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Dr. Thelma Lucas Loving Care
Best Home Workouts for 2021
Landing a Job During COVID-19 Five DIY Ways to Pamper 1 Yourself in The New Year
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Dr. Thelma Lucas helps her patients live their best lives. Page 10 Photo by Zachary Dailey
What’s inside... 10
Loving Care
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Landing a Job During COVID-19
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Raising Responsible Children
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Best Home Workouts for 2021
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Five DIY Ways to Pamper Yourself in The New Year
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Throwing in the Towel
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Kicking 2020 to the Curb I'm sure I speak for many of you when I say that 2020 was the most challenging year I've ever experienced. So full of ups and downs, shutdowns, healthcare scares, quarantines, loss and the dreaded COVID-19. Hopefully, this year will be much better for all of us! I'm looking forward to seeing what 2021 has to offer. It certainly can't be any worse than last year! In This Issue Our feature this month is Dr. Thelma Wiley Lucas. Raised by loving parents in a sharecropping family in rural Mississippi the first few years of her life taught her the value of hard work and love for family. She is a very accomplished doctor, and her patients adore her. She is such a wonderful, down-to-earth person! Learn more about Dr. Lucas and how she's helping her patients live their best lives on page 10. Do you feel overwhelmed with work and household chores? Are you the one who is always doing all the work around the house? Learn how to divvy up the chores and teach your children responsibility on page 22. After such a difficult year, it seems as if most everyone feels beaten down and depressed. We all could use some tender loving care! Read these five do-it-yourself tips on how to pamper yourself in the New Year on page 31. Photo by Zachary Dailey Did you lose your job due to COVID-19 last year? Is it time to move on from your current job? On page 34, Sandra Bolan shares how to job search during COVID-19. If you're like me, you've packed on a few pounds since the pandemic hit. Some of you may have stopped going to the gym for safety reasons. We share with you some effective home workouts to get yourself in the best shape of your life on page 36. Do you ever feel as if life is just too hard? Do you feel like giving up sometimes? On page 42, Sandra Bolan shares some proactive steps you can take when you feel like throwing in the towel. Thank you for reading West Georgia Woman magazine! Please continue to do business with our advertising partners included in our publication. Without them, we could not provide you with this beautiful magazine each month. I hope you and yours have a wonderful and blessed New Year. Happy New Year!
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West Georgia Woman Magazine P.O. Box 2782 Carrollton, GA 30112
Volume 6 • Issue 3 January 2021
This publication is dedicated in loving memory of Tristan Alexander Brooks May 15, 1993 – September 17, 2015
Angela Dailey angela@westgeorgiawoman.com
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Photographer for cover Zachary Dailey
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Loving Care
By Angela Dailey Photos by Zachary Dailey 10
Local Hepatologist Dr. Thelma Lucas Helps Her Patients Live Their Best Lives 11
D
r. Thelma Wiley Lucas has always been intellectually gifted. When she was in elementary school, she began taking high school courses, thanks to her mother's determination and influence. "I don't know how my mom found out about it, but she somehow heard about this gifted program," says Thelma. "I just remember we had to walk to the bus stop, take the bus, get on the "L" train, take another bus and walk some more until we finally got to this man's office that was in the projects. He had this little office with one little light bulb hanging from the ceiling, and he had all these papers all over his desk. He signed me up for some program where I began taking all these high school courses. Later, when I went to high school, I was always a year ahead of everyone in my class." While most teenage girls are interested in hanging out with friends, swimming and boys over summer vacation, young Thelma spent her summers attending enrichment programs that were sponsored
by the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). "I was introduced to the idea of medicine as a career when I was in high school," she explains. "IIT started a summer enrichment program for students interested in engineering. I attended because my high school counselor recommended me." She was honored to have been chosen as the sole representative of her high school – and she just didn't have the heart to tell her counselor that engineering didn't interest her. She says she hated the program, but she stuck with it for one year. "Before that time, I had not thought of medicine as a career, but I knew for sure I didn't like engineering," she laughs. "I was shy – so incredibly shy. I didn't know any of these kids because we all came from different high schools all across Chicago. So, on the last day, the people from IIT were telling us that we did great, and that they would see us next summer. Then, they told us they were starting a similar program for kids interested in medicine. I finally got up enough courage to ask if I could switch to the medical program and ... the rest is history."
Excelling As a Physician After attending medical school and completing her residency and gastrointestinal (GI) fellowship at the University of Illinois College of Medicine (UIC), she became a GI attending physician at her alma mater. "I wanted to be a teacher," she explains. "So, by going into academic medicine – I trained at a teaching hospital – I was able to combine my love of teaching and medicine." At UIC, she was responsible for training residents and GI fellows. She was then appointed as the medical director of the Liver Transplant Program at UIC, and at RUSH University Medical Center – a nationally ranked academic medical center located in the Illinois medical district neighborhood of Chicago. Dr. Lucas is a hepatologist, or liver specialist. Hepatology focuses on liver and biliary system disorders, and is a subspecialty of gastroenterology, which studies the digestive systems as a whole. Hepatology requires an additional one to two years of fellowship training beyond the traditional GI fellowship. Dr. Lucas is board certified in gastroenterology by
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Dr. Thelma Lucas
the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the physician group at West Georgia Gastroenterology Associates, P.C. in Carrollton, Ga. In addition to her work, she is a researcher, with multiple national presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. She also competed for, and received, a prestigious grant from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) for her research on the effect of race and hepatitis C.
