Oktoberfest Planned at Life Enrichment Center October 25

The public is invited to celebrate Oktoberfest at Fayette Senior Services Life Enrichment Center, Monday, October 25, 5 to 8 p.m. The festivities include a German polka band, authentic German foods prepared by Executive Chef Donnie Wuerl and Pastry Chef Lori Bean, as well as traditional beverages. Tickets are $15 per person and may be purchased at the Center located at 4 Center Drive, Fayetteville. Advance ticket sales only. Proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit Fayette Senior Services, a non-profit organization.

Guests will also be given the opportunity to help "grow" the future “Therapeutic Garden,” scheduled to be built adjacent to the Life Enrichment Center. Engraved memory bricks and pavers to be placed in the garden will be available for purchase, as well as a variety of unique gifts and traditional German pastries from the “Bavarian Bake Shoppe.”

For more information about the event call 770-461-0813 or visit www.FayetteLifeEnrichment.org.

Fayette Senior Services, Inc. (FSS), a non-profit, 501.c.3 organization, provides services that help Fayette County’s older adults maintain their independence and improve their quality of life. Programs include Meals on Wheels, Transportation, In-Home Personal Care/Homemaker Services, Case Management, Adult Day Care, Information & Assistance, Home Repair, and Medical Equipment Lending. For active older adults, Fayette Senior Services Life Enrichment Center offers a wide variety of social, leisure, fitness and recreational activities, the Ultimate Café, and more! FSS programs are focused on total wellness – body, mind, and spirit – to help older adults age well and live well in our community. For more information about FSS visit www.FayetteLifeEnrichment.org.

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Number of Fayette County Scholarship Semifinalists Almost Double

The number of semifinalists for the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program has nearly doubled from last year.

A total of 13 seniors from Fayette County, McIntosh, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater high schools are among the approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide competing in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Last year seven Fayette students were semifinalists.
The 2010 semifinalists are (Fayette County High) Sonika Reddy; (McIntosh High) Lauren Anderson, Christopher Hrvoj, Nicholas Marette, Timothy Morris, Martine van Voorthuysen, Matthew Winn, Shawn Yavari; (Starr’s Mill High) George Hagler, Jessica Lambing, Kathryn McCord, Elliot Tanner; (Whitewater High) Patrick Loeffler.

These scholastically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards worth $35 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and approximately half of the finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners.

More than 1.5 million juniors in nearly 22,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Program by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about the semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.

Merit scholarship winners of 2010 will be announced April-July.

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Fayette County Area Girls are Registering Now for Girl Scouts

From Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to the Georgia State Capitol, Girl Scouting offers leadership opportunities, friendships and fun!

As the new school year begins, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta kicks off a new membership year in which parents can register their daughters, ages 5-17, to become Girl Scouts. Community organizational meetings provide opportunities for joining the Girl Scouts and obtaining information about the many activities available for members to enjoy. Meetings will be held at hundreds of local schools, churches and other locations where registration and troop information for parents will be available. Locally, organizational meetings will be held on the following dates at various locations. If you are unable to attend, you may still register your daughter by calling (404) 527-7500 or visiting http://www.girlscoutsofgreateratlanta.org/.

In addition to offering over 300 programs that interest girls today, Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta aims to enhance leadership skills, offer opportunities to participate in community service projects, explore modern science and technology, develop money-management and entrepreneurship skills, encourage creativity through exploring the arts, as well as offer opportunities to travel both nationally and internationally. As always, outdoor fun is available through a wide variety of experiences, including horseback riding, water sports, challenge courses, environmental projects and mother/daughter or father/daughter camping.

There are also opportunities for parents to serve as volunteer leaders. Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta is continuously looking for adult women and men who can serve as role models for girls and young women. Be a part of an organization that not only encourages girls to step into leadership roles while serving their communities by allowing them to discover the world around them, connect with others and take action to solve problems and improve their communities, but also an organization that builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place!

Girl Scouting is available for girls at the following age-levels: Girl Scout Daisy (grades K-one); Girl Scout Brownie (grades two-three); Girl Scout Junior (grades four-five); Girl Scout Cadette (grades six-eight); Girl Scout Senior (grades nine-10) and Girl Scout Ambassador (grades 11-12).

