When Isabel Castro began her career with Aylo Health at the front desk in McDonough, she didn’t imagine her role would lead her to the clinical side. At the time, her work supported clinic operations behind the scenes. It wasn’t until she was offered the opportunity to join a medical assistant training program through Aylo Health that she began to consider a more hands-on role, caring for people in a new way. “It wasn’t something I originally had in mind,” Isabel said. “But it felt right, and having my mom as a medical assistant really encouraged me to take that...
Dr. Cindy Balsam Builds Confidence First, Then College Plans
Community Christian School’s college prep culture is easy to describe on paper. Students explore multiple post-high school pathways, from four-year universities to military service, two-year programs, and trade schools. Families are included. Courses are matched to student interests. Scholarships and outcomes are celebrated. But the real engine behind that culture is a person. After nearly a decade at Community Christian School, Dr. Cindy Balsam has become the kind of counselor students look for in the hallway, the kind of educator parents call years after graduation, and the kind of steady presence that helps a teenager stop counting themselves out. “It...
From Task to Patient
On a quiet afternoon near the end of chemotherapy, a nurse named Melissa paused at Caroline Mason’s chair and asked a deceptively simple question: “So, Caroline…what’s next?” Caroline didn’t have an answer, at least not right away. The question lingered through the beeps and hushed corridor noise until it settled somewhere deep, amid months of fighting and fatigue. What had made her happiest before everything changed? Caring for other people. That truth rose to the surface. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse,” she finally said—a whisper that would become a life she hadn’t yet dared to imagine. In March 2021,...
Lifelong Learning Through Faith and Community
Talking about myself doesn’t come naturally, because my focus has always been on the people God places around me and the work happening through the church. But my journey helps explain why lifelong spiritual learning has become such a central part of my ministry. I was born in Wisconsin and raised mostly in Mississippi, and I first sensed God calling me into ministry as a teenager when I was given the chance to preach at age fifteen. Even so, my path wasn’t straight. For many years I worked in business and technology in places like Nashville, Boston, and Phoenix, gaining...
A Miraculous Place for a Miracle Young Man
Before he was born, 17-year-old Mekhi Floyd faced life-threatening challenges. His mom, Altovise Floyd, became concerned about a month before...
Beautiful Legacy – Remembering Greg Horton
Greg Horton was not the type of person to seek the spotlight. Somehow, though, it found him. Not in a...
It’s Never too Late to Try Something New
For decades, Amy Iketani toyed with the idea of being a writer. In her early fifties, she decided to go...
Personal Investments
In the process of building financial portfolios, where and how we invest our resources is of great importance. If one...
Far East Meets South
Sweet Auburn BBQ started with a trailer in Atlanta and continued growing in popularity to now two restaurants, one on...
Path to Good Eats
Antonio Patterson has taken a somewhat roundabout path to his current position as owner of a successful Henry County restaurant....
Healthy Eating Around Town
A local primary healthcare group wants residents to realize that healthy options exist in town when they want to go...