AC repair inWalthourville, GA

Dr. Karen Bell

Keep Liberty Beautiful

In February, our state celebrates Georgia Arbor Day. We are celebrating Arbor Day on Friday, February 17, 2023. If you love and appreciate trees as we do, reserve a tree to plant, and increase our community tree canopy.

Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, on April 10, 1872. J.

Sterling Morton, who served as President Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of Agriculture, was the founder of Arbor Day.

Morton had the idea for Arbor Day because he thought there were not enough trees in Nebraska. On that first Arbor Day, approximately 1 million trees were planted, which we feel is incredible! On April 22, 1885, Arbor Day became a legal holiday in Nebraska, where it originated.

One thousand children formed a parade on that day.

Every state in America celebrated Arbor Day, aside from Delaware, 20 years later. Delaware eventually joined the Arbor Day celebrations.

This holiday is meant to encourage people, whether in groups or as individuals, to plant and care for trees.

From its beginnings in Nebraska, Arbor Day has become a recognized holiday in many countries worldwide. Birdsey Northrop was chairman of the committee to introduce Arbor Day worldwide. He was the first to present it to Japan and introduce the Japanese to Arbor Day in 1883. In 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April to be Arbor Day.

Arbor Day was almost named Sylvan Day. Arbor Day was chosen because arbor represented forest and fruit trees (arbor means tree in Latin) while sylvan only described forest trees.

The National Arbor Day Foundation held a vote for America’s favorite tree in 2004. The mighty oak won by a landslide, earning 101,000 votes. America’s National Tree is now the oak. It is also Georgia’s state tree.

The date that a country or state celebrates its own Arbor Day can vary, depending on the planting season and climate.

That is why we celebrate our Arbor Day on the third Friday in February here in Georgia.

Trees and a healthy tree canopy in our community improve our quality of life. This Arbor Day, we will celebrate trees by providing a limited number of trees for planting. We aim to encourage as many local citizens as possible to help us grow our tree canopy.

We invite local residents, schools, businesses, churches, and civic and youth groups to select a free tree and plant it for Arbor Day!

(One fruit tree per household or group and up to 4 of the flowering trees!).

Our tree giveaway is only by reservation and starts today, February 1, 2023!

You have until February 11, 2023, or until all trees are reserved.

To reserve your tree go to www.signupgenius. com and search: klcb@libertycountyga.com, or you can use this link https://bit.ly/Arbor-Day2023.

Arbor Day Tree Pick-Up Days

Friday, February 17

• 9 a.m.–noon at Farmers Natural Foods, Hwy 196, 754 Elma G Miles Pkwy, Hinesville

• 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Melon Bluff Nature Center, 2999 Islands Hwy, Midway Saturday, February 18

• 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Recycle It! Fair Locations: a) Midway Community Complex, 9397 East Oglethorpe Hwy, Midway b) Walthourville City Hall, 222 Busbee Drive, Walthourville Help us expand our tree canopy in Liberty County by planting trees this Arbor Day! For more information contact us at (912) 880-4888 or email klcb@libertycountyga. com, or check out our website at www.keep libertybeautiful.org.

Think Trees!

The Walthourville Meat Market held their inaugural Community Day this past Saturday Oct. 30. It was a fun-filled day in which many vendors came out to support not only the market but the community of Walthourville in general.

The inception for the idea came from one of the owners, Ron De Leon, who wanted to give back to the community for all the support and success that they’ve received over the last 18 years.

Many vendors were on display such as Tamara’s Tidbits, Sticker Dawg, the Classy Mobile Hookah Experience as well as the Paparazzi jewelry boutique and a children’s clothing boutique.

The meat market also provided free hamburgers and hot dogs at the event in addition to bounce houses and face painting for the kids in attendance.

DJ Julian Stokes was also there to provide music. Market owners Ron and Nicole De Leon were very grateful for the turn out and thanked the community for the overwhelming support their business has received over the years.

“We’ve been so grateful and blessed to able to be a part of Liberty County that we just want to be able to do something for the kids and for the people to show appreciation,” said Nicole De Leon. “I want to continue doing this every year.”

Mrs. De Leon wasn’t alone in her efforts as her entire staff worked extremely hard to make this a memorable event for those who came out. She also named Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman, Chief Max Brown, Police Chief Al Hagan of Walthourville and Mayor Larry Baker as strong components for getting the event started.

