2019 Fall Issue

community magazine 2019 FALL ISSUE

F E AT U R E S

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10 The Price of Freedom 14 Catching the American Dream 18 An Old Life Made New

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H E A LT H & WELLNESS 24 Special Delivery 28 Too Fit To Quit

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ARTS, E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N 36 In Pursuit of the Common Good 40 Musical Genius

PUBLISHERS

Meredith & Scott Tredeau 770-788-6795 info@thenewtoncommunity.com DIRECTOR OF SALES

Maree Cronan 770-530-7837 sales@thenewtoncommunity.com EDITOR

Brian Knapp PHOTOGRAPHERS

Bobby D. Hamby Gabrielle Watson Michie Turpin CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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SPORTS & R E C R E AT I O N 46 A River Runs Through It 50 Agent of Change

Kari Apted Michelle Floyd Nat Harwell Darrell Huckaby Patty Rasmussen David Roten

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LIVING

54 Have Yourself a ‘Berry’ Little Christmas 58 Diary of a Stuntman 64 A Season Unlike Any Other

ILLUSTRATOR

Scott Fuss

For subscription information, visit: thenewtoncommunity.com/subscribe/ The Newton Community Magazine is published quarterly. All contents are copyrighted by The Newton Community Magazine. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission is prohibited. The Newton Community Magazine reserves liability in error to a printed correction.

2019 Fall Issue 7

On the Cover

THE DEBT OF GRATITUDE

by DAVID ROTEN

PUBLISHERS’ NOTE This time of year is a time of thanksgiving for many. It is a season of gratitude, during which we take time to pause, reflect and count our blessings. That is easier said than done sometimes, right? Especially when we’re in the midst of stress, disappointment, loss or any number of life’s difficulties.

However, if we stop and pay attention, we begin to realize how much for which we really do have to be thankful. Gratitude helps us refocus on what we have instead of what we lack. We can start by noticing all the good things, little and big, that we normally take for granted, along with the most basic things, like clean water at our fingertips. Hundreds of millions of people do not have that luxury.

We are not the same. Like snowflakes, no two of us are alike, yet we touch and are touched by thousands of others on life’s journey. In spite of our attempts to achieve independence, we need each other—and not just in the obvious ways. We need each other to be who we are. Have you ever noticed how some people can bring out the best in you and how others seem to draw out your wacky sense of humor or your adventurous spirit?

In so doing, others help to make us who we are, especially those we choose to be around the most: our friends. We need them all. As C.S. Lewis once said, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.” We are who we are fully only in relation to others. That implies both a need to receive and a responsibility to give, to have a friend

and to be one. In a very real sense, we become a vital part of each other.

The truth: We were not designed to go it alone. We long for connection because we are incomplete without it. It has been this way since the beginning. Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoyed perfect communion yet wished to share and expand it by creating mankind. Adam and Eve, quite literally, were made for each other and became the first family and the basis for community.

One of the ways we acknowledge and even celebrate that community is when we gather together to eat. When we take our place at the table, we offer not just food but ourselves to each other. In the end, there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman.

Each of us owes a debt of gratitude—first to the God who made us and then to the friends who help us discover why.

Gratitude also involves acknowledging that the difficult or painful moments we all endure are actually something for which to be grateful, too. Training our brains to find the positive in our circumstances requires a major change in mindset for most of us.

With that said, I think if we choose to find the positive, we will, and if we choose to find the negative, we will. Gratitude, and its byproduct—happiness—are a choice.

The decision is ours to make.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue.

Thank you to everyone who makes the magazine possible—our advertisors and supporters, our talented team of writers and photographers, our editor and sales team, and above all, our Heavenly Father, who orchestrates it all.

May God bless and keep each of you.

Scott and Meredith Tredeau We would like to say a special thank you to Jennifer Morganthall of JMo To Go for sharing her time and talent to bring this issue’s beautiful cover to life. We would also like thank Mrs. Jane Anderson for graciously and cheerfully hosting us all in her lovely Mansfield home and garden.

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F E AT U R E S

PHOTO CREDIT: Jan Tielens

F E AT U R E S

The

PRICE of FREEDOM

by NAT HARWELL

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Fifty years after he returned home from the Vietnam War, three-time Purple Heart recipient Gary Price bears physical and emotional wounds that will never fully heal. However, he continues his sacrifice through the tales he lived to tell.

He was a Porterdale River Rat while growing up in Newton County, a scrappy kid who, in the mid-1960s, had but one thought: to join the Marines and serve his country in Vietnam.

He was so determined to do so that upon entering the ninth grade, he shut down academically and refused to do his work. Back then, students either passed a grade or repeated it. So it was that he idled away the hours, did virtually nothing and spent four years in the ninth grade awaiting his 18th birthday.

“I’d have gone sooner,” he said, “but my parents would not sign for me at 17, as they were worried I’d end up in Vietnam.”

Eventually, Jan. 8, 1968 rolled around, and at the famed brick structure on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta known as the Sears, Roebuck and Co. Building, he took the test to enter the United States Marine Corps. He failed. In fact, he scored so low on the test that the recruiter accused him of trying to fail in order to avoid service. However, the earnest plea in the young man’s voice and the dreadful look on his face convinced the recruiter to tear up the test and welcome him to the ranks.

He spent eight weeks at Parris Island in South Carolina—they crammed the normal 12 weeks into eight because of the horrendous

losses the Marines were suffering in Vietnam—and followed them with eight more weeks of infantry training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. From there, the Porterdale native boarded a plane for Da Nang, Vietnam in May 1968. He would not return to the United States for more than a year.

Upon reporting for orders, he was met with a cold splash of reality: “You’re in Medevac Mike.” The young soldier snarled: “I ain’t no corpsman; I’m a grunt.” From there, the conversation took a turn. “You don’t get it, bud,” he was told. “You’re in Mike Company, and we call ’em Medevac Mike ’cause so many [of them] are choppered out wounded … or dead.”

In that instant, the River Rat became Gary Price, 1st Marine Division, Reinforced Fleet Marine Force, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 2019 Fall Issue 11

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“We ran out of ammo, they ran out of ammo and it came down to man against man, hand-to-hand combat using anything you could find as a weapon.”

Vietnam Veteran Gary Price

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Mike Company. “Right then and there,” Price said, “I realized that maybe, just maybe, I’d bitten off a little more than I could chew.” He could not have known the weight those prophetic words would carry.

Those too young to remember the Vietnam War or those unfamiliar with how it was managed might not know that a combat soldier was to spend one year “in country.” There were to be regular breaks for “R&R”— short for “rest and recreation”—as the soldier counted down from 365 days to zero and his time to go home.

Consider what awaited Price, who was elevated from buck private to corporal in just 11 months due to the attrition rates for Marines. He was in country for 13 months and in mortal combat for 12 of them. In fact, the only time he was not in combat was when he was hospitalized for the three egregious wounds for which he earned three Purple Hearts. In those 12 months of combat, Price took part in 14 major military operations, earning 23 medals for valorous conduct. He was wounded at Quang Nam on Oct. 28, 1968, at Thong Duc on Feb. 24, 1969 and on the Ho Chi Minh Trail on April 12, 1969.

Those old enough to recall President Kennedy in the White House will recognize the locations in which Price served and lived to tell the stories: Quang Tri, Khe Sanh, Hue, Phu Bai, Phu Loc, the Ashua Valley, Gonoi Island, Quang Nam, Thong Duc, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Dak To and Pleiku. Books have been written and movies have been made about those battles, and Price was involved in every one of them. His stories reflect the brutality and sheer inhumanity of warfare. Joseph Lee Galloway, co-author of “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young,” began his book with these words: “Those of us who have seen the face of war, never stop seeing it.”

Price embodies everything at once great and simultaneously terrible about that face of war. It exacted an enormous toll, with tales of valorous conduct by friends who did not make it out alive, with his own body—twisted and scarred from horrendous wounds suffered in the name of freedom—and with an affliction men and women in the armed forces know all too well. More than 50 years after returning home on Aug. 5, 1969, Price continues to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“I have the nightmares still,” he said.

Two years ago, Price began speaking about his experiences for the first time as part of the “I Did It For You” program at George Walton Academy in Monroe. He received a quilt of valor made by the students. Subsequently, his story has been partially told in a Time magazine article, and a book was based on his experiences. Still, PTSD remains a real and present danger to Price, as it does to all who have seen the face of warfare in its most brutal form. However, by talking about it and telling the stories that are not too gruesome for others to hear, he has made the most of the life he was given.

Of the wounds he suffered physically, Price recalls the first one most vividly.

“I was choppered to Da Nang, and the operating room was outside under a tree,” he said. “There was no painkiller, no anesthesia of any kind. Four big men held me down while the surgeon operated on my leg, which was split open from crotch to knee; and they couldn’t suture it, as they had to come every day and swab it out with alcohol to let it heal from inside out.”

Seven days later, stitches now in place, Price was sent back into the bush on active combat patrol. Of all the operations in which he took part, he categorized the absolute worst as Gonoi Island.

There, 450 Marines were sent in against 9,000 enemy troops.

“We ran out of ammo, they ran out of ammo and it came down to man against man, hand-to-hand combat using anything you could find as a weapon,” Price said. He paused, his head in his hands, before continuing the story. “We lost 270 men in that battle, but they couldn’t take us. By God, they couldn’t take us Marines.”

