Georgia Magazine - May 2022 - 4

MailBOX Comments from our readers * Compiled by Jennifer J. Hewett
Georgia
Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle
®
MAGAZINE
Georgia
Georgia
Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle
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Southern rock
MAGAZINE
of
page 18
page 18
Celebrating the Georgia lifestyle
®
THE BIRTHPLACE
MAGAZINE
Becoming the
Chicken Salad Chick
page 16
www.georgiamagazine.org
A walk through
biblical history
page 26
I just finished reading the April 2022 edition. It's welldone
with a great variety of articles and stories mixed in
with ones about the electric industry, such as " A day in the
life of a lineman " [see Cooperative Concerns, page 25;
bit.ly/linem422].
I'd like to share a topic you may want to include in a
future issue of Georgia Magazine: how unmanned aircraft
(drones) are increasing in sophistication and are becoming mainstream at some power
companies, providing a high level of surveillance and engineering data.
-Dent M. Thompson, via email
Editor's note: We love story ideas from our readers! We will be planning our 2023
editorial content very soon, so if you have a story idea to share, email us the details at
magazine@georgiaemc.com.
Stirring up 4-H memories
This is to commend you and Amicalola EMC for a
really jolting recall of things that had a tremendous
effect on (at the time) a young Burke County farm
Home-schooled brothers Luca, left, and Gus Federico have
participated in 4-H for several years. Luca displays his certifi cate of
appreciation for Forestry Field Day in Bartow County, and Gus shows
off his National 4-H Forestry Invitational First Place Team award.
Winning big: Lady Mae, shown by 12-year-old Jace Smith, won
Supreme Grand Champion as best in breed at a national competition
last summer.
W
young'un. These memories were prompted by reading
" Head, heart, hands and health " in the March 2022
issue [see page 16; bit.ly/4hga322].
In about fourth or fifth grade, I held every 4-H
a
4-H grows tomorrow's leaders
By Pamela A. Keene
16 Georgia Magazine March 2022
hat do a sixth-grader with a prize-winning cow, a
home-schooled forestry enthusiast, a singer who
aspires to a medical career and a teenager who
enjoys dance and choreography have in common? They're all
members of the largest youth-leadership organization in the
country: 4-H.
In Georgia, more than 240,000 youths ages 9 to 19 participate
in the program in an average year through the University
of Georgia Office of Cooperative Extension under the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Nationally, 4-H
reaches more than 6 million young people through regular
club membership, short-term learning experiences, school
enrichment programs and camping.
" The opportunities offered by 4-H today far exceed the
organization's beginnings as an agricultural and a homemaking
program more than 100 years ago, " says Melinda Miller,
program development coordinator for the 4-H Southwest
District. Miller is an alumna of the Lowndes County
4-H program.
" Young people who participate in today's 4-H learn life
skills, community involvement and how to become responsible,
active and engaged citizens through service and
leadership, " she says.
Each year, 4-H'ers choose from more than 70 project
office in the Girard Public School at least one time.
I was too young to recognize [that the goal of] the
short span of office was to impact as many members
as possible! Mr. Chappel, a county god (in my sight),
had an assistant county agent, Mr. Blount. Hindsight tells me he was most likely in his
first job after college. " Effective " is the only word for his performance.
My project was to make a seed-treating model using an old coffee can and prove it
topics such as agriculture, STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) subjects, healthy living and civic
engagement. They then make presentations on those topics
to judging panels, and the competition is rigorous. Many
4-H'ers go on to receive college scholarships or earn district
16-18_4-H_0322.indd 16
2/11/22 11:27 AM
would work-and it did! Next thing I knew, guess who was to address the county
Kiwanis or Rotary Club in Waynesboro? I thought I was unflappable-that is, until
I was in that meeting with so many gods of the county. When I was called on to present
my seed-treatment model, my knees were knocking and my voice was working, but I
just couldn't breathe. Stressed out, I fessed up that I was in bad need of something.
