TODAY'S FOCUS
Hi-Hope Center considers what's important to an individual
By YVONNE WHITAKER
Special to GwinnettForum

(Editor's Note: Gwinnett's Hi-Hope Center has been a unique and useful non-profit in the county for many years now. It recently received the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award for the top large non-profit in the county. It is presently in the midst of its 29th and Holding Hi-Hope Stay-at-Home, a gala seeking sponsorships.-eeb)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., June 17, 2011 -- More than 50 years ago, Nell Moses wanted the very best for her child. She turned to the Lawrenceville Jaycees who embraced her and helped open a school focused on the needs of developmentally disabled children. Mrs. Vinie Lowery became Hi-Hope Center's first paid teacher in 1961, hosting the school in her own garage for seven years. From these humble beginnings grew the thriving community of service and support that is the Hi-Hope of today.

Much has changed; legislation ensures that children with developmental disabilities receive the full benefit of public education. When these adults graduate from high school, many continue to expand their horizons through the services and support available through the Hi-Hope Service Center. Through an array of programs and services, Hi-Hope is continuing on in the tradition of the same caring and innovation sparked by a mother's love for her son.

The way Hi-Hope extends support to individuals with developmental disabilities has changed through the years. Today, a person-centered philosophy places an emphasis on cultivating community and opportunity. Individuals select from a range of choices and participate in meaningful activities of interest to them. Hi-Hope considers what is important to a person, not just what is important for them.

Hi-Hope continues to adapt services to meet the changing needs of the individuals who are supported especially as they age and present with increased medical needs. Fifty-five percent of the individuals supported by Hi-Hope are over the age of 40 and nearly 60 percent of their parent caregivers are over the age of 60. The residential program allows aging individuals to live in a community setting, which is more cost-effective than nursing home or rehabilitation center options.

Hi-Hope staff and clients participating in day programs.

Providing opportunities for individuals supported by Hi-Hope to give back to the community is an important priority. For example as part of Hi-Hope's weekday services, individuals are responsible for completing regular routes to deliver Meals on Wheels. Community integration enhances personal adaptability, provides universal opportunities for participation and new experiences and continues to break down the barriers that exist between those with developmental disabilities and their communities.

To further support learning, Hi-Hope operates an Art Center and a Computer Lab, hosts a health and wellness group, facilitates small group social activities and coordinates many other social and educational opportunities at the center and in the community. Its supported employment services seek to match the right individual with the right job in order to fulfill their goals and provide a business with the best worker possible. Hi-Hope's success in this endeavor meets the needs of partner employers and results in economic value to Gwinnett County.

To ensure a promising future for the individuals it supports, Hi-Hope will continue to develop a network of family, friends, neighbors, church groups, clubs and even businesses that provide many pathways to promise for supported adults. Together, Hi-Hope will help adults with developmental disabilities to see what's possible, to reach farther and to dream bigger.

Hi-Hope is more than just a service provider. We truly believe in the potential that lies within the individuals it is privileged to support.

To learn more about Hi-Hope, visit www.hihopecenter.org.

EEB PERSPECTIVE
$190 billion for USA, not Afghanistan, might have been better
By ELLIOTT BRACK
Editor and publisher

JUNE 17, 2011 -- With the U.S. economy at best only maintaining the doldrums, and not seeming to improve much, a question that keeps bugging me is: "Why do we continue to throw money away in Afghanistan?" We seem to gain little from this quagmire.

Brack

So far, as we have heard it, in 10 years, the United States has spent $190 billion….that's with a "B"…..in Afghanistan. That doesn't include the cost in the loss of lives of Americans, or the cost to our people from injuries and maiming in that country.

Promoting this war costs money, property and individuals….and the United States doesn't seem to have made much progress against the entrenched enemies……both in the Taliban, and even those people who are stealing from us from within the Afghani government. We can think of no other place in the world where we feel funds are being poured down the proverbial "rat hole."

