Albany Living - Summer 2017

summer 2017

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Making Waves Adam Gilbert’s close bonds with his family is what continues to influence and drive him to this day.

Leading the Way Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan wants everyone to know that it’s a new day in Albany.

Margaret Moore is a young lady who has an eye for design, and whose designs are catching a lot of people’s eyes.

The Simple Life Small business owner, designer and now self-taught artist Daphine Martin is redefining her craft.

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Albany Living m a g a z i n e

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contents 12

Making Waves

It is these close bonds with his family, both immediate and extended, that continue to drive and influence Adam Gilbert to this day.

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Leading the Way

Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan wants everyone to know that it’s a new day in Albany.

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The Simple Life

From humble beginnings, a small business owner, designer and now a self-taught artist Daphine Martin is redefining her craft.

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Drive and Passion

About the Cover

The cover photo is of 16-year-old jewelry designer, Margaret Moore.

Read more about her handmade custom pieces on page 68. Photo

by David Parks Photography.

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Colin Bowles’ dedication has not gone unnoticed now and it certainly won’t in a few years, when he will undoubtedly be making headlines at a whole new level!

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Beautiful by Design

Margaret Moore is a young lady who has an eye for design, and whose designs are catching a lot of people’s eyes.

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Passion for Life

Michelle Morton credits the Gascons with so much of her recovery process and works daily toward the goal of carrying on the Gascon legacy for the love of horses and a passion for helping others.

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Sassy Sisters

The drive is worth seeing these Albany natives known as the sweet and savory sisters.

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Fostering Hope

Recruiter Lauren Welch, who is also a foster and adoptive mom to three children herself shares how God’s plan played out in her life.

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Relief and Recovery

Albany will be restored with the help of these loyal citizens, and they won’t quit until they make sure that our town is back the The Good Life City that it once was…or better.

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A Legacy Left Behind

Brittany Kerfoot’s spiritual presence remains, not only in a picture sitting in a classroom, but in many children she touched and in the playground project started by her sister and many of her incredible friends.

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Melodiously in Tune

Attributing her success to her faith in God and the support of her family, specifically her mother, Melodie says she could not have gotten to where she is today on her own.

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Albany Living m a g a z i n e

P U B L I S H E R With You In Mind Publications E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R S Jay and Patti Martin

Landon and Mandi Spivey C R E AT I V E | D E S I G N Eric S. Love

Mandi Spivey Stacey Nichols Skylar Wilson Timothy Brock

O F F I C E M A N AG E R Julie Braly

A S S I S TA N T

M A N AG E R June Dixon

Nikki Burkhalter

P H OTO G R A P H E R S Amy Rolfe

As we look back on the first half of the year, we celebrate new...hope restored, lives rebuilt and loved poured out. This community went through such paralyzing circumstances, not once, but twice and yet still somehow have come through this with grace and poise and a deeper found strength. THIS exemplifies what a community is all about.

Countless individuals, businesses and families jumped into action feeding those around them and providing comfort in tangible ways.

Many will never know what some went through and yet all around, people prayed and poured out everything they had to give. Perhaps watching beauty rise from the ashes may be the most miraculous phenomenon in life.

Inspiring stories of hope with relief and recovery still available to those affected is found in this issue along with the comfort of City Manager, Sharon Subadan, declaring this is a new day for Albany. We stand with you Albany as you continue to rise and celebrate a new day.

The theme throughout this edition seems to weave the message of hope and strength and we could not be any more humbled to share these stories. We are tremendously grateful for those people who have shared their lives through these pages and for the advertisers who so graciously make this publication possible. They are listed on page 176 and magazines are always available at no charge at any of these locations! We are also very excited to offer the option for you to read the magazine online available at www.withyouinmindpublications.com.

Albany more than lives up to its name as the Good Life city and we are truly grateful and honored to be a part of this amazing community.

Like us on Facebook!

Wishing you many blessings,

With You In Mind Publications Sales: (912) 293-5900 Email: landonspivey.wyim@gmail.com 8

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Catherine Garrett David Parks Photography Eric S. Love with logic4design.com James Culbreth Photography Jason Townsend Photography K&R Photography Kelly McDonald Photography McKayla Tichenor Millie Mac Photography Shae Foy Photography Skylar Wilson Shannon Blanchard Photography

C OV E R P H OTO Margaret Moore, Photo by David Parks Photography S A L E S Keisha Cory

Patti Martin

Landon Spivey

CONTRIBUTING

WRI TE R S Carson Gregors

Elizabeth Sheffield Jahnae Nelson Jessica Fellows Lexi Anthony Michael Poupard Sherri Martin

Albany Living MagazineŠ is published semi-annually by With You in Mind Publications. www.withyouinmindpublications.com P.O. Box 55 • Glennville, GA 30427 (912) 654-3045 All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher.

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein.

Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.

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photos by Shae Foy & James Culbreth

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“Wakeboarding has always been a fascinating sport to me. The fast boats and aerial maneuvers appeal to the adrenaline driven thrill seekers while the cool water and warm sun attracts the spectators.�

A

tend to do so for self-gratification. However, in a very few instances some people will take their interest or hobby and do something with it. Maybe they will teach others; maybe they will use it to turn a profit.

For Adam Gilbert, he uses his interest to help others.

As I sat on the deck at Elements Coffee Company, I found myself lost deep in thought. As I delighted in the surprisingly cool July evening air, clouds passing overhead like thinly stretched cotton balls, a gentle breeze passing through the parking lot, memories and thoughts of the past few months raced through my mind like the rush

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It was in 2009 that Adam, after having been approached by his friend, Jason Sheffield, decided to set up a tournament for wakeboarding. It was in that moment that Wakefest was born. Intended to be not just an event to showcase the wakeboarders’ talents, the event was also set up to draw in outside spectators and vendors in the hopes of it becoming a yearly event, as well as a charity event to help families in need.

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hour traffic on Ledo Road. While I sat there patiently waiting for Adam to arrive, I sipped away at my hot chocolate and asked myself, “I wonder where Adam is? Why am I drinking hot chocolate in July?” However, the most pressing question which was on my mind was what drives someone to be as charitable as Adam?

Born in Albany on March 11, 1987, Adam grew up in a small, but very close-knit family. However, Adam and his family will be the first to say they have quite the extensive family. According to Adam, “We seem to have so many extremely close friends that we call family which makes it feel a little ‘larger.”’ It is these close bonds with his family, both immediate and extended, that continue to drive and influence Adam to this day.

Growing up, Adam enjoyed the usual boyhood activities, but his athletic prowess quickly took over. “I grew up playing all different kinds of sports.

Once I reached high school, I mainly focused on basketball and baseball.” I, for one, can attest to Adam’s love for baseball and basketball. While I was

After all the hard work, the days and weeks spent raising money and looking for sponsors, and setting up for the day, the big day arrives. The water banks are filled with spectators, the grills are filled with hotdogs and hamburgers, the coolers stuffed with sodas and water, and the people are filled with excitement.

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“Wakeboarding has always been a fascinating sport to me. The fast boats and aerial maneuvers appeal to the adrenaline driven thrill seekers while the cool water and warm sun attracts the spectators.”

Adam was, and still is, one of those adrenaline junkies.

However, like most newcomers to any activity, he had to learn to stand before he could fly.

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awkwardly making my way through middle school, Adam was the newest addition to Terrell Academy’s freshman class.

Even though he was the new kid in class, he and his fellow classmates got along just fine. It was not until I entered high school that I got to know Adam a little more. It was no rare sight to see Adam either cutting up or joking around with his peers or to see him working diligently, either on his studies or at athletics. During basketball practices and games, Adam could always be heard encouraging his fellow teammates.

Adam’s passion for sports has stayed with him, even after graduating from Terrell Academy in 2005. “I have taken my

Once a beneficiary has been selected, then comes the hard part: raising money. It is in this moment that the close friends and family that Adam is so fortunate to have come into play in a major way. They do it all: approaching local businesses in hopes of them becoming sponsors, selling shirts and hats, collecting personal donations, organizing benefit concerts and smaller events, collecting raffle prizes.

love for the game and tried to pass it down to my three nephews, and have been lucky enough to coach two of them in baseball.” Always the athlete, it was no surprise when Adam found a new passion: wakeboarding.

“Wakeboarding has always been a fascinating sport to me. The fast boats and aerial maneuvers appeal to the adrenaline driven thrill seekers while the cool water and warm sun attracts the spectators.” Adam was, and still is, one of those adrenaline junkies. However, like most newcomers to any activity, he had to learn to stand before he could fly. “I started wakeboarding in my early

teen years, and I was terrible!” Along with his determination and the encouragement of his friends, Adam quickly learned to perform flips and various other tricks across the waters of Lake Blackshear. The thrills and spills were frequent; however, according to Adam, “It didn’t take too many attempts to decide that if I was going to become decent and not crash every time, I was going to need to start riding more.” After purchasing his first boat in 2007, Adam could always be found on the water, practicing and trying to perfect his style. As he gained experience, Adam also gained the

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friendships of fellow river goers, one of which is Buck Burriss, or as Adam refers to him, “the King of the Flint River.” As time passed, Adam’s friends encouraged and supported him while Buck took Adam under his wing and molded him, helping hone his skills.

As years passed by, Adam became more and more confident in his wakeboarding abilities.

However, the community was small, mainly consisting of a close group of friends with the occasional outsider. It was in 2009 that Adam, after having been approached by his friend, Jason Sheffield, decided to set up a tournament for wakeboarding. It was in that moment that Wakefest was born. Intended to be not just an 20

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event to showcase the wakeboarders’ talents, the event was also set up to draw in outside spectators and vendors in the hopes of it becoming a yearly event, as well as a charity event to help families in need. Unfortunately, according to Adam, things did not go as well as they had hoped. “To put it in easy terms, we were way out of our league. We raised close to $1,800.00, but we didn’t feel like that was much of a success.”

Adam and the other organizers took Wakefest’s partially successful debut pretty hard, so much so that they did not have a follow up event in 2010. Fortunately, during a family Christmas get together Adam was approached by his cousin, Jamie Owens, who showed interest in both the sport of wakeboarding and Wakefest as a charity. With the help and encouragement of Jamie and other wakeboarders, Adam decided not to give up and, in 2011, announced Wakefest’s second event. Wakefest 2011 proved to be a much greater experience resulting in $5,000 being raised.

I was immediately taken back by all I was being told. Adam could tell I was astounded, but I was curious as to how Wakefest went about its operation, specifically how they chose who to benefit and how they went about raising money for the family. In the beginning Wakefest consisted of Adam and Jason along with friends who volunteered. In 2011, Adam and his cousin Jamie took the reins and started developing Wakefest into what they had envisioned it always being. With Wakefest continuing to grow Adam and the others developed the Wakefest Board where each member would have various responsibilities. From there Wakefest continued to grow into the fantastic event it is today.

This left me wondering how Adam and the Wakefest members chose their beneficiaries.

Adam stated that “…Wakefest has been lucky enough to have the beneficiaries kind of fall in our lap. The majority of the time it is someone we know who knows someone with a need.” However, in 2014, the beneficiary approached them in a unique and amazing way. While out at a local Mexican restaurant, Adam’s mother, Camille Miles, and his wife, Kemberly, caught the eyes of Ty West. Ty, who suffers from various disorders, would walk past their table and was ‘flirting with them’ according to Adam. “Kemberly fell in love with him, and we took it from there.”

Once a beneficiary has been selected, then comes the hard part: raising money. It is in this moment that the close friends and family that Adam is so fortunate to have come into play in a major way. They do it all: approaching local businesses in hopes of them becoming sponsors, selling shirts and hats, collecting personal donations, organizing benefit concerts and smaller events, collecting raffle prizes. Adam even joked about how deeply invested his family is with setting up the event, stating, “I bet you my mom calls me 4-5 times daily to ask me if she can do anything to help me that day. As well as

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the ‘Wakefest Families,’ they push just as hard as we do to make it all come together.”

After all the hard work, the days and weeks spent raising money and looking for sponsors, and setting up for the day, the big day arrives. The water banks are filled with spectators, the grills are filled with hotdogs and hamburgers, the coolers stuffed with sodas and water, and the people are filled with excitement. I know this all too well.

In May, Adam and the other board members of Wakefest announced they had chosen to benefit Lee Poupard, my younger brother. Lee suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic malformation which has a multitude of issues associated with it. Earlier this year, my brother became eligible for a transplant at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. He is currently awaiting a dual lung, liver, and pancreas transplant. I watched as my family worked alongside Adam and the rest of the Wakefest board to raise money and encourage people to attend. I watched as local businesses donated and signed up to sponsor the event. I watched as people I had never met were helping raise money for my brother. The day of Wakefest 2016, my family and I were asked to step onto a boat to ride by the crowd of attendees. We were not expecting as big a crowd as we saw. Boats docked along the banks were filled with families, people crowded along Turner Boat Landing and cheered as we rode by. On July 8, my brother was presented with a check from Adam and the Wakefest board members for $21,000. The culmination of months of hard work, dedication, and an outpouring of charity and love from not only Albany, but also the surrounding area is certainly more than my family could possibly imagine.

