Newspaper Page Text
The Braselton News
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Page 3A
Downtown Braselton
Braselton DDA interested
in building acquisition
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews. com
The Braselton Down
town Development Au
thority (DDA) looks to
start brainstorming toward
gaining more buildings.
DDA members touched
on the matter at a recent
meeting and have planned
an Oct. 23 economic de
velopment subcommittee
meeting to discuss possi
bilities.
“We need more build
ings,” said DDA member
Cheri Winham Huff, who
initiated the conversation
at the board’s Sept. 14
meeting. “Because we are
the downtown develop
ment (authority) ... We re
ally need to talk seriously
about what we want to do
about more buildings and
what we can do.”
Winham Huff added
that, “We don’t have the
buildings that a Wood-
stock, Canton or Monroe
have.”
“We need to get seri
ous about this because
our downtown is getting
beautiful,” she said, having
praised recent streetscape
work on Davis St.
DDA member Sue Wyatt
added that the board needs
to identify what business
es it wants downtown and
what property is available.
“And really get laid out
(a plan for) where we want
to go next,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt suggested the
DDA have at least an initial
plan by the end of the year.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other recent business,
the DDA:
•heard from board mem
ber Mitch Chapman that
planning continues for the
DDA’s first-ever beer fes
tival, which is still about a
year away. Seven brewer
ies so far have committed
to the festival. Chapman
said sponsorships for this
event are crucial, given the
cost of hosting the festival.
The DDA has scheduled
the event for Sept. 22,
2024.
•agreed to switch to a
new aluminum material for
its downtown wayfinding
signage.
Photo courtesy of Tom Askewlll
Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) President and CEO Carol Bur
rell (left) shakes hands with Gordon Rink, who was recently recognized by
NGHS with the Joan Kosmala Volunteer of the Year Award.
Hospitals
More than 130 Northeast Georgia
Health System volunteers
honored at annual luncheon
Northeast Georgia
Health System (NGHS)
Auxiliary volunteers were
recently recognized this
week at the 2023 Volunteer
Appreciation and Auxilia
ry Membership Luncheon,
held at the Ramsey Con
ference Center at Lanier
Technical College.
Awards included the
Marjorie Covington Smith
Auxilian of the Year
Award, presented to Sally
Veatch. Veatch, a member
of the auxiliary board and
Marketplace committee,
serves most often in the
NGMC Gainesville Win
dow Shops, assisting cus
tomers and making them
feel welcome. She began
volunteering almost 16
years ago and has contrib
uted over 4,000 hours of
service.
“The greatest attributes
of our Auxilian of the Year
aren’t measured in hours
of service,” said Diane
Stephens, past president
of the NGHS Auxiliary.
“They are measured by
the laugher she inspires,
the joy she gives through
her storytelling, her will
ingness to help with any
project and her absolute
love for the health system.
Sally embodies those most
important traits.”
Gordon Rink was recog
nized with the Joan Kos
mala Volunteer of the Year
Award, named for a long
time volunteer who served
as a member of the aux
iliary board as both vice
president and president.
Inspired to serve after the
passing of his wife of 46
years, Rink has served
with Hospice of Northeast
Georgia Medical Center
(NGMC) since 2016. He
is known for his quiet de
meanor and warm smile,
as well as his willingness
to fill any role.
“Gordon will say yes
to any task,” said Jenni
fer Sorrells, supervisor of
bereavement services with
Hospice of NGMC. “Grief
seminars, remembrance
services, administrative
tasks, bagging kitty lit
ter for medicine disposal,
cutting ribbons and tying
hundreds of bows - these
are just a few of the ser
vices he has provided
throughout his time with
hospice.
Diane Champa was
awarded the Nell Wiegand
Patient Friend Award,
named for Nell Whelchel
Wiegand, who was in
strumental in helping
bring NGMC Gainesville
to the community and
served in many volunteer
roles including president
of the NGHS Auxilia
ry and founding chair of
the NGHS Foundation.
Champa was recognized
for exemplifying NGHS’
core values; respectful
compassion, responsible
stewardship, passion for
excellence and deep in
terdependence. She has
served as a patient friend
in the emergency depart
ment at NGMC Braselton
since 2016.
“It gives me such joy,
visiting with patients, giv
ing comfort to them when
they are anxious or wor
ried,” Champa said.
Champa is known for
approaching each shift
with joy, extending a
warm and kind smile, a
cheerful greeting, words
of encouragement and an
attitude of empathy.
NGHS volunteers serve
in a number of ways at
NGMC’s Gainesville,
Braselton, Barrow and
Lumpkin hospital cam
puses. In total, 131 vol
unteers reached service
milestones dining the
past year, including Lee
Highsmith for 40 years
of service and Virginia
Benefield for 35 years of
service.
Development continued from iA
and sandwich chain specifi
cally for chicken salad.
The applicant is also in
discussions with national
dental offices.
If the project is approved,
Land Development and En
gineering would initially
begin work on two build
ings — one planned for the
central parcel and the other
planned for the northwestern
parcel of the site. It is still in
discussions with the proper
ty owner of the southeastern
parcel where the third build
ing would be located.