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The 57-year-old doctor was born on May 5, 1963, – or May 6 – depending on who you ask. In fact, Thelma, and almost everyone in her family has two birthdays. Her parents, Clemonteen and Tealy Wiley, Thelma and Thelma's 18 siblings (yes, you read that right – Complete Termite, Pest Control and Wildlife Removal 18) were all born in Sunflower County, in the city of Established in 1978 Drew, Miss., in the Mississippi Delta region. Serving West Metro Atlanta to East Alabama At some point, the courthouse in Sunflower County burned down, and many of the vital records 402 Maple Street • Carrollton (Next to Jefferson’s) were destroyed – including most of the Wiley 770.834.0811 family's birth certificates. The destroyed records had www.multi-pest.com to be recreated, and whoever was in charge of that project failed miserably. They said, 'That is your new birthday now, because "We were living in Chicago when I learned of my second birthday," she says. "I was 14, and I needed that is what is on the official birth certificate.'" my birth certificate for my first job. So my mom sent for the birth certificate, and they had the date of One Big, Happy Family May 5 listed. I had always celebrated my birthday on May 6 and my mom said I was born on May 6. Living in rural Mississippi wasn't easy for Thelma's But May 5 is on all of my official paperwork, because large family. Her parents were sharecroppers who that is what is listed on the birth certificate. produced and harvested cotton. But what the Wileys "In some cases, when my mom sent for two or lacked in resources, they made up for with love. three of my siblings' records at the same time, "I had a great relationship with both parents," she they totally shares. "I grew up messed the in a happy, noisy, dates up. loving home. I have a My family is very sister whose proud of me, and birthday quite supportive." is Aug. 10 Sharecroppers and another were tenant whose farmers, birthday particularly in the is Oct. 13. South, who were They sent provided with them birth credit for seeds, certificates tools, food and 9-year-old Thelma, front row, center, with her parents and 17 of her 18 siblings, circa with Aug. 13 1971. Thelma's mother, Clemonteen, is fourth from the left (back row, wearing white), living quarters to and Oct. 10. and Thelma's father, Tealy, stands beside his wife in the center (black jacket, white tie). work the land. At
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the end of the year, sharecroppers would receive a share of the value of the crop minus the costs. Sharecropping families would live in small shotgun houses on the owners' property, and work their parcel of land. Thelma's mother and her aunt married two brothers – Clemonteen married Tealy, Thelma's dad, and Thelma's aunt married Tealy's brother. Most of Thelma's siblings were born at home, with their births attended by a midwife. Thelma, the 18th of 19 children, was born in a small clinic in the area and lived with her family on the Brooks' sharecropping farm. Her aunt's family was their closest neighbor, living less than a mile away from Thelma's family. Thelma says her parents were loving and kind, but very strict. She says her Auntie wasn't strict at all – she would let Thelma's cousins get away with everything. "There were 15 of them and 19 of us," she says. "You can just imagine when we went to the school, because there was just one school. The teachers had no idea which one of the Wiley kids had done ... whatever, if one of them got in trouble for something. So, if anything ever went down and it was said that one of the Wiley kids did this or that, we would always say, 'It wasn't us.' My cousins would not get in trouble. We would get in trouble, so it was never us!" Picking cotton was backbreaking and hot work, and Thelma remembers working in the fields when she was a child. "My older siblings tell me I was just playing and I didn't work at all," she laughs. "They say I was a spoiled brat, but I worked. A lot of kids came in handy because that's more hands that you have to help work the fields. My older siblings went to school after the harvest. They were never able to go to school for the entire year, because if it was time to pick the crops and the weather was good, then you have to be working and not in school." Between 1910 and 1970, 6.5 million black people went north, leaving the South, the cotton fields and sharecropping behind, according to PBS. By the end of World War II, much of cotton farming had been mechanized, and sharecroppers were thrown off the land. Some 5 million black people left after 1940, creating the second great migration to the North. In Chicago, which had a direct train route from Mississippi, the black-owned newspaper The Chicago Defender urged blacks to migrate, and lobbied railroads to offer group rates for travelers. Black porters working on the trains distributed The Defender onboard. "We were the last of the great migration from the
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South to the North," she says. "When I was 7 years old, my family moved to Chicago, where I received the rest of my schooling." The family moved to Roseland on the southside of Chicago. Although it is a pretty rough neighborhood now, it was a nice community when her family moved there. During her elementary and high school years, Thelma attended public school at Alfred D. Kohn Elementary and Chicago Christian Fenger High School.
A Mother's Love Clemonteen had a way of making all 19 of her children feel uniquely special and cherished, and Thelma and her siblings still argue about which child was her favorite. "My mom, she had this way of just making everybody feel as if they were her favorite," she shares. "Everybody thinks that everybody else is the favorite, but she just had a way of making you feel that way, in spite of having so many children. We still felt special." She says her mother was her greatest role model, and she set the example of hard work, enthusiasm for your work and not complaining. "I looked up to my mother, often wondering – even as a child – how she did so much, with so little money, resources and time," she says. "She cooked two to three meals a day. She did everything. She made biscuits; she made everything from scratch – nothing frozen, no prepared foods. I don't know how she did it. On Sundays, when we lived in Chicago, we were going to this church that was a couple of blocks away. On Sundays, even though we had such a large family, it would not be unusual for 10 or 12 people to just follow us home from church. There was never a time that there wasn't enough food for everyone." The Wiley home was a fun place to be – there was a lot of singing and playing games, and everyone was welcome. "It was always OK that people
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followed us home," she says. Her parents passed away in their 80s, but their legacy of love for family and a strong work ethic remains in Thelma and her siblings. She says they were very poor growing up, but didn't realize it until they were older. "We didn't have a lot, but we weren't missing anything," she relates. "We didn't ask for a lot. I remember in high school, my mom would give us bus fare to take the bus to school, but we just preferred to walk, especially in the winter because it was freezing standing there waiting for 20 to 30 minutes at the bus stop. At the end of the week, my sister and I would try give my mom the bus fare back, but she would tell us that was our money and to keep it."
Exploring Medicine During that medical summer enrichment program for kids, 16-year-old Thelma fell in love with medicine. Over the course of the summer, she knew she had found her career path, but she wasn't so sure at the beginning of the program. The kids were all paired up with physicians from various hospitals, and Thelma was paired with a forensic pathologist. "Some of the kids were paired with general
surgeons, some were paired with OB/GYNs and I got paired with a pathologist," she exclaims. "I thought, 'He doesn't even see live patients!'" Her pathologist partner investigated suspicious deaths, drownings, people who had passed away in fires and the like, so his work was interesting for Thelma, but also a little slow. One day, he told her that he was scheduled to perform an autopsy the next day, and she would have to take a permission slip home for her parents to sign so she could observe. "I was so excited that my mom gave me permission to attend the autopsy," she says. "The morgue was in the basement of a hospital that had about 12 or 13 floors. I remember being so nervous on the elevator. As the elevator was going down, my stomach was just in knots." The pathologist met her in the basement, and she asked him what all the big silver metal drawers were. She was told that each drawer had a body inside, which was a bit disconcerting for her. Then, she followed him into the autopsy room. "It was just like television," she says. "All dimly lit with the body there. They uncovered the body and began to make the incisions to remove the scalp from the skull. I was just standing there, and the
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pathologist said to me, 'Would you like to remove the brain?' I was 16 years old. I said, 'Yes I would!' as if I'd been removing people's brains my whole life. After that moment, I was hooked – that was it! I knew I wanted to be a doctor, and I never looked back." She was paired with the pathologist for the rest of the program that summer and, although she really loved pathology, she did not have an interest in entering that particular field. By the time she entered college, IIT had continued with the enrichment program, and she was able to be paired with physicians in different specialties. Through the rest of her time in high school, Thelma's mom continued to be a strong source of support. Thelma was taking all AP classes, and she would stay up late every night working on her studies. "My mom was just the best," she shares. "For her, she only went through the sixth grade, but she was the smartest person – she was so smart. She was an avid reader, and she was the best doll transplant surgeon if our dolls lost an arm or if the dog chewed off a doll's leg. Without us even asking, she would just get it and stitch things back together. When I
was in high school, I would be up late every night trying to get everything finished. She would stay up and sit with me at the table while I was doing my work. Sometimes she would read, make snacks or make me some tea. I would tell her, 'Mom, it's OK, you can go to bed,' but she would sit there and just be with me."
