And the Winner IS…
David Hodges of Gainesville, Georgia, was the winner of 2 Super Bowl tickets and $2500 offered by The Next Stop. David happens to be the uncle of Greg, one of The Next Stop members. Greg sold him the winning ticket…..yes, he bought one ticket and it was the one drawn from the bin! It was a pleasure to have David and his daughter Lauren come by The Next Stop and pick up their winnings, and to have Greg be able to present it to them!
To see the actual drawing, please watch the video below…
Drawing done by Stu LaRoche and son Tyler
Sunday, January 15, 2012, at 3:00 PM at The Next Stop
Witnessed by Vicki LaRoche, Board Member Dennis Pruett, Regina Pruett, and Board Member Larry Larkins
Members Cater Event
The Next Stop celebrated our recent expansion and new kitchen with a Grand Opening on October 28, 2011. It was a fun evening with good food, wonderful entertainment and great friends/families.
We were excited to show off not only what our new kitchen looks like, but also how it works! Our members actually prepared 15 pans of lasagna during the month of October to serve to our guests. Our layers may not have all been the same in each pan, but no matter, it all tasted so good! A special thank you to our local Publix for providing the ingredients AND providing volunteers for this event to serve dinner to our guests.
Also, a variety of cookie bars were prepared by members of The Next Stop for dessert. Our Tuesday group made pecan pie cookie bars, the Wednesday group made toll house cookie bars, and the Thursday group made cheesecake cookie bars. All were delicious and they sure smelled good while they were baking!
The Next Stop members are involved in all aspects of the kitchen, rotating through “clean up” duty. This new homelike kitchen is providing them with experience that can transfer to their own home kitchen. Cooking has always been a highlight at The Next Stop, but we are all enjoying cooking (and eating) in a whole different way now!
An Attitude of Gratitude
The Next Stop is the grateful recipient of three different financial gifts this summer. Each is intended to fund a specific need. A big THANK YOU to each organization listed below.
Jackson EMC Foundation awarded The Next Stop $5,000. Not only do we thank the Foundation, but also the employees of Jackson EMC who participate in the Round up Program, as this is how grants are possible. Gwinnett’s District Manager Randy Dellinger and Jackson EMC Foundation Board member Jim Puckett, visited The Next Stop and presented us with this check. These funds will be used toward our Program Planning Assistant’s salary.
After the completion of our newly construction kitchen, it was time to fill the cabinets with needed supplies! The Community Foundation of NE Georgia awarded The Next Stop $1,000 to accomplish this goal. We now have dishes, flatware, pots, pans, small appliances, etc.–all we need to
use this kitchen effectively.
The Enterline Foundation provided The Next Stop with a $5,000 donation, and committed another $10,000 over the next 2 years. This contribution is designated to cover some of the building costs of our recent expansion project that not only gave us more room, but our new residential kitchen.
Big Happenings at The Next Stop
This past month has proven to be a momentous one as we enjoyed two significant events! First, the expansion project was completed and The Next Stop is now enjoying more space and a kitchen. We will soon have people from our waiting list visiting and hopefully registering into The Next Stop. So far, we’ve baked blonde brownies and apple pies in our own double oven. Members are taking turns helping to wash and dry the dishes. Over the next few weeks, we will be working to become proficient in using all our new kitchen appliances and supporting our members as they learn too.
The expansion project actually was finished just 3 days before our biggest fundraiser of the year! Yes, it has been a very busy time! Our annual golf tournament/dinner and wine event took place on May 2nd–and for the first time in five years, it wasn’t rainy or cold! We all enjoyed a beautiful day celebrating The Next Stop and raising funds to continue advancing the program. Thanks to everyone who participated and/or helped in the planning and implementing!
Two Rooms Become One!
On March 28, 2011, the expansion of one of our rooms at Suwanee Sports Academy began. This first week involved plumbers and electricians doing their initial work getting ready for our new kitchen. We’ve since seen the dividing wall between our old room and our new room come down leaving us with a wonderful big space for cooking, dining and many other activities. The floor has been put down and the walls have been painted. The kitchen is coming along, but will need this coming week to complete.
The Next Stop is anxiously awaiting the completion of this project so we can get back to our regular programming….but in a new and improved area!
Finished underground plumbing and beginning of the electrical.
Wall prepared for kitchen cabinets and beginning of island to come. Board member & expansion team leader Ben Furqueron.
Kitchen cabinets ready for installation.
The dividing wall is down!
Most kitchen cabinets installed.
New room original room moved to side wall.
Original room cabinets moved to opposite wall of where they were.
Floor being prepared for flooring and room is now a beautiful green!
Flooring all installed, cooktop hoods hanging and note brown door (used to be red!)
Whole room with great floor!
Double oven installed.
By the end of this week, we expect to have the countertops, backsplash, baseboard, and remaining appliances installed. Will feature the finished project soon!
Time to Begin Expansion
On Wednesday, March 9, 2011, The Next Stop signed a formal contract with General Contractor Joel Wilson of Gwinnett Remodeling. This agreement will guide the three week project of expanding the space at The Next Stop and building a residential kitchen.
The Expansion Committee, made up of four of our Board members, has spent much time and effort getting to this point. We are especially grateful to the leadership of Board member Ben Furqueron. After many months of determining the feasibility of this objective and reviewing the costs involved, this project will begin in a few weeks!
The official signing–Vicki LaRoche, President and Joel Wilson, General Contractor
Handing over the first $$$$
The official handing over of the plans–from Expansion Committee members Scott Wood, Ben Furqueron, Vicki LaRoche and Stu LaRoche to General Contractor Joel Wilson.
Local TV Coverage!
The Next Stop was featured in a news story on our local Channel 5 Fox News on Thursday, March 3, 2011. What an exciting experience for all of us! Thanks to a great news team–reporter Tacoma Perry, her cameraman Gabriel, producer Bill Dobilas and their intern Michael Vann.
Please click the link below to watch the news story:
The Next Stop Helps Children Enrich Their Lives: MyFoxATLANTA.com
The Year of the Rabbit
We spend lots of time observing special days at The Next Stop, whether it be National Cherry Pie Day, Australia Day, Thomas Edison’s birthday or like recently, The Chinese New Year! It’s a great way for our members to be aware of things beyond their own world.
We learned that February 3, 2011, began The Year of the Rabbit. Ms. Debbie of The Golden Palace, a Chinese Restaurant on Buford Drive in Lawrenceville, donated chop sticks, fortune cookies and the place mats that tell everyone what Chinese Zodiac animal year they were born. All this helped us celebrate a little Chinese culture that day!
Our members worked in their groups using electric skillets to prepare a delicious traditional Chinese food–chicken fried rice.
Using chop sticks was a struggle for most, but everyone gave it a try!
And who doesn’t want to know their “fortune” as they open up their fortune cookie.?!
Daytona 500 Club Raffle Winners!!
R A F F L E W I N N E R S!!!
1st place–Two Daytona 500 Club Tickets &
Seven Event Race Package for Daytona Speedweeks 2011
LAURA RITZ
Duluth, Georgia
***********************************
2nd place–Two Daytona 500 Club Tickets &
Three Event Race Package for 2010 Coke Zero 400 Weekend
Powered by Coca-Cola – July 2011
HEATHER VIRE
Lawrenceville, Georgia
***********************************
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S!!
Thanks to EVERYONE for participating and supporting
The Next Stop!
Stu and Vicki LaRoche
on behalf of TNS!!!
To see the actual drawings, please watch the video below…