Words cannot describe how fortunate we are, how blessed we are. None of this would be possible if it was not for the hard work, dedication, and love of Wakefest, which would not exist if not for the hard work, dedication, and kindhearted ambitions and intentions of Adam Gilbert.  ALM

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Story by Sherri Martin Photos by David Parks Photography

When storms and a tornado ripped through Albany at the beginning of 2017, one person in a position to help lead the recovery was not new to times of disaster. One could even say she was uniquely prepared for the situation by her past experiences and jobs.

Albany City Manager Sharon D. Subadan took a less than normal route to her job. In fact, she did not even start out working in government management when she and her husband first moved to the United States from Jamaica after they got married to “pursue the American dream,” she worked first as a special service agent for Eastern Airlines in Miami.

Even this job provided experience that would come in handy later: “I was there when Eastern filed bankruptcy,” Subadan says. “I dealt with all of the disgruntled people.”

Subadan says she and her husband, who works in the IT department of the Dougherty County School System and her mother, who lives with them, have received a warm welcome. “People have been really nice and really warm and personable. They come up to me and say ‘thank you’ and that I’m doing a good job,” she says. “Not everything is easy and not every decision is popular, but it has been gratifying to be welcomed into the community.”

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“It’s great to be in the city of Albany at this time, and I feel blessed and grateful to be here.”

Dealing with people, disgruntled or not, is part and parcel of a government administration job and Subadan says she learned the job from the ground up. After Eastern, she took a job doing data entry for the Miami-Dade Police Department which involved entering police reports in a computer for 10 hours a day. She quickly decided that was not for her and went back to school, eventually earning a master’s degree in Public Leadership from George Washington University

in D.C. “Formal education opened doors for me in progressively more responsible positions,” she explains.

“I took a non-traditional path,” she adds.

She left the police department after a year and started working county transit, which she says opened her eyes to how government works. After working in Miami-Dade for 10 years, she went to Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., for seven years. Her next

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This move has been a bit of a change for Subadan, as it is the first time she has worked in city government rather than county. “City government allows you to be closer to the people you serve, and it is more defined,” she says of her first opportunity to be a city manager. “As a city government, we pretty much do anything, from the airport to transit, to utilities. From a government perspective, we provide anything.”

stop was back to Florida, to Hillsborough County and Tampa Bay, where she was promoted to an assistant county administrator. Each place brought a position with more responsibility and more opportunity to serve and grow.

She and her husband, Carl, had raised their three sons through those years and she was ready for the next step. “When I started to look for the next position, I wanted to be somewhere I could make a difference,” she says. “I saw a lot of potential in Albany.”

Subadan says she and her husband, who works

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in the IT department of the Dougherty County School System and her mother, who lives with them, have received a warm welcome. “People have been really nice and really warm and personable. They come up to me and say ‘thank you’ and that I’m doing a good job,” she says.

“Not everything is easy and not every decision is popular, but it has been gratifying to be welcomed into the community.”

This move has been a bit of a change for Subadan, as it is the first time she has worked in city government rather than county. “City

government allows you to be closer to the people you serve, and it is more defined,” she says of her first opportunity to be a city manager. “As a city government, we pretty much do anything, from the airport to transit, to utilities. From a government perspective, we provide anything.”

Albany is also a smaller place than she is used to; Hillsborough County has 1.3 million residents and is growing. Albany has just over 75,000 people. However, Subadan sees this size difference as the opportunity to make a bigger difference. “I feel I am able to impact the community more significantly than in a huge place,” she explains.

That impact involves a significant rebranding of the town, including a new logo and new mission and vision statements. “This is truly the good-life city,” Subadan explains.

“It’s a good place to live, work and play.”

Part of the new vision for the town is the redevelopment of downtown, the development of the riverfront and the transformation of the town into a true college town, not just a “town with a college in it”.

“I don’t believe in just maintaining the

“I’m really passionate about what I do. I’m a person of deep faith. I believe God brought us to Albany for a purpose. We were praying about where to go next,” Subadan says.

“My mom told me a long time ago that God needs people in government to apply Godly principles and follow in a good way.”

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status quo; I believe change is necessary to evolve and grow. Not just change for the sake of change, though,” Subadan adds. “All roads lead to economic development. We must help businesses be successful.

We must be business minded and business friendly, and create an environment for businesses to succeed.”

A major area needing attention is infrastructure.

“Like at the national level, we have dated and aging infrastructure and that ties into economic development,” she says. “Businesses want to be sure we have good infrastructure in place.”

Those storms in January made this need evident.

“We have some technological challenges with our infrastructure,” she explains. “For example, knowing exactly how many households are out of power and exactly when they would get power back. People wanted real time information and we couldn’t give them that.

“The storms exposed the needs,” she continues.

“The system’s not broken, just like a flip phone isn’t broken, but you can do so much more with a smart phone. People expect a smart phone, but we don’t have that yet.”

Recovering from a catastrophe and all of the challenges that involves is not a new situation for the Subadans. They were in Miami in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew made landfall. “We were in our house and we lost our house,” she says. “And I had to work at Transit the next day. So we’ve been through stuff. On 9/11, I was working in Montgomery County, right outside of D.C., so I have been exposed to lots of big disasters and been behind the scenes for the logistics of a recovery.”

She says although she was used to having more resources and technology at her disposal she feels the city did a good job. “We made calm and order in the midst of chaos,” she says, and although some of those decisions may not have been popular – in large part because not everyone has the perspective of the big picture – she feels the right decisions were made.

In addition, she was impressed with the way people and organizations came together to help the victims. “We saw some of the best of humanity— organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, churches, neighbors helping neighbors. We saw the ministry of

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the body of Christ,” she says. “We also got tremendous help from other municipalities.”

This type of collaborative effort is something Subadan, who also serves as the general manager of the city utilities, enjoys.

“One of my strengths is getting people to work together. We have a really good team of leadership here,” she says.

She looks forward to working with other city and community leaders to promote workforce development, quality, affordable housing, and process improvements.

“I’m really passionate about what I do. I’m a person of deep faith. I believe God brought us to Albany for a purpose. We were praying about where to go next,” Subadan says.

“My mom told me a long time ago that God needs people in government to apply Godly principles and follow in a good way.

“I would like to be a part of helping Albany realize its potential. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’m willing to roll up my sleeves and stay for the long haul.

“It really is a new day in Albany, and I want people to know that,” she continues.

“There is an excitement about our future.

Lots of really good and neat things are happening. There are wonderful things happening in a relatively short amount of time.

“It’s great to be in the city of Albany at this time, and I feel blessed and grateful to be here.”  ALM

“I don’t believe in just maintaining the status quo; I believe change is necessary to evolve and grow. Not just change for the sake of change, though,” Subadan adds.

“All roads lead to economic development.

We must help businesses be successful.

We must be business minded and business friendly, and create an environment for businesses to succeed.”

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Story by Jahnae Nelson

Photos by David Parks Photography

From humble beginnings, a small business owner, designer and now a self-taught artist Daphine Martin is redefining her craft. Daphine took hands with God and let Him guide her to an unforgettable path with a promising career. Daphine, the artist, never dreamt of life in an artistic form of painting. Her hobbies and work were just ways to get by and make a living. It wasn’t until she moved to the country that she saw more in herself. In her semiretirement she finally had a chance to explore.

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Her initial start with decorating was working for Joe Watkins at Watkins Lumber Company for many years. Joe’s dedication to his customers was one thing that Daphine would always try to emulate.

When Watkins closed, right then and there, she knew this was what she wanted to do and in 1991 Custom Interiors opened. Daphine’s customers had always valued her opinion regarding design, upholstery, flooring, furniture and of course, wall décor and paintings. She had a solid customer base that allowed her to celebrate 26 years in business this past

February.

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Daphine’s daughter, Shelly, and her husband, Kenny Green, would take over all the responsibility of running the business and with Daphine settling in to her new-found freedom of welcoming the next generation the store has grown. “Shelly’s love for design and her talent was one of the things she got from her mom,” Daphine said proudly. She continued to say, “Shelly could not have made a better choice than Kenny for my son-in-law. He is very dedicated to the family business.” Today, their store and all the pieces in it feel like home. It’s welcoming!

Daphine, the artist, never dreamt of life in an artistic form of painting. Her hobbies and work were just ways to get by and make a living. It wasn’t until she moved to the country that she saw more in herself. In her semi-retirement she finally had a chance to explore.

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Anyone can see by the gleam in Daphine’s eyes and the passion in her voice that she is empowered by living a simple life in the country.

Her paintings reflect her spirit; peaceful as ever and calm like ripples in the pond by her home. When you look at her paintings you see a piece of Daphine and what she likes to show to the world, positive energy, simplicity, quality art in the smallest forms, yet for a bigger picture…you, her customer.

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What made Daphine start painting, you ask? “Well, I always had a nitch for drawing I just never had a chance to do anything with it.” She moved to “Bent Tree”, her quite place in the woods where she could appreciate and be in awe of what God has given to her: trees, birds, chickens, horses, clouds… everything… She started with, “I think I could do that.”

Anyone can see by the gleam in Daphine’s eyes and the passion in her voice that she is empowered by living a simple life in the country.

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When asked how they collaborate on different pieces, Daphine replied, “a simple compromise. I know he’s an expert on construction/building, while I am pretty good with color/design. That makes for a simple decision.� Daphine nor her husband, Bobby, are looking to be famous from their work but to bring happiness and years of enjoyment to those that decide to come take a look.

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Daphine and Bobby would be asked to build pieces of furniture for a customer’s home or build a few pieces for the store. One table led to another, and before you knew it, that became their full-time job.

Daphine helped him design beautiful pieces of furniture and, if inspired, a painting that would match.

Her paintings reflect her spirit; peaceful as ever and calm like ripples in the pond by her home. When you look at her paintings you see a piece of Daphine and what she likes to show to the world, positive energy, simplicity, quality art in the smallest forms, yet for a bigger picture…you, her customer. That is custom. That is care. That is where you go in a business. And, that’s where it started-with Custom Interiors. Being first and foremost very thankful for what talents you have and knowing that without that help you fail – you can’t do anything.

Time went on and Daphine reconnected and married someone she had known for years, Bobby Martin. Bobby, just like Daphine, had a natural talent.

However, he was more into building and construction.

He, too, started his own company called Bobby Martin Construction. After years of working nonstop and trimming most of Dougherty and Lee county homes, Bobby was ready for a change.

Daphine and Bobby would be asked to build pieces of furniture for a customer’s home or build a few pieces for the store. One table led to another, and before you knew it, that became their full-time job. Daphine helped him design beautiful pieces of furniture and, if inspired, a painting that would match. When asked how they collaborate on different pieces, Daphine replied, “a simple compromise. I know he’s an expert on construction/building, while I am pretty good with color/ design. That makes for a simple decision.” Daphine nor her husband, Bobby, are looking to be famous from their work but to bring happiness and years of enjoyment to those that decide to come take a look.  ALM

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Millie Mac Photography www.milliemacphotography.smugmug.com facebook.com/MillieMacPhotography

her future is as bright as her

smile

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outhland Children’s Dentistry is excited to have Dr. Ken Sellers joining the team this summer! Dr. Sellers is also a pediatric dentist who specializes in the care of infant through teenage patients. He shares the same philosophy of compassion and care and will be a fantastic addition to the Southland team.

Dr. Sellers’ wife Angie, and their 3 children, Abby, Trey and Peyton, are excited to become part of the fabric that makes Albany and surrounding areas so wonderful.

Ron Fields, D.M.D. | Ken Sellers, DMD | www.southlandkids.com | info@southlandkids.com | (229) 439-8896

129 Flint Avenue | Albany, GA 31701 | (229) 329-4772 | www.sellerstile.com Hometown Living At Its Best

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Maybe you’ve heard of River Pointe Golf Club—that charming country club nestled between the greens and beneath the oaks just down a winding drive off of Philema Road.

It’s possible that you’ve heard a friend boast of their down-home hospitality or their cookedto-order meals; maybe you’re even a member who likes to swing a club from time to time.

If the latter is true, you’ve probably made acquaintance with Toney and Angie Bowles, who have owned the club since July 2015. They are a delightful couple who invite their guests into their “home” welcomingly, speaking to everyone who enters with familiar banter and putting heart into the business that they dedicate their lives to. One figure of the family you might not have noticed while visiting the club, however, is their son, seventeen year old Colin Bowles. Ask any family friend or regular guest, and they will tell you that Colin is a young man mature and wise beyond his years. In fact, one bystander remarked, “[He’s a] Good kid.

Solid kid. Down to earth. Humble. Minds his

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One figure of the family you might not have noticed while visiting the club, however, is their son, seventeen year old Colin Bowles. Ask any family friend or regular guest, and they will tell you that Colin is a young man mature and wise beyond his years. In fact, one bystander remarked, “[He’s a] Good kid. Solid kid. Down to earth.