Unsettling Advice After graduating high school, Thelma began pursuing her undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her first semester of college, her advisor tried to steer her away from medicine. "She asked me what I wanted to do, and I told her I wanted to be a doctor," she says. "The counselor said, 'You know, people say they want to be this or that, but you just don't realize the implications of what you're saying. You don't realize what you have to do to get there. So, it would be best that you just tell your parents right now so they won't be disappointed later. You just don't know what you're talking about.' "I was so angry, and I thought, 'I will show you.' I never went back to see her, even though she remained my counselor. I called her the 'Dragon
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nurses could make or break you as an intern or resident. They knew we didn't know what we were doing because we were in training. They would fall all over themselves to help the male doctors, but the female doctors were on their own!" Her mentor during her internal medicine residency was a gastroenterologist, so it seemed natural for Thelma to follow in his footsteps and become a GI doctor. After her residency was completed in 1995, she and three other doctors – including two women – were chosen out of hundreds of people who had applied for four spots in a competitive GI fellowship. "I've always been very competitive," she shares. "So, I took the rigors of classwork and clinicals as a challenge – to be better than the students around me." Besides her rigorous studies and clinical work, she also worked at a free clinic on the west side of Chicago that offered free medical and dental care to the underserved poor population.
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Lady.' She had these long red nails and she was a chain smoker. I don't even remember her face, I just remember the smoke and her long red fingernails." When it was time to graduate, Thelma was required to complete an exit interview with her counselor. The counselor told her she had enough hours to graduate, but that she was missing a class that she would have to take in the summer. "I told her, 'No. I need to graduate because I have plans for the summer,'" Thelma says. "She asked me what my plans were, and I told her that I had been accepted to medical school at the University of Illinois. She literally dropped her cigarette. She left the room and when she came back she told me 'Congratulations,' and said she would waive the class so I could graduate in May."
Thelma met her husband of 18 years, Kevin Lucas, at a party when they were both in college. "I thought he was very cute and very nice," she says. "Right after college, I went to med school in Chicago and he went to the police academy. We went out two or three times that summer, and that
A Man's World When Thelma was in medical school, her workload was difficult, but there was also the added stress of having to deal with overt sexism in the workplace. "I had one of my attendings say to me, 'Wouldn't you be better suited going to secretarial school?' and I said to him, 'Well, I can't type that well, but I know medicine,'" she laughs. "There was a lot of sexism, but women were the absolute worst. The
Dr. Lucas, with her husband, Kevin. Photo provided by Dr. Lucas.
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In 2007, Thelma was burnt out from her extremely heavy workload, and she and Kevin had been considering moving to a warmer climate. She was contacted by a headhunter to interview for a position at West Georgia Gastroenterology Associates in Carrollton, Ga., a medical practice founded by local gastroenterologist, Dr. Howard Seeman. She landed the job, and she and Kevin moved to Carrollton. Thelma is a very talented singer, and has even had a few guest appearances in Dr. Howard Seeman's band, The Dakota Dodge Band. She and Kevin have five children, and Thelma is the legal guardian of two of her sister, Sharyn's children; Jaylen, 22, and Kaylen, 18. She is also the godmother of all of Sharyn's children, including Sharyn's middle son, Allen (AJ), 20. Thelma and Sharyn were a year and a half apart, and they looked so much alike that people would often mistake them for twins. Sadly, Sharyn passed away from breast cancer at the age of 40. "She moved down here to be closer to me," she shares. "She was here for about three years before she passed away. As a doctor, I felt helpless. It was awful." After Sharyn passed away, all three kids have stayed with Thelma every summer and school break,
was it. After that, we did not see or speak to each other for 15 years, just because we were so busy with our careers." Fast forward 15 years, and Kevin was at a cookout. He heard a woman talking about working at UIC. After the woman left, he asked the host of the party to call the woman and ask her if she knew Dr. Wiley. He was able to get Thelma's private phone number at work, and he called her to catch up. "The third question he asked me was, 'Are you married?' When I told him I wasn't, the fourth question was, 'Can we go to lunch?'" she laughs. "We agreed to meet for lunch the next day, and he picked me up at 1 p.m. We were sitting there, and at exactly 1:15 my pager goes off. It was my fellow who was calling to ask me a question. To this day, he still says I had someone page me to rescue me from my date with him – in case I didn't like something about him." She still affirms it was her fellow calling her with a question. "That's my story Left to right: Jaylen, Allen, Thelma and Kaylen. Inset: Their mother, Sharyn, left and I'm sticking with it," she laughs. The and Thelma, right. Thelma and her sister Sharyn were a year and a half apart, and they looked so much alike, they were often mistaken for twins. couple married six months later.
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"I want my patients to be involved in their own care. Bring medicines or your list of medicines, ask questions and know why you are being referred to a specialist. Help us help you. I want you to ask questions. I want you to be involved in your healthcare because I want to do a good job for you."
and Jaylen came to live with her when he was 13. He graduated from Carrollton High School and has his own apartment in Carrollton with some of his high school friends. Allen is in his second year at Dalton State College, and Kaylen is a freshman in the nursing program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Thelma is an avid reader and enjoys reading romance novels, historical novels, medical mysteries and thrillers. She also started a book club consisting of professional women who met monthly before the Coronavirus. "I love cookbooks, although I do very little cooking," she says. "My husband is a fabulous chef!" Kevin is a retired bomb and arson detective, having served 21 years with the Chicago Police Department. He coaches girls' basketball at Carrollton High School, and he enjoys mentoring young people and playing golf.
Doctors Orders Her one important piece of advice to patients is to be involved in their own care. "Bring medicines or your list of medicines, ask questions and know why you are being referred to a specialist," she explains. "Help us help you. I want you to ask questions. I want you to be involved in your healthcare because I want to do a good job for you." Her goal is to continue mentoring students, and to be the best mentor and role model that she can be. "I want to encourage as many students as possible to strive for and reach their goals," she exclaims. "I want to keep giving back. I am where
I am because of people who took the extra time to mentor me and help me along the way." Although she has had many challenges in her life she has had to overcome, she is thankful that she had a good, solid base and upbringing. "With my training, too – I feel like I had really good training," she explains. "I trained between the veteran's hospital in Chicago, Cook County and the University of Illinois, which is a teaching hospital. I was able to do and see so much. Even if it's something I haven't seen before, it's that criticial thinking that I learned during my training that helps me with my work." Regarding her experience with COVID-19 this year, she says she is most proud of the bravery exhibited by her colleagues, nurses and the entire healthcare community. "The ones who are truly on the front lines," she relates. "Those who selflessly, unflinchingly and knowingly care for patients afflicted by this deadly COVID-19 infection. We mask up, gown up and still do our job, because we take our oath – our duty – seriously. This dedication has come at a high price. Many of us have been infected; some of us have succumbed to this deadly virus. Yet, those of us who are able, remain willing to continue the work." WGW
To learn more about Dr. Thelma Lucas and her work, or West Georgia Gastroenterology Associates, P.C., call 770.214.2800 or visit the website at www.westgagastro.com 21
Raising Responsible Children By Sandra Bolan
M
ost parents have one main goal as they raise their children: to create responsible adults. That’s a pretty broad expectation, but being responsible essentially means being dependable, accepting credit when due and criticism when warranted, as well as being a contributing member of society. Some parents confuse responsible with obedient. However, those are two very different ideas. An obedient child will follow parental instruction without question, much like a puppy. On the other hand, a responsible child will put the dishes away or clean up her room because it’s something that needs to be done, and when family chores are divided up, those were hers.
