NCM March/April_2022 by The Times-Herald

Women Take Wheel

VOTE

Best of Coweta

Ballot Inside

the

Plus: ❙ Coweta

Women Artists ❙ Senoia Businesswomen MARCH | APRIL 2022 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

#Newnan Strong: One Year After The Tornado

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

Serious Injuries • Local Attorneys • Unmatched Results

Coweta County’s Premier Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Law Firm For over 28 years, the attorneys at Kam, Ebersbach & Lewis, PC have represented Coweta County citizens who have suffered serious injuries due to car accidents, trucking accidents, dangerous products, dangerous premises, and work-related incidents. Every year, our law firm collects millions on behalf of our injured clients throughout Georgia and the Southeastern United States. Our approach against insurance companies is simple and proven: treat every client like a neighbor and prepare every case for trial. We hope you never need to hire a personal injury or wrongful death attorney, but if you do, we hope that you will contact your local experts. Our attorneys handle cases in courts throughout Georgia.

770-251-7100 • www.KAMEB.com

2795 Highway 34 East • Newnan, Georgia 30265 Near Thomas Crossroads

Our firm has more $1 Million + injury settlements and verdicts in Coweta County than any other law firm.

Hats Off To Our Very Own

Norma Haynes

2022 Coweta Citizen Of The Year.

We’ve always said our residents make the best neighbors – and Norma is a shining example. Welcome Home

wesleywoods.org/newnan 2280 North Highway 29 Newnan, GA 30265 770.683.6833

This coveted award is given by the Kiwanis Clubs of Coweta to recognize a person’s volunteer work. Norma, known as the “mother of public safety,” was the driving force behind the Newnan Coweta Public Safety Foundation – created to support individuals in our sheriff’s office, police and fire departments during times of personal need. In addition, her long history of civic engagement ranges from time on the Library Board to volunteering with the Coweta Samaritan Center. Congratulations Norma. We are so proud of you. And so happy you call us home.

When it comes to effectively treating varicose veins,

Getting Better Starts Here.

DR. GARNET CRADDOCK

ince 2009, Southern Vein Care has performed minimally invasive, comfortable in-office procedures that effectively eliminate problem veins, restore normal circulation, and return legs to a more youthful appearance. With more than 30 years of vein-care experience in Newnan and Coweta County, Dr. Garnet Craddock, Coweta’s only board-certified general surgeon with a specialty in vascular medicine, is a leader in his field. While he has developed a reputation as one of the premier vein specialists, not only in Coweta and Fayette counties, but throughout the Southeast, Dr. Craddock never stops striving to provide the best possible patient care and stays up to date with current, cutting-edge techniques. Dr. Craddock is relentlessly motivated by his patients’ safety and health, and has built a specialized team of licensed nurses and registered vascular sonographers. The vascular lab at Southern Vein Care holds the highest possible accreditation from the IAC - the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Dr. Craddock performs every vein procedure himself in the Southern Vein Care offices, and consistently receives 5-Star ratings from his patients.

“

Dr. Craddock is the absolute BEST around! He goes above and beyond for his patients. I will never trust anyone but him with my vein care!!

2022-01-09

”

–Ginger Johnson 7 months ago

Southern VEIN CARE

“Dr. Craddock is a physician who listens, is patient, and is a very good communicator. I am sincerely glad that he is my doctor.”

–Charles A.

2021-11-17

“Excellence in all areas from procedures and communicating with patients. Listens to concerns and evaluates best options.” –Teresa B.

2021-09-15

“Dr. Craddock and his staff treated me with respect, and went above and beyond to provide good care to me.” –Misty L.

Book your appointment today at southernveincare.com or call 770-683-8346. NEWNAN OFFICE

2959 Sharpsburg McCollum Rd. Newnan, Ga 30265 770-683-8346

PEACHTREE CITY OFFICE

1975 Highway 54 West, Suite 110 Peachtree City, GA 30269 770-683-8346

SouthernVeinCare.com

2021 2021 2021

VOTED #1 VOTED VOTED #1 #1

REALTOR® REALTOR® REALTOR® REALTOR®

Thank You Coweta! Thank Thank You You Coweta! Coweta!

Joy Brown Barnes Joy Brown Barnes Joy Brown Barnes Joy Brown Barnes 404-328-5699 404-328-5699 404-328-5699 Joy.Barnes@BHHSGeorgia.com 404-328-5699 Joy.Barnes@BHHSGeorgia.com

Joy.Barnes@BHHSGeorgia.com www.JoyBarnes.BHHSGeorgia.com Joy.Barnes@BHHSGeorgia.com www.JoyBarnes.BHHSGeorgia.com www.JoyBarnes.BHHSGeorgia.com Top 2% of BHHS Agents Worldwide www.JoyBarnes.BHHSGeorgia.com Top Top 2% 2% of of BHHS BHHS Agents Agents Worldwide Worldwide Top 2% of BHHS Agents Worldwide

“The Joy of Real Estate” “The Joy of Real “The Joy of Real Estate” Estate” “The Joy of Real Estate”

"I'm an expert real estate agent with 20 years experience "I'm an expert real estate agent with 20 years experience "I'm expert estateGA. agent with 20 years experience andan native to real Newnan, I provide home-buyers and andan native to real Newnan, I provide home-buyers and "I'm expert estateGA. agent with 20 years experience and native Newnan, GA.responsive I provide and home-buyers and sellers withtoprofessional, attentive real sellers withtoprofessional, attentive real and native Newnan, GA.responsive I provide and home-buyers and sellers with professional, responsive and attentive estate services. Want an agent who'll really listen to real what estate services. Want an agent who'll really listen to real what sellers with professional, responsive and attentive estate services. Want an agent who'll who reallyknows listen how to what you want in a home? Need an agent to you want in a home? Need an agent to estate services. Want an agent who'll who reallyknows listen how to what you want in a home? Needyour an agent effectively market home who so it knows sells?" how to effectively market home who so it knows sells?" how to you want in a home? Needyour an agent effectively market your home so it sells?" effectively market your home so it sells?"

Georgia Georgia Georgia Properties Georgia Properties Properties Properties “GIVE ME A “GIVE ME A “G I VTO E MHEE LAP I ' M E AG ER “G I VTO E MHEE LAP I ' M E AG ER

CALL! CALL! CAA ! OULD NL DLW CAA ! OULD NL DLW

I ' M ELAOGVEER TO TO TA H ELLKP TO A NYO D W U .O ” ULD I ' M ELAOGVEER TO TO TA H ELLKP TO A NYO D W U .O ” ULD L O V E TO TA L K TO YO U . ” L O V E TO TA L K TO YO U . ”

YO U R YO U R YO U H MRE H OU MRE Y H OLMU EE VA VA LMUEE H O VA LU R EP OE RT R EP OE RT VA L U REPORT REPORT

© BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. BerkshireLLC. Hathaway HomeServices and thesubsidiary Berkshireof Hathaway HomeServices symbol registered service marks of and Columbia Insurance Company, © BHH Affiliates, An independently operated HomeServices of America, Inc., are a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. © BHH Affiliates, An independently operated of HomeServices of America, Inc., are a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity BerkshireLLC. Hathaway HomeServices and thesubsidiary Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol registered service marks of and Columbia Insurance Company, BerkshireLLC. Hathaway HomeServices and thesubsidiary Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol registered service marks of and Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity © BHH Affiliates, An independently operated of HomeServices of America, Inc., are a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company,

Southern Charm... Southern Elegance... Southern Hospitality... VOTE

for u t his Yea s r Best of in Coweta!

Unforgettable Weddings

ocated on a gorgeous country estate with gated entrance, long winding driveway, rolling hills, wide-open fields, tranquil ponds, well-maintained lawns and lush landscaping, The Venue at Murphy Lane is not your typical barn venue…

• Beautiful Barn complete with 16’ foot barn doors and grand chandelier. • 8-ft. Wooden Farm Tables and 60” round tables with wooden cross-back chairs • Covered Patio area with wrought-iron chandeliers, bistro lighting and lounge patio furniture. • Large Catering Kitchen • Pristine Bridal Lounge with hair/makeup counter. • Groom’s Room and comfortable bathrooms. Other amenities include: variety of ceremony sites, golf cart shuttle service, on-site accommodations, 5-star service, venue decor and more!

525 MURPHY RD., NEWNAN • 770-262-8241 • thevenueatmurphylane.com

A Publication of The Newnan Times-Herald

Publishers Editor Creative Directors Production Director

C. Clayton Neely Elizabeth C. Neely Jackie Kennedy Sandy Hiser, Sonya Studt Debby Dye

Contributing Writers

Susan Mayer Davis

Jannette Emmerick

Glenda Harris

Melissa Dickson Jackson

Frances Kidd

Nancy Langer

Gail McGlothin

April McGlothin-Eller

Robin Stewart

Payton Thompson

Jill Whitley

Photography Multimedia Sales Specialists

Jackie Kennedy Sara Moore Misha Benson Jill Whitley

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION call 770.253.1576

or email advertise@newnan.com Newnan-Coweta Magazine is published bi-monthly by The Newnan Times-Herald, Inc., 16 Jefferson Street, Newnan, GA 30263. Newnan-Coweta Magazine is distributed in home-delivery copies of The Newnan Times-Herald and at businesses and offices throughout Coweta County.

On the Web: newnancowetamagazine.com @newnancowetamag @newnancowetamagazine

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF BUSINESS Voted #1 Caterer of 2021! Thank you, Coweta!

Since 1992

770.254.0117

ccgeorgia.com caterer@ccgeorgia.com fb.com/contemporarycateringinc • Offering fine, full service catering and Meals To Go Menu! • All offered with the highest of safety standards.

Ready to spend time doing the things you love most?

Beth Headley Wealth Advisor (770) 254-3823 bheadley@unitedbank.net

A Relationship That Goes

Beyond Investing. United Bank Wealth Management services are: not FDIC-insured, not bank-guaranteed, may lose value, not a bank deposit, not insured by any federal government agency.

Visit accessunited.com/wealth-management to learn more and connect with us.

CONTENTS MARCH-APRIL 2022 ISSUE

34 26

20 our 20

features | Keep on Truckin'

Brittney Parks pulled off her pearls and left her desk job to drive an 18-wheeler. By Jackie Kennedy

One year after the March 26, 2021 tornado, we revisit the storm – and the support that followed. By Melissa Dickson Jackson, Jannette Emmerick, Nancy Langer and Jill Whitley

| Coweta Women Create Women artists here use a wide variety of media to create their works, from silver and glass to paper and paint. By Frances Kidd

| She Runs Senoia Women owners helm multiple Senoia businesses, including downtown shops and restaurants and a fitness gym. By Robin Stewart

| Focus on Newnan: #NewnanStrong

| Best of Coweta 2022 It's that time again! Vote for your favorite businesses and services in Coweta County.

Women Take Wheel

VOTE

Best of Coweta

Ballot Inside

the

Plus:

#Newnan Strong:

❙ Coweta

Women Artists ❙ Senoia Businesswomen

WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK At Georgia Bone and Joint Spine Center, Dr. Chad Kessler and Dr. David Love are passionate about restoring their patients’ function through an individualized approach. From start to finish, The Spine Center offers a continuum of care with fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons specializing in spine surgery, spine specific physical therapists, x-ray, MRI, and staff dedicated to our patient’s care.

➤ Cover Photo

by SARA MOORE, see Cover Feature, page 20.

One Year After The Tornado

MARCH | APRIL 2022 COMPLIMENTARY COPY

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

Carriage House

Country Antiques, Gifts, Collectibles

NEWNAN 1755 Highway 34 East Suite 2200 Newnan, GA 30265 (770) 502-2175

Shop for all your favorite collectibles. NEW! ! LED RECYC GE VINTA & Y JEWELRNS LINE

Nancy Roy

770-599-6321

carriagehousesenoia.com

GRIFFIN 670 South 8th Street Griffin, GA 30224 (770) 502-2175

PEACHTREE CITY 4000 Shakerag Hill Suite 100 Peachtree City, GA 30269 (770) 626-5340

www.GeorgiaBoneandJoint.org

ALL UNDER ONE ROOF Fri & Sat: 10am-5pm; Sun: 1-5pm 7412 E. Hwy 16 Senoia, GA (1 mile west of GA 85)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Women take the wheel

t's hard to believe it's been a year since an EF-4 tornado roared through Newnan and Coweta County. In this issue of Newnan-Coweta Magazine, we visit families whose homes were lost and residents who helped those most in need. For many impacted by the storm, the past year has been marked by hassles with insurance companies and contractors. But even those who have experienced a persistent headache that started on the morning of March 26, 2021, might agree that support from their fellow Cowetans has been a blessing, (see page 50). Also in this, our Women's Issue, we introduce Coweta women who create art, run businesses and take charge. We learn about the trucking industry from a woman who traded her desk job to drive a big rig. We hear from women who led and continue to lead tornado recovery efforts. And we introduce a new columnist, Faith Farrell, whose perspectives from a woman's point of view will make you laugh – and maybe cry, too. Save for our last page, all the stories in this issue were written and photographed by women. We allowed our routine columnist, Toby Nix, to keep his back page slot since he dedicated his column to one of Coweta's most beloved women (see page 82). We find it an excellent way to wrap up our efforts. While working on this issue by and about Coweta women, three faces kept coming to mind – faces of women whose contributions to this community were immense. Since November, we've lost all three: Elizabeth Beers, Anita Headley and Marianne Thomasson. Elizabeth Beers was one of my first contacts when I started writing for this magazine in 2002. She pointed me to people and places with great stories to be told. As the unofficial Coweta County historian, she told those stories herself, over and over to captive audiences through walking tours and the written word. Anita Headley had a smile that lit up the room. With her husband Bill, she created a family-run construction business that has touched multiple families and countless individuals. With Anita leading the way, Headley Construction also became a business that employs and supports women builders and engineers (see page 40). As vice president of The Newnan Times-Herald and this magazine, Marianne Thomasson spent decades bringing trustworthy news and information to Cowetans. Just last summer, the Georgia Press Association inducted her into its Golden Club in recognition of her 50 years of service in the newspaper industry. Her commitment to excellence was unmatched. I will continue to appreciate and strive to put into practice the journalistic lessons she impressed on me. One thing each of these incredibly interesting, important and iconic women had in common was their love of and support for Newnan and Coweta County. In the pages that follow, we feature women whose strength and determination could leave them with similar legacies.

