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NWGA'S PREMIER FEATURE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2013

WING NUTS

UNITE! WINGS OVER NORTH GEORGIA 2013

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isn't just a high-flying good time; it's a tribute to the majesty of manned flight, from the theatre of war to the drawing board of human innovation

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FEATURES 18

COWMAN'S RIBBON IN THE SKY Wings Over North Ga.

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NWGA'S PREMIER FEATURE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2013 It’s been a full month since the Griffin kids returned to the classroom, and once again, all is right with the world. When I was a child, I remember longing for the end of the school year, daydreaming on all the fun I would have during the summer break. But now that I’m a father, I know a universal truth parents have been keeping on the hush since the dawn of mankind: We love our children dearly, yes, but wow if it doesn’t feel great each year when they get their precious-but-exhausting butts back in school.

Before any of you mistakenly take me for a cold father, though, first allow me to glow about how much I love my two kids. I love my children so much it hurts, in fact, and I definitely love spending every available minute of free time with them. Nevertheless, like most young couples with kids, my wife and I work very long hours. And seeing as how the littler Griffins have “nothing to do,” they claim, with their vacation days for long stretches in between summer camps, a wideopen three-month block on our family’s calendar doesn’t really result in more quality time. What it does cause is the headache of having to figure out just what to do with them all summer―camps, programs, et cetera―and that process is typically MANAGING PARTNER+ exhausting and expensive.

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WING NUTS

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Ian Griffin

PUBLISHERS'

WINGS OVER NORTH GEORGIA 2013

A ticket to

NOTE

isn't just a high-flying good time; it's a tribute It comes as no surprise, then, that the month to the majesty of manned of September sees my fellow parents of flight, from the theatre of school-aged children out and about much more often, and wearing much sunnier dispositions. war to the drawing board A semblance of normalcy has returned to the of human innovation lives of hard-working men and women across

Northwest Georgia.

All jokes aside, my favorite thing about my children returning to school is their genuine enthusiasm for learning. They, of course, willfully fight doing the homework some nights, CREATIVE PARTNER+HEAD DESIGNER+EDITOR-IN-CHIEF but the pride they display when applying what they’ve learned is infectious. I must say, little in this life is more rewarding than when a parent painstakingly works with his or her child on a school assignment, then watches the light come on when whatever it is they’ve been asked to learn is truly grasped for the first time.

Before the first day of classes, my daughter put on a pretty weak front for us, and claimed that she had always dreaded the start of a new school year. That’s not how I remember it going down in years past, but all I know is this: Now that I’ve received the Visa bill for August, I really, really hope she’s feeling a more hopeful in those pricey new back-toschool clothes.

As for the boy, his only two concerns were making sure that his pants didn’t “squash his tummy” and finding shoes that would make him “fast as Sonic the Hedgehog”—which is a little more in my wheelhouse than middle-school fashion.

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IAN GRIFFIN, MANAGING PARTNER

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Underage drinking cost the citizens of Georgia $1.4 billion in 2010

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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No. 22 scan the QR code to learn more 32010 Georgia Student Health Survey, Georgia Department of Education Hingson RW, Heeren T, Winter MR. Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: age at onset, duration, and severity. Pediatrics 2006;160:739-746 342009 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance Survey http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp 1Hingson RW, Heeren T, Winter MR. Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: age at onset, duration, and severity. Pediatrics 2006;160:739–746 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No. 22 4 2009 Youth Risk Behavioral SurveyDepartment http://health.state.ga.us/epi/cdiee/studenthealth.asp 2vini vici / v3 magazine 2010vidi Georgia Student HealthSurveillance Survey, Georgia of Education 11National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Spotlight on Underage Drinking, No.22 22010 Georgia Student Health Survey, Georgia Department of Education 2

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a

As a general rule, I run with the idea that competition in business is good. Scratch that: better than good. And that goes for every market, including the news business. That said, with the launch of western cable news’ newest competing interest, Al Jazeera America, I am hopeful.

My email was full of comments from fellow journalists this August, each of whom is also hopeful but is also asking, rightfully, Are Americans going to turn the channel to a global-news giant founded in Qatar, a Middle Eastern emirate with geopolitical ambitions?

Whether they do or don’t, Al Jazeera America (AJA) promises “fact-based, unbiased and in-depth news”―a welcome contrast to the last bold adventure in television reporting, Fox News. But Fox News, piloted by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes, never intended to be an unbiased journalistic entity. From day one, it was all about ad dollars and pushing a right-wing agenda. Same with MSNBC executives deciding to pull their new network’s content so far left beginning in the mid-2000s.

AJA’s chief executive, in stark contrast, was quoted, “there will be less opinion, less yelling and fewer celebrity sightings” on the cable-news channel he now runs.

This is welcome news to thinking American viewers, who have long been fed up with the increasingly vapid coverage from majornetwork players based in the U.S. Still, this hasn’t been an idealist’s game for very many years, and while AJA’s backers are certainly oil rich, at some point they’ll have to draw a sustained viewership. Few major advertisers on board at this point―which, ironically, viewers should love given fewer commercials.

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Two remaining questions with respect to AJA: 1) Do Americans really want solid news reporting, or do they crave yelling and celebrity sightings? And 2) will the AJA brand name keep viewers away?

The first question will be answered in the coming months; the second comes with a little hindsight. Al Jazeera was, if readers recall, harshly criticized by the Bush administration as “anti-American” in the first few years following 9/11, when it broadcast videotaped messages from Osama bin Laden.

In order to edge their way into the U.S. media market, Al Jazeera bought Al Gore’s upstart network, Current TV, in its bid to acquire an American distribution channel.

Already they’ve filed a lawsuit against AT&T, which has so far refused broadcast AJA. We will see, in time, whether the still-suspect news organization is as transformative as was CNN in 1980. Everyone scoffed at them, too.

Also creating speculation in the business of news: the recent selling of a family-owned, uniquely American news stalwart, The Washington Post, to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

We can only wonder, what will an online retailer do to a sainted newspaper? Nothing right away, it seems.

The Post had great trouble transitioning into the online age, as well as the added burden of trying to be a hometown newspaper in our nation’s highly transient capital― which never made any bottom-line sense. It’s great American newspaper, no doubt, but rest assured when I tell you that Bezos intends to turn a profit at any cost.

Speaking of big-money deals, it appears that buying newspapers has also become a trend for ‘smart investors’ like Warren Buffett (who are buying them on the cheap). John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, recently bought back The Boston Globe

from The New York Times for a pittance of the original purchase price. The Times had bought the Globe at the worst possible time, it turns out, right when online news was about to catch fire. Now, given the timeless hatred shared between Red Sox and New York Yankees fans, baseball fans and media lovers alike will be wondering if, or perhaps how (depending on your level of paranoia, John Henry might institute any changes in the paper’s coverage of his team.