Mayor Baker was showing his unwavering support while at the event.

He still acknowledged the presence of COVID-19, but was delighted at the turnout and how it did not deter the community from coming out and having a good time.

“This is very exciting to see everybody come out,” said Mayor Baker.

He also shared the same sentiments in seeing this event becoming a staple in the community for years to come.

“We want to continue with events like this. We want to invite and involve citizens of Walthourville and our neighboring cities."

Mayor Baker also used the opportunity to plug an upcoming movie night on Dec. 23rd at 6 p.m.

Mrs. De Leon’s staff was equally as enthusiastic and supportive about the event and have high hopes for the future of doing things like this for the community.

“It’s just something small to put a smile on the community’s face and just give back to what they do for us,” said cashier/ floater Jerilyn DeLoach. DeLoach was also optimistic for the future of this event and saw it expanding even further in the years to come.

“We have a new restaurant opening,” she said. “We’re going to expand the meat market. The parking lot is going to be bigger. I see a bigger and better business opportunity that puts us in a position where can give more back to the community.”

In addition to all the vendors, Together We Rise was also onboard holding a local fundraiser for the community to try and get a burn clinic set up in Hinesville.

“We’re working towards physical and behavioral health for our patients,” said Kathleen Arnsdorff, a representative for Together We Rise. “It’s an outlet that they can get the treatments without having to be in an office. It is a very long process for healing and it takes years for full development.”

Ms. Arnsdorff also would like to participate in the Community Day event year after year and bring up awareness of this cause and she is truly appreciative for the support she has received for her efforts.

“We’ve had an amazing support system through the community and everyone has reached out in a miraculous manner,” she said. “Everyone from all ages, all colors, all sizes, all different disabilities have come together to help us.”

Together We Rise will also be involved in another charitable fundraiser this Saturday at Gata’s on Saturday, Nov. 6, during the Georgia-Missouri game. There will be a cornhole tournament and they will be selling raffle tickets at $5.00 apiece or five for $20.

Rebecca Grapevine, Capitol Beat News Service

ATLANTA — After failing to win federal approval to exit the federal insurance marketplace earlier this year, Georgia has established its own health-insurance portal directing people to private insurers and brokers to buy health insurance.

The new website, called Georgia Access, includes links to 10 health-insurance companies — including big players such as United, Kaiser Permanente, and Aetna — as well as seven online brokers, organizations that help people shop for and enroll in health insurance.

The dueling state and federal websites each offer a different route to the same destination: signing up for health insurance.

Georgians can use the links on GeorgiaAccess. gov to explore the insurance companies’ and brokers’ offerings, which include but are not limited to the same marketplace plans offered on the federal website.

The new Georgia Access site also includes links to companies and brokers that offer dental and vision plans, basic information about Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, and links to state health-care agencies that assist with mental health.

But notably absent from the state’s new portal is a link to the federal Health-Care.gov, a one-stop shop for buying health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act. The HealthCare.gov website provides comparisons of the different companies’ health plans.

The state decided to set up the GeorgiaAccess.gov portal with the resources it had initially devoted to its plan to exit the federal marketplace, said Gregg Conley, executive counsel for the Georgia Department of Insurance.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp first sought permission to exit the federal health insurance marketplace back in 2020. But the Biden administration rejected the Georgia plan earlier this year after analyses showed it would cover fewer, not more, Georgians than the federal marketplace.

According to Georgia Access, 1.3 million Georgians lack health insurance.

“I would encourage people to sign up for health (insurance),” Conley said. “What we don’t want is people not to have health care.”

But many advocates argue that online brokers and private insurers are not the best custodians of consumers’ interests.

Insurance companies and brokers, most of which are for-profit entities, may push people to enroll in “substandard” plans that don’t cover all services, Joan Alker, a research professor at Georgetown University, wrote earlier this year.

Brokers may fail to help people enroll in Medicaid or other state health-insurance plans for people with low incomes and they may not adequately cater to the needs of racial and ethnic minorities and people who are not proficient in English, Alker wrote.

Editor's Note: This story came in after our Jan. 15, print edition had gone to press. It will be in our Jan. 22, print edition.

Standing-room only Monday night during Walthourville’s inauguration ceremony where the new mayor vowed transparency under his administration.

