A New Legacy

In the near future, the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency will be moving to our new home at 4400 Lakeland Drive in Flowood.

Once it is complete, this state of the art facility will allow our dedicated staff to increase recovery rates in Mississippi, saving the lives of more Mississippians and helping decrease the waiting time of the more than 100,000 people on the national transplant waiting list.

Additionally, our new facility will include a Donor Memorial in tribute to the thousands of Mississippians and donor families who generously gave so that others would not experience their loss.

A New Home

Please consider saving lives and helping others through

organ, tissue and eye donation.

Register at:www.DonateLifeMS.org

F I N D I T A L L I N

MISSISSIPPI’SFAVORITE PLACE

TO LIVE,SHOP,DINE,STAYAND PLAY!

FLOWOOD!

www.flowoodchamber.com 601-932-8007

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F I N D I T A L L I N

MISSISSIPPI’SFAVORITE PLACE

TO LIVE,SHOP,DINE,STAYAND PLAY!

FLOWOOD!

www.flowoodchamber.com 601-932-8007

RankinLiving1.11:RankinLiving 12/27/10 10:04 AM Page 1

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FROM THE GROUND UP...New construction has begun on all phases of Winner’s Circle Park in Flowood.

When construction is complete the City of Flowood will reveal a new, improved,

and expanded area at Winner Circle Park. Some of the improvements will in-

clude three age specific playground areas, the additional tennis courts, added

parking, additional pavilions with picnic tables, and all playground areas will be

completely shaded. - PHOTO BY GREG PEVEY, Pevey Publishing, LLC

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COMIC CRAZE...Java Ink in Pearl is a comic collectors Mecca. It’s no longer shameful to like

comic books, Star Wars, anime or video games. ‘Nerd’ has become cool. This

subculture is now so cool and accepted that people are aspiring to be a part of

it. It’s a good time to be a geek. Comic book movies are at an all-time high with

more to come! From “The Green Latern”, “Thor”, “Iron Man” and many others,

the comic book culture is becoming a more accepted and respected medium. -

PHOTO BY GREG PEVEY, Pevey Publishing, LLC

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THUMBS UP... Pearl coach John Perry had one word to describe the Pirate’s breathtaking 27-20

overtime victory over rival Brandon on August 26. “Un-freaking-believable,”

said Perry. It was the Pirates’ second straight victory in the series, and was just

as thrilling as last year’s 27-24 overtime win. Pearl rallied from a 10-point fourth-

quarter deficit, then watched as Brandon kicker Matthew Spencer drained a

clutch 45-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to force OT.

- PHOTO BY GREG PEVEY, Pevey Publishing, LLC

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Volume 1, Issue 6

September/October 2011

Published by

Pevey Publishing, LLC

Publishers

Greg & Mendy Pevey

Guest Columnist

Gunter Pevey

Contributing Writers

Greg Pevey, Gunter Pevey,

Natalie Winningham

Contributing Photographers

Greg Pevey, Daves Highway

Advertising Sales

Greg Pevey - 601-503-7205

Mendy Pevey - 601-941-1323

Rankin Living Magazine™ is published bi-monthly by Pevey Publishing, LLC to promote Rankin County, it’s residents and businesses in an informative and positive manner. We welcome contributions of articles and photos; however, they will be subject to editing and availability of space and subject matter. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited! Return envelopes and postage must accompany all labeled materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Rankin Living Magazine are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Pevey Publishing, LLC is not affiliated with any community organization. Subscriptions are $24 (1 year, 6 issues). Make checks payable to Pevey Publishing, LLC and mail to: 405 Knights Cove West, Brandon, MS 39047 or subscribe online at www.rankinliving.com.

Pevey Publishing, llCRankin Living Magazine

405 Knights Cove West • Brandon, MS 39047Phone: 601-503-7205 • Fax: 601-992-2885

email: publisher@rankinliving.comwww.rankinliving.com

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To Contact Rankin Living > LETTERS, STORY IDEAS AND PHOTO SUBMISSIONS • Email Rankin Living at publisher@rankinliving.com or mail to Rankin Living Magazine, 405 Knights Cove West, Brandon, Mississippi 39047. Letters should include writer’s full name, address and home phone number and may be edited for clarity and space.