Sticking with the business of sports news, ESPN now has a legit competitor in the 24hour TV market, thanks to Fox Sports 1. A featured personality is one Regis Philbin, whose sports knowledge at the age of 82 is likely limited to what the teleprompter tells him. But hey, he’s a famous name―and a congenial guy, if not the poster child for the sort of half-cocked fluff that passes for news reporting in the year 2013.

R

BizBits

Ready for some football? The better question, or two, is where will you watch the games and, as a result, where will your dollars go?

The Atlanta Falcons, for one, appear thus far unrequited in their quest for a new home stadium near the current site of the Georgia Dome. The Falcons’ and the city’s mutually preferred site, just south of the Georgia Dome, is already home to a couple of churches. All would have to be demolished.

The biggest holy stumbling block, though, is Mount Vernon Baptist Church. Now, it’d be one thing if the church were taking the stance that the building is its congregation’s home, that it is historic, and that it is more vital to the community than another sports arena.

Cents& Sensibility with J . Bryant Steele

But its leaders have shown their hand, and are really just holding out for more money—about $14 million more than the Falcons have offered. To borrow the words of Leonard Cohen, this is looking like “a cold and broken hallelujah.”

Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank could, if he wanted, write Mount Vernon a $14-mil personal check with the same blasé you and I pay the power bill, but he didn’t become a billionaire by spending his own money.

Other voices involved have suggested that the 165-acre vacant GM plant in Doraville would be an ideal site, with its multi-highway/ interstate access. Two hangups there, though: 1) City of Atlanta officials are pulling out all the stops to keep the Dirty Birds downtown, and 2) the citizens of Doraville don’t want a stadium.

Looks like wherever the Falcons do land, the story precluding its construction will be a long-running soap opera.

The Hopeful Jihad

Al Jazeera America boasts a coup of substantive cable-news coverage in the States. The shameful thing is, it won't take the Muslim world-media giant much effort to make that claim a reality In headlines surrounding the college game, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has formed a working group to conduct market research on campuses this fall. The hope is to better determine why attendance at games is down across the nation, and though the SEC still leads the pack in putting butts on stadium bleachers, conference-wide attendance averaged just 75,538 per game in 2012, down from its peak of 76,844 in 2008. That’s still a lot of folks, mind you, and it seems that college football keeps finding new ways to

make money no matter what they do. But still, business is business.

(Note: Somebody could save SEC shotcallers a lot of money by explaining to them what a down economy does to everyday working people. You might want to show them a really nice widescreen television, too, while you’re at it.)

Finally, this: Michelle Nunn, daughter of esteemed former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, has declared her intention to run for the soonto-be vacated U.S. Senate seat of Saxby

Chambliss. Go ahead and put your money on her winning the Democratic primary.

The question is, will Michelle Nunn’s name recognition be a big enough factor to help her surmount whoever wins the Republican primary? One of the Republican candidates, Karen Handel, has more name recognition statewide than her party opponents. Would it be far fetched to think we might see two women vying for Chambliss’ seat in the November 2014 general election? What Georgian would have thought this great leap forward possible even as recently as two years ago? VVV

J. Bryant Steele is an awardwinning business journalist based in Rome, Ga. vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

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Text by Ian Griffin & Neal Howard Original photos by Derek Bell Aerials courtesy of JLC Airshow Mgmt.

JLC Airshow Management founder and

Wings Over North Georgia

lead coordinator, Chief Master Sgt. John Cowman (Ret.), wows aviation enthusiasts with a death-defying, flawlessly executed testament to the

majesty of human flight

owman C in the Sky with

Diamonds

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O

Over the course of an Air Force career that spanned some 37 years, JLC Airshow Management founder and Wings Over North Georgia coordinator, Chief Master Sgt. John Cowman (Ret.), played many roles. He served as a communications technician, a C-130 Hercules loadmaster superintendent, then, fortuitously, a project officer. One such special project was putting together the first production of what is now an annual, U.S. Armed Forces tradition commemorating the D-Day landings at Normandy. But little did Cowman know that what started with only a hodgepodge of vintage planes and about 60 never-say-die paratroopers would soon grow into a massive, impossibly synchronized event. An event that would later regale six heads of state, feature an estimated 10,000 ground-troop reenactors, and drop 658 green parachutes over the beachhead at Normandy—and all of it timed perfectly to strike on the precise moment G.I.s began storming the beach 60 years prior on June 6, 1944.

His eyes lifted to the powder-blue skies where he found his life’s calling, these many years later Cowman reminisces. He says that his tenure with the D-Day event lasted from 1995-2004, and that the knowledge gained from such a critical and challenging supervisory role would eventually lead him down the path on which he is doing so

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marvelously today. “My last air show with the military was over at Dobbins Air Reserve Base (Marietta, Ga.) back in October of 2010,” Cowman says. “We were lucky enough to have the Blue Angels and the Snowbirds on hand, along with a huge list of outstanding performers.”

Retirement awaited Cowman following the Dobbins show, and after 37 years of military service, the question of exactly what it was he was supposed to do with his newfound “civilian” existence was, luckily for him, answered quickly and honestly by a few close friends. All of them suggested he stick with what he knows best, which is putting on airshows.

“I grew up in Bainbridge, Ga., and my first air show was held at the naval base there,” Cowman reminisces. “We began planning [what is now Wings Over North Georgia] to take place there—in order to bring that event back to my hometown—but we ran into a few road blocks.

“Instead of calling it quits, though, we began looking for another location.” Coincidentally, it just so happened that Cowman had flown

training ops from Dobbins AFB to Rome for some 20 years. And with Richard B. Russell Airport servicing as the primary drop zone for his team’s training exercises, the veteran pilot knew it quite well.

Cowman notes the obvious―that he didn’t place Richard B. Russell at the very top of his site list until things with his newly devised show fell through in Brunswick. Once his search for a new venue began, though, it didn’t take long to connect the dots to Rome.

He soon pitched the idea to the Russell Airport brass, then to Rome-Floyd city and county officials. It was instantly clear that Cowman’s airshow had found a home.

A warm reception and helping hand were

Chief Master Sgt.

JohnCowman(Ret.)

“I refuse to settle for anything but the best ... and that's all we have at Wings Over North Georgia.�

vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

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offered by all—and not just for hospitality’s sake. The savvy decision of green-lighting the inaugural show, Wings Over North Georgia 2012, pumped an estimated $2.8 million dollars into Rome-Floyd County coffers.

Mother Nature was in no mood last year— as showgoers will readily recall. Yet, despite the rain, over 35,000 people attended last year’s event. For 2013, Cowman’s projections have his crew poised to double those numbers without blinking. And with WONG 2013 scheduled for the weekend of Oct. 12-13, Cowman says, no matter the weather, a sound barrier-breaking lineup of entertainers and attractions will be there to help ticketholders kiss the sky. “I refuse to settle for anything but the best,” says Cowman, “and that’s why only go after what I like to call ‘tier-one’ performers. There are a lot of safety concerns when you put on a show of this magnitude, and every performer is required to be certified in order to participate.