At What Age Should You Start? Responsibilities need to be age appropriate. Toddlers can do simple things such as putting their toys away after playing with them. Tweens can do
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their laundry. Chores need to be explained. In detailing your expectations, it’s best to show them how to complete it. Parents also need to clearly lay out the consequences for not completing the task. Even though you showed your child how to complete various tasks – to your specifications – allow her to do them her own way. For example, let
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your children fold their laundry how they want to, which may not be as neat and tidy as if you did it. Allow your children to make mistakes – and they will. Just don’t overreact. Turn mistakes into teachable moments – what went wrong and how to correct the mistake next time. Children need to take ownership of any mess-ups and the resulting consequences.
Create a Chore Chart One way to organize a family’s responsibilities is to lay them out on a chart everyone can see. Mom and Dad also need to be included on the list. The division of gross chores, such as cleaning toilets, shouldn’t fall to the same person every week. Every family member needs to take their turn doing the yucky stuff. It’s also a great reminder to us adults and a lesson to children that, in life, there will be times when we’re going to have to do things we don’t like. We all want to be appreciated for a job well done, but it’s important to not reward children for every little thing they do. For example, you have to harp on your little girl to put all of her toys away, as per the chore chart. She finally does it. You then take her out for ice cream as a reward. That’s more like a bribe than a reward.
Even toddlers can do simple things such as putting their toys away after playing with them.
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There are many chore charts available online, but the format is basically the same. For every chore completed, the person gets a check mark. Once all of the chores are complete, then she gets a pre-determined reward. Just as rewards are pre-determined, so too should be the consequences of not completing tasks. Part of becoming a responsible child, then adult, is understanding there will be consequences for a job not done.
Be a Role Model When you make a mistake, own up to it, then correct it. Don’t complain about your chores, or even your job. Take pride in what you do – inside and outside the home. Don’t forget to tell your child "well done." There’s nothing like positive reinforcement from a parent. Sometimes it’s even more meaningful than a gold star on the chore board. If you want adults who are responsible and contributing members of society, remember that giving your children chores isn't mean – it's essential. WGW
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What is a Colonoscopy? A colonoscopy is a medical procedure that examines the large bowel. A colonoscopy can be used to look for colon polyps or bowel cancer and to help diagnose several GI disorders. Is a Colonoscopy painful? No. Our highly skilled providers and staff ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible during the entire procedure. Who is a candidate for a Colonoscopy? People over the age of 50, a family history of colon cancer or patients who are experiencing any of the following symptoms: Diarrhea, constipation, bleeding and incontinence. How do I fInd out more information regarding colon screenings and treatments for GI disorders? Call our office at 770.214.2800 Visit us online
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Daily Fare With
e s o R f e h C
Photos by Zachary Dailey
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Chef Rose Isaacs is a native of Carroll County and lives in Carrollton with her husband Shawn and their son, Sebastian. She graduated from West Georgia Technical College in 2013 with a degree in Culinary Arts. After graduation, she began her career as a chef at the Carrollton Kroger Marketplace where she works in the bistro.
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Bring some luck to your new year with these delicious Southern-style collard greens.
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Lucky Collard Greens Ingredients 1 large bunch collard greens 1 smoked turkey leg or ham hock 2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon bacon grease 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
Preparation Remove stems and chop greens into 1-inch strips. Add greens to empty clean sink and wash them thoroughly with cold water, removing all grit, sand and debris until water becomes clear. Add turkey leg (or ham hock) to a large pot along with enough water to fully submerge and cover with a lid. Cook over medium-high heat for about 45 minutes or until it is near being tender. Once the meat is almost tender, add greens and about 4 to 5 additional cups of water – enough to just barely cover the greens in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and cook while covered for at least 2 hours or until completely tender. Most of the water should have evaporated by this point. Serves 6.
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Honey Beer Bread
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No yeast is required for this quick and easy bread! Spread some honey butter on for an even more delicious treat.
Ingredients 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup honey
1 bottle (12-ounces) beer, any variety 1/4 cup butter, melted
Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt until combined. 28
Slowly pour the beer and honey into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of a 9-inch-by-5-inch bread pan, and brush it around to grease the inside of the pan. Add the batter and spread out in an even layer. Brush the remaining melted butter evenly on top of the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and transfer the pan to a wire baking rack. Allow the bread cool for at least 10 minutes. Serves 6. WGW
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Womentality
Inspiring quotes by extraordinary women “There are more people doing good stuff and moving us forward than there are people sowing division. I surround myself with people who have faith.” – Maria Shriver Photo: By LBJ Library c/o:David Hume Kennerly - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbjlbrarynow/13766230145/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63335087
“I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.” – Simone Biles
“I’m deciding to be my own individual self, and it looks nothing like what anyone else is doing. There’s something so powerf ul about being unique.” – Alicia Keys
“The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life.”
– Mary Manin Morrissey
“Just put one foot in front of the other and don't worry about the length of the path. Once you get on that path, and the longer you stay on it, there eventually will come a time when you will not turn back.” – Martina Navratilova
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From Loveland with Love S
ince 1947, the Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Post Office in Loveland, Colo., have sponsored the Loveland Valentine Remailing Program. Each year, hundreds of thousands of valentines are packaged in larger envelopes and sent to volunteers in Loveland to be hand stamped with the city's cachet – a special mark or seal. The valentines are then remailed to the senders' loved ones. Millions of valentines from all 50 states and over 120 countries have been remailed from Loveland since 1947.
The Chamber and Visitor's Center becomes an official U.S. Postal Service substation during the remailing program. Known as "The Valentine Station," the substation has a resident postmaster during the entire remailing program. Every year, the Chamber of Commerce holds a contest for local residents for the winning verse and design. After the winners are chosen, the verse and design are combined to create the "Official Chamber of Commerce Loveland Valentine." Spread some love and send your valentines to loved ones through the sweetheart city. Follow these instructions: 1. Address the valentine with recipient's address 2. Stamp the valentine 3. Place the valentine in a larger, first-class envelope 4. Stamp and address the larger envelope to: Postmaster - Attention Valentines 446 E. 29th St. Loveland, CO 80538-9998 Important Dates for the Loveland Re-Mailing Program: • Feb. 1, 2021 International Mail Deadline • Feb. 7, 2021 U.S. States Deadline • Feb. 10, 2021 Colorado Deadline * Mail for these destinations may be sent after the deadline, but it will not reach the recipient before Valentine's Day.
All valentines sent through The Loveland Valentine Program before or on February 7th will be postmarked and mailed on February 7th. Every day after February 7th, the valentine will be postmarked on the day it is recieved. For questions about the remailing program, call the Loveland Chamber at 970.744.4792 or visit the website at www.loveland.org. WGW
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Celebrating You
Five DIY Ways to Pamper Yourself in the New Year
By Sandra Bolan
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T
he cold temps have set in, and the ramifications of over-indulging throughout the holidays is not only noticeable around the waistline but in our sallow, puffy skin, which might even be breaking out despite being decades removed from puberty. By now, you’ve no doubt mastered how to DIY your mani-pedis, concealing the greys and concocting homemade facials, but you’ve likely let much of it slide. After all, with good lighting, you can look 20 years younger on your Zoom calls.