At least 200 Liberty County residents and officials gathered in Pleasant Grove AME Church’s multipurpose building with dozens more overflowing out the door.

The crowd came to see the city officially bring aboard its five council members and new mayor, Larry Baker. Walthourville had not had a new mayor since 2008.

Between all the greetings and after-ceremony photos, Mayor Baker took a moment to reflect on his new role and what it meant to see so many show up.

“That told me that the people wanted change,” Baker said. “I’m excited.”

Before becoming mayor, Baker served as a councilmember.

“My first election was in 1999, so I ran on the slogan Man for the Millennium. And now we’ve changed to another decade,” Baker said.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson was in the number Monday night and later personally congratulated the Walthourville mayor. Johnson called Baker “a good friend for years,” referencing their work together during Georgia Municipal Association events. Johnson said it was important for him to take the time to be present.

“What affects Savannah affects Walthourville and what happens in Walthourville, Liberty County affects us in Savannah,” he said.

Johnson added that he was confident in Baker’s leadership.

“He’s a fine man who really loves his city, willing to work hard. He’s shown that before when he worked on council and I think the citizens of Walthourville are blessed to have him,” Johnson said.

Public involvement was important to Mayor Baker.

“We want to make sure that every citizen is involved,” Baker said in an interview after the ceremony. “We want to invite everyone in from Day One.”

Baker’s inaugural address also emphasized transparency, accountability, and being “excellent stewards of the citizens’ dollars.” He announced plans for a new public online finance system, to be called the Walthourville Wallet. He also plans to have a new multi-purpose facility built for youth and senior citizens.

Baker told Monday’s crowd that he was eager for what’s ahead and that he was “humbled, honored, and grateful,” for the citizens’ vote of confidence.

“I stand on the shoulders of great mayors before me who have guided this great city,” Baker told Monday’s crowd.

Of those mayors included Baker’s grandfather, Rev. Henry Frasier, Sr.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I love Walthourville and I look forward to working with our esteemed council members,” he said. “I assure you, the city as a whole will be at the forefront of every decision that we make.”

Baker makes Walthourville’s fifth mayor since the city incorporated in 1974.

Monday night’s inauguration included council newcomers, Bridgette Kelly and Sarah B. Hayes. Veteran councilmembers James Hendry, Charlie L. Anderson, and Luciria Luckey Lovette were also installed.

According to a press release from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the Georgia State Board of Education has reversed a decision by the Liberty County Board of Education to suspend a seventh-grade Black student from Lewis Frasier Middle School, ruling that the suspension violated his due process rights.

Following a disciplinary hearing on February 3, 2022, that lasted less than 30 minutes, the student – who is referred to by his initials, A.K. – was suspended for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year. At the time of his suspension, A.K. was an A/B student with no prior disciplinary record.

The Georgia State Board of Education said A.K. was placed at Horizons Learning Center, an alternative school, for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year for Threat/Intimidation and Bullying (Cyber) in violation of the Liberty County Code of Conduct (“Code of Conduct”). The decision of the Local Board is now reversed and remanded with instructions to provide reasonable notice consistent with this decision and a new hearing.

According to the SPLC, A.K. was accused of sending threatening texts to another student despite testifying that he called the student afterward to let him know that he was not serious. The alleged incident took place off-campus during non-school hours. A.K. had no prior disciplinary issues before the alleged incident.

Last Thursday, the state board ruled that the Liberty County Board of Education deprived A.K. of his constitutional and statutory rights to due process by suspending him without reasonable and sufficient notice of the allegations against him, as required by law.

The SPLC represented him during his appeal.

The state board ruling removes the disciplinary offense from A.K.'s record. It also reaffirms the important precedent protecting and preventing future students from being deprived of their due process rights.

“School districts, like Liberty County, have become reliant and comfortable with suspending and expelling students without sufficient evidence or fundamental fairness, as required by law. Exclusionary discipline serves no pedagogical purpose and only perpetuates harm on our children," said Mike Tafelski, senior supervising attorney for the SPLC’s Children Rights Practice Group. “Across Georgia, as evident in this case, school disciplinary hearings are merely a sham exercise used to achieve a predetermined outcome based on an accused student’s presumption of guilt. The educational rights of students – disproportionately students of color – are routinely ignored and trampled by school districts that take advantage of a system where children typically lack access to a lawyer. We will continue to stand with students who are seeking educational justice,” Tafelski said.

