During a recent trip, members of Holly Springs Cub Scout Pack 125 had the privilege of raising the U.S. flag at Ft. Sumter. The trip to Ft. Sumter was part of a two-night "campout" aboard the World War II Aircraft Carrier Yorktown in Charleston Harbor.

Creekland Middle School has won a $3,000 grant from Archer Daniels Midland Company.

The grant was given through ADM Cares, a social investment program that directs funds to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide. The program comprises three distinct focus areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture; improving the quality of life in ADM communities; and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.

The grant will be used to purchase chorus rail risers to enhance the safety of students during choral performances. The Creekland Middle School community greatly appreciates this grant and thanks ADM for its investment in our students education, said Principal Deborah Wiseman.

The Rotary Club of Canton held a special dedication ceremony for the official naming of Canton Rotary Park, located between the Cherokee County Justice Center and Cherokee County Historical Courthouse in downtown Canton. The Canton Rotary marked its 75th anniversary last year by burying a time capsule there and also built a Public Safety Memorial at the site in 2006.

The Canton Rotary Park dedication was part of a recent monthly Rotary luncheon meeting that included the installation of new officers. Kim Loesing, outgoing club president, passed the gavel to the new club president, Hugh Beavers, and his leadership team. In addition, Barbara Jacoby was honored with the Avenues of Service Citation. Lois Zellman, on behalf of outgoing District Governor Anton Zellman, received a special plaque in recognition of Canton Rotary having achieved GRSP #1 Per Capita Giving status. State Rep. Mandi Ballinger, District 23, also was honored for her role in sponsoring House Bill 911.

The keynote speaker for the event was State Senator Brandon Beach, District 21. Senator Beach praised the Rotary Club of Canton for its commitment to community service and also shared his ideas to help lead Cherokee County as a community with high quality of life, jobs training, technology infrastructure, and transportation.

A group of dancers from Applause Performing Arts Conservatory, located in Canton, participated recently in a special performance at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Audrey Holbrook, Lucas Merges, Elizabeth Appleton, and Madelynne Appleton represented Applause Performance Arts Conservatory in a special dance performance that featured students from dance studios all over the country, Mexico and Canada. The dancers from each studio learned and performed together a routine during the parade at the Magic Kingdom. Each studio, including Applause, also performed a separate routine at the Premier Theatre located at Hollywood Studios. At the end of the week-long event, the students were treated to a special gala at Epcot Center.

CASA for Children presented Millie Bush of Canton with its 2014 G.F. Bettineski Child Advocate of the Year award during its National CASA Annual Conference, held recently in Grapevine, Texas.

Bush was selected from more than 75,000 CASA volunteers nationwide. In 11 years of volunteer service with CASA for Children of Canton, she has worked with 49 children and 30 families. The majority of her work has involved helping children find a loving home with family members. In one case, her unwavering support of a struggling mother helped the mother realize that she needed to turn her life around for her children; after moving into safe, stable housing and getting a job, the mother and children were reunified.

Millie Bush embodies the attributes needed in juvenile court: a dedicated professional who works hard and knows the families and children; is dedicated to the goal of a safe and permanent home; respects the opinions of others; and ensures her thoughts are known, says Judge John Sumner, presiding judge of the Juvenile Court of Cherokee County. She has been a blessing to our court for more than a decade, and I can only hope that she will continue to help the judges in the difficult decisions we make on a daily basis.

In recognition of her award, Bush was honored with a special celebration in July at the Cherokee County Courthouse in downtown Canton.

Cherokee County Farm Bureau sponsored a coloring contest for first-grade students and an art contest for high school students recently. More than 3,000 students from 22 elementary schools participated in the contest by coloring a picture of "My Plate is Georgia Grown," which included facts about healthy eating. The 1st and 2nd place winners from each school, and their families, were invited to Cagle's Family Farm to enjoy a free day on the farm that included a hayride tour, a plant to take home, and pizza and cupcakes.

Leigh Ruff from Cherokee High School was among the 33 entries for Cherokee County Farm Bureau's high school art contest, designed to promote agriculture. Also selected as the overall winner for the county, Ruff received a check and certificate at Cherokee High School Awards Night.