Now think in another manner: with our economy in trouble, and it being difficult for the economy to get jump-started no matter what happens, what would have been the results had this same $190 billion been spent on our people within our borders?

Grant you, much of the wasted $190 billion has gone to support our military troops, and in manufacturing weapons of war. These activities support many people in the defense community, we realize, and keep the economy going.

U.S. Marines in Afghanistan, 2007. Photo courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Yet what if we had taken this money and put it to other uses within the United States? Even if we had spent only half the money we have put into Afghanistan---some $95 billion---think of the progress the United States could have made in kicking the economy into a higher gear, or investing in medical research, or even to spending more on our nation's libraries? Any of these activities would have been far more productive for our nation than throwing money into the rat hole.

Think too, that such a program would also mean that we would not have more than 1,600 Americans in the military dead from this war halfway around the world….or 12,002 Americans wounded in Afghanistan, the Defense Department says. That probably does not include many suffering mental anguish from this war.

On the quick surface, it would appear investing in our own country would have been a wiser investment, based on how little we have gained in the war.

Yes, we live in difficult times. The decisions that our leaders have made have not always been easy decisions, and they may not have been right.

The point now is "how do we get out of this untenable position?"

Pulling all our troops out may not be in our immediate best interest. But pulling them out of Afghanistan faster may be a good option. Leaving a large contingent of American troops in Afghanistan for another 10 years surely does not seem like a reasonable option.

It's looking more and more that pulling back at a faster pace, and investing more of our resources in ourselves, is a more reasonable way to go. It's frustrating thinking about it, and no doubt frustrating for our leaders, as they try to apply what they think is a reasonable approach.

For sure, we seem to be not making major progress. A faster reduction in force may gain us much more than continued application of the current direction.

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UPCOMING
Suwanee offers two-hour safer teen driving course

With a two-hour investment of time and the assistance of the Suwanee Police Department, parents can help give their teen drivers fresh attitudes and more confidence behind the wheel.

The Suwanee Police Department's Georgia Teens Ride with PRIDE (Parents Reducing Injuries and Driver Error) program will be offered, in cooperation with the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Suwanee Police Department, 373 Buford Highway.

This free course makes parents/guardians more aware of their own driving behaviors, assists parents in helping their teens to become safe drivers, and offers strategies for required supervised practice driving time.

Class space is limited and advanced registration is required. A parent is required to accompany participating teens. To download an application, visit www.suwanee.com or contact Officer Elias Casanas or 770/904-7612. The registration deadline is June 20.

More sidewalks coming near Lanier High, in Mountain Park

Lanier High School and the Mountain Park Aquatic Center will get new sidewalks this summer. Gwinnett will also build new left and right turn lanes on Rockbridge Road at Summer Cove Drive and replace a drainage culvert at Garner Creek with funding from the 2009 SPLOST sales tax program and stormwater funds.

The school sidewalk will be on Old Suwanee Road for about a third of a mile from Buford Highway to an existing City of Sugar Hill sidewalk between Secret Cove Drive and North Price Road, providing pedestrian access from nearby neighborhoods to Lanier High School. The work also includes curb and gutter and road shoulder improvements. CMES, Inc. of Lilburn was the lowest of eight bidders at $203,328.

On the west side of Rockbridge Road, E.R. Snell Contractors, Inc. of Snellville will build a sidewalk from Lilburn Stone Mountain Road to Five Forks Trickum Road that will connect area neighborhoods to the aquatic center. In addition, left and right turn lanes will be added to Rockbridge Road at its intersection with Summer Cover Drive. Snell was the lowest of six bidders at just under $960,000 for the work, which also includes curb and gutter and drainage improvements.

NOTABLE
Septic tanks in county now on Gwinnett GIS databank

Water quality in local streams could get better now that old paper records showing the location of septic tanks and drain fields in Gwinnett County have gone electronic. Most homes without sewer service use a septic system.

Gwinnett's Water Resources and the East Metro Health District, which also serves Rockdale and Newton counties, worked together to digitize hundreds of thousands of records and add them to Gwinnett's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database. Free public access to the records is available at www.gwinnettcounty.com by clicking on GIS.

