Rotarian Jane Jerry

Prior to moving to Highlands in 2011 to become executive director of The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts, Jane Jerry lived and worked in Houston, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Dublin, Ireland.

“During my interview [with The Bascom] someone asked how I would feel about living in a very small town,” said Jerry. “I had wondered about that myself. But I’d spent every summer growing up in Randolph, N.H., (year-round population of 310). I had fond memories of the smell of the pine trees and the warm embrace of all the families who lived in Randolph year ‘round. I happily moved to Highlands.”

Shortly after arriving in Highlands, Jerry was inducted into Highlands Rotary. “I realized there was no better place to network and to meet year ‘round residents of Highlands, as well as ‘Red Badgers’ (summer members). In addition to meeting business owners, leaders of local non-profits, and retirees, I was quickly absorbed into a great variety of community events where Rotarians volunteer,” she remembered.

Jerry knew about the importance of Rotary and its impact on individuals and communities because her niece was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Finland. “She’s quick to explain that the experience changed her life. I now find myself proselytizing to all young people to explore the opportunities Rotary offers.”

Besides a focus on young people, Rotary Clubs support countless

Jane Jerry

community efforts, and Jerry pointed out that “nothing could make me prouder than Rotary’s support of our local Covid-19 vaccination clinics.”

Highlands’ Rotary Clubs are accessible to people of all ages and stages of employment. “I’m a member of the Noontime Club, which meets at noon at the Community Center. I’ve also enjoyed attending meetings of the Mountaintop Rotary, which meets at 5:00 P.M. at the Episcopalian Church of the Carnation in Highlands.” (Both clubs have offered virtual Zoom meetings.)

After more than a decade of living in a small town, Jerry reflected, “Now that I’m retired from The Bascom, I’m one of those people who rarely ‘goes off the mountain,’ … treasuring the smell of pines, and still evangelizing about Rotary!”

by Deena Boukinght photo by Susan Renfro

Rotary International involves 1.2 million people who participate in more than 35,000 clubs worldwide.

Three of those clubs are located right here on the Plateau: Highlands Rotary, Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley, and Rotary Club of Highlands-MountainTop. All are undergirded by the same goals and mission, which is to “see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Each year, Rotary members from all over the world converge to discover new opportunities, to network, and to broaden the clubs’ reach. However, the pandemic continues to affect events and Rotary International is not immune. The 2021 Rotary International Convention will be held virtually this year, June 12-16.

At this annual convention, Rotarians are reminded that Rotary is about making a difference not only in local communities but globally in areas of fighting disease, supporting education, growing local economies, and much more.

Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley shares on its website Rotary International’s President-elect Holger Knaack’s theme for 202021, Rotary Opens Opportunities, which asks Rotarians to “create opportunities that strengthen their leadership, help put service ideas into action, and improve the lives of those in need.”

And all clubs, including the three on the Plateau, approach all efforts using the Rotarian 4-Way Test approach, established by a Rotarian in 1932: “Of the things we think, say or do: 1) Is it the TRUTH? 2) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 3) Is it FAIR to all concerned? 4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

Rotarians globally and locally support one another. It is not uncommon for a Rotary member in one club to attend other clubs’ meetings.

“Fellowship is an important part of Rotary life …,” wrote Zach Claxton, Highlands Rotary 2020-21 president.

And the three clubs have experienced tremendous fellowship over the last few months through volunteer efforts to eradicate COVID-19 through vaccination. Expressed Michael Burel, secretary, Rotary Club of Highlands-MountainTop, in an April report, “The outpouring of support has built a spirit of volunteerism and community pride that will outlive the pandemic.”

by Deena Boukinght

The future of animal welfare really doesn’t have much to do with animals. That may sound strange, but it’s true.

The future of animal welfare actually has everything to do with children. If we teach children kindness towards animals, compassion for their survival, and a respect for the habitat that we share…then it is not much of a stretch to believe that these kids will grow up to respect others who are different from themselves, who will be kind to each other, and who will work together to make our beautiful Plateau a safe, friendly and welcoming home for all creatures great and small.

That’s the core mission of the CHHS Critter Camp that we introduced in 2019. Critter Camp features fun and interactive experiences with animals at our no-kill shelter; humane education programs including canine body language, dog bite prevention, and responsible pet ownership; dog training demonstrations; plus exciting guest presentations by animal welfare experts, wildlife biologists, and law enforcement K9 officers. The camp experience concludes each week with a Friday afternoon “Graduation Hike” with CHHS shelter dogs.

