Though Christmas comes just once a year, the spirit of the holiday stays with Mary McKinney year-round. The fitness nutritionist, trainer and founder of Holy Yoga of Athens dedicates her time, talent and expertise to improving the physical and spiritual lives of her students while at the same time helping needy children. She does this by offering yoga classes in exchange for small, new toy donations she gathers and uses to fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a program spearheaded by Samaritan's Purse International Relief organization. The toys are combined with supplies like …

Editor's Note: Olivia Lamons was selected as the The Huffington Post's Greatest Person of the Day for Aug 23, 2012.  The feature recognizes citizens across the nation for their extraordinary efforts to make a difference in their communities. Congratulations, Olivia! A northeast Georgia eight-year-old is dedicated to helping dramatically change, and even save, the lives of shelter dogs and cats. Olivia Lamons, a third grader at Statham Elementary School where her mother Lacy teaches second grade, loves to read.  When she came across an article last spring about a child who raised money for …

Bob and Susan Harris make an amazing team, not only as husband and wife of 42 years, but also as community-minded citizens of Oconee County.  From recording books for the blind to helping with the Special Olympics and serving as judges of pine box derby cars, collectively the couple has given back throughout their lives. A passion for volunteerism began early for Susan when she served as a candy striper as a teen in her home state of Indiana. “I did this from 13 to 17 years-old. every Saturday morning for four to five hours," she said.  "I also loved the ER and worked there when I was 16 and …

To say that Angela Helwig has her hands full is an enormous understatement.  Being a wife and mother, as we all know, is a full-time job.  And speaking of full-time jobs, her role as administrative assistant to the Oconee County Board Of Commissioners serves up another task for the busy lady.  But let’s not stop there.  As executive director of the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission, even more of her time is spent serving her community. All of those roles require organizational skills, publicity and advertising know-how, and attention to detail. It's a lot of hours and dedication. But …

To farm, or not to farm: That is the question many locals in the agricultural business have had to ask themselves over the last couple of decades. About 14 years ago, Russ Page, an Oconee County cattle farmer and business owner, noticed the issue of development encroaching into agricultural areas began dominating discussions with friends who worked in agriculture. The challenges of farming -- drought, disease, bug infestations, restrictions on pesticide use to control those issues, not to mention fluctuating selling prices of commodities -- have made the option of selling out to developers a …

Dave Shearon already has a full life. As one of the owner/operators of Ashford Manor in Watkinsville, his days include the 24/7 operation of a beautiful historic home that has been turned into a bed and breakfast. Recently purchasing the Thornton property next to Ashford Manor, the decision to expand was made and the resulting renovations, upgrades, furniture shopping added to the day-to-day requirements defined a pretty busy day. Yet when asked to be one of the “stars” for the benefit for Project Safe, Dave immediately said “Yes!” Though he has no training in dance, doesn’t live in Athens, …

Organizing Night of Blue Lights -- an annual event that brings together multiple law enforcement agencies and members of the community to raise money for families of fallen officers-- has become a second full-time job for Oconee County resident Lee Dyer. The idea came to him in a dream in late 2010.  Last March he watched that dream come into fruition at the first annual Night of Blue Lights when hundreds of citizens and more than a dozen agencies raised about $7,000 for the Georgia Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.). It was so successful that immediately Dyer began planning …

Editor's Note: Tracey McMahon was selected as the The Huffington Post's Greatest Person of the Day for Jan. 11, 2012.  The feature recognizes citizens across the nation for their extraordinary efforts to make a difference in their communities. Congratulations, Tracey! For 10 years Tracey McMahon has worked for the Georgia Division of Family and Children's Services serving Oconee, Morgan, Greene and Jasper counties. She's had the unfortunate task of removing kids from their homes, sometimes in the middle of the night, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs. But it wasn't until a …

Over 51 billion pieces of litter end up on U.S. roadways each year. According to Keep America Beautiful, the 6,729 litter items per mile cost the U.S. almost $11.5 billion each year in litter cleanup costs. The Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission (KOCBC) is working to reduce the litter statistic in the community and was recently honored for its efforts. The organization was presented with a second place award in the Litter Prevention category at the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation Awards Luncheon. Members Kate McDaniel, Monica Ali and former executive director Esther Porter traveled to …

When Laura Whitaker was just 20 years old and pursuing a degree in special education at the University of Georgia, she assumed an enormous responsibility: She took over the full-time position as executive director of Extra Special People, Inc. (ESP) in Watkinsville. ESP is a nonprofit, established in 1987, with a mission to enhance the lives of children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Since 2006, Whitaker has been instrumental in the expansion of ESP from a summer camp program to a year-round provider of after-school care and family counseling for over 150 children from …

If you're reading these words through glasses or contact lenses, thank an optometrist. If you're reading them without vision correction, you may have good genes to thank. But if you're one of the thousands of people who have been helped all over the world – often free of charge – by the 2011 Beacon of Hope award winner, thank Dr. Joel Jenkins. Jenkins was awarded earlier this month by the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, an organization that helps low income Georgians get the vision correction they need. The award goes to one optometrist who goes above and beyond to be a community leader …

A local girl scout troop is doing its part to provide relief to victims of storms that devastated much of the South last week.  The eleven scouts of Winder's Daisy Troop 11809 have coordinated a community-wide effort between 3 counties to collect much-needed supplies for affected families. 'The Girl Scouts has a system of volunteers already in place, and inquiries generated a lot of response in a hurry," Troop leader Dawn Johnson said. Drop-off locations include the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, the Northeast Georgia Girl Scouts service office located at 185 Newton Bridge in Athens (Monday-…