Wednesday, May 11,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
Dawsonville kicks off Food Truck Fridays season
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On Friday May 6, the
City of Dawsonville offi
cially kicked off the 2022
season of Food Truck
Fridays at the city’s farm
ers market pavilion.
Several food trucks
were in attendance for
the event with different
types of food for sale,
including Sweet Cheeks
BBQ, Get Skewers, Love
at Wurst Sight and Tikis
Shaved Ice & Ice Cream.
In addition to the food
trucks, several students
from Robinson
Elementary School took
part in a live wax muse
um, dressing up like his
torical figures and stand
ing with posters educat
ing passersby about who
they were representing.
The city’s 2022 Food
Truck Friday events will
take place once a month
from May to October.
The upcoming dates cur
rently scheduled are June
3, July 1, August 5,
September 9 and October
7. All events are sched
uled to take place from 5
to 8 p.m. at the farmers
market pavilion, located
at 86 Allen Street, unless
otherwise stated.
For more information
and updates on upcoming
events, go to https://
www.dawsonville-ga.
gov/community/page/
food-truck-friday-13 or
follow the city’s
Facebook page at https://
www.facebook.com/
cityofdawsonville/.
, e Team
^Mission
Lradition
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
The City of Dawsonville officially kicked off the 2022 FoodTruck Fridays season on Friday May 6.
Dawson High holds Future Educator Signing Day
Superintendent Damon Gibbs addresses graduat
ing seniors who intend to pursue degrees in the
education field during the Future Educator
Signing Day ceremony on May 3.
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
DCHS seniors sign certificates indicating their intent to pursue degrees in
the field of education during the Future Educator Signing Day ceremony on
May 3.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
On the morning of May
3, students, parents, teach
ers and school board lead
ership gathered at the
Dawson County High
School College and Career
Academy to celebrate sev
eral graduating high
school seniors signing
commitments to pursue
degrees in education.
During the ceremony,
eight high school seniors
signed their names on cer
tificates indicating their
intent to pursue a degree in
the education field, sharing
their goals, where they
plan on going to college
and what they hope to
teach with the teachers,
parents and faculty in
attendance.
The keynote speaker at
the signing ceremony was
Superintendent Damon
Gibbs, who encouraged
the students to pursue their
goals and to potentially
come back to teach in the
Dawson County School
System.
“Go off, enjoy your col
lege experience, and when
you graduate with that
degree please come back
to Dawson County,"’ Gibbs
said, proceeding to name
several of the Dawson
County Schools faculty
and administrators who
are themselves graduates
of the school system.
He said that teaching,
while it can be a challeng
ing job, is also incredibly
rewarding.
“We often make the
mistake of assuming that
the children we teach
have home lives like ours,
but many of them go
through so much at home
before they even walk
through our doors,” Gibbs
said. “Don’t underesti
mate the impact that you
can make as a teacher in
the 180 days that you
have them.”
Gibbs, who will be retir
ing at the end of this
semester, added that while
30 years in a teaching job
may seem like a long time
to a young teacher just
starting into the field, he
can tell the students from
his own experience that it
goes by quickly and is a
rewarding position to hold.
Also during the ceremo
ny, a representative from
the Dawson County
Retired Educators
Association presented a
scholarship to one of the
students. While several of
the students had applied
and submitted impressive
applications, the scholar
ship was given to Lexi
Roland.
The graduating seniors
who signed the future edu
cator certificates during
the ceremony were Lexi
Roland, Jenna Hurst,
Gracee Chastain,
Mackenzie Armstrong,
Mackenzie Stover, Abigail
Santamaria-Ortiz, Jasmine
Mote and Karley Hamby.
A ninth senior, Anna Lee,
also intends to pursue an
education degree but was
unable to attend the sign
ing ceremony.
Alliance Together gala raises money for multiple charities
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
When Dawson County-
based nonprofit Alliance
Together gathered hun
dreds of people for their
annual gala last Saturday
evening, they were proud
to announce that not one,
not two but four charitable
causes would be getting a
financial boost.
This year’s theme was
“Kentucky Derby,” the
prominent horse-racing
event that took place in
Louisville, Kentucky earli
er on May 7. The event
was held at the White
Laurel Estate venue and
featured activities ranging
from live performers to a
silent auction and casino-
style games.
Money raised during the
event will benefit The
Epilepsy Loundation of
Georgia. Representatives
for the Good Shepherd
Clinic and Dawson County
Parks and Recreation’s
EPIC program also each
received a $5,000 check
from Alliance Together.
Additionally, owl change
banks were given out for
attendees to collect coins
over the next year for the
Rotary Club’s Coins for
Alzheimer’s program.
Good Shepherd Clinic
provides medical services
for families who otherwise
wouldn’t be able to afford
those services.
Alliance Together was
started in 2019 by Matthew
Meyers, who was spurred
to start the nonprofit in
light of his son Matthew Jr.
‘s struggles with a rare
form of epilepsy.
After an educational
video was played at the
gala, Meyers repeated his
nonprofit’s desire to raise
awareness through events
like the gala about the dif
ferent challenges faced by
those with epilepsy and
their families.
Since the nonprofit’s
start, the senior Meyers
and his wife, Amanda,
have sought input from
their employees about
what philanthropic causes
mattered to them.
During the gala, Amanda
praised the mission of
Good Shepherd Clinic, cit
ing the heavy medication
and medical services
expenses that those with
epilepsy face.
“For families to take on
that [kind of] cost when
they already don’t have a
lot... [just] for their child to
survive seizures, it’s a lot,”
she said.
She later shared how
Parks and Rec’s EPIC pro-
One of the gala's performers juggles bowling pins.
gram “spoke to her heart”
given her uncle had Down
Syndrome and her father
made an effort to give back
to special needs-related
causes during her child
hood.
The EPIC program has
partnered with Creative
Enterprises, now based in
Dawsonville, to help give
kids with special needs
recreational opportunities
at facilities like Rock
Creek Park.
The Alliance Together
corporate office is in
Dawsonville. Other offices
are in Princeton, Boston
and Chicago.
More information about
the nonprofit is available at
https ://alliancetogether.
org/.
Photos by Julia Fechter Dawson County News
Matthew Meyers speaks about Alliance Together's mission and purpose dur
ing the nonprofit's annual gala.
Dawson County Humane Society
a no kill shelter
706-265-9160
DOGGY SPOTLIGHT
Meet our sweet Brittany. This girl came to us from a previous family
because they couldn't handle her separation anxiety. Brittany hates to
be left alone, and she is a known chewer when she gets bored. She ate
half a door with her previous family when she was left alone during a
thunderstorm one night. This all being said, if you don't mind having a
shadow, Brittany is the most loving, affectionate, sweet dog we have at
our shelter. She is so happy to just be near your space and genuinely
just wants to be able to share air with you. While she would happily take
pets and affection, just being at your feet is also enough for her.
Brittany is about seven years old and weighs 55 pounds.
Brittany
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 bociety
Dawsonville
Veterinary
Hospital
706-265-8381
Bradley M. Maple
CPA, PC
706-216-2362
2390 Thompson Rd • Ste 100
Dawsonville
ANH Collision
Specialists
706-216-0992
103 Industrial Park Road,
Dawsonville