Critter Camp is Monday-Friday 9:30 A.M. - 3:30 P.M. and is tentatively scheduled for three weeks: June 21-25, July 12-16, and July 26-30. Please note: this schedule may have changed by publication time, so please call us at (828) 7435752 to confirm dates. Each week of Critter Camp is $250 per child and is open to rising second-graders through rising fifth-graders. There will be a maximum of 12 children in each camp. A limited number of scholarships are also available. For more information or to schedule a reservation for your child or grandchild to experience what one Critter Camper said was “the best week of my life,” please call the shelter or email jodi@chhumanesociety.org.

Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, one-and-a-half miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64. Visit us online at chhumanesociety.org or call CHHS at (828) 743-5752. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.

by David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society

There’s no mistaking the mood in the Peggy Crosby to enjoy and learn about the gardens on a more intimate level. Center gardens these days. With continued support The colorful new signs not only identify the intention of the from The Laurel Garden Club and a generous grant gardens, but also offer educational opportunities through the from the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the grounds are interpretive components of their design. There’s even a QR now adorned with beautiful new signage to accompany the code that leads visitors to the Peggy Crosby website to learn lovely Peggy Pollinator Gardens. more about the gardens and the organization.

Plans were already in Stroll by Peggy’s Garden motion to create educational Stroll by Peggy’s Garden and soak up the sights, and soak up the sights, signage in the garden before fragrances, and buzzing pollinators doing their fragrances, and buzzing the pandemic, but with fertilizing fly-bys. pollinators doing their assistance of the Chamber’s fertilizing fly-bys. Perhaps “Waking the Mountains” you’ll follow suit and start grant last year, the Center a small pollinator garden was able to take the message of environmental stewardship to in your own yard. And don’t forget to support all the businesses another level. and charities Peggy houses (in addition to bees, butterflies, and

The two new garden signs are made of high quality aluminum hummingbirds). panels with stunning ecological graphic designs to convey the For more garden info contact Canty Worley: cantyworley@ importance of pollinator habitats. icloud.com.

Taking walks became a favorite pastime for many people during the pandemic. With Peggy’s prominent position on by Canty Worley The Highlands Plateau Greenway, there was an opportunity to enhance the possibilities for passersby (both locals and visitors)

If April showers are any indication of May flowers, we our days. You can only imagine the magnitude of hair we ought to have a banner crop this year! can curry and brush off daily. We don’t waste it, instead

The Bradford Pears, first to bring us a show, have it all goes outside for the birds to use it while they build bloomed a little early. They are magnificent as I prepare their nests. Most will make a very fluffy, horsehair center this article. for their eggs and babies to sit upon. I have an amazing

At the same time the collection of centerflowers are popping, At the same time the flowers are popping, the new horsehair nests. I can the new leaves on the leaves on the trees are showing us incredible hues of tell which horses’ hair trees are showing us incredible hues endless shades of green. contributed to the comfort of the baby of endless shades of birds. green all the way up the Our other Spring mountainsides. activity is getting the

And for those of us who rely on the native Highlanders’ horses exercised for summer activities. They all get the wisdom that May 15 is the date to plant our vegetable winter off and slowly we work them back into shape. This gardens – the last freeze is behind us, so we heed the is one of my favorite times of the year. instructions and begin planting on the 15th. I’m not If you’d like to help with any of our activities please saying that it isn’t difficult to see all the plants and flowers email, blair.carpediem@gmail.com and volunteer. down the mountain and desperately want to fill the beds and pots with color, but time and experience has taught by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms us to be patient.

Nature provides the same for the horses. They begin to shed their winter coats as warmth and more sunshine fill

After more than eight months of searching for “just the right fit,” The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation and Blue Ridge Health have announced the recruitment of two new physicians to the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau - Ann Davis, MD; and Kristy Fincher, DO.

Dr. Davis and Dr. Fincher will begin seeing patients in late June at the new Blue Ridge Health – Highlands Cashiers location on the campus of Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in the Jane Woodruff Clinic.

Dr. Davis is a graduate of Duke University, and the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. She completed her residency at Hinsdale Family Medicine Residency in Hinsdale, Illinois in November 2011. As a Board-Certified Family Medicine physician, Dr. Davis brings 10 years’ experience in outpatient family medicine, comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages, and chronic disease management.