Jackie Kennedy, Editor magazine@newnan.com

12 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Elizabeth Beers

Anita Headley

Marianne Thomasson

SPONSORED CONTENT

Relationships that go Beyond Investments T

he Newnan-Coweta community plays an important role in all of our lives. It’s the backdrop for many personal milestones we will experience along the way – the first home, where we choose to start a family, or where we plan to relax in retirement. As a United Bank Wealth Management Advisor and a Newnan native, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help my Coweta neighbors realize their goals in every phase of life. Whether you’re just getting started with investing, about to retire, or preparing to transfer your wealth to the next generation, United Bank’s team of Wealth Management Advisors are here to help. I can begin working with you to chart the course so you can enjoy the

retirement you’ve dreamed of having. Your plan may be to travel, visit family, relocate to a warmer climate, or check items off a bucket list. Each client is unique, and we help you create your own personalized retirement planning strategy, ensuring you stay on course so you can enjoy your benefits. It’s never too soon to begin. Good financial habits you develop in your 20s and 30s will be very beneficial during your retirement years. Perhaps you’re enjoying retirement already but need to consider a plan for a successful transfer of your assets to family members. We can work with you to fulfill the terms of your estate according to your wishes, ensuring the care of future generations.

No matter which stage of life you find yourself in, the United Bank Wealth Management Advisor team is here to help you navigate the highs and lows. No matter which stage of life you find yourself in, the United Bank Wealth Management Advisor team is here to help you navigate the highs and lows. From your very first paycheck, to your end-of-life plan, we will listen to your needs and desires to help you develop a financial plan that works for you. Contact me or stop by a United Bank office in Newnan to learn more about how I can help you achieve your financial goals.

➤ Visit accessunited.com to learn more.

A Relationship That Goes

Beyond Investing.

BETH HEADLEY Wealth Advisor

(770) 254-3823 bheadley@unitedbank.net United Bank Wealth Management services are: not FDIC-insured, not bank-guaranteed, may lose value, not a bank deposit, not insured by any federal government agency.

Roll Call Frances Kidd is a Newnan native who spent most of her adult years working as a nonprofit and marketing consultant. Although she’s an avid traveler, she never lost her Southern accent. If she’s not in Georgia, you can find her out in the country in Italy.

Jannette Emmerick recently moved to Georgia from Arizona and is still adjusting to the culture and climate of what might as well be a foreign planet. She is pursuing an English degree at the University of West Georgia and holds a passion for literature, art and education.

Gail McGlothin is a nonprofit consultant and grant writer. When she's not searching for starfish on the Oregon coast, kayaking, reading or playing board games with her grandchildren, Gail helps voters get government-issued picture IDs.

Jill Whitley is a former courtappointed child advocate for Coweta CASA and has navigated widowhood, single parenting and blending a family. She lives in Coweta County with her incredibly patient husband and two kindhearted, hilarious children.

Susan Mayer Davis lives with husband Larry in downtown Newnan. What she enjoys most about writing for NCM is meeting great people when she researches articles and then sharing their stories. “It’s fun,” she says, “but it’s also a privilege.”

The Rev. April McGlothin-Eller is the director of Church and Community Engagement at Wellroot Family Services, a ministry of the United Methodist Church. In her free time, she fancies herself a musician, artist and photographer.

Robin Stewart volunteers with the Newnan-Coweta Humane Society and, along with her artist husband, is active in the local arts scene. She loves animals, is addicted to costume jewelry, and the part of her brain that used to know math is now occupied by useless facts for team trivia.

Melissa Dickson Jackson teaches writing and literature at University of West Georgia-Newnan. Her poetry collections include "Cameo," "Sweet Aegis" and the forthcoming "Paper Birds."

Glenda Harris lives in Senoia with her husband and their Boykin spaniel, Buddy. A freelance writer and book review columnist, she worked many years as a medical editor and is creator of The Book Vault, a large online book club.

14 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Payton Thompson is the mother of a baby boy who keeps her busy 24/7. She loves her family and her job as receptionist at The Newnan Times-Herald and, when she’s not occupied with all of these, she enjoys crafting.

Sara Moore's warm and welcoming nature influences her photography by putting her subjects at ease. She enjoys living the quiet country life while residing in Newnan with her husband, horses, dogs, chickens and ducks.

OUR READERS WRITE

“

Last year, Newnan-Coweta Magazine recognized several citizens who were nominated by our readers as "Ones to Watch in 2021." Featured in the November-December issue, our final recognition went to Page Beckwith, executive director of Keep Newnan Beautiful: I've spoken with Page a few times about where to recycle things, and she's been very helpful. It's nice to put a face with a name. Kudos, Page, for everything you do for Newnan! – Kim Kelly, Sharpsburg Page is a great asset to this city and community. I do not think she ever takes an off day because I see her out working every day of the week. The city is a better and cleaner place because of Page. Congratulations, – Gary T. Welden, Newnan

Our January-February 2022 issue featured a wedding that took place at The Venue at Murphy Lane in Newnan:

The Focus on Grantville in our January-February 2022 issue was well received: Thank you and Marty (Hohmann) for the outstanding, well-written article and wonderful photography on Grantville. We have received a lot of positive comments, actions and reactions because of it. We are grateful and appreciative of your good work. – Al Grieshaber Jr. City Manager, City of Grantville We love hearing how the magazine serves as a helpful resource for our readers: Greetings! First up, let me say how much I love your magazine. I'm drooling over the wedding edition (January-February 2022) right now. Fabulous work! I am reaching out today in search of the edition released after the tornado last year. The issue featured the top contractors and businesses in the Coweta area. Do you have any extra copies or online access? I had lined up a few businesses I wanted to consult with for upcoming home projects. Please advise, and thank you for your time and consideration. Best regards, Shronda Hill Smith Social Studies Department Chair, Evans Middle School

– Kara and Hank Lane The Venue at Murphy Lane

Let Us Hear From You...

Dear Shronda and fellow readers, Previous issues of Newnan-Coweta Magazine can be viewed online at newnancowetamagazine.com. Also, we have limited physical copies of past issues available at our office at 16 Jefferson Street in Newnan.

“

The magazine is beautiful! We love it! We have been waiting for something special like this to happen in a local magazine. Kudos to you and your creative team!

Send thoughts, ideas and suggestions to magazine@newnan.com.

Caption This! In November, we asked our Newnan-Coweta Magazine readers and Facebook friends to caption this photo. We received numerous entries with the winning caption, below, submitted by Vicky West of Birmingham, Ala. In March, we'll post another photo for readers to caption. Winners receive an NCM T-shirt. Visit newnancowetamagazine.com or follow us on Facebook to submit your caption.

“Let me see if you have more teeth than me!”

@newnancowetamag

BEHIND THE SHOT

The Newnan Centre and You...

The Perfect Union. The Perfect Union.

A Trucker Cover Written by JACKIE KENNEDY Photographed by SANDY HISER

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR CEREMONY OPTIONS • BEAUTIFULLY APPOINTED BALLROOM ACCOMMODATES UP TO 350 GUESTS • ON-SITE BRIDE AND GROOM SUITES

(678) 673-5486 www.newnancentre.com 1515 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan, Georgia 30265

PHOTOS BY MINT FOREVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Coweta Cities & County EFCU is honored to be the credit union that serves you and all our First Responders!

As NCM editor Jackie Kennedy shivers in the cold, photographer Sara Moore lays down on the job to get the best photo of Brittany Parks for our cover.

Cpl. Van Meadows

Sgt. Trent Hastings and Rex

The Coweta Cities & County EFCU would like to thank members, Sgt. Trent Hastings with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Dept and Cpl. Van Meadows with the Newnan Police Department and all their fellow deputies & officers as they walked with flashlights in treacherous conditions through the night ensuring the safety of Newnan Residents after the tornado. We recognize the sacrifices that our deputies and officers make every day and night serving and protecting our community throughout the year!

Membership may be easier than you think! 43 Jefferson Parkway • P.O. Box 71063 Newnan, GA 30271-1063

COWETA CITIES & COUNTY

EMPLOYEES FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

770.253.2273 WWW.CCCEFCUORG 16 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

he minute we met Brittany Parks, we knew we wanted to feature her on the cover of our women's issue. Beautiful yet bold, feminine yet fearless, we felt she personified the best in a Coweta woman. With this truck driving mother of two leading the way on our cover, the rest of the magazine also features strong, independent women whose jobs, passions and points of view contribute much to Coweta County. Another talented woman, our freelance photographer Sara Moore, proved she'll do what it takes to get the best shot. With the sun setting fast on one of the coldest days in January, getting the right shot meant, well, laying down on the job, which Moore did without hesitation. Producing Newnan-Coweta Magazine is always a group effort. This go-round, the group consisted of women only. And everything turned out just fine.

NCM

VOTE FOR US IN 2022!! THANK YOU so much for voting us your in Coweta County in 2021.

We appreciate your business and trust in us.

If you are new to the area, we welcome you to stop in. We service all cars and trucks of every make and model.

COMPLETE AUTO SERVICE Fleet Service Available

Please call or come by for your particular vehicle’s preventative maintenance or auto repair needs.

157 Temple Ave Newnan, GA 30263 Open Monday - Friday: 7:30a.m. - 5:00p.m.

www.

.com

BOOK REVIEW

‘The Forest of Vanishing Stars’ Reviewed by GLENDA HARRIS

he latest historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel tells the amazing story of a young girl stolen as an infant from her parents (for her own good) and raised in the forest by her kidnapper, who had been a child of the forest herself. Intriguing? Yes. The theme is survival. The setting is the dense forests of Poland during and right after WWII. At this time in history, the Nazis were scouring the forests for Jews who had fled the cities and towns. Traveling in groups both large and small, the many ways they managed to survive, especially during the harsh winters, were extraordinary. Some of the refugees were lucky enough to encounter this young woman, Yona, who was left to fend for herself after her guardian died. An astute learner and armed with a keen knowledge of the local wildlife, plants and terrain, she knew many of the forest’s secrets, including how to disappear into it. Upon meeting such desperate people, Yona was compelled to help them. Although at first met with suspicion, she quickly won their confidence, teaching them to catch fish in the winter, identify mushrooms, and store berries for the winter. She showed them how to rapidly build and tear down temporary shelters, leaving no trace behind. Meticulous details, both historical and as relates to survival in harsh and high-risk environments, give this action-filled novel a stamp of authenticity, bringing to life the terrifying conditions endured. If you have read this author’s previous novels, you will know it is high praise indeed to suggest this may be her best work yet. Published July 6, 2021, “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” was written by Kristin Harmel; 356 pages. ★★★★★

Read a good book lately? 18 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Share your favorite new read with Newnan-Coweta Magazine by writing a book review for possible publication in an upcoming issue. Keep your review at 200-300 words and please include the author’s name, page count and date of publication. Send your review with your contact information to magazine@newnan.com or mail to Newnan-Coweta Magazine, 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263.

The speed of whoa. 1 Gig INTERNET

for only

LIMITED TIME OFFER!

/mo for 1 YEAR*

+ FREE Modem for 12 Months*

PLUS, get a $300 Visa® Card!ˆ Get this limited time offer today!

wowway.com | 770-683-6348 *Offer expires May 10, 2022. Limited time offer available to new qualified residential, serviceable customers. Visit wowway.com for details. Offers and services, along with rates, equipment pricing, taxes, fees and other charges, subject to change. Services provided by Atlantic Broadband. All rights reserved. ©2022 WideOpenWest Finance, LLC. ˆVISA® REWARD CARD OFFER: Incentive paid by Visa Prepaid Reward Card. Amount of reward varies by service. Customers must purchase Internet 200 or higher and maintain service in good standing for at least 90 days to be eligible for the Visa Prepaid Reward Card. Customers must provide a valid email address at the time of the agreement in order to receive the Visa Prepaid Reward Card. Customers must be installed by March 15, 2022. The customer will have 1 year to redeem the reward card offer. WOW! is not responsible for late or lost cards. LIMIT ONE VISA REWARD CARD OFFER PER WOW! RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER ACCOUNT. At 90 days past WOW! service activation date, customer must be current in their payments or the reward card offer will be denied. Other terms and restrictions apply. Visa, Inc. is not a sponsor or co-sponsor of this promotion. This card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

Women

COWETA UP CLOSE

at the

Wheel

NEWNAN RESIDENT TRADES DESK JOB AND PEARLS FOR WORK BOOTS AND A BIG RIG Written by JACKIE KENNEDY | Photographed by SARA MOORE

t one point, Brittany Parks was planning to retire from the utility company where she worked. The job was a perfect fit for the fashionable lady who wore pearls and high heels to the office.