Hair Thanks to the dry, cold winter air outside and even drier, warm temps indoors, your hair probably feels like straw. Avoid shampoos with sulphates because it strips out the hair’s natural oils. Before you blow dry, curl or straighten your hair, apply a thermal protectant to your locks to avoid frying and breakage. After a week of shampooing, product slathering and styling, apply a deep moisture mask once a week. This will help keep your hair from getting dull and slow down the damage. Believe it or not, what we eat has a huge effect on our hair. During the winter, consider upping your intake of protein, iron, zinc, B vitamins and healthy fats to combat dull, dry hair.
DIY Body Scrubs We all know how important it is to exfoliate our face, but it’s just as important to scrub off those dead skin cells from our entire body. There are a multitude of DIY body scrubs to cater to your specific skin type (overly dry, sensitive), and while it’s true most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen, stay away from the harshness of apple cider vinegar and lemons. Exfoliating will make your skin feel baby soft, but too much of a good thing can distress it or be painful. Exfoliate only once or twice a week, and don’t rub your skin raw. Try a simple sugar scrub, with sugar mixed with coconut oil, instead.
Facials Facials are the easiest way to knock years off your age and leave
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people gasping when they find out just how old you are, as they leave your skin feeling and looking more rejuvenated. Facials can even help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. If you want to replicate a spa facial at home, set aside a couple of hours for "me time" and be prepared for a multi-step process. The first step is to double-wash your face to remove make up and loosen the pores’ sebum. Second, apply a toner to remove leftover dirt. Toners also help balance the skin’s pH level. Next, exfoliate with alpha hydroxy acids such as glycolic, lactic or citric, as well a salicylic acid to remove dead skin cells and improve collagen production. Step four is to steam open those pores. No fancy equipment is required – just a bowl of boiling water and a towel to put over your head. Put your face over the bowl and let the steam do its work. Next, apply a mask and leave it on for about 30 minutes. Once the mask is washed off, apply those lotions and potions to those areas that need a little extra attention attention, such as wrinkles around the eyes and scars. Finally, moisturize with a product that contains a sunscreen. If you’re so inclined, at any time, you can use a massaging face roller. Massaging stimulates cellular activity and lymphatic drainage, which helps reduce puffiness.
Mani-pedi One of the great treats we give ourselves is splurging on mani-pedis. But it’s actually one of the easier DIYs – as long as you have the right equipment. There are a multitude of kits available, just find one in your price range.
Brain Health Self-care isn’t just about buffing and polishing our skin, it’s also about stimulating our minds. Up there with losing weight and going to the gym, a popular New Year resolution is to read more. But your days are already jampacked and there aren’t any plans to add more hours to it, so how are you supposed to do one more thing?
Start by replacing your screen time with book time. Instead of mindlessly skimming through social media or watching TV before bed, spend that time reading a book. Multitask. Audibles are a great way to listen to a book while you drive, cook, clean or workout. Join a book club. Scheduled meetings can help you complete a book by a set date. Book clubs also take the “what to read next” problem out of the equation, which can be more difficult than actually reading a book by a deadline. Book clubs expose you to authors and genres you may have previously never considered but end up enjoying. Even though most social gatherings are still a nono, book clubs never stopped during the pandemic – they just moved online. Talking about a plot twist that blew your mind with other people over Zoom is another way to maintain social bonds. When you find that perfect spot in your house – comfy chair, great lighting and solitude – it’s amazing how easy it is to immerse yourself in a book – or your favorite magazine – West Georgia Woman (wink). This past year has been tough on us all for a variety of reasons, which is why it’s so important we take care of ourselves and indulge in some me-time. The more you practice loving self-care, the better you'll be for those who need you. WGW
More Ways to Pamper Yourself in the New Year 1. Hire a maid service. There's no better way to take care of yourself than to take some of the load off. If you can afford to pay someone to deep-clean your home once, or even twice a month, it's definitely worth it. 2. Take at least two hours each week for you. Soak in a hot bath, call your BFF, listen to your favorite music or try out a new hobby. The only thing you're not allowed to do is work. This is your time to relax and recharge your mental, physical and emotional batteries. 3. Hire out your least favorite chores. Do you have a mountain of dirty laundry? The WashBowl in Carrollton, Ga., will pick up your dirty laundry from your home, and deliver it clean and folded back to your door for only $1.85 per pound. All laundry is washed separately from other orders for your safety (www.washbowl.net). Do you loathe grocery shopping? Instacart is a great tool to use for local grocery store deliveries. WalMart Grocery and Amazon Fresh (requires membership) are two other options.
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Back in the Saddle
By Sandra Bolan
Y
How to Land a Job During COVID-19
ou lost your job because it can’t be done remotely or the pandemic has forced your company to lay off and furlough people for an undetermined amount of time. Yes, it’s challenging to find another job in your field, but it’s imperative you don’t throw in the towel and give up. Keep applying for those few-and-far between open jobs, but understand a hiring manager’s response time may be quite slow.
Tailor your cover letter and resume to the specific company and job.
Tailor Your Cover Letter and Resume To help get your resume on the top of the pile, which you know will be tall and filled with equally qualified candidates, tailor your cover letter and resume to that specific
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company and job. That means you need to do your research – how is the pandemic affecting the company? Has it laid off a substantial number of people, or did it pivot to remote work? How is the company’s stock trading? Check out review websites such as Glassdoor and Fairygodboss to see what employees really think of the company. If none of what people have to say or how the company is faring scares you, then apply. If you do get an interview, all of your research will come in handy because you can use that knowledge to show how you could help them achieve their goals. Show how adaptable you are, that you’re a problem solver and most important, despite all that’s going on, you still have a positive attitude. These are soft skills all employers
look for, especially now. Be flexible in the type of position you’ll take. You no doubt want full-time, but the company may only offer you a part-time position or hire you as a freelancer or contractor. Take it because it may one day become full-time with benefits.
Tech Check That interview will most likely be held remotely. Prep your space – keep your background clean and tidy, practice looking into the camera, as this is as close to in-person eye contact as you’re going to get. Sit up straight. Learn to light yourself in a flattering manner, and dress as if you’re meeting in person – that means proper shoes and pants, along with that top a makes you pop on screen. Your computer set up also needs to be top notch. There is nothing worse than your computer screen falling off a stack of books in mid-interview. Consider doing mock interviews with your friends. While career fairs are not taking place in person, they are being held online. Mingle and submit as many resumes as you can. Another way to network online is through LinkedIn and Facebook. Follow companies you’re interested in working for, and keep an eye open for any job
postings. Join conversations, post and comment. Make yourself visible, but keep it professional.
Career Change Depending on your industry and how it will rebound post-pandemic, you may want to take this time to re-evaluate your career and where you will fit in. Believe it or not, there are a number of industries that require more staff, and quickly. Those fields include: medical/health, computers/IT, customer service, education/training, sales and accounting, according to Flexjobs. Are your skills transferable to any of these industries? The other option for you to consider is going back to school and re-entering the workforce with a completely new skillset. Depending on your financial situation, you may have to take a job well below your capabilities. Think of it as a learning opportunity, and make the most out of everything your superiors offer you. Yes, this is a tough time to hunt for a job, but with some patience and willingness to shift gears, if necessary, there are companies out there just waiting for someone with your particular skillset. WGW
Because a HOME is much more than a house.