“To break it down for you, the required certifications allow pilots to perform from 1,500 to 2,000 feet, all the way down to ground level, and up. The pilots certified for the latter of the two are the best of the best, and that’s all we have at Wings Over North Georgia.” The marquee performers set for this year’s air show include, but are not limited to, the Black Diamond Jet Team, the GEICO Skytypers, the Aerostars Aerobatic Demo Team, and the Lucas Oil Air Show and Parachute Teams. With many other elite groups also scheduled to wow the WONG faithful, showgoers will take in a full day of entertainment while keeping their eyes to the

wild blue yonder above Richard B. Russell Airport.

An interesting side note: With the recent sequestration cuts now being implemented by order of the brilliant spenders on Capitol Hill, many jet teams are all but disappearing from the American cultural landscape.

This being said, no performer booked to gig WONG 2013 is more important than the Black Diamond Jet Team. According to Cowman, smaller airshows across the nation are losing the huge draw of what is still regarded as the main event. In fact, WONG 2013 will be the only show in the Southeast this entire year to feature a live jet performance team—and an especially elite one at that. The Black Diamonds are a sponsored civilian jet team, comprised of former military pilots. The lion’s share of these guys have flown global sorties with elite U.S. squadrons, and for the WONG patrons who get to check them out, they’ll be watching a true dream team of aerobatic synchronicity once the Black Diamond boys take to the sky.

Another cool attraction to look out for, says Cowman, are the Warbird & Vintage Rides aircraft to be featured in 2013. These include the UH-1 “Huey” helicopter; it’s firepower-packed Vietnam wingman, the AF-1F “Cobra”; and American Airlines DC-3 “Flagship Detroit”, a.k.a. the world’s oldest flying DC-3. The opportunity to fly in a priceless piece of aviation history is not included with general admission, but bringing a little extra cash will be well worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Another thrilling 2013 feature also awaits military airpower enthusiasts in the form of a world-famous B-29 navigator from World War II, Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk. Van Kirk was the navigator on the famed B-29 “Enola Gay”, which dropped the world’s first atomic bomb (in an act of aggression) on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. Dutch is the last surviving member of the mythologized Enola Gay aircrew, making his appearance all the more special (and fleeting). He will be featured both days while also signing his most recent book, My True Course.

For those who know only a little about aircraft but a lot about having fun, additional attractions include the Smoke & Thunder BBQ Classic, Static Aircraft displays, a kid zone with inflatables, and much more. And if John Cowman is as tactful and precise as he was with the WONG 2012 event, it should be one hell of a show.

Tickets range in price from standard, general admission ($15 for adults, $10 for children) to catered, chalet-class. “While we certainly offer high-end opportunities for those who can afford it,” Cowman explains, “it is important to me that everyone can afford to attend this event. For a family of four to get a full day of entertainment for $50 is almost unheard of these days, and that’s what we’re offering.” VVV

To view a full list of scheduled performers and attractions, or to buy tickets online, visit

wingsovernorthgeorgia.com vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

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Trends& Traditions

N

with Holly Lynch

Not long ago, I made fried chicken for the first time ever. My Georgia born and raised hubby had been hinting around for some time that he wanted me to try and make his mother’s fried chicken, and so I did.

Shockingly, it turned out great. So great, in fact, that I even took a photo of my triumph to post on Facebook.

Then, suddenly, it hit me. I’m one of those obnoxious people who A) posts photos of food I’m about to eat, and B) am prone to bragging about my own skills. I was so off-put by the revelation that I began to observe the people I come across each day, but soon realized how frequently many of us talk about ourselves in a positive (though potentially arrogant-sounding) light.

Even more interesting, perhaps, I discovered just how frequently we talk about others in a negative light.

I then began conducting a little research on the appropriate way to share good news or other exciting moments in our lives. (Mastering fried chicken probably doesn’t make either list.) Perhaps the questions I should have asked myself before posting that superyummy photo are: A) Who is my target audience? And B) Why am I sharing this information?

For most of us, the target audience for our good news is usually limited to close friends and family. The rest of us, however, often mistakenly presume that our 1,934 ‘friends’ on Facebook must fit the bill.

Your close friends and family might see your news on Facebook, but might also enjoy the good news in a more personal format, such as a personal phone call or even (gasp!) a written letter.

For example, you’ve just found out you’re having a baby. Congratulations. Is this news Facebook worthy? Possibly. Should it be shared with true friends and family in a more personal manner? Almost certainly.

The question then becomes, Is this worth even posting or tweeting in an announcement form at all?

The people who matter most already know; your acquaintances will figure it out as your photos change

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and your posts shift topic from the latest restaurant in which you dined to the color of the nursery walls.

Tip: When you consider your audience for an online post, remember that the audience includes a larger number of people who really don’t care about the details of your life than those who do. Officially, it’s grand if you want to share your good news with close friends and family, but it’s not OK to brag about your achievements with strangers. Consider where and how you are making your grand announcement, then decide if the breadth of the audience suits the message.

Online posts are meant to elicit comments and conversation. They can be extremely helpful, too, like when you’re seeking advice on where to take your children during a vacation break from school, or when the local children’s home needs a donated trumpet for one of their residents.

Comments on posts that are made simply to elicit a congratulatory reply, however, border on braggadocio.

For instance, among your current Facebook friends, chances are you probably have several work colleagues that you just don’t know very well. You’ve just gotten a

promotion, let’s say, complete with a raise and a snazzy new office, an assistant and a company car. This news is beyond fantastic.

Congratulations.

Now, consider what your big announcement might mean to some of the co-workers you know online. Is it possible that one of them was passed over for the same position you now hold? Even before making an online post, consider the super-excited phone calls you’ll make to your family and friends.

Perhaps it’d be wise to save your good news until you’re out of the office—not to mention out of earshot—given the chance that one of more of your coworkers may not exactly be sharing in your excitement.

Be humble in a public setting, no matter the circumstances. You can be as arrogant as you want at home, because those people love you and truly excited for you.

The second of our two aforementioned questions, B) Why am I sharing this information? probably will tell us a lot more about our capacity for humility. If my answer is, Because I want everyone to know how great I am at frying chicken, then being humble is probably not your strong suit.

In my case, I wanted my brother-in-law down in Florida to be excited for me, as he

knew this was a true Southerner’s challenge to conquer―and just the sort I can’t refuse.

I probably should’ve posted the photo solely on his timeline, or maybe sent him an email or text. But in my excitement I forgot about my audience, and didn’t consider at all the real ‘why’ of what I was sharing. In dissective hindsight, I think I wanted my audience―yes, all of them―to think I’m a good cook. In other words, I think I shared the photo because I wanted the validation of ‘friends’ to make me feel better about myself as a cook.

In our efforts to become humble, we should hope to learn more about ourselves.