On the Cover: Brandon trio Daves Highway is turning heads across the music scene.

Features

Departments10 Rankin SWAG!A look at some “spook-tacular” must-have items across the County

40 On My Mind...It’s more than a game

12 14 18Contents12 A Shop Divided 30 Mississippi Organ

Recovery Agency

14 Coffee & Comics

18 Eat Here

24 Daves Highway

Rankin-based organization transforms trauma into life-saving inspiration

Java Ink: Geek haven in Pearl serves up coffee, comics, and art

Heavenly inspired Brandon siblings are making noise for God with the help of their amazing voices

shoprankinfirst!

Chapman’s Florist in Pearl heats things up in the Fall as school allegiances turn friends to rival enemies

Table 100 in Flowood offers great food and a casual environment like no other in Rankin County

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A Shop DividedChapman’s Florist in Pearl heats things up in the Fall as school allegiances turn friends into heated rivalsStory and PhotoS by GreG Pevey

On any given day you can visit Chap-man’s Florist in Pearl and you won’t notice anything unusual going on.

Joey and Steven are in the back of the shop preparing arrangements as usual. Tina is on the phone taking orders and Lisa is up front assist-ing with customers.

But that’s is where the normalcy ends. As the cool breezes of Fall start to slowly drift in there’s one thing on the minds of Lisa Hayman and Tina Williamson...college football!

These two ladies are what we call fanatics for their particular school and of course you can imagine what those two schools are. You guessed right, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Some of you are thinking “Well, my office has a mixed bag of sports fans around the build-ing also. What makes these two so special?”

“It’s the close quarters we work in,” says Wil-liamson. “This is not a very big shop and we can’t turn around in here without bumping into one another sometimes. It really gets a little chippie in here once State and Ole Miss start playing.”

Now these two ladies admit they don’t care for each others teams very much. However when it comes to getting their work done and floral arrangements they manage to get along long enough to fulfill their work duties.

“We do have one thing in common and

that’s supporting the Pearl Pirates,” states Hay-man. “But come Saturday, I go to Starkville and she goes to that school up north. Oh I just can’t even speak their name.” Lisa laughs.

Chapman’s Florist has been located on Highway 80 in Pearl for four years now after Hayman decided to move the shop from South Jackson. “I just decided it was time for me to bring the shop to Pearl and be closer to home,” Hayman recollects.

“We’ve been here for four years now and I’m glad we made the decision to come home.”

Chapman’s is situated in a great location that is easily assessable for both Pearl residents as well as Brandon. Floral arrangements are the

rankin people

Tina Williamson (left) and Lisa Hayman of Chapman’s Florists on Highway 80 in Pearl.

RANKIN LIVING - 13

top area of expertise in the shop but Chapman’s also has great seasonal gifts for the home and brings a selection of items to the area that you can’t get anywhere else.

“We’ve really worked hard to make Chap-man’s more than just a floral shop. We’ve brought in some great seasonal knickknacks for the home as well as tailgating supplies, Tyler Candles, which are very popular, and we’re one of the few stores in the County where you can buy Captain Rodney’s cooking seasonings and marinades which is a very popular product for the kitchen and grill any time of the year.”

Chapman’s Florist is one of the top flowers shops in the area for other reason too. “Sure you can get bouquets for that someone special here, but we can do so much more. We specialize in wedding arrangements, large events, and of course funerals, but I have to say we have two of the best designers here with Steven Boney and Joey Landry. These guys make it happen. They are very talented in what they do,” says Hayman.

With Mississippi State winning the last two match-ups against Ole Miss, Lisa has had bragging rights for the past two years. But that doesn’t seem to matter much with Tina.

“Oh, I still give her a hard time about being a State fan. We toss little verbal jabs at each other throughout the day and I get a few good ones in from time to time. But this year is going to be different. Ole Miss is going to take them down and she’ll hear me run my mouth about it all year long.”

