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Son's disability leads to founding new catering firm
By Cassandra Palmer
Special to GwinnettForum.com

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., Oct. 31, 2006 -- Autism, food sensitivities and digestion issues go hand in hand. My son and daughter have a sensory processing disorder and the cause is unknown. The same can be said for my son's Autism. I, also, had health problems. After many doctors, much research, and lot of patience, we discovered that we all suffered from poor digestion and food sensitivities.

Our family was now required to monitor every ingredient that we ingested. It was no problem to adapt our diet needs in the home. However, eating out is a different story. There are very limited dining options for organic, healthy foods. A huge problem exists in finding foods that are not cooked in hydrogenated oils or don't have artificial colors and preservatives. This was how I got the idea for our business.

My husband and I have worked in the food industry for over 14 years, in all areas of food service. We became very frustrated that the business we knew and worked in had very little to offer for people like us. We took our years of experience in the food industry and combined it with our new knowledge of food sensitivities, digestion, and organic/natural products. We created a company called Naturally Gourmet Catering and it opened September 18, 2006, to help people like us.

Our company is a personal catering service that features natural/organic foods, prepared at the client's location. The services range from daily or weekly meal preparations to fully catered events. Besides using natural products, there is an extra focus placed on individual dietary needs.

For people with health and dietary issues, there are very limited dining options. Naturally Gourmet Catering addresses that need by coming to the client's location and preparing healthy meals, adapted to that client. Whether it is a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, or meals centered on weight loss or leptin resistance issues; our company focuses on filling that need.

Many of us are too busy and too tired to fix healthy food. The fast food industry is trying to adapt healthier menu choices but again it is limited. A common result of this lack of variety is the consumer becomes bored, gives into temptation, and eats unhealthy food choices. Naturally Gourmet Catering takes this fact into consideration for meal planning and incorporates taste, health, and variety.

Our company has been open for business a little over a month. Our next event is for a free ONE (Organic & Natural Enterprise) Group Seminar, on Thursday, November 2, at 7 p.m. in Cumming at Healthsprout Wellness and Chiropractic Center on Bethelview Road. The public is invited. We will be serving light refreshments with a coffee/tea station all organic, of course.

One of our ways of generating sales has been by hosting "customer showings," sampling our food. Our last event was at The Vitamin Shoppe, located at the Mall of Georgia, in Buford. There, customers sampled one of our signature desserts, the Pomegranate Banana Parfait. Yummy!

You might wonder who would want to use this service? It could be anyone, a busy professional, a new mother, older adult, someone with health and diet issues, or someone with an upcoming event. If you are interested in healthy/organic food, but too tired to cook and clean, you would be our potential client.

Talented Parsons family of Duluth continues to be creative
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com

OCT. 30, 2006 -- Let's admit it. Some people have a whole lot more creative talent than others. The Parsons trio of Duluth (Margaret, Kathryn and Ann) certainly all come with more creative talent and energy than most.

Not only that, but we saw that they have passed along some of their talents when we attended Margaret Andrew's 80th birthday bash the other night at the Payne Corley House in Duluth. It was a lively, fun, festive and food-filled event.

Margaret's oldest son, Cal Andrews of Flowery Branch, was MC, and introduced the show. Sister Kathryn Willis was first to appear, and brought the house down with her first words: "The Duluth Fall Festival….." You may know that the Festival is Kathryn's major community effort each year, having spearheaded the founding of the Festival. It was typical of Kathryn for her first words to be about the Festival, even at Margaret's 80th party!

But it had a twist, for Kathryn said the Festival "started on Margaret's birthday, October 27, exactly 20 years ago." Then Margaret's other sister, Ann Odum, read a poem she wrote and has kept updated about Margaret.

The highlight of the night was a program put on by the offsprings, and mainly, through the efforts of daughter Cathy Fincher and her sister in law, Betty Andrews. It is hard to believe, and I still don't know how they did it. Picture this.

In one corner of a room, a stage was rigged up….but not like normal. It was a stage that appeared to be for a puppet show, with the about four foot wide opening about chest high, with cream lace curtains all around. Nothing was said before the show, but it sure did look like a puppet stage.

The puppet curtain opened to reveal Margaret's Guardian Angel, a smiling Cathy Fincher, with wings and halo, entertaining us with her ordeal as an Angel in trying to keep up with the always-running-about Margaret in her many activities.