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CATCHING the AMERICAN DREAM

by KARI APTED

Dr. Darrell Daniel left Trinidad as a teenager in 1989 with a suitcase and $300 to his name. Today, he holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and serves as assistant principal at the Newton College and Career Academy.

Darrell Daniel left his home on the sunny island of Trinidad in pursuit of a better life in 1989. Fresh out of high school, he had a suitcase, $300 and a desire to chase the American dream. He had no way of knowing 10 full years would pass before he saw his family again. However, the intimidating journey was worth it, as by every standard, through hard work and determination, his dream has come true. Just 19 years of age at the time, he traveled to the United States alone on a student visa and struggled to adjust to life in New York.

“It was very different,” Daniel said. “In Trinidad, the weather is the same every day of the year. We even drove on the other side of the road.”

He missed the warm, tropical climate and the closeness of sharing one big house with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The City University of New York’s sprawling urban campus was different from anything he had ever known.

“I left my whole life behind. Everything I knew, I left in pursuit of my dream. My mother was worried that it would take its toll on me, but she supported me,” Daniel said. “Being away from my mother reinforced how important she is to me. The values she

instilled carried me through, and the unconditional love for her oldest son was felt far away.”

Daniel considers himself fortunate to have met many kind people who helped him adjust to life in the United States. Despite the difficulties he faced, he was determined to earn a degree in accounting so he could return to Trinidad and work with his uncle, who owned several successful businesses. While studying accounting, Daniel discovered that he not only liked working with numbers but had a real gift for understanding and explaining complex mathematical concepts. His professors noticed his aptitude and asked if he would be interested in tutoring other students in math. No one knew at the time that this would turn his career plan down an entirely different path.

“I didn’t find education. Education found me,” Daniel said with a laugh. “I had no idea I had the ability to teach other people.

Through tutoring, I really started to love teaching and came to love math even more. It was very fulfilling.”

Daniel switched his major to mathematics, with a minor in education. He continued tutoring as he pursued his master’s 2019 Fall Issue 15

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degree, and upon graduation in January 1996, he took a half-year job teaching at a New York middle school. “Middle school was not for me because I had to teach every subject,” Daniel said. “There was so much material, and I had to study science and social studies to be able to teach it.” The following school year, a principal friend invited him to teach math at Thomas Jefferson High School in the East New York section of Brooklyn. Daniel jumped at the chance to teach math all day long. After several years, city life began to wear on him and he decided it was time for a change. His adventurous spirit took him inside the Arctic Circle, as he spent one cold year teaching in the tiny village of Nuiqsut, Alaska.

The next leg of his journey brought him to a job fair in Georgia, where he accepted a math teaching position at Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood. A few years later, he began teaching at Newton High School and then moved to the Newton County School System’s central office. There, he worked as an instructional coach, helping other teachers learn methods and techniques to improve success in the classroom.

“I always remind teachers, ‘Everyone has a story. Your students have a story. Get to know the kids and their stories, and you can teach them better,’” said Daniel, who earned his PhD in Educational Leadership in 2010. “Kids will follow you if they know you care.”

Daniel missed having daily interaction with students and teachers and sought a position that took him back into the school setting. He has served as the assistant principal of the Newton College and Career Academy since 2018. His wife, Anna Hebert Daniel, is also an educator and works as an instructional coach at Newton High School. The couple has three children. Daniel exudes a deep love of country and believes in the American dream.

“In my heart of hearts, I know it is only in America where my story could be told,” he said. “There are so many who are contributing members of society, who got their green card, their work permit, their citizenship. One of the greatest days of my life was when I got my United States citizenship.”

Daniel has a unique way of honoring his life’s story.

“When I was at CUNY, everything I earned had to go toward tuition,” he said. “Instead of eating out, I had to carry my lunch,

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and I always carried it in a plastic grocery bag.” After graduating and teaching for several years, Daniel realized he could afford a lunch box instead of his customary plastic bag. “I bought a nice lunch tote, but it just never felt right to use it. After about two weeks, I went back to carrying my plastic bag.” To this day, Daniel arrives at work each morning, his suit and tie contrasting the simply bagged lunch in his hand. “It sounds silly, but this plastic grocery bag keeps me grounded. It says, ‘This is where you came from. This is who you are.’”

Daniel encourages other immigrants to follow their dreams.

“If you work hard, you will be rewarded,” he said. “America has rewarded me. Millions of people apply for visas but do not get them.

Having the opportunity to come here was like winning the lotto.

I am so blessed and grateful that America gave me a chance.”

“If you work hard, you will be rewarded.

America has rewarded me. Millions of people apply for visas but do not get them.

Having the opportunity to come here was like winning the lotto. I am so blessed and grateful that America gave me a chance.”

Newton College and Career Academy Assistant Principal Dr. Darrell Daniel

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NEW

by DAVID ROTEN

AN OLD LIFE MADE

Jeremy Houston credits the Celebrate Recovery program at Eastridge Community Church with rescuing him from substance abuse and the dead end that often accompanies it.

Jeremy Houston appeared to be living the good life, from the outside. Though he had gone through a divorce several years earlier, he now had custody of his four daughters. Together, they shared a nice, five-bedroom house just off The Square in Covington. However, it was Christmas Eve 2017 and Houston, the co-owner of a successful plumbing business, was rapidly sinking toward rock bottom.

His dad died just a little over a year earlier, and Houston had turned increasingly to alcohol to ease his pain and grief. When his mother and sister arrived at his house to celebrate the holiday with him, he was not in a festive mood. “I was drinking. I was ugly.

I ran them off,” he said. With his girls visiting their mother, the house was empty and quiet. “I spent Christmas Eve here alone,” he said, “in tears.”

‘I’VE GOT BETTER PLANS’ Growing up, Houston idolized his father, a plumbing contractor, and was determined to follow in his steps. “As a 12-year-old, I decided I was going to be a plumber, too,” he said. He started to work with his dad and began learning the trade. In more ways than one, Houston was on the road to becoming like his dad. As a young adult, he would come to share a common trait with him that neither could acknowledge—they were alcoholics. Though Houston continued to think of his dad as his hero, he also

experienced him as a source of deep pain. “I was trying to live up to his expectations and [was] always kind of feeling like I fell short,” he said. By the time Houston was 18 years old, the desire to please had been largely replaced by a penchant for reckless living.

After violating probation for a criminal trespassing charge, Houston spent 11 months behind bars. Upon his release from jail, he went back to his old life: same job, same friends, same alcohol and drugs. By age 20, he had received his first DUI conviction.

Though seemingly headed down a destructive path, his life was about to change in a way he never expected.

While working on a roof as a gutter installer, he slipped and fell to the ground 30 feet below, shattering both ankles. Houston called it his first “encounter” with God. “He basically threw me off of that roof,” he said. “He’s like, ‘I’ve got better plans for you. This is going to hurt, but it’s going to be what’s best for you’—and it was.” Houston spent the next six months in a wheelchair and an additional six months in intensive physical therapy. He moved in with his mother, and once he was able, he went back to work with his dad as a plumber.

The next 10 years saw him get married, start his own plumbing business and become the father of four girls. Remarkably, he did not drink alcohol at all during that entire period. “I was doing very well,” he said. However, all was not well, as his marriage ultimately ended in divorce and he made the difficult decision to shut down his plumbing business.

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Once again, Houston turned to alcohol, seeking solace in bars and drinking buddies. It was not long before he received two DUI convictions within three months of each other. “I was looking at a year in jail,” he said. The prospect of having to share the devastating news with his four young children motivated Houston to place himself in “DUI court.” Essentially, it meant that for two years, he would wear an ankle monitor that could detect whether or not alcohol was in his blood. “I didn’t drink for 730 days, which is exactly two years,” he said. “I drank on Day 731.”

Though Houston continued to drink, he managed to stay out of trouble. In fact, his professional life was on the verge of improving dramatically. Through a series of chance meetings, Houston and friend Donnie Armour managed to land several large plumbing accounts, and, “... with just $1,000 and a mini-van,” HoustonArmour, Inc., was born.

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES Although Houston had seen signs of alcoholism in his father, he had no idea just how serious the situation had become, even after his dad was admitted to the hospital with complications. “I’m still not understanding really what is wrong with him, because this is my hero,” he said. “Drinking’s not going to get him.” However, the elder Houston was suffering from liver failure, and his condition deteriorated steadily. Forty days after entering the hospital, he was dead.

Houston went into a self-described downward spiral. “I drank and was in a dark place and mad at every single person that came around me,” he said. A little more than a year went by and life was not improving. After he chased off his mother and sister and spent the Christmas holiday alone, Houston was coming to the end of himself.

One day while at work, he had to drive by the road where his dad used to live. As emotions spilled out in a gush of tears, he turned on the radio. “I just needed to hear something positive, anything positive,” he said. Houston found what he was looking for on a station that broadcast messages from a well-known preacher. “I listened to one, and then another, and another. It was changing me,” he said in measured, emphatic tones. “It was like he was talking to me.”

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When Armour suggested he visit Eastridge Community Church in Covington, Houston followed through. As with the radio preacher, he felt as if Pastor Scott Moore was speaking to him personally. Encouraged and inspired by what he heard, he continued to attend ECC. “I didn’t quit drinking then,” he said. “I knew I had hit rock bottom, but I was going to quit drinking on my own. I had just watched my dad die from it. It wasn’t going to do that to me.”