She’s held several teaching preceptor positions including an adjunct professorship at Midwestern University.

Most recently she practiced family medicine at Novant Health in High Point, North Carolina, as Chair of City Family Medicine.

Dr. Davis’ broad experience in several practice settings provides the basis for her passion to care for the “biopsychosocial entirety of a patient.”

“I’m committed to partnering with patients to help them live their healthiest life,” she says.

Dr. Davis also has interests in medical teaching, population health, and advocating for equitable healthcare access for all people.

Dr. Fincher is a graduate of Erskine College, and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She completed her residency at AnMed Health Family Medicine Residency Program in Anderson, South Carolina.

Dr. Fincher comes to us with extensive experience in Family Medicine with proficiencies in women’s health, lifestyle and nutritional medicine, sports medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatments.

Dr. Fincher’s passion for treating “everyone in the family at one location” set her apart during the search for a physician for Blue Ridge Health – Highlands Cashiers.

“I’m excited to join this tight knit community and use my skills to treat everything from a sprained ankle to a mother-to-be,” she says.

“The combined interests and skills of both Dr. Davis and Dr. Fincher are what make them a great fit for our community,” said Dr. Richard Ellin, Foundation Board member and leader in the physician recruitment process. “They both enjoy serving patients of all ages and backgrounds and Dr. Davis’ love for teaching aligns with the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Rural Teaching Program associated with UNC Health Sciences, planned for this health center.”

“We’re fortunate that these delightful Drs. have chosen to relocate to our Highlands-Cashiers plateau area and look forward to warmly welcoming them to our friendly mountain communities,” said Foundation Chair Dr. Walter Clark.

Kristy Fincher, DO Ann Davis, MD

Back Row, L to R: coach Lee Scruggs, Nate Brafford, Carl Thorpe, Coach Ryan Gearhart; Front Row, L to R: Ricardas Butkus, Reid Carrier, Theo Antinori, Alex Taylor, John Tastinger II, N’fari Benjamin

High school sports have always played an important role in our community, none more so than basketball because, as we all know, much of our blood has a tinge of Carolina or Duke Blue running alongside the NC State Red.

Many of our players have the skills to continue to higher levels of the sport but not often the chance, since our conference is small and opportunities limited.

That’s all changing with a travel basketball team, Team Swish, which gives players in Western North Carolina a chance to compete at the highest level of travel basketball, playing with the best of the best, all while focusing on community service and giving back. Team members sharpen their skills and grow as citizens.

Local resident Mike Carrier, whose son Reid plays on the team, says the mentoring aspect of the program is as important as the athletic coaching.

Highlands Fire Chief Ryan Gearhart, recently joined as an assistant coach.

Team Swish was started three years ago by Coach Lee Scruggs, a Franklin native, who played for Georgetown University and professionally overseas.

Coach Scruggs started the team to give players in WNC the ability to compete at the highest level of travel basketball in a way that mentors them about athletics, school and life. Good players need to be good citizens. It’s all about giving back and Coach Scruggs and Chief Gearhart embody that and encourage the same of their players.

Team Swish has been featured on various social media platforms as well as on ABC-WLOS and were applauded not only for the quality players they are developing, but also for the way they mentor the players. Last season they played in some of the top tournaments in the Southeast and against some of the top competition. They are looking forward to building on their success this year.

Team Swish is a 501(c)(3) organization, so donations are tax deductible and very much appreciated to help fund expenses, including tournaments, uniforms, hotels, etc., which come to approximately $20,000 for the season, all while charging no team fees for players. Shortfalls are often partially covered out of pocket by Coach Scruggs. We can all change that by contributing today. For more information call (407) 421-9109.

by Mary Jane McCall

Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust has been working to be at the forefront of hemlock preservation efforts in hopes of keeping hemlocks a part of our landscape. Thanks to some generous funders, HCLT has successfully protected several living hemlock stands, including the current world record eastern hemlock known as “The Cheoah” (pictured right) and some of the last old growth hemlocks left.

The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau is one of the few remaining areas with intact old growth hemlock forest. The Southern Appalachians are home to two species of hemlocks, the Eastern or Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and the Carolina Hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana). The Carolina Hemlock is extremely rare, found only in the Southern Appalachians, primarily in Western North Carolina. The Eastern Hemlock is found up and down the east coast; they are giants in the forest, nicknamed the “redwood of the east” and they can live for over 500 years.