As the appeal process lingered on for months, A.K.’s mom paid to enroll him in a local private school, but he had to start the entire year over to ensure his credits would transfer. Far too often, Black students like A.K. are funneled down the school to prison pipeline. In Liberty County, Black students represent 53.2% of students enrolled, but 66.5% of those who experience school suspensions. Even Black preschool students are suspended and expelled at rates that are higher than their white counterparts.

A.K.’s mom hopes her son’s case can draw attention to intrinsic disparities that Liberty County students face. “This has opened my eyes and ears to these issues. I have been having conversations with Black families across the county who have experienced educational injustices and are suffering in silence in fear of retaliation. But I am not scared, and I hope my son’s case can highlight the injustice in our school system so that future students are not similarly harmed,” she said.

The Courier has reached out to Liberty County School System Superintendent Dr. Franklin Perry for any replies on the matter.

Liberty County commissioners approved a rezoning off Islands Highway in a split decision — and to the dismay of many residents who oppose it.

The rezoning will take 139 acres, owned by Newbridge Residential Parks, from agricultural to industrial, and property owners plan to turn that tract into a warehouse site.

Commissioners, in a 4-3 vote, approved the rezoning, after two motions to either delay or deny the rezoning failed to pass. The Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission had given a unanimous approval recommendation for the rezoning, provided there was no direct access to Islands Highway, a 100-foot vegetative buffer between the site and neighboring residential tracts and light manufacturing and warehouse operations only would be allowed on the site.

Commissioner Marion Stevens, citing a lack of infrastructure, particularly on roads, initially offered a motion to deny the rezoning, getting a second from Maxie Jones.

“We have not talked about safety and this is a safety issue,” Stevens said, who represents the 1st District, which includes the area east of the I-95 and Highway 84 interchange. “I have watched traffic in the afternoon and it backs up. Now we’re going to add more employees. They must have a way of going out and coming in.

“It’s like putting in a kitchen sink without putting on a countertop.”

After that motion failed with only three votes in favor, Commissioner Justin Frasier made a second motion to table the item. Though it got a second, that motion again failed to get enough votes to pass.

Commissioner Eddie Walden eventually made a motion to pass the rezoning request, including the planning commission’s recommend special conditions. That motion passed 4-3, with Walden, Lovette and Commissioners Connie Thrift and Gary Gilliard voting in favor.

Walden bristled at social media comments that the commissioners were taking money under the table to approve the rezoning.

“I think that’s wrong,” he said. “I didn’t really appreciate it.”

The tract is bordered on the north and west by Tradeport East. It is part of a larger 308-acre tract and much of the remainder is wetlands and will be a natural buffer between the property and neighboring residents, Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission director Jeff Ricketson pointed out. The remainder of the property is being left in agricultural zoning. The land that could be developed there, under its current zoning, would have to be low-density.

Entry to the tract will be off M.L. Coffer Court. It will not have direct access to Islands Highway, though trucks coming in and out will be using the Tradeport East intersection with Islands Highway near Interstate 95’s exit 76.

The vote drew a harsh reaction from the residents in attendance, some of whom scolded the commissioners, reminding them their seats will come up for election again.

Residents’ reactions

Nancy Maier echoed the lyrics of the Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi” in voicing her opposition to the rezoning, telling commissioners they were paving paradise to put up a parking lot.

“Why are doing this?” she said. “Why are you even considering this drastic step for our county? I cannot understand it. Everybody has their own impression and feeling about what paradise is. I am pleading for the people who live there to not continue paving our paradise.”

Martha Dykes, whose property is across the street from the tract, said a vote approving the rezoning would be “a slap in the face” to Liberty County residents.

“I am beyond mad,” she said. “I am emotionally, physically and mentally drained at the thought of these warehouses in our neighborhood. Warehouses should be confined to an industrial setting, not in our front and back yards. You’ve already decimated a large percentage of woodland in our area to house these buildings. Is your plan to continue destroying what’s left before all the beauty of the coastal area is destroyed?”

Dykes implored commissioners to hold off on action until after a December 8 meeting to get public comments on future land use for the eastern end of Liberty County.

“If these rezonings are approved,” she said, “it will prove you are not listening to the lifelong taxpaying residents of this area. Say no to this madness. Say no to this encroachment. Say no to the continuation of the decimation of eastern Liberty County.”

