Five Cherokee County firefighters were promoted during ceremonies held recently at Cherokee County Fire Training Complex, located south of Holly Springs. Adam Dierdorff was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Dierdorff came to the department in 2005 and was promoted to sergeant in August 2008. The following firefighters were promoted to the rank of sergeant: David Burnaugh, Cheri Collett, David Miller and Nate Sullivan. David Burnaugh, Cherie Collett and David Miller joined the fire department in 2007; Nate Sullivan joined in 2010.

Canton City Manager Glen Cummins announced that Assistant Chief of Police Mark Mitchell (pictured) has been selected as the new Canton Chief of Police. Mitchell will take over January 1, 2015, following the retirement of current Canton Police Chief Robert Merchant at the end of this year.

Mitchell was selected for the position by an advisory committee, which included Merchant, Cummins, Mayor Gene Hobgood and city council member John Rust.

Mitchell graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., after earning a master's degree in criminal justice from Troy University. He began his career in law enforcement with the Newton County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office, where he earned the rank of captain in 2012. He has served as Canton Police's assistant chief since July 2013.

Cherokee County Farm Bureau (CCFB) received several awards for outstanding member programs during the recent Georgia Farm Bureau 1st District Annual Meeting. The GFB 1st District includes 15 county Farm Bureaus in Northwest Georgia. William Grizzle is the CCFB president.

The CCFB Young Farmer Committee, chaired by Molly Childs, received the 2014 GFB 1st District Outstanding Young Farmer Committee Award. The committee's activities included a Farm Safety Camp for children at Lazy D Farm this past June. The camp featured safety classes for children ages 8-12; 69 children attended and learned about safe practices involving animals, tractors, ATVs, water, guns, electricity, weather and the Internet.

The CCFB Legislative Committee, chaired by Len Cagle, received the GFB 1st District Outstanding Legislative Program Award. The committee sponsored a political forum this past April for CCFB members and the general public. The event was attended by 35 candidates for various government offices and more than 400 people.

CCFB members Ben and Vicki Cagle received the 1st District Young Farmer Achievement Award. Ben and Vicki raise beef cattle, operate a you-pick garden and host educational farm tours. Their agri-tourism activities include a corn maze and hay rides in the fall, which have attracted more than 65,000 visitors.

CCFB Office Manager Shirley Pahl received the 1st District Outstanding Office Manager Award. Pahl has worked with CCFB since 1992. She coordinates all of the organization's agriculture advocacy activities in the county while serving as the CCFB point of contact for the general public.

GFB and CCFB also are accepting applications for college scholarships. The GFB scholarships will be awarded to the top 10 students who confirm they are majoring in agriculture or an agriculture related field. The top three students will receive a scholarship of $3,000 each, with the remaining seven students each receiving a $750 scholarship. In addition, CCFB will award a $50 scholarship to an individual winner at each local high school, along with a $1,000 scholarship to two county winners.

The winners will be announced in May 2015. Contact the CCFB for an application: 770-479-1481, ext. 0.

Maddie Avillar, 13, of Canton, and Girl Scout Troop 2819 are collecting prom dresses, shoes, and accessories for House of Hope's Hope Closet as part of the troop's Silver Award project. The House of Hope serves Cherokee County by assisting primarily with food and clothing; the Hope Closet is a division of the House of Hope and provides clothes for infants to adults in need.

Donations of prom dresses, shoes, and accessories will be distributed to teen girls in need throughout Cherokee County to help fulfill their dream to attend their high school prom. Girl Scout Troop 2819 will be collecting items through February 28, 2015. For more information or to arrange pick-up of items, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

MUST Ministries is among the Georgia charitable organizations that combined will receive more than $54 million in cash and in-kind contributions from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. MUST Ministries will receive a $100,000 grant as part of the larger grant award to Georgia charities.

The financial support will provide critical dollars for helping the thousands of clients who rely on MUST for food. "MUST distributes just under a ton of food every weekday through our food pantries," said Ike Reighard, president/CEO of MUST. Pantries in Marietta, Smyrna and Canton provide groceries to those in need. In addition, free breads and sweets are distributed daily at each location and at the homeless campus.

