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JSL of Woodstock Celebrates15 Years of Service

The Junior Service League of Woodstock (JSL) will be celebrating its 15th birthday and is hosting a new member coffee/birthday party on Thursday, August 26. During the past 14 years, the organization has given more than $200,000 to local charities and logged in excess of 15,000 volunteer hours. The ladies involved in the JSL are committed to helping the less fortunate of Cherokee County. Several women made and donated 1,500 lunches to the MUST Ministries summer lunch program, ensuring that no child would go hungry this summer.

The 8th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes will be held November 13 and 14, featuring homes from the Towne Lake and BridgeMill areas professionally decorated for Christmas. "If you're looking to volunteer, then we're looking for you," said JSL president Lynne Jones. The league currently has more than 100 members and is always looking for additional members who are serious about making our County a better place to live. The coffee/party will be held at The Arbors clubhouse at 7 p.m on Monday, August 26. For more information, please call (770) 592-3535 or visit www.jslwoodstock.org.

Cherokee County Property Tax Lowest in Metro-Atlanta

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners recently announced that the 2003 property tax rate for both general government and fire was the lowest in the Metro-Atlanta area. The average property tax rate for the region was 11.668 mills. The highest tax rate reported was Fulton County at 16.36, compared to Cherokee County's tax rate of 7.420.

Atria Residents Receive
Special Smile

Make Someone Smile™ Week delivered smiles and lifted spirits at the Atria retirement community recently. The event was a coordinated effort between Teleflora's regional florists who volunteer their time to make arrangements from flower and container donations. These arrangements are delivered to those who need a smile the most, including hospital patients, nursing home residents, children in foster care facilities, etc.

Woodstock Flowers and Gifts along with donations from Mike's Finest Wholesale and Teleflora created beautiful and bright centerpieces for each resident of the Atria. The residents were excited and appreciative of the arrangements in a yellow "smile" container. This was the second year Woodstock Flowers and Gifts participated in the Make Someone Smile™ Week.

GBI Director Honored

The Optimist Club of Towne Lake recently presented Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan with a plaque honoring his service to Georgia law enforcement. Vernon is a resident of Cherokee County and has been with the GBI for 30 years. Congratulations!

Woodstock Resident Signs Book Deal

Woodstock resident Gail Gupton recently signed a contract with Tate Publishing Company of Mustang, OK to publish Seekers of Truth. The book is a culmination of several statements from people from of all walks of life, cultures and ages that Gail and her husband Robert (who recently passed away) compiled over that last four years. "The reader will undoubtedly find a mirror of themselves within each page, as well as answers to their own personal spiritual thirst," noted Gail. For more information, please call Gail at (770) 592-5911.

Safety Taught at Safety Town

Safety Town is a week-long program for young children that teaches life-saving lessons on stranger, traffic, fire, pedestrian, poison, bus and bicycle safety. The program was recently held at Bascomb Elementary School. Children not only walked around a child-sized town which included street signs, crosswalks, and colorful little houses and business, but they also used miniature pedal vehicles (with seat belts) and drove "around town." Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Service visited with the children as well as several individuals within the business community of Towne Lake, including the founder of The TowneLaker Gina Carr.

Left to right: Founder of The TowneLaker Gina Carr, Safety Town participant Gunnar Kallas, and Safety Town Co-Director Debi Radcliff. Back row: Woodstock Police Officer Richie Rich.

New Booster Seat Law
Now In Effect

Georgia parents are now required by law to take an extra step to ensure the safety of their children. The new law requires children under age six to be restrained in a car seat or booster seat when in a motor vehicle. Children should graduate from a standard car seat to a belt-positioning booster seat when they weigh more than 40 pounds or are more than 40 inches tall. Booster seats can reduce a child's risk of serious injury or death from motor vehicle-related crashes by 59 percent. Safe Kids of Georgia in Cherokee County recommends that parents frequently double-check that all restraint devices are installed and used correctly. According to a survey, 96 percent of parents believe that their child's safety and booster seats are installed properly. However, nearly 82 percent are not.

South Cherokee Optimist Club

The South Cherokee Optimist Club recently presented a check in the amount of $500 to the Cherokee County Children's Emergency Center project. The motto of the club is "Friend of Youth" and president Beth Hermes noted the check presentation is an indication of how the club follows through on their motto. The club meets each Friday morning at Featherstone's at Towne Lake. For more information, please call (770) 926-3522.

Towne Lake Yoga Group Enjoys Retreat

The Towne Lake Yoga Group recently held a retreat in Hot Springs, NC near Asheville. The retreat was led by Othene Munson from The Center for Yoga and included classes in yoga, hiking on the Appalachian Trail and enjoying the natural hot springs alongside the French Broad River. The group stayed at historic Sunnybank, a bed and breakfast, which was previously owned by Appalachian song catcher Andy Carstens. The group enjoyed blue grass music and folk ballads performed by Toonigh, a local group of entertainers. For more information on the group, please call (770) 517-5212.