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Pathfinder
of the Month
"Do not go
where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Everyday Angels
Have you or someone close to you ever experienced
a year of unparalleled transition? Relationships, jobs, circumstances,
and surroundings - everything changed. We find ourselves holding on to
anything that stands still. Nothing is untouched while we hold our breath
in anticipation of the next boulder to knock us off our feet!
Everyday Angels was recently informed of
someone who is experiencing one of those memorable years described above.
A young family had recently relocated to Woodstock due to the father's
promotion within his company. It was a great opportunity and it finally
afforded them a lower cost of living and financial freedoms that would
allow the young mother to stay home and raise her children. After six
months of stressful changes, the husband had an unexpected change of heart,
quickly deciding he wanted to move back west without the stress of his
wife and children. Consequently, he took a pay cut and left his wife and
two young children behind perfectly contented with the occasional visit
and the single responsibility of mailing a check once a month. Meanwhile,
this young mother has remained strong for her children and is focusing
on survival. There is no time for self-pity or anger. She has grown in
her faith and leans on the only constant, unconditional love of God. She
is beginning to see the beauty from the ashes as she struggles through
this difficult stage of her life. Looking back she says she should have
seen it coming, but we don't think anyone is ever ready for some of life's
trials and challenges.
It seems that when you are going through
tough times, you tend to look around and compare your life to everyone
else while thinking this has only happened to you. The disheartening truth
is that this happens to many people right here among us everyday! We are
touched by this young mother's faith and strength. Everyday Angels will
assist this broken family with their utilities this month. We are amazed
at this mother's strength and renewed faith. Sometimes it takes getting
knocked onto your knees before you can finally understand His Truth!
If you would like to assist this young family,
please contact us today.
Everyday Angels is a non-profit organization
that provides short-term (currently up to
a maximum of $300 per month) to those in our community in need. If you
now someone in need or would like to contribute, please call (770) 517-8210
ext. 580.
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Alisa Anderson
Springtime in Georgia. Thoughts turn to warmer
weather, and, of course, baseball. Hobgood Park, one of Woodstock's recreation
facilities for baseball, is alive with the sound of cracking bats, parents
cheering, and children having fun. The organization that facilitates the
youth baseball and softball is the Hobgood Park Youth Association (HPYA),
an entirely volunteer organization. HPYA Chairman, Byron Kizer, nominated
fellow volunteer Alisa Anderson for The TowneLaker Pathfinder for
April.
Alisa is the Registrar for the Park. As her
title implies, she is THE person who registers the more than 1,250
children who wish to play softball or baseball at Hobgood in the Spring
and Fall. She handles all the phone calls and emails dealing with registration,
inputs all the information and organizes the registrants by leagues. This
is not an easy task. For the Spring season, registration will begin in
December and is ongoing until all the leagues are at capacity. The Fall
season will begin the registration process in July. This job is not for
everyone. Not only does it require an extraordinary amount of organizational
skill, but a lot of patience as well. According to Alisa, her home phone
is constantly ringing, and she will often have forty or more messages
to return from Hobgood's voice mail. But she loves it. "A lot of people
don't realize that HPYA is run solely by volunteers. I wanted to help
out," said Alisa. Byron had this to say about Alisa, "She is the Hobgood
Guardian Angel. She puts her heart and soul into facilitating the registration
process." Alisa helps out an organization near and dear to her whole family,
but she also has the opportunity to meet a lot of new people. "The best
part of my job is talking to all the people. I love meeting the new T-ball
moms and seeing all the people I've dealt with in the registration process
at the ball field." Alisa and her husband, Jeff, also volunteer their
time as League Directors for the 9 - 10 age group. They volunteered when
their son, Jeffrey was part of that league, but he has since become part
of a traveling baseball team. They continue to volunteer their time even
though their child is no longer directly involved in the league.
In addition to her work at Hobgood, Alisa
is also a Board member of the Youth Sports Council through the Cherokee
Parks and Recreation Association (CRPA). The purpose of this Board is
to provide a safe, fun and positive place for all youth sports. The group
advocates the fundamentals of good sportsmanship and teaches parents and
coaches respectful behavior.
Alisa is a former General Manager for a hotel,
which explains her organizational skills. She has four children, Brittany
age 12, Jeffrey age 10, Abbey age 8, and Molly age 4. Alisa is a Team
Mom for Jeffrey's travel team and a chauffeur for Abbey's softball team
and Brittany and Molly's dance classes. She's a busy woman, and she wouldn't
have it any other way.
Thank you, Alisa, for all you do to make
our community a better place to live!
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