The MUST feeding program also includes holiday meals and Thanksgiving boxes. Plus, 77,000 meals are served annually at the Loaves and Fishes Community Kitchen. Shelter clients eat breakfast and lunch there each weekday, and all three meals on weekends. Weekday lunches are open to anyone who is hungry. The feeding program is a vital part of the charity's $8.2 million programming.

Reighard said MUST is also grateful to some individual Walmart stores that have made cash donations in the past. "Walmart is focused on addressing hunger relief and so are we," he said. "The partnership is ideal because they help supply the funds and we implement the programs. We are deeply grateful to Walmart for their generosity to the 31,000 people we serve throughout the year."

The Service League of Cherokee County is accepting applications for Community Impact Grants. The success of the League's annual fundraisers, such as the Riverfest Arts and Crafts Festival, the annual Run for the Children "Reindeer Run" 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run, and the Annual Ball and Dancing for the Children Celebrity Dance Challenge, allows the League the opportunity to channel funds directly back into the community to other charities and organizations serving children in need throughout Cherokee County. The League is currently seeking to assist with new ideas and new projects throughout the community that will make a positive impact on children. A total of $30,000 will be awarded through this program, and anyone whose project aims to serve families with children in Cherokee County may apply.

Copies of the Community Impact Grant application and rubric are available at ServiceLeague.net. Applications must be postmarked by November 7, 2014, and winners will be notified by November 17, 2014. Grant winners must be prepared to complete a grant evaluation report at the completion of their project.

The Canton Moose Lodge, located at 208 Moose Loop Road in Canton, honored several firefighters and staff members with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services during the organization's annual Community Service Awards Banquet, held recently at the local Moose Lodge.

The event included dinner and the awards presentation. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services employees recognized at this year's banquet were: Cheri Collett, Battalion 1 Firefighter Award; Sgt. Phillip Carlisle, Battalion 2 Firefighter Award; Lt. Mike Jones, Battalion 3 Firefighter Award; Mark Cornelius, Volunteer Firefighter Award; Nate Sullivan, EMS Employee of the Year Award; Tamarin Gullett-Tyrrell, Fire Administration Award; Sgt. Babette Davis, Fire Prevention Award; and Capt. Frankie Martinez, Special Operations Award.

Members of Cherokee Rodeo Team, a club team sponsored by the Future Farmers of America program at Cherokee high schools, are celebrating a successful start to the season. Based on the team's first Georgia High School Rodeo Association competition, Clay Pannell, a senior from Cherokee High School (CHS), leads the state with a score of 84. Lucas Jones, a junior at CHS, took down his first calf to lead the state in steer wrestling. Claire Alexander, also a junior at CHS, completed a 15-second run to finish second in the competition and sixth in the state.

Cherokee Rodeo Team features riders from Cherokee High School and River Ridge High School, as well as nearby Paulding and Pickens schools. Participants must meet academic requirements to compete. The next competition is the Madison Rodeo, October 17-18, at Madison Agricultural Center.

The Cherokee County Arts Center has announced plans for its annual fall ball, "Fire & Ice," at 7:00-11:00 p.m., October 18, at The Rock Barn, 658 Marietta Hwy., Canton. Members of The Cherokee County Arts Center, as well as the public, are invited to attend; tickets are available through the arts center. The "Fire & Ice" fall ball will feature an evening of hors d'oeuvres, dancing and a silent auction. The event serves as the premier fundraiser for the Cherokee County Arts Center, a 503(C) nonprofit organization. All proceeds will support programs and services of the arts center,
and all donations are tax-deductible. 770-704-6244, CherokeeArts.org

Former Cherokee County firefighter Douglas Clark Waters Jr., who passed away in 2003, has been approved for inclusion on the Georgia Public Safety Memorial Wall, located at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. At the time of his death, Waters was a firefighter, EMT, and member of the Cherokee County Rescue Dive Team. He was also a member of the Cherokee County Firefighters Association and a sergeant with Cherokee County since January 1999. Waters also served on the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department and served as a senior structural fire instructor with the Georgia Fire Academy. In addition, Waters was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

"Waters was a dedicated member of Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services and was an inspiration and great example to others in the fire profession," said Cherokee County Assistant Fire Chief Eddie Robinson.

The 2014 Georgia Firefighter Memorial Service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., September 6, at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center Auditorium, located at 1000 Indian Springs Drive in Forsyth.