Though Houston managed to control his drinking, attempts to put an end to years of dependency fell short. “There was something else that I needed to take me to that next level,” he said, “to convince me that God still has better plans for me.”

Those plans included a woman named Ali, an ECC member and a singer on the church’s worship teams. Houston and Ali had only recently met but were getting to know and show interest in each other. When she invited him to a Celebrate Recovery meeting at ECC, he agreed. Houston recalled the moment when Ali walked on stage during worship time and sang directly in front of him.

“I really started to realize that there was no way that I was going to be able to be an alcoholic and be the person that I was and be able to have a relationship with this woman,” he said. “I truly felt that God sent her to me as the next step that I needed to be recovered.”

In Ali, Houston found a friend whose journey was in some ways similar to his own. Both were divorced with children, and both had a deep desire for wholeness and healing from troubled pasts.

However, he saw something different in her, something redemptive, thanks to Celebrate Recovery.

PATHWAY TO HEALING ECC was the first church in Georgia to offer the Celebrate Recovery program, which utilizes the 12 steps from Alcoholics Anonymous and the eight principles from The Beatitudes. Brad Rutledge, who has led CR at Eastridge since its inception almost 19 years ago, made it clear that the program was not just for those struggling with drugs and alcohol.

“It is a large umbrella ministry for the whole family,” he said, “and we have other people come to us with what we call ‘hurts, habits and hang-ups.’ That includes everybody, so CR is for everyone.”

Currently, 18 Open Share groups totaling about 240 people deal with alcohol and drugs, anger, sexual addiction and abuse, marriage, divorce, co-dependency, food and various others issues.

These groups meet every Thursday after Large Group, which begins with a worship time and includes instruction on one of the 26 lessons found in the Step Study.

Though a success rate for those going through Celebrate Recovery is difficult to measure, Rutledge remains convinced of its effectiveness. “I believe that CR is the greatest example of Christianity making a difference in this world today,” he said. He cited the evidence of changed lives. “One thing that amps me up is to see people come in [and] their lives are in such a mess, but they grasp hold of the Lord and they grasp hold of this process and they

find hope and then, later on, life change,” Rutledge said. “That’s what keeps me going.” He believes Celebrate Recovery has also brought together churches and denominations, as the program is now offered in 137 churches in Georgia and more than 34,000 churches worldwide.

Houston went all-in when he began attending CR regularly and immediately enrolled in a Step Study group. He stopped drinking and smoking marijuana. “I quit it all,” he said. “Celebrate Recovery saved my life.” He now leads a Step Study Group and co-leads an Open Share Group, as he reaches back to help others. “He came in [to Celebrate Recovery and] knew he needed to change,” Rutledge said. “He embraced the Lord and is living out these principles. Jeremy is really the epitome of what I’d say is a trophy of God’s grace.”

Through CR, Houston continues to learn to defeat his addictions, as well as to understand the reasons behind them. He has company this time. “You have to have God,” Houston said, “and you have to have a support team.” On Oct. 20, 2018, much of Houston’s support team gathered on his front lawn as he and Ali exchanged wedding vows from the porch. “We probably had 60 people here, most of them from CR,” he said, “because when you make those kinds of steps to change your life, you have to change your playmates and playgrounds. If you don’t, you’re not going to stay sober.”

These days, the newly married Houstons pursue their recoveries together. “There’s no such thing as Celebrate Recovered,” he said.

When Ali moved in, she brought her two sons with her, so the Houstons have undertaken all the challenges that blended families experience. He reflected on how God changed and rearranged

“One thing that amps me up is to see people come in [and] their lives are in such a mess, but they grasp hold of the Lord and they grasp hold of this process and they find hope and then, later on, life change. That’s what keeps me going.”

Celebrate Recovery Pastor Brad Rutledge his life. “The chairs used to be on that side of the porch,” Houston said while pointing to a now-vacant space, where he used to spend mornings and evenings in his rocker drinking and smoking marijuana. “These chairs got moved—when I got sober—to this side of the porch. I didn’t do that consciously. I think I subconsciously did it because God’s telling me, ‘The old life was over there. Your new life is on this side of the porch now.’”

For more information, visit eastridgefamily.org or celebraterecovery.com 2019 Fall Issue 21

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PHOTO CREDIT: Natasha Breen

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

GABRIELLE WATSON OF FIREFLY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Special Delivery

by KARI APTED

Midwife Debbie Fulmer has made hundreds of natural, dignified births possible for clients across the entire socio-economic spectrum, from blue-collar workers to white-collar professionals.

Debbie Fulmer has seen a lot in more than 30 years of delivering babies, but what she witnessed while working as a labor and delivery nurse in the 1970s changed the course of her life forever.

Many obstetricians in the South still touted the benefits of placing women into “twilight sleep” during labor. The procedure involved administering a cocktail of narcotics that promised pain-free birth and complete amnesia afterward. While the practice sounded good, the reality was much different. Babies delivered after twilight sleep were often limp and unresponsive, their tiny systems sedated by the powerful medications crossing the placenta during prolonged labor. Many women were tied to the bed due to the drug-induced delirium that caused violent thrashing during contractions.

“Women would wake up with bruises all over their arms and legs and have no idea how it happened,” Fulmer said. “One of the drugs prevented mothers from being able to remember what they had suffered.”

However, Fulmer had no way of erasing the trauma she had seen. Few women chose natural birth during that time, but the idea was beginning to spread. After assisting with several natural deliveries, Fulmer knew her mission in life: Return women to birth with dignity. Now, the Certified Professional Midwife operates Parents United At Home Birthing Services in Covington. Fulmer’s path from hospital nurse to PUAH founder was a long one.

“I stopped counting after 2,000 hospital births,” she said. A strong woman of faith, Fulmer began to feel she was being called to leave

nursing and become a midwife. “I heard a sermon about Moses’ midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and began praying about it. Out of the blue, I got a call from a friend asking me to teach childbirth classes. She said, ‘I’ve been praying about it—you are the one.’”

Fulmer went on to write childbirth curriculum and teach for several years while building her own family. She connected with a director of nurses who invited her to help deliver babies on call whenever she liked, allowing her to work while being a stay-athome mom. Eventually, the Fulmer family relocated from Mississippi

GABRIELLE WATSON OF FIREFLY PHOTOGRAPHY

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to Georgia, where her husband, Jimmy, became pastor of Shoal Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Newborn. Fulmer befriended a local OB-GYN who taught her birth maneuvers, stitching and how to handle obstetric emergencies. After working with him, a homebirth midwife took Fulmer under her wing, teaching her how to translate her knowledge from the hospital setting to the home.

Fulmer’s transition from hospital nurse to midwife included earning her CPM credential from the North American Registry of Midwives. The organization’s difficult certification process requires apprenticing with a qualified midwife and completing a portfolio process or graduating from a midwifery school. Although CPMs are not required to be nurses, Fulmer’s nursing experience plays a role in ensuring her patients receive the best care.

“Everybody I take care of has to attend a childbirth class and have an OB on backup in case complications develop,” Fulmer said. “Continuing education is important and required for all the midwives in my practice. They are all certified in CPR and neonatal resuscitation.”

Fulmer is an advocate for the “Georgia Moms Deserve Midwives” campaign (Georgia House Bill 717) and has hopes of starting an affordable and accessible midwife training program in Georgia. “Right now, certified midwives have to go away for training on a regular basis,” she said. “It would be nice to not have

to travel to do that.” CPMs are active participants in a woman’s pregnancy, from the first pre-natal visit to comprehensive post-natal care. They are trained in identifying women who need a referral to an obstetrician and rely on time-tested methods that use as few technological interventions as possible. CPMs focus on a woman’s entire well-being, not just her physical health.

“I consider this a God-called ministry,” Fulmer said. The mother of nine personally understands a woman’s need for compassionate care before and after each birth. “I’m on call three weeks before the due date and for two weeks after delivery. I am always available.

Midwifery is not like a job where you clock out and go home.”

Because of the length of time that Fulmer spends with each client, lifelong friendships are formed. In fact, the first home-birthed baby Fulmer delivered by herself has now become her apprentice. Fulmer has many multi-generational clients, delivering the children and grandchildren of babies she welcomed decades ago.

“I don’t call them patients. I call them friends,” she said with a smile. Fulmer’s clients represent the entire socio-economic spectrum, from blue-collar workers to white-collar professionals.

“There is a big demand for CPM services in our area. Homebirth parents are not illiterate, poor people. They are professionals, names you would recognize. They have done a lot of research and made an educated decision about the kind of birth they want.”

GABRIELLE WATSON OF FIREFLY PHOTOGRAPHY

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GABRIELLE WATSON OF FIREFLY PHOTOGRAPHY

“I heard a sermon about Moses’ midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and began praying about it.

Out of the blue, I got a call from a friend asking me to teach childbirth classes. She said, ‘I’ve been praying about it—you are the one.”

Certified Professional Midwife Debbie Fulmer A reunion of Fulmer’s friends is planned for this fall, as dozens will gather to celebrate the woman who made hundreds of natural, dignified deliveries possible. However, the event carries a certain poignancy: Fulmer was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

“Psalm 31:15—‘My times are in Your hand’—has become my life verse through years of midwifery,” Fulmer said. “God has the timing of all my births and the details of my life in His hand. I’ve used a bracelet with the verse imprinted on it to assure many of my expectant mamas that they can rest in His timing.”

