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THURSDAY. AUGUST 18. 2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A Good Samaritan named Business of the Month Congratulations to our August Small Business of the Month Recipient r ' Good Samaritan % HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER Restoring Health. Saving Lives. Community Bank of Pick ens County is proud to spon sor the Business of the Month program with the Pickens County Chamber. Good Samaritan opened its doors in 2002 as a free clinic run solely by volun teers. In 2011 their board of directors voted to pursue Community Health Center status. This woidd mean that they could expand our serv ices, reach more people, and would receive some operat ing funds from the Health Resources and Services Ad ministration (HRSA). They now have more than 35 em ployees and serve approxi mately 5,000 individual patients each year. They provide medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmaceutical services to our community. They believe in access to healthcare for all and no one is turned away re gardless of their ability to pay Congratulations to Good Samaritan Health & Wellness Center for being named Business of the Month for August. Amicalola EMC members from 2002 to receive $2.6 million in refunds Credit to be on September electric bill Amicalola EMC mem bers are more than just con sumers, they own the company. As a member- owner of a not-for-profit electric cooperative, each year members are assigned any monies collected in ex cess of operating costs. When financial conditions permit, the board authorizes a refund of these monies. This year, the board will allocate a $2.6 million refund for members who had elec tric service during the year 2002. This means that capital credits have been returned to Amicalola EMC members for each year from 1940 through 2002 - 62 years of capital credit refunds. Individual refunds are based upon the amount of electricity purchased during the specified year. If you were a member in 2002, and still have an active account, look for a credit on your Sep tember electric bill. Other refunds will be sent by check. For more informa tion, please contact the Member Services depart ment at 706-253-5200 or your local Amicalola EMC office. Amicalola Electric Mem bership Corporation is a not- for profit electric cooperative that serves over 52,000 loca tions in Bartow, Cherokee, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Lumpkin, Murray and Pickens coun ties. Jasper’s newest senior living campus offers free luncheon series The Lodge at Stephens Lake, Jasper, Georgia’s newest independent living, assisted living, and memory care community now under construction, announces the addition of a series of Lunch and Learn presentations as a resource to Pickens County’s growing senior population about downsizing their home and planning for retirement. The new senior commu nity, located at 200 Moun tain Boulevard South just off Highway 515, is scheduled to open in early October. “We are thrilled to be bringing this new, state-of- the-art senior living commu nity to Jasper, and in anticipation of our grand opening this fall, we are bringing in several well- known Jasper-area speakers to talk about preparing for and making the transition to senior living,” said Jessi Barton, community relations director for The Lodge at Stephens Lake. “This free resource to the Pickens County community is de signed with seniors and their families in mind to help ease the anxiety surrounding sen ior living options and help you prepare for retirement living and beyond.” On Wednesday, August 17, 2022, there will be a Lunch and Leam series pre sented by local financial planning experts Paul Kiker with Kiker Wealth Manage ment and attomey-at-law Nancy Cochran Maddox ti tled, “Planning With Confi dence: Making Financial and Legal Preparations for Long- Term Care” at Grandview at Gateway Clubhouse adja cent to The Lodge at Stephens Lake campus. Lunch pickup is at 11:45 am with a 12:00 start for the presentation. Lunch is free, but you must RSVP for a spot by calling 706-307- 4330. Previous luncheon dis cussions included downsiz ing and selling your home and exploring the different types of senior living offer ings. In October, the series continues with a topic of protecting yourself and your money from scams and fraudident offers. Novem ber’s presentation will be on the subject of memory care in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Association. The Lodge at Stephens Lake is a senior living cam pus now under construction in Jasper, Georgia, that, when complete, will offer in dependent living cottages, assisted living suites, and Alzheimer’s memory care. Reservations are now