When it comes to our children, however, really try to watch yourself. That’s where the bulk of this crazy, joy-turned-pompousness phenomenon comes under the most frequent fire. Sharing the news that your oldest child, for instance, just received an early acceptance letter to a prestigious university is exciting—to you, to him. Certainly a few friends and family members, as well. But does your sister’s neighbor really give a rip?

I suppose that’s what the ‘hide’ button is for, but be considerate with your posts nevertheless. Don’t prattle on and on. Share humbly but free of self-deprecation, then duly move on. Yapping about any topic, good or bad, in the wrong environment makes you a poor conversationalist.

Live up to your own standards, but limit the sharing before it stains your character. VVV

Red Letter Days:

Sharing Good News without Braggadocio

Holly Lynch is owner of/ head planner for The Season Special Events Planning at 250 Broad Street, Rome, Ga.

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Shivani SM

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ILES

TEXT by Lillian Shaw PHOTOS COURTESYOF THE D AR L IN G TON S CHOO L

******************

—New Delhi, India—

While many high-school kids opt to spend their senior summers lazing it poolside and sucking down enough Capri Sun pouches to fell a fully-grown adult water buffalo, others like SHIVANI SINGH, 17, and fellow students with the

Darlington school servant leadership program are a different sort

of breed. Luckily for the kids of Sulabh Public School, there are still enough Dolly Madison types to outshine the Billys

*************

"We Can Use Our hands and feet To serve. We Don't have to WRite A Check."

N

Not all lessons are learned in a classroom. For a small group of Darlington School students, in fact, the summer’s most important lesson happened nearly 8,000 miles away from their beautiful lakeside campus, at the small but extraordinary Sulabh Public School in New Delhi, India.

How do 10 teenagers (and three adult chaperones) end up so far from home during the middle of summer vacation, you ask?

That story begins six years ago, when Darlington heads of house, Reba Barnes, first began instituting the Rome-based prep school’s Servant Leadership Program (SLP). The group operates under the notion that a true Darlington student experience is about more than what happens in the classroom or on the soccer field. It’s also why each week during the regular school year, a group of students spends its afternoons volunteering at local community-outreach or-

ganizations like the Open Door Children’s Home, the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Georgia, and Winthrop Court Assisted Living.

Barnes says she was inspired to start the program when a former senior class from Darlington decided to build a Habitat for Humanity house as its final class project.

The Darlington community at large rallied in support of the cause, but Barnes soon noticed that students were spending far more time on the fundraising than on performing actual, socially beneficial work in the community. Then came an epiphany: “We can use our hands and feet to serve.

We don’t have to write a check.”

Barnes was instrumental in starting the SLP program, of course, yet she insists on deflecting all credit to the group’s studentdriven passions. Currently, SLP members

at some point partner themselves with each organization to discover its unique needs, she explains, then follow up by organize their peers to make a daily difference in the lives of those who’ve sought help. Still, “we could do more if we had more days (to volunteer),” Barnes laments.

Just four years ago, the group actually did add more days to the ongoing service project, when one of Darlington’s international students helped organize the SLP’s first overseas, humanitarian trip. Looking back, Barnes beams with pride. “Our international students have been so passionate about it. They want us to go to their countries and they know what is needed there.”

It’s no surprise, then, that this year’s trip was also instigated by a lone, impassioned, international student. Seventeen-year-old Shivani Singh, a Darlington senior, has vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

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been to India many times with her family. But this time she wanted to do something different, something more.

As a second-generation Indian American, Shivani has a very special, very personal connection to the social and economic struggles faced by the Indian people. Her parents, Amar and Poonam Singh, both doctors with the Harbin Clinic, immigrated to the U.S. two decades ago after witnessing firsthand the country’s institutionalized undercurrent of religious discrimination, as well as its seemingly institutional oppression of the teeming lower classes.

They didn’t shy from sharing these experiences with their daughter, either.

“Back when I was Shivani’s age,” explains father Dr. Amar Singh, “there were still people called untouchables.

These people were responsible for manually disposing of human excreta—i.e. toilet waste. You can’t play with their kids, can’t invite them into your home.” Dr. Singh’s soul-shaking anecdote is but one of many.

On the flipside of these very real-life horrors, daughter Shivani stands poised to help shine a light through the darkness—however bright it may prove to be. It’s an unfortunate history, sure, but it’s an unfortunate history that ultimate30

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ly brought Darlington to partner with service organization Sulabh International, which has worked for over 40 years to improve the social status of India’s untouchable masses. Yielding good from the bad is what’s important, and Sulabh campaigns hard to teach the local poor vocational skills in a way that encourages the passing down of that knowledge to their children. They look to dig at the most basic, fundamental underpinnings that contribute to keeping these all-but-forgotten people socially immobile for generations on end.

A free Sulabh Public School education is also available to the children of these former “scavengers”, as well as children from middle-class families. This social intermingling, Barnes says, would’ve been completely unheard of just 30 years ago. “[The students] wear uniforms; you don’t know who’s who; the whole class thing dissolves,” explains Darlington house staffer Wendell Barnes (Reba’s husband).

In much the same way, Shivani explains, though it wasn’t so easy to find commonality at first, any barrier standing between the American students and their Indian counterparts quickly dissolved. In a microcosmic sort of example, she adds, “None of us really knew how to act around each other,” Singh says, “but when I came back the next day, they all remembered my name and were happy to see me.”

Darlington SLP students worked at the Sulabh school every day for a week, and were tasked with leading morning activities for over 100 elementary-aged kids. The Darlington servant leaders divided the kids into rotating groups predesignated to play sports, make art, perform simple science experiments, even hone their computer skills. SLP members were there to teach, but ended up learning more themselves.

“I have so many memories that

I’ll keep with me forever,” says Shivani. “They taught us more than we could teach them. Just being able to interact with them was a privilege.”

Junior SLP member Natalie Collins, 16, was similarly impacted by the Sulabh experience. “I feel like my eyes have been opened to a whole different side of the world. I’m more open minded about people and where they come from.”

For sophomore Daniel Morris, the trip inspired an even deeper appreciation of home. “I enjoyed getting to help out people who dream about getting to go to medical school or being a lawyer or starting a business—seeing their dreams [in light of the opportunities] we take for granted.”

Yet, while the India trip’s main focus was based on humanitarian work, Darlington SLP also got the chance to explore New Delhi and the wildly exotic region surrounding it, They immersed themselves in a vibrant and varied, often entrancing culture. They toured India’s great historic sites, including the palace at Jal Mahal (built to appear as though floating right in the middle of Man Sagar Lake); the Amber Fort in Jaipur; the Lotus Temple of the Bahá’í faith; they stared into the eternal flame that forever burns at the Mahatma Ghandi memorial;

touched the exquisitely carved marble walls; walked the immaculately sculpted gardens at Taj Mahal.

But seriously, says 15-year-old sophomore and SLP tripper, Vraj Patel, “After the first week, I felt like I’d learned so much from visiting northern India, visiting historical landmarks. But really, the second week was the most rewarding―just to learn what the kids live through…and how their lives are so different from us.”