Due to her recent diagnosis, Fulmer finds herself resting in that divine timing more than ever. Fellow midwife Maria Quinones and apprentice Lydia McCoy help her continue to care for PUAH’s expectant mothers. The women are committed to continuing the work Fulmer started for decades to come.

“At this time, I am still enjoying helping women with their pregnancies and births, though Maria is taking on more of the client load and Lydia is finishing her schooling,” Fulmer said.

“My times are truly in His hand.”

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

TOO FIT TO QUIT

by MICHELLE FLOYD

Nicole Duncan’s competitive drive and expertise has taken her all over the world, but she felt a need to return to her hometown to make a difference in the lives of others.

Nicole Duncan has always walked hand in hand with athleticism, and now she wants to help others get in gear, stay healthy and improve their quality of life. From her time at Newton High School and the University of Alabama to her days as an Atlanta Falcons cheerleader and competitive bodybuilder, the Oxford resident has grown accustomed to getting fit—even when she graduated from college and added some weight to her frame.

“In school, I could eat what I want,” Duncan said, “but then, I didn’t cut out any fried foods or fast foods that we love in the South. I could still flip and dance, but I didn’t have the body I had.”

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

She realized that bodybuilding, cheering, gymnastics and other sports contained not only a performance aspect of the competition but also the need to maintain a healthy diet. In addition to cheering for her hometown NFL team, Duncan was a Professional Fitness competitor. She has traveled to Australia, Germany, Brazil and Canada to compete in a sport that includes flexing, tumbling and dancing. Duncan hopes to throw her hat in the ring again at the 2020 Fitness Olympia—viewed as the Super Bowl of bodybuilding—an event in which she participated six times (2008–13) in Las Vegas. Since then, injuries and surgeries have prevented her from competing.

Now Duncan sounds ready to see what comes next.

“It’s all been a progression of things,” said Duncan, who serves as an adjunct professor at Oxford College, where she teaches recreation, weight training and dance. “I wanted to a be a big producer in Hollywood working in TV and film, but me competing in fitness events was just an extension of graduating college.”

For now, the 40-year-old plans to concentrate locally on her fitness business and working for the Newton County Recreation Commission, where she hosts Ultimate Boot Camp classes, organizes a variety of new fitness projects and implements nutrition programs.

“I’m excited to see where it goes,” said Duncan, who previously worked with Walton County Parks and Recreation in Monroe.

“This has combined stuff that I like to do. I didn’t expect to be back [in Covington], but there is a need for more fitness in our area. We’ve got great resources here.”

Duncan works with clients of all ages, from 20 to 80 years of age, and realizes that while they do not have the same bodies, they all have to start somewhere.

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“She is passionate about health and fitness,” said Jessica Channell, owner of Jessicakes Bakery in Covington, who has lost 50 pounds since she started training with Duncan two years ago. “She knows just how hard to push to get the results that you are looking for without hurting you. She worked with me to create a workout plan that would not make my knees hurt but still allow me to do a hard workout that would strengthen my muscles and get the weight off fast.”

A National Academy of Sports Medicine-certified personal trainer, an International Federation of Body Building and Fitness professional and a CrossFit Level 1 coach, Duncan hopes to eventually open her own facility for fitness, training and nutrition.

“I’m interested in people finding a fitness level that works for them,” she said. “They have to get out of their comfort zone, try something new and stick to it. We have to reach people where they are and find their way of growing in fitness.”

For more information, visit nicoleduncanfitness.com.

“She is passionate about health and fitness. She knows just how hard to push to get the results that you are looking for without hurting you.”

Jessicakes Bakery Owner Jessica Channell

WHATCHA COOKIN?

by ALLEN BURRIS

People have been crazy about pumpkins for centuries.

We know that some form of pumpkin was served at the first Thanksgiving, but the folks in the colonies had more than just a passing fancy for pumpkins. In 1705, Colchester, Connecticut, postponed Thanksgiving due to a shortage of molasses, which it needed for pumpkin pies. I would propose that it was more than just a missing flavorful pie that stopped Thanksgiving. Maybe it was the memories and traditions the pies represented. Today, most folks open a can of pumpkin for their pies, and, while flavorful, it is not memorable. Making pumpkin pies from scratch is fun and a great way to make memories. You get to gut a pumpkin and then mash it up. What kid or kid at heart would not enjoy that? This year, you could make a canned-pumpkin pie, or you could make memories. Who knows? Maybe next year Thanksgiving will be called off until you fix your pumpkin pie. Now you know whatcha cookin’.

RECIPE/DIRECTIONS

5-6 lb. pumpkin (either a “sugar pumpkin”, “pie pumpkin” or a white “Lumina pumpkin” are the best types for baking; avoid the big carving pumpkins.)

12 fluid ounces evaporated milk 1½ C packed brown sugar ½ C heavy whipping cream 1 Tbsp olive oil 1½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground nutmeg (optional) ½ tsp salt 3 large eggs Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the pumpkin stem and scrape out the insides, just as if you were going to carve it.

Cut the pumpkin in half, brush the halves with olive oil and place them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately one hour, until you can easily pierce the skin with a fork.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Let the pumpkin cool for 10 minutes, then scoop out all of the pulp and puree it in a food processor. Take four cups and thoroughly mix it with the above ingredients. Pour into a nine-inch piecrust and bake for about one hour, until the center is set.

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ARTS, E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

PHOTO CREDIT: Ed Robertson

A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

IN PURSUIT OF THE

COMMON GOOD

by MICHELLE FLOYD

An assistant professor of English at Oxford College, Sarah Higinbotham continues to work with state prisons to provide incarcerated men and women access to higher education.

Teaching students at a private college and teaching people who are incarcerated in state prisons poses two totally different challenges, but they are what make professor Sara Higinbotham whole.

Higinbotham in 2008 helped found Common Good Atlanta, an organization that provides incarcerated men and women access to higher education in prisons around Georgia. Now, she serves as an assistant professor of English at Oxford College of Emory University.

“Teaching bridges the divide that exists between people who go to college and people who go to prison,” said Higinbotham, whose uncle was in and out of prison during her life. “Oxford is geographically isolated and more traditional—it’s a beautiful celebration of what higher education can do. Both [colleges and prisons] are places where there is a lot of innate intellectual curiosity.”

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WE CAN FINALLY SAY DYSLEXIA

by MEREDITH TREDEAU

Many children—including one of my own and as many as one in five, according to most estimates—struggle to learn to read and spell. Despite their best efforts, and I mean truly Herculean efforts, homework ends in tears, test scores miss the mark and these kids fall further and further behind their peers. All the while, their love of learning and self-esteem plummet. They are neither stupid nor lazy. They’re dyslexic.

WHAT IS DYSLEXIA? Simply put, dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in learning to read for someone who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. It is a difference in how their brain processes written words and sounds. Dyslexia affects the ability to read quickly and automatically, to spell and write and, in some cases, like ours, to memorize math facts. Most educators and evaluators have not been allowed to use the term dyslexia, let alone been trained to identify and remediate it. Senate Bill 48, Georgia’s first true dyslexia legislation, was signed into law in May 2019 and represents a positive first step toward necessary change, with the potential to alter the lives of dyslexic children across the state in the future. The law requires screenings and support for dyslexic students, starting with the 2024–25 school year. What about now? Children are struggling as we speak, and they cannot wait.

The sooner you intervene, the better. If you suspect your child is struggling to read, act now. Early intervention with proven strategies for teaching children with dyslexia is critical.

Seek a formal evaluation, but do not wait for the results to start supporting your struggling student; trust your instincts and find the help you already intuitively know he or she needs to succeed.

Focus on the positive, too. Children with dyslexia have many strengths that are not celebrated in traditional learning environments. Dyslexics are creative, outside-the-box thinkers and problem solvers. We should help them discover their strengths and cultivate their passions.

If you suspect dyslexia, there is no need to worry, but do not hesitate to take action. Dyslexia information—including some common signs for which to watch—and resources for students, parents and teachers is available from The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity (www.dyslexia.yale.edu).

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A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

Higinbotham, who started the program as a graduate school project, acknowledges that the two populations are “really different” but believes both are home to people with passion for learning and a community spirit through which they are working toward the same goal: to graduate or to be released from prison.

“They are very different life experiences but focus on the same ideas,” said Higinbotham, who founded the program with the help of graduate school friend Bob Taft. Through Common Good Atlanta, more than 70 volunteer professors teach at four state prisons run by the Georgia Department of Corrections—they include one women’s prison—four days per week. The group has taught thousands of hours of literature, science, mathematics,

humanities and writing courses to men and women behind bars, some of whom earn college credit through accredited programs while incarcerated. In addition to Common Good Atlanta, Higinbotham feels programs like the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison are effective in working with those who have been incarcerated to help them continue earning credits once they are free.

“With felony charges, you come out of the prison and there are some challenges,” she said. “We want to lead them to confidently apply to a college or university or to form a community of formal ideas.”

Higinbotham’s daughter, Kathryn, a junior at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, helps her with writing grants, researching and assisting with other projects. Even some of Higinbotham’s former students have decided to volunteer with her organization. A junior at Emory University, Katie Pleiss started working with Higinbotham in 2018 after taking one of her courses at Oxford College when she was a visiting professor. She first visited Phillips State Prison in Buford when she was a freshman at Oxford and was surprised by what she saw there.