Shala Hainer, Realtor Cell: 770.842.8500 Office: 770.240.2004 shalahainer@gmail.com 35
Fit and Safe
By Sandra Bolan
D
Home Workouts to Keep You Fit in 2021
ust off your Jane Fonda VHS tapes because sweating it out at home is once again the hot fitness trend. The surge of at-home workouts was facilitated by the pandemic, but for people with limited funds, a hectic schedule or are uncomfortable in a gym, the choices have never been more vast. Even celebrity trainers have moved online, giving us regular people the opportunity to train in a Zoom box right beside Hollywood A-listers. The biggest problem is no longer having time to
Free online trials are a great way to see what types of workouts and trainers you like.
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get to the gym, but picking a workout. So the first thing you need to do is decide what style of workout you want to do – strength, HiiT, yoga, pilates, or a fusion of them all. The second consideration is space. By now, you’ve already converted one or more rooms in your house into office or home school space. Do you have the ability to transform another room into a gym for 30 to 60 minutes a day? If not, no worries. The living room is the most popular place to work out, followed by the bedroom and office. Some people even use the kitchen or head outdoors. Next, do you have any equipment buried beneath piles of laundry or at the back of closets? Pull them out and dust them off. Buying any sort of workout equipment is still a challenge as everyone seems to have built their own home gyms at the beginning of the pandemic, and supply is limited. If you don’t have any equipment, don’t worry. There are many body weight workouts available that will torch calories and get your body summer-ready. Gym memberships have long been a reason for people to not join, hence, not workout at all. There are a ton of workout apps that range in price from free to nearly $100 a month. Many of them offer free trials. Before you commit, try it.
Free trials are also a great way to see what types of workouts and trainers you like. You can also wing it and create your own workouts. But let’s be honest. It’s way easier to follow along and you know you would never program 50 burpees into your workout. But a trainer would.
Popular Workouts BBG is s popular workout that incorporates lowintensity cardio, HiiT and strength training, all of which are roughly 30 minutes long. BBG also has a 12-week program. Cost: $20/month. Name: Sweat Fitness App for Women Hot Body Sweat Guide is an eight-week, e-bookbased cardio/strength program for all fitness levels. No equipment required. Cost: $49.99 www. lovesweatfitness.com Beachbody has been around since 1998 and offers workouts such as P90X, Insanity, PiYo and 21 Day Fix, to name a few. Some are still available on DVD but also via its app, Beachbody on Demand, which costs $99 annually. Peloton is known for spin classes, but it’s branched out to include yoga, strength and bootcamp classes. Those high-octane spin classes also no longer
Excuses, Excuses
When it comes to working out, we’re able to come up with the most creative excuses, along with the standards: no time, no space, no gym access, no money, no equipment. But if you have an internet connection, phone/tablet/TV and some empty floor space, you can workout. It takes about two to three months for exercise to become a habitual part of our lifestyle, so don’t give up. To help keep us on track and accountable, many trainers do social media challenges and have Facebook groups where people can go for support or information about the workouts. Just because you workout at home doesn’t mean you’re alone. Koboko Fitness, found on YouTube, even has workout videos dedicated to fitness motivation.
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require you to buy the Peloton branded bike. So dust off your old spin bike and join in. Cost: $12.99/ month LesMills, which many gyms utilize, now has an app, LesMills on Demand. So if going to the gym for your weekly session of BodyPump or BodyFlow is not for you right now, do them at home. Cost: $9.99 to $14.99/month You can learn to do just about anything from YouTube, but it’s also where you can find just about every type of workout imaginable – for free. Some of the more popular workouts/instructors include: MadFit (HiiT), Blogilates, BodyFit by Amy, SuperherofitnessTV, Popsugar Fitness, Joanna Soh, Michelle Lewin and Jessica Smith.
Mirrors A new fitness trend is the mirror. There are a variety of products on the market ranging in price from $1,000 to $3,000 plus the monthly cost of the app and/or live classes. You’ll need space on a wall for a full length mirror and room to do the workouts, some of which require equipment. Not every workout is right for every person. The best workout is the one you want to do and one that helps you achieve your goals. WGW
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Local Happenings
Due to our country's current health situation, please call or email the organizations included in our local events section to inquire about in-person meetings.
West Georgia Mental Health Professionals Wellness Meetup Group
This group meets the last Saturday of every month in Douglasville or Austell. For more information, contact Cheryl at theheartmatters@gmail.com or 678.754.5840. Learn more at www.heartmatterswellness.com.
Hope For The Journey This group meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the board room at the Tracy Stallings Community Center at 118 South White St. in Carrollton. These events are free to breast cancer survivors or those currently battling breast cancer. Learn more at www.hopeforthejourneywestga.org, email execdirector@hopeforthejourneywestga.org or call 770.214.1491.
Rare Pearls Mentoring and Leadership Program Rare Pearls mission is to enrich and empower the
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lives of young girls and women. This group meets the third Saturday of each month at Heritage Baptist Church in Douglasville, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. This program is open to all girls ages 7 to 17. For more information, call 770.947.8210, email rarepearls2015@gmail.com or visit the website at www.rarepearlsmentoringandleadership.org.
Nursing From The Heart Breastfeeding Support Group This group meets the third Monday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 500 Old Bremen Road in Carrollton. These events are free to pregnant women and moms looking for breastfeeding support. Free weight checks for your baby will be available. Come and share your breastfeeding journey with us. Please check our website for meeting and event updates at www.nursingfromtheheart.com.
Gertrude's House Breast Cancer Support Group This group meets the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Lithia Springs Family Chiropractic
at 1758 Lee Rd. in Lithia Springs. This group is open to all survivors, caregivers, supporters, friends, family and those fighting breast cancer. Visit their Facebook page @GertrudesHouse or email them at GertrudesHouse@yahoo.com.
Domestic Abuse Support Group There is Hope is a support group for women dealing with, or who have dealt with, domestic abuse. Through There is Hope, women will come together and share their personal journey, while listening to others share theirs as well. There will be guidance for help and resources available at each meeting. Meetings are free to the public. Group meetings will be held at Tanner on Robinson, 115 Robinson Ave, Carrollton, Ga. every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 7, 2021. Contact hopefulone807@gmail.com for more information.
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group
President. After serving nearly 30 years in Georgia’s technical colleges, current President Dr. Scott Rule will retire on December 31. Hannon will serve in this role while a search committee identifies a new President to lead West Georgia Technical College. A longtime WGTC administrator, Pat Hannon has served as Vice President of Administrative Services, Vice President of Student Affairs, and Vice President of Academic Affairs during his more than 30-year career at West Georgia Tech. “Pat has the leadership experience and a steadfast commitment to helping more students achieve their dreams through education,” said TCSG Commissioner, Greg Dozier. “Scott has done a tremendous job as President and I know Pat will continue West Georgia Tech’s mission of providing business and industry with a skilled workforce.” Hannon earned an MBA from the University of West Georgia. Hannon and his wife, Sue have two daughters and five grandchildren. Dr. Rule will be retiring after a long career where he served as Assistant Commissioner for Data, Planning, and Research for TCSG, a Technical Instructor, Chief Information Officer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Economic Development, and Vice President for Student Affairs at Chattahoochee Technical College. Hannon assumes the position to lead the college on Jan. 1, 2021.