Lisa comes right back at her though by say-ing, “Honey, Ole Miss can’t beat us in tiddly winks, much less in football.”

Tina gives Lisa one of her usual “yeah right” kind of looks. “We’ll see Lisa, we’ll see.”

Come November, we will. - RLM

Chapman’s is located at 3823 Hwy 80E next to Hinds Community College. You can call them at 601-936-0391 or place an order online at www.chapmansflorist.com.

(Left to right): Hayman, Joey Landry, Steven Boney and Williamson.

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Java Ink: Geek haven in Pearl serves up coffee, comics, and art

What happens when two caffeine-addicted comic book enthu-siasts who have been friends for decades decide to open a business together? Java Ink, an alternative coffee shop/comic

bookstore/pop art gallery in Pearl where, according to Louisville, MS web comic artist Andy Childress, “You can get your geek on.”

Java Ink is the brainchild of longtime friends, Paul Lancaster and Chuck Jett.

Located in the Heart of Pearl shopping center, Java Ink serves soft drinks, smoothies and a variety of coffee beverages brewed from roasted by Mississippi Coffee Company as well as baked goods, ice cream and packaged snacks. A new store front was recently built to provide a more spacious, comfortable sitting area. The shop also offers free Wi-Fi to its customers. Just beyond the coffee counter is the comic area, which is well organized and diverse. The art gallery, where many of the shop’s events take place, features pop art and horror and is situated at the back of the store.

“When we opened Java Ink it was with the intention of creating a haven for people like us who enjoy horror and sci-fi films along with the comics and fantasy books, gaming or anything that falls under that banner,” says Lancaster. “There really is no other place for us to go and be with like minded people to watch movies and discuss them while sipping on a nice cup of Rob Zombie’s or David Lynch’s coffee. I think Chuck and I have been successful in reaching that goal now we are just simply expanding on it.”

“We didn’t really invent anything new here,” adds Jett. “The unique-ness lies in the mixture of products, atmosphere, and activities. We have built a diverse and modular pop-culture environment that changes with the wants and whims of the customer base. We offer a gourmet espresso shop, a comic book store, an art gallery, a conference room, arts classes, craft classes and a wide range of events from paranormal research group events to sci-fi and manga fan clubs. We constantly strive to create an atmosphere where people want to ‘hang out.’”

Jett, a talented sketch artist and pop art enthusiast, oversees the coffee shop and handles the marketing, publicity, special events, the art gallery and art sales and, in his spare time, mixes new concoctions for the espres-so bar. Lancaster, who prefers straight shots of espresso, is a long-time horror and comic book aficionado and is in charge of ordering inventory and keeping up with customers’ subscriptions in addition to doing the bookwork, managing the office, and grading and purchasing of all old comics or other items brought into the store. The business partners col-laborate on changes and additions to the shop.

Jett and Lancaster know the industry well and both have long histories as comic book collectors. “Well, I have very few books from my child-hood that are in any recognizable condition,” Jet admits. “It’s not that I didn’t love them; I just never took care of them. Now, I am a ‘Low-Brow’

artist and I’m proud of it. Fantasy, horror, science-fiction, comic-related and pop icons are what I paint and draw, but,” he reflects, “I really wish I still had all those Savage Sword of Conan issues I tore up back in the 70s.”

“My parents always liked scary movies and such so I remember them allowing me to watch the first Night Stalker movie when it premiered on ABC in 1971,” Lancaster recalls. “I was four years old and it had a vampire in it so my love of that genre began right then and there. I still have every comic I bought from the late 70s until now.” As a result, Lan-caster knows his horror comic history, an area of expertise that comes in handy at Java Ink.