Humble. Minds his mama. He’s the best young man I know. He’s class, and that comes from the heart. You don’t see many young men with his attitude, and he has to put up with all these old folks!”

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Two of Colin’s biggest fans are Angie and Toney Bowles, parents who have supported his love of the game since he was a toddler and who have owned courses since Colin’s birth. Toney says that Colin wanted to play golf in the beginning just so he could drive the golf cart!

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A member of the National Honor Society who has always maintained an above-average GPA, he endeavors to major in agronomy, the study of grass.

He enjoys learning about the different diseases of grass on the greens, and he wants to be on the course all the time. While some choose to drop out of college and pursue the pros, Colin wants to make sure he acquires his degree before he masters that dream.

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mama. He’s the best young man I know.

He’s class, and that comes from the heart.

You don’t see many young men with his attitude, and he has to put up with all these old folks!” The friend laughs at his own joke as he strolls away, but his comments encompass all anyone has to say about this exceptional teenager who is quiet and does his best to stay out of the limelight. Except when he’s on the golf course, where his gift of the game is hard to overlook.

Because of Colin’s humble nature,

you might never know in first meeting him that he is an extremely talented and dedicated golfer who’s been swinging a club since the age of five and entered his first competition at eight. As a teen, he has competed in at least twenty-seven tournaments and championships since 2014. Presently, he has an extensive resume boasting wins as the 2016 Georgia Junior Player of the Year for his age bracket, and the 2016 Tommy Barnes Award, which is presented to the finest sportsman with the best character on the course. He says of this award, “I value character and sportsmanship as well. I try not to lose my temper.” Laughingly, another old timer breezes by, overhearing, and boasts about this particular attribute of Colin’s saying he wished he had the young man’s even keel in the game himself.

Colin’s caring and composed demeanor seems to be his most well-known character trait among the club members as each one comments on his talent yet his refusal to brag about his seamless abilities. Possibly the most astonishing accomplishment for Colin in 2016 was his winning the Georgia Men’s State Amateur Championship as the second youngest player to ever achieve this feat. In this competition, there are a number of golfers around the state who qualify—eighty-three of those qualifiers were present at the site where Colin began this endeavor. Winning this first leg, he moved on to Atlanta to compete against 144 other players of all ages from around the state playing thirty-six holes of stroke play. The competition shifted to match play as the men progressed into competitive brackets. Many of these players were much older than Colin and have experienced many more years on the golf course, so the teen considered this challenge one merely for exposure. “I just wanted to make the top thirty-two in match

Because of Colin’s humble nature, you might never know in first meeting him that he is an extremely talented and dedicated golfer who’s been swinging a club since the age of five and entered his first competition at eight. As a teen, he has competed in at least twenty-seven tournaments and championships since 2014.

play, so after [I accomplished] that, I was satisfied, and the pressure was lifted because I had achieved my goal. As I progressed, I knew I had a chance [to win] as I got better and better and more excited.

In the end, I was shocked to win the whole thing. I wanted to win, but I wasn’t expecting that out of so many good golfers.” Clearly, the young Mr. Bowles has a gift for the sport, and his passion for the game is evident in his daily life.

Two of Colin’s biggest fans are Angie and Toney Bowles, parents who have supported his love of the game since he was a toddler and who have owned courses since Colin’s birth. Toney says that Colin wanted to play golf in the beginning just so he could drive the golf cart! “When Colin was about three, he would always come to the golf course, and like any kid, he wanted to ride golf carts. The

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Toney and Angie Bowles, who have owned the club since July 2015.

They are a delightful couple who invite their guests into their “home� welcomingly, speaking to everyone who enters with familiar banter and putting heart into the business that they dedicate their lives to.

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Teenagers like Colin are hard to come by in a generation so often distracted by social media with little focus on education or aspirations. Some may have them, but the drive and sheer passion that Colin displays is unmatched. He is a man in a million who has a plethora of golf family and fans backing him from here to West Virginia to Ohio.

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only way I would let him drive it was in the wide open space. Our first hole was right where we could see him from the clubhouse, so I would let him play and ride on the first hole then come straight back to the clubhouse. He would have to stand in the floor beside the steering wheel which was way above his head.

He would steer with one hand and push the pedals with one foot, balancing on the other.” Laughing at the memory,

Toney continues, “They always say it takes a village to raise a child, and he was raised by golf members.” This was evident in a recent tournament in which Colin’s team won the state golf title and he shot a 69, making him the low medalist. His dad and regular caddy was unable to attend, so Colin is pictured smiling with two loyal fans, members of the River Pointe Golf Club. To see the interactions between the young man and the members, it becomes obvious that they are a big, loving family. Angie says of her son, “The biggest thing I admire about Colin is his humility. He doesn’t like attention. He appreciates compliments but doesn’t dote on them.

His work ethic is amazing. You don’t have to tell him to practice; he is selfmotivated and disciplined. If his dad asks him to work on the greens or course, he doesn’t hesitate; he does it, even if it bumps into his practice schedule. One thing I thought was amazing as he was growing up—you can either push a cart with your bag on it or carry it, and he always carried his bag everywhere, even at eight years old, without complaint. I would watch him on the putting green, putt and putt and putt, working on his short game.

He would practice chipping and wedge shots. Even now, he’ll come home from school, eat, and he’s out on the course.”

His favorite player is Phil Mickelson.

He says, “We have similar games. He’s known for escaping out of trouble. Like, if he’s in the trees, he can get on the green or get a good shot. I am like that as well.” It’s one of the few mentions Colin has made illuminating his own talent or technique.

Colin is a young man with passion and compassion beyond others his age, and much of this heart lies in his roots.

His father, whose opinion he values most, is a natural who can miss playing for weeks then come out to shoot under par. His uncle tried to make it on the PGA tour and could have, according to Colin, but he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where he now owns a course. Colin’s twenty-one year old brother is also a good player who took over managing the course Toney left behind in Oceana, West Virginia before moving his family to Albany.

“All of these men affiliated with this golf business,” Angie says, “can PLAY!” The game is in their blood, and Colin is no exception. His spirit and drive have already landed him a spot on the Ohio State team through a verbal commitment since he is not old enough to sign on yet. But unlike many other young athletes, Colin is devoted to putting his education first. A member of the National Honor Society who has always maintained an aboveaverage GPA, he endeavors to major in agronomy, the study of grass. He enjoys learning about the

different diseases of grass on the greens, and he wants to be on the course all the time. While some choose to drop out of college and pursue the pros, Colin wants to make sure he acquires his degree before he masters that dream.

Teenagers like Colin are hard to come by in a generation so often distracted by social media with little focus on education or aspirations. Some may have them, but the drive and sheer passion that Colin displays is unmatched. He is a man in a million who has a plethora of golf family and fans backing him from here to West Virginia to Ohio.

Toney says Albany has welcomed his family and supported Colin like no other. They have strangers that come into River Pointe asking about Colin and telling about how they follow his success. The young man’s dedication has not gone unnoticed now and it certainly won’t in a few years, when he will undoubtedly be making headlines at a whole new level!  ALM

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Margaret Moore is a young lady who has an eye for design, and whose designs

are catching a lot of people’s eyes.

When Margaret Moore’s friends compliment the jewelry she wears to school, they often have a unique opportunity: buying it later that day. That is because Margaret, a 16-year-old sophomore at Deerfield-Windsor School, is a jewelry designer with her own line of handmade custom necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Flint Jewelry by Margaret Moore grew out of a family activity. Margaret and her parents, Angie and Duncan, and siblings, Duncan and Virginia, live in Albany but enjoy spending time on some land they share with another family on the Flint River near Putney. They enjoy snorkeling in the river looking for fossils such as shark teeth.

About five years ago, Margaret wanted to do something with the unique items they found and thought of turning them into jewelry. “I just thought this would be different. They were just lying around the house, but they were so pretty,” Margaret says. “My mom used to have a jewelry business, and she taught me.”

Wherever life takes her this lovely, soft-spoken, talented young lady will keep working to make sure it is beautiful by design, just like her jewelry.

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She began wearing her designs and they started catching people’s eyes. Pretty soon she was selling them, which grew into making custom jewelry for people using their own artifacts such as arrowheads.

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As her interest in jewelry making grew, she began exploring different types of materials. Trips to antique stores led to her adding semi-precious stones such as jasper, to her line. She enjoys working geodes, sea glass, African trade beads, snakeskin, shells, coral, and pave´ diamonds into her designs. She describes her style as “modern, earthy, on trend, and eclectic.”

She began wearing her designs and they started catching people’s eyes. Pretty soon she was selling them, which grew into making custom jewelry for people using their own artifacts such as arrowheads.

As her interest in jewelry making grew, she began exploring different types of materials. Trips to antique stores led to her adding semi-precious stones such as jasper, to her line. She enjoys working geodes, sea

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glass, African trade beads, snakeskin, shells, coral, and pave´ diamonds into her designs. She describes her style as “modern, earthy, on trend, and eclectic.”

Her mom agrees. “She will put things together that I think, ‘I don’t know if I would wear that,’ but it immediately sells to her age group,” Angie says. “But she has something for all age groups.”

The popularity and marketability of Margaret’s

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Although the design end of the business has come very naturally to Margaret – she was that young girl who designed clothes for her dolls – the business end has been more of a learning experience.

Recently the business has become selfsupporting; she buys her own inventory and has new, beautiful boxes and bags to package her jewelry.

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designs became evident about two years ago when on a family vacation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Margaret wore one of her necklaces while shopping at a boutique. A woman in the store asked her where she got the necklace. “I made it,” she answered.

Now, that boutique carries a full inventory of Flint Jewelry.

Back home in Albany, her business was continuing to grow. Margaret has a studio at their house where she makes the jewelry, but selling the pieces from home was becoming overwhelming for the student who also runs track, participates in student government, and is on the dance line.

About a year ago, the Westover Drive gift shop Place on the Pointe began carrying a full line of Flint Jewelry by Margaret Moore.

“They have been one of the most successful merchandise we have carried in the store,” says store manager Honey Hanson. “Our graduates love it. We have a graduate registry, and last year we had a waiting list at the end of the season. She is very popular. People request, ‘Let me know when new stuff comes in.’”

Sometimes new pieces come in after school in the afternoon, if someone liked what Margaret wore that day. She takes it to Place on the Pointe and her friends know they can get it there. They also know that no one else will have a necklace or bracelet like the Margaret Moore design they have.

Each piece is different; she never makes two the same.

“I think that’s what keeps people coming back,” her mom says, “and what is so important to her. And she is constantly changing materials.”

Although the design end of the business has come very naturally to Margaret – she was that young girl who designed clothes for her dolls – the business end has been more of a learning experience. Recently the business has become self-supporting;

As to where else this venture will take her, she isn’t sure, but she does plan to study fashion design in college. She is already visiting colleges when she has jewelry trunk shows for sororities at Ole Miss and the University of Georgia. After college she hopes to work in either New York or California.

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she buys her own inventory and has new, beautiful boxes and bags to package her jewelry. As a teenager, she is also learning to manage her own money. Her income from the business not only pays for personal items she wants to buy, but it also helps finance the mission trips she takes through Global Leadership Adventures. She has been to Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru, and no matter where she travels, she is always looking for new design ideas and materials.

As to where else this venture will take her, she

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isn’t sure, but she does plan to study fashion design in college. She is already visiting colleges when she has jewelry trunk shows for sororities at Ole Miss and the University of Georgia. After college she hopes to work in either New York or California.

“She has a bright future ahead of her,” says her proud mom.

Wherever life takes her this lovely, soft-spoken, talented young lady will keep working to make sure it is beautiful by design, just like her jewelry.  ALM

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Story by Elizabeth Sheffield

Photos by Shae Foy Photography

In the city of Albany, 150 children are listed as being in foster care, but that is a small number compared to the 12,000 in the state of Georgia or the over 400,000 in the United States total. For many children in this situation, it does not have the glamorous ending shown in the movie Annie, and only a small percentage of that large number is “adoptable,” meaning that the parental rights

“These kids need trust, love, and support, which are all those things good foster parents can give. All it takes is one regular, loving adult,” says Lutheran Services of Georgia Foster Care Recruiter Lauren Welch, who is also a foster and adoptive mom to three children herself.

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In the city of Albany, 150 children are listed as being in foster care, but that is a small number compared to the 12,000 in the state of Georgia or the over 400,000 in the United States total.

have been terminated or relinquished.

Instead, many of these children stay in homes until they are passed to another home, waiting for someone to keep them or for their parents to finish the plan set in place to get the children back to biological parents. Twenty to 30,000 of those children in the United States as a whole will “age out” of the foster care system, which means after spending a childhood in different homes, they will turn 18 and be put out to live by their own means. Having a family willing to give the love and support they need to grow and thrive, many of these children’s lives are drastically changed for the better.

“These kids need trust, love, and support, which are all those things good foster parents can give. All it takes is one regular, loving adult,” says Lutheran Services of Georgia Foster Care Recruiter Lauren Welch, who is also a foster and adoptive mom to three children herself.