The staging of Cathy as a puppet was what astounded us. For the top part of Cathy was like a puppet, though she had very loose "legs," which we later learned were the hands of Betty Andrews. From time to time, Cathy would almost "fly" as she was somehow lifted up, her "legs" dangling below, and her body swaying left and right, just like a puppet.

It was an amazing performance, again the gift of creative people. We never saw Betty until she came out for applause afterward. While Cathy had all the lines, Betty behind the curtain matched her in movement and staging.

Later we found out that Betty and her late husband, Ted, had done similar routines. Both Betty and Cathy had to be "synchronized" to put on such an eye-popping show, and they pulled it off beautifully!

Toward the end, fellow artist Jerry Lee Patterson took the microphone, and gave us another glimpse of the life of Margaret. "She has such a gift of humor," Jerry Lee said, accounting of how Margaret perseveres through it all even in the face of Parkinson's Disease. Jerry said: "Now Kathryn, cover your ears. Once I picked Margaret up, and she said soberly, 'Parkinson's isn't all bad." I thought puzzingly, 'What is she making reference to?' Then Margaret said: "It got me out of all that Fall Festival mess."

With that comment, the night had come back from where Kathryn had started it off!

The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is The Peachtree Bank, located at 9570 Medlock Bridge Road. Duluth. The bank also has locations at 185 Gwinnett Drive, Lawrenceville; in Roswell at 695 Mansell Road; and at 1725 Mount Vernon Rd. in Dunwoody. Monty Watson is president of the bank, which has assets of over $576 million. Member, FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. Go to The Peachtree Bank web site at : http://www.thepeachtreebank.com

Truett Cathy will be guest speaker during The Salvation Army's first "Doing The Most Good "Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, November 1 at 8 a.m. at the Gwinnett Salvation Army, located at 3455 Sugarloaf Parkway. The funds raised by this special event will support the Catherine Booth Parenting Institute, which provides various classes, study groups and mentoring/advocacy programs to needy families throughout Gwinnett County.

Cathy, who founded the food chain Chick-fil-A, is a long-time friend and supporter of The Salvation Army, and still travels across the country speaking to all audiences. His purpose is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all that come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

According to Captain Bobby Westmoreland, corps officer for The Salvation Army in Lawrenceville, "It is an honor and blessing for The Salvation Army to be associated with such a fine member of our community. We are thrilled to have Truett Cathy be part of this event. Mr. Cathy's unquestionable integrity and character is well known throughout the business world and community at large."
his the business in 1946, when he and his brother, Ben, opened an Atlanta diner known as the Dwarf Grill (later renamed The Dwarf House). Over the years, the restaurant prospered and led Cathy to further the success of his business. In 1967, Cathy founded and opened the first Chick-fil-A restaurant chain in Atlanta's Greenbriar Shopping Center. Today, Chick-fil-A is the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States based on annual sales.

There are more than 1,240 restaurants in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Under Cathy's leadership, Chick-fil-A has achieved an unparalleled record of 38 consecutive years of annual sales increases.

Throughout this past year, The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta has assisted over 278,000 people by providing food for the hungry, companionship to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless, opportunities for underprivileged children, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled and many more services to assist those in need. To give or get help log on to www.1800SALARMY.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

In-person early voting for the 2006 General Election began October 30 and ends Friday, November 3 at the main Elections and Voter Registration office and two satellite locations.

Hours for the main elections office are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Hours for the satellite locations - at the Centerville Community Center and the Singleton Road Activity Building are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

The Gwinnett County Elections and Voter Registration office has relocated to 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, in the Town Center shopping center in Lawrenceville. For more information, visit www.gwinnettcounty.com or call the Elections Office at 770.822.8787.

Gwinnett Technical College announces the appointment of Dr. Cathy Maxwell as Gwinnett Tech's new vice president of academic affairs.

The new vice president Maxwell brings extensive experience in both business and collegiate academics to her new role. She comes to Gwinnett Tech from the Illinois state community college system, most recently serving as executive dean of business and technology during her 10-year tenure.

A native of Chicago, she holds degrees from Loyola University, and both a MBA and Ed. D. degree from Northern Illinois University.

In addition to extensive experience in teaching, college administration and workforce development, Maxwell has strong business experience with nearly a decade of work for two Fortune 500 companies. This combination of academic and business expertise is an ideal match for the Gwinnett Tech environment.

Maxwell is a frequent invited presenter at national conferences on occupational education, adult learning, workforce development and the partnership between industry and education. She is also the recipient of several awards from the state of Illinois for her work within the state's community college educational system.