RIGHT Brittany Parks left a desk job to become an over-theroad trucker.

“I worked there, in sales, for five years and was the top performer every year,” says the 34-year-old mother of two. But by late 2019, she was feeling ambivalent about her job. Then, in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “I had been wanting a change,” says Parks, of Newnan, recalling the tension of telling customers their electricity would be turned off for nonpayment. “It was stressful dealing with customers anyway, but the pandemic just added stress, and I wasn’t performing like I needed to.” In late August 2020, she left what she’d once considered her dream job. The next month, the 2005 Newnan High graduate took a truck driving course at Roadmaster School in Lithia Springs to get her commercial drivers license (CDL). In October, she passed the state exam and soon after started over-the-road training. Sometimes, according to Parks, it was overwhelming. “I’d never looked under the hood of my car, never checked my oil, never looked at my tires,” she recalls. “I’d never done manual labor. I’d never done anything mechanical in

20 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 21

COWETA UP CLOSE

“I was standing up all day where I’d been used to sitting at a desk with my pearls on, looking cute. And then I start trucking, and I’m a grease monkey.” – Brittany Parks

my life. If the oil light came on, I went and got the oil changed. If we were going anywhere more than four hours away, I was like, ‘No, we’ll fly.’” All of a sudden, the comfy office and routine hours were history as she worked 10 to 14 hours a day learning the rules of the road. “It’s the most physically and mentally challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life,” says Parks. “I didn’t want to quit, but there were a lot of days I felt defeated because it was hard. We were outside all day in rain, sleet or snow; lightning was the only thing we came in for. I was standing up all day where I’d been used to sitting at a desk with my pearls on, looking cute. And then I start trucking, and I’m a grease monkey.” 22 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Putting in physical labor like she’d never done before has been beneficial, according to Parks. “I went down two pants sizes and have no need for an exercise program,” she reveals. “After getting up and down out of the truck for a year, I can tell I’m stronger.” By early 2021, Parks had met all her requirements and started driving. She worked for various companies before landing what she considers a great job – driving for an established company in Peachtree City. “It’s hard to get a job with a good paying company,” she says. “It takes at least a year of experience.” Part of her experience included getting used to the shock and awe some men still express when encountering women truck drivers. “It’s rough out here for women,” she says, recalling various incidents. “I was in a truck stop and this guy just walked up and grabbed my arm, and I knew he wouldn’t do another man like that. He was trying to be friendly, but he didn’t know me. You kinda have to have a stern face a lot of times.” With grit and determination – and an innate sensibility that keeps her from being dogged by anyone, man or woman – Parks plowed through. While no one paid attention to longtime male drivers backing their rigs in, she noticed it was all men on deck watching when she backed her trailer into a tight space at a warehouse. “They’ll give me a hard time,” says Parks. “They don’t do men like that.” Over-the-road driver Dawn Sheets Christman, 60, of LaGrange, has driven for 20 years and says that attitudes toward women drivers have improved in that time. “Used to, men didn’t take you seriously,” she says. “Women are more accepted now because men realize we know what we’re doing. I think it just gradually changed after they saw what women could do.” While some men still give women drivers a hard time, most welcome them into the fold, according to Christman. “If you need help doing something – some things are just too hard to do, like sliding the tandems on the back of the truck – you’ll find guys who are more than willing to help,” she says. “There’s enough of them that look out for you that the others don’t bother me at all.” ABOVE Brittany Parks had never changed oil in her car before going to trucking school. OPPOSITE PAGE Parks plans to one day run her own trucking company.

COWETA UP CLOSE

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 23

COWETA UP CLOSE

As Parks gained experience – and after backing her trailer into close quarters became a seamless procedure – she saw attitudes change. “To watch a lady driver do that, they are impressed,” says the younger driver. “But that’s the thing: You have to be twice as good in this field because it really is a man’s world.” In 2021, ten percent of all long-haul drivers in the United States were women, according to Women in Trucking Association, a nonprofit group that works to minimize obstacles faced by women in the industry. Born and raised in Newnan, Parks had male family members who drove trucks, and the idea interested her from the time she was a teenager. But, reckoning it was a man’s job, she took a different route. When she did leave her job at the utility, it was with mixed emotions punctuated by a fear of failure. “I was so ashamed about resigning from my job,” she recalls. “I didn’t tell anybody, not even my mama, that I was going to trucking school. I finally told her because I needed a babysitter.”

Parks says she moved to trucking mainly for the higher income it offered. According to the U.S. Labor Department, those in the trucking industry in 2021 averaged making about $27.50 an hour. “I’m a single mom and had to figure out how I could make the money I need, and trucking is that job,” says Parks. “It’s good money, and money is freedom to me.” Only a month into her second year in trucking, she already had doubled what she’d been making at the utility. “If you want to maximize your income, this is the business,” she says. “You can eventually make six figures a year, and you don’t have to have a college degree.” While she drives for a company now, Parks looks forward to buying her own rig. “This is the road to being my own CEO,” she says. “My plan is to buy a truck and have a driver. I can pay them to drive while I’m home with my kids, and when they can’t drive, I can get in my truck and drive it myself. That’s my short-term goal.”

“If you want to maximize your income, this is the business. You can eventually make six figures a year, and you don’t have to have a college degree.” – Brittany Parks

24 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

COWETA UP CLOSE

Long-term? “I envision owning my own trucking company,” says Parks. Chances are good she’ll be hiring family members, like her big sister Tomeya Reid, also of Newnan, who got her CDL last fall. Parks sincerely believes women are better truck drivers and says trucking has made her a safer driver all around. “If you ask anybody in the field, women are the best drivers because we’re patient and we’re safe and we don’t complain,” she says. “I’m aware of everything around me, and I feel so safe in the truck, even in the rain. You’re the biggest thing on the road. It’s 80,000 pounds if I’m loaded, so I have traction.” After driving big rigs for more than a year, the lady trucker admits it may be time to trade in her BMW: “It seems so small now and too low to the ground.” For women interested in making more money or pursuing work that leads to self-employment, Parks is quick to promote trucking. “Don’t put it off,” she says. “It’s never too late to pursue anything. In the beginning it’s rough because there’s a learning curve, but you can’t give up. Your body’s going to hurt and you’re going to be tired, but you live to do it another day because the goal is to make it home.” For Parks, that means making it home to her kids, Pierce, 14, and Kelcie, 10. “My son and daughter have both ridden with me, and my daughter loves it and says she’s going to be a truck driver,” says Parks. “People talk about music influencing kids and musicians not being good role models, but I’m my daughter’s role model. You have to be the role model for your kids.” For her own children, Parks models a disciplined path toward meeting a goal. “I believe in making a plan,” she says. “Write your vision. Plan it. Write it out, step by step, and make it plain.” Then, follow your plan. Because she followed hers, Parks has the finances she needs to treat herself to travel that doesn’t involve steering a truck. Later this year, she’ll take a birthday trip to Turks and Caicos. After that, she looks forward to revisiting her two favorite destinations: New York City and the Bahamas. In the meantime, she’ll keep on truckin’. “I love driving,” she concludes. “It’s definitely a man’s world out here, but if I can do it, anybody can do it.” NCM

Trucking in the

U.S.A.

ith supply chain issues a continuous concern throughout 2021 and into 2022, the longhaul trucking industry has been in the news more than usual. Over-the-road drivers Brittany Parks and Dawn Sheets Christman offer opinions – and advice: Parks: “There’s not a driver shortage; there’s a driver pay shortage. I can’t risk my life for $20 an hour when I could sit at my desk with my pearls on and get paid that.” Christman: “I own my truck. If you own your own truck, you have to pay for your fuel and repairs, but you make a lot more. When I’m loaded, I get a base pay of $1.50 a mile whereas a company driver may get only 45 cents a mile, but they don’t have to pay for fuel and repairs.” Christman: “If you go into business for yourself, make it an LLC so that if anything happens, a bad wreck or something, all they can take is your truck and not your house. And save a little bit for estimated taxes; if you’re not expecting that, it can really hit you.” Parks: “If you go over 14 hours on the road, you’re in violation; that means 11 hours of drive time with three more hours for stops and unloading. You’ll see trucks parked up and down exit ramps. They’re there because the truckstop is full. There’s just not enough parking. You have to be there early to get a space; when they’re all taken, you park on the exit ramps.” Parks: “I’ve had to sleep in my truck, and the safest place to park is the truckstop. You have to be safe because people are crazy. I thread the seatbelts through the door handles and lock both doors.”

LEFT Brittany Parks is quick to say that she – not music or movie celebrities – is the role model for her children.

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 25

COWETA ARTISTS

Women Who Create THROUGHOUT COWETA, THEY PAINT, SCULPT AND BUILD ORIGINAL ART Written by FRANCES KIDD | Photos COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS

rt is a universal language. From the first stories told through pictures drawn on cave walls, artists have relayed history through drawings, paintings, architecture and sculptures. Joy, sorrow, anger, peace – emotions and experiences are shared in many ways.

ABOVE and OPPOSITE PAGE From the kiln to the finished pieces, Suzanne Kleese-Stamps guides clay from clumps to works of art.

26 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

According to the “Women’s History Blog,” women artists in the 19th century signed their work with a first initial and last name, concealing their gender. While women artists began making significant gains in the second half of that century, they are still sometimes overlooked and their work undervalued. But they persist. Over the years, Coweta County has seen the development of many resources that support artists. In the 1960s, Tom Powers and Harriet Alexander were major inspirations for local artists. Powers founded and directed the Powers Crossroads Country Fair and Art Show which brought artists and visitors from all over the country to exhibit and sell at Coweta County. Among the area’s first artists of note, Powers taught classes at the county recreation center. At least one of his early students has said that, while she didn’t become an accomplished artist, his lessons gave her a curiosity and passion for fine art that has greatly enriched her life. While Alexander’s career was in nursing, she found time to create her own art and to help start the Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) in 1968. Local artist and respected art teacher Bette Hickman knew both Powers and Alexander. “I loved being around him,” Hickman says of Powers. “His classes were filled with ladies and his love of art was infectious.”

COWETA ARTISTS

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 27

COWETA ARTISTS

Alexander was a “force to be reckoned with,” Hickman continues. “I knew her as the driving force behind the Art Association. When I joined, I was the youngest member and I was awed by Harriet. She empowered women, and the Art Association is thriving today because of her steadfast work.” Today, local artists are supported in their pursuit of the arts by school teachers as well as new places to display, sell and teach art. Newnan ArtRez brings artists from other places to Newnan for residencies that give local art enthusiasts the opportunity to experience many different kinds of art. Some of the visiting artists leave public installations when their residency is completed. One lady artist living and working in Coweta today is potter and NCAA member Suzanne Kleese-Stamps. “I started in college taking studio art and art history,” says Kleese-Stamps. “I started painting because I had a great professor who inspired me.” Later, she added pottery and ceramic arts classes, followed by an interest in paper-making and the 3D arts. “When I graduated from college, I had a series of corporate jobs, but I always knew I’d left something behind,” Kleese-Stamps recalls. She began taking classes at Atlanta’s Callanwolde Fine Arts Center and found she couldn’t stop. Since 2016, she’s been busy at her Indigo Pottery Studio. “I learned all aspects of the art, from

Photos by Jackie Kennedy

BELOW and RIGHT Michelle Thomasula works in a variety of mediums but is best known for her work with stained glass.

28 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

handbuilding to sculpting, but found my groove in throwing pottery on the wheel,” she says. It wasn’t long before she started getting into shows and was asked to place her art in small boutiques. When asked about other potters in the area, Kleese-Stamps says she knows of at least a dozen. “I’ve seen more in the younger female generation, including my own daughter, Audrey, who are harnessing the power of social media,” she says. In addition to doing her own art, Kleese-Stamps promotes local and regional art and artists. “I believe the creative arts are a direct reflection of the community from which it flourishes,” she says. “When art becomes an integral part of a community or region, that is where a healthy culture and standard of living takes root.” Stained-glass artist Michelle Thomasula also got an early start. “Art has been part of my life since I was really young,” she says. “I majored in art education because I wanted to be an art teacher.” While she has taken breaks from her art, she is back at it and says her sons “are over the moon that I’m doing it again.”

COWETA ARTISTS

An underlying thread from these artists is the importance of getting to know other artists. Thomasula joined the Artists Heritage Guild, a local arts group that promotes artists and offers classes in different forms of art. While she agrees with the importance of an artist community, Tomasula also says, “My art saved me through COVID; I wouldn’t have had anything else to do.” California native Rae Duncan joined the NCAA almost the minute she arrived in Newnan. “The art association saved me,” she says. “It gave me a community of like-minded people.” Duncan is now an officer of the association and says it has great potential to grow as the community grows. “I feel privileged to have the depth and breadth of artists on our roster,” she notes. Currently, more than 50% of NCAA members are women, and annual shows hosted by NCAA provide opportunities for women to get recognition for their art. Duncan says her story isn’t unusual. “I received a degree in Fine Arts, but I spent 30 years in the corporate arena,” she says. Duncan stayed close to art – as a production artist and later as an illustrator in graphic design – but she missed making her own art. Now, in addition to creating paper art pieces and teaching, Duncan has curated exhibits at Southern Arts Dance Studio in Newnan. Sandy Essex found her art at the University of Michigan. “I walked into the metals class in my senior year, and I knew I was home,” she recalls. One of the few women in the metals class, she fell in love with sterling silver and now makes everything from rings and other

ABOVE Persephone is the name of this stained glass creation by Michelle Thomasula. In Greek mythology, Persephone is queen of the Underworld.

