CARES commitment to community

I am so very proud of my nonprofit animal welfare group Central Georgia CARES. This dedicated group has worked diligently for years to advocate for animals and the people who love them. We’ve made incredible progress over the years and have wonderful plans for the future.

CARES’ board developed the mission and strategic plan for our group years ago and carefully monitors our activities today to make sure they align with our mission. Our board is small by design, made up of members who are predominately current or retired business professionals with a deep devotion to people and animals. Each one is noted for his or her servant leadership philosophy and for contributions to our community.

I’m so proud of every one of our board members. Each one brings a wealth of wisdom and integrity to our cause. I’m especially proud that three of our board members, Jeff Battcher, Patti Deeb Jones and Dr. George McCommon, have each been individually recognized in the community in just the past few weeks.

Battcher was recently named the Lt. Randy Parker Memorial Volunteer of the Year by the United Way of Central Georgia. Jeff, a 2016 inductee in the Macon Sports Hall of Fame, generously devotes his time to helping others in numerous capacities. In addition to his efforts with the United Way, he recently participated in Daybreak’s 2017 Sleepout to help the homeless and serves on the Otis Redding Foundation. He also has been instrumental in helping children at Georgia Industrial Children’s Home and he’s a key player in starting a baseball league for underprivileged youth.

Jones was recently presented the Frist Humanitarian of the Year award at Coliseum Northside Hospital for her community outreach efforts, which include establishing a pet therapy program at Coliseum Health System. She is the founder of Central Georgia Parkinson’s Disease Support Group as well as a co-founding sponsor, along with Middle Georgia State College of Central Georgia Senior Network, of the annual Senior Expo. She is also a former board member of the Central Georgia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and was once named Macon Police Department’s Volunteer of the Year. She and her pet therapy dog, Teresa Jones, routinely provide comfort and companionship to patients in hospitals, hospice and nursing homes.

McCommon has been named the recipient of Stratford Academy’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Career Achievement. This award is given to someone who has made outstanding contributions through his vocation or deserves to be recognized for outstanding achievement. He is also the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine 2010 award. He has served our country for 22 years in the Georgia Army National Guard and was deployed on three occasions to Afghanistan. He is also department chair and tenured professor of Veterinary Science programs at Fort Valley State University. He was also the recipient of the Humane Association of Georgia’s Humanitarian Award. McCommon generously supports CARES’ mission through offering his time and talent in helping serve those in need of assistance with medical attention for their pets.

While we’re so proud of these three board members, and we certainly are, they are representative of the caliber of the entire board. The collective commitment and impact of contributions to our community by this group of engaged individuals is enormous. The sky’s the limit for what the future holds for CARES being led by such a determined group of devoted people.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 1:52 PM with the headline "CARES commitment to community."