“We feature horror comics from many different time periods start-ing with a reprint edition of E.C. Comics Shock Suspense Stories from the 50’s in a leather bound edition signed by Al Feldstein who is one of the creators of E.C. Comics,” says Lancaster. “This is limited to only 300 copies and we have one right here in Pearl. Next, we move up to the late 60’s and 70’s with Tales from the Tomb, Creepy, Eerie, Psycho, Nightmare, and Vampirella. As far as stuff from 2011 goes, I would say some of my best sellers are horror titles such as Hack/Slash, Night of

Coffee & ComicsSTORY BY NATALIE WINNINGHAMPHOTOS BY GREG PEvEY

rankin ART

RANKIN LIVING - 15

the Living Dead, Crossed, Hellraiser, Severed, 68, Vampirella—yep she is still around—Locke and Key, Buffy, and Hellboy all sell very well.”

The gallery specializes in non-traditional art, pop art, horror and science-fiction. “We like to feature as many local artists as we can,” Lan-caster explains. “Our gallery is called The Night Gallery for a reason though. We mainly feature horror, pop art, and other out-of-the-ordinary stuff. You won’t find any paintings of pots with flowers in them here.”

Jett elaborates, “We have some Chelsea Sekanic art and several pieces by Kelly Var-ner in the gallery. I also have pieces from sev-eral other area artists as well as a mid career piece from Rob Prior who is a world famous fantasy illustrator. Rob Prior has been an in-novator of photo-realistic airbrush art, created all the masks for the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has created hundreds of comic book covers and has created covers for Heavy Metal magazine and is a very collectible art-ist. The piece we have here was created for the Origins Game Fair in 1993 in Dallas. This was when and where the now popular Magic the Gathering trading card game was introduced.”

One of The Night Gallery’s featured artists and loyal patrons is Andy B. Childress, who publishes his work daily to bubbaworldcomix.com. “I love the collection of artists and writ-ers and even the paranormal groups that usu-ally are attending events at Java Ink,” Childress enthuses. “I live two hours away so it’s hard to show up regularly, but I make an effort to show up for a writers’ and sketchers’ Wednesday night just to hang out. I also enjoy the shows and signings in the back room where I’m usu-ally a featured artist. Shane Sullivan is a friend of mine who writes and helps me with one of my many projects, a horror graphic novel series, and he comes to the shows when he can.”

Java Ink has become a destination place for many residents in the area as well due, in part, to the free activities the shop hosts each week. On Tuesday evenings, the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) has a historical craft night. Each Wednesday, the Sketch Club and Writers’ Club meet. Thursday evening is gam-ing night and features board games, role play-ing games and card games. Movies are shown on both Friday and Saturday nights in the art gallery. On Sundays, the shop hosts Konami-approved Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournaments. “We also have random bouts of Rock Band gaming on our movie screen via the X-Box 360, digital projector and surround sound system,” says Jett.

Coming up in October, Java Ink has part-nered with Edward Saint Pe’ and The Missis-sippi Film Institute to bring Horror Fest to the second annual Mississippi International Film Festival from October 21-23. “The main MFI festival will be in the planetarium,” says Jett. “The horror fest will take place primarily in the Arts Center Building adjacent to the Russell C. Davis Planetarium. I am excited and have a

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great bunch of horror authors, artists and para-normal research groups and other guests and a few surprises for the horror fans of Mississippi. I have created horror events before Java Ink and have incorporated my previous event planning with my partner Paul’s love of horror to create an even greater horror event which is certain to please all guests and will include a nice costume contest.”

The pair is also working on a Steampunk Christmas event for December, but details are still pending.

While Jett and Lancaster work together and have many things in common, business part-nerships between longtime friends can result in tense moments. These two are no exception.

“While Chuck and I do disagree on certain things,” Lancaster confesses, “probably the big-gest would be which show was better: Star Trek or Dr. Who.”

Jett elaborates, “While we both love and re-spect Star Trek and Doctor Who, I find that Doctor Who was—and still is—the most in-telligently written ongoing sci-fi franchise ever and is my favorite televised science fiction show. Paul would argue that Gene Roddenberry was a genius (and rightly so) and Star Trek is the best science fiction franchise ever.

“Both franchises have gone through their extremely low budget phase and are now heav-ily funded,” he acknowledges. “I just still think Doctor Who is generally more mentally chal-lenging than any of the concepts brought about by Star Trek.”