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 29

COWETA ARTISTS

“The art association saved me; it gave me a community of like-minded people.” – Rae Duncan

TOP and ABOVE Rae Duncan poses with her paper flowers.

30 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

jewelry to a church chalice and medium to large pieces. It takes a lot of patience to work with precious metals, according to Essex, who says she works with cold metals which are heated and cooled down during the forming process. She describes her work almost poetically: “I love working with silver. It’s like a good dance partner and will go where you lead it. Gold is arrogant. Silver turns color as it gets hot, but gold just holds the heat until it melts.” Other women in Coweta are practicing art as well as working to support women artists. Study after study proves that art has a positive effect on the mind, body and soul, according to Kim Ramey of Backstreet Community Arts. “We provide a safe, welcoming, creative environment to anyone who may benefit from the healing power of art and community,” she says, noting that those who hang out at Backstreet Arts are an eclectic mix of diverse people.

COWETA ARTISTS

“And they encourage women artists,” she adds. When Bette Hickman first drove into Newnan, she “had an incredible sense that this was a town that welcomed art,” the art teacher recalls. Whether or not she was correct at the time, Hickman has made a large contribution toward making her vision a reality. In 1979, Hickman started Young Artists of Newnan and Coweta where she teaches students from four and a half to 13 years old. She continues to see art growing in Coweta: “We consistently have a waiting list to get in, and we have legacy classes with children of former students.” Newnan painter David Boyd Jr. attributes his career to the influence of women in his life. “A lot of people have helped me along the way. Most are women,” says Boyd. “Bette Hickman was my first

“I love working with silver. It’s like a good dance partner and will go where you lead it. Gold is arrogant. Silver turns color as it gets hot, but gold just holds the heat until it melts.” – Sandy Essex RIGHT Sandy Essex works with silver to create original jewelry pieces.

art teacher. And Phyllis Rogers, my art teacher at Heritage, told me I should go to art school when no one around here had heard of art school. And Millie Gosch changed my life when she invited me to a plein air painting session.” These are just a few of the accomplished women artists around Coweta. Some have “done art” all their lives, while others have taken up art after retirement and say it’s been “a godsend.” Many are content to make art for themselves, while others look for venues to display their work. One thing is certain: Boyd is right when he says the Newnan-Coweta area is a “rich environment” for artists. And women are increasingly important to that environment. NCM

GETTING FRANK WITH FAITH/FAITH FARRELL

The Hands I Love the Most

ong before the days when phones were cameras and cameras were phones, I took a photo of three generations of hands: my grandma’s, my mom’s and my own – side by side. I have since lost the photo, but it is seared in my brain. And though you can’t see the DNA, it is there, hiding in the shape of our palms, the line of our fingers, the way in which our knuckles protrude. My grandma’s hands were strong and smelled like dish soap, soil and, frequently, fish. My mom’s hands, smooth and soft, have a different strength from rubbing Vick’s on my sick chest, from decades of cooking from scratch, and from scratching my back. My hands have a different story – scads of scars from years of power tools and impatience, calluses and paint under my fingernails rendering a manicure pointless. My hands tell the story of a middle-aged, anxiety-ridden woman stuck in a mid-life crisis frantically trying to figure “it” out, continually scrambled by all the versions of me that exist. I may not be a mom, a wife, nor even an aunt, but I have other roles. I am a daughter, a sister, a life partner to a great guy. I am also a woman (I realize that I never refer to myself as a woman, and I wonder why that is). In my 54-year-old brain, all the different versions of me battle it out trying to win whatever bout I’m currently contesting: “Ding! Ding! In this corner, 21-year-old college graduate will battle the 40-year-old set painter.” “Now there’s a new fighter in the ring – the chunky 12-year-old who stinks at sports fighting the 50-year-old craving a career.” Trying to quell this character chaos is draining – as I have yet to claim a winner – but then I imagine my mom and grandma wildly waving to me from the sidelines, reminding me I’m only fighting myself with me. Fists now unclenched, I can finally see that history is not the only one packing a punch. My grandma came from a solid stock of farmers and was one of a whopping total of 15 kids. Being raised on a farm taught her how to gut fish for breakfast with one hand while frying an egg with the other. I’ve seen her butcher chickens and hang a turtle from a tree to make soup. Despite all these talents, I’ve been told she never got her driver’s license because she was a woman. These roles of womanhood on a farm were passed down to my mom, and there they stopped, which I hadn’t realized until recently. When my mom married my dad she had learned it was her duty to obey him. As a kid, I was unaware of any of this; I was only aware of me being a part of my fabulous family. The years marched on and, suddenly, I’m the same age my mom was when she gave birth to me, then I’m the age my mom was when she lost her mom. Perspective piles up and you discover that your parents were more than just parents: They were their own individuals who battled in their own boxing rings of knocked out dreams. In the 1970s, a shift had occurred. My mom had been invited to a party and after replying, “I will have to ask my husband,” she was met with the sentence that changed it all for her: “What are you, his daughter?” The world was changing, and my mom was changing with it. Mom taught me about independence and pursuing my path even if that meant exchanging high heels for steel-toed boots and replacing curling irons with power tools. I never wear makeup. On the rare occasion I attempt it? Clown whore. As a teen, I tried to hide my femininity by wearing gigantic sweaters to hide the fact I had curves of any kind. In this new world, where she-sheds reign and a woman is vice president, I hope my mom is swelling with pride for her role in helping it happen. As I look down at my scarred hands I wonder what my grandma would think, but it’s a blur because I don’t know whose hands I’m looking at anymore. I’m suddenly torn in a tug of love and pride for these women who taught me – like the photo of our hands which I can no longer find – that it’s OK to be lost. NCM Minnesota made but Newnan Strong, Faith Farrell is active in the Newnan arts and theatre scene. 32 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

10th

Annual

RACE for the

Orphans

Sat., May 7th Downtown Newnan

7:45 AM Tot Trot (Ages 5 & under) 8:00 AM Mia's Mile Fun Run/Walk 8:30 AM 5K (USATF Certified Course/

Peachtree Road Race Qualifier)

9:30 AM Awards (CASH prizes to top winners) All proceeds from the RACE go to adopting families to help bring their children HOME!

For more information and to register, visit

www.RaceForTheOrphans.org

TAKE BACK YOUR WEEKENDS!

JACK PEEK’S SALES

576 Main St. | Palmetto | 770-463-3156 www.jackpeekssales.com

Starting at

3,599

She Runs Senoia BUSINESS BOOMS WITH WOMEN AT THE HELM Written by ROBIN STEWART • Photographed by SARA MOORE

uirky, hip and cool, the City of Senoia is a destination location. The popularity of a particular television show has certainly contributed, but it’s more than that. Even with a distinctly modern, cosmopolitan feel, Senoia manages to maintain small-town charm.

Home to a plethora of shopping, restaurants and more, it seems fitting that the city named after Native American (Creek) princess Senoyah is home to many businesses owned by women. Life – and business – in Senoia is good.

Owner Mary Buzzeo leads a small but mighty team of ten at Journals & Ledgers, a professional bookkeeping/ accounting firm. “We specialize in service-based small businesses offering professional services,” Buzzeo says. Clients include graphic designers, consultants, real estate agents and financial advisors among others. She notes her company doesn’t do taxes but has CPAs to whom they refer clients. “We’re not just crunching numbers,” says Buzzeo. “We partner with clients to help them grow their business. We handle the finances so they can go do their business. We’re here to help.” After a quarter century of working for others, Buzzeo founded her own company in 2015, then as a homebased business just outside of Senoia’s city limits. Journals & Ledgers grew quickly, thanks to referrals, and by June 2017, Buzzeo moved operations to her first brick and mortar location, then 48 Main Street in Senoia. She recalls having a difficult time securing office space as commercial vacancies were scarce. Another move in March 2020 finds Journals & Ledgers at 42 Main Street in downtown Senoia in space four times larger than their original location. Buzzeo lives within the 34 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Photo by The Studio at Daisy Hill

Mary Buzzeo Journals & Ledgers

Mary Buzzeo owns and operates Journals & Ledgers, a bookkeeping/accounting firm in Senoia.

city limits so her life and work is Senoia-centric. In November 2021, Buzzeo was selected to serve in a volunteer role as treasurer for the Senoia Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Journals & Ledgers is a corporate sponsor of the Senoia Area Historical Society. As both a resident and business owner, Buzzeo says: “It makes sense to be invested in the community. There’s a nice mix of service based-businesses like CPAs and insurance firms here in addition to the boutiques and restaurants. It’s a fun place to be.” She calls the Senoia business climate “incredible” and “booming.”

From left, sisters Stacey McKeen and Heather Medina join their mom, Sandy Hurlbutt, as co-owners of Country Junction Soaps in downtown Senoia.

Sandy Hurlbutt, Heather Medina, Stacey McKeen Country Junction Soaps The only thing better than a business run by a woman is one run by two – or even three. Mom Sandy Hurlbutt and daughters Heather Medina and Stacey McKeen are the trio behind Country Junction Soaps. It’s been said necessity is the mother of invention. These moms founded their business for the same reason. Looking to solve her then four-year old grandson Jacob’s eczema problem, Hurlbutt leveraged an amazing resource at her fingertips: her farm, which included goats. A friend mentioned the benefits of goat’s milk, so Hurlbutt and Medina worked together in pursuit of a solution. “I hated putting him on all those prescriptions including steroids,” Medina recalls. After much trial and error, “we figured it out and got the right recipe.” Jacob found relief,

and word soon spread to family and friends who likewise wanted in on the good thing. The caprine magic, according to Medina, lies in this fact: “The pH in goat’s milk is the same as the pH in our skin. Whether you have dry skin or eczema, it brings skin to a healthy balance.” Not all goat milk products are equal. Country Junction Soaps and products feature fresh, raw goat’s milk, not powdered or diluted options used by many others. Milk from the 60 Nubian goats at Hurlbutt’s farm makes the difference. The original farm, once in Senoia, is now just eight miles south in Alvaton. Fourteen years since creating their soaps, Country Junction products remain all-natural and hand-crafted in small batches. As the company grew, McKeen joined her mom and sister in the business. Three years ago, Country Junction Soaps opened a storefront at 48 Main Street with an entrance at Seavy Street. MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 35

Amy Reynolds The S Club Amy Reynolds is the picture of physical fitness. That makes sense because she flexes her muscles as owner/ operator of The S Club, a 24-7 gym in Senoia. Leaving a career in law enforcement, Reynolds turned from criminal investigation to certified personal training, eventually buying and transforming the center where she worked out. “It changed my heart,” says Reynolds of her move to the fitness industry. April 2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the gym at 7280 Highway 16. The “S” in The S Club can stand for “Senoia” or “Strong.” With a focus on personal attention rather than mass classes, Reynolds offers one-on-one sessions or works with duos, including couples or motherdaughter clients. Making the most of its 3,000 square feet, The S Club includes a weight room, cardio equipment and meal planning. Online training sessions also are available, and everything is customized to meet client needs. Some Saturdays, fitness goes outdoors with Reynolds hosting what she calls “kind of a crossfit-ish” session called Steel Body Boot Camp complete with battle ropes and tractor tires. The S Club features a family atmosphere and is a neighborhood gym where folks know one another. It’s also a family affair. Reynolds’s daughter recently became a certified trainer and, like her mother, works with clients to help them reach their fitness goals.

The S Club features a family atmosphere and is a neighborhood gym where folks know one another. Amy Reynolds owns and runs The S Club, a family-friendly neighborhood gym in Senoia.

36 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Julie Brown The Georgia Tour Company Strolling the streets of Senoia, it’s likely there will be a gaggle of folks gathered, walking together from one point of interest to another. That signifies The Georgia Tour Company is hard at work, delighting fans of the popular TV series, “The Walking Dead (TWD).” Risk-taking entrepreneur and Senoia resident Julie Brown owns the Georgia Tour Company. After seeing fans of the hit show flock to her city, she saw opportunity beyond the business she had started, Georgia Mercantile, where she sold jams and jellies. Not long after opening the Mercantile, the TWD location manager visited to let Brown know they’d be closing down Main Street two or three days a week for filming. People who worked on the show encouraged Brown to stock TWD products, which at the time, Brown didn’t fully understand. Soon, though, she realized fans of the show were coming to town. “They wanted to see actors and know about filming locations,” she recalls. In season three, the show began filming in downtown Senoia. By then, it had a growing, loyal following. After two years of pinning filming locations on a county map for visiting TWD fans, in 2014 Brown founded Georgia Tour Company. Her first TWD tour was in March 2014. In 2016, she added mobile tours in vans to her popular lineup of walking tours. The mobile tours enjoy special access to select sites not open to foot traffic. Unexpectedly, the show’s fan base nose-dived in 20182019 due to the departure of some characters, and Brown saw a corresponding dip in touring visitors. However, fans were back at full strength in 2021 after the business had weathered COVID-19. Because carrying some TWD products was cost prohibitive, Brown developed her own souvenir shirt that aptly reads, “I Walk With The Dead.” The storefront she maintains on Main Street also offers other TWD-related items and Senoia keepsakes.