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Though foster care is meant to be a temporary arrangement, Lauren Welch found herself adopting the first child she fostered only a year and a half after he entered her home. While in her early 20s, engaged to now husband, Joshua, Lauren suffered a stroke, resulting in a brain disorder diagnosis at the young age of 21. When complications had settled, Lauren and Joshua married, and they began wanting children. Doctors, however, told her “no.” After a second stroke and brain surgery, there was no hope of having biological children. A surrogacy doctor gave them an $80,000 price tag, flushing the Welch’s thoughts of having biological children down the drain, but this did not stop them.

Biological genetics was not necessary.

“We very quickly said we don’t need babies from us because that wasn’t a big issue,” says Welch.

Welch and her husband began applying for adoption overseas. “We were denied every time we applied,” says Welch, who stood back up and applied again every time she was knocked down, but to no avail. “It’s hard to adopt babies internationally if you have medical issues. So I was denied left and right. I remember exactly where I was standing when I got each call telling me I was denied.”

Welch and her husband decided to wait it out. As newlyweds, they decided to enjoy each other’s company and not worry over children.

Having a family willing to give the love and support they need to grow and thrive, many of these children’s lives are drastically changed for the better.

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Foster parenting is not always filled with comforting and smiles, as Welch can testify to as well. Being a foster parent isn’t glamorous, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t for the light hearted; however, it is rewarding.

“We were going to save all this money from not having kids and be able to give it to orphan or adoption ministries or start a group home,” she says, admitting that she had no idea what foster care was at the time. “We were just going to see what God had planned for us, where He was going to put us.”

The Welch’s moved toward the end of 2011, traveling with Joshua’s military career. Soon, they began going to a new church where, in a new member meeting, somebody was talking about adopting through foster care.

“We were like, wait, what is this? How do you do that?” says Welch, excitement showing at the memory. But the couple was instantly cautious, knowing from past experience that they would get denied due to Lauren’s medical history. The fellow church member told them that was not the case. Homes for foster children were needed, and Lauren’s medical history would not be a problem. The couple signed themselves up.

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“We all but ran to the office to sign up for the program and get started. It took us about a year to get our house opened, and we opened on a Sunday and got the call for a high-energy two-year-old on Tuesday morning,” says Welch. “That is how desperately they needed a home for a child. That also shows how much we knew about children,” laughs Welch, “because we had never parented. I was 25-years-old, and we were like, all two-year-olds are high energy!”

Much like many children in foster care, the little boy who landed on the Welch’s doorstep was more than a high-energy two-year-old. He had behavior problems, ADHD, had been in other homes in the short years of his life, and had been dubbed by another home as “the worst child they had ever met,” says Welch. Fifteen months later, the high-energy two-year-old turned into the Welch’s forever son.

After living with the Welch’s and being adopted, that same rambunctious twoyear-old now is on honor roll. “He needed structure, and the Department of Family and Children Services suggested a young family with no other children so he could see what it was like,” says Welch. “He needed individual attention. He had some very bad challenges and behaviors, but he was not a bad kid. He was a product of what he had been through. There are no bad children, though, and I don’t think I would have known that had it not been for foster care,” admits Welch. She goes on to say that she knows people see bad behaved children and think negatively, but many do not realize that that child only needs love, attention, support, structure, and the stability that a foster parent or family can provide.

The reward comes through all of this, however, when those same children tell foster parents that they love them. “Foster parents talk about how a child wouldn’t reach out and touch them or look at them because they were neglected or abused; the foster parents say that the children didn’t know what it was like to be hugged, but by the time they left, they were hugging me and didn’t want to let me go because they loved me so much.”

God did not stop showing the Welch’s His plan with this first foster child, however. Foster care was to play a more prominent role in Lauren’s life.

After moving to Albany and working with Habitat for Humanity for a while, Lauren felt God’s push to look for another job. She says she woke up one day, told her husband she wanted to find a job in foster care, and began checking job sites.

“I looked online, and there was the job opening in foster care in Albany with Lutheran Services of Hometown Living At Its Best

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Georgia. I applied, got the interview, and then got the job,” she says, thankful that she realized God’s plan for her to not only foster children, but also to work in foster care, helping more children than she could have ever fostered alone. On top of getting the job in the field she knows God meant for her to work in, the Welch’s continue to foster, growing their family by two more children, with plans for adoption in the works.

Fostering children does not always end in the adoption process the way it has for the Welch’s.

Most foster parents go into the system knowing that their job is to attach to the kids, love the kids who show up at their doorstep, hug those children, advocate for those children, and then, when it is time, return the children to their

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“They all need what my son needed – love, time, and support. It’s what a child needs to make it through, and then be able to look back and see how much they can accomplish in such a short time with just one caring adult. Just one.”

families or let them go to the next stop on their long journey through foster care.

“As a foster parent, the number one thing that you must learn is that your job isn’t to keep them forever. Your job, for whatever period of time God, Lutheran Services of Georgia, the Department of Family and Children Services gives the children to you, is to love them and show them that they matter,” says Welch.

Many foster parents know all about loving and then letting the children go. Welch tells several stories of Lutheran Services of Georgia foster parents who are single moms to several children, fostered, adopted, and biological combined. Welch recounts stories of foster parents having children stay with them from anywhere between two days, two weeks, and two years or longer, and then the children leave. The foster parents let the children go, then go back inside and cry all night and the next day.

“When you are ready,” says Welch, “the foster parents call our case manager, Tywannda, and say, okay, what’s next? They know that their job is to love those kids, and they do. They cry because they loved them. They will always be connected, but then they say okay, when do I do this again, because that is their role.” It also means that foster parents do need their own time to grieve the child or children they become attached to.

In order to play this special role in a child’s life, foster parents must jump through several hoops, including background checks and classes to teach them what to do in certain situations, like the first night a child is placed in their home and the process as a whole.

All potential foster parents have to take a class called IMPACT, which is 24 hours of class that teaches each potential parent the basics of being a foster parent. One activity the parents are asked to

do is to close their eyes and pretend they are one of these children. The parents pretend they are ripped from the only home they know, told nothing, no questions asked, not allowed to grab anything, not even their favorite stuffed animal or anything else. They are placed in a car with a stranger who drives them to a strange house and drops them in the middle of the living room, closing the door behind them. They are asked how they would feel, and they realize that the children who land in their living rooms will feel like this, maybe even worse.

This is where the foster parent takes over, making sure to comfort the child in the living room, to not bombard them with rules and questions, but let them warm to them and the new environment.

“That first night is about comfort and security, smiles and fun, and easing the child into the new home,” says Welch, who helps foster parents learn how to do this, now having done it with three of her own.

In the role of recruiter, Welch is tasked with teaching the new foster parents how to create that night. She is also tasked with seeking out potential foster parents, conducting home visits, and performing background checks on all potential foster parents. For Welch, though, this is more than a job. This is God’s plan for her life, and she plans on helping as many children as she possibly can by bringing into their lives stability and love.

In the end, Welch says she hopes that she has taught others and her children, all of whom came

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taught others and her children, all of whom came to her through foster care, that it is good to help people. “My goal,” she says, “is to let them know that there was hope for them, and that it is good to bring hope to others.”

Foster parenting is not always filled with comforting and smiles, as Welch can testify to as well. Being a foster parent isn’t glamorous, it isn’t easy, and it isn’t for the light hearted; however, it is rewarding.

Foster parents, including Welch, admit that the hard part of the job is experiencing the results of their trauma, like challenging behaviors or mental health issues, which can include melt downs, hateful words, running away, starting fires, and hoarding food at older ages. Foster parents must also make time to take foster children to classes and IEP meetings, advocate for their best interest in educational settings, and provide educational stability in the classroom and at home.

The reward comes through all of this, however, when those same children tell foster parents that they love them. “Foster parents talk about how a child wouldn’t reach out and touch them or look at them because they were neglected or abused; the foster parents say that the children didn’t know what it was like to be hugged, but by the time they left, they were hugging me and didn’t want to let me go because they loved me so much.”

Welch has dealt with this in children she has fostered, children who wonder every day when they will be sent to another home. The children are terrified of being sent to another place, of having to uproot once again in such a short time and to have to change routines and relearn rules.

“Foster parents have the conversation every single day that the children are not going to be sent away because they are bad,” claims Welch. “Every day we have to remind them that it is normal to have those kinds of feelings in foster care.” These calm conversations are sometimes rewarded with good emotions, but sometimes are fraught with negative emotions where screaming begins with Welch and other foster parents alike answering as calmly as possible.

“Sometimes I feel like, I don’t know what is happening right now,” says Welch, who goes on to say that in order to get through those hard times, she hangs on to her love for Jesus, her husband, and the knowledge that things will eventually get better, just like it did with

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her son and just like many other foster parents claim it does. Welch admits that sometimes it does not feel like love is what keeps her plunging back into the depths of foster care, but she does it “because Jesus put this role and plan on our lives. He has led us to this, and He does not lead us astray.” She continues to say that the love and support from her husband is necessary, and she does not know how the single foster parents she works with daily do what they do, but she admires them all the more for it. Being a foster parent is more than just God placing caring adults into these children’s lives; it is being a part of their lives, giving them hope, helping them grow and develop, and not “giving up on these children who have been given up on so much already.”

“All of our foster parents have such neat stories,” says Welch, who wasn’t sure in the beginning that her son would ever make it to where he is now. She remembers when her son was three locking herself in the bathroom to get away from the screaming, to cry alone for a few moments. “Every day was the longest day, longer than the last,” she says.

“Now,” says Welch, “I look at my son and think, ‘Man, did I think you were going to be difficult, but you are such an incredible and caring child.’ But that is my reminder for all of these kids. They all need what my son needed – love, time, and support.

It’s what a child needs to make it through, and then be able to look back and see how much they can accomplish in such a short time with just one caring adult. Just one.”

If you are interested in the possibility of fostering children, you can contact Welch at Lutheran Services of Georgia, located at Trinity Lutheran Church on Whispering Pines road, by phone or email: (229) 291-0022 or lwelch@lsga.org. Fostering and respite parents are needed, and there are more children in need of homes than foster parents currently available, as children from surrounding counties are placed in Albany when there is no one available to take that child in the home county. If you see abuse or neglect of a child, there is also a 24/7 number to call: 1-855-GAChild.  ALM

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Tornado watches and warnings are nothing out of the ordinary for this neck of the woods, so when they began to come in on January 2, 2017 citizens of Albany weren’t too shocked and took to their routine preparation plans. But when the skies darkened and the winds picked up, people were stunned when the north side of downtown Albany was pummeled by 85 mile per hour winds caused by a tornado that would touch down for nine miles lasting only 15 minutes.

Although quick, the damage was significant, uprooting and snapping innumerable oaks famous for lining the city streets and tossing them like toothpicks into houses and cars. Power lines and fences lay tangled in masses and residents were left devastated. Miraculously, no one was killed. Clean-up commenced immediately as the people of Albany united to begin putting their city back together before the unthinkable happened. On January 21 citizens were frozen by the same drones of emergency television buzzers, ominous warnings of more impending storms. Skies darkened again and the weather grew threatening. Sirens wailed and already overwhelmed people took shelter—if they still had it. The first wave of severe weather on Saturday morning undoubtedly terrified residents who were still reeling from the initial devastation, but the city was relieved of any major damage as the squall line pushed through. Again, during the late night / early morning hours of January 21-22, a warm front moved through South Georgia creating a super cell that produced tornadoes to the south of Albany, sparing our city but causing

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The recovery process began again as soon as the winds settled on January 2. The skies had hardly cleared when many loyal citizens began scouring the wreckage of their city, searching for people, assessing damage and collecting resources for those in need. In separate places all over town several groups and individuals jumped into action.

havoc for our neighbors in surrounding counties. Twice the weather stations had cried wolf; twice there was no wolf. So by Sunday afternoon, the people of Albany were settled in front of their flat screens, some gathered with friends, cheering on their beloved Falcons who were battling the Packers for the championship win. The third round of sirens was simply interrupting the game. This final super cell, however,

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would create an F3 tornado producing 150 mph winds that would push through South Georgia on a seventy mile rampage leaving unspeakable damage with at least forty injured and five lives reported lost across Dougherty, Turner, Worth, and Wilcox counties. South Georgia took a double blow in January that it wouldn’t soon recover from.

