Army Buddies: Joe Farruggia (left) and Jonathan Gaver (right) When did you serve in the Army and in which division?Joe: “We were privates together in 21 Infantry in the ‘90s, back when it was out of Ft. Wainwright in Alaska. I was in before 9/11.”Jonathan: “I served from 94 to ‘99, then I came back in 2002.”Why did you decide to re-enlist?Jonathan: “One, I missed the camaraderie of the Army...
Why have you taken on growing fresh produce and eating well as a personal cause?“Because food sovereignty is a community effort. If I am affected, indirectly or directly, then the whole community is affected by the lack of food.Being a food/agriculture activist, I can’t sit by in a food desert — having the skills that I have to grow food and to teach people to grow food — and do nothing. My...
The MercyMed staff was on the frontlines in treatment and testing for COVID since the earliest days of the pandemic. How were y’all able to take such an aggressive approach?“We just saw a need. So I called the Health Department and asked, ‘How can we help?’ That was the day that the governor gave his first speech about it. They said, ‘We need someone to help us test.’We did the first...
How would you describe the concept of Food Is Medicine? “It should be our first line of defense. What we put into our bodies is so important as far as nutrition and nourishment. The concept of Food Is Medicine is around that — just putting the right things, like fresh fruits and vegetables, into your body. Nothing that’s processed, no GMOs, so there’s no chemicals — things that are not good for...
“I love to help people,” Darrel Wright explains of putting his passion to work as owner of Wright Way Fitness, a popular gym tucked away in Midtown. Step inside and discover the philosophies of Wright — Army vet/4-time Gold Glove boxing champ, and certified nutritionist — on motivation, preparation, and inspiration.
What are the odds that a part of Uptown will be designated by the city as an ‘entertainment’ zone and allows open-containers of alcoholic beverages?“That was something that was being actively investigated prior to COVID.Obviously, discussion got derailed. Once restrictions are lifted, we’ll examine the opportunity to carry beverages from one place to the next. There are communities that have done...
Executive Director, Historic Westville Was moving Westville from Stewart County to Columbus the right decision?“I think it was the right decision. I do. Although it was a very difficult decision, I certainly was not involved in that process at that time. As a native of Stewart County, I have complicated feelings about it, due to the development of Westville in Lumpkin and the amount of time...
Chair, Friends of Ma RaineyCommunity Liaison, Muscogee County School District Is the legacy of Ma Rainey adequately preserved and presented here in Columbus, Georgia?“We’re getting there. We’re on a journey but I do think we’re getting there.We have the house here. The movie [Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom released on Netflix in December] helped.Ma Rainey is known probably all over the world better...
Program Manager, Georgia Center for OpportunityAdmin, Columbus Community Resource Network What exactly is the Georgia Center for Opportunity?“The Georgia Center for Opportunity Is a wonderful organization. I’m so blessed to work there with people who have the heart that they have for others and the purpose that they have to make our communities better. It’s an organization that’s been around in...
Sustainable CBD powers five acres of greenhouses, geothermal heating and cooling systems, plus a CBD processing facility, on a 100-acre farm, powered completely by solar energy.