Elisabeth Roiret Lisa’s Crêperie French-born American Elisabeth Roiret is the culinary artist behind Lisa’s Crêperie, a café on Main Street in downtown Senoia. After starting small in 2017 with just one crepe-making machine at the Peachtree City Farmer’s Market, Roiret’s

Tourists come from throughout the nation and across the world to visit Senoia, where Julie Brown welcomes them to Georgia Tour Company for walks or rides through the town’s top filming and historic spots.

business grew. Next came catering and a food truck. By June 2019, the Senoia resident opened the doors of the charming eatery. “A crepe is authentic French street food, similar to a pancake or wrap that can be eaten any time of the day,” says Roiret. “It can be savory or sweet.” Mindful of dietary restrictions, allergies and other preferences, gluten-free and vegan batter options are available. By design, all ingredients are fresh and allnatural. With the mantra that simple is delicious, Roiret believes in “letting the ingredients shine.” Crepes come in a variety of flavors. The bacon-eggcheese and Paris crepes are staples. The Paris is a savorysweet blend of turkey breast, bacon, apple, brie and raspberry jam. Roiret says the shop’s customer favorite is a sweet Nutella Strawberry crepe.

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 37

Photo courtesy of Elisabeth Roiret

Elisabeth Roiret’s Lisa’s Creperie is one of several womenowned restaurants in downtown Senoia.

Perfected over the years by Roiret, the crepe recipe has been handed down generationally and is, and will remain, a secret. Thin, crispy and delicious, crepes at Lisa’s are classic French crepes. The café does offer what Roiret describes as “elaborate American crepes like Chipotle Chicken and Turkey Club.” Roiret works with a team of 21 dependable employees, so not even current supply chain issues can bring down or deter the Navy veteran. “We are in love with this community and how everyone supports each other,” Roiret says. After the March 2021 tornado in Newnan, the Lisa’s Crêperie crew served free meals for days, feeding those who were serving others. Roiret says she’s seen “tremendous growth” in Senoia in the past five years. She credits several additions that bring residents and visitors downtown, including the routine Senoia: Alive After Five event, which she helped organize as a familyfriendly night of sipping, strolling, shopping and dining after business hours. While the appeal of “The Walking Dead” brings many to town, Roiret observes that many come for the fun and relaxing atmosphere. “Senoia is becoming European with its outdoorsy vibe,” she says. Hungry visitors agree. NCM

Remember This? It’s a cookbook published in 1967 by The Newnan Times-Herald.

We think it’s high time NTH produced another one! A few “golden oldie” classic and iconic recipes will make an encore appearance along with a slew of new ones.

Deadline for accepting new recipes is July 1, 2022 for

Coweta Cooks

Send your submission to magazine@newnan.com or jackie@newnan.com 38 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Expertise You need. Compassion they deserve. Our unique approach involves personalized supervision by our Our unique approach Our unique approach Our unique approach Our unique approach involves personalized doctor and staff involves involves personalized personalized involves personalized supervision by our supervision supervision by by our our supervision by our doctor and staff doctor and doctor and staff staff doctor and staff

IN T E R NN A L LMM EDIC I N EE II N N TT EE R R NA A L M EE D D II C C II N NE A CAC CLC IN A T I O N SE I N T EV RV NA M E D I C IN V A C C II N NA ATT II O ON N SS NN UU TT RR I TI T IO NN O U N SA EE LL N GG VCAC CO CU IN T II O N S I O N S I N NUTRITION COUNSELING GG NI N EE R AC LO SUS UNU RSR GEG ELE R YY NUTR IETE O NR IN G A L R GENERAL SURGERY Ask your neighbors about us! PP RR EGVEENE NETRT IA V LE ESHU ERAGL E TR HY Ask your neighbors about us! Ask your Moreland, neighborsGA about us! P R EE V V EN N T II V VE H H EE A A LLTT H H 2789 US-29, 30259, Ask your neighbors about us! 2789 US-29, Moreland, GA 30259, C U UE NN CC T U R EH P R E VA EA NC TU IPV H ET AU LR T 2789 US-29,drive Moreland, GARedwine. 30259, P U just a 20 minute from Lake A C U P U N C T U R EE just a 20 minute drive from Lake Redwine. 2789 US-29, Moreland, GA 30259, just a 20 minute drive from Lake Redwine. CC O LL D LL A SS E R & &M AU GP NUAN W AU VV EE AC CT R www.morelandanimalhospital.com just a 20 minute drive from Lake Redwine. www.morelandanimalhospital.com CO O LD D LA A S EE R R & M MA AG GN NA A W WA A V EE www.morelandanimalhospital.com Our unique approach C O L D L A S E R & M A G N A W A V E www.morelandanimalhospital.com

MORELAND ANIMAL HOSPITAL 770-755-6633 Ask your neighbors about us! 2789 US-29, Moreland, GA 30259,

just a 20 minute driveinvolves from Lake Redwine. personalized

www.morelandanimalhospital.com supervision by our doctor and staff

INTERNAL MEDICINE VA C C I N AT I O N S

Our unique I N T E R Napproach A LU T MR ED I NN E •C O U N S E L I N G N I TI CI O involves personalized VA C C I N AT I ONNESR•A L S U R G E R Y GE N U T R I T I O N C O U N S E supervision byPour R ELVI NEGN •T I V E H E A L T H P R E V and E N T I Vstaff E H E A LT H • UPUNCTURE AC doctor

C ULP A UN • A G N A WAV E C O LAD SC ETRU R &E M C O L D L A S E R & M A G A W AV E • Dr. Andrews-Kees

INTERNAL MEDICINE VA C C I N AT I O N S

INTERNAL MEDICINE

Vote for us again in 2022! #1 Veterinary N U T R I T I O N CHospital! OUNSELING VA C C I N AT I O N S

NUTRITION COUNSELING

Ask your neighbors about us! 2789 US-29, Moreland, GA 30259,

GENERAL SURGERY

Ask your neighbors about us!A C U P U N C T U R E 2789 US-29, Moreland, C O L GA D L A30259, S E R & M A G N A WAV E www.morelandanimalhospital.com P R E V E N T I V E H E A LT H

just a 20 minute drive from Lake Redwine.

www.morelandanimalhospital.com

GENERAL SURGERY P R E V E N T I V E H E A LT H ACUPUNCTURE C O L D L A S E R & M A G N A WAV E

Thank you so much for voting Doug Kees Best Local Musician in 2021! Vote for me again in 2022! – Doug Kees

New album available at:

DougKees.com

Music Instruction Since 1989

770-252-7900 musicologynewnan.com

SPONSORED CONTENT

Behind the Buildings: Meet The Women Constructing Coweta

Written by EMILY RAY

eadley Construction was co-founded by the late Anita Headley in 1971. Along with her husband, Bill, Anita grew the business into an award-winning general contracting company serving state and municipal governments, local school and university systems, ownership groups and private corporations. The company has successfully completed more than $300 million in commercial construction projects

since it was founded 50 years ago. Although they represent nearly half of the total U.S. workforce, women make up just 10% of construction industry workers. Only 17% of registered architects are women. Underrepresentation looms even larger for female engineers. Meanwhile, with women earning 99.1% compared to men, the pay gap in construction is actually the lowest of any U.S. industry.

ALICE MYERS

Controller, Headley Construction “I have been working at Headley Construction for 15 years. I love working with numbers and finding and fixing posting errors. Women in the industry still face misconceptions from men but are able to obtain higher positions than in the past. There are resources available to women who want to pursue architecture, engineering and construction as a career. Visit agc.org/learn for more information.”

RONDA HELTON

Program Manager, City of Newnan “I’ve had strong support from the City of Newnan, delivering more than $116 million in capital projects. Construction industry opportunities are unlimited if you have confidence in yourself and you have a will to succeed. Earning respect is probably the most difficult aspect of working in the industry as a woman. You must believe in yourself. All it takes is putting forth your best effort.”

SPONSORED CONTENT

MOLLY GIDDENS

Project Manager, Coweta County Development Authority “My team and I work on strategically identifying industrial prospects for our community. The Coweta County Development Authority looks to eliminate inefficient tax abatements, incentivizing those industries that pay above average wages. In the world of economic development, huge incentive packages are glorified. We challenge that rhetoric by working for industry while being fiscally responsible for our community.”

“My mom built a strong foundation for women in our community,” says President Mitch Headley. “Watching her help launch our business while raising us four boys left no doubt in my mind that women can do absolutely anything.” Project Manager Luke Headley agrees. “Headley Construction would not exist without our mom’s vision. There are countless contributions of women who have supported our projects, from our longtime employees to the architects, engineers and owners we collaborate with on complex buildings today.” Anita wasn’t the only woman in the Headley family who married into the construction business. Mitch’s wife, Margaret, is extremely handy herself. You could say construction runs in her blood. When she was 11 years old, Margaret watched her dad rebuild after her family home burned to the ground. Before marriage, she bought and updated a 1930s home in Newnan, adding air

conditioning and blown-in insulation by herself. Later, after she and Mitch were wed, Margaret acted as project superintendent on their own major renovation, removing the roof of their 1960s ranch style house, adding a second story, and modernizing the entire home. “We initially hired a home plan designer to translate our ideas into buildable plans, but the time it took him to complete revisions frustrated me, so I just did it myself,” Margaret laughs. “I measured, calculated and drew hundreds of variations to review with Mitch for feasibility.” The mother of three children, Margaret spent time driving through local neighborhoods in the area to look for ideas she could translate into the design for her young family. “One of my major goals was to make the renovation look seamless with the original home,” she says. “It was important that there be no distinction between the original and new addition.

ANDREA REESE

Engineer, Headley Construction “I worked as a structural engineer for seven years. Now I’m on the construction side instead of the design side. My typical week includes reviewing drawings and construction documents, talking to subcontractors, putting together bids, and visiting job sites. I’m proud of the work we just completed at Auburn University and look forward to being part of a renovation at UWG Newnan in 2022.”

SPONSORED CONTENT

Everything is a balancing act, whether it’s architecture, work or family.” Women represent many of Headley Construction’s current full-time employees, as well as several of the project managers they collaborate with on job sites across the area. “At one time, the challenge for women was getting to the table. Now that women are better represented, the challenge has evolved into making our mark in an already established field. In my experience, the industry is lacking in female mentors. There is a lot of finding your own way,” says Andrea Reese. She is one of two professional engineers on staff at Headley Construction. The other? Her boss, Mitch. “I think there is a lot of opportunity for women in construction,” adds Reese. “The women I know with strong technical skills are also good communicators, and that’s a valuable combination.” Her coworker, Alice Myers, suggests that young women who want to pursue a career in architecture, engineering or construction should check out the Association of General Contractors, which offers training, educational and management programs. Companies who consistently support women in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) perform better financially and in the field. “Being amazing at what you do is the best deterrent for workplace bias,” says Molly Giddens, project manager at the Coweta County Development Authority. She encourages interested locals to take advantage of the Central Education Center and West Georgia Technical College, which both provide innovative technical education through their dual enrollment and certificate, diploma and associate degree programs. They range from engineering technology to electrical construction and maintenance to drafting. “Women are underrepresented in AEC industries,” says Giddens. “To me, being a woman in this specific field of work gives you an automatic spotlight. You can either shy away from it or use it to your advantage. There are an array of degrees

available for those wanting to pursue architecture, engineering and construction within a 50-mile radius of Coweta County.” Echoing this sentiment is Megan Kocikowski. She’s the vice president of Comprehensive Program Services (CPS), a construction management partner that helps owners, like the City of Newnan, and contractors, like Headley Construction, reduce operational costs on significant projects like Newnan Fire Station No. 4 and the C. Jay Smith Park upgrades. Kocikowski suggests that getting an advanced degree in building construction or pursuing continuing education courses is a great option for those who, like her, have a nontraditional degree but desire to work in the industry. She adds, “We need K-12 teachers to educate young women on these opportunities. The perception for many youths is that construction is focused on manual labor. While there are a lot of jobs that require this, women can be architects, engineers, construction managers, program or project managers, or work in various trades.” Kocikowski highly encourages women to look into the professional organizations available to them, such as CREW Atlanta or the National Association of Women in Construction. Many offer discounted or free student membership rates. “The challenges that women face from being underrepresented also present an opportunity,” says Kocikowski. “It’s difficult being judged based on gender rather than experience or work ethic. There is a tendency for women to have to repeat themselves to be heard. We are more likely to be interrupted or have credit taken for our ideas. But

“Being amazing at what you do is the best deterrent for workplace bias.” -Molly Giddens, ChooseCoweta.com because the industry is changing and companies are recognizing the need for diversity, women have endless opportunities to work hard and climb the ladder by recognizing our value and being willing to speak up.”

SPONSORED CONTENT

CYNTHIA JENKINS

CEO, Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity “My goal for 2022 is to build a Habitat home exclusively constructed by women. We have a female general contractor on staff and a strong network of experienced subcontractors to help us. What we need today are more women ‘grey ghosts’ – retired volunteers who are handy and come out two to three times a week to volunteer on a regular basis. They are the ones who really keep our programs going forward.”