The recovery process began again as soon as the winds settled on January 2. The skies had hardly cleared when many loyal citizens began scouring the wreckage of their city, searching for people, assessing damage and collecting resources for those in need. In separate places all over town several groups and individuals jumped into action. One of Hometown Living At Its Best

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All of the aforementioned individuals have now teamed up with the Georgia Recovery Project funded by a grant from FEMA and SAMHSA and staffed by Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services and they are part of a crew that is on foot, educating and counseling the people of Albany who are still traumatized or who need simple assistance with post-storm stress. They are a simple call away if needs still persist, both physically and now mentally.

these key players was Stephen Young. He writes, “I needed to do something as a minister with the cold that was about to happen. Stephen Young Ministries, with support from Providence Church, put hands to the plow. So I reached out to people for blankets and coats and warm clothes. That is when Kathy Shemwell told me she wanted to help. So on January 3, we began out of the back of my pick-up truck going door to door in hard hit areas. We used her office as a storage building for donations coming in and we would hit the streets. By that weekend we had a storefront donated to us by FitNation and Quincey Davis. He gave us his Zumba studio to set up a distribution point. We sent people door-to-door with food and care packages as well as clothes and blankets to every area that was hit. We also allowed walk-in victims to come in and pick out what they needed from clothes, cleaning supplies, and other items that we had. We did this until January 20 when we took a little break. Then the second storm hit and we kicked back into gear. This time things got bigger faster. My church, Providence, supported me as a donation point in the first storm and now they were there to partner with us in the second storm. We were contacted by Citi Impact and Jimmy Braddock of IF Ministries. They wanted to help us get set up and get going with the warehouse and help us obtain items that we needed. Bob Brooks donated his warehouse at 239 E. Broad Avenue, and we began opening the doors shortly after.”

Kathy was already in action when she saw Stephen’s posts on Facebook and decided to join forces with him, considering 100

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the degree of suffering Albany had incurred. She recalls, “The people needed help, and they were suffering. They were starving. I took them cold ravioli and they would open the can and eat it right there. I’d go to different churches and find them hot meals and take them to them. I did this for almost three weeks before the second storm hit. That’s when I met Warren.” Warren Earp began his service work aiding Albany victims on a chainsaw crew, cutting trees to help clear debris.

A man of no small stature, he seemed a good candidate for security, so Stephen asked him to help ward off looters who, unfortunately, were prevalent, seeking fortune out of others’ losses. By this time the donation warehouse had transitioned to the East Broad location, where it still operates today through the help of faithful volunteers. Carrie Easter is a team member who came on board in keeping the first store front secure and who was one of the first responders after the January 2 storm; Erin Harrison got her start helping the group through recruiting chainsaw crews and finding resources for people in need; Glori and Michael Coronati have offered whatever services possible since the initial devastation.

Sherry Royal jumped on board receiving donations at the warehouse and working in the field and Miloy Shwartz, a victim herself, is devoted to helping others while her own home and life are being reconstructed. Each of these tenacious individuals recount gripping, heartrending stories of their own experiences from the past few months as they have dedicated countless hours of their own time to lend a hand to the broken

homes and people of Albany through a mission that eventually came to be called Albany Relief + Recovery.

Like several members of AR+R Erin began volunteering immediately then saw Stephen’s posts on Facebook that he had a shelter, so she got in touch with Kathy through him. She then began creating her own posts requesting monetary donations for victims. The response was overwhelming with one generous donor giving $250 for hygiene kits and shelf-stable food. After meeting up with Kathy they began separating items into non-perishables and hygiene bags to pass out in the county and worked that center until late January when things began to slow down as the city found its feet again. On the 22nd, however, when Worth County was hit, Erin knew she would be needed in her own hometown. She says, “I immediately called Kathy to tell her I’d have to pool resources for Worth. I began getting the word out there. But I kept going to her for supplies, tarps, bags, and kits from AR+R for our community.”

That alone goes to show that not only were our people looking out for themselves, but they gave up valuable resources to help our neighbors as well. With help from other volunteers, chainsaw crews, public works, missionaries, church groups, Tom Gieryic from Gieryic’s Automotive and a faithful volunteer from Moultrie who still hauls his personal tractor to help, Erin and company were able to clean up a number of homes to begin getting communities back upright. Without this latter, anonymous volunteer, Erin says the chainsaw crews couldn’t have been nearly as effective. She recounts a story of “one lady that the groups have helped whose reparations have been a product purely of donations because insurance would pay for nothing. That woman was even given a camper to live in while her house was being rebuilt. That’s the kind of help we have received.”

The tremendous outpouring has been overwhelming, but community members need to know that even in June the devastation has not been simply wiped away and the need is still present.

Some of the AR+R members’ stories are heartrending and the compassion they show while telling them is difficult to capture in words. Michael tells one such story that will leave a non-believer in question, “Before the storms on January 22nd I was in a low place. The stresses of life were all too much to bear and things just didn’t seem to be getting any better. I was broken and felt sorry for myself. All I could see was the negative that seemed to dominate my life. The tornado hit Albany in the late afternoon and thankfully my family and home were unscathed. It wasn’t until late that evening that I started really understanding the devastation that had unfolded across town. People were dead, bodies still

While Albany has mostly returned to the normal hustle of daily routine, there are still hundreds sifting through rubble, trying to piece together a past that was shattered within minutes. The volunteers at Albany Relief + Recovery haven’t forgotten about them—about you. They are still working hard in every aspect to aid those still in need or suffering. They are still out in the field going door to door, some of them full time, making deliveries and experiencing the gratitude of citizens who just want to know that they haven’t been forgotten in a partially devastated community. You have not been forgotten!

being recovered and trailer parks destroyed. It was deafening to my ears. Something inside of me snapped and I knew I needed to help my fallen city. I immediately sprung to action and headed straight to the most heavily hit area of town. I found myself searching through rubble within the Paradise Village trailer park. That’s when I realized that the troubles in my life were pretty insignificant considering. I’ll never forget walking into the mobile home of a family who had obviously been celebrating the news of a baby boy. There was food thrown from one end of the home to another, drinks everywhere, blue balloons all over the place and debris littered from wall to wall.

I walked to the kitchen table where I noticed a cake still placed neatly in the center of it. ‘It’s a boy’ was decorated in blue and on the cake was a Bible verse from Psalms. The cake didn’t have one piece of debris in it—not one! It was almost if God had put some kind of force field around it. Amazing. It was the reminder I needed that God was there right in the midst of all the chaos. I knew I needed to continue my efforts with the relief process and that’s when I made my way down to Albany Hometown Living At Its Best

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Relief + Recovery. For a few days I drove around a forklift to help organize the place and then I was asked if I could help with a new project they had cooking up to run the logistics in a specific area of town for volunteer efforts. I jumped at the opportunity. That first weekend changed everything I thought I knew about the human spirit in this city. My friend, Kristin Williams, and I helped dispatch anywhere from 500 to 750 volunteers over the course of two weeks. Chainsaw crews, food deliveries, non-perishables, peoples’ needs being met! I watched a city overwhelmed by a deadly tornado pull together in a way I didn’t think possible. Few things will ever compare to the joy I experienced watching my city truly be #AlbanyStrong when it needed to be the most.” Michael’s wife, Glori, also an AR+R volunteer, says he talked for days about the number of Bibles that lay untouched in broken homes as an awesome reminder of a power greater than themselves. She also shares her own memory of “a woman off Holly Drive that was emotionally traumatized from January 2. She had gotten a brand new shed delivered and things were looking up when those second storms came through and the high winds picked up her new shed and threw it into the trees. She was near an emotional breakdown and just needed a hug.” She also recalls a woman with three adopted children who lost everything.

Among other possessions, letters from the children’s biological mother got blown away or destroyed. This lady went out every day for months, relentlessly searching for her children’s letters to no avail. They will never get those back. Sherry, another AR+R volunteer, also met a woman who has only lived in Albany since October 2016, who hugged her over and over just for the feel of human embrace and compassion. The shared understanding of loss. The physical damage is often seen, but those whose lives have gone on don’t think about the mental trauma that affects storm victims for months after the weather has subsided. The homes may be rebuilt, but the affected people of Albany live daily with reminders and only memories of what they lost in January 2017.

Carrie, involved since January 2, vividly remembers the sound that most people describe as a train when the tornado approached. She describes it as a constant roaring of thunder and says it was over in a matter of minutes—instinctively, she flew into action. With a background as a CNA and a medical kit in hand she left her own community which wasn’t heavily affected and found herself in the Radium Springs area, running toward a group of children and their parents who had been hit by the storm. Their mother was still trapped in the house.

She recalls, “The first thing I did was pray. It was still windy and dark outside from the storm, and the kids were scared, so I huddled them together and asked them if I could pray with them. They agreed, so I did. A few seconds later I noticed one of the little girls had a piece of wood lodged in her thigh. I was able to get most of it out and wrap it so she could get to the

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hospital to get the rest out. I set up a triage place outside of Flash Foods for all the people who were hurt. I teamed up with a doctor there on the scene and we worked together with what we had. Later that night I met up with a team of nurses at the Civic Center. We went out in the field and did search and rescue. I was with Michael Coronati going into homes and searching for people, looking in dryers and dish washers.”

Carrie was with Michael when the ruins of the baby shower and cake were discovered with gifts surrounding, punch and hot wing sauce splattered across the remains of the only walls left standing. She describes it as heartbreaking and tears pool in her eyelids as she remembers the bottles and toys mangled and hanging from trees. Strollers littered across lots and baby dolls staring blindly skyward amidst the wreckage. She says, “When you go home that night, you hug your kids a little bit tighter and for a little bit longer because you never know when you won’t have the chance again. Witnessing that kind of heartbreak really makes you think.”

Stephen’s stories are ones of hope found through prayer and door-to-door ministry. He remembers sitting with families and looking at pictures of what their houses were before versus the wreckage they sat in at the moment. He recalls, “Praying with them. Praying over them. Crying with them. I remember delivering simple mats, pillows and blankets to a home and the children were so excited about not having to sleep on the floor. Tears rolled down my face as I realized the true meaning of thankfulness and gratitude. It made me realize how many little things we take for granted each and every day.” Among many stories, Kathy remembers the devastation right after the tornadoes ripped through, “We headed to the east side and handed out 300 blankets on January 3. There was a huge need. You couldn’t get down streets because of power lines and debris; people were locked in their homes.

I decided to go house to house delivering food, water and toiletries and I found out what people were really in need of.” Kathy’s crew knocked on every door after the first storm and this process helped institute zones, which helped the marines come in and draw up logistics for FEMA and GEMA to evaluate what supplies were needed. She is still dedicated, daily, to finding out what cleaning supplies, home repair, debris removal assistance, or anything else is needed by the people of Albany, and getting those things to them. She says, “People now have case managers, so even if they were denied FEMA and homeowner’s insurance, we are able to help find them resources. Elderly, small children and disabled get first priority. We have helped thousands of people.” She can still be found almost daily on East Broad with Warren, working to find citizens who are still in need.

Warren is a quiet guy when it comes to talking about how much he’s aided in the recovery process. While he began his volunteer work with AR+R cutting trees and helping keep the

warehouse secure, he remains most days at the East Broad warehouse driving a forklift, transporting boxes of goods and keeping good music pumping through Bluetooth speakers.

Warren actually relocated back to Georgia from Florida driven by compassion and a need to help rebuild his hometown. “I got stuck in town during the second storm and decided to quit my job in Orlando and I’ve been doing this ever since. This is where I’m from; this is my home and my home needed me more than Orlando did. I had a good job, but I came back and saw that friends and family were affected by the storms, so I figured it was the right thing to do, to help my hometown out. It’s been rewarding ever since then. We meet new people every day. If we don’t step up to do it no one else will. We are the only distribution center strictly helping storm victims. And we’re much bigger than just that. We are vetting resources, we have case managers, crisis counseling, construction; we’re assessing the needs for materials. We go through companies to find willing donators,” he says, and when asked, Kathy agrees, “I have to keep doing this. I need to because people need it. I drove out Holly Drive and Imperial Drive yesterday and there are still so many people not in homes or living in two rooms with the rest of the house destroyed. Albany is the fourth poorest city in the nation with a 68% illiteracy rate and a 6th grade education or below, so home ownership is low.

Most people affected did not own homes; they were renters.”

Kathy is about numbers and statistics. Her point is—these people now have nothing at all. Where does one possibly begin without a scrap of anything?

While Albany has mostly returned to the normal hustle of daily routine, there are still hundreds sifting through rubble, trying to piece together a past that was shattered within minutes. The volunteers at Albany Relief + Recovery haven’t forgotten about them—about you. They are still working hard in every aspect to aid those still in need or suffering. They are still out in the field going door to door, some of them full time, making deliveries and experiencing the gratitude of citizens who just want to know that they haven’t been forgotten in a partially devastated community. You have not been forgotten! All of the aforementioned individuals have now teamed up with the Georgia Recovery Project funded by a grant from FEMA and SAMHSA and staffed by Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services and they are part of a crew that is on foot, educating and counseling the people of Albany who are still traumatized or who need simple assistance with post-storm stress. They are a simple call away if needs still persist, both physically and now mentally. Most citizens don’t realize that people are still clinging to their half-caved homes because they have nowhere else to go or because they’re afraid looters will make off with their possessions and heirlooms. Some citizens of Albany are still terrified every time the wind picks up or the sky darkens.