Maxwell is scheduled to join the leadership team at Gwinnett Tech by November 1.

Officials gathered last week for the grand opening of the new Grayson Branch Library. The new library is located near downtown Grayson at 700 Grayson Parkway.

The Grayson branch brings the county's total to 14 branch libraries. Construction of the Grayson branch, built by Ricks Construction Inc., was funded by the 2005 SPLOST. A new branch in Dacula opened last April.

Library Manager Kerry Montz said, "The 20,000 square-foot library is stocked with approximately 65,000 new books, read-along children's books on CD and other items." Patrons also have access to the entire library system via courier. The Grayson library features 23 public computers with Internet access. Story time for children will begin on Wednesday, November 1, at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. More information on upcoming programs at all library branches is available online at www.gwinnettpl.org.

Nancy Stanbery-Kellam, interim executive director of the Gwinnett County Public Library, said: "The Grayson community has been watching for several months how the building has come to life from the outside. Now they are finally be able to see what we have to offer on the inside."

Patrons of the Gwinnett County Public Library check out more than six million items a year, which is about one book every two seconds or 29.3 books per minute. All branches are open Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Virtualville, the online branch, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The library sees about four million visitors each year at local branches and about two million online.

A new East Precinct is now in operation for the Gwinnett County Police Department. Ribbon cutting was Wednesday for the new facility, located at 2273 Alcovy Road in Dacula. Previously the precinct was in the former Dacula City Hall.

The 18,175 square-foot East Police Precinct includes offices for sergeants, detectives, a community response team and chaplain. The motor squad, DUI and Accident Investigation units have moved to this precinct. The facility also has an Intox room, squad room, crime prevention work area, classroom, break room, evidence storage area and fitness room.

The new precinct joins four existing precincts in Gwinnett: the North Precinct opened in July 2005 and is located at 2735 Mall of Georgia Boulevard in Buford; South Precinct, 2180 Stone Drive in Lilburn; West Precinct, 6160 Crescent Drive in Norcross; and Central Precinct, 3125 Satellite Boulevard in Duluth.

Funding for the construction of the East Police Precinct was provided by funds from the 2001 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

Gwinnett Tech accounting director wins national title

Lanny Nelms, Gwinnett Tech's accounting program director, has been named Educator of the Year by the National Society of Accountants (NSA).

The award recognized "outstanding individuals who have not only shouldered the duties inherent in their chosen field, but have done so with dedication, vigor and honor - educators who have gone above and beyond the call of duty." Nelms has been a Gwinnett Tech instructor since 1989 and program director since 1999.

Nelms received his master's degree from the Georgia State University Graduate School of Business and also earned a BBA in finance from GSU.

Heritage education has evolved and matured over many years. Teachers and students employ local historic sites, primary resource documents, artifacts, photographs, and oral histories to learn about the past, the present, and the future. Many local and statewide programs form the foundation for heritage education in Georgia, a state that is diverse not only in its ethnic groups and geographic features but also in its range of historic properties, high-style architecture treasures, ancient Indian mounds, downtown commercial buildings, rural farmsteads, and urban neighborhoods.

Heritage education grew out of the nationwide historic preservation initiative that began in the late 1960s, when people began to realize the importance of the built environment, its ability to provide people with a sense of history and place, and its importance as a tangible link to our history. Preservationists saw the need to educate people about their past by using the built environment as a classroom. This early desire to save the built environment has been extended over the years to other aspects of American society, including archaeological and personal artifacts, oral histories, documents, photographs, and cemeteries. Yet the educational premise remains the same: people will not appreciate and protect unless they understand the importance of these tangible remains of the past.

Heritage education programs in Georgia, at the local and statewide level, generally fall into two categories: programs for teachers and programs for children. Such organizations as the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Atlanta History Center, the Georgia Historical Society, the Society for Georgia Archeology, and the Georgia Humanities Council provide staff development opportunities to teachers across the state. Locally, such organizations as Historic Columbus Foundation, Historic Augusta, Historic Savannah Foundation, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, Bartow History Center, Thomasville Landmarks, and the Atlanta Preservation Center, among others, provide opportunities for children in their communities, as do numerous house museums throughout the state.

The primary philosophy driving all of these organizations is to connect teachers and children to their communities through local historic resources. Many of these organizations cooperate to provide quality programming across the board. Successful heritage education in Georgia relies on all of these partnerships, for each organization offers a unique component that strengthens the effort statewide.

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing."

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