They all applauded, and I got through the presentation.
Mr. A.H. Gnann, the county school superintendent, came over and told me:
" You did the right thing. I had the same thing happen to me when I made my first
presentation! "
Fast-forward to 1957 at the annual meeting of the U.S. and Canadian Student
Agricultural Engineering Club in East Lansing, Mich., where, as the club president and
featured dinner speaker at a 300-seat convention, I had no problem at all. Confession
is appropriate: There were many stops and steps in many organizations along the way.
You never can tell what small aspect of a young person's life will have a
long-term effect-and an effect on thousands of other lives. It doesn't have to mean
national recognition, nor does it mean millions of dollars.
-J. Gordon Long, via email
Share your thoughts. Email us at magazine@georgiaemc.com. Please include your name, address
and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
4 Georgia Magazine May 2022
Laurel George
Editor
Meet music promoter
Peter Conlon
page 21
Georgians rediscover
the ancient game
of chess
page 22
APRIL 2022
April issue feedback, future stories
While my main residence is in Atlanta and I get my
power through Georgia Power, I have a second home in
Blue Ridge, where we get our electricity from Tri-State
Electric Membership Corp.
From THE EDITOR
In the 50 years since its founding,
Marietta-based MUST Ministries has
grown from a food pantry supporting
senior citizens to a multimillion-dollar
nonprofit that served more than 45,000
people of all ages in its last fiscal year.
MUST addresses the basic needs of
individuals, families and children through
assistance with food insecurity, housing
and workforce development.
Read " Parity, not charity, " starting on
page 18, to find out how MUST Ministries
and its network of volunteers are fulfilling
the organization's mission of serving
neighbors in need-and what you can do
to help.
Working in the food service industry
can be a tough gig. Many workers do not
receive health insurance and often lack
the financial cushion they need to
weather unexpected expenses. That's
where Giving Kitchen comes in.
Since its inception in 2013, Atlantaand
state leadership roles because of their involvement in 4-H.
Home-schooler nets state award
As a youngster in Stockbridge, Lisa D. Ellis wanted to
participate in 4-H but thought you had to live on a farm to join.
While home-schooling her sons, Gus and Luca Federico, she
heard about 4-H for home-schoolers.
" I reached out, not only because I had wanted to be in 4-H
myself as a kid but because it was a way to expand our curriculum
and extracurricular activities, " the Cartersville mom says.
Gus Federico chose history as his first 4-H project in fifth
grade, but by middle school he joined the forestry project team.
" Last year, our team placed first in district and state forestry
judging competitions, " he says. " I placed highest overall individual
in state. Then last summer, we went to nationals, where our
team placed first. Nationals was hard work, because not only did
we need to know insects,
diseases and trees in
Georgia, we also had to
know many [that are found
throughout the U.S.]. "
Federico has been
dual-enrolled at Georgia
Highlands College in
based Giving Kitchen has provided
support to food service workers in a
variety of ways, including financial
assistance and a referral program for
access to social and mental health
services. Turn to page 22 to learn more
about how this innovative organization
is serving those who serve us.
Could something as simple as
walking a labyrinth help lift your spirits
and improve your health? Some devotees
swear by the emotional and spiritual
benefits they provide. Unlike mazes,
which are designed to make the
participant figure out how to navigate a
circuitous route, labyrinths have one clear
path in and out. They aren't puzzles; they
are meditations.
It may surprise you to discover that
Georgia is home to more than 90 of these
intricately patterned walkways. See
" Journey to the center, " starting on page
26, to check out a few of them and find out
why many people believe that while you
might lose your way in a maze, you can
find your way in a labyrinth.
Enjoy!
GEMC
GEMC
GEMC
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LISA D. ELLIS
LINDE'S LIVESTOCK PHOTOS
LISA D. ELLIS
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http://www.bit.ly/linem422 http://www.bit.ly/4hga322

Georgia Magazine - May 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2022