“While I do like Dr. Who, I feel it pales when compared to what Star Trek did for Sci-ence Fiction,” Lancaster counters. “Star Trek is almost a billion dollar a year industry unto itself which shows just how much more popular than Dr. Who it is and how much more it has ac-complished. And oh,” he clarifies, “I have never owned a uniform, so I am not one of those Trekkies who dresses up.”

The two friends whole-heartedly agree on one aspect of the horror genre, though. “We both hate the modern incarnation of what I like to call ‘Glampires.’” Jett explains. “These are the walk-around-in-the-daylight variety of vampires that are an abomination of nature and a perversion of all vampire lore. If you sparkle in the daylight instead of bursting into flames,” he plainly states, “you are not a vampire.”

Clearly, the two friends are opinionated when it comes to their hobbies and feel for-tunate that they have been able to turn their shared interests in comics, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and coffee into productive careers.

“Chuck and I consider ourselves innovators because,” Lancaster concludes, “we are the only comic book shop in the area that has gourmet coffee, ice cream, events every week, an art gal-lery, writer’s and sketcher’s clubs, fencing les-sons given by the SCA, and an all around won-derful, relaxing atmosphere where you can just hang out and enjoy yourself…”

“…and,” quips Jett, “fly your geek flag high!” - RLM

Top: Paul Lancaster hard at work. Below: Paul as a kid holding one of his first comic books in 1971. Paul still has this comic today.

RANKIN LIVING - 17

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Table 100 in Flowood offers great food and a casual environment like no other in Rankin County

Eat Here

local FlAVoR

Story AND PHotoS By GrEG PEVEy

(Left to right) Bill Latham, Chef Mike Römhild, and Al Roberts

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W ith the growth the City of Flo-wood has undergone in the past several years, it’s surprising that a

fine dining establishment had not moved into the area during that time. Sure, there are a few higher-end chain restaurants you can go to and enjoy, but nothing that you would call “fine-dining”.

That all changed last April when Bill Latham and Al Roberts opened the new Table 100 lo-cated at 100 Ridge Way off Lakeland Drive.

Table 100 offers dishes from steak, seafood and pasta to specialty burgers, sandwiches and desserts. Also available is a fully stocked wine cellar and a full bar and cocktail area.

Table 100 is not your average restaurant. First of all it is locally owned and operated by restaurateurs Latham and Roberts. Two Mis-sissippians who have been in the food and bev-erage business for over 30 years.

You may have heard of their other popular restaurants from around the area Scrooge’s, Amerigo’s, and Babalu just to name a few. Most recently they have brought the very popular Five Guys Burgers to the Jackson/Metro area.

So what’s the big deal about Table 100?Along with Flowood’s growth, the hotel

business has grown with leaps and bounds. And that means more travelers are coming to the city for business functions and conventions. These people were looking for a place to dine

while in town and the demand from the local residents of the County also called for a place to “get away from the norm” so to speak.

“We knew Flowood had a need for a restau-rant the caliber of Table 100. All these places already in the area filled a niche for the people

here, but there was still a void and what we of-fer here at Table 100 fills that need for people living in the community,” says Latham.

Another big draw to Table 100 is that you don’t have to wear your Sunday best to enjoy a great meal. Now don’t expect to walk into Table

“Table 100”, pictured here, was hand crafted by famous local woodworker Greg Harkins

Pan Seared Destin Redfish: Sun-dried tomato and farm fresh zucchini Risotto, Louisiana Crawfish Ragout with Sweet Chili Beurre Blanc.

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100 in your cutoff shorts and flip-flops either. The business casual dress adds to the relaxed atmosphere the restaurant offers.

“We don’t really consider this fine dining. It’s more of an up-scale casual restaurant.” says Latham. “Our menu is not too high-end. But you get fresh ‘from scratch’ food from our menu. We have our own herb garden out back and we use locally grown produce in all of our recipes. We have developed a great relationship with the local farmers in our area.”

