Neale Donald Walsch, author of the best selling “Conversations with God” books, envisioned and founded schools and part-time education programs for six years. His newest initiative for young people and their leaders is the School of the New Spirituality. SNS is a non-profit education organization opening enrichment education programs for all ages, from after hours programs Mon.- Fri. and Home School Kits, to Saturday fun days to vacation and summer camps and retreats. SNS Atlanta is established in Sandy Springs this year, under the direction of its CEO, Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M., a long-time Fayette County resident, former Flat Rock Middle English teacher and co-founder of Neale Donald Walsch’s education programs since 2000.

The Legacy Theatre, South Metro Atlanta’s premier full-time professional theatre located on Ga. Highway 74 in Tyrone, Ga.

Kevin M. Sweet has completed a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) field training encampment at at Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex, Montgomery, Ala.

Nearly 40 changes have been made in the past 100 years in the types of businesses that are housed around the courthouse square in Fayetteville. Generally speaking, very few new buildings have been constructed, but walls and doorways have changed back and forth numerous times.

New York City artist Laura Loving, a native of Fayette County, returns to her Southern roots to exhibit her work in a four-city art tour she has dubbed “Laurapalooza II – The Joyful Holiday Tour.” The artist, who grew up in Fayetteville, will be exhibiting a selection or her original oil paintings, limited edition serigraphs and her 2006 “Joyful Holiday” line of art objects. 

According to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, every year in Georgia, suicide claims the lives of approximately 900 people. Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in Georgia in 2002 and it was the third most common cause of death of those 15-34 years of age. 

Southern novelist Gwyn Hyman Rubio, whose first novel was selected for Oprah’s Book Club in 2001, is scheduled to visit the Fayette County Public Library on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. She will speak about her writing, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of her latest book.

Students from McIntosh High School joined members of the Rotary Club for a clean-up of Lake Peachtree’s waterline and park areas, as part of their school science project.

The Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater raised over $10,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at their annual benefit auction held Sept. 22 and 23 before the REO Speedwagon concerts.

Megan Rae Horton, an early childhood education and special education major at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., and Selena Lynn Parrish, a secondary history education major at Shorter College in Rome, Ga/, are this year’s recipients of the Student Professional Association of Georgia Educators (SPAGE) S. Marvin Griffin Scholarships. These scholarships are given annually through the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) Foundation to outstanding students who aspire to become teachers. Horton is a resident of Fayetteville in Fayette County, and Parrish is a resident of Adairsville in Bartow County.

Ines Arnsberger Hatch, an author, speaker and screenwriter, signed with entertainment attorney/agent Darryl B. Cohen of Cohen, Cooper, Estep, Mudder & Whiteman, Atlanta, Ga. recently.

Mary Grace Kimsey of Fayetteville, Ga., has been selected as a member of IMPACT, the University of Mobile's praise-and-worship choir.

Hundreds of people, young and old, in Henry, Clayton, Fayette, Spalding, and Coweta counties, suffer from a heart event every month. Patients frequently return home frightened after a heart attack, angioplasty, bypass surgery or valve replacement. Although their caregivers provide physical and emotional support, these patients frequently benefit from talking with other heart patient survivors. Until now, heart patients on the south side of Atlanta never had the benefit of a support group following their heart procedure.  Now, with the help of Jan Harris, a quadruple bypass survivor, and her husband Lewis, Southern Regional Hospital will host an Atlanta satellite branch of Mended Hearts. 

At the October 26 Fayette County Commissioner's meeting, the Board of Commissioners honored Kenneth K.

Jen De Boer, an artist from Fayetteville, is making a name for herself online with the help of BoundlessGallery.com, an online art gallery. Recently her work "Umbrella's" was bought by a customer in Massachusetts.

The Peachtree City Library is now offering Spanish storytimes for ages 2-5 on the first and third Fridays of each month at 10:30 a.m.

GMC Junior College in Union City, Ga. announces that it is one of the first junior colleges in the state of Georgia to offer four new associate degree education programs: early care and education, early childhood education, middle grades education, and secondary education.

The week of November 5-11 has been declared Long Term Care Awareness Week by the American Association of Long Term Care Insurance. On a related note, November is National Family Caregiver’s Month. But once caregiving services are needed, it is probably too late to purchase long term care insurance. This insurance is one of the most important ways to plan for possible future care.

• Jackson Spalding, the Atlanta-based image creation, cultivation and communication firm, recently announced the addition of Tiffani Thomas, who will join the agency’s Orkin, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Georgia Transmission Corporation and Home Ownership Preservation Foundation teams. Thomas is the 13th new hire for Jackson Spalding since January, capping off a year of unprecedented growth for the 11-year-old firm. Thomas came to Jackson Spalding after working for a global public relations firm where she specialized in media relations for consumer, corporate and healthcare accounts. A Fayetteville, Ga. native, she attended St. John the Evangelist School, where she was named A Better Chance Scholar. This honor took her to Rhode Island’s St. George’s Prep School, an experience she says paved the way for her career in public relations. Thomas was a Presidential Scholar and member of the Leadership Institute of Hampton University, graduating with honors from the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications. She also completed a master of science degree from Ohio University’s E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, where she was a Gerbig Scholar. Thomas recently presented her thesis on the portrayal of minorities in contemporary media to the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Local residents reach out to those in need

By HEIDI BECKER
Special to The Citizen

Ray Nelson and his wife Louise were living in California in 1992 and had already raised their four children when they where approached by social services to be foster parents to two young boys and two girls beginning what they call their “second family.”

In the true tradition of Halloween and haunted houses, Fayetteville resident Paul Senger has already begun turning his father’s house into a very scary place to be on October 31.

Carve your pumpkin, sew your costume, gather your goody bag and head toward downtown Fayetteville for the Great Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Old Courthouse Square and the Stonewall Village complex.

Storytelling and history will intermingle as part of the Great Georgia Ghosts Storytelling Tours taking place on Oct. 27 and 28 at the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum in Fayetteville. The scares take place each evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and tickets may be purchased at the door. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.

Members of the Whitewater High School Key Club hope to send a chill down the spine of anyone brave enough to tour their inaugural Haunted Fun House at the American Legion Log Cabin on Saturday, Oct.

Kedron Elementary kicked off autumn recently with its third annual Fall Festival held for students and their families. Even the chill in the air couldn’t keep away the estimated 280 families from the bounty of activities.

The Peachtree City Tourism Association (PCTA) will host a safe Trick-or-Treat with the Swingin’ Medallions on Saturday, Oct. 28 at The Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater from 8 to 10:30 p.m.

Four Fayette County women received awards for their service at the American Cancer Society’s 2006 Volunteer Summit. The summit entitled “Power to Change the World” was held on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Atlanta, Ga. 

The Fayette County Special Olympics sailing team competed in the 2006 Open Sailing Invitational Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

Buddy Croft brought home a gold medal in his division, while Michael Crofton and Dylan Starr both won silver medals. Eddie Griffin, Danielle Coholich and Shannon Waldrop each earned bronze medals in their races.

Teams from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina participated in the event.

Adele Handy, a third-year honor student in biology and psychology at the University of Georgia, has been selected for the Leadership UGA program. The Peachtree City, Ga. student was one of 40 students chosen to participate in the program from among several hundred nominees.

A delegation of 19 government and business leaders from the German Federal State of Saxony recently visited Atlanta and participated in the 11th annual GACC South Gala. Saxony was the featured partner at this year’s gala hosted by German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern United States (GACC South) on Sept. 30 at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta. Fayette County resident Robin Spratlin served as the gala chair.