Each of these trees provides something important to our landscape. The smaller Carolina Hemlock is a rare species and important for its contribution to global biodiversity while the eastern hemlock, which can reach over 170 feet, provides shade and cooler temps and ideal habitat for life on land and in neighboring waterways. Many animal species rely on the hemlocks for survival, including some that occur nowhere else on the planet. Indeed, hemlocks are an important part of our ecosystem.

Unfortunately, hemlocks have fallen prey to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), a tiny invasive insect killing millions of hemlock trees and threatening water quality, wildlife habitat, and forest health in our region. These white, “puff balls” attach to hemlock trees at the base of the needles and feed on the starch reserves in the branches. This interferes with the tree’s ability to take up water and nutrients so that the tree slowly dies from the bottom up. HWA was first reported in North Carolina in 1995 and has already taken a harsh toll on our local hemlocks.

On Tuesday, May 25, at 5:00 P.M., the Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) will present virtually via Zoom Hope for Hemlocks as part of the 2021 Village Nature Series program. The presentation will include information about what everyday folks can do to get involved in hemlock conservation. The Village Nature Series is co-hosted by Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and The Village Green and is free to attend, everyone is welcome!

To receive your Zoom link for this event, please email director@cashiersgreen.com. To learn about the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust and its mission to save valuable natural resources for all generations, visit hicashlt.org and to learn about The Village Green and their 13.2 acre sanctuary in the heart of Cashiers visit villagegreencashiersnc.com.

by Julie Schott, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust

Three men with vision have given their all to make the H-CPC Vaccine Initiative work. The well run shot clinics are the end result of a process that started with true wizards creating systems and processes that make everything work.

Tom Neal is THE WIZARD, but not hidden behind any curtain. Front and center in all phases of the process, willing to work nights and weekends, adjusting the way we do things as we discover a better way. But in reality, the very first run was a home run. The clinics were a primer on how organization and thoughtful design can make things work beautifully. He is as dedicated as a person can be to getting as many people vaccinated as possible and willing to go hundreds of extra miles to make it happen.

Mike Murphy is the DATA WIZARD who set up all the spreadsheets, tracking systems, data collection systems using Google technology, and the email platform for contacting registrants with appointment invitations. The process went from an early version with the Wizards doing it all after registration to a process with more involvement from the call center, data entry and schedulers. Jerry Moore was the PROCESS WIZARD who helped to developed policy, training manuals and manage all the data coming fast and furious after the call center opened. For months he was of the two back office wizards managing the mountain of data and helping us all to develop processes that would make our work run even more smoothly. Working late into the night became his norm.

The amazing volunteers who gave their time and talent certainly made the initiative work, but without the leadership and vision of these three men, there would not have been a vaccine program on the Plateau.

L to R: Tom Neal, Mike Murphy and Jerry Moore

Working on the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, helped before the vaccine Plateau Vaccine Initiative has been initiative with hand sanitizers for businesses a life-changing adventure. But and helped to found the vaccine initiative. She one added benefit was many new friendships gathered together the Wizards and the rest is among those who volunteered together history. She led the team, working with partners, working hard to get people vaccinated. marketing, staffing the clinics and kept the

A funny thing happened. Three women volunteers at the call center and clinics fed. named Robin, who did not know each other Robin Austin called Tom Neal when she heard before, rose to the top of the organization of about the initiative and asked how she could help the initiative and are forever bonded by that L to R: Robin Tindall, Robin Neal, and Robin Austin on Friday. He needed a call center. It opened the work to save lives. next Monday with three volunteers and soon

Confusion reigned with daily decisions was staffed with up to 15 a day handling calls about which Robin to call. and data entry. She started a social media campaign to encourage

Robin Neal spent the entire day, (and some evenings) every day vaccination, registrations, and recruit volunteers. tied to her computer doing registrations, leading the data entry team The rest is history. The Plateau Initiative had the ability to get it and later the scheduling team. Married to Tom Neal, she was and is done, seamlessly run big vaccination events and vaccinated thousands the first and most dedicated volunteer. She registered thousands and of people from the plateau and beyond. Tom Neal was at the top and taught many to register a thousand more. a brilliant leader... but his three dedicated Robins helped greatly to

Robin Tindall, the Executive Director of the Highlands Cashiers make the work go well.