To register your daughter, inquire about volunteer opportunities, or locate a troop near you, contact the Girl Scouts at (404) 527-7500 or visit http://www.girlscoutsofgreateratlanta.org/.
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America’s Funniest Grandma, “Mrs. Hughes” to Perform at Senior Center Women’s Retreat and Fundraiser

Fayette Senior Services is no ordinary senior center and their upcoming women’s retreat and fundraiser is just one more example of how the organization shatters the stereotype of traditional senior centers.

On Saturday, July 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fayette Senior Services will host Bel Âge - A Women’s Retreat. The event is a full day where women can come together to laugh, be inspired, and get great ideas about beauty, health, décor and food. The event will be held at Fayette Senior Services new Life Enrichment Center located at 4 Center Drive in Fayetteville.

“Bel Âge is the French word for ‘beautiful age’ and the staff at Fayette Senior Services believes that age is a mindset…and you are beautiful at any age,” says Debbie Britt, Executive Director. Britt adds, “Men and women that are members of our Life Enrichment Center are age 50 and better and we strive to create an environment that is positive toward aging. The Bel Âge retreat is simply a day designed especially for women to come and enjoy an afternoon of fun centered on common interests.

Comedienne Carol Hughes is the event’s featured guest. About Mrs. Hughes, the late Merv Griffin said, “She’s my new favorite funny star.” Since then she has appeared in several casino production shows and has opened for Crystal Gayle, Lou Rawls, Brenda Lee and others. When Merv Griffin found her, he instantly made her the comedy star of his revue, “Love and Kisses” at Resorts in Atlantic City and then “Island Fever” near Las Vegas.

Other featured guests include relationship expert, Dr. James Hughey; former Fayette Woman cover woman and entrepreneur, Nancy Bonner; A Blue Lady Florist owner, Kim Westwood; Executive Chef Todd Rossi and fitness expert Dawn Davis. A variety of local businesses will also be showcasing their goods and services.

A special lunch will be provided along with free door prizes and other surprises are in store for participants. Tickets are on sale now at Fayette Senior Services and are $55 for Center members and $65 for the general public. Advanced ticket sales only, no tickets will be sold at the door. Sponsorships and vendor exhibit tables are available. For more information contact Debbie Britt at 770-461-0813 ext. 112 or visit www.fayss.org.

Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Fayette Senior Services, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing a wide variety of programs and services for the emotional, social and physical well-being of older adults in Fayette County. The agency also provides important social services for seniors with specialized needs such as Meals on Wheels, case management, transportation, information and referrals and in-home services/respite care.

Another First for Fayette County

Fayette County is the first community in Georgia to launch an older adult volunteer leadership program. It is being funded by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Hands on Georgia, the Community Foundation, Clothes Less Traveled and Almquist Hansen, LLC.

This non- profit community based program is under the auspices of FACTOR, the Fayette Alliance Coordinating Teamwork, Outreach and Resources.

According to Becky Smith, the executive director of FACTOR, the program is designed to provide active, community spirited older adults with the opportunity to learn more about their community; the important issues and challenges it faces; identify the primary community needs and determine how they can become involved and make a difference by helping to shape Fayette’s future.

Encore! Fayette is patterned after a number of other highly successful programs being operated around the country. Tom Hamall, the organizer of the program, has been involved in establishing other senior and traditional leadership programs in Florida and Ohio. He also served on the board of Leadership Atlanta when he was president of the metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Hamall noted that today’s older citizens are very different from their parents. Their life span is longer and good health generally continues for 20 years after retirement. For many there is now time to get involved in community.

Fayette County has over 15,000 sixty five plus seniors. That number will grow to over 45,000 by 2030. Smith pointed out that these seniors represent a vast and often untapped wealth of experience. “We want to bring together a number of like- minded citizens to learn more about the community, gain new skills, explore new interests and become involved. That is why the acronym “Encore” has given to the program, because its goal is to engage retirees in Enriching and Nurturing Community by Offering their Resources and Experiences to improve the quality of life through civic participation.

Seniors will be recruited to participate through a variety of means including churches, senior centers, civic and social clubs, corporate human resource departments, the local media and other means.

The program will be conducted through a series of sessions over a 10 week period during the months of September, October and November. It is designed to provide participants with knowledge about the history, background, current status and future direction of the County and its municipalities, as well as the current and future programs and needs of its public and private organizations and agencies. It will also showcase the opportunities for volunteer involvement at all levels.

The program components will be presented by a cross-section of government, civic, corporate and non- profit organization officials and staff members.

Interested individuals and organizations can learn more about Encore; arrange for a presentation and receive applications for participation by calling FACTOR at 770-716-2797 or go to the soon to be opened web site at www.encorefayette.org.