept. 20 Art workshop for veterans, Helen.

Through Oct. 25. Helen Arts and Heritage Center, 25 Chattahoochee Strasse, Helen.

Six-week workshop. Free. 706-878-3933. www.helenarts.org.

Sept. 21 Randall Bramblett, Michelle Malone and Brent Cobb, Atlanta. 8 p.m. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta. Part of the Songwriter Series. $15-$20. www.exploregeorgia.org.

Sept. 23 Ninth annual Emporium, Gainesville.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept.

24. First Baptist Church, 751 Green St., Gainesville. $5. www.fbcemporium.org.

Sept. 24 Hall County Garden Expo, Gainesville.

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1855 Calvary Church Road, Gainesville. $2. 770-535-8293. www. hallmastergardeners.com.

Parkway, Buford. $35. www.crowdrise.com/ AtlantaStandupfortheCure.

Sept. 24 Sock Hop, Dawsonville. 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Sept. 24. Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, 415 Ga. 53 E, Dawsonville. $15 per person, $10 per couple. 706-216-7223.

Sept. 27-29 “How to Succeed In Business,” Gainesville.

Gainesville High School, 830 Century Place, Gainesville. ghstheatre@bellsouth. net.

Sept. 28 Petit Le Mans, Braselton. Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. Road Atlanta, 5300 Winder Highway, Braselton. Prices vary. 770-9676143. www.roadatlanta.com.

Sept. 26.

Joe Grandsen Big Band Series, Roswell.

8 p.m. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. Prices vary. 770-6411260. www.get.org.

Fall 2016

TOP DOCTORS Atlanta Magazine, July 2016

Congratulations!

Alexander D. Allaire, MD

Richard J. LoCicero, MD

Amy Bullens-Borrow, MD

Holmes B. Marchman, MD

Eugene Cindea, MD

Jeff Reinhardt, MD

Michael P. Connor, MD

Rob Richard, MD

Marti Gibbs, MD

Karl D. Schultz, MD

PERINATOLOGY

ORTHOPAEDICS / SPORTS MEDICINE PEDIATRICS

OBSTETRICS / GYNECOLOGY FAMILY MEDICINE

HEMATOLOGY / ONCOLOGY

PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION OBSTETRICS / GYNECOLOGY BARIATRIC SURGERY NEUROSURGERY

We join in recognizing your dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality care to all of the patients we serve.

(770) 718-1122 • www.LongstreetClinic.com

Moxie Moments

Moxie One year Anniversary

Aug. 2, 2016 Moxie Magazine celebrated one full year covering the women of Northeast Georgia at a soiree and fashion show at Belk in Gainesville’s Lakeshore Mall. Champagne and hors’d’oeuvres were presented by the Hall County CVB as the latest in fashion trends were modeled.

50

Fall 2016

BE MORE College, that great world-expanding life experience, ironically sometimes puts people in pigeon holes: the studious nerd, the jock, the dancer, the sorority sister, the commuter.

Not Brenau Women’s College. You want to play ball? You can – on nationally competitive teams. You can study biology and business, perform in top-caliber theater, dance and music programs. Want to change the ways of the world? Participate in intercollegiate mediation tournaments with the Brenau pace-setting conflict resolution team.

Experience patient care in crisis mode with highly advanced technology. Learn to teach by teaching, making a difference in the lives of elementary school kids through an innovative summer camp program. Brenau prepares you to work and lead, to define all that you are. Start your discovery today.

brenaubound.com

BRENAU IN GAINESVILLE HISTORIC CAMPUS | DOWNTOWN CENTER | BRENAU EAST AT FEATHERBONE | GRINDLE ATHLETICS PARK, NEW HOLLAND

BRENAU ACROSS THE REGION AUGUSTA | JACKSONVILLE | NORTH ATLANTA/NORCROSS | SOUTH ATLANTA/FAIRBURN | ONLINE

500 WASHINGTON STREET SE, GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA 30501 | 800.252.5119 | www.brenau.edu