By the end of the trip week, students from Darlington and Sulabh were seen swapping email addresses, friending one another on Facebook, and sharing small exchanges of mutually felt gratitude with humility and genuineness. The impact of this trip won’t fade anytime soon, either, say Darlington’s young servant leaders.

For program founder Reba Barnes that’s the greatest reward of all. “It has helped our kids see a different perspective. “The kids have really bought into it and know [that service to their fellow man is something they need to be actively engaged in] for the rest of their lives.”

Darlington School students were back in the classroom as of late August, whether or not they spent the summer enriching their lives.

What we do know for sure is at least 10 of them went the extra mile, and not one of those 10 will soon forget what he or she found at its end. VVV

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Touching theLine with Kent Howard

a

Are we really so shocked when a celebrity makes a bad decision that ruins a good thing? Case in point: the recent suspension of Milwaukee Brewers stud Ryan Braun for a violation of Major League Baseball’s drug policy. The media firestorm that followed this revelation was

Chris Oates: A Real Role Model

As Major League Baseball continues to reel from an ever-lengthening laundry list of outted PED users, I can't help but wonder why we don't choose to better emulate the heroes living in our very midst too excruciating to watch. I even withdrew from news coverage for several weeks until the smoke cleared.

As a lifelong Braves fan, it didn’t bother me on a personal level. If it had been Jason Heyward or Brian McCann, I would’ve had to seek professional counseling. It’s no surprise that the pressure to perform can push a man or woman to extreme measures and terrible decisions, even if it risks their life and/or career.

We’ve seen it happen in our culture time and time again. Our society idolizes 32

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many of these athletes, TV personalities and music artists—who are human beings just like you and I—to the point where they become like family members.

Would the media crucify me, a common man, if I decided to inject some performanceenhancing drugs (PEDs) into my butt cheek for a few months, then went on to dominate a church basketball league?

I doubt it. But professional athletes and personalities are a big deal because of us, the fans. We’re the ones who buy the jerseys, watch the games and pony up for

the over-priced tickets. We make these dudes out to be popculture messiahs. To be fair, it really isn’t their responsibility to serve as role models for our kids. They deserve to pursue their careers in relative peace, like the rest of us, without being unfairly scrutinized for every move they make.

Conversely, our children should view the adult figures in their everyday lives as primary roles models―the people who love them most. Former NBA great, current NBA basketball analyst and everopinionated knot head, Charles Barkley, once took heat from colleagues and fans around the country for publicly denouncing himself as a role model. He said rather frankly that he wasn’t being paid to be a role model, but to play basketball.

I couldn’t agree more.

When I think about what truly defines a role model, I can’t help but think of my close friend Chris Oates, who was diagnosed with cancer our sophomore year of high school.

For most teenaged boys in those days, girls and sports consumed our shallow lives. But Chris wasn’t anything like your average teenager. His church youth group, Rome High baseball, and playing the drums were his hobbies, not his life. He was genuine, humble, and treated everyone with the utmost respect. Most admirably, though, he didn’t seem to care a thing for allowing his talents define him as a human being.

I, on the other hand, thought my world revolved around my athletic ability and whatever degree of coolness I could portray on a daily basis. Chris couldn’t have cared less about being cool. After receiving his diagnosis, his school days were spent fighting the good fight versus a nasty form of cancer, and showing love to his classmates as if he were bound to each of us by blood. High-school dramas and petty teenage conflicts just didn’t affect him the same way they did the rest of us.

i

Fighting Words

It was a run-of-the-mill day in the halls of Rome High School. The bell rang and classes began to change. I was on my way to Spanish class, walking with several friends, Chris included, when I heard the words, “Hey boy, where’d all your hair go? Look at that bald head!” The laughter was coming from the row of lockers to our left. I knew the guy who was instigating this nonsense, though not very well. What I did know was that I didn’t like him or his mouth. I mean, how clueless was this dude? Everyone at our school, regardless of their socioeconomic status, culture or level of intelligence knew of Chris’ situation—or so I thought.

There was a delayed sense of shock in the hallway for about 15 seconds after these hurtful words pierced the ears and hearts of Chris and our group of friends.

You could’ve heard a pin drop on the carpet it was so quiet. Then, suddenly, a flood of rage washed over me and I became absolutely furious. Using a few choice words, I challenged the guy’s manhood right then and there.

Looking back, it could have been a death sentence. This particular guy was very intimidating, didn’t play sports or do extracurriculars, didn’t seem to care one bit about the well-being of others, and was a man among boys in physical stature.

You know, one of those kids that everyone wonders if the school had taken the time to thoroughly examine his birth certificate before enrolling him. Whatever his real

age, it sure didn’t seem like he should be a high-school student. As a matter of fact, he looked like Mike Tyson but talked like Terry Crews. But all I could think of while challenging him to a fight was my friend Chris’ pain and the fact that his feelings were probably really hurt. I didn’t care about the consequences for my actions. At that moment, fighting him would’ve been well worth a long suspension.

Nevertheless, before things could escalate any further, there was a sudden clamor behind us, as students who weren’t involved began shouting loudly for us to chill out. Yet, I could see folks on both sides of the battle lines mounting up for all-out brawl. As the situation grew louder more heated, I went nose to nose with the heckler, readying to throw a right hook while in tight to his body—only to catch a glimpse of a distant Chris, now several yards further down the hall, over the kid’s left shoulder. He was motioning for me to disengage from this idiocy and follow him, saying, “C’mon man, don’t worry about it. Let it go.” It was like a movie scene in slow motion. Everything in my field of vision was blurred except Chris, motioning me down the hall. He didn’t look upset. He was cool, calm, and peaceful.

Really?! I thought to myself. I had just been ready to risk my face—potentially

my life—for him, and all he could say was, “Let it go”?

Almost simultaneously, coaches and teachers began to physically intervene.

Students from both sides were being tossed about and told to stop acting like children.

Along with several of my buddies, I was ushered down the hall and thrown into my classroom by one of my basketball coaches. My heart rate had skyrocketed and I was breathing like I’d just run a marathon, pacing around the room when I noticed Chris in the corner, sitting in his assigned seat. I looked at him and said, “You OK, buddy?”

He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, “Kent,” he said, looking up at me with tears in his eyes, “thanks for having my back, but you didn’t have to do that for me. You don’t need to get in trouble.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, “and I don’t care if I get in trouble.”

“Don’t be mad at him,” Chris said.

“Forgive him and love him anyway. He probably doesn’t even know I have cancer.”

At the time, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but in the years since those words have etched themselves deeply into my soul, and through all the days of my life I will never forget them.