being accepted and model rooms are opening in late August. For more information, visit TheLodgeAtStephensLake.c om or call 706-307-4330. Lauuson Self Storage Al Lawson 1188 Talking Rock Rd Office 706-253-1188 Jasper, GA 30143 Cell 770-893-7221 allawson3@gmail.com Lions leam about therapy dogs By Margo Austin Jasper Lions On August 11, The Jasper Lions Club welcomed Bill and Lois Hall along with K-9 Calder. As part of the mission of The Jasper Lion’s Club, members support various or ganizations including Leader Dogs for the Blind and Southeastern Guide Dogs. The members often won dered what happens to the dogs that leave the program? We got an insight into that from the Halls. Bill and Lois are both Therapy Dog evaluators, AKC CGC Evaluators, AKC Temperament Testers and Fit Dog Instructors. K-9 Calder is a tri color Rough Collie. Calder is training in search, rescue, and recovery with Emergency K-9 Operations. Right now, he participates in educational presentations, reading programs, comforts families of missing persons and works with anyone fac ing emotional, mental, or physical challenges. Bill, Lois, and K-9 Calder are all part of the Gilmer County CERT Crisis Re sponse program and are na tionally certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. ATD is a volunteer organiza tion of dedicated therapy dog handlers and their dogs on a mission of sharing smiles and joy- ATD’s goal is to provide testing, certification, registra tion, support, and insurance for members involved in vol unteer animal-assisted activ ities. These activities include visits to hospitals, special needs centers, schools, nurs ing homes, and airports. ATD is open to registering any breed of dog. It must be at least 1 year old, a calm and gentle disposition and a dog that is attentive to its handler. Retiring guide dogs often ac climate well to being Ther apy dogs as did Dewey. The Hall’s raised Dewey when they were Coordinators in the Guiding Paws 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Project. When he retired from the Seeing Eye’s Breeding Pro gram, Dewey returned to live with Bill & Lois and became a very comforting Therapy Dog. Often younger dogs from service dog programs can go on to become working dogs in other equally chal lenging fields. Murphy, an other one of the Hall’s Seeing Eye Dogs who left the pro gram as an adolescent, had the ability and drive to be come a Search & Rescue Dog. The training and social ization that each dog received in the guide dog program made it easy for them to ad just to their second career. Bill and Lois Hall have worked with various guide dog raising programs: trained and handled search dogs; worked as K-9 Handlers and Reserve Deputies; and han dled therapy dogs. What ca reers they have had! There are several Therapy Dogs working in this area of NW Georgia and throughout the state. Most of them are nationally certified through organizations such as The Al liance of Therapy Dogs. Our visit with K-9 Calder certainly brought joy and smiles to the Jasper Lions Club. He is a beautiful and extremely well-behaved dog. He would certainly be a friend and comfort to any one! If you want more informa tion, please visit the www therapydogs.com web site or call 307-432-0272, or 877- 843-7364. K-9 Calder sharing reading time with a student Calder is a tri color Rough Collie. Calder already participates in reading and other programs and is in training for yet more duties. Bill and Lois Hall with K-9 Calder for The Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Get to know the Marine Corps League The Marine Corps League, North Georgia Mountains, Detachment 1280, Jasper, Ga. invites all active, reserve, retired and honorably discharged Marines and FMF Corps- man to get to know the members and consider joining them. The Marine Corps League Detachment 1280 foremost provides assis tance to Marines, Corps- man and their families. We participate in Toys for Tots, assist other veterans groups within the commu nity, support Boy Scouts programs, support young Marines, provide scholar ships to high school stu dents, and hold fundraisers throughout the year. We celebrate the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball and other historic Ma rine Corps events. We commemorate fallen Marines, host socials, and assist a needy family dur ing Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information on the Marine Corps League and how you can join, call 706-253-0459 or USMC1280@gmail.com. CIASSIC 22IR!!! KRUGER 10/22 22IR 18” Barrel 10-Rnd Cap. $299,95 H0MIEHHSE12GIIUGE < ESCORT 12 GA PUMP 18.5" BaiTel ; 5+1 Capacity $149.95i iiu.'iim iii.num Learn taxes. Earn $$$. Visit hrblock.com/BeAPro H&R BLOCK 675 NOAH DR, STE104 JASPER, GA 30143 706-692-3178