Town planning staff has
recommended approval of
the PUD amendment re
quest with six conditions.
No one spoke against the
project during public com
ment.
In other business, a con
ditional use request for out
door storage at a planned
Lowe’s across from Chateau
Elan was withdrawn from
the agenda. The planning
commission will hear the re
quest at its October meeting.
Monday’s meeting was
the board’s first with new
member Lee Baker. He took
over for Tom Logan, who
resigned his seat to run for
the District 3 town council
seat.
JACKSON
FOUNDATION
r„' h or Boy With A Ball
Fifteen thousand & no/100
JACKSON
BOY WITH A BALL
reaching youth - building leaders
A $15,000 grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation will help Boy With a Ball
provide curriculum materials for its mentoring program that pairs high school
mentors in Gwinnett County with middle school students. Shown are (L-R)
Sergio Gonzalez, city director of Boy With a Ball Gwinnett; Jennifer Fennell,
Jackson EMC Gwinnett district manager; Beauty Baldwin, Jackson EMC
Foundation board member; Jamie Johnson, founder and international leader
of Boy With a Ball; and Kenny Lumpkin, Jackson EMC Foundation represen
tative.
Local grants
Jackson EMC Foundation
awards S87K to agencies
serving area residents
The Jackson EMC Foun
dation board of directors
awarded a total of $196,771
in grants during its recent
meeting for organizations,
including $87,500 to orga
nizations serving area resi
dents.
•$15,000 to Boy With a
Ball, in Buford, to provide
curriculum materials for the
Velocity Cross Age Mentor
ing program that pairs high
school mentors in Gwinnett
County with middle school
students to cultivate con
nectedness, self-esteem,
identity and academic skills.
•$15,000 to Barrow Min
istry Village, in Winder, for
its counseling program that
offers affordable counseling
services to needy families
in all counties served by
Jackson EMC, to provide
counseling for individuals
struggling with PTSD, anx
iety and other family issues.
•$15,000 to Family Prom
ise of Athens, a community
effort to end the cycle of
family homelessness, for its
Homeless Shelter and Sta
bilization Program that pro
vides emergency shelter and
vital services for families
with children experiencing
homelessness in Barrow,
Clarke, Jackson, Madison
and Oglethorpe counties.
•$15,000 to GoodNews at
Noon, a Gainesville-based
community ministry, for its
Transitional Living Res
toration Program that pro
vides transitional shelter
and supplies for men in Hall
County who are at-risk for
homelessness.
•$10,000 to The Cancer
Foundation, in Athens, for
its Financial Assistance
Program that assists eligible
cancer patients in Banks,
Barrow, Clarke, Franklin,
Jackson, Lumpkin, Madi
son and Oglethorpe coun
ties with transportation and
housing expenses.
•$10,000 to Our Neigh
bor, Inc., a Gainesville
grassroots nonprofit orga
nization dedicated to as
sisting young adults with
special challenges to reach
their maximum level of in
dependence, to assist with
its Housing Assistance pro
gram for residents with dis
abilities.
•$7,500 to Bethel Hav
en, in Watkinsville, for its
Mental Health Counseling
Program that supports men
tal health services and ther
apeutic counseling sessions
for distressed children,
teens, adults and families in
all counties served by Jack-
son EMC.
Jackson EMC Foundation
grants are made possible by
the 210,985 participating
cooperative members who
have their monthly electric
bills rounded to the next dol
lar amount through the Op
eration Round Up program.
Their “spare change” has
funded 1,853 grants to or
ganizations and 423 grants
to individuals, putting more
than $19.4 million back into
local communities since the
program began in 2005.
Any individual or chari
table organization in the ten
counties served by Jackson
EMC (Clarke, Banks, Bar-
row, Franklin, Gwinnett,
Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin,
Madison and Oglethorpe)
may apply for a Foundation
grant by completing an ap
plication, available online
at https://www.jacksonemc.
com/foundation-apply or at
local Jackson EMC offic
es. Applicants do not need
to be a member of Jackson
EMC.
History continued from iA
Braselton brothers, was lo
cated on Harrison Street. It
opened in September 1920
and closed during the 1957-
1958 school year after it
merged with Jackson Coun
ty Schools, and students
were relocated to a brand-
new school located on Hwy
53 and Henry Street.
In early 2023, a gradua
tion photo collection was
added to the second floor of
the 1904, the original Bra
selton Brothers Mercantile.
“It is our hope to bring
the community together to
help identify students pic
tured in the historic pho
tographs,” organizers said.
“All alumni, along with
those whose loved ones
attended Braselton High
School, are encouraged to
attend.”
The 1904 building is lo
cated at 9924 Davis Street.
For more information,
contact Amy at apinnell@
braselton.net.
CONSIGNMENTS . FINE FURNISHINGS
Whether you are looking lor the
perlect piece of furniture, want to
accessorize your home, need to
liquidate an entire home or sell
a single item, House of Boykin is
the perfect place. Give us a call!
Caryn McGarity, Owner
And her Boykin Spaniels
%. Nit-"* 3 "*"
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