Continued on pg.45

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Text by Luke Chaffin Photos courtesy of Amy Weaver

Real Men Rock a Heels Walk A Mile In Her Shoes'

hairier supporters don über-sassy footwear in order to relay one crystal-clear message to NWGA abusers: Hit the road, Bubba Chump 34

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A young mother-to-be enters a women's shelter, scared and confused. Questions fill her mind. The young woman has suffered years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her husband, and has finally made the brave choice to seek the help of a local non-profit group well versed in helping victims of domestic violence. With nowhere to go, no home to which she can safely return, she finds a safe place to land at long last.

Soon after, the time comes to bring a newborn child into the world. But instead of going through it alone—or worse yet, going back to the abusive relationship she recently fled—the young mother is surrounded by a network of compassionate women who understand her situation and give her a newfound support system to see her through

this challenging transitional period. Leaving the hospital, she returns to a room prepared especially for her and her baby. There, the two are enveloped by a circle of friends.

Friends who are there to celebrate a new life created and an older— now wiser one—on the path to renewal.

“That’s what this work is about, creating a safe space for victims to begin the journey to healing their bodies and spirits,” says Amy Weaver, executive director of Hospitality House for Women, Inc. (HHW)in Rome.

Hospitality House was started in 1978 by a fed-up group of locals dead set on aggressively fighting the scourge of domestic abuse in Northwest Georgia. It was one of the first domestic violence shelters opened in the state, and grew from being able to accommodate five people for 7 days, to 27

people for 90 days. It is the only provider in Floyd County certified by the Georgia Department of Human Services to serve domestic violence victims and connect them with additional resources.

Domestic violence is often thought of as physical, but also encompasses emotional/ psychological abuse, sexual abuse and economic abuse, when someone uses finances as a means of control. While a small percentage of men will fall victim to domestic abuse, still studies show that 85 percent of all cases include female victims.

“When we talk about domestic violence, we’re not talking about men versus women, or women versus men. We’re talking about violence versus peace; control versus respect,” explains Weaver.

Statistics from the The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report suggest that one third of all women living in the United States have dealt with physical violence, rape and/or stalking over the course of their life. Studies from the National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, show that only one quarter of all physical assault cases are actually reported to law enforcement officials.

Hospitality House provides survivors with emergency food, clothing and a place to stay if necessary. Additional resources and support services are also provided at no extra cost. The goal is not for families and individuals to become dependent on Hospitality House, but to use the opportunity as a way to bring victims one step closer to becoming self-sufficient, to one day find a safe existence outside of their abuser. Last year the non-profit assisted over 350 women and children in the shelter program alone.

While many associate the organization’s services with shelter, Weaver stresses that potential clients who do not need a place to stay are also encouraged to contact her staff.

“Often, the services we provide to nonresidential victims prevent these families from becoming homeless due to issues which stem from domestic violence,” she explains.

Hospitality House offers a wide array of help and assistance beyond shelter, food and other necessities. Guests and other clients also benefit from help with finances, resource referral, help with relocation, parenting and support groups, as well as counseling.

Hospitality House provided counseling services to almost 1,100 individuals in 2012.

Client care is individualized, tailored to empowering each survivor to develop and achieve personal goals.

Last year Hospitality House was able to provide more than 100 families with financial assistance—everything from paying rental deposits to bills, car repair and other maintenance, and purchasing household items.

Hospitality House works as a conduit and access point for domestic violence victims, partnering with the police, the legal system, the medical field and schools, as well as other local service agencies to ensure that the victims are having their needs met whenever possible.

What often surprises individuals who have no acquaintance with domestic abuse is why so many victims decide to stay, even when their lives are in grave danger.

“If any of us were asked to pack up and leave our homes right now, right this minute, how easy would it be?” asks Weaver.

Additional comforts of home and forms of “ownership” also complicate the decision to leave. Shared automobiles, joint checking accounts, little ones, furry friends, and of course the love that may have initially brought the couple together— these factors make it hard to just uproot a family and leave home. Home is, after all what the victim(s) are leaving.

It would be hard for most people to leave a bad situation, ask for help, or worse, think themselves a failure because a relationship ended. Again, this is why Hospitality House is such an important piece of the community puzzle.

Last year alone, Floyd County 911 operators answered 5,641 phone calls relative to domestic violence. This year Hospitality House expects to serve over 1,500 adult and child survivors of domestic violence, and answer an average of 100 crisis calls monthly. This means many cases are being lost in the shuffle. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Weaver stresses.

Hospitality House Thrift Store was opened in 2009 as a way to help fund legal advocacy and account for lost money in a down economy. 100 percent of the profits made at the shop go back to Hospitality House. In addition, the non-profit’s clients have the opportunity to shop at the store at no cost. The shop is open to the public and is located at 610 Shorter Avenue in Rome.

One of the biggest events each year for Hospitality House is the international Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event which returns to downtown Rome on Fri., Oct. 11 at noon. Participants walk from Rotary Plaza (between the Historic Floyd County Courthouse and the Forum) south down Broad Street and across the Robert Redden Footbridge to Heritage Park. The Rome walk, now it its sixth year, literally encourages men to walk in women’s shoes as an outward showing of support for domestic violence victims, as well as create opportunities for an open conversation on gender roles in contemporary society. The event takes a serious topic and along with a fun, whimsical component, makes it a little more palatable for the masses. “Nobody

wants to talk about our work. It’s not fun.

It’s pretty ugly and personal,” explains Weaver.

The executive director suggests that participating in an awareness event like the walk can provide a sense of personal validation, as victims—solo or alongside friends and family—can unite in the fight against the presence and pain of abuse.

“It just sounds and feels so debilitating, that you are so powerless to do anything about [domestic violence],” says Weaver.

“That’s why this event carries power to me, because it gives people an opportunity to stand together. Some have never had an opportunity or outlet to stand up against domestic violence.”

Each year the number of walkers has been steadily growing since the first 125 participants in 2008. Last year, over 550 strutted down Broad Street in heels. The area has been catching on to the rhythm and feel of the event, bringing their own shoes, creating a sense of collaboration, investment in the cause, and even competition between male coworkers who try to “out-do” one another.

Ultimately, walkers raise awareness of domestic violence, sexual violence and issues with gender relations, which is what Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is all about. The walk can also be seen as art, as a protest, as a celebration. Additional information

on the movement at large can be found at walkamileinhershoes.org.

For now, Weaver and her crew label the event as more of a “friend-raiser” and “funraiser”, with hopes of raising more money in the walks to come. Proceeds from the event cover costs and help with funding during the month of October.

One of the biggest misconceptions of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is that only men are allowed to walk and wear pretty shoes.

All are invited, and the event is family and pet-friendly.

The timing of Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® coincides with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which was expanded from the first “Day of Unity” in October 1987, and officially declared and recognized by congress in 1989. Ultimately it is not the pity or the sadness that enshrouds October, rather the bravery and the reclaimed power of the victims.

In addition to the Oct. 11 event, the Hospitality House will also host their annual candlelight vigil on Tues., Oct. 15 for Georgia victims who have lost their lives in the last year. This ceremony will also return to Rotary Plaza, and begins with refreshments and fellowship at 6:30 p.m.

