On Thursday, July 26, from 5-8 p.m., bring a canned good to the Chick-fil-A at Stonebridge Village in Flowery Branch, and 10 percent of your dinner purchase will support our local scouts in Pack 597, Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church (HMUMC), and the HMUMC Food Pantry. “We want to help out with the church because they have been our charter organization for over 10 years now,” Pack 597 committee chair Joy Thompson-Holan said. “We wanted to try to give back to them to show our appreciation. We are trying to bring the church and the pack closer together, and we hope to make this an annual …

Stephen Sowell and a group of over 25 college students were only in Dacula for a week, but the impact they had on close to 200 Dacula kids will last a lifetime. Last week Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church hosted WinShape Camps for Communities, a summer camp that taught many kids in our community what it means to be extraordinary leaders.  “WinShape Camp brings and unforgettable day camp experience that combines both sports and arts,” explained Stephen Sowell, director for WinShape Camps for Communities. “Campers can choose from 19 different activities that they can participate in like …

Heather McCreary is Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church's new "Mother’s Morning Out" (MMO) director. The program not only provides a safe and loving place for little ones in our area, it also provides a nice break for busy parents in our community. “We are a loving environment for children that gives moms and dads the opportunity to get some things done while they know their children are in a safe place, and that they will be learning about God,” McCreary said. “We are a program for ages 12 months to ages 2-years-old. We offer a two day–a-week class, Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and …

Sandra LeMay is dedicated to giving cancer patients in the Dacula area a little piece of mind. LeMay’s company Dream Clean is a locally owned and operated cleaning company that recently announced their affiliation with the Cleaning for a Reason Foundation, a non-profit providing free, professional house cleaning services to women undergoing treatment for cancer. “Anyone who is going through cancer treatment can go to our website and fill out a form to request help,” LeMay explained. “After that we get an email about patients in our area that we can help. We come once a month and clean their …

Dacula resident Greg Beadles recently received the Atlanta Business Chronicle's CFO of the Year Award. Beadles serves as senior vice president and chief financial officer for the Atlanta Falcons, and is also co-founder and board chairman of the Dacula-based Arete Scholars Fund. He was named winner in the community service category. “One the reasons that they (Atlanta Business Chronicle) identified as to why Greg received this award was his work through the Arete Scholars Fund and his help in expanding education opportunities throughout Georgia, and specifically for low income families,” Buck …

On June 4, Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church opened its doors to over 800 kids for a fun-filled week of Vacation Bible School (VBS). After months of planning, organizing and gathering over 100 volunteers, VBS leader Heather Korey tells us what it means to have such a large group of kids show up for VBS. “It makes it all worth it, to finally see the kids, know what we have done and to see what God is doing,” Korey said with a smile. “It is just amazing!” Preparing for this many kids on a church campus requires a lot of support.  “We have somewhere around 150 volunteers here this week,” …

Eliana Cordoba recently re-launched her business I Love My Kids' Art, which includes a new program called Kids' Art for the Cure. This new program asks parents to donate their kids' artwork to help raise money to find a cure for cancer. The artwork will be enhanced, transformed and printed on note cards and other products to be sold through her online store and later in participant stores. I Love My Kids' Art will donate 100 percent of the profit to relevant foundations involved in this cause. “I love every piece of artwork my kids bring home, and that is why I created this business,” Cordoba…

Get ready for a fun summer camp experience! Thanks to Robin Boozer at Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church, WinShape Camp is coming to Dacula. The WinShape Foundation was started by a very familiar name here in south – Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. With Mr. Cathy’s name behind it, you know WinShape camp will mean an amazing summer experience for both kids and parents alike. “Truett Cathy and his wife first started the camps on the campus of Berry College in 1985, and those two week long camps are still in session today for boys and girls.” Boozer explained. “As the years progressed, …

Dacula Soccer Club coach Karl Hedley, is determined to provide a local opportunity for aspiring young soccer athletes to achieve their goals. “In the recent past DSC has not had a U14 girls select team for several reasons and this has meant girls from Dacula are traveling past the club to go to other soccer clubs,” Hedley said. “We are going to be having a U14-U15 select team this coming fall season and we need as many players to come and tryout as possible.” The select teams are a tremendous opportunity for both boys and girls who have played in rec soccer, and would like to move up to play …

The Hamilton Mill UMC eighth annual 5K Family Fun Run/Walk on May 19 was created by the church’s wellness committee to encourage our community to stay active as a family, and raise money for childhood cancer. Dawn Graeser, the race chair, along with her dedicated team has organized an awesome morning for your family that encourages healthy living and a giving sprit all while having a ton of fun. “We are focused on wellness and raising money for CURE,” Graeser said. “Pastor Dave wanted to remind us not to forget the spirituality aspect about the event so we turned it into a fun run. Our goal …

