About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2022)
6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, March 2,2022 Nonprofit hopes to grow faith-based support By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com With only eight homes and 47 children in need of foster placement in Dawson County, the lack of available resources means many of those youth will likely be placed somewhere else, said Rebecca Davidson with the Division of Family and Children Services. Christian nonprofit Promise686 wants to nurture more support for foster children and vulnerable families in Dawson County through local churches starting this year. Felt needs More support is needed in the county so that families can safely be maintained and reunified, said Autumn Cromer with DFCS’s Foster Parent Recruitment divi sion. “It increases the cost of foster care with additional transportation costs and increas es the time that a child has to sit in a car, as FAM FAMILY ADVOCACY MINISTRY Because children need families prornise686 Photo submitted to DCN well as diminishes the chances of reunifi cation,” Davidson said about out-of-county placements. Cromer explained that case managers can also feel the long-distance strain that children and families experience. “When children reunify with their fami lies,” said Cromer, “the support systems they build (such as a therapist, school and friends) are not local, meaning once again they restart on building these systems that are so crucial to children maintaining in their homes with their parents.” Nonprofit's goals Promise686 was formed by members of Johns Creek-based Perimeter Church with the goal “to set the lonely in families” as based on God’s promise in Psalm 68:6. The nonprofit works across multiple counties in Georgia to mobilize churches to care for vulnerable children and families through various serving opportunities, said Ty Bryant, Promise686’s vice president of engagement. In 2018, Promise686 launched a minis try model called Family Advocacy Ministry. The approach is designed to give churches the tools to support biological families in crisis as well as foster and adoptive families. This approach emphasizes that every church can do something to care for at-risk kids and their families, the Promise686 website states. For some congregations, this might look like praying and raising awareness around vulnerable children’s needs. Other churches may choose to minister to families by meeting various physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. This could look like people bringing families weekly meals, taking children to medical appoint ments or mentoring those children. Effective FAMs could also help church members become trained to provide respite care (short-term planned or emer gency temporary care provided to care givers). Likewise, FAMs could recruit church families to consider fostering and/ or adoption. For more information about Family Advocacy Ministries, please visit https:// promise686.org/fams/. Tink may be a showrunner, but I run the Rondarosa So much happened in the last couple of years that you probably don’t remember this snapshot from our lives so I’ll remind you. Two years ago, Tink flew to Vancouver to oversee the writing and the production of a hit Hallmark show, “When Calls The Heart.” In the time that Tink has embedded himself in the life and friendships of the South, he has come to love it mightier than any man I have ever known who was not bom of this dirt. I, the land, the Rondarosa, and the animals are his heart. A car arrived to pick him up for the 90-minute drive to the airport and, as he left, the graveled dust spewing behind the black SUV, I thought “There goes our heart.” It was to be for three months — but, two weeks later, while we chatted by video, an alert popped up on his phone: the borders of Canada had been closed. “Tighter,” Mama would have said, “than Dick’s hat band.” Whatever that means. For nine months, home was a deep longing for Tink. His sadness grew daily. Church folks prayed for his release as a prisoner of a viral war. One church even had a special prayer for him where people fell into the altar and prayed for his return. In the grocery store, a woman approached one day, “Please, tell Tink that we are prayin’ for him.” “Y’all need to be prayin’ for me,” I retorted comical ly. “Tink is sitting in a high-rise, luxury, air-conditioned condo, overlookin’ Vancouver and I’m at home, bush hogging the pasture in 100-degree weather!” The Lord is good. He didn’t send Tink home prompt ly but He rewarded him with sky-high ratings and a renewal for another season. (The new season premiers March 6 on the Hallmark Channel.) Because he was mostly quarantined in the condo and not on the set, he made a decision: this summer, he’d stay home and run the show. He’d conduct writing, oversee production — with a litany of problems — and edit by video. Halfway through the summer, I was thinking that a plane ticket to Vancouver, for one of us, was a pretty good idea. My nerves frayed. I built the house we live in several years before we married. It’s two stories but it’s a very open plan so his meetings interrupted my writing. His problems disturbed my thinking. One actor got a sore throat which required rewriting three days’ of shooting. (Note here: no farmer ever stayed in bed over a sore throat.) Once, the show’s horse wrangler had an accident while driving a set of horses, pulling a wagon. Lortunately, the injuries weren’t life threatening. The three-hour time difference meant constant calls until 10 p.m. It was trying. Almost as trying as cutting the pasture by myself. But there was good. Tink’s on-screen titles are “Executive Producer” and “Written By...” In contract and with some 200 employees, it is “Showrunner”. That means he oversees the decisions from writing to casting to props to locations. He is Big Man on set. Though, they wisely gave the checkbook to someone else. Tink doesn’t care a lot about adding and subtracting. When Tink has been away, running a show for a few months, he comes back different than the sweet, under standing, immensely thoughtful man he was when he left. Lor the first couple of weeks, he acts like he is boss of the Rondarosa and not me. This does not go over well with you-know-who. Then, we have to have THE conversation. “You are the Showrunner on When Calls The Heart but here, on the Rondarosa, I AM THE SHOWRUNNER.” This year, because he worked from home, we didn’t need to have that conversation. He was the Showrunner in his office only. I was the Showrunner of the rest of the Rondarosa. For now and always. When Calls The Heart is one of the Top 5 dramas in television. Please tune in on Sunday nights to watch on the Hallmark Channel. Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern Women Know About Faith. Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter. A few Mexican favorites for March I absolutely love chicken tortilla soup. For years I didn’t know how much I loved it, since the soup I got at most restaurants was definitely lack luster. Most versions I tried were watery, bland, and the chicken was overcooked. Then, I made my own version at home. Suddenly, tortilla soup was on my top 10 list when it came to Mexican cuisine. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients — the soup is easy to pull together, and the rewards are great. Feel free to use cooked rotis- serie chicken, or leftover chicken. Enjoy! Chicken tortilla soup • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped • Vi onion, chopped • 1 rib celery, chopped • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced • 1 Vi teaspoons garlic powder • 3 teaspoons taco seasoning (recipe follows) • 1 can fire roasted diced toma toes, with juices • 4 ounce can of green chilies, with juices • 1/3 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated (more for serv ing) • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed • 1 avocado • 10 tortilla chips, crushed (more for serving) • 2 cups chicken broth • 2 cups water • 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (recipe follows) • 1 Vi cups frozen com kernels, thawed • 1 Vi salt • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped • Fresh avocado, chopped • Sour cream (optional) In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, and red bell pepper and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 8-10 min utes. Add garlic powder, taco seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes, and green chilies. Remove from heat and cool the veg etables slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree the mixture. Add the avo cado and cheese and puree until very smooth. Add half of the black beans and the tortilla chips and pulse a few minutes. Pour mixture back into Dutch oven. Add chicken, remaining black beans, com, broth and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped avocados, cilantro, sour cream, more cheese and tortilla chips. Perfectly poached chicken Breasts • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 1 bay leaf • Vi onion, cut into chunks • 1 teaspoon salt Place chicken breasts, bay leaf, onion and salt in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer until chicken is just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and test for doneness. If chicken isn’t quite done, just leave them in the liquid for a few minutes as they will continue cooking. Discard liq uid and solids, and shred or chop the chicken. Once you see how easy it is to make your own taco seasoning, you won’t buy those little packets again. Most are loaded with unsavory and unnecessary ingredients. Just mix some up and store in a jar in your spice cabinet. For every 1 pound of ground meat, use about 2-3 table spoons of the taco seasoning. You can also sprinkle some on chicken or meat and grill to make fajitas. Taco Seasoning • 1 tablespoon chili powder • 1 tablespoon salt • 1 tablespoon smoked or regu lar paprika • 1 tablespoon ground cumin • 1 tablespoon onion powder • 1 tablespoon dried oregano • Vi tablespoon black pepper Combine all ingredients in a jar. What is not to like about fried dough? Sopapillas are such a deli cious treat and are the perfect ending to a Mexican dinner. These are easy to make, so don’t be intimidated. Serve them hot with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar or dip them in honey. Yum! Sopapillas • 2 cups flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon salt • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, at room temperature • % cup warm water • Oil for frying • Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar • Honey In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in coconut oil or butter with a pastry cutter or a fork. Gradually add warm water and then knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes. Form into a ball and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rest for 25 minutes. Roll out dough. Begin heating 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven until temperature is 375-degrees. Cut the dough with a pizza cutter or a knife into 25-30 squares. Fry the dough, 3 or 4 pieces at a time until golden brown, about 30 to 60 seconds. Flip. ADLEN ROBINSON Columnist Gainesville man faces child molestation By Julia Fechter jfechter@dawsonnews.com One man was recently booked into jail on one count of child molestation, a felony. Travis Michael Houston, 34, of Gainesville was arrest ed by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 18, 2022. He’s been accused of com mitting the offense against a minor under the age of 16 sometime between Dec. 22, 2020 and Feb. 8, 2021. According to the DCSO war rant, he touched the minor’s genital area with his hands. He was released on Feb. 20, 2022 on a $55,200.00 bond. charge Houston Meet our little dairy cow looking boy, Stone! This sweet dog would be perfect for families with high energy children to run and play and rough house with. The toughest thing when it come to Stone will be finding him a home where he gets enough exercise. He is a high energy boy and he will need a high energy family to match. Stone is super friendly to all friends, furry or not. He does well with other dogs, however, we always recommend a meet and greet first to ensure compatibility. Stone is approximately four years old and weights 60 pounds. 706-265-9160 STONE Dawson County Humane Society a no kill shelter Doggy Spotlight For more information contact the 706-265-9160 | 633 Martin Rd, Dawsonville Dawson County Humane Society Adjacent to the Rock Creek Sports Complex Visit our RESALE SHOP & BOUTIQUE All proceeds benefits Wed. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | 54 S. Lumpkin Campground Rd. the Humane bocietv ANH Collision Specialists 706-216-0992 103 Industrial Park Road, Dawsonville Bradley M. Maple CPA, PC 706-216-2362 2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100 Dawsonville