“It was an environment where students truly enjoyed learning— something that is rare, even in a college classroom,” said Pleiss, who is majoring in politics, philosophy and law. “My experience with Common Good Atlanta has far exceeded my expectations.

I have met amazing professors and faculty who share my passion for criminal justice reform. I have also had the opportunity to meet inspiring scholars within the prison [system] who are intellectually curious and push me to ask profound questions and use a critical eye. I often feel that the scholars I mentor are inspiring me just as much if not more than I am inspiring them.”

Fellow Emory junior Ally Render claims that some of the men she has met in prisons are more driven than some of her fellow classmates. She hopes to one day implement a math program to prepare the incarcerated for college placement exams while also helping with fundraising and grant proposals for Common Good Atlanta.

“I enjoyed discussing various topics of justice, philosophy and mathematics with them,” said Render, who is majoring in quantitative science and statistics. “I believe the negative stigmas surrounding prisons and the lack of resources available for these individuals motivated me to get involved. It’s very rewarding to help others who are disadvantaged.”

For more information or to learn how you can support Common Good Atlanta, visit commomgoodatlanta.com.

“Teaching bridges the divide that exists between people who go to college and people who go to prison.”

Common Good Atlanta Founder Sarah Higinbotham

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A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

by MICHELLE FLOYD

Influenced by the Isley Brothers, Janet Jackson and various other artists, Chadrick Thomas picked up the violin at the age of 9 and has drawn the bow across the strings ever since.

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A R T S , E D U C AT I O N & I N N O VAT I O N

Those who have seen and heard Chadrick Thomas perform at a friend’s wedding or at a special event in town never forget the experience.

Someday, he figures to find his way onto much bigger stages. “He is a gifted artist,” said Eric Smith, an Atlanta musician and radio host who has invited Thomas to open for his band at a few shows. “It depends where he wants his future to go. His doors are open.”

Thomas, 22, goes by the stage name The Future of Music and started when he was just 9 years old at Oak Grove Elementary School in Atlanta. Every student took band and had to pick their own instrument, choosing between violin, viola, cello, bass and a few others. “I hadn’t heard of any other instrument except for the violin,” Thomas said. It may have been for a required class, but he fell in love, practiced daily and eventually joined orchestras outside of school. “I really liked playing and wanted to learn more.”

Thomas continued playing the violin throughout his gradeschool years, often learning classical tunes and covers in school bands, all while exploring the music of Janet Jackson and the Isley Brothers outside of school. He admits he felt more in control of his music by seventh grade, and in middle school and high school, he and cousin Austin Pickens, who played the viola, performed together as the Masque Musicians at about a dozen events per year around metro Atlanta. During his time attending countless rehearsals, practices and camps, Thomas was part of Ken Ford’s Youth Symphony for four years and the Still Waters Youth Symphony for five years. He won one of Damien Escobar’s signature violins as part of a contest and was awarded a music scholarship from Lakeside High School.

Now, Thomas performs solo around metro Atlanta. Most of his performances are at private parties, like galas and charity events, but he also has played a handful of public shows. In addition to playing private parties and events at homes and venues, he has performed at some board of commissioners meetings in Newton and Dekalb counties, the Newton County Family Fun Day festival and at a few middle and high school sporting events. Those who attend the Assembly Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses off Salem Road in Conyers also might catch him performing from time to time. He performs both original music and covers in a variety of styles. His mother, Carshena Thomas, revealed that he tailors each performance to the

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type of event he plays, whether it is a small private gathering at someone’s home or a larger outdoor event.

“The audience loves him so much—his music, demeanor and talent,” she said. “He’s very humble, and he is young but mature.

I hope people support this artist because he’s so grateful.”

Thomas, who also plays the viola and guitar, admits his favorite music style to play is R&B, but he also enjoys playing country, hip hop and oldies. Some of his favorite artists are Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Two Cellos and the Mad Violinist. He admits he constantly watches other artists to better his own performances.

“I like to take people on a journey,” Thomas said. “Every time I start playing, I go into a universe of relaxation and music.”

“I like to take people on a journey. Every time I start playing, I go into a universe of relaxation and music.”

Violinist Chadrick Thomas Thomas has released a short album and plans to produce another. In the meantime, he provides entertainment for weddings, private parties, formal events, musical reviews, concerts and artist premieres. He also visits metro Atlanta schools to connect with students and assist in band programs. Currently, he only performs on the violin for private and public events, but he wants to eventually add in more instruments and vocals. One day, he hopes to learn to play the piano and own a harp.

“In five years, I want to be a lot better than I am now,” Thomas said. “I draw inspiration from people who are great performers. I try to be versatile. You can be a part of a lot more if you know a lot more.”

Even so, the violin will always be his love.

“It sounds so close to the human voice,” Thomas said. “I feel like it’s a form of singing.”

Contact Carshena Thomas at 404-348-3893 or hallcarshena@yahoo.com for bookings, or visit The Future of Music on Facebook at facebook.com/ The-Future-of-Music-304433990150542. A YouTube channel is forthcoming.

SPORTS & R E C R E AT I O N

PHOTO CREDIT: Blur Life 1975

S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

A River Runs Through It

by DAVID ROTEN

The Yellow River serves as buoyant host to paddlers and fishermen who find a pleasant mix of relaxation, fun and adventure on its waters.

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You may have caught a passing glimpse from I-20 when you zipped over it at 70 miles per hour. Though mostly hidden from view, it gently winds and at times boisterously cascades, mostly unnoticed, through Newton County.

Debra Griffith calls the Yellow River “an absolutely wonderful natural resource right here in our own backyard.” A retired medical researcher, she serves as board chairman of the Yellow River Water Trail, Inc.—a non-profit group dedicated to protecting the river and promoting recreational opportunities on it. “There are so many people who live here their whole lives who don’t even know this is here.”

Though some are simply unaware the river exists, others have seen and been turned off by its yellowish-brown color, assuming it to be an indication that the water is dirty. However, the color is a result of the high-sediment content of the water.

“This river is clean, absolutely safe,” Griffith said, “from here all the way down.”

Keeping the river clean and making it accessible to water-sports enthusiasts is at the heart of what drives the YRWTI. The 53-milelong Yellow River originates in suburban Gwinnett County and runs through portions of Dekalb, Rockdale and Newton counties before emptying into Jackson Lake. Each year, the river is the buoyant host to paddlers and fishermen who find a pleasant mix of relaxation, fun and adventure on its waters.

In Newton County, the adventure often begins in historic Porterdale. Though paddlers are welcome to venture out into the water on their own, everyone from first-timers to seasoned veterans has a ready, local resource available to them in Nomadic Flow Outfitters. According to owner Ryan Roth, the store rents and sells all the equipment, gear and accessories necessary for a fun and safe float on the river. Guided tours and transportation upstream to an access or put-in point is also offered. The 31-yearold Roth, who also holds down a job as a firefighter, has been paddling on the Yellow River since he was a kid. He paid particular attention to what he called “the most popular section” of the river, located between the Mount Tabor access point and Porterdale Yellow River Park.

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S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

“There are only three bridge crossings in seven miles. You’re isolated. You’re just out there in the wilderness enjoying a beautiful, peaceful, tranquil float trip down the Yellow River.”

Nomadic Flow Outfitters Owner Ryan Roth

“There are only three bridge crossings in seven miles,” he said.

“You’re isolated. You’re just out there in the wilderness enjoying a beautiful, peaceful, tranquil float trip down the Yellow River.”

Total travel time back to the park, depending on river levels and personal preference, ranges from one to four hours. Some paddlers choose to be dropped off at a put-in point like Mount Tabor and then paddle and float downriver to a take-out point like the park.

For others, the park serves as a home base from which they can paddle to the dam nearby. When not in the water, visitors can enjoy the park itself. Amenities include picnic tables, grills, a frisbee disc golf course, a large grassy area perfect for playing catch and walking and nature trails—all at the river’s edge.

It is not all about fun and games, however. Griffith and the Yellow River Water Trail, Inc., work to coordinate efforts by a small army of volunteers to keep the river clean and flowing freely. That involves regularly scheduled trash pickups and fostering a pack-itin-pack-it-out mentality among river travelers. However, with plastic water bottles and sports balls being the largest contaminants, it is not those using the river who are causing the problem, for the most part, according to Griffith.

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“It’s not people riding down in boats throwing out their soccer balls,” she said with a smile and just a hint of sarcasm. “It comes from the streets. Anything that gets left on the street ends up in the sewer system [and] ends up in a river.”

YRWTI also participates with Adopt-A-River to run monthly water tests at strategic points on the river to ensure it remains clean and healthy. The Yellow River Trash Bash, held annually in September, remains one of the organization’s largest organized efforts to remove trash. Thanks to the YRWTI, the Georgia River Network recognizes the Yellow River as an official water trail, one of 17 in the state at present. That means there will be publicly accessible access points along the river where paddlers can legally load and unload boats and park vehicles. Educational and informational kiosks are also required at each access point.

To further expand that effort, the YRWTI will holds its Fifth Annual Yellow River Jam “Boats-Bands-Brews” on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., at the Porter Memorial Gymnasium in Porterdale. Proceeds from the event, which is open to the public, will go toward developing other access points along the river in Newton County. The YRWIT at 2 p.m. will partner with the Georgia Conservancy for a paddle from Mount Tabor to the park, followed by the Jam at the gym.