Kecia Elder and Terri Collins recently helped students at Dacula Elementary School raise over $13,000 to fight type 1 diabetes. These two local moms are determined to increase awareness of this disease, one that both of these ladies tackle daily. Elder has an 11-year-old son, Kaleb, who was two when he was diagnosed, and Collins has an 8-year-old daughter, Karson who was four when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Both ladies have been involved with the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) for several years. These moms are not just going to live with it, they are working hard to…

The Trophy Club of Apalachee will honor one of their original and the oldest club ambassadors in a special charitable golf tournament. The first annual Woody Hall Apalachee Classic will be held on Friday, May 25. Registration is open to all, and proceeds will benefit the Disabled American Veterans. “Woody is one of our original ambassadors,” said Rick Kennedy, one of the members in charge of the tournament. “He turned 94 this year, but he is still quite active and continues to play golf. We thought we would recognize one of our oldest ambassadors and pay honor to his amazing background.” Hall…

Early Sunday morning Hamilton Mill UMC Pastor Matt Tuggle walked into a corral on the church lawn surrounded by giggling Sunday school children, he leaned over, and kissed a cow! Laughter broke out and the kids cheered like crazy knowing that all of their hard work paid off.   Why would a pastor agree to kiss a cow? “To raise money for Heifer International, an organization that hooks up with churches and other organizations to raise money to buy livestock to give to communities that are in need so that they can use these animals to sustain themselves,” Tuggle explained. “Rather than just …

The Dacula Soccer Club recently announced that Drew Prentice will be the club’s new Director of Coaching. Prentice has a passion for the game and is excited to be joining our successful community soccer club. “The potential at the Dacula Soccer Club and the community that surrounds it is very exciting,” Prentice said. “It has been growing and continues to grow numbers wise and the quality and growth of the players that they are producing has been getting better and better. It is really exciting for me to be able to step into a leadership role at a club like Dacula that is already on the …

The MOMS Club of Dacula-Central feels their club is not only about supporting each other, but also about reaching out to struggling moms in our community. On April 13-14, from 8 a.m. to noon, the club will host the MOMS Club of Dacula Yard Sale for Charity at 2561 River Run Drive in Dacula. All proceeds from this sale will go to the Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV) Women's Shelter here in Gwinnett County. “We feel that the MOMS club is about moms offering other moms support,” Mary Van Doorn, the membership vice president for the MOMS Club of Dacula-Central, a local chapter of MOMS…

Establishing a love of reading at an early age is a great way to lay a solid foundation for our children’s future. Nicole Wilson is dedicated to helping families in Dacula develop a love for literature through her interactive, engaging and totally fun storytime at the Hamilton Mill branch of the Gwinnett County Library. “I feel my role and job is to instill that love of books and literature,” Wilson said. “I think of myself as a role model for the kids. I think it is important for the kids to learn at a young age that the library is a great place to be and that there are great people here.” …

You will definitely notice a difference in your Dacula friends and neighbors that are on their way to a class with local fitness instructor Isel Simpson. They are not dragging their feet, they are not dreading their workout. In fact, oddly enough, they are ramped up and ready for fun. Simpson’s Zumba classes have developed quite a large following of students that have discovered a way to incorporate fitness and health into something fun. “When people try out the class they just have a great time,” Simpson explained. “The smiles on their faces tell me they are having fun. I think the music …

Scarlett Rigsby leads Nothing but the Truth, a local ministry dedicated to helping feed hungry children in Gwinnett County and fulfilling the needs of our community by meeting people where they are. “We started this ministry in 2010, and I am one of the directors that solicits and gets our volunteers involved,” Rigsby said. “We have volunteers from a lot of different churches all over the area. We have several different areas in our ministry. We tie everything we do in the community to the truth. We try to give to our community and follow our mission statement which is to meet people where …

Rob and Cindy Marbury are the new leaders of the Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church marriage ministry. They have graciously agreed to continue this ministry that was successfully started by Kristine and Nathan Heidger about three years ago. The Rock Solid Marriage Ministry’s goal is to strengthen our community by supporting one of the most important relationships we have in life. “Our church is really big on missions and service to the community of all kinds," Rob Marbury said. “The ministry came from Pastor Dave Davis who felt called to educate people about marriages and making marriages …

After 34 years in the education profession, Dacula High School principal Donnie Nutt will be taking some much deserved time to relax, unwind and enjoy retirement. Nutt has been a strong and influential leader for DHS and, like many great leaders, he will leave behind a lasting legacy. April Fool’s Day will be no joke for the students and faculty of Dacula High School, it will be the first day without their beloved principal of the last 12 years. Nutt’s very last day will be March 30. “The things I am going to miss the most here at Dacula is the community in general, and the relationships we …