The Service League of Cherokee County awarded $24,000 in scholarships to 19 deserving seniors who graduated recently from local Cherokee County high schools. Students receiving the scholarships include: Charlotte (Ali) Baker, Jordan Freeman, Ashley Holton, Olivia Nechvatal, Laurel (Kailey) Payne and Logan Witherow, Cherokee High School; Savannah Bakotic, Hudson Graham, Jordan Grassi, Riley Jenkins, Channing Tuell, Victoria Sheffield and Kayla Wright, Creekview High School; and Evan Ezell, James (J.F.) Harris and Devon Higgins, Sequoyah High School.

The Service League also made a $1,000 contribution to the High School Credit Recovery Class Scholarship program administered by the Cherokee County School District (CCSD). In addition, last fall the Service League awarded $1,000 in scholarship funds to Reinhardt University student Virginia Hutton as part of Reinhardt University's "A DAY for Reinhardt" program. Sherry Wallace, who serves as chair of the Service League's 2014 Scholarship Committee, said, "As parents, we want our children to receive the message: 'You have worth.' The Service League scholarship program is one of many venues we use to support and invest in local teens. Scholarship recipients represent an array of talents and accomplishments, and we want to champion them on to greater achievements. Then, hopefully someday, when given the opportunity, they will be conscientious about offering a helping hand and serving others in need."

Barry Gibson was promoted as the new Fire Marshal for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services during a recent ceremony held at the Cherokee County Administrative Offices. Gibson joined Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services in 2001 and graduated at the top of his recruit class. He has worked at multiple fire stations throughout the county and achieved the rank of sergeant in 2003. In 2007, Sgt. Gibson interviewed for a position in the fire marshal's office as fire inspector and worked in that capacity until 2010, when he was promoted to the rank of captain/deputy fire marshal. He is certified as a firefighter, EMT-I and fire inspector, and is nationally recognized as an NFPA-certified fire protection specialist.

Gibson replaces Chief Rick Ruh, who retired in April.

In other news, Thomas M. Brady with American Legion Post #45, located in Canton, honored several firefighters and staff members with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services during the organization's annual Community Service Awards Banquet. 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.

Cherokee County Historical Society has launched a new initiative to preserve the history of the Bell's Store building, which will be demolished at the end of the month to accommodate a new Flash Foods gas station at the corner of Union Hill and Highway 20 in Canton. While the history of Bell's Store was chronicled in the book, "Buffington and Macedonia in Days Gone By," by W.F. Bell, Cherokee County Historical Society will photograph and document the interior and exterior of the building prior to demolition.

Also, in an effort to preserve remnants of the building and begin a seed fund for future preservation projects, Cherokee County Historical Society will receive some of the exterior bricks from the building. "We would like to use the bricks as a fundraiser to begin an endangered properties preservation fund," says Stefanie Joyner, executive director of Cherokee County Historical Society. "Our president, Jeff Brown, came up with the idea as a way to honor the legacy of Bell's Store and also generate some start-up money if we are faced with a similar scenario in the future."

Individuals can support future preservation efforts by purchasing a commemorative brick, which will be engraved with the donor's name and placed at a new courtyard at the Cherokee County Historical Society's Rock Barn. Volunteers will be needed to clean the bricks and assist with moving them offsite. Contact Stefanie Joyner at 770-345-3288, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Cherokee County's oldest civic service club, Rotary Club of Canton, has grown its membership with the addition of six new members. Joining Rotary Club of Canton this spring are Zach Blend, Goshen Valley Boys Ranch; Dee Dee Doeckel, Chattahoochee Technical College; Deidre Hollands, CASA for Children; Jennifer Stanley, Northside Hospital-Cherokee; Anita Summers, Sequoyah Regional Library System; and Matthew Thomas, City of Canton.

Rotary Club of Canton meets for lunch at noon on Tuesdays at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Conference Center at The Bluffs in Canton. Guests are welcome; lunch is $15. For information, find Rotary Club of Canton on Facebook.