Has your life been impacted by the loss of a friend or loved one to suicide? You are not alone. These groups offer peer support for anyone who has been affected by suicide loss. There is no cost to attend. Group meetings in Carrollton are the first and third Tuesday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. at 306A Bradley Street. For more information, contact Ivey Rollins at iveyrollins@gmail.com or call 470.729.0909. Group meetings in Douglasville are the second Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 6167 Priestley Mill Rd., Room 226. For more information contact Terri Johnson at chose2live@aol.com or 770.765.2181.
Pat Hannon Named WGTC Interim President Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Commissioner Greg Dozier announced his appointment Dec. 2, 2020 of Pat Hannon as West Georgia Technical College’s (WGTC) Interim
West Georgia Technical College President Dr. Scott Rule (left) announced his retirement in October, effective Dec. 31, 2020. Pat Hannon (right) was appointed as Interim President of West Georgia Technical College Dec. 2, 2020. He will begin leading the college Jan. 1, 2021.
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West Georgia Technical College has campuses in Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson and Troup counties and class sites in Heard and Meriwether counties. The fourth-largest college in the TCSG system, it offers more than 120 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate programs of study. About the Technical College System of Georgia: The 22 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) are Georgia’s top resource for skilled workers. TCSG offers world-class training in 600 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs to students who are trained on state-of-theart equipment by instructors who are experts in their fields. The system also houses Georgia’s Office of Adult Education, which promotes and provides adult literacy and education programs, including the GED® testing program, throughout the state. In addition, TCSG partners with companies through Quick Start, the nation’s top customized workforce training program, and through its individual colleges, who work with local industry to provide workforce and training solutions. For more information, visit www.TCSG.edu.
Grant Will Aid Emergency Assistance Fund The West Georgia Technical College Foundation has received a $3,500 grant from the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. to support its Project CARE Emergency Assistance Fund. “The Georgia Power Foundation provides grants to organizations that are enriching communities across the state as part of Georgia Power's philanthropic focus to empower Education, Environmental Stewardship and Communities,” Georgia Power Area Manager Nick Martin said. “We are pleased to support Project CARE at West Georgia Technical College to help provide emergency assistance to students and faculty during this challenging year.” Project CARE was created in 2009 to provide financial assistance and food pantry assistance to students and employees of West Georgia Technical College who are in need. The program receives applications year-round for assistance regarding situations including homelessness, food insecurity, job loss, health crisis, loss of loved ones, and most recently, COVID-19 relief. Each year, the Foundation receives a large number of applications but is only able to award assistance to roughly 50 people. Being awarded these grants, especially at this time of year, allows the Foundation to provide the necessary assistance to so many more students in need. “We’re so grateful to our friends at Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. for this mostly timely gift,” WGTC Foundation Executive Director Kelsey Jones said. “Each holiday season, we award more grants
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from our Project CARE program to help students with emergency needs that can pop up this time of year. We’re so fortunate that the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. enabled us to help over a dozen more students during this time because of their generosity.” The Georgia Power Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is the fourth-largest corporate giving foundation in Georgia. The Foundation provides grants to organizations that are enriching communities across the state and is part of Georgia Power's corporate and community relations strategy focusing on Improving Education, Environmental Stewardship, Arts & Culture, and Health & Human Services.
Haas Foundation Names New WGTC Machine Tool Lab The new Carroll Campus of West Georgia Technical College has received a $250,000 boost thanks to the Gene Haas Foundation. The grant will be used toward construction of the Gene Haas Precision Machining and Manufacturing Lab, named for the founder and owner of Hass Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools. “On behalf of the West Georgia Technical College Foundation, we are deeply humbled by the generosity of the Gene Haas Foundation with this lead gift at the new Carroll Campus,” WGTC Foundation President Greg Wright said. “This investment will allow the College to provide machine tool technology students with a state-of-the-art facility – one that we know will bring great pride to Gene Haas and the Gene Haas Foundation.” The lab will be located in the Technical & Industrial Building on the College’s new Carroll Campus under construction now in the Buffalo Creek Technology Park just off the Carrollton bypass. “Having used Haas machines and tools in our machine tool program for years, we are so pleased to have been recognized by the Gene Haas Foundation as a college worthy of naming our program’s training space the Gene Haas Precision Machining and Manufacturing Lab,” WGTC President Dr. Scott Rule said. “With the generous donation from the Gene Haas Foundation, the lab at our new Carroll Campus will not only reflect what can be found in industry, but will enable us to build the best training facilities available for this purpose anywhere.”
Gene Haas is also known as co-owner of StewartHaas Racing which competes in NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, K&N Pro Series West and the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. Rule said the new Carroll Campus should be complete and ready for students during 2022. The College will be relocating all operations from its current Newnan Road campus. WGTC Foundation Executive Director Kelsey Jones said the $250,000 donation is the first naming gift of a $5 million capital campaign for the WGTC Foundation. For more information about how to give, visit www.westgatech.edu/the-campaign-forwest-georgia-technical-college. The Haas Foundation’s primary goal is to build skills in the machining industry by supporting CNC machine technology students. Haas Automation operates a 1 million square foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California.
The Gene Haas Foundation has given the West Georgia Technical College Foundation a $250,000 grant toward construction of a new machining lab on the College’s new Carroll Campus, now under construction. Receiving the check were WGTC Board of Directors member Bill Stone, Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Kristen Douglas, Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness John Parton, WGTC Foundation President Greg Wright, WGTC Foundation Executive Director Kelsey Jones, WGTC Foundation Trustee Mark Foster, Carrollton Mayor Betty Cason, WGTC President Dr. Scott Rule and Director of Public Relations Ben Chambers. The new campus is scheduled for completion in 2022.
Douglasville's Dr. Deborah Johnson-Blake Named 2021 ABWA American Business Woman of the Year On Nov. 17, 2020, the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) named Dr. Deborah Johnson-Blake the 2021 ABWA American Business Woman of the Year, a national program that honors 10 outstanding members for achieving excellence in
career, education and community involvement. From those 10 honorees (Top Ten), one is selected to represent the Association, and all working women, as the American Business Woman of ABWA. Dr. Johnson-Blake is the CEO of The Writing Pad, LLC, a writing, editing and consulting firm focusing on proofreading, editing and customized writing. She is an award-winning assistant professor at Liberty University, a subject matter expert with expertise in servant leadership and management, and dissertation chair for Liberty and Concordia Universities. Dr. Johnson-Blake is also a corporate trainer and speaker, helping participants improve relations and achieving personal and professional goals in the workplace and beyond. Dr. Johnson-Blake is the 2019 Douglas County Chamber Spirit Award recipient and the 2019 Woman of the Year for the American Business Women’s Association Douglas County Charter Chapter. She is the 2017 Woman of the Year for Woman University, the 2016 recipient of the Georgia Adult Education Association’s Distinguished Service to GAEA award and the 2013 recipient of the inaugural Liberty University Online School of Business Faculty Service with Excellence Award. She holds a doctor of management in organizational leadership, a master of public administration in public management, and a bachelor of arts in political science. She is also a best-selling author. Dr. Johnson-Blake is a member of the local ABWA league, Douglas County Charter Chapter, located in Douglasville, Ga., and shares the Top Ten title with her Chapter Ambassador and mentor Marcita Scharnhorst (2008). “Top Ten candidates are a paradigm for ABWA members who strive for excellence in their careers, their communities, and in the Association,” says René Street, ABWA executive director. “It was a privilege to recognize these outstanding women this year at the National Women’s Leadership Conference and to gain inspiration from their accomplishments.” “I am honored, grateful, and humbled for this national recognition and the opportunity to share my story with my ABWA sisters throughout the United States," says Dr. Johnson-Blake. “Because of ABWA and its mission, I have grown as a small business owner and achieved my personal plight of service throughout my community and business network.” Founded in 1949, ABWA’s mission is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and provide opportunities to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition. www.abwa.org.