Even Rome High School has jumped on board to bolster awareness, and plans to hold the Second Annual Walk of Knowledge,

spearheaded by educator Bonnie Goulding.

She says she wanted to make a difference however she could. Now students walk the track at RHS to honor victims and survivors of domestic violence, while also learning about different services at information booths scattered along the path.

Weaver salutes all of the walkers—men, women and children—for taking a stand.

“It may seem silly to call men ‘brave’ just for walking in heels for a minute, but it is brave. And, it’s about so much more than just wearing these shoes,” explains Weaver.

For more information on the Hospitality House for Women, Inc. and additional information on domestic violence, services and community resources, or to make a donation, contact the organization directly at 706.235.4608, or visit hospitalityhouse.org.

Registration for the Sixth Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® can also be done by visiting the website and is open from 11 a.m. to noon on the day of the walk.

Victims of abuse must be reassured that what they are experiencing is in no way their fault, and in no way is ever deserved. A resource exists in this community to help get victims to the services and persons necessary to help break the cycle of abuse. Hospitality House operates a 24-hour crisis line at 706.235.4673 where a caring ear is always there to listen, and never to judge. VVV

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“They know every word from a song they would listen to as a teenager, but they can’t tell you what they had for lunch,” describes Regina Wright of Alzheimer’s patients. Wright is the executive director of Riverwood Retirement Life Community in Rome, and sees the effects of the debilitating illness every day.

Alzheimer’s disease affects over five million Americans, and one out of every three senior citizens dies with some form of dementia like Alzheimer’s.

As a part of great strides made here locally in the fight against Alzheimer’s, Home Instead Senior Care in Rome will be hosting free seminars to help caregivers, families and friends better understand the condition and provide appropriate care for

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CLATTER

HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE SHOWS A LITTLE EXTRA LOVE TO ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS, NAMELY WITH A SET OF FREE

SEMINARS SEPT. 26 their loved ones. Riverwood Retirement Life Community, which recently opened an Alzheimer’s care unit called Remembrance Village, will serve as one of the workshop locations.

At Home Instead Senior Care, the philosophy is to deliver the highest quality of personalized care from the comfort of the patient’s own home. Based in Omaha, the company serves over 11 counties in Georgia, and has an office located in downtown Rome. In-home services provided range from offering companionship to helping with household tasks, as well as escorting to appointments and errands, and administering Alzheimer’s care.

Named for German neurologist Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who first described the degenerative disease in 1906, Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth-leading cause of 38

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death in the United States. Alzheimer’s still maintains no known cause, and results in memory loss, disorientation, mood and personality changes, all of which usher in a decline of physical and cognitive ability. Brain neurons slowly weaken in Alzheimer’s patients, as neurofibrillary “tangles” and plaques form. Symptoms surface slowly and worsen over time, impairing the victim’s ability to perform everyday tasks.

The free seminars will take place on Thurs., Sept. 26, 2013 at Riverwood Retirement Life Community, 511 West 10th St in Rome, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

An additional free seminar will be held Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013, at Renaissance Marquis, 3126 Cedartown Highway in Rome, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Using the same training that staff experience when learning how to work with

the Alzheimer’s community, caregivers and other participants can expect to be better equipped to handle the unique challenges of working with these patients.

“The workshops were created by a desire to help those in need, which is what we do on a daily basis in hundreds of homes and facilities,” says Ken Stavas, owner of Home Instead in Rome. “We realized that we were providing extensive training to our professional ‘CAREGivers’, but the families would benefit from the same training.”

The classes will teach attendees about the causes of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, how the ailment is diagnosed, how to identify possible symptoms of the disease, and more about associated behaviors once the onset of dementia has occurred.

“Home Instead developed this free workshop in conjunction with many Alzheimer’s experts, caregivers and families to help our community members, and we are pleased to extend this opportunity to those in need,” adds Stavas.

TEXT BY LUKE CHAFFIN

VECTOR WORK BY NEAL HOWARD

Because research suggests that at least 60 percent of seniors with Alzheimer’s do not live in some form of assisted-living facility, an innovative program of care for these patients helps them to remain comfortable at home as family and friends capitalize from the individual’s own unique story, and everything that made them who they were prior to diagnosis.

The training program that will be highlighted in the workshops is called “Alzheimer’s Disease or Other Dementias CARE” (changing aging through research and education). Intrinsic to the program is a method that provides comfort and care to patients through the use of their long-term memories and other history.

This personalized method is referred to as “capturing life’s journey”.

Within the first 10 years of the new millennium, Alzheimer’s-associated deaths had increased nearly 70 percent. With what science would point to as a rising epidemic, it is important for families, friends and other Alzheimer’s caregivers to have resources that enable them to adequately help their loved ones.

The visible effects on the patients themselves are often made front-and-center in the minds of those who meet or already know someone with dementia. Also taking a grave toll, however, is the cost of time, m o n e y,

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physical and emotional health to the lives of those who care for their suffering loved ones.

According to the association's 2013 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures report, the disease will have taken nearly $203 billion from the wallets of Americans by the end of 2013. By 2050, costs associated with Alzheimer’s are projected to top $1.2 trillion, and cases are expected to hit 16 million. Those delivering love, support and everyday relief to this community number approximately 15.4 million across the country. This labor force of its own accounted for over 17.5 billion hours of care last year, which—if paid out—would be valued at over $216 billion. It is no surprise that Alzheimer’s has become the country’s most expensive health condition.

Findings from the association suggest that more than 60 percent of people caring for patients of dementia say they experience high or very high levels of emotional stress as a result of their role of support. Over 30 percent of friends and family identified themselves as having symptoms of depression. This added stress accounts for an extra $9 billion spent last year to pay for healthcare needs of just the caregivers alone.

Home Instead Senior Care worked alongside Dr. Jane F. Potter to develop helpful hints and tips for daily interaction with Alzheimer’s sufferers. Dr. Potter is the Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

She encourages allowing seniors to do as much as they can and to have realistic expectations for them. In addition, the collaboration found that simplifying tasks whenever possible and starting some activities for seniors and then asking for their help has proved effective. Another helpful tip is to make activities easier for seniors, and if this is not possible, to change the task.

Dr. Potter also suggests using these activities as an opportunity for patients to experience things that may be new to them. Using these strategies daily help minimize frustration in patients and make their lives more pleasant.

Finally, it may come as no surprise that engaging Alzheimer’s patients in exercise helps them to stay active.

The upcoming seminars will delve deeper into topics important with memory

care and introduce additional ways to help improve the lives of those battling dementia.

Events in our community are making it easier to help fight the disease and make a difference in the way of Alzheimer’s. The Coosa Valley Walk to End Alzheimer’s returns to Rome at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, at Ridge Ferry Park.

