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The ADVANCE, April 28, 2021/Page 2A
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Photo by William Ledford, Jr.
EARTH DAY RECYCLING EFFORT HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL— The Earth Day Electronics Recycling Event was highly success
ful and helped make the world a better place, according to Ann Owens of the Chamber of Commerce. Over 75
people and businesses participated in the event by bringing their outdated electronics to the parking lot between
People's Bank and Chick-fil-A Thursday from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm. Ms. Owens said the panel truck was completely
full when it left the parking lot at the culmination of the event. Tech 4 Success, a disabled veteran-owned small busi
ness from Augusta, supplied the truck and manpower to carry off the discarded electronic items to be recycled,
This year's event was coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Chick-fil-A, Sikes Paving and
The Advance. Pictured are Britt McDade, Fred Godbee, Jeff McLain and Patricia Johnson, a Tech 4 Success staff
member, attempting to hoist a huge outdated electronic copier machine into the recycling truck.
Samuel Baker Elected to
Ohoopee River Soil and
Water Conservation District
Samuel Baker was re
cently elected to represent
Montgomery County on
the Ohoopee River Soil
and Water Conservation
District. Baker is a full-time
farmer, where he row crops
cotton, corn and peanuts
and also has a cattle opera
tion. He is retired from the
USDA-Farm Service Agen
cy, where he worked for
over 30 years. In addition
to farming, he also serves
as the Pastor at Saint Mat
thew Missionary Baptist
Church in Mount Vernon.
Baker and his wife Yvette
reside in Ailey and have one
daughter and one grand
daughter. He will serve the
Conservation District for a
four-year term.
The Ohoopee River
Soil and Water Conser
vation District is a unit
of state government that
manages and directs natu
ral resource management
r
Samuel Baker
programs in Emanuel,
Montgomery, Toombs,
Treutlen, and Wheeler
Counties. The District
works with farmers, land-
owners, homeowners, and
with other units of govern
ment to educate and ac
tively promote programs
and practices that support
the conservation, and use
and development of soil,
water, and related resourc
es. More information can
be found at www.gacd.us/
ohoopeeriver.
Pictured with Vyve local Manager, Diana Joyner, left, are Vyve operations team mem
bers Mark Hood, Regional VP of Operations; Grace Abblitt, Director of Marketing; John
Bower, Technical Operations Manager; and Chris Robertson, Senior Regional Sales Di
rector.
Rebranding Ceremony
Vyve Holds
Vyve Broadband, for
merly Northland Cable,
celebrated their newly re
branded local office with
ribbon cutting ceremonies
conducted by the Greater
Vidalia Chamber of Com
merce on Wednesday, April
21. In ceremonial remarks
Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper
and City Manager Nick
Overstreet welcomed the
newly rebranded company
to the City and applauded
the company's pledge to
provide its customers with
the best broadband services
possible.
Mark Hood, Vyve
Regional Vice President,
cut the ceremonial ribbon
and told the crowd, "Vyve
Broadband has been work
ing nonstop upgrading our
fiber-rich network to de
liver to Vidalia the fastest
broadband speeds possible.
This upgrade is part of our
multimillion dollar upgrade
project and is focused on
expanding the network and
delivering Vyve Gig to Vida
lia, it's the best Gig in town”
In a statement by Di
ane Quennoz, Senior VP
of Marketing, she noted,
"Vyve is committed to
bringing High-Speed Inter
net to rural communities.
Vyve lives and works where
we invest and whether it
means launching Vyve Gig
Internet or partnering with
local schools and organiza
tions like the Greater Vida
lia Chamber of Commerce,
our core value is always cen
tered around the communi
ties where we serve. We are
more than just a service pro
vider, we are a critical thread
of our communities.”
Vyve Broadband,
founded in 2012 serves
largely nonurban com
munities in sixteen states,
including Alabama, Arkan
sas, California, Colorado,
Georgia, Idaho, Kansas,
Louisiana, Nebraska, North
Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Washington, and Wyoming.
Vyve is a technology leader
in the cable and broadband
industry offering an exten
sive range of broadband, fi
ber connectivity, cable tele
vision and voice services for
commercial and residential
customers. Residential ser
vices include high-speed
Internet with speeds up to
Vyve Gig, all-digital high-
definition video and fully
featured digital voice. Vyve
Business Services provides
optical Ethernet, PRI and
hosted voice services to the
business community.