They check their weather apps or the local weather reports repeatedly, losing sleep or possibly sleeping too much in order to avoid the fear that a change in weather brings. Help is still available. Recovery from any tragedy can be an arduous process and shouldn’t be sought after alone. Albany will be restored with the help of these loyal citizens, and they won’t quit until they make sure that our town is back to The Good Life City that it once was…or better.  ALM Georgia Recovery Project: 229-430-6037 www.facebook.com/aspirerecoveryproject Albany Relief + Recovery: 239 E. Broad Ave. Albany, GA 31705 229-349-6777 Weather resource: National Weather Service

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Story by Elizabeth Sheffield

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In Janie Deas’ third grade classroom at Lee County Elementary sits a photograph of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman, watching the children daily as they learn, play, and grow. This picture is right where Brittany Lauren Kerfoot would want to be: in a classroom full of young minds ready to learn and expand.

Kerfoot’s dream was always to teach. Her sister, Natasha Golden, remembers a little girl and woman who never wanted anything more than to make a difference in others’ lives.

“She would line all of her teddy bears or baby dolls up, and she would stand in front of them, teaching them. They would get put in time out, and she would sometimes call me, saying, ‘Sissy, you have to be the principal. He needs to go out

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of my room,’” says Golden, realizing that teaching is what Kerfoot was always meant to do.

And teach she did. After graduating from Georgia Southwestern University, Kerfoot completed her student teaching at Lee County Elementary and then moved into a full time position as Baconton’s kindergarten teacher where she found a family. After four years she left for a new adventure as a Lake Park Elementary second grade teacher.

“It killed her to leave Baconton,” says Golden. “I told her she just had to try and she had to see what else was out there or she wouldn’t ever know.”

Kerfoot continued her love of teaching, finding a new family at the new school until her death January 30, 2016, when she died alongside two others, her boyfriend Britt Knight, 40, and Kevin Coalson, 48, in a plane crash shortly after taking flight.

Though her death left a family with one less sister, aunt and daughter and Lake Park students without their teacher, Kerfoot is not done. Her death only took her physical presence, but her spiritual presence remains, not only in a picture sitting in a classroom, but in the many children she touched and in the playground project started by her sister and many of her incredible friends.

After Kerfoot’s funeral in early February, Golden began thinking of doing something in her sister’s memory, something that Kerfoot would have loved. The previous November, Golden’s youngest son, Davis, turned three, and celebrated his birthday party at Chehaw’s play park. Kerfoot, Golden recalled, complained because she was afraid to leave Davis alone. “She said, ‘he’s going to fall and break his neck.

There’s no little toddler toys out here.

There’s no special needs equipment, wheelchair swings, nothing.’”

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At the time, Golden brushed it off.

Chehaw’s play park, built by the community in 1991 through volunteer donations and labor, is currently still able to be played on, but has wood chips that wheelchairs cannot move over and equipment that is in need of refurbishment from the wear and tear of 25 years. “We take for granted the fact that we have children who can play on that equipment,” Golden acknowledges. After she thought about this playground and her sister’s comments, Golden realized this was her sister talking to her, telling her what to do next.

Golden began researching, realizing early on that this would be bigger than what she thought it would be. “We were looking at many different options, including trying to get property donated to build a playground. We couldn’t find anybody to do that, and then I found out that if I did, I would have to carry liability insurance. Then, it dawned on me what Brittany said at Davis’ birthday.”

Chehaw, the same February of Kerfoot’s death, hosted a Valentine’s Day event. At the end of the event, newly minted Executive Director, Don Meeks, stood and said, “I want everybody to know that we are here to help you and your organizations. If there is something we can do, I want you to contact me.” Not long after, Golden and her new board of the Brittany Kerfoot Memorial went to meet Meeks, asking if he was still serious about helping organizations in the community.

Meeks recalls the Kerfoot Foundation saying, “We want to do this. We want to start this foundation to raise money for children in the community and do something good.”

The Kerfoot Foundation’s choosing of Chehaw means, for Meeks that Kerfoot is leaving more than just a legacy to children in the community. Her death was a catalyst for the great things her memorial has planned in her honor, but, because of that, “partnerships are being created between other groups,” Meeks says, “we have people who are helping them that are now also helping us in other

ways. It’s a partnership that is growing, which is what it’s going to take to continue to build this city, too.”

“Don Meeks was incredible,” says Golden about the process of getting her sister’s legacy started. “He said anything we can do, we’ll do.

We’ll do the labor and the upkeep. If you guys will raise the money, all we will want is the gate fee for the park.”

The Brittany Kerfoot Memorial board sat down to discuss the project, how much it would cost, and began to design what is to soon become the new play park at Chehaw.

“After some discussion, they decided they wanted our play park to be the beneficiary of that first money raising,” says Meeks, elated that Chehaw would be picked for Kerfoot’s legacy to help. “We didn’t put any rules on it. We didn’t tell

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The Kerfoot Foundation’s choosing of Chehaw means, for Meeks that Kerfoot is leaving more than just a legacy to children in the community. Her death was a catalyst for the great things her memorial has planned in her honor, but, because of that, “partnerships are being created between other groups.”

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them how they should do it,” he continues.

“We decided to renovate what is currently there. We’re going to add the special needs equipment and toddler equipment to what is already there. We didn’t want to tear it down and it’s not necessary to do that, but there are a lot of things that need a lot of work,” Golden says of the plans for the play park. “We’re also talking about doing a plaque, but then Morgan suggested that, since they have visitors from all over, we do a large sign with her picture and telling about her right at the entrance.”

The first step was to hold the first benefit event to begin raising money. Golden, her board, and several other volunteers organized Brittany’s Spring Fling in May of 2016 hosted by Chehaw. Using Chehaw’s recently built stage, Brittany’s Spring Fling raised around $23,000 of the needed $50,000, all to go toward the Chehaw play park.

“In the seven years I’ve been here, we raised more

money in one day than we have raised in any single event before that,” Meeks says of the Brittany Kerfoot Spring Fling. “People were excited not only about participating in the benefit for Brittany’s memorial, but they were excited that the money was going to the play park and that we finally have the ability to do something down there. It was the perfect storm of people coming together to do something in the community.”

The next step was Brittany’s Birthday Bash, held in October 2016, to finish raising the funds needed to begin work on the playground. Once the work begins, the playground will be done in two phases, retrofitting the existing play park for the handicapped and tackling the smaller children’s side and then refurbishing the walkways and bridges made for older children. “It’s essentially going to create the ability to be probably 80% wheelchair accessible,” says Meeks.

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“I don’t want just one wheelchair swing,” comments Golden. “I want enough special needs equipment that if Lee County is out there with students, then they have enough for more than one student at a time.”

This is the same kind of thinking that Kerfoot would have done, looking at the children above everything else.

For example, Kerfoot was known to stuff backpacks of the children in her classrooms, maxing out her credit cards in order to make sure the children were able to eat.

Golden remembers her talking to her children, Kerfoot’s nephews, saying, “‘You have no idea what it’s like to leave school on a Friday and not eat anything until you get back to school Monday.’ She would say that there are kids like that and would buy crackers and stuff their backpacks.”

Another instance of her bravery and kindness, two words that are part of the Kerfoot Memorial Foundation’s slogan, was her volunteer work with a church in Atlanta.

“She would go out there even with the shootings happening. She said, ‘Sissy, God’s taking care of me. I’m not worried about that. I’m helping these kids.’” One trip out there led her to find five small children whose mother was sleeping. Kerfoot loaded the children in her car, took them home, fed them, bathed them, bought them new

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clothes, and took them back. The mother never realized they were gone. The oldest child made it to Kerfoot’s funeral, grateful for the support and inspiration Kerfoot left her with.

“At her visitation, I looked around,” recalls Golden tearfully, “and Thundering Springs Baptist Church was full. There was no room. People were lined against the walls and outside. I thought, what have I done? I’ll be lucky if a quarter of those people are at my funeral. She impacted those children’s lives forever. It’s amazing how she’s made me strive to be a better person and how one person can make such a difference.”

The Brittany Kerfoot Memorial Foundation says they are not done once Chehaw’s play park is renovated.

Kerfoot’s legacy will live on through the continued stuffing of backpacks, renovation of playgrounds, and anything else the community may need for children. “If somebody were to come to me and say, Natasha, this is horrible or this needs to be fixed, I would say let’s fix it.

My sister would do that. These kids need this. My goal is to continue her legacy of helping kids no matter what it takes from Backpack Buddies to playgrounds and everything in between.”  ALM

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Rarely does an individual’s name align with his or her passions and gifts, but such is the case for Melodie Spencer, a classically trained violinist and singer. The seventeen-year-old Albany native began her musical career at the early age of five after seeing an orchestra play on television. Since then music has become a vital aspect of Melodie’s life.

“Music is a desire that God has put in me, a desire to listen to music and to make music. It’s something that I find joy and comfort in. It’s always going to be there for me in some way.”

When she turned seven, Melodie’s parents gave her a violin and enrolled her in lessons. Melodie’s dedication to her craft was displayed from the start as she spent focused time practicing daily. By age ten, she was able to practice violin four to six hours a day, which is the quantity of time most young musicians excelling in music at that age devote to practicing.

“I loved it. Just like I would wake up and brush my teeth, I would get up and practice. It was just something that I did.” Though Melodie says violin came easy to her at first, she admits the difficulty intensified as she began to build her repertoire of music.

Soon Melodie started performing at venues and participating in music competitions. At age eight,

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she was chosen to play violin in a Master class with Stephen Clapp, former Dean Emeritus of the Juilliard School, and again she played in a Master class with Brian Lewis from the University of Texas at age nine.

When the Annie Moses Band, a group of classically trained family members, came to Melodie’s church, Sherwood Baptist Church, the musicians recognized Melodie’s talent for the violin and encouraged her to continue honing her skills as a violinist. “They heard me play and said, ‘She has potential, and she could be a really good violinist,’” recalled Melodie. “They noticed that I was artistically inclined towards the instrument.”

After taking violin lessons from two teachers in Albany for the first three years Melodie learned about a violin teacher in Atlanta, an alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, who only accepts certain students. “We had heard she only takes advanced students and I was only ten at the time and had been studying for a little less than three

This season of self-doubt vanished as Melodie learned the purpose behind her gift, enabling her to become the confident, self-poised musician she is today. “I don’t find my identity in music, I find it in Christ, but He gives me music to give me purpose in a way,” said Melodie, recalling the times people have approached her after hearing her sing.

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years.” Sonja Foster, a nationally recognized violin teacher, has now been instructing Melodie for the past seven years.

“I took her then because I could see she had an unusual passion for music and desired to express herself through music,” said Foster. “She was slightly beyond beginner stage, but all the qualities of developing into a fine musician were there.”

Though to many her talent was evident Melodie did not realize she could one day make a career out of her passion for music until she won the Samuel Fordis Concerto Competition in 2012. The prize for winning this competition, an opportunity to play a violin solo with the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra in Atlanta,

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gave Melodie the chance to experience the thrill of playing the instrument she loved alongside a group of classically trained musicians.

Among Melodie’s many performances, two other instances display the degree of her talent. At age thirteen, she was a featured young soloist with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra at an American Pops Concert held at Peachtree Presbyterian Church of Atlanta. The second time occurred when she won the Georgia College Concerto Competition at age fourteen.

Melodie even appeared on the Public Broadcasting Station in March 2016, when she had the opportunity to play Principle Second violin in the PBS special

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“Art of the Love Song Orchestra.”

During the same year, Melodie traveled to Pennsylvania as a representative from Georgia to play Principle Second violin on three pieces performed by the National Youth Orchestra 2 alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

From Pennsylvania she travelled to Massachusetts where she spent six weeks at the prestigious Tanglewood Young Artist Vocal Program hosted

by Boston University and the Boston Symphony. During this time, Melodie experienced her first opera role, singing the lead Patina in a scene from Mozart’s “Magic Flute.” At Tanglewood Melodie was chosen out of over sixty young vocalists to have what would be her second encounter with NPR’s “From the Top,” a show featuring talented young musicians that Melodie hopes to be on next year.

Amid her accomplishments and engagements with the violin Melodie’s interest in singing peaked. When asked which her favorite is, singing or playing violin, Melodie smiled, saying she couldn’t choose. “I love music in general. Right now I’m more inclined to singing, but I’ve also had a ton of singing opportunities lately.

It could be just that I’m singing more than I’m playing right now.” Those opportunities have brought Melodie success. She won the Music Teachers National Association music competition at the state and regional levels and this year will be attending the national competition.

Three years ago Melodie began taking singing lessons from a vocal teacher in Atlanta named Sharon Stephenson, who like Foster, is nationally known and recognized for her work. Stephenson received a video of Melodie singing “O Holy Night” from Melodie’s mom and

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was impressed by her talent and composure.

“I was immediately struck by her beautiful soprano voice that was of a pure, unadulterated sound, easily produced and mature for her young age,” recalled Stephenson. “Her performance was also one that showed a professional maturity and a naturalness before an audience. I immediately knew I wanted to help her grow through the next several years.”

As one could imagine, the ability to pursue a dream comes at a price. Supported by the James M. Barnett, Jr. Foundation Grant, a financial grant unique to Albany given to assist in the funding of those pursuing musical studies, Melodie has been able to continue her classical training. Receiving this grant since she was eight-yearsold has provided opportunity for Melodie to compete in music competitions and to make the necessary connections to excel as a musician.

