The Georgia Club Foundation and Tour Chairperson Susan VanHook are proud to announce the homes on the 3rd Annual Christmas Tour of Homes on Sunday, December 13 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Visitors will celebrate the festive season by touring five of The Georgia Club’s premier residential homes decorated for the holidays. We are grateful to the following homeowners for their great support of this Tour. Watch for more details coming soon.

Homes included on this year’s tour are:

The Home of the Manus Family – A Christmas Showcase
Each room in this gorgeous home is delightfully decorated with a different theme. A Christmas table set with beautiful family heirloom china is among other outstanding displays. This home was one of the most talked about from the 2007 Tour and is truly a Christmas fantasy for all ages!

The Home of Barbara & Cicero Lucas – Southern Christmas Memories
This Wexford Garden home shows off its true southern charm with a Christmas home setting displaying family hand-painted china, antique pieces, and a very southern use of Christmas greens. Bulldog fans will not want to miss the fabulous display of UGA memorabilia!

The Home of Cindy & Don Hanenburg – Homeland Celebrations
Touches of Dutch ancestry are sprinkled about this beautiful home decorated for the holidays. There is a wonderful display of Teddy Bears to delight all!

The Home of Lynn & Steve Baginski – A New Classic
This beautiful courtyard home blends old accents with new styles warmly decorated for Christmas. Tasteful displays featuring antiques with a touch of whimsical accessories create a classically-decorated Christmas home.

The Home of Pam & David Shockley – Home for the Holidays
A warm, intimate cottage that says “Welcome Home for the Holidays”. The front and back porches alone will put you in the Christmas spirit!

Proceeds from the event will benefit several local charities and service organizations. The 2009 beneficiaries will include Peace Place, Project Safe, Partners in Education Fund (Bethlehem Elementary, Haymon-Morris Middle, Rocky Branch Elementary and Malcolm Bridge Middle), local High School scholarship funds and The Georgia Club Foundation. For a full description of each beneficiary, please click here.

 The Christmas Tour of Homes also presents many advertising and sponsorship opportunities. If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising for this year’s Tour, please review the Sponsorship List and then fill out the Sponsor Form. Please mail any checks, forms or ads to The Georgia Club Foundation 854 Commons Park Suite 235 Statham, GA 30666-9902.

Twenty-five vendors and more than 160 guests from all over Georgia and South Carolina attended the Weddings of Georgia Bridal Expo in August, hosted by The Georgia Club. Event Coordinator Brooke Tallon and Summer Special Events Intern Megan Marshall worked together to create four Georgia Club “tablescapes” for every different type of bride. This feature at the Expo was designed to demonstrate the versatility of The Georgia Club facilities as a wedding venue.

“We decided to showcase a few fully designed tables so that brides could really imagine their wedding here,” Marshall said. “To pick the design elements, I scoured the internet through my favorite wedding design blogs and web sites to pick a particular look and feel for each table.”

The result was four beautifully-designed tables, each one representing a particular season, as shown below.

The spring “Garden Party” table was geared toward the ethereal bride with romantic accents of pink and green.

The summer “Southern Charm” themed table was a reflection of the traditional touches of the south complete with mason jars, bright, bold colors, and even lemons in the centerpiece.

The autumn “Fall Flora and Fauna” table was exquisitely crafted to reflect the richness of fall in Georgia, with intense copper, eggplant, and scarlet shades and hypericum berries.

The “Wintery Wow” table was focused on the glam bride with crystals, baubles, and lots of bling.

A special thanks goes out to Gardenia Floral Design and The Fun Stuff, who volunteered to provide floral arrangements and tabletop/chair rentals for The Georgia Club to use during the Expo.

“With the help of our amazing vendors and staff, all of the elements came together to present four equally beautiful but visably different wedding looks,” Marshall said.

The tables were a huge hit with the brides and The Georgia Club encouraged them to picture themselves, whatever their style, as the centerpiece of a Georgia Club wedding. Let us know how we can help translate your special event vision into reality by calling us at 770-725-8100.

The Georgia Club proudly presents watercolors by Juan Carlos Camacho this evening in The Village Hall. The works feature local scenes from around Athens and The Georgia Club as well as from his native Costa Rica.

His previous show in Ohio received a glowing review and this show promises even more brilliant color and airy landscapes from the trained architect.

Even the Georgia Museum of Art recommends him so stop by for the complimentary reception tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. and view the incredible works of Two Waters, Two Lights.

Member Harvey Tarpley and Emily Sanders of Sanders Financial Management prior to the Financial Literacy for Women talk at The Georgia Club

The initial statistics are sobering. The average age of widowhood for women is 56 years old. Approximately 40% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. And, women can expect to be responsible for their own finances for up to 20 years during their life.   These are the facts that Emily Sanders of Sanders Financial Management shared at the beginning of her talk on Financial Literacy for Women as part of The Georgia Club’s Expanding Horizons series March 24.  