“We also wanted to go in the direction of more chef driven restaurants. We have four great chefs here at Table 100. Executive Chef Mike Römhild is from Germany and has been all over the world learning new and exciting cooking techniques and dishes we can offer our guests. The quality of our food really drives the success of the restaurant.” says Roberts.

Roberts goes on to say that they have people coming here three or four times a week since opening in April of 2011. People appreciate the quality of the food and love that the prices are cheaper than what they thought it would be.

Another great attribute that Table 100 offers is it’s extensive wine selection. All the wines available are all made at American wineries. General manager Paul Ruiter keeps their wine list at the top in the Metro area.

“One of our most popular events we have here is our wine tasting classes and cooking schools. We also plan to start up a wine dinner

in the near future. We had over 70 people show up for our first event recently and had to move it to a larger room here. The chef prepares a four or five dish meal and we teach people which wines go with each entree,” says Latham.

“We plan on having these events at least once a month. If people are interested they can go our website www.eathere.com and sign up to be on our mailing list and stay up to date with the events we will be having here at the

restaurant.” says Latham.Although the food speaks for itself, there is

one other unique feature to the restaurant. “We have one particular table here that is ac-

tually called “Table 100”. The table and chairs were made by local craftsman Greg Harkins who has made rocking chairs for every Presi-dent since Jimmy Carter. When we started planing the restaurant I called Greg and told him we needed something special for the res-

Table 100 Burger: Grilled Neola Farms Angus beef, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Fried Farm Egg, Dijon Aioli, Smoked Tomatoes and House Cut Chips.

Private dining for groups or meetings is available at Table 100

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taurant. I told him the name we were using and that we needed a unique table which we would call ‘Table 100’. What Harkins did was make ‘Ta-ble 100’ from the same wood he used to make the rocking chair for Presi-dent George W. Bush. It came from an old tree that was blown down during Hurricane Katrina. ‘Table 100’ is the one table in the restaurant you can reserve.”

Although the restaurant is the main draw to people in the area, it is also part of the convention center located next door.

Property marketing manager Kim Clinton and her banquet manager Susan Gore work in conjunction with Table 100 by planning corporate meetings and other large events and work with you to make your event a worry-free affair.

“We offer over 4,900 square feet of meeting space which can be broken up into three separate meeting spaces or we can open it up into one huge ballroom,” says Clinton.

“We can hold any type of event from weddings, meetings, bridal show-ers, parties, we can do it all. And if the ballroom is not available we have two other meeting spaces behind the restaurant that can fit your needs. We can sit from 25 people up to 250 very comfortably. We can also seat over 300 people in a theatre style arrangement.”

From food, flowers, linens, to projectors, screens, stages, lighting and even booking your entertainment, the event crew at the convention cen-ter can handle most any size affair you can bring their way.

Also, when planning your event keep in mind that the food you order will also be prepared by the executive chef and his staff next door at Table 100.

With the amazing menu available at Table 100 and the amenities next door at the convention center, you cannot go wrong. Flowood finally has a place to dine and hold your corporate event or party, which would be tough to beat anywhere else in the Metro area. - RLM

Meeting rooms are another great feature at Table 100

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Your ad will be seen in Rankin Living Magazine. Call today to reserve your space in the November/December issue at

601-503-7205 or email us at publisher@rankinliving.com.

rankinL I V I N G

Your business could

have beenseen right

here!

RANKIN LIVING - 23

Advertise your BusinessthroughoutRankin County

405 KNIGHTS COVE WESTBRANDON, MS 39047

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November/December Issue at 601-503-7205

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They really are just an average family, with a compelling need

to draw people in for the right reasons.

They really are just an average family, with a compelling need

to draw people in for the right reasons.

RANKIN LIVING - 25

Daves Highway

The Daves family is your average, everyday family with a mom, a dad, and three children. The children’s names are Erika (13), Zachary (15),

and Delaney (16) and they are not quite that average. From a young age the Daves children had shared a vivacious inclination towards singing and were very good at it. One day their father had the idea to record them singing one of their fa-vorite songs “Jesus Messiah” and, from a random fluke of luck, posted the video on YouTube. Little did they know that this would be the moment that their lives would change forever.