Roth, who has led and been a part of kayaking expeditions around the world, still enjoys his time on the Yellow River, where it all started for him: “It’s an awesome way to escape without ever leaving the city.”

For more information on the Yellow River Trail visit, theyellowriverjam.com and nomadicflowoutfitters.com.

THE BEST TIME TO PLANT TREES

by TED WYNNE

Those thinking of planting a new or replacement tree or shrub—done in the fall and winter months for the best chances of survival—should consider taking these five steps before replanting: PREP: If your landscape had diseased and dead plants this year, remove all diseased plant tops and roots and incorporate some organic matter, but do not overdo it. Reroute water flows coming from downspouts, so the soil is not overly wet for long periods. Have the county Extension Office perform a soil test to see if plant nutrition is a contributing factor.

PLAN: Before you buy, make sure the plant you choose will be the right one for the area. Many times, trees and shrubs are planted in the wrong location. For example, crape myrtles are great shrubs, but many varieties will outgrow their location. Research the University of Georgia Extension website and find a publication to help you select a variety that will fit the location once mature.

PURCHASE: Purchase only healthy trees and shrubs in containers or burlap packing. Take a look at the root system while at the nursery. The roots should have white feeder roots on the outer edge. Avoid plants with dark or small feeder roots.

PLANT: If you are unable to plant right away, store your new plants in a shady location and keep them watered every day until you can plant them. Proper planting depth is important.

Trees and shrubs that are planted too deep or too shallow will sometimes not show symptoms of improper planting for months. Take care in the planting process to do a good job.

Apply three inches of mulch on top of the soil under the plants—not on the trunks—to help keep the roots moist, cool and to prevent weeds.

POST-PLANTING: Once planted, watering is important for the first five or six weeks. Do not overwater. Just keep the soil moist to the touch. If a berm was built around the trunk, remove it after a couple of months by leveling away from the trunk.

Fertilize after the soil has settled and the roots have become established. It is best to fertilize a fall-planted tree or shrub in March of the following year. To help determine how much fertilizer is needed, refer to your UGA Extension soil test results.

If you have questions about your landscape, visit the Newton County Extension office at the Newton County Administration Building at 1113 Usher Street, Covington, GA 30014, or contact Ted Wynne at 770-784-2010 or twynne@uga.edu.

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S P O R T S & R E C R E AT I O N

AGENT OF

by BRIAN KNAPP

CHANGE A natatorium, dog parks and bike trails are among the amenities that top the wish list of Newton County Recreation Commission Director Ternard Turner as he steers the organization into an exciting but uncertain future.

Ternard Turner has no interest in maintaining the status quo, as it was not in the job description he was given when he was hired.

The married 44-year-old father of one has been at the controls of the Newton County Recreation Commission since Dec. 3, when he was named director and left his post as division manager for South Fulton Parks and Recreation near Atlanta.

Turner understands the challenge he has undertaken.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. “I’m a visionary, so I think my responsibility is to push the status quo and to take them to places they really never even thought about going before.

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“Kids don’t vote. It’s important to me to be a voice and to be their role model where they could look up to me and say, ‘Look, this is the guy that’s fighting for us.’ We have somebody to fight for seniors. I want to be that voice for kids.”

Newton County Recreation Commission Director Ternard Turner

I’ve been blessed. I come from large agencies, so I can see the potential in Newton County, and I know where they can go. We deal with a lot of athletics, [and] we do a lot of recreation. I want to get into enrichment programs, summer camp programs, after school programs, mentoring programs, things of that nature, to diversify the portfolio and give the citizens something they have never gotten before.”

Turner earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Physical Education from North Carolina Central University in Durham. He spent roughly two years working in South Fulton and served previously as director of recreation and facility management at the Hapeville Charter Career Academy, district director of parks and recreation for the Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department,

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executive director of leisure services for TB Consulting in Austell and director of school age and recreational services for the YWCA of Greater Atlanta.

A convergence of chance and opportunity brought Turner to Newton County.

“I had a friend of mine who used to live in Newton County, so I would come up from time to time and visit him, and I was like, ‘You know what? This ain’t bad,’” he said. “So when the job came open—he’s actually a director in Florida—he said, ‘Look, here’s your opportunity. Go to Newton County [and] really put your stamp on it.’ He likes some of the things I do, so I applied for the position and here I am.”

Turner sees himself as the product of the kind of organization he now fronts. As such, he does not have to look far for motivation.

“I’ve been doing this for 22 years,” Turner said. “Parks and recreation afforded me the opportunity to go to college. If it wasn’t for parks and recreation, the Boys and Girls Clubs [of America] and the YMCA, I wouldn’t be here today. It kept me focused, kept me out of trouble, so for me, it’s important because, for one, my son is watching, and for two, other young men and women are watching, as well. This is the way I give back. I want to give back.”

Recent additions to the recreation commission lineup include yoga, pickleball, Zumba, youth ceramics, fitness bootcamps and a 3-on-3 basketball league for kids on Friday nights. Since Turner took the helm, the department has opened a new splash pad at Denny Dobbs Park and the B.C. Crowell Fitness Studio at its Turner Lake Park headquarters. The commission also has plans for dog parks and a Thinking Out Loud mentoring program for youth, which appears to be on track to start in January. Further out, there are visions of a natatorium and bike trails. Turner covets input from the community.

“I have an open-door policy, so you can come and criticize me.

You can tell me I stink,” he said. “I need that, so I can see what to do and what I shouldn’t be doing.”

The county finds itself at a turning point and in the midst of a five-year strategic plan, and Turner believes the recreation commission deserves to play a prominent role in its development.

“I am a quality of life champion,” he said. “My background is in health and wellness, and one of the things we’ve done is add health and wellness programs. I want to do things other than sports. We need to have other things. I’m not afraid to fail because you learn from it. I’ve messed up [before], but I know how to be successful, so we’re at a point now where I just need to trust in what I’m doing.

“Kids don’t vote,” Turner added. “It’s important to me to be a voice and to be their role model where they could look up to me and say, ‘Look, this is the guy that’s fighting for us.’ We have somebody to fight for seniors. I want to be that voice for kids.”

For more information, visit newtonrecreation.com

LIVING

PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Mossholder

LIVING

Have Yourself a

‘Berry’ Little Christmas

by NAT HARWELL

Steeped in tradition and sincerity, Berry’s Tree Farm has become synonymous with the arrival of the holiday season in Newton County—an honor not lost on the family behind the operation since its founding in 1894.

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At a time when change seems to be the only constant in the universe, it has become increasingly rare to find an enterprise that has thrived for more than 100 years and continues to succeed under the ownership of the same family. While one may think Google or another popular search engine would be required to find such an amazing entity, locals need to look no further than to the Almon neighborhood a few miles west of the county seat. There, Berry’s Tree Farm and Nursery flourishes into its third century.

Back on Jan. 2, 1894, Charles Woodson Berry purchased roughly 206 acres from Thomas Merriwether and started a dairy and row-crop farm operation. The heritage and tradition that started more than 125 years ago has been passed down through four generations of Berry family members; and for more than 80 of those years, buoyed by the Georgia/CSX Railroad line, they turned out corn and hay and raised Jersey cows.

An old axiom holds that all good things must come to an end, and with the death of Charlie Berry Sr. four decades ago, the farm was divided among family members. A little over 100 acres was sold for development as recently as 2004, but the 100-plus remaining acres took on new life in a way that honored the property’s roots.

The dairy business, started way back at the beginning, sold milk to Atlanta’s Sealtest Dairies, but as anyone old enough to remember LBJ in the White House can testify, the 1960s were extremely rough on farmers, in general, and on dairy farmers, in particular.

The Berry dairy demise came about in 1969, and when the final herd of cows departed in 1977, a new day dawned for the Berry Farm in the Almon community. Charles Berry planted his first

crop of “choose-and-cut” Christmas trees that year, and another tradition began. It took off in a way, perhaps, that no one suspected, as the name Berry’s Tree Farm and Nursery has become synonymous with the arrival of the Christmas season in the Newton County area.

Family members took to the redesigned farm in fine fashion, rolling up their sleeves and literally growing the operation into what has since become a burgeoning business. Visitors to the farm can readily see repurposed, original buildings from long ago: the milk barn, hay barn and equipment shed just north of the railroad, which were built during the 1950s, for example. Today, they house an equipment repair shop, greenhouse, retail sales office and concession stand, public restrooms, train station, Santa’s House and a “pond house” used for meals and gatherings.

The Berrys open the farm for choose-and-cut tree selection around Thanksgiving every year, varying slightly from time to time.

Opening Day 2019 will arrive on Nov. 23, a week later than a year ago due to Thanksgiving falling on Nov. 28. Chuck Berry, the current owner and the great-great grandson of the farm’s founder, remains an ardent proponent of the choose-and-cut approach.

“When you come in the gate, we provide you with a saw and you go to the field and choose your own tree,” Berry said in a 2017 infomercial on YouTube. “The biggest advantage of choose-and-cut versus artificial [involves] several things, one of them just being the smell—the smell of Christmas that you don’t get with an artificial tree. Plus, the chance of knowing where your tree has been cut, when it was cut and exactly where the Christmas tree was grown.”