Ronda Helton, program manager for the City of Newnan, works closely with CPS as she assists in the delivery of millions of dollars in capital projects for the community. “Currently, the City is completing the connection of the LINC from downtown to Ashley Park, the demolition of the former Caldwell Tanks facility, Sprayberry Road and Jackson Street Sidewalk projects, renovations of the existing Fire Training facility and several integral transportation improvement projects,” Helton reports. “In 2022 and beyond, the City will intentionally focus more on transportation projects and the redevelopment of the Caldwell Tanks facility.” Helton also works as the City’s project manager on the LINC, Newnan’s transportationoriented recreation project that provides citizens an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. She works with the PATH Foundation to make sure the LINC is built to the standards to which it was planned and to ensure that it’s delivered on schedule and within budget. Helton agrees with many Headley Construction employees who name the Newnan Hospital Project (now the UWG-Newnan Campus) as a local favorite. The program manager found that being part of the successful transformation of a blighted structure into a beautiful, valuable community asset was “very rewarding.” Like its longest-serving general contractor, the City of Newnan champions, supports

and encourages women in construction. City Councilwoman and Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity CEO Cynthia Jenkins started her career as a drafter at Headley Construction when she was still in high school. “Back then, we worked on blueprints by hand,” she recalls. “I remember working on various commercial buildings, doing minor changes to drawings, and taking in bids from various subcontractors. The first time I heard the term ‘historic tax credits’ was as the Newnan Lofts project was getting underway.” Jenkins credits the Headleys with investing in her success: “Mr. Headley took me along on college tours to Auburn University with his son, Luke, and our friend, Drew Cronic. He showed me as much of the industry as he could and encouraged my interest. Cathy Pitts and Mary Ellen Kirk were great, too, helping me build the confidence I needed to succeed in a male dominated industry. If more companies did that for girls, you’d have more women in construction. And we need them.” The Georgia Tech grad says people often ask how her architectural degree and career path play into managing Habitat for Humanity. She says, “It plays a lot. You have to understand development to manage a nonprofit that does building. Women Build is one of our most popular programs. Our goal is to empower women and to help families build strength, stability and independence.” Women are the blueprint for the future. With the right tools, they can succeed in changing their communities. For additional resources, local volunteer opportunities, and to learn more about the amazing women behind Coweta’s most beautiful buildings, please visit HeadleyConstruction.com.

COWETA COOKS

Welcome Spring with a Ladies Luncheon Written by GAIL MCGLOTHIN | Photographed by APRIL MCGLOTHIN-ELLER

Red Passion Cocktail, see recipe on page 44.

ou are invited. I am always excited to hear those words, especially if it includes lunch. For some reason, when the ladies gather for lunch, the food is always good, the conversation always interesting, and, in my crowd, a list of my next books to read is included. Ladies luncheons in Coweta range from the most formal with china and silver to brown-bag at the Carnegie Library. Luncheons are often planned to celebrate the wonderful events in our lives. I’ve been invited to luncheons to say goodbye to friends and to welcome new friends to the neighborhood. Babies are born and grandmothers celebrate 2,000 miles away. Children and grandchildren come to visit and best friends are invited to lunch to enjoy their company. A favorite ladies lunch has always been around game day. Board games go great with chicken salad sandwiches, sweet and hot pickles, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, sliced radishes and potato chips. The finale is always at least two kinds of cookies: oatmeal freckles and chocolate crinkles are perfect. Potluck luncheons are fun, especially if all your friends are good cooks, and mine are. My friends, however, rarely leave the menu to chance. They assign recipes and the hostess plans beautiful table settings and offers tea and coffee. Tulips and azaleas bloom, welcoming spring and a round of ladies luncheons. For the fanciest of these, take the time to wash the china, iron the tablecloth, and polish the silver. Layering plates on chargers with napkins in napkin rings adds a touch of elegance. A small wrapped gift with a name tag for each guest alerts them to the seating arrangement. Flowers and candles reflect the special occasion. Much of the menu featured here can be made in advance, leaving the hostess plenty of time to arrange the table. For dessert, meringues and lemon curd can be made ahead, leaving the hostess to take orders and put them together at the last minute. May all your ladies luncheons be made special by the occasion, the table setting, the meal, and, most of all, the ladies.

COWETA COOKS

Shrimp Remoulade in Tomato Cups, see recipe on page 46.

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 45

COWETA COOKS

Shrimp Remoulade in Tomato Cups These are easily done ahead of time, ready to be laid on the plate. 4 1

Smashed Potatoes Be sure to bake the Smashed Potatoes long enough to be crispy. They are best served hot, but I have yet to see anyone decline slightly hot seconds. 1 2 1 1/4 1/4

pound small red skin potatoes quarts water tablespoon salt cup canola oil, plus extra cup melted butter Sea salt Fresh ground pepper Fresh parsley, chopped

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. While potatoes are boiling, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; brush with canola oil. When potatoes are tender, drain and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour onto parchment paper. With a large fork, potato masher or bottom of a heavy glass, smash each potato to desired thickness. Let sit for 5 minutes. Mix ¼ cup canola oil and melted butter; brush over each potato. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh parsley. Serve warm.

46 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

large red tomatoes pound boiled shrimp

Cut the top third off of 4 large red tomatoes. Scoop out the insides, salt, and turn upside down to drain. Peel and devein 1 pound purchased boiled shrimp, reserving 4 whole shrimp for garnish. Cut remaining shrimp in half, crosswise. Mix with Remoulade sauce. One hour prior to serving, stuff shrimp mixture into tomatoes. Garnish with whole shrimp.

Remoulade The number of ingredients may seem overwhelming. I just set them all out at once so putting the sauce together takes very little time. 1/2 1/2 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1/2

cup chopped celery cup chopped green onion tablespoons chopped fresh parsley garlic cloves, chopped cup mayonnaise tablespoon paprika tablespoons capers tablespoons prepared horseradish tablespoon Dijon mustard tablespoon ketchup tablespoon fresh lemon juice tablespoon Worcestershire sauce tablespoon cider vinegar tablespoon hot sauce teaspoon salt

Coarsely chop celery, green onion, parsley and garlic. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

COWETA COOKS

Asparagus Twists Asparagus Twists offer an angle to the round tomatoes. 1 1

pound fat asparagus (4-ounce) package prosciutto Shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Break off tough ends of asparagus. Cut prosciutto in half lengthwise; this is easy to do if you cut while the prosciutto is still on the paper. Wrap asparagus with ½ slice prosciutto, twisting from bottom to top. Roll each twist in shredded Parmesan cheese. Place twists on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until prosciutto is crisp.

Orange Apricot Scones These scones are a favorite at our house and go well at breakfast, lunch or dinner. They are full of butter and buttermilk so no extra butter dish is needed. 3 1/3 1 1/2 6 1/3 1/3 1/3 2 3/4 2

cups flour cup sugar tablespoon baking powder teaspoon baking soda tablespoons butter, cold cup chopped dried apricots cup dried cranberries cup golden raisins teaspoons grated orange peel cup buttermilk eggs Cooking spray Melted butter or cooking spray Sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse butter until mixture is coarse. Stir in apricots, cranberries and raisins. Combine orange peel, buttermilk and eggs. Add to flour mixture, pulsing until just moist. Turn dough onto floured surface. Toss and knead lightly 4 to 6 times. Roll dough into a 12x6-inch rectangle. Cut dough into 8 squares, flouring knife as needed. Cut each square into two triangles. Spray baking pan with cooking spray and place triangles on the pan. Brush with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake 12 minutes or until done. MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 47

COWETA COOKS

Dark Chocolate Expresso Mousse Meringues with Lemon Curd Make individual meringues. Top with lemon curd and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

Individual Meringue Cups 3 large egg whites 3/4 cup sugar Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line baking tray(s) with parchment paper. Separate the eggs, saving egg yolks for Lemon Curd, recipe below. Place egg whites in a bowl. Beat with electric mixer on high. After the egg whites get foamy, begin adding the sugar until all has been incorporated into the whites. With finger, rub a bit of the foam; if it is gritty, beat some more. Draw 6 circles on the parchment paper for the oven. Transfer the raw meringue onto the paper, smoothing it out and ensuring it has a dent for the curd. Bake 45 minutes. Let cool in oven.

Lemon Curd 4 3/4 2 6 1/4

egg yolks cup sugar teaspoons finely grated lemon zest tablespoons fresh lemon juice cup unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar together until well combined. Pour into a heavy, non-reactive saucepan, and add lemon zest and lemon juice, pouring slowly as mixture is whisked. Drop in pats of butter. Over medium heat, whisk mixture constantly until the mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk for one minute. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally. Transfer to bowl and refrigerate, covered, for up to two weeks. 48 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

The Dark Chocolate Expresso Mousse is very rich, very chocolatey, and ready to serve from the refrigerator. 1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee 2 tablespoons boiling water 1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips 3 eggs, separated 2 tablespoons brandy 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped Chocolate bar for grating In a small, heavy saucepan, stir instant coffee into boiling water until it’s dissolved completely. Add chocolate chips. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks, one at a time, into chocolate mixture. Cool completely. Beat well after each egg. Stir in brandy. Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually adding sugar a tablespoon at a time. Beat until soft peaks form and sugar has dissolved. Fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into 8 small serving dishes. Top with whipped cream. Grate chocolate over to garnish.

Red Passion Cocktail (Pictured on page 44)

Alize’ Red Passion liqueur Prosecco Orange quarters Fill champagne flutes half full with liqueur. Top with a dry prosecco. Serve with orange quarter garnish. NCM

n e m o W Take Wheel

VOTE st of

Be Coweta

Ballot Insi de

the

Plus: ❙ Coweta

Women Artists ❙ Senoia n Businesswome

Jefferson St.

770.683.4664

#Newnan Strong:

One Year After The Tornado

EN’S THE WOM

ISSUE

n i d a r u o Y HE R E. IL 2022 MARCH | APR ARY COPY COM PLIM ENT

Newnan

Advertise in the

Best

ll Ovtearuarant Res

Best er Best

Burg Cocktail

May/June issue

of Newnan-Coweta Magazine.

Advertising deadline: March 25, 2022

Visit MeatNGreetNewnan.com for current hours of operation and follow us on

+ Bourbons craft burgers & hot dogs craft beer specialty salads

770.435.7474

gluten free options weekly specials

WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

Shortly after the tornado, the Jacksons were still planning to rebuild at the site of their damaged home. Taking a break from cleaning the backyard and working on patio furniture that had not blown away were, from left, Dean, Melissa, Anna Frances, Richard and Reeves. Virginia is in front. Photo by Becky Leftwich

A Tornado Story ONE FAMILY’S SAGA IN THE HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS AND MONTHS AFTER NEWNAN’S EF-4 Written by MELISSA DICKSON JACKSON

WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

Author’s note: I suspect many of the families who endured the night of March 26, 2021, will recognize their own story in this account of the immediate aftermath of the tornado.

y 1 a.m., I knew two things:

1. No one was coming to save us. There was no cavalry. My father wasn’t going to burst through the door with a helicopter waiting in the near distance. We were on our own. If the house fell in, if the gas line I could smell leaking burst into flames, if one of the children were injured – we were on our own and trapped until dawn. 2. Our lives were going to change in ways we had never imagined. There was a massive oak tree that fell through the roof. It had crushed the kitchen, office and living room. It had collapsed with such force that it punctured through the floor and into the basement where we took shelter. The windows and the storm door had been shattered or blown out into the back yard. Ceiling rafters lay across my daughter’s bed where she slept only an hour before. Shards of glass, roofing insulation and asbestos-laden transite shingles littered my bed. One shard of glass the size of a driver’s license had hurtled through our bathroom with such force that it wedged nearly half an inch into the hard wood of a 70-year-old medicine cabinet.

Between 1 and 2 a.m., I traveled the 40 feet between our basement and the trapped van 10 times carting kittens and commanding children. Which was safer? The basement where I could smell gas and hear the rain falling all around us, or the van, sealed but out in the open where one of the few remaining trees could fall if – God forbid – another tornado emerged? It could happen, I thought. The stillness in the air was forbidding, unforgiving, ominous. I filled the van with beloved artwork and treasured musical instruments and herded the children and pets back into the basement. By 3 a.m., I lay on my grandparents’ 40-year-old, handme-down Serta sleeper, hovering along the hard metal frame at the edge. My daughters, 9 and 14, slept nestled against me. Their gentle deep breathing seemed oddly normal in our battered home. Even though the metal frame pressed uncomfortably into my ribs, I dared not move my girls back into the open expanse on the other side of the bare mattress. Their sleep was a miracle. In a tall laundry basket, our new kittens mewed and complained at the imprisonment, while our aging ginger

Photo by Russ Moore

The Jackson family makes their exodus from the storm zone, from left: Richard; Reeves, carrying kittens in a laundry basket; Melissa; Dean and Anna Frances. The youngest, Virginia, was a few yards ahead.