Though Melodie’s four siblings have participated in musicals, Melodie is the only one to seek classical training in voice and violin. The only other family member to play an instrument is her mother who plays piano at their church. As for singing, Melodie’s grandmother sang opera but never had a career in it.

While Melodie is training as a classical singer, she enjoys other genres as well. She is considered to have the technical ability of a coloratura, meaning she can

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execute fast vocal runs containing many notes, and she maintains the depth, color, sweetness and power of a lyric soprano. She practices singing up to two hours a day.

One of Melodies favorite moments as a singer came the first time she sang with an orchestra. During the summer of 2015, she soloed on a song by Preisner titled “Lacrimosa” at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, as part of Fine Arts Summer Academy, a summer camp hosted by the Annie Moses Band. “It was amazing. I love performing,” said Melodie of her experience singing at such a well-known venue.

Performing before large audiences is not as daunting to Melodie as it would be for some. “Everyone always says they can’t tell that I’m nervous, but there’re nerves to begin with. Then, I get lost in the middle of the piece and forget I’m standing in front of a crowd.

I’m just up there playing music—doing what I love to do.”

Melodie’s musical resume expanded again in November 2016 when Sherwood Baptist Church released an album on ITunes called Hope is Rising.

On the album she is featured in a song titled “Psalm 63” alongside Mark Willard, the church’s worship pastor and the album’s songwriter and producer. The song was recorded in front of a live audience at the church. This experience created a new dream for Melodie—one day having a singing album on ITunes.

For now, she and her mom post videos of Melodie’s performances on social media and YouTube.

The video that has received the most views was filmed impromptu in the sanctuary of Sherwood Baptist Church. When singer Jeff Anderson, a member of the vocal group Veritas, came to lead worship at Sherwood this past January Melodie asked him to sing the song “I’ve Just Seen Jesus” with her after the service ended. Her mom posted the video not knowing that soon the video would receive over 3,800 views.

Attributing her success to her faith in God and the support of her family, specifically her mother, Melodie says she could not have gotten to where she is today on her own. “It’s so important that if your child is going to pick up music that you are there for them and you support them. A five or six-year-old is not going to want to go practice for thirty minutes. You have

to teach them to integrate music into their lives every day. I am where I am today because my mom has done that for me. She’s made music a part of my everyday life.”

As for the future, Melodie desires to continue pursuing music. Like every sixteen-year-old she has begun looking at colleges but knows no matter what, music will always be a part of her life. Melodie said though music has always been important for a period of time she fought against the label of being a classical musician.

“I considered myself a classical nerd, and it just made me really awkward.”

This season of self-doubt vanished as Melodie learned the purpose behind her gift, enabling her to become the confident, self-poised musician she is today. “I don’t find my identity in music, I find it in Christ, but He gives me music to give me purpose in a way,” said Melodie, recalling the times people have approached her after hearing her sing.

“I’m able to use it to affect other people’s lives.

Life’s stressful, and it’s hard. When I sing or play on stage, I want people to be able to just forget what is going on in their lives, sit back, and just enjoy the music.”  ALM

As for the future, Melodie desires to continue pursuing music. Like every sixteen-year-old she has begun looking at colleges but knows no matter what, music will always be a part of her life. Melodie said though music has always been important for a period of time she fought against the label of being a classical musician. “I considered myself a classical nerd, and it just made me really awkward.”

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To look at Michelle today, no one would ever know that she has triumphed as a cancer survivor and is even still battling.

She is always running, either in helping patients at the Veranda or caring for her family and horses at home. Knowing that her body is no longer whole and has been wracked with heavy doses of chemotherapy and radiation is impossible. Her face is always painted with a smile, and she’s always cracking a joke and laughing.

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Cancer is a silent killer that affects almost everyone, either directly or indirectly, but no one can quite prepare for the surge of panic when the diagnosis is read. No one, especially a nurse of fourteen years who is always current on check-ups and routine medical examinations, can ready themselves for such news. Michelle Morton, an LPN at the Veranda in Albany and a Leesburg native, received the devastating blow in September of 2015, when doctors told her that she had stage three DCIS (Ductile Carcinoma In Situ), triple negative, inflammatory breast cancer. She was immediately paralyzed with fear and thought, like many do, that she was going to die.

How could a tiny lump consume someone’s life? Doctors confirmed that the lymph nodes were affected, and all she had ever heard about cancer found in lymph nodes involved a death sentence. Overwhelmed with a swell of conflicting emotions, she immediately decided to undergo aggressive treatments at Emory, but not before undertaking her own at-home research endeavors. While her findings proved hopeful, Morton remained worried, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

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But with a moment’s motivation and a glimmer of faith she devised a plan—a plan to live.

Aside from nursing, Michelle has a passion for horses, having owned, ridden, and shown them since the age of six. Before her diagnosis, she was planning to attend a horsemanship clinic under nationally renowned trainer, Michael Gascon. Gascon is famous in the equestrian world for training horses using natural methods rather than heavy equipment or punishment.

This fact, along with his affinity for Michelle’s favorite horse, the Paso Fino, known for its stamina and smooth gait, made her an unwavering fan of Gascon’s on social media for over a year. Some of the things she loves about his work is his renown for winning innumerable Aside from nursing, Michelle has a passion for horses, having owned, ridden, and shown them since the age of six. Before her diagnosis, she was planning to attend a horsemanship clinic under nationally renowned trainer, Michael Gascon. Gascon is famous in the equestrian world for training horses using natural methods rather than heavy equipment or punishment.

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colt-starting competitions, in which horses that have never been touched by human hands are broken seamlessly within three days. He has mastered mustang makeovers, where one trains an unfamiliar mustang to do eccentric tricks (like jumping into the back of a car) within ninety days. Some of the horses he owns have been inducted to the hall of fame, and his skills even landed him a role in the 2014 movie A Fine Step, working as actor Luke Perry’s stunt double. Before her diagnosis, Michelle had been planning to attend one of Gascon’s clinics for months, trying to find one closer to Georgia, but had been unsuccessful. This is why she was beyond shocked when he invited her to his ranch in Poplarville, Mississippi after receiving a letter from her that she would not be able to attend his clinic due to

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She says, “Even though I’m now cancer free, the entire experience provided healing. It gave me daily, ongoing goals. After I left his home, it didn’t matter if I had pain or was sick; I came out to my barn and just sat on a horse, brushed them, and spent time with them. It got me out of the bed. It kept me motivated to keep going forward. And Michael was a key player in keeping that passion alive within me. He gave me purpose to beat stage three cancer.”

undergoing immediate, aggressive treatments to begin her battle with cancer.

Michelle says, “I had been planning to go to his clinics for months, trying to find one close to my area. The clinic I’d bought tickets to was at the same time I got diagnosed and started treatment, so out of hopelessness at the moment, I wrote to Michael and told him my situation, planning to attend the clinic at a later date. To my surprise, he responded immediately, telling me to call him. He offered to have me come to his ranch in Poplarville for a one-on-one session to whatever length I desired. I was stunned and overjoyed! It was like winning the lottery!”

Morton had no hair when she went to Poplarville; she traveled there during what she deems the most vulnerable time in her life. Despite her efforts to remain strong, she felt she had no dignity, no self-

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worth. She could not look people in the eye. Her body and mind were infiltrated with cancer, but for ten days, Gascon offered his home and services to her—an offer unheard of that she likens to a young basketball lover hanging out with Michael Jordan.

The experience was indescribable for her. She says, “Michael gave me hope and meaning. He made me have worth and purpose and drive enough to want to overcome any fear or obstacle cancer could have brought to the table.” She feels that now, not only has she developed a friendship and garnered a lasting learning experience, she has gained another family in the Gascons. “The lessons didn’t end with my ten-day session; they started there. Not only did he teach me horse-training, he gave me life skills to overcome anything, especially fear. He makes me listen to motivational speakers every morning and teaches me to think that anything is attainable as long as I think I can do it. I am now part of the Gascon Avengers, which is a team of family and friends that promote clinics, horse sales, and merchandise, and we stand behind Michael in any way possible.” The Gascon family even brought one of their clinics to Morton’s farm in March, working with families that traveled from as far away as Virginia to take part in the excitement and learn to become partners with their horses. The clinic was a dream come true for Michelle and a success all around.

At this point in time, Michelle is preparing to have a second mastectomy and hysterectomy—procedures that she can’t help but feel depreciate her value as a woman. The assets that once made her feel attractive and effeminate are being slowly taken away, although the procedures mean survival for her. In the end, another aspect of her survival has been the mental and physical therapy she has received from Gascon

and her own horses. The clinic he brought to her farm was simply icing on the cake. Several professional horse trainers came just to have Gascon work with their animals—that is pretty impressive, according to Michelle. She says, “Even though I’m now cancer free, the entire experience provided healing. It gave me daily, ongoing goals. After I left his home, it didn’t matter if I had pain or was sick; I came out to my barn and just sat on a horse, brushed them, and spent time with them. It got me out of the bed. It kept me motivated to keep going forward. And Michael was a key player in keeping that passion alive within me. He gave me purpose to beat stage three cancer.”

To look at Michelle today, no one would ever know

that she has triumphed as a cancer survivor and is even still battling. She is always running, either in helping patients at the Veranda or caring for her family and horses at home. Knowing that her body is no longer whole and has been wracked with heavy doses of chemotherapy and radiation is impossible.

Her face is always painted with a smile, and she’s always cracking a joke and laughing. She credits the Gascons with so much of her recovery process and works daily toward the goal of carrying on the Gascon legacy for the love of horses and a passion for helping others. She hopes that, one day, she might do for another what Michael did for her.  ALM

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Windsor Ho Guests can enjoy dinner in the beautiful Rosemary & Thyme Restaurant, an upscale American restaurant creating flavorful food from the freshest ingredients that the season offers.

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S t o ry by

Lexi Anthony

P h ot o s by

S h a e F o y P h ot o g r a p h y

Albany residents remember when the Sisters began catering out of Wagner’s Barbeque until they felt the need to find their own restaurant and kitchen to call their own. Albany residents still travel to Thomasville to visit these sweet sisters and enjoy the delicious food that wouldn’t have been possible without their support through the good times and the bad times.

While venturing through downtown Thomasville, the excitement seems to build as I cross the railroad tracks and find my parking place at the train station. I am not embarking on an adventure aboard a mode of transportation, but I am about to travel back in time as soon as I pass through the heavy doors of Sass.

When I walk up the steps and go into the train depot, it is as if I stepped into the good ‘ole days of the South where the tea was sweet and the company was even sweeter. I quickly begin to absorb the sights and smells that fill the refurbished train depot. The smell of fried chicken cooked to the perfect crisp and sweet bread pudding that is like a taste of home overtakes my senses and instantly makes my mouth water.

After being seated at my table, covered in a white sheet of paper serving as a table cloth and ordering a cold Arnold Palmer fit for nothing less than this hot summer day, I instantly begin to look for the friends who have become my family over the years.

Albany natives, Suzette Wagner and Amy Martin, are the masterminds behind SASS, otherwise known for their namesake The Sweet and Savory Sisters.

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“It was just wishful thinking and daydreaming about it.”

After catching Suzette’s eye, she travels across the restaurant to my table where she catches me in a hug, and her husband, Rick, follows to do the same.

The Sisters have known me my entire life and have watched me grow from a little girl with big dreams to the woman pursuing them; I have watched these two incredible women make their dream a reality.

I watch the waitress carry the scorching iron skillet filled with Big Bo’s pimiento cheese dip to my table to quiet my growling stomach. As I grab a piece of toasted bread and spread the creamy, delectable dip across it, my meal has begun and so has the Sisters’ story. When coming into the restaurant, customers cannot fully understand the 160

albany living magazine

Albany natives, Suzette Wagner and Amy Martin, are the masterminds behind SASS, otherwise known for their namesake The Sweet and Savory Sisters.

dreams, prayers, hard work, and sacrifices that went into bringing this southern food with a touch of Cajun flair to their taste buds. As I sit with Suzette and Amy talking about their small business, they can’t help but smile, laugh, and joke about everything it has taken in order to get here. Owning their own restaurant both of the sisters declare “had been a dream of ours for 10 years.” At first, they “catered out of Wagner’s Barbeque” but their own place to cook and call home was always at the back of their minds.

“It was just wishful thinking and daydreaming about it.”

As the Sisters searched to make their dream a reality, they came across the train depot, which was

Bringing a smile to people’s faces and serving good groceries serves as the sister’s main motivation. a diamond in the rough. Suzette adds that, “The building is gorgeous. It just needed some life and love, and we gave it to it. We truly have.” Forty-two days after contacting the owner of the depot, the Sisters had their very own restaurant, but there was a lot more work to be done.

The design and décor of the restaurant gives customers the feeling of coming to a place where time stops and all that matters are good food and a lot of laughs. The actual vision for the restaurant came to Suzette a year before the dream actually became a reality.