Now, Daves Highway did not start out as a band in their parent’s garage, they actually were not even a band until a few years ago. In fact, when they went to the state fair one year, Erika; Zachary; and Delaney, each signed up to participate in the talent show by them-selves. Erika took home the number one spot that year, but the year after they signed up together and took home the trophy as a family.

They began singing for their local church (Meadow Grove Baptist Church) on Wednes-days to enjoy their musical talents with oth-ers that they hang out with. They knew they

needed a name for their group though, and since they knew that they wanted the message of God to be one of their key focal points, and also wanted their family name in it, they had to come up with something clever. Thus, Daves Highway came to be, because the Daves want to show the world that “God’s way is the high-way,” states Zachary.

Shortly after posting their video online in 2009 they received thousands of views and received notice from the prominent Christian musician who wrote “Jesus Messiah”, Chris Tomlin, who posted the video to his blog

Heavenly inspired Brandon siblings are making noise for God with the help of their amazing voices

Story By GUNtEr PEVEy / PHotoS CoUrtESy DArryL DAVES

C O v E R S T O R Y

where it got even more attention. Chris Tom-lin is an extremely popular Christian musician that, as Mr. Daves has said, “is always talked about whenever Christian music is discussed.” Ironically, the Daves were on vacation while all of this was happening, so when they got an e-mail saying their video made it to Chris’ blog, they were a little surprised. They were also the

topic on a local radio station “K-love” which they were also unable to listen to while on vacation.

About a year ago Daves Highway actually got to perform with Chris at a con-cert in Tennessee. He called them out to sing with him and, nervously, they went out and sang “Jesus Mes-siah” for a crowd of at least ten thousand people. Being the biggest performance they had done so far, a case of the jitters (as seen in their video on their website DavesHigh-way.com) is fully justifiable.

Being an internet sensa-tion had caused them to begin receiving a lot of at-tention from lots of people wanting to pay for their tal-

ents to be used at various events. The biggest hit they got came from Nashville from a na-tionally recognized Christian producer Char-lie Peacock (Grammy award winner) who sent an email asking for Daves Highway to record

(Left to Right) Erika, Zachary, and Delaney

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RANKIN LIVING - 27

a record at his label company. Naturally, they obliged his request and they actually have a new CD coming out this September.

During our interview with the Daves we were actually curious as to why they didn’t try their talents on American Idol or America’s Got Talent. Surely their abilities would have gotten them a good deal of attention and pos-sibly even first prize, but after driving out to Dallas one day to try out for America’s Got Talent, they decided it just wasn’t for them. Also, the line was much too long.

Now a little more on the stars themselves; Daves Highway does not play with a band. They are mostly acoustic and the only music

they play they handle on their own, except for those few times that their mom and dad played with them, but I digress. Their musical talents are not only limited to singing and guitar, they actually can play many instruments ranging from mandolins to bass. However, while they all may be child prodigies and whatnot, the mastermind behind the lyrics is mostly the youngest Daves sibling, Erika. “We all try to contribute, but Erika is the one that is good with words.” Zachary says all too perfectly.

Daves Highway also does not want to pi-geonhole themselves into the Christian genre of music. They like country, Christian, pop, and the like; and they love spreading the word

of God, but they do not want to limit their demographic to only Christian music enthusi-asts. They want everyone who enjoys music to be able to listen to theirs and not feel like they are trying to shove Christianity down their throats. “We want to be a band of Christians, not a Christian band.” states Zachary.

Their influences seem to support their view from the Christian (Chris Tomlin), to the pre-teen pop ( Justin Bieber). Their inspirational bands/artists also include Taylor Swift, Little Big Town, The Eagles, Carrie Underwood, and the like. “Justin Bieber is just a big influence for young artists.” claims Delaney. Zachary preferred not to comment on the matter, and this writer will adhere to his right to privacy.