52 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Photo by Melissa Dickson Jackson Photo by Larisa Scott

cat wandered about in the debris upstairs refusing to concede to the destruction. My 16-year-old son found a sleeping bag and unfurled it in a narrow walkway against the dryer only to discover that the dog had urinated nearby. After some clean up, he settled down again to a fitful rest. My older son was able to sleep on his own bed in a corner room of the basement. My husband sat restless and alert in a tattered French club chair relegated to the basement. In his lap, he held a pistol usually locked away in a gun safe. “In case of looters,” he said. “Looters,” I wondered. “How would they get to us? How would they get away? What would they take?” The computer lay crushed under the tree. The TV was 10 years old and weighed 70 pounds. Outside, felled trees trapped the entire neighborhood. One of our cars lay under a cypress, while three other cypress trees striped the driveway like giant fallen sentinels. I lay there imagining the improbable looters crawling through the dark branches, tripping over the debris and glass shards. By 4:30 a.m., it was as dark as it had ever been in my home, except for the occasional dim light from my husband’s phone. He scrolled for news of our friends and neighbors, for some small bit of normalcy. He rationed the minutes as his battery declined in this power outage we suspected would never end at this iteration of 23 Fifth Street. At 5 a.m., rain. The drip, drip, drip of water was all around us. I could hear it coming for us from my son’s punctured room, sliding across the floor like a cancer we couldn’t stem. I slept and dreamed of wind, water, black forms shifting in the darkness, green lightning on the horizon. I wanted to rise up like a wide-winged angel repelling the rain and wind that lurched in my dreams. I woke abruptly at 6:30 a.m. Voices! Yelling! The thundering of boots barreled down the steep basement steps. Silhouettes of bodies hurled down. The looters? My husband bolted up, pistol in hand. “Anybody here?” they called. We were too stunned to answer, too unsure. “Anybody here,” they called again. “We are here,” I think. “We are here,” my husband yelled. It was my father-in-law and our friends Carl Marino and Dwayne Luttrell who recently renovated the girls’ bathroom. They parked blocks away and climbed over and under fallen trees to reach us. The girls turned in their strange sleep. Then we all rose in the still, lilac dawn to a strange and unfamiliar landscape. The oak tree under which I stood, age eight, at my first encounter with the people who would become my mother and father-in-law nearly forty years later, lay across

ABOVE Richard Jackson packed a snack and put on his good coat as he prepared to exit the family’s damaged property en route to temporary housing. TOP Reeves Jackson rescued the family’s flag from their stormbattered home. MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 53

#NewnanStrong

Photo by Jackie Kennedy

WE ARE

In her new home, Melissa Dickson Jackson reflects on the storm. Behind her, tornado damages at her old house are captured in a painting by David Boyd Jr.

our home, splitting it in half. The rootball, cantilevered up, stood taller than the former roofline of our home. Our patio furniture lay scattered and twisted, the ceramic fountain under our living room window, shattered and shapeless. Christmas photos of the children had been propelled into the neighbor’s yard with splintered frames. 54 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

Later that morning, neighbors and friends began to arrive. Larisa Scott came with bins and had the foresight to send her husband Michael to rent a storage unit. In the days that followed, Larisa also found a rental home off Fourth Street that was available at a daily AirBNB rate. It was exorbitant and absurd under any other circumstances, nearly $6,000 a month, but we signed

Photo by Chris Martin

COWETA FEATURE

The Jackson home on Fifth Street was crushed by trees toppled during the tornado's rampage through Newnan last year.

a six-month lease and were glad to have done so when we began to hear of friends and neighbors in extendedstay hotel rooms. It meant we would have to expedite our rebuild in order to stay within our alternative living expenses budget. This wasn’t a long-term solution. As we anticipated, our adjuster declared the house a total loss. We hired a draftsman, David Van Drew, and found a contractor, Carey Jackson (a cousin), willing to take on the new build. In a few months, we had a house plan that delighted us. We hired asbestos abatement experts to remove the transite asbestos shingles and demolish the upper floor of the house. Carey struggled to uproot the concrete portions of the house which sat like ancient monoliths on the lot for months. By mid-summer, we could see that things weren’t going according to schedule. We had to be out of the AirBNB rental by the end of September, and there was nothing available besides a kind offer from a friend who was willing to rent us her home and stay at a vacation home in Florida while we rebuilt. The offer was wonderful but imperfect. With three teenagers, two of whom are graduating this year, and one grade school student, we needed room for everyone to go to their corners. One of our children was threatening to move out and another to enlist in the Army as soon as he could. My phone calls to Carey were getting more panicked when one day he replied by text that he had COVID. I knew then that the vision we had of rebuilding our home on Fifth Street was slipping away. Supply and lumber costs were outrageous; vendors hesitated to even give estimates. We needed a contract to get the construction loan, but Carey couldn’t get commitments from any of his suppliers. We were stalled at the first step. I woke up one morning in late July weeping. We had weeks to solve massive problems and few prospects. On the third day of a deep desolation – really the first I’d experienced since the tornado – I opened my email to find a listing for a 1963 brick colonial ranch with a full finished basement. We weren’t looking for another house to buy. My husband’s family had purchased our home in 1970, and

he had purchased it from them just before our wedding. My husband’s grandfather had been part of the construction crew for the original family that built the home. I was forbidden from altering our bedroom closet lest I disturb Grandfather’s handiwork. As children, Dean and I had played in the yard. As teenagers, we’d sat on the rusting swing set and talked about Henry Miller and Anais Nin. As adults, we’d raised a family and renovated the kitchen and one bathroom; we’d removed wallpaper and painted; planned and schemed for future renovations; imagined ourselves into a future with grandchildren. We agreed absolutely that the only option was to build a new home on the same site. Nonetheless, I called a friend, Jessica Mottola, and asked her to get me in to see the house in the listing. It was exactly the same size as the house we intended to build, but it had the character and vintage appeal of the house we lost. It had a basement with a bathroom and laundry and room for the boys, like the house we’d lost and the one we planned to build. It had a side patio and back patio like what we’d had and was within walking distance of downtown and near my job at West Georgia and Dean’s office at the Board of Education. As luck would have it, it was around the corner from Jessica’s house. I was inside it within an hour, and I knew immediately that we could make it our home. I felt my grandmother in the living room ushering me through and whispering her approval. I convinced Dean to see it the next day on the pretense that it was the same size as the one we planned to build. He agreed but asserted that “we aren’t buying another house.” After a visit with Jo and Mitt Farmer (Mitt’s grandfather had built the house in question for his daughter Elizabeth), we made an offer that night. We are lucky to have found the perfect home for our family when we weren’t looking for it. I don’t say this lightly, but the timing and the ideal nature of the house make it feel like the answer to a prayer we were too afraid to ask. We’ve been in our new home since September. The light fixtures I bought for the rebuild fit perfectly. The furniture we collected at estate sales and consignment stores works beautifully in the new space. We still have the lot on Fifth Street. After we finish removing the remaining shards of concrete, we hope to transform it into a meditation garden for our friends and neighbors there. We know we are lucky that this solution came into our lives when it did. So many of our friends and neighbors continue to battle renovation and insurance issues. Maybe a space to take solace and sit quietly will do us all good. And one day, maybe, one of our children can build the house we dreamed of, and their children can play where Dean and I played. NCM MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 55

WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

Hope is on the Way Written by NANCY LANGER

As emergency disaster services specialist for The Salvation Army in Newnan, Nancy Langer was among the first on the scene after the March 26 tornado in 2021. Here, she recalls the day.

eing the disaster relief worker in your own town during a disaster is surreal. It is near impossible to describe how it feels. I was at Ground Zero a few hours after the storm and didn’t recognize the neighborhoods around me. All the landmarks so familiar to me were gone. Navigating the roads was near impossible because of downed trees, wires and debris.

Volunteers serve food to those impacted by the storm and those who helped them.

56 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

COWETA FEATURE

What should have been a 20-minute ride literally took hours. Finally, we arrived with The Salvation Army truck to a tiny section of town where the most vulnerable in Newnan live. I saw the same terror on the faces of these residents as those I served in Haiti right after a large earthquake. I’m not sure if I was happier to see them or they were happier to see me. One thing for sure, we were all equally grateful to be alive. Living on a fixed income with no insurance, they could not afford to replenish the groceries and possessions they lost from the storm damage. While the hot meals were greatly appreciated, it was seeing someone from outside their catastrophe that meant the most to my fragile neighbors. We were the first team to arrive that delivered food, water and batteries. The storm victims tearfully recounted the terrifying events that transpired just hours before. What struck me most profoundly was the sincere, repeated gratefulness they voiced because someone had finally come: “You didn’t forget us. You really came!” As we were giving away all our cleaning supplies, meals and hugs, I witnessed people who most needed help encourage and support each other. They walked meals to neighbors too fragile to come out and get meals for themselves. They prayed with us – for us and each other. Seeing the strength of this neighborhood helping each other transformed my own exhaustion into absolute resolve.

Volunteer Steve West loads supplies for Newnan tornado survivors.

This is what sustains us during the long hours of physically and emotionally exhausting service. It is always the gratefulness and resilience of those who survive life-changing catastrophes that encourages me more than my own service to survivors. While driving through the devastation each day is still difficult, remembering how the most vulnerable came together that day still inspires me. The sign on the back of The Salvation Army truck reads: “Hope is on the way.” Hope comes after a disaster not just to the survivors – but also for the rescuers. NCM

OCA BUY L THE FROM

SOUR

Site Grown Annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, *Locally sourced beef, cheese, honey, potter y, candles, soaps, lotions, artwork and more! Visit our page for specials!

Located at COWETA GREENHOUSES HWY 85 S Exit 41 83 Oaklawn Circle, Newnan, GA Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-2pm

770-301-0168 • www.morgansmarket.com

Visit our page for specials! MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 57

WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

In February 2022, almost a year after the March 2021 tornado, Patricia Ponder's home is still not back to normal – but getting close.

58 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

COWETA FEATURE

A Tornado, a Wedding, Surgeries and More: ONE FAMILY’S STORY OF THE YEAR SINCE THE TORNADO Written by MELISSA DICKSON JACKSON | Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY

ike most families in Newnan, Doug Ponder and Patricia Crawford settled down on the evening of March 25, 2021, with little concern for the weather. Yes, they’d heard word of storms, maybe even a tornado, but they’d weathered such nights before. There was little doubt this would be any different.

Photo courtesy of Patricia Ponder

but my daughter – she has a panic disorder – was awake.” Doug was asleep, but then he heard Patricia’s daughter screaming. In those first panicked moments, one tree had hit the house and opened a gap above two of the bedrooms. But at the wooded end of Timberland Trail, there was plenty more prey for the 170-mile-per-hour winds of early March 26. As the family huddled in a hall bathroom, tree after tree hurled and collapsed against their home, rattling the house and terrifying the family. So Doug and Patricia, whose “It seemed like it lasted forever,” second wedding was scheduled for Patricia remembers, as Doug fills June 2021 (they had been married his lungs and cheeks to emulate and divorced in the late 1990s), went the tornado’s rumble and roar. “Of to bed surrounded by the family course, it was only a minute or so.” they love: Patricia’s two young adult Nonetheless, that minute children, her mother and four of transformed the couple’s lives as their five cats – Torrence, Archie it did the lives of their neighbors Bug, Bat Bat and Agatha. Mother along Timber Ridge and Smokey cat Kingsley patrolled the outside Road – as it did the lives of perimeter, as was her habit. families all along the tornado’s Doug was scheduled for double mile-wide path that stretched knee surgery in April so he’d be nearly 40 miles from Franklin able to walk down the aisle by through Newnan to Tyrone. June. He was surely eager to get off Outside, the Ponders could hear his feet and give his failing knees a neighbor screaming for help a break. Patricia, a former RPM from her home, which had been kitchen staffer, served as a peer catapulted ten feet off its foundation, counselor at Pathways and was In a year wracked with turmoil, Doug and the doors wedged shut by the working on a degree in substance Patricia Ponder found happiness when they tied the knot in 2021. impact. Doug went over to retrieve abuse counseling at Thomas her, and she joined the family in the University. Nights were short Ponders’ now leaking but comparably intact home. enough already without staying up worried about things “It was flooding in my mama’s room and my daughter’s that can’t be controlled. room because that was where [the tree] hit,” Patricia “It was midnight,” Patricia recounts, “so we were in bed, MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 59

recalls. By that point, the wind had subsided, and a disquieting stillness descended on the community. With all the transformers blown and the power lines down, families sheltered in near total darkness as battery-operated security systems announced breached doors and windows, piercing the quiet with anxietyprovoking warnings. “All night long,” Doug remembers, the security system called out, “‘Front door, back door, side door, left window, right window,’ over and over again.” “It wasn’t good for your anxiety,” Patricia adds. As dawn emerged over the devastation of Timberland Trail, Doug and Patricia could see that all but one of their vehicles lay crushed under fallen trees. Only Doug’s truck remained. 60 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

They could also see how lucky they were. While five trees had hit their home, it still stood with at least a partial roof. One neighbor’s home was completely destroyed, and others were unrecoverable. “Across the road,” Doug says, “I could see that the people over there didn’t have a roof anymore.” Meanwhile, Patricia, who still didn’t understand the extent of the damage, worried that the family’s garbage may have blown into the neighbor’s yard. Doug laughed, “When the sun came up, I was like, ‘Yeah, baby, the trash is strewn across the road,’ ” – along with a gazebo, a shed, and an above-ground pool. “Everything was gone,” Patricia says. “Everything, everything. And there were probably a hundred trees hugging around our house.”