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The farm is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., during the season. To serve the procrastinators among us, its gates will remain open on Christmas Eve for those who chose to dilly-dally for that long. Berry’s Tree Farm offers nine varieties of Christmas trees, all evergreen, with the Leyland Cyprus as the biggest seller. Fraser Firs are also popular. The farm offers field trips for school groups throughout the year, and during the Christmas season, there are rides on a miniature train and tractor hay bales, along with refreshments of various assortments, including hot cider and hot chocolate.

56 The Newton

Customers who have frequented the farm know their trees can be baled, bored, bundled, shaken and loaded by friendly staff members in less time than it takes to tell about the experience; and all accessories for decorating Christmas trees can be found in the gift shop.

Berry’s Tree Farm and Nursery is a Certified Centennial Farm, a certification that comes only through verification of being in the same family for more than 100 years. During its existence, the outstanding venue has operated on history, heritage, hard work and a genuine dedication to producing quality products and satisfying customers. In fact, there are some in Newton County who do not feel Christmas has truly arrived until they have a Berry’s Christmas tree situated in their home.

“We’ve been growing Christmas trees for over 30 years for the purpose of providing a family tradition to the people in our area,” Berry said. “The most fun of being a Christmas tree farmer is watching families come through the gate, go to the field and choose that Christmas tree and being part of their Christmas tradition.”

For more information, visit berrystreefarm.com, or call 770-786-5833.

“We’ve been growing Christmas trees for over 30 years for the purpose of providing a family tradition to the people in our area.”

Berry’s Tree Farm Owner Chuck Berry

LIVING

58 The Newton

DIARY OF A STUNTMAN

by PATTY RASMUSSEN

Pratfalls, fistfights and explosions are all in a day’s work for Mike Fleetwood, whose credits include everything from television shows like ‘MacGyver’ and ‘Burn Notice’ to major feature films like ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ and ‘Bad Boys II.’ Mike Fleetwood like most kids had a vague idea of what he might want to be when he grew up. He remembers writing down three professions in second grade: circus clown, disc jockey and test-car driver. Fast forward to his first year in community college, and Fleetwood narrowed it further to stuntman. Why? One word: television.

“I grew up watching westerns and always thought it was the neatest thing,” Fleetwood said, though with only sisters at home he was left to reenact fight scenes on his own. “I thought, ‘My gosh, if I could ever be a cowboy in movies or on TV, that would be the best.’”

He watched “The High Chaparral,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Big Valley” and, later, “The Six Million Dollar Man” starring Lee Majors. Fleetwood then acted out the characters’ movements with his friends. It might be too much of a groaner to say Fleetwood “fell” into his stuntman career, though he definitely took his share of falls and his path was certainly circuitous. He started out as an actor, and his first role was acting as a stand-in on the TV series “Swamp Thing” in 1992. At the time, Fleetwood was running a mass mailing company he had encouraged his parents to purchase in his hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. However, the show was filming in Orlando, some 250 miles away.

“When I told my parents about the gig, they supported me going after my dream,” he said. “It was a six-day shoot, so I tried to help out on weekends.”

Stand-ins substitute for lead actors while the crew lights the set, but Fleetwood was watching and learning during his seven-month gig. It was also the era of big live shows at theme parks. “All the guys I was working with were into stunts,” he said. “They asked if I was interested in doing stunts, and I said maybe.” By this time, his parents had sold the business, and Fleetwood had married his wife, Ingrid, the couple having settled in Orlando. Friends taught

him to rappel on scaffolding in a backyard. “I rode motorcycles and BMX bikes growing up,” he said. “I drove, so everything I learned I was able to bring to stunt work.”

Later in his career Fleetwood trained with weapons—including swords and firearms—and mastered other technical skills, but it was still strictly amateur.

“There was an audition for a show called ‘Terminator 2: 3-D,’” Fleetwood said. His audition included taking a gunshot to the face and shoulder and walking like the villainous T-1000. He landed the role. The show ran at the Universal Studios Florida theme park until 2017; Fleetwood performed in it from 1996 until 2000. He also worked part-time at hotels and acted in two national commercials for Toyota. As “Terminator 2” wound down, Fleetwood auditioned for another Universal show in 1999, earning and playing the title role in “Sinbad” for 15 years. The live show provided the security necessary for him to seek more film and television work.

Fleetwood in 2000 landed his first television stunt work, which took the form of a fight scene on “Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.”

Soon, he was shuttling between Miami and Orlando while working on feature films “2 Fast 2 Furious” and “Bad Boys II” and the television show “Burn Notice.” Fleetwood received his Screen Actors Guild card and worked under the name Reece Fleetwood, as Mike Fleetwood was already taken. “Everyone was saying Orlando or Miami was going to be Hollywood East, and it wasn’t happening,” he said. Fleetwood noticed many of the quality assignments were moving north to Georgia, and it was not long before he and Ingrid knew it was time for them to move, too. In true stuntman form, he described it as a “giant Indiana Jones leap of faith” but one that had to be made. “Production companies had moved here and wanted to hire locally,” he said. “They didn’t want 2019 Fall Issue 59

LIVING

to hire professionals from out of state and have to pay for hotels, per diem, travel. I knew this was where God wanted us to be.”

They settled in Newton County in late 2014, and though his line of work tends to be up and down, he landed a high-profile, 18-month gig as stunt double for George Eads, who played the character of Jack Dalton on the CBS remake of “MacGyver,” which is shot in the metro Atlanta area. “[Eads] told me the first day I worked, ‘Man, if you’re doubling me, you’re going to be busy because there’s a ton of action for my character and I’ve got a bum back and my shoulder is all whacked out,’” Fleetwood recalled. Eads was true to his word. Fleetwood was involved in loads of fights, falls, car chases and a scene with an explosion that ended up dislocating his shoulder. “I was stunt coordinating that day,” he said. “We were supposed to be running from an explosion and we were supposed to be behind a barricade before the explosion, but I told the director I thought it would look cooler if we weren’t quite behind the barricade.” Fleetwood was right about the shot, but it took him about a year to recover from the pain of that dislocated shoulder.

Injuries are a hazard of the business, so staying in good physical condition remains essential. At 53, Fleetwood can hold a plank for six minutes. He trains three days a week for 90 minutes at a time and rides his motorcycle off road twice a week. Mental preparation is equally important. “Never stop learning,” Fleetwood said. “There’s always room for improvement. Whenever I have downtime, I train or learn something new.” He had some free advice for anyone looking to perform. “Be friendly and nice to everyone, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because you never know how this business will work out,” he said. “That kid that’s the intern on the set today could turn out to be the stunt coordinator or director tomorrow.”

Fleetwood knows the clock is ticking on his stunt career, but there is one item he wants to check off his professional bucket list before he hangs up his kit.

“To this day, I’ve never done a western,” he said. “I’ve done four Civil War-era films, but I haven’t done a western. I’m going to do one before I finish my career.”

DID YOU KNOW? • There are 400-plus professional stunt performers based in Georgia.

• While no formal education is required to work as a stunt performer, you must be a member of either the Screen Actors Guild or the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to apply for a stunt job.

• Stunt schools offer training in precision driving, harness work, fighting technique and weapons.

Additionally, many stunt performers pursue training in martial arts, rappelling and other technical skills.

Check out georgia.org/industries/film for more information about Georgia’s film industry.

60 The Newton

“I grew up watching westerns and always thought it was the neatest thing. I thought, ‘My gosh, if I could ever be a cowboy in movies or on TV, that would be the best.’”

Stuntman Mike Fleetwood

LIVING

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

N E W T O N

C O U N T Y

F A I R

A Season UNLIKE ANY OTHER

by DARRELL HUCKABY

The Newton County Fair was a once-a-year staple of the childhood experience, announcing the arrival of autumn with the promise of thrill rides, cotton candy and the other man’s game.

64 The Newton

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

2019 Fall Issue 65

LIVING

With the current climate change we seem to be undergoing— manmade or otherwise—it is sometimes hard to know when one season ends and another begins. However, back in the days of my youth, there was definitely a distinct difference in the divisions of the calendar, and my favorite time of year was fall. It may merely be my memory playing tricks on me, but it seems that the first cold front of the year always arrived, to my delight, in the middle of the day. We would all walk to school in the morning in shortsleeved shirts, and when we walked outside to go home in the afternoon, we would find that autumn had arrived in the North Georgia Piedmont, putting a nip in the air and a smile on the collective faces of school children everywhere. Why? Because we knew that when the first breath of fall arrived, the county fair could not be far behind.

Fair Day was something we looked forward to all year, right behind Christmas, Halloween and the first day of going barefoot.

The fair—a traveling carnival with rides, sideshows, games and all manner of fun—would magically appear at the Newton County Fairgrounds on a Sunday morning in late September or early October, its arrival having been foretold for weeks by bright yellow, red and orange posters and handbills throughout the county.

We would pick up Coca-Cola bottles and save our loose change all year for money to spend at the fair. Older kids would actually go over on Sunday, hang out, talk to the carnies and earn a little spending money by helping them unload the big trucks that transported the tents and rides from town to town. Most of us had to wait for Wednesday afternoon, when schools actually let out early and kids were allowed through the gates of the county fair for free.

Now understand, this was before the days of annual trips to Disney World and other such theme parks. There was no Six Flags and no traveling carnivals set up in shopping center parking lots. This was a once-a-year deal for those of us who were lucky enough to have been raised in the 1950s, and it was special. I remember the smells the most. Wet sawdust. It always seemed to have rained on or before Fair Day. Cotton candy. Sour soft drink syrup spilled near concession stands. Other “aromas” that are better left undiagnosed.

