Here’s another round of applause for individuals and organizations doing great things in the community.

 

Students from across Georgia recently returned from the Washington Youth Tour, a week-long leadership experience exclusively for teens sponsored by the electric cooperatives in Georgia, including Colquitt EMC. Held June 8-15, Colquitt EMC delegates joined 1,700 peers in Washington, D.C., to build leadership skills, understand the importance of civic involvement and community service, and to tour the nation’s historic sites to gain a greater understanding of the country’s rich and storied heritage, according to an organizational press release. Colquitt EMC sponsored Kevin Eppes from Lowndes High School and Jonelle Christopher from Valdosta High School. Kevin is the son of Kevin and Zane Eppes. Jonelle is the daughter of Johnny and Jaime Christopher. Joni Fox with Colquitt EMC said a carefully chaperoned tour of the nation’s capital and its treasured monuments and memorials not only provides students a meaningful history lesson but the opportunity to experience it through interactive exhibits and firsthand accounts.

 

Valdosta sophomore Ladarius Dumas came to the Valdosta 5K Tuesday morning with one goal in mind: go for the win. Lowndes senior Brishen House had the same plan. “I just get so competitive that I don’t want anyone in front of me,” House said. When the final 1/4 mile came, Dumas and House were Nos. 1 and 2. House was trailing Dumas by 50 meters before he surged ahead to win the 12th annual Independence Day event, clocking in at 17:49. Dumas finished at 17:51 for second place. It was their first time running in the event. “(Dumas) started way faster and I just had to keep up the pace, keep pushing it so I could catch up. At the last part I saw I was so close so I said, ‘I might as well just kick in, try to beat him,” said House, still catching his breath. Said Dumas: “I kind of knew he was coming, because I race him all the time. He’s very competitive, and then he has that energy that I probably will have (later on). I’m going to get it.” House agreed.

 

Mitchell Church has dedicated 32 years of his life to martial arts. He achieved mastership within the American Taekwondo Association. “Any martial artist that’s ever been involved in a martial arts and has a sanctioning body behind it, a credible sanctioning body, to have you as a Master Instructor is pretty neat,” Church said. “You hear about it and you see your friends get it, but then when you’re a part of it, and you’re actually in it, it’s something else.” Church is the chief instructor of local studio Performance Martial Arts, one of the more than 2,200 ATA schools in the U.S. He enjoys the satisfaction that comes with helping develop martial artists. Among Church’s students are multiple degree black belts and world champions, but after spending eight years as a fifth-degree black belt himself, Church felt it was time to face a challenge of his own. “I was qualified to test at different times, rank was just never an important thing to me, it was more about helping the children, teaching what I knew to other people and seeing them grow as martial artists too,” Church said. “But then, you know, there comes a time when you’ve got to start going too.”