The new system helps homeowners locate septic systems on their property so they can maintain them as required by law. It will also help the Stormwater Management division track down possible pollution sources when they find fecal coliform bacteria in local waterways. Failing septic tanks are often a source of contamination that causes some local waterways to fail state water-quality standards.

Lynn Smarr, acting Water Resources director, says: "We're celebrating the end of an arduous process that now allows us to work more efficiently."

Caddies return in golf program at Lake Lanier Islands Resort

In step with the recent launch of the Legacy Wellness Program at Lake Lanier Islands Resort, Brian Conley, head PGA Golf Professional and director of Golf for the Resort, took a cue from the past to bring the modern concept of Wellness to Legacy on Lanier Golf Club. The debut of the Legacy PAR (Performance + Activity = Results) Program represents a nod to the Golden Age of Golf with an entirely new twist. Designed to complement the resort-wide health and wellness initiatives, in its most basic terms the PAR Program promotes and incentivizes golfers to walk again.

Golf carts first appeared on the scene in the 1950s, but the game of golf has been enjoyed by players on foot for centuries. By incorporating a classic caddy program with specially designed ultra lightweight "walking" golf bags by Mizuno and attractive incentives, Legacy on Lanier is endorsing the concept of health and well-being on the golf course. The introduction of special "Wellness Hours" reserves the final available hour of tee times each weekday for walking rounds of golf for as little as $20 per player and a series of Open Walking Tournaments are planned throughout the season. On Wellness Wednesdays, professional caddies will be paired per player and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. With advance reservations, a foursome can enjoy golf with professional caddies any day of the week.

All this includes a recent redesign by Billy Fuller, the incorporation of heat-resistant MiniVerde Bermuda grass throughout the course, and the provision of complimentary food and soft drinks to its guests. To learn more about the P.A.R. Program and Legacy on Lanier Golf Club, please visit www.lakelanierislandsgolf.com.

RECOMMENDED RESTAURNT
Ten Bistro in Norcross

"My family was fortunate to try the new Ten Bistro in Norcross on 5005 Peachtree Parkway. We ate outside in their patio area. The restaurant has many health-conscious and fresh and organic items. We each decided to have the Turkey Burgers at $7.25. My chosen side was grilled zucchini and my husband chose cut green beans Our server treated us with a complimentary carrot and celery sticks with hummus. Remembering the menu, next time I want the fish tacos or the "Feel the Beet" salad. I give the Ten Bistro….a ten!"

-- Cindy Evans, Duluth

• An invitation: What Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus what book you plan to read next. --eeb

GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
Encyclopedia recounts story of Gid Tanner and Skillet Lickers

(Editor's Note: seldom is there a Gwinnett story in the online Georgia Encyclopedia. But here's an entry that is from Gwinnett County, which we print again for our local readers. -eeb)

Gid Tanner was one of the most widely recognized names among country music enthusiasts of the 1920s and 1930s. The group that he headed, Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, was one of the most influential string bands that recorded during the formative years of the country music industry. The innovative approach, craftsmanship, and professionalism of this widely imitated ensemble was due in large part to the talents of such competent band members as Clayton McMichen on fiddle and Riley Puckett on guitar.

Tanner

James Gideon "Gid" Tanner was born at Thomas Bridge, near Monroe, in 1885 and spent most of his adult life in Gwinnett County, where he made a living as a farmer. He learned to play the fiddle as a teenager and became known in local circles for his prowess with the instrument. As a young man he was a regular participant at the Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers' Conventions, held annually in Atlanta between 1913 and 1935. He won the state fiddling championship in 1928. Tanner was known among musicians and convention audiences as a crowd pleaser.

He was not only a fiddler but also a comedian noted for his stereotypical imitations and a singer with legendary range. Tanner allegedly knew the words and music to more than 2,000 songs. The favorite among his audiences was I'm Satisfied, which he sang in alternating falsetto and bass registers. When Tanner sang the song at the fiddlers' conventions, newspapers reported that he "brought down the house" and was forced to repeat the song several times "before the audience would let him go."