“I had written Amy a poem of what I saw and the vision. I saw mismatched tables and chairs and this look. I wrote about it, and I’ll be darn if it almost wasn’t to the ‘t’ exactly what we got.”

Amy reflects on the early days of the restaurant by stating, “Suzette and I still worked full time jobs in Albany, and I was traveling with my job. On my

“The people that come from Albany are so supportive of us, and they know how hard we worked to get here. They knew what a dream it was and there were not great times between that. There was a struggle and then the door opened.”

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way home, I’d stop by the restaurant and work.”

Though it took the hard work of family, friends, and relatives, the Sisters add that the kindness and support of the community helped them greatly.

“We met some fine people that helped us get here. Everybody from the health inspector to the building inspector.

Everybody was willing to help us, and it was just amazing.”

After a lot of sweaty weekends filled with painting, lifting, and working to create Suzette’s vision, the Sisters had to come up with a great name for their restaurant because “The Sweet and Savory Sisters is a mouthful. We were at this girl’s house and she was like Sass cause y’all are sassy women. We were like you’re doggone right.” As they both burst out laughing, it is plain to see that the name suits them quite well, and they enjoy nothing more than stating, “I like how people can say ‘Let’s go to Sass and eat.’”

Though the Sweet and Savory Sisters call Thomasville home, they could never forget those who supported them in their hometown of Albany: “The people that come from Albany are so supportive of us, and they know how hard we worked to get here. They knew what a dream it was and there were not great times between that.

There was a struggle and then the door opened.” Albany residents remember when the Sisters began catering out of Wagner’s Barbeque until they felt the need to find their own restaurant and kitchen to call their own. Albany residents still travel to Thomasville to visit these sweet sisters and enjoy the delicious food that wouldn’t have been possible without their support through the good times and the bad times.

The waitress returns to my table reaching for the skillet that once held the delectable, rich dip, and I hold out my hand to signal her to stop as I reach my spoon into the dish to attempt to retrieve the last bit of my appetizer filled with cheesy comfort.

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Honestly, calories never seem to count when you’re with the sisters.

I stare at the condensation that has accumulated around my second Arnold Palmer, but instantly become as thrilled as a child on Christmas morning as my entrée makes it to the table. I stare at the bowl presented beautifully with Shrimp étouffée on top of a mound of dirty rice that contains more food than any person should eat in one sitting. I, however, accept the challenge whole-heartedly. As I grab my fork and the first bite reaches my taste buds, the wonderful mix of spice, flavor, and creaminess do a dance in my mouth and live up to the phrase, “Get in my belly good.”

This dish fully exemplifies everything about the sisters because it is their own unique recipe that stays true to their Cajun roots while also incorporating the idea of Southern comfort food.

The sisters are unique but down to earth much like this famous dish. Folks travel from all around not just for the great food but also to meet and chat with these sassy sisters. They each hold different roles within the restaurant other than part-owners.

“Suzette’s the front of the house and she’s the face that most of the time the families deal with, and I am in the kitchen. I do all of the cooking and all the catering.”

The Sisters also do their fair share of work other than their designated roles, “One of us or both of us are here from the time we open to the time we close.

Always. We’re hands on. Yesterday I scrubbed, swept, and mopped these floors. I’m not going to ask any

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person here to do something that I wouldn’t do.”

The best way to describe each sister’s personality is through what they know best: food. Suzette describes herself as, “beignets because I’m sweet, light, and fluffy,” however, Amy is “Cajun seasoning because I have a lot of flavor and I pack a mean punch.”

This perfectly matched team attribute their success with the restaurant, catering business, and event center because they put everything they have into a dish or event, “That’s what people come back here for. We give them the wow. Plus, they couldn’t help but love us.”

Bringing a smile to people’s faces and serving good groceries serves as the sister’s main motivation.

“That’s what motivates you. It’s pleasing people and that’s all we ever wanted to do. We just absolutely thrive on making other people feel good. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

The inspiration behind most of the dishes, design of the restaurant, and the dream itself is the Sisters’ mother, Susan Beauchamp: “We wouldn’t have this place at all if it were not for our mother. She truly believed in us and gave us the money to do it. She just knew it had been our dream, and she was so supportive and proud of us. She wanted to see us succeed.” To which Amy adds, “She was our life.”

After passing away earlier this year, the sisters say

that her influence is not forgotten at the restaurant.

“Her picture sits on the bar and watches everything that goes on in the entire dining room.” In fact, she left a great impression on the menu because most of the recipes originated from her kitchen. Amy states that, “The dishes are named after her so one of our most popular appetizers is the Big Bo’s pimento cheese dip. They’ll holler Big Bo’s. Constantly her name is brought up every day, and it just makes me smile to hear it. She’s here all the time.”

As I devour the final bite of my entrée, I feel as if I might just lose the button that is now holding my jeans together with faith and prayer. I look over to notice that Suzette is talking to a group of people who seem to be celebrating a special occasion and insists that they have dessert. Come to find out, the special occasion was a wedding at the courthouse, and the bride and groom had chosen Sass as the first place to visit as husband and wife. To the Sisters, dessert is the sweet, sticky glue that holds and brings people of all walks of life together. Therefore, since I am practically their family, they make sure that I have some kind of dessert in me before I walk out of the doors of Sass. I exhale deeply and grab my spoon as I dig into the Mountain Dew peach cobbler. The first buttery bite bypasses my stomach, I’m sure of it, and travels right to my soul. Sass’s dessert menu is filled with rich, sweet treats that are age-old recipes full of flavor and made with love. The Sisters fill their lives with plenty of love to spread to family, friends, employees, and customers. However, it does not matter who you are or where you’re from.

The Sisters will always treat you like family. Family has proven to be one of the greatest factors in the Sisters’ success and lives. They reflect that other than the restaurant, raising their children, or “the chickens,” has been their greatest accomplishment.

“Amy and I were trouble and you can write that because everybody knows it. Our kids make us proud because we gave them values, they stuck with it, and they work so hard here in the restaurant.” They also reflect that, “It’s family that got us here and put us here. Our employees are our family. They really are.”

Customers are also treated as nothing less than

family at Sass: “When they leave, I want them to feel like they just left a family reunion. That they came to be with their family and that they celebrated to the fullest.”

I push the empty plate that used to be filled with cobbler and ice cream away and realize that I must leave the good food and warm atmosphere that the restaurant offers and travel back to Albany.

However, I feel no remorse because I know I will return again soon. It may take an hour and a half down a country highway, but the drive is worth seeing these Albany natives known as The Sweet and Savory Sisters. After taking the final sip of my third Arnold Palmer and exchanging hugs with Amy and Suzette, I walk out of the train depot and back into the reality of the world. Standing on the patio as a cool breeze tousles my hair a bit, I glance back at the doors leading into this wonderful destination one last time and smile, thinking about what’s next for these two incredible women. A cookbook, a TV show, and possibly an appearance on Saturday Night Live all await the Sweet and Savory Sisters, and I am more than excited to be able to sit back and watch.  ALM

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s Making Wave

close bonds Adam Gilbert’s ily is what with his fam influence and continues to to this day. him e driv

Way Leading the

ron Manager Sha Albany City to know ts everyone ny.

Subadan wan day in Alba that it’s a new

We hear it all the time. Readers don’t want to miss an exciting issue of Albany Living Magazine.

Now you can make sure a copy is delivered right to your home, so you’ll never miss a story.

e The Simple Lif

who has is a young lady Margaret Moore igns are and whose des an eye for design, s. eye s people’ catching a lot of Hometo

gner s owner, desi Small busines t Daphine taught artis t. and now selffining her craf Martin is rede

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Index of Advertisers AB & T Gold …......................................................................…. 123 Adams Exterminators ……........................................................... 92 Agrium …...............................................................................…. 153 Albany Air Conditioning & Heating ……...................................... 136 Albany Area Chamber of Commerce ……................................ 24-25 Albany General Tire …............................................................…. 140 Albany Living Magazine Subscription …….................................. 175 Albany Mall ……......................................................................... 137 Albany Motor Cars & BMW ……........................... Inside Front Cover Albany Technical College …….................................................... 140 Albany Urology Clinic ….............................................................…. 5 Allen’s Jewelers ……................................................................... 141 Allergy & Asthma Clinics …..................................…. 95, Back Cover Art Sign Company, Inc. ........................................................……. 67 Austin’s FireGrill ...................................................................……. 79 Backwoods Outdoors ….....................................................…. 38-39 Berg Eye Group …..................................................................…. 157 Best Western Plus Windsor Hotel ……........................................ 157 Bliss Nails Spa …….................................................................... 172 Cleanstart Professional Cleaning ……........................................ 171 Colony Bank …........................................................................…. 66 Custom Interiors ……................................................................... 81 D & D Kitchen Center ...........................................................……. 77 Dale Hodges Agency, LLC ……................................................... 152 Deerfield-Windsor School ……................................................... 152 Dental Partners of SW Georgia …..........................................…. 141 DJ’s II Car Wash & Quick Lube …...........................................…. 120 Doublegate Country Club …..................................................…. 154 Dougherty Glass Co. …..........................................................…. 172 Dunn’s Business Services …..................................................…. 104 Duren Paint & Body Shop ….................................................….. 166 Elegance Nails …...................................................................…. 173 Elements Coffee Co. …..........................................................…. 155 Fast Copy & Blueprint …........................................................…. 166 First State Bank of Albany ….................................................…. 154 Fleming & Riles Insurance ….................................................…. 120 Flint Community Bank …....................................................…. 10-11 Georgia Center MedSpa ….................................................…. 26-27 Harvey Well Drilling ….............................................................…. 2-3 Healing Hands Massage …....................................................…. 172 Hickory Grove Storage ….......................................................…. 125 Hinman Pool Supply ……............................................................168 Hope City United …..................................................................…. 93 Huggins Outboard …..............................................................…. 107 Hutchins, Clenney, Rumsey, Huckaby, P.C. ……......................... 136 Ivey’s …….................................................................................. 123 James Culbreth Photography …….............................................. 172 Journey Counseling ……..............................................................168 Kay Fuller Interiors ……...............................................................169 Kimbrell-Stern Funeral Directors ……........................................ 173

Knight’s …..........................................................................…. 125 Knight’s Appliance & Mattress ……........................................ 139 Lancaster Village ….....................................................…. 167-169 Logic4design ……................................................................... 170 Longleaf Dental …..............................................................…. 139 LRA Constructors, Inc. …....................................................…. 124 Medical Associates of Albany …….......................................... 121 Mellow Mushroom ……............................................................. 37 Merry Acres Inn & Event Center …............................................. 94 Millie Mac Photography …..............................................…. 50-51 Modern Gas …....................................................................…. 108 Newman’s Bar & Grill ……......................................................... 79 Oakland Plantation …...........................................................…. 23 Obsession Bows …..............................................................… 106 Oxford Construction …........................................................…. 119 Paul Anderson Youth Home ….............................................…. 174 Pellicano Construction …....................................................…. 155 Phoebe ….............................................................................…. 80 Plantation Collision Center ….............................................…. 156 Prince Automotive of Albany …...........................................…. 122 Pro 1 Collision ……................................................................. 166 Pro Outdoor Landscape Management …..............................…. 65 Renasant Bank …...............................................................…. 138 Rental Depot …....................................................................... 138 Royal Collection, Inc. ……........................................................167 S L Sausage, Co. ….............................................................…. 156 SafeAire Heating & Cooling ….................................................…. 1 Sellers Tile ……......................................................................... 53 Shae Foy Photography …....................................................…. 109 Smallcakes ……...................................................................... 173 Southern Pines Senior Living ….......................................…. 40-41 Southern Point Staffing …….............................. Inside Back Cover Southland Children’s Dentistry …….......................................... 52 Southwest Farm Credit …...................................................…. 121 Southwest Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, LLC …...................…. 7 Speed Shop & Truck Accessories …....................................…. 166 Stewbos …............................................................................…. 94 Sunbelt Ford Lincoln ….........................................................…. 78 The Flower Basket …...........................................................…. 153 The Kinnebrew Co. …..........................................................…. 173 The Staffing People …...........................................................…. 64 U Save It Pharmacy …….......................................................... 170 Westover Animal Hospital ……................................................ 124 Westwood Apartments …...................................................…. 122 Wild Side Running ……............................................................169 Willson Hospice House …...................................................…. 137 Women’s Health Professionals ……........................................ 105 WoodmenLife …..................................................................…. 171 World Camp Crossfit ….........................................................…. 91 Wynfield Plantation ….............................................................…. 9

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also...

Making Waves Adam Gilbert’s close bonds with his family is what continues to influence and drive him to this day.

Leading the Way Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan wants everyone to know that it’s a new day in Albany.

Margaret Moore is a young lady who has an eye for design, and whose designs are catching a lot of people’s eyes.

The Simple Life Small business owner, designer and now self-taught artist Daphine Martin is redefining her craft.

H o m e t o w n L i v i n g at i t s B e s t