COWETA FEATURE

Patricia worried that her mama cat Kingsley may not have survived the night. “Well, I guess my Mama Kitty is dead,” she thought. But eventually, to Patricia’s great joy and relief, Kingsley returned having somehow managed to survive the night without injury. For the next seven months, the family would be confined to two hotel rooms as contractors and insurance companies wrangled, connived and slipped out of accountability. “I just want to see my mother’s house beautiful again,” Patricia laments. Her mother, Phyllis Potts, suffers from a heart condition and is largely confined to bed. Though the family has done everything they could to facilitate the repair and restoration of the home, managing their contractors and the insurance company has proven a Herculean task. “It’s the lies that get me,” Patricia complains. “The check’s in the mail,” she says, quoting the adjuster, “when he knows it isn’t.” Like many households recovering from tornado damage, the Ponders have struggled to navigate the purposefully difficult constraints of insurance reimbursement. They paid contractors out-of-pocket only to have claims ignored or denied. Independently hired contractors offered little consolation or help, in most cases. Patricia came home from work one day to find insulation blown throughout the house instead of contained in the attic. “I fired them, told them to leave and not come back,” she recalls. “The rest of the insulation is still sitting in the carport.” Another contractor simply abandoned the job halfway done. Patricia’s stress over the process overwhelms her: “It’s been a nightmare. Nothing but a nightmare,” she says. While he agrees, Doug says he feels blessed to know his neighbors now. Turns out, a nearby neighbor is a grade school friend, something Doug otherwise might

never have known. The neighborhood feels bonded and connected now in a way that it didn’t before, according to the Ponders. “We look out for each other,” Doug says. Since the tornado, the couple has experienced a lifetime of stress, both good and bad. They lost and recovered a home, and they planned and hosted their wedding at which Joe Rizzo of RPM walked Patricia down the aisle. Doug had double knee surgery. Patricia continued her work as an 11-year-clean recovering addict who counsels and supports patients at Pathways Center of Newnan. Daughter Rayleigh graduated from high school. Son Lewis graduated from North Carolina State with a masters of fine arts in creative writing. Patricia’s mother endured bladder surgery, other medical procedures, and ongoing convalescence related to longstanding conditions only complicated by the travesty of the tornado. Most of that time, the family shared two rooms at Candlewood Suites until the insurance company discontinued their alternate living expenses, and they returned home to sleep on the floor. “If it weren’t for Bridging the Gap,” Patricia says, “we wouldn’t have had a mattress to sleep on.” By December, the interior of the Ponder home had largely been repaired and was, in fact, beautiful. Patricia painted the living room a soft, celebratory pink and festooned every corner with Christmas decorations. Meticulously wrapped presents filled the corner under the tree and spread along the wall. “I didn’t think we’d have a Christmas,” she confesses with tears in her eyes. As spring approaches and the community prepares to observe the one-year anniversary of the historic storm, the Ponders pray for continued recovery for themselves and the rest of Newnan’s tornado victims. “I pray for it every day,” says Patricia. NCM

WE ARE

#NewnanStrong

Seeing Past the Tornado PLANT NEWNAN WORKS TO BANDAGE THE DAMAGE Written by JANNETTE EMMERICK

iles of tree debris and cut up logs lined the streets of downtown Newnan for months after the devastating tornado tore through the area. Eventually, they were cleared away, leaving empty lots and unsightly gaps in many yards. With the great loss of flora and a need to plant new saplings of hope, the City of Newnan approved the creation of the Plant Newnan initiative to regain lost vegetation within the coming year. “There were some organizations that were wanting to give charitable donations to [replanting trees] but there was no organization to admit those funds, so the city council approved creating a 501(C)3 organization,” says Scott Berta, a registered forester and one of the appointed leaders for Plant Newnan. The nonprofit’s goal is to replant urban vegetation for private landowners in tornado-affected areas. The types of trees depend on what’s available in nurseries. For canopy trees, oaks will likely be planted. For understory trees, possibilities include dogwoods and cherry trees. “It will be very process-driven with needs assessments and an educational component as well as long term maintenance plans to ensure planting success,” says Berta.

Photo by Chris Martin

COWETA FEATURE

After the tornado, debris from fallen trees marked miles and miles of Newnan streets and Coweta roadsides.

Plant Newnan aims to help private landowners rather than public property, which is the responsibility of the City of Newnan. Private landowners will receive not only trees but the knowledge to care for them, according to Berta. Additionally, Plant Newnan wants to insure that landowners plant trees in ideal places where the roots and branches avoid obstructing streets or power lines as they grow. “A lot of it is getting the right tree planted in the right location so there can be longevity there,” says Berta. Along with Berta, the city council appointed Angela McRae and Newnan Mayor Keith Brady to lead the Plant Newnan project, and together they created a board of directors for the nonprofit. The board includes two ex officio youth representatives selected from the Newnan Youth Council. “It’s important that we acknowledge that these trees we’re putting in the ground are really for younger generations and future generations,” says Berta. “So we felt that it was important to have a youth voice in the process.” While the initiative will prioritize revegetation in the tornado hit area, Berta is hopeful that Plant Newnan will serve the city’s community much longer with the possibility of helping private landowners outside tornado-affected areas and partnering with local schools to bring more tree education. “We’re working with the Coweta Schools STEM program to get students to pot and plant acorns,” says Berta. “So, we can start growing new trees from acorns that were collected here in Newnan.” A single seed or sapling will reach towards the sun and grow every year, eventually bandaging the damages of the past to welcome the prospects of the future. For more information or to donate, visit plantnewnan.com. NCM MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 63

COME JOIN OUR TEAM

We are looking to hire Youth Care Workers who have the personal characteristics, experience and temperament to work with and provide appropriate care for youth in our programs. Responsibilities Supervise residents and manage behaviors through service and safety plans Documentation Staff development and training

Qualifications Minimum age of 21 High school diploma or GED Favorable background results, reference checks, and drug screen

Benefits (for full time) Health and Dental Insurance Paid leave accrual 403(b) retirement plan Scholarship program And many more!

To learn more about our employment opportunities, contact us or apply today!

www.GeorgiaChildren.org/Careers

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Coweta Community Foundation: TORNADO RELIEF, AND MORE

Photo by Sarah Fay Campbell/NTH

Written By JILL WHITLEY

State Representative Lynn Smith chats with Coweta Community Foundation (CCF) Construction Manager Daniel Taylor during a tour of homes being repaired with help from CCF’s long-term recovery programs. From left are: Melanie Reeves of River Life, Smith, Foundation Executive Director Kristin Webb, Coweta Commissioner John Reidelbach and Taylor.

hen an EF-4 tornado touched down in Newnan in the early morning hours of March 26, 2021, thousands of Coweta County residents were ready to render aid to those displaced by the storm. Desperate to help their neighbors with what felt like insurmountable need, they watched helplessly as images of the devastation filled the local news cycle.

In the days that followed, overwhelmingly generous chaos ensued. Donations of water and canned goods poured in until first the Newnan Police Department, then the Coweta County Fairgrounds, ran out of room. Individuals, families and businesses were eager to make financial contributions, but with hundreds of nonprofit organizations registered in Coweta, how could they possibly know where their money would do the most good?

MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 65

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Founded in 1997, Coweta Community Foundation (CCF) is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) organization that helps focus local philanthropy on the community’s changing needs. The Foundation manages individual gifts and bequests as an endowed pool of assets, distributing grants to a wide variety of organizations that enhance and support the quality of life in Coweta County while maintaining the charitable intent of the donors. “I like to visualize the Foundation like a tree,” says Kristin Webb, Coweta Community Foundation’s executive director. “The support we receive from our donors is the root system. The Foundation itself is like the trunk. We are able to channel that support into our nonprofit partners, who are our leaves and branches. They, in turn, give back to the community in mission-specific ways.” The secret to supporting the network of more than 700 nonprofit organizations in Coweta County lies primarily in the power of collective giving, according to Webb. “No donation is too small,” she says. “While we are fortunate to have incredibly generous annual partners, we can channel individual donations, payroll deductions or bequests into one of our reserve funds, depending on the donor’s specific area of interest. Whether it’s our general grant fund, or our funds directed towards animal welfare, education, fine arts, women and children, or long-term disaster recovery, those funds are ready and waiting to be deployed as the needs of our community continue to evolve.” No one, however, expected just how rapidly the nature of the community’s needs would change. In 2020, CCF was not immune to the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the Foundation had to cancel all of its planned fundraisers and “hunker down,” according to 2021 Board Chairman Dean Jackson. By relying solely on a board of volunteers, conserving resources, and simplifying its grant application process for 2021, the Coweta Community Foundation was able to award nearly $30,000 in COVID-19 emergency response grants to assist with the pandemic-related needs of 25 nonprofit partners. However, just as vaccine rollouts began and Cowetans could see a ray of light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, disaster struck in the form of a tornado in March 2021, leaving trees and residents uprooted, and the need shifted as quickly as the wind. Almost immediately, CCF was able to partner with local emergency management agencies to create a Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund to manage the overwhelming nationwide support. Corporations,

66 | WWW.NEWNANCOWETAMAGAZINE.COM

church groups, civic clubs and individuals contributed nearly $615,000 in both large and small amounts. “It was mostly people wanting to do something, anything, to help,” Jackson recalls. Coweta Community Foundation and their sponsors raised an additional $2 million in cash and in-kind donations through Alan Jackson’s “Where I Come From” concert fundraiser in June. The foundation holds those funds in reserve, pooling the contributions to allocate financial assistance to local relief organizations and storm-affected individuals. A philanthropic powerhouse, the Foundation is more than solely a financial conduit. By providing guidance to and vetting potential nonprofit partners during their yearly grant cycle, CCF has an encyclopedic knowledge of Coweta’s nonprofit ecosystem, allowing them to guide individual donors to causes they care about – and to help form strategic partnerships between charitable organizations to better accomplish common goals. When nonprofit capacity doesn’t entirely meet community needs, the Foundation works with partners to enhance it. When a local solution doesn’t exist for an emerging or sudden need, they invent it. Such has been the Foundation’s experience with tornado disaster relief. For example, Webb was working with CCF as a volunteer in May when she created the organization’s initial Hope Has No Deductible Grant to expedite emergency financial and rent support to tornado victims. Meanwhile, the Foundation quickly expanded grant-making capacity within its program. While much has been accomplished since the storm through traditional nonprofit partners and expanded missions, CCF leaders realized the necessity of creating a common mechanism to unite disaster relief organizations for years to come as Cowetans rebuild and rehouse. Thus, CCF drew on the experience of other communities who have experienced large-scale disasters. Working with local emergency management and charities, the Foundation created a communitybased allocations table to focus and magnify financial and volunteer resources to help storm survivors with repairs and construction. They also formed a partnership with the City of Newnan and Coweta County government to create a Long-Term Recovery Office, led by Director Richard DeWees. These efforts give the community and its many partners the infrastructure needed to create and sustain a long-term program aimed at restoring not only local residents and neighborhoods – but the community as a whole.

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

“Nonprofit development, education and network building to connect organizations with similar or overlapping missions is a huge priority for the next few years,” Webb says. “In fact, we launched our first annual Nonprofit Summit in early 2022 to promote those goals.” Webb and Jackson agree that, while the Foundation continues to work with its partners to establish a formal long-term disaster recovery structure for Newnan and Coweta County, they are eager to return to their pre-pandemic operations. The Foundation recently resumed its “100 Women Who Care” initiative and continues to invest in the next generation of local leaders by selecting a new Community Service Team, a volunteer program for philanthropically-minded high school students. The Foundation also serves as the primary fiscal sponsor for the Coweta STEM Institute and partners with the Coweta County School System to support two early intervention programs: Stepping Stones and Puddle Jumpers. However, CCF is most excited about returning to the heart of its mission: identifying the most prevalent needs in Coweta County as they arise – and funding the nonprofits best equipped to meet them.

President of Southern States Bank in Coweta and Fayette counties, Brett Johnston, left, presents a donation toward disaster recovery to Georgia Emergency Communications Authority Executive Director Michael Nix, center, and Dean Jackson, public information officer for the Coweta County School System. All three are also members of the Coweta Community Foundation Board of Directors.

“It feels weird to say this, because disaster recovery is such a huge part of our operations right now, and it will continue to be a priority for the next three to five years, but the Coweta Community Foundation is so much more than tornado relief,” Webb concludes. NCM

We would love your vote again in 2022!

18 Savannah Street, Newnan, GA • 770-253-4040 •

www.KnoxFurn.com MARCH/APRIL 2022 | 67

Building or Expanding Your Business in 2022? WE SPECIALIZE IN BUSINESS LOANS Whether you are planning a startup, expansion or buying new equipment, our lenders are ready to assist you. Loans sponsored by the SBA and USDA are designed to help businesses grow and add new jobs.

Newnan, GA | (7 70) 567-7211 | accessunited.com/business/business-loans

Vote For Us In BEST OF COWETA 2022

Owens Construction Remodel | Painting | Wood Works

(770) 880-9096

VOTE NOW!! NOW

Honor your favorite Coweta businesses by voting them Best of Coweta 2022!*

MARCH 5 – APRIL 5, 2022

HOW TO VOTE:

ONLY CURRENTLY OPERATING, LOCALLY-OWNED, COWETA COUNTY BUSINESSES/ENTITIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VOTING. BIG-BOX STORES AND NATIONAL CHAINS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE VOTED BEST OF COWETA.

PRINT BALLOT: • Please read the rules, and print clearly and legibly. • Enter the name of one (1) COWETA COUNTY business of your choice next to each category as completely and correctly as possible. If a business has multiple locations, indicate the location to which your vote applies. If you have no favorite for a particular category, you may skip it. • Drop off your completed ballot in person Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. or mail to: Newnan-Coweta Magazine, ATTN: Best Of Coweta, 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263 • Print ballots will also be available in weekend editions of The Newnan Times-Herald during the voting period. • All print ballots must be received at our office by 5 p.m. on April 5, 2022. PHOTOCOPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

ONLINE BALLOT: • Scan the QR code below or visit times-herald.com or newnancowetamagazine.com and follow the link to complete the online ballot. • In the text box, enter the name of the business/entity you are voting for, following the same naming guidelines stated above. If you have no favorite for a particular category, you must select N/A to continue. • All completed online ballots must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on April 5, 2022.

ALL PRINT AND ONLINE BALLOTS MUST CONTAIN A VALID AND LEGIBLE FIRST AND LAST NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE ELIGIBLE. AT LEAST 50% OF THE PRINT OR ONLINE BALLOT MUST BE COMPLETED TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE DRAWING. ONE BALLOT PER PERSON WILL BE ACCEPTED.

SCAN HERE TO VOTE ONLINE!

YOU COULD

WIN! 10 random voters will be selected to receive a

25 Gift Card!*