COTY
continued from page 1A
Vidalia.
Named as 2021 Wom
an of the Year was local
leader Pat Dixon, who
2020 Woman of the Year
Cindy Williams praised for
her devotion to her family,
her church and commu
nity. “She is a confident,
strong leader and yet a
humble servant, working
in the background doing
whatever is needed,” Wil
liams said of Dixon.
Retired Meadows Re
gional Medical Center ex
ecutive Howard Holman
announced 202l’s Man of
the Year James Thompson,
whom he lauded for a long
record of community ser
vice and strong leadership
skills that still benefit the
community today. “Com
munity service and leader
ship define this year’s re
cipient,” Holman said.
Criteria for being
named Citizen of the Year
include having “notable
character, with high ideals
and principles,” and being a
citizen “who has contribut
ed his or her God-given tal
ents, time and possessions
to improving Vidalia.” This
service should extend “over
and beyond excellence in
one’s own profession, busi
ness or service enterprise.”
2021 Woman of the Year
Among Dixon’s contri
butions to the community
is being an active member
of Vidalia Presbyterian
Church where she is an
elder. As a member of the
Meadows Cancer Cen
ter Fundraising team, she
helped raise $2 million
plus in local donations. She
has served as a member of
Adrienne Ricks
OTR/L
Our
Occupational
Therapists
get you
on the move again.
Our outpatient Rehabilitation Facility is
open to the community. Our services include
speech, physical and occupational therapy.
We handle all the necessary communications
with insurance companies. Call 537-7922 for
more information.
Dortea Mitchell
COTA/L
TheOaks
Bethany Skilled Nursing
1305 E North Street, Vidalia • 912-537-7922
the United Way Board of
Directors and is a financial
supporter of The Refuge,
Sweet Onion Animal Pro
tection Society and the
Mercy Clinic. She has also
volunteered for the Vidalia
Onion Festival.
She is also a supporter
of the Altama Gallery and
is an active member and
current board member of
the Kiwanis Club. She has
served on the Downtown
Vidalia Association Board
of Directors and was also
president of that organiza
tion for two consecutive
terms. She is a graduate of
Leadership Toombs and
has served the Toombs-
Montgomery County (now
Greater Vidalia) Chamber
of Commerce in numer
ous capacities, including
the Board of Directors and
Chairman. Dixon has also
served on the Chamber’s
Advocacy Council, Busi
ness Retail Committee,
Small Business Council
and Public Policy Council
and has worked with the
Showcasing Toombs and
Reach programs, among
others. She currently
serves as a Chamber Board
advisor.
Dixon, who works
at her family’s business,
Dixon Management in Vi
dalia, has been active po
litically and, along with her
husband, Otha, has hosted
numerous political fund
raising events for local and
state candidates.
For approximately
15 years while her two
children attended Rob
ert Toombs Christian
Academy, she was active
as a volunteer for school
academic, fundraising and
sports events. At South
eastern Technical College
she participated in the Bri
gade Ride. When Ohoopee
Regional Library decided
to expand and renovate in
a $3 million project, Dixon
was one of the first persons
called to serve on the fun
draising committee, lead
ing the way to surpass the
project goal.
The mother of two and
grandmother of one was
selected as the 2017 Boys
and Girls Club Queen of
the Adult Prom, “One Mo
ment in Time,” and was
the top fundraiser for the
Boys and Girls Club at that
event.
Williams said of her
long-time friend, “She
has opened her home and
hosted on many differ
ent occasions medical and
professional prospects that
were visiting our area to in
troduce them to the won
derful Vidalia hospitality.”
She added, “Many a friend
has been the recipient of
a home-cooked meal or
a visit when in need. She
even organized and recruit
ed others to help decorate
and partly furnish a home
for a good friend that had
finally been able to pur
chase her first home. It was
a wonderful community
project.”
2021 Man of the Year
In outlining Thomp
son’s valuable contribu
tions to the community,
Please see COTY page 4A
Copies now available
From the
PORCH
P^WBER LANIER NAGLE
A collection of
personal essays
from author Amber
Nagle’s weekly
column published
in The Advance
“Nagle writes with Southern flavor and charm,
capturing the rhythms of her life with grace and
artistry. ” - Audrey Andersen
Get your copy at