“The Walk in Rome is always a familyfriendly fundraiser that allows [everyone] to connect and fight Alzheimer’s by providing much needed research dollars, and is an opportunity for local businesses to contribute through sponsorships and provide onsite resources for those families,” says Matt Davis of 95.7 the Ridge, co-chair of the event.

Along with Charisse Durham, his walk counterpart and community service representative for the Rome office of Home Instead, they work together with others in the northwest Georgia area to actively make a difference through special programs and events, advocacy and research studies. Links for walk registration and donations can be found online at alz.org/georgia.

Alzheimer’s remains the only cause of death among the top 10 in the nation with no means of prevention, a cure, or way to stop progression. Both national health organizations and for-profit businesses near and far are working alongside one another to help find answers and hopefully make Alzheimer’s a memory of yesterday.

As the main priority for a recent National Institutes for Health initiative, Alzheimer’s Disease will be receiving more of the attention, research and funding that it deserves. A proactive plan that was an essential piece of the 2011 National Alzheimer’s Project Act legislation urged a strong call for finding methods to prevent and treat the disease by 2025, improving Alzheimer’s care, boosting awareness in the public sector, and expanding support for patients and those that surround them.

According to a statement made earlier this year by Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, “Researchers are expanding their work on prevention and treatment and we are getting clinicians the tools they need to help people with the disease.”

Times are changing, and thanks to newer laws, perhaps the status quo is doing the same. According to Sebelius, the plan will break down barriers that had previously halted progress in the arenas of research and resources. VVV

To R.S.V.P. for one of the free caregiver workshops from Home Instead Senior Care, contact Charisse Durham at 706.290.3050 or by email at Charisse@hiscga.com

First Annual Renaissance Marquis ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS GOLF TOURNAMENT

Friday September 20, 2013 at Meadow Lakes Golf Course *Fee: $400 per team *Hole Sponsor: $100 Registration 9:00 am/ShotGun 10:00 am 4 Person Scramble Format Green fee, cart, long drive men/women, close to pins men/women, hole-n-one, door prizes, food & beverages provided on course *Proceeds will be donated to the 2013 Alzheimer’s Association Walk *

Visit: www.renaissancemarquis.com Contact: Ben Baker, Marketing Director 706.936.5435 bbaker@renaissancemarquis.com

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From pg.33, "Chris Oates"

M

Life Lessons

My dear friend and brother passed away shortly after graduation. And now, as a high-school teacher myself, not a five-day week passes by that I don’t gaze down the halls of Adairsville High and remember that unforgettable life lesson: the day I learned the real definition of a role model. You see, a real role model is a loyal friend, a family member willing to sacrifice, a caring

"...You can't model any role effectively without

exhibiting forgiveness, love and compassion, no matter what transgressions others may commit against you." neighbor that loves you for who you are, who you will be, and will never leave you when you need them most. They forgive you and have compassion for you, and never place their feelings above your own.

They show strength through humility, not with their fists or deft intellect. Real role models remain strong in character during times of adversity.

Twenty years later, I write this column to inspire others to make a difference in the lives of the people with whom they come into contact. I teach my students that the finer things in life are priceless, and that their lives’ successes shouldn’t be measured in dollar signs, but by the positive impacts they have on the lives of those around them.

As I look back on the life of Chris Oates, my brother in spirit, I am reminded of a very real role model who forever behaved like a young man constantly asking himself, Am I living like a role model? Because you can’t model any role effectively without displaying forgiveness, love and compassion, no matter what transgressions others may commit against you. From here forward, let’s all try to focus our efforts toward serving as worthy, real role models for our coworkers, children, friends, and any one else we seek to love and to serve.

VVV

Coosa Valley Home Health Care, an Amedisys company, is in the business of helping our patients maintain and improve their quality of life-at home. Home is the place where family, friends and familiar surroundings make patients feel most comfortable - and recover faster.

With more than two decades of experience in the health care industry, we understand the importance of delivering high-quality services to patients in their homes. Choose Coosa Valley for all your home care needs.

Kent Howard is an 11-year NWGA educator, basketball coach and inspirational speaker. To book him for public engagements, call 706.767.3226 or email bookkenthoward@gmail.com vini vidi vici / v3 magazine

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Lieberman Family Chiropractic Monday-Wednesday & Friday 10 - 12 & 3 - 6:30 | Thursday closed | Saturday 10 - 12 | Sunday closed

Dr. Brian Lieberman, Dr. Rebecca Lapham, Dr. Pat McCarver

The Dish www.schroedersnewdeli.com 2115 Shorter Ave. Rome, GA

PH: 706-291-6200 Open 7 days a week “Not just any” Mexican Restaurant. Original dishes like the Molcajete, Toro Wings, Texas Loco Rice, Avocado Burger, Traditional & Authentic fare like Torta de Asada, Caldo de Camaron, Sonoran Hot dogs and all the favorites like Sizzling Fajitas, Cheesy Nachos, and Crispy Tacos. Come and see our complete menu and choose your favorite.

Summer “Happy Hour” 4-8 pm Great Deals on Draft.

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sandwiches, calzones, soups, salads,

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Hours: Mon - Sat: 6:00pm-10:00pm 400 Block Bar & Lounge: 4:00pm-1:30am Live music each weekend.

La Scala offers both first-rate service and terrific Italian Cuisine in an upscale casual atmosphere.

50% off cafe menu from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

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Hours: Mon -Thu: 11:00am- 10:00pm Fri - Sat: 11:00am-11:00pm Sun: 11:00am-9:00pm

WOW strives to serve the highest quality of food with the freshest ingredients. You will leave saying “WOW! What a Place!” Famous for: Wings and over 17 signature sauces to choose from!

510 Broad Street Rome, GA 30161

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Jamwich - Serving distinctive sandwiches, salads, soups, and quiche. Sandwiches built with the finest ingredients: Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, Zelma’s Blue Ribbon Jams and Jellies, fresh sourdough bread, premium Boars Head thick cut bacon and farm-to-table produce.

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Fuddruckers catering can help you feed just about any size group, anytime, anywhere. Our menu will

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ARMBANDS PRE-SALE

Save up to $5 per Armband when you buy now.

Go to BuyMyCarnivalTickets.com now and purchase your unlimited ride armbands for just $16* each.

These armbands are valid any day, Tuesday-Saturday, all day!

Hurry, Pre-sale ends September 30, 2013 at midnight. *A $0.99 per armband transaction charge will be applied at checkout. Absolutely no refunds will be given under any circumstances. One armband per person per day. Armbands are non-transferrable.

Armbands must be redeemed by the purchaser with a valid ID and a printed copy of the receipt of purchase.

Parents with children under 48” should pay special attention to height requirements.

For most rides – unless otherwise noted- the minimum height requirement is 36”.

NEW THIS YEAR

Banana Derby Races: multiple shows daily featuring dogs with monkey jockeys On the Edge: Friday night only at 7 pm and 9 pm. This is a two-wheel action show including gymnastics on bicycle.

Check our website CoosaValleyFair.com for more information