Honesty compels me to admit that I wasn’t into many of the thrill rides. I liked the Ferris wheel, as long as it wasn’t a double, and I didn’t mind the roller coaster—the ones the James H. Drew Exhibition brought to Covington were never really very high or

“Cotton candy was my absolute favorite, but I loved the candy apples—the red ones with the hard shells, not the ones with caramel—and have been known to put away a corn dog or two.

I learned the hard way to eat after I rode, not before.”

Darrell Huckaby

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

66 The Newton

very scary—but I wasn’t a fan of any spinning ride, which represented just about everything else. The Scrambler, the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Octopus made me sicker than Cooter Brown after a three-day-drunk, and it didn’t take me too many tries to learn that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. I just didn’t ride those things. Forget the Bullet.

I was a sucker for the games, however. I was certain that if I just put down one more quarter, I could knock those cats over the next time and win a Teddy bear; or knock over the milk jugs; or make a coin come to rest on a slippery plate. Even though my daddy warned me that you could never win playing the other man’s game, I thought I could. I couldn’t. That didn’t keep me from trying. That’s why I cringed whenever I learned that Mama Ellis, my mama’s mama, would be accompanying us to the fair. She was dead square against gambling, and I couldn’t even pick up a duck if she were with us.

I also enjoyed going to the freakshows. They had freakshows at the Newton County Fair when I was growing up. I guess those would be taboo these days, but there was a fat lady, a bearded lady and Emmett the Dog Boy, who looked just like a dog, bless his heart. I paid my quarter to stare at him every year for as long as I can remember, as did all my friends.

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

If I had any money left after riding the few rides I was willing to risk, gambling or looking at the unfortunates who traveled with the show, I would eat it away. Cotton candy was my absolute favorite, but I loved the candy apples—the red ones with the hard shells, not the ones with caramel—and have been known to put away a corn dog or two. I learned the hard way to eat after I rode, not before.

What I didn’t like to do was visit the exhibition hall. Cows, pigs, dioramas and canned vegetables adorned with blue ribbons didn’t interest me at all, and looking at them took time away from riding, eating and futile attempts at knocking down stuffed cats. However, my mama loved looking at such things and so I had to look at such things, too, at least until I was old enough to roam the fairgrounds all alone.

So far this year, my travels have taken me to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, the Moulin Rouge in Paris, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, Bush Gardens in Tampa, Florida, and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I would happily trade all of that for one more candy apple at the Newton County Fair and one more peek at Emmett the Dog Boy.

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

BOBBY D. HAMBY OF ONE EYED PHOTOGRAPHY

2019 Fall Issue 67

RESOURCES

“Sometimes the messes we live with aren’t the ones we made.

But life is like that, messy, and everyone needs help sometimes.”

H. D. Knightley

FOOD RESOURCES Covington First UMC Food Pantry Only 770-786-7305 2160 Church Street Covington, GA 30014

Mon. & Wed. 2 – 4 p.m., Third Sat. of month 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Serves Newton County residents.

Bring I.D. First Sat. of month, mobile food pantry at 10 a.m.

Willing Helpers 678-342-3434 8111 Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30014

Thur. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The ministry operates on a $10.00 donation. Please bring some form of I.D. in order to record your visit.

Anyone is welcome to use this ministry.

Repairers of the Breach 770-787-7250 5120 Old Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30014 Mon. – Fri. 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Bring photo I.D.

Salvation Army 770-786-2107 5193 Washington Street Covington, GA 30014

Tue. – Thur. 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Bring I.D.

Potter’s House 678-212-0319 1120 Crowell Road Covington, GA 30014 Sat. 9 – 11:30 a.m. & Wed. by appointment only

Community Food Pantry 770-784-0037 7129 Turner Lake Drive Covington, GA 30014 Wed. & Fri. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Bring photo I.D.

Red Oak UMC 770-787-0404 15105 Hwy 36 Covington, GA 30014 Wed. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Harvest Baptist Church 770-787-7275 2075 Highway 212 Covington, GA 30016 Mon. 8:30 – 11:00 a.m..

First & third Mon., 5 – 7 p.m.

Belmont Baptist Church 770-786-8676 x5 3275 Iris Drive Conyers, GA 30013 Mon. 9 – 11:30 a.m.

Bring I.D.

Monastery of the Holy Spirit 770-483-8705 2625 Hwy 212 Conyers, GA 30094 Tue. 8 – 10 a.m.

Bring I.D.

CLOTHING AND RESALE Habitat for Humanity Conyers/Rockdale ReStore 770-785-7675 1117 West Avenue Conyers, GA 30012 Cinderella Shop 770-784-7330 2145 Pace Street Suite B Covington, GA 30014

Women’s gently worn and clean clothing and accessories

Reach Thrift Store 678-712-6590 3236 Hwy 278 Covington, GA 30014 Resale shop

GoodWill 770-788-2298 3173 US-278 Covington, GA 30014

Clothing and household resale items

Repairers of the Breach 770-787-7250 5120 Old Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30014 Clothing, books, household resale items

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HOUSING ASSITANCE The Garden of Gethsemane Homeless Shelter 770-787-8519 7133 Turner Lake Circle Covington, GA 30014 Housing for homeless men, women and children

Covington Housing Authority 770-786-7739 x1 5160 Alcovy Road Covington, GA 30014 Income-based housing Mon. – Thur. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Fri. 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Covington Square Apartments 770-786-3227 2101 Washington Street Covington, GA 30014 Affordable housing Mon. – Fri. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Harris Town Park 678-625-3235 2135 Reynolds Street Covington, GA 30014

Affordable housing Mon., Wed., Fri. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Habitat for Humanity 770-784-9665 Housing to qualified families

Action Ministries 888-206-7372

Housing for homeless individuals, families and veterans

FaithWorks 770-784-1884 7129 Turner Lake Road Covington, GA 30014

St. Vincent de Paul Society 770-761-3731 2621 Lost Valley Ct Conyers, GA 30013

Salvation Army 770-786-2107 5193 Washington Street, Covington, GA 30014

ADDICTION, PREVENTION AND RECOVERY

Rent Assistance Wed. & Fri. 9 – 11 a.m.

Rent Assistance

Repairers of the Breach 770-787-7250 5120 Old Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30014 Rent Assistance

HomeSafe Georgia www.homesafegeorgia.com

A federally funded, state operated mortgage assistance program that helps homeowners avoid foreclosure

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FaithWorks 770-784-1884 7129 Turner Lake Road Covington, GA 30014 Utilities

Salvation Army 770-786-2107 5193 Washington Street Covington, GA 30014 Utilities, prescriptions

Repairers of the Breach 770-787-7250 5120 Old Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30014 Utilities

Snapping Shoals EMC Operation RoundUp 770-786-3484 14750 Brown Bridge Road Covington, GA 30016 Medical bills

Medical/dental, prescriptions, rent, utilities, legal fees, burials

Rockdale House for Women 770-483-0213 In house recovery for women

Gran Recovery 678-209-2770 215 Kirkland Road Covington, GA 30016

Drug-Free Coalition 770-786-0807

Alliance Recovery Center 770-922-4482 3430 GA-20 Conyers, GA 30013

GA Smoke Free Quit Line 877-270-7867

ASSISTED LIVING

Drug abuse prevention

Help to stop smoking

Hearts for Families 770-972-3664

Underage drinking prevention

Alcoholics Anonymous 404-525-3178 Find a local meeting

Celebrate Recovery at Eastridge Community Church 770-786-2048 863 GA-142 Covington, GA 30014

For people of all ages (6 months and up) The program covers a limitless number of issues. Celebrate Recovery is for anyone who is struggling with a hurt, habit, or hang-up.

Every Thur. 7 – 9 p.m.

Damascus Road Recovery 770-787-1975

In-house recovery residence for men

Narcotics Anonymous 800-477-6291 Find a local meeting

First Step House Rockdale 770-785-7002 In-house recovery

Rockdale House for Men 770-483-4984

Merryvale Assisted Living 770-786-4688 11980 GA Hgwy 142 Oxford, GA 30054 Mon. – Sun. 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Riverside Healthcare Center 770-787-0211 5100 West Street Covington, GA 30014 Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Benton House 770-788-6660 7155 S. Dearing Road Covington, GA 30014

SPECIAL NEEDS Miracle League of Newton County 770-786-4373 x17 City Pond Park 13501 City Pond Road Covington, GA 30014

Fully-accessible baseball field and playground for those with special needs

Chimney Park 678-625-1235 7116 Floyd Street Covington, GA 30014

Outdoor sanctuary especially attractive to families with children with special needs

Special Olympics 770-786-3802

Provide sports training and competitions for over 500 Newton County children with developmental or mental disabilities

Special Needs Advocate for Parents of Georgia, LLC 770-285-4524 8134 Geiger Street, Suite 12 Covington, GA 30014

Mon. – Fri. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Garden of Social Circle 770-464-4211 621 N. Cherokee Road Social Circle, GA 30025 All hours

Remington House 678-509-3904 1504 Renaissance Drive Conyers, GA 30012 Mon. – Sat. 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Morningside of Conyers 770-922-1654 1352 Wellbrook Circle Conyers, GA 30012

In-house recovery for men

2019 Fall Issue 71