Sanders is the past Chair of the Georgia Society of CPA’s Committee on Financial Literacy and a member of the AICPA.   Club Member Harvey Tarpley, also a member of the GA Society of CPAs, recommended the topic and introduced Sanders.

In a society where stereotypically the male of the household handles the finances, the message was      clear — women need to be at least aware, if not take an active role, in financial issues.  Advice included the following:

• Pay attention to household finances
• Keep some credit cards in your own name
• Keep skills, including those you gain from volunteer work, fresh
• Save now for future retirement (Sanders also reported that the size of the average 401(k) program is surprisingly low at $15,000)
• Understand your cash flow
• Pay off debt
• Build savings (whereas the family old standard was to save enough for living expenses for 3 months, in today’s economy some advisors are recommending saving living expenses to last up to 1-1/2 years)
• The key is to know how much you spend, not how much you make
• Make sure wills and powers of attorney are up to date — these should be reviewed at least every five years
• Make sure your family has enough life insurance (at least enough to pay the mortgage and send any under-age children through college)
• For estate planning, have an advanced directive for health care
• Know where your assets are (IRAs, 401(k)s, social security, college savings plans, etc.)
• As the key to real estate is location, location, location, the key to investing is diversify, diversify, diversify
• In today’s market, have more liquidity and cash, reduce debt and spending, and redefine goals

The Georgia Club’s Expanding Horizons series is a lecture series offered to Members and accompanied guests with the goal of educating and informing attendees on a variety of topics.  Past speakers have included Dr. Gary Bertsch, director of UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security; Damon Evans, UGA Athletic Director and Jack Bauerle, UGA Women’s Swim Coach.

The Georgia Club played host to an historic event on Thursday, March 19 as four area Chambers of Commerce came together for the first time at a Business After Hours networking mixer. Close to 300 guests represented the Athens, Barrow, Oconee and Walton County Chambers in what many members hope will turn into an annual quad-county gathering.

Nearly 300 Chamber of Commerce members gathered in the Dawgwood ballrooms at The Georgia Club for the quad-county meeting.

Jackson EM and Walton EMC, along with The Georgia Club, sponsored the event which featured speakers, door prizes and networking among the four Chambers. Each chamber provided Ambassadors to greet guests and encourage mingling between the Chambers of each county.

Several members attended, as well, including Jake Grant (pictured at right), who spent some time talking with Barrow Chamber President Tommy Jennings.

Overwhelmingly positive feedback came from all counties involved.  Tommy Jennings of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce highlighted the benefits of “regional communication between parties of mutual interest,” and Kate Mercardante from the Athens Chamber mentioned how much everyone enjoyed the “wonderful evening of networking and social gathering.”

A follow-up event in a few weeks will again be held at The Georgia Club. Nine and Networking features a round of golf with networking time provided afterwards to further cement those new relationships.

Sylvia Tarpley and Dr. James Kim spoke at the Women's Heart Awareness Luncheon

On Friday, February 27 over 30 Members and guests gathered in the Dawgwood Ballroom to learn about keeping their ticker ticking at the Heart Issues Awareness For Women Luncheon. Member Mary Cullerton suggested The Georgia Club host the event in honor of February as American Heart Month.

Members Sylvia Tarpley and Dr. James Kim spoke on their experiences and knowledge about the subject. Sylvia shared the experience of her recent heart blockage with the group, noting that because she acted quickly she sustained little damage to her heart. Everyone happily noted that she looked great and was recovering well.

Dr. James Kim, a cardiologist with St. Mary’s Oconee Heart and Vascular Center, presented 10 Things Women Need to Know About Cardiovascular Health:

1. Cardiovascular Disease kills more women than the next seven causes.
2. Cardiovascular disease kills more women than men.
3. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) pathology can be different between men and women.
4. Signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease can be different from case to case.
5. Several tests can be used to detect cardiovascular disease.
6. Several treatements are available.
7. Be aware of your risk factors.
8. Aspirin has the biggest benefit for those with the highest risk.
9. Live a heart healthy lifestyle.
10. Go to a doctor you feel comfortable honestly discussing your health with.

Dr. Kim touched on some interesting points and then fielded questions from the audience. He mentioned that 10 things might be too many to remember and offered these three major points those at the luncheon should take away from the presentation:

1. There are more women than men - statistically women will have more heart problems.
2. Ask your doctor questions and do not be bashful - a good doctor will not feel threatened or annoyed by too many questions.
3. Diet and exercise - no one is making you eat those unhealthy foods and avoid exercise. When you do, know that there are consequences.

Finally, the attendees enjoyed a delicious heart healthy meal that Chef Don and the culinary team put together almost completely from the American Heart Association cookbook. The Cranberry Nut  Muffins were a big hit, and Chef Don suggests adding dried cranberries and chopped walnuts to your favorite whole wheat muffin mix to give it a tasty heart healthy boost.