Now, these kids may be internet sensations and soon-to-be superstars, but they are still just teenagers with their own social needs and personal lives that do not revolve around sing-ing all the time. “During the summer we prac-tice when we have a performance coming up…and that’s about it.” Erika explains with a bit of caution (her parents are right behind her). They are normal kids and they have friends that support them and spend time away from each other despite their seeming inseparable-ness. The only difference between the Daves family and your family is that their kids are on their way to being music stars.

Also, just like everyone else, they have dreams. Delaney wants to sing on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Zachary wants to perform in Madison Square Garden, and Erika has no idea what she wants. You see, they are just nor-mal teenagers. Their main goal for their career, though, is to just enjoy themselves while they spread the word of God to those who are will-ing to listen. This is a very noble goal that will always be there for them and will always give them reasoning for their actions.

The funny thing about the Daves is that they had never used YouTube prior to uploading their video that one fateful day. They really are just an average family, “…with a compelling need to draw people in for the right reasons.” said Mr. Daves, referring to their religious be-liefs. The Daves children were just conscious Christians who loved to sing and their dad no-ticed a YouTube sticker on their new camera one day. Its funny how things work out some-times isn’t it?

Daves Highway is a very talented group of teenagers that are so close with each other that one cannot be thought of without the others. Family, God, and being good people are very visibly their core values, and it is so rare to find people like this in the world today. Erika, Zachary, and Delaney are just normal teenag-ers with good heads on their shoulders, lungs of iron in their chest, and their sights set for the stars. May God be with them for all of their future endeavors, and may their CD be with your collection this September. - RLM

28 - RANKIN LIVING

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Just weeks before Monica Long’s short life ended suddenly, the ten-year-old made a very grown-up decision.* “She watched a show where the dad needed a heart and he didn’t get it in time,” recalls

her mother, Stephanie Long, “so his daughter made a memorial garden in their yard. When it went off, she said, ‘Mom, I want to donate my organs when I die.’”

It is poignant stories like Monica’s that in-fluenced Kevin Stump, CEO of the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA), to choose a career in organ donation and transplantation. Originally from Oklahoma, Stump remembers a similar event that occurred 23 years ago, “as if it just happened,” he says. “I was working at one of the hospitals in Oklahoma City as a part time transplant coordinator. I was also the one who got the organ transplant procedure started. One weekend, I was on call and we had a young man who was waiting for a heart transplant,” Stump explains. “This gentleman was about 35 years old—young wife, two kids—and he was on the waiting list. He coded that morning.

“As the person on call that weekend, I put out an urgent call to all the national organ banks: Critical need for a heart. We never got a call back, and I sat there and watched him die. I was the one who had to tell the wife that we never found him a heart. And I vowed right then and there that I would do everything I could do to make sure that it never happened again. I wish I could say that we are at that point, but of course, we’re not. But, that’s when I decided I

wanted to go over to the donation side.” “If you go through the grief that someone

goes through when they lose a loved one, and you have the chance to make someone else well or keep them alive, it’s kind of uplifting,” says Monica’s father, Sidney Long. “It’s almost as if there’s a part of your child or your loved one that lives on.”

This is the aspect of organ donation that MORA promotes: organ donation saves lives.

MORA, which is currently located on River Bend Place in Flowood, works with hospitals, families and communities to coordinate the organ recovery process and to support and edu-cate people on the benefits of organ donation.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” Stump says. “For example, many people think that their loved ones cannot have open-casket funerals if they donate everything, but that’s not true. If a person’s body is in a condition that would allow for an open-casket funeral prior to any organ recovery, the person would still be able to have an open-casket funeral after organ recovery. It would not change anything about the funeral arrangements.”

Some believe that carrying a signed donor card may negatively impact the quality of their medical care and that the hospital will value their organs more than their health. MORA directly addresses this concern in the FAQs

Mississippi organ recovery Agency

Story by NAtALIE WINNINGHAM PHotoS by GrEG PEvEy

Rankin-based organization transforms trauma into life-saving inspiration

rankin CoMMUNITY