Ronda Dorney also questioned if commissioners were hearing residents’ concerns but not listening to them.

“It’s got to stop,” she said of the continued rezoning requests on the east end. “You need to vote no.”

Area resident Keith Gaskin said those living off Islands Highway near Stevens Road are getting flooded because of industrial development.

He also questioned if county leaders were paying heed to the residents.

“Do we really have a voice in what’s going on?” he asked.

Susan Inman, the coastal advocate for the environmental watchdog group 100 Miles, asked commissioners to adopt an industrial rezoning moratorium such as those in place in Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth and Effingham County.

“The residents of the east end of Liberty County feel they are in quicksand with this fast-paced industrial rezoning,” she said.

Inman asked commissioners to table the request for 30 days in order to find solutions to residents’ concerns.

“Liberty County is not missing out if you don’t approve warehouses to be built in this area,” she said. “You’re actually ahead of the game.”

Bianca Croft, who owns a nearby hobby farm, said she wanted to see the wetlands put into a conservation easement.

“I don’t want to look at warehouses,” she said.

We purchased on Islands Highway to get away from the lights, the noise pollution, the traffic.”

Croft also urged commissioners to stop industrial rezoning unless the remaining areas already zoned for industrial use are full.

Lack of space for development

Liberty County Development Authority executive director Ron Tolley said the acreage available in Tradeport East is shrinking rapidly. It has gone from more than 1,400 acres to 232 acres, and verbal agreements on future developments have spoken for 85 acres of that remaining land.

The LCDA’s lack of land, especially on the east side of the interstate, which is closer to exit 76 than its holdings of nearly 800 acres in Tradeport West, has taken the county out of consideration for larger projects, Tolley said.

“These acreage limits have deleted us from larger scale projects we could have handled in the past but can no longer support,” he said, noting that if a larger user such as the Target warehouse were to come along now, the LCDA would not able to accommodate it.

“The rezoning of new property for industrial use is crucial if the commission wants to have continued growth and development in Liberty County,” Tolley added.

East end residents also brought forth concerns over fire protection for warehouses at Tradeport East. The LCDA has a 500,000 gallon elevated water tank in the park just for that purpose.

Liberty County has more than 4,100 jobs in warehousing, manufacturing and transportation, Tolley pointed out, with total wages of more than $254 million.

The county has added an average of 150 new jobs each year with the development of Tradeport East, Tolley said.

“The authority wants to continue this momentum. We hope the commission wants to do the same,” he said.

In the LCPC’s survey of the property, it was determined that it would not pose an undue burden on roads but it could lead to a “domino effect” of more building.

Frasier reminded commissioners he has issued warnings about development sprawl before.

“We know it’s going to cause a domino effect. I told y’all this is about to come down,” he said. “And here we are now. I am a huge supporter of economic development but I just want to make sure that we do it right, do it right the first time so we don’t have to go back.”

Frasier also called on commissioners to complete an agreement with developers that would require prospects and developers to bear a burden of the costs needed to make way for those projects.

Newbridge Residential Parks will call the tract the Liberty Logistics Center and has plans for a 1 million square foot warehouse, which will be set back by 1,700-1,800 feet from Islands Highway. The tract itself is separated from Islands Highway by several hundred feet, Ricketson noted.

BlueScope Properties Group expects its new spec building in Tradeport East Business Center in Liberty County to open this fall.

And the Kansas City company’s president Matt Roth is excited by the prospect. “We are excited to be delivering this first-class facility to Savannah’s dynamic industrial real estate market, which boasts the lowest vacancy rate in the county at 0.1%,” he said. “We have seen significant interest from tenants who require space in the greater Savannah market this year.” The 647,530-squarefoot cross-dock building sits on 42 acres in Tradeport East, Liberty County Development Authority’s premier industrial park, which is already approaching more than 4 million square feet of distribution centers, including Tire Rack, Target, Hancook Tire, Western Power Sports, Hooker Furnishings’ Home Meridian International, and Safavieh.

Roth said the company chose to build in Liberty County because of its proximity to the Port of Savannah and Interstate 95, as well as the county’s labor market and the quality development inherent in Tradeport East. The building is approximately one mile from I-95’s Exit 76 at Midway and only 20 miles from I-16. It is 30 miles to the Savannah port.