On April 17, 1926, the Skillet Lickers recorded eight songs for the Columbia record label in an Atlanta studio. During the next eight years various combinations of Atlanta-area musicians joined Tanner to record more than 100 songs under the Skillet Lickers name. Besides McMichen and Puckett, the Skillet Lickers at one time or another included Ted Hawkins (mandolin, fiddle), Bert Layne (fiddle), Fate Norris (banjo, harmonica), Hoke Rice (guitar), Lowe Stokes (fiddle), Arthur Tanner (banjo, guitar), and Mike Whitten (guitar).

With such songs as Bully of the Town, Pass Around the Bottle and We'll All Take a Drink, and Soldier's Joy, these records were well received by fans of old-time string band music, and they sold well. The band's biggest-selling record was Down Yonder, recorded at its last session in 1934, with Tanner's son, Gordon, playing the lead fiddle.

In addition to traditional folk music, fiddle tunes, and novelty songs, the Skillet Lickers recorded a series of skits in which humorous dialogue, interspersed with snatches of familiar songs and tunes, was the main feature. Called "rural drama records," these skits, as their titles indicate, recounted stories about such topics as A Corn Licker Still in Georgia, The Medicine Show, and Kickapoo Joy Juice.

Although Tanner's recording career ended in 1934, he remained active as an entertainer until shortly before his death. During his last years he performed on stage and radio and entered fiddlers' contests. He won his last first-place trophy at the age of 71.

At his death in 1960, just three weeks shy of his 75th birthday, Tanner left behind a living legacy of his work as a musician. His grandson Phil Tanner and Phil's son, Russell, both fiddlers, are still actively performing in an old-time string band that retains the name Skillet Lickers. Four generations of Tanners have kept Georgia's old-time music alive for more than a hundred years. Tanner was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1988.

• Click here to access the Georgia Encyclopedia

LAGNIAPPE
Great view and amazing camera

Lou Camiero took this view of the Historic Gwinnett Courthouse, and did it with a cell phone! He says: "I took these with my Blackberry Torch on a nice day recently. I have always loved the courthouse, especially since the white paint was removed and the restoration was completed showing the original brick. Lawrenceville has lost too many of its old buildings." Then he adds, tongue in cheek: "I'll get back there with my Nikon and do it justice," and added "No pun intended." (We think the pun was intended.-eeb)

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TODAY'S QUOTE
Fast-changing Gwinnett perhaps should pay attention

"In times of rapid change, experience could be your worst enemy."

-- Independent oil producer J. Paul Getty (1892-1976).

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GWINNETT CALENDAR

Annual meeting of Walton EMC: June 18 at Walton County Agricultural Education Center, 1208 Criswell Road, Monroe. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the business session starting at 10 a.m. The first 1,000 customers registering will receive a commemorative cast iron skillet, and all registering by 10 a.m. will be eligible for door prizes.

Telephone Town Hall: For Gwinnett County, it's June 20 at 7:15 p.m. The Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable is hosting these meetings in 10 counties, giving people a chance to hear your transportation concerns and priorities. Call 888-886-6603, and put in the Gwinnett pin (16724) to join the call. For more information, visit online.

Gwinnett Technology Forum: 7:30 a.m., June 21, Busbee Center at Gwinnett Technical College. Speaker will be Curtis Tearte of IBM Global Sales and Distribution, talking on "A smarter planet: intelligence-driven innovation."

Success Lives Here Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., June 23, 1818 Club, 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. Speaker will be Cynthia B. Kaye, CEO of Logical Choice Technologies of Lawrenceville.

Brown Bag Lunch in Duluth's Town Green Park: Noon to 1 p.m. on June 30, July 14 and July 28. Among entertainers will be Puppeteer Peter Hart, Magic Debbie, Juggler Ron Anglin and Solo performer Craver, presenting an upbeat party rock concert. For more information call 678-475-3512.

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