With roughly 18,000 veterans living in Henry County, the need for connection and community runs deep. For the past sixteen years, the Henry County Veterans Support Group (HCVSG) has served as a safe haven for those who’ve worn the uniform – a place to swap stories, share laughter, and find purpose beyond service. The group was founded in 2011 by Bob Van Dunk, who was struggling to navigate the process of filing for his own veteran benefits. Out of that frustration came a mission: to ensure no other veteran would have to face the same challenges alone. Van Dunk created...
From Students to Teachers
When Gabi Brannon arrives at Community Christian School each morning to teach kindergarten, she sometimes thinks back to her own days as a kindergarten student at the same school. “This is where God always called me — these walls built me,” admits Brannon, who returned to the school to teach kindergarten in the fall of 2025 after attending the school as a student from kindergarten to senior year in 2020. “It really is a home for me — it’s always been a home for me and there’s nothing that I love more. I asked God to use me and he...
Kitchen Fire Prevention
The kitchen in your home can be a source of delight, whether through delicious family meals or festive holiday parties. It can also cause bodily injury and property damage if proper precautions are not taken. In the average home, the kitchen is easily the area most susceptible to catching fire. This is true at any time of year, but it increases during winter, when heating equipment is used more and holiday-related cooking occurs. Henry County Fire Rescue has two fire prevention specialists whose primary responsibility is to educate the public about kitchen safety. One of these officers, Carla Guiterrez, shared...
Preventing Overuse Injuries
As more children and teens participate in organized sports, doctors are seeing an alarming increase in the number of young athletes suffering from overuse injuries. Nearly half of all sports injuries in middle and high school students are caused by overuse. “Children and teens are at increased risk of these types of injuries because their bones are still growing and are more vulnerable to stress,” said Dr. Ashley Brouillette, a pediatric sports medicine primary care physician at Children’s. “They don’t want to be sidelined and so may play through the pain, not realizing the damage they are doing. While some...
100 Years of Faith-Filled Impact
Banker. Pastor. Missionary. Farmer. Those are a few words that represent parts of Eugene (“Gene”) Dailey’s life, but there are countless layers and stories that connect those pieces of his 100 years. He was born at home in 1925, the fourth of six boys in his family. His baby sister was born when Dailey was almost 10. Their father was a tenant farmer near Union City, growing cotton and other cash crops — “a little bit of everything,” Dailey says. “Corn was the hardest thing,” Dailey adds. “The corn went to the barn. The stalk was waste so you cut...
Serving Compassion
Watching students stream through the breakfast line in McDonough High School’s cafeteria is a lesson in how inspired leadership can nurture processes into outstanding models of efficiency. Long lines disappear almost as quickly as they form, and rather than the animated scene one might envision where dozens of teens assemble, there is order and calm. The cafeteria and kitchen are spotless. Pots, sinks, and the well-used industrial-grade stoves and freezers gleam like new. MHS School Nutrition Manager Rhonda Lundsford Wright deserves much credit for the cafeteria’s streamlined operations and immaculate equipment. Wright, a proud graduate of Henry County High School’s...
Ms. Becky’s Brownies
If you’ve ever been to Creekside Christian Academy, there’s a good chance you’ve had the famous Ms. Becky’s brownies. “I know people who literally don’t touch a speck of sugar or sweets, but the second they find out she’s made brownies, they hunt them down,” says Carey Melton, Student Life and Community Engagement Director at Creekside. If you ask baker Becky Stuart about them, the recipe isn’t “too special” except for some added vanilla and how long you bake them. But ask anybody else about them and you will get an earful. “If you put them out, they’d be gone...
Walk This Way
“How can I make it better?” Maclin Williams asked this in 2023 when he first settled in McDonough after moving from Ohio by way of Stockbridge. He learned about efforts to develop a community health improvement plan. Mr. Williams had started distance running as a recovery tool after heart surgery and knew that others could benefit from similar exercise. Williams investigated how to partner with local organizations to address health disparities related to high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, promote mental and emotional well-being, and raise awareness about cancer prevention. Because all of those medical issues are helped by regular...
Hummus & Baba Ghanoush
The holidays present ample opportunities to dine with beloved family and friends, and few appetizers satisfy as thoroughly as these healthy Mediterranean dips. Sherif Riad from Fusion Restaurant & Bar on Hwy. 155 in McDonough welcomes you to try his family’s signature recipes at your next gathering. “For extra smooth hummus, peel the chickpeas after boiling; rub them between your hands to loosen the skins,” Riad said. “And don’t rush charring the eggplants when making baba ghanoush. It’s the key to its signature smoky flavor.” Riad suggests serving both dips with warm pita bread, crispy falafel, fresh raw vegetables or...
Running Towards Health
Kobi Henegan’s sister, Jade, has always looked out for her little brother. Their parents, Ron and Kiona, credit Jade for noticing the changes that led to Kobi’s diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) when he was just eight years old. “She noticed that he was using the bathroom a lot and thought something might be wrong,” Kiona recalled. When Kiona took Kobi to the doctor, his fasting blood glucose was over 300. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta verified he had T1D. “Kids are often in diabetic ketoacidosis when they’re diagnosed, which is an emergency,” she said. “Thanks to Jade, we found...