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as well as sanitize anything and everything. For some of us, all of these changes are too much. All we want to do is crawl back into bed, pull the covers over our head and rewind to January 2020 when all we were thinking about was how to stick to that oh-so-crazy New Year’s resolution we made. I bet you don’t even remember what yours was. Basically, we just want to just give up. So, why do we feel this way? It’s not just the pandemic that can make us feel like this, it’s whenever something gets tough: weight loss, getting that perfect job, kicking a habit or finding a life partner. What to do when you feel like giving up bad“Nothing in this world is worth By Sandra Bolan having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain (and) difficulty,” according to Theodore Roosevelt. Be honest – t’s been 10 months since COVID-19, pandemic, sometimes we just want things handed to us on a shelter-in-place and quarantining have become silver platter. But that's not how life works. part of our vernacular. It’s also become our norm There are ways to woman up and break down to wear a mask, stand six feet apart from each other,
Throwing in the Towel
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@DaileyLifePhotography
When we’re at our lowest, we often fail to do some of the most basic things, like get dressed and eat. Here are some tips on how to pull yourself out of the dumpster.
1. Did you shower today? If not, get up and get to it. More than 90 percent of women surveyed by the World Health Organization said an early morning shower positively influenced their day. No one, including yourself, needs to wallow in body funk. 2. Did you put on clean clothes? After your shower, put on your work clothes, even if your office is down the hall from your bedroom. “If you dress like a slob, you’ll feel like a slob, and your productivity and success will dwindle,” according to Anthony Horner, the director of a luxury menswear company. 3. Have you eaten anything other than potato chips, chocolate or peanut butter and ice cream straight out of the container for the last 24 hours? Eat something healthy like fruit and nuts. The old adage of junk in/ junk out is not just a wives’ tale. “When you don’t nourish your body, you feel it. You have
trouble concentrating and you get ‘hangry.’ You have less energy and even everyday tasks make you think ‘I feel like giving up and going back to bed,’” according to life and business strategist Tony Robbins. 4. Feel unproductive and overwhelmed by what needs to get done? Think of small things you can do today: fold the laundry, change the bedsheets, empty your inbox. You can even turn it into a game. Set a timer for how long you think the chore should take and try to beat the clock. 5. Is that major decision paralyzing you? Put it on hold and focus on tasks you need to get done today. Don’t think about that big issue until the end of the day. That is when you write down your thoughts about it. Repeat this process until things become clear. You’ll know when you’ve reached the right decision.
your thoughts and feelings to get through the day happy and productive. • Be Realistic. The reality is that nothing in life is going to happen unless we make it happen. The first thing you need to do is ask yourself, "Are my expectations realistic?" Being married by 30 with two kids – one boy, one girl – owning a home and working out of the corner office. Realistic? Maybe not. Losing 20 pounds in two weeks so you can fit into that cute dress you just bought. Realistic? Hardly. • Alter your expectations. Whatever your goals and expectations are, if you’re not getting there as quickly as you want, adjust the plan and maybe even the desired outcome. Continue to adjust until you get where you want to go. • Ask why. Go back to your “why.” Why do you want to own your own company? Why do you want to drop 20 pounds? Why do you want to run a marathon? Write out a list of all the reasons why you want to achieve that goal. If you don’t see a “why” that’s worth the struggle, then maybe you need to find a new goal. Check in with your “why” every 90 days to make sure you’re still on your track. Something else to ask yourself is, "Am I doing this because I genuinely want to, or am I doing
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it because people around me are doing it?" Ask yourself if you're doing it because people said you would be good at it, or perhaps because all of your friends are doing it. If you don't like to run, don't train for a 5K because all your friends are. Celebrate your successes. Sometimes when we’re at what we think is our lowest, we forget about all the successes we’ve had along the way. Now is the perfect time to celebrate them. Share your goals. Sometimes it’s not enough for us to be the only one who knows the endgame. Occasionally, it takes another person to help keep you on track – your accountability buddy. Depending on your ultimate goal, the person you confide in can also help. She can be your workout buddy, AA sponsor or mentor. Your accountability buddy is there to help you keep that promise to yourself. Have a "can do" attitude. Often, when we dream about doing this, or being that, we simultaneously think, “I can’t do that.” It’s time to change your attitude from “I can’t” to “I can." If you believe you can’t do something, then you won’t even try. Change your vernacular. Tell yourself you can at least “try.” Just don’t give up. WGW
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Kids Korner
By Jordan Coffman Photos by Zachary Dailey
Cozy Snowman
W
hen it's cold outside, the kids will love making this super easy cozy snowman and cup of fun. Hopefully, these adorable crafts will chase the winter blues away! Always supervise small children around a hot glue gun. Materials 1 paper cup 1 piece of blue ribbon (long enough to wrap around the cup and overlap for a scarf) Black and orange paint or markers Paint brush (if using paint) 1 red pipe stem abour 4 to 6-inches long 2 red pom poms Hot glue gun and glue sticks Instructions Turn the paper cup upside down. Take the blue ribbon and wrap it around the cup like a scarf. Glue ribbon in place. Take the pipe stem and bend it into a upside down "U" shape. Glue both ends of the pipe stem to the top sides of the paper cup. Glue the red pom poms to the sides of the cup on top of the pipe stems. Decorate as desired with the paint or markers.
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Cup of Fun Materials
Green construction paper 6 craft sticks of any color Hot glue gun and glue sticks White paint Paintbrush Cotton balls
Instructions Glue the craft sticks together horizontally. Glue the cotton balls to the top of the craft sticks. Cut a handle out of the green construction paper. Glue handle to the back of the craft sticks. Decorate cup as desired with the paint. WGW
Home Fires Occur More in the Winter Months Than Any Other Time of the Year. • • • •
Follow these heating tips to help prevent winter fires and to stay safe this winter season: Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources including fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, space heaters or candles. Never use an oven to heat your home. Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected each year by a professional.
Source: www.usfa.fema.gov.
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Celebration Firecrackers Hourglass Happy New Year Noisemaker Parade Tradition Midnight Toast Champagne Extravaganza Clock January Resolution Party Hat Sparklers New Beginning Bubbly Cheers Countdown
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