In addition to the 288,900-person strong traditional workforce living within a 45-minute commute of the site, it is only 20 miles from Fort Stewart, where 300–400 soldiers leave the military and re-enter the civilian workforce every month.

“Liberty County continues to demonstrate itself as a top choice for companies seeking to locate with great proximity and access to the Port of Savannah,” Roth said. “With seamless access to I-95, this strategic location can service the greater region while offering a strong labor pool and compelling incentives to entice top tier companies.”

LCDA CEO Ron Tolley is also excited about the upcoming opening, saying it will be a great addition to the county’s economy, and that the need for it is very evident.

“The Savannah area has the lowest vacancy rate of DC lease space in the U.S. due to the incredibly rapid and continuing growth of the Port of Savannah,” he said. “Although literally millions of square feet of new space have been built in the past several years, the new space has been signed and occupied just as fast as it could be built. We anticipate the new 647,530 BlueScope facility will be quickly occupied as well, creating even more jobs and economic growth in Liberty County and the coastal Georgia area.”

ARCO Construction out of St. Louis is the general contractor for the project, and JLL is doing the leasing.

Tammy James is known in the community as “The Veteran Lady.” She is a combat veteran who served in the Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, and is a registered nurse with a degree in counseling.

She is also an accredited VA claims agent and the founder of Voice4Vets, a group of agents dedicated to ensuring veterans and their families get all the benefits they are entitled to from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Established in 2012, the local organization is preparing to celebrate the “re-grand opening” at its new location on Saturday, November 12.

Her inspiration to start Voice4Vets began with her own personal experience of navigating the VA system. James recalled the process of applying for benefits and being continually told to “just send additional paperwork,” which left her with the impression that no one truly cared. Eventually she was provided with an agent who she initially believed was an advocate for her, but that would turn out to not be true.

“When I got to Atlanta for my hearing…I had to go in there alone,” James said in regards to her experience. “But by me knowing the knowledge and having the knowledge to present my case, I actually ended up winning my benefits. That’s when I found out that having the knowledge (and obtaining) that background helped a lot. A lot of veterans don’t know (that).”

From there, James set out to equip former servicemembers with the same knowledge she acquired to win her case. She mentioned that when it comes to their benefits, many veterans do not know they can receive more than they are given. Staying up to date daily with changes in the VA, as well as thoroughly reading each page of medical documentation, are two skills James and her team use frequently to maximize success on behalf of their clients.

Communication is another important one. James said veterans are so accustomed to being mission ready, that they struggle to voice when something is wrong or that they have a need. So when they come to Voice4Vets, one of James’s objectives is to get them to open up.

“Once you build that relationship to open the door, they will talk to you about the things that will help you with their case,” she said. “You have to communicate and have an open door policy”.

Voice4Vets’s original location was on Elma G. Miles Parkway. James pointed out the new building, located on West Oglethorpe Highway across from the Cherokee Rose Country Club, is much more spacious. Many aspects of the center’s new home were handmade by local veterans in the area, such as the wall logo to the right of the entrance and the decorative wreath containing the emblems of all the military branches. With the extra room, James’ goal is to make more resources, such as men’s and women’s support groups and resiliency training, readily available.

The celebration of Voice4Vets’s new location taking place Saturday will have activities and food for all in attendance to enjoy. James noted that selecting this particular day was intentional. She noticed that on Veterans Day many places honor the veteran, but forget about the veteran’s family. James wanted to be sure that everyone was included.

“I noticed in the community there aren’t many things for veterans anymore,” she pointed out. “Normally, people go out to restaurants…I decided to do something on a Saturday because more people who may not have the opportunity to come out can; they’re off, and they’re able to come out and enjoy.”

The 12th of November will also mark five years since the passing of her husband, Staff Sgt. Keyunte’ Gordon Sr. He served in the Army, as well as the Reserves, for 15 years, beginning as a petroleum supply specialist before crossing over to be a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist. His favorite quote was “I am my Family Keeper.”

James is passionate about what she does, which is ensuring her clients get everything that belongs to them from the VA and arming them with knowledge. Also, like her late husband, she is passionate about family. That’s why she ensures clients, whether it be on her website or in person, that at Voice4Vets they don’t have to go to battle alone.

“I believe in family, because the family plays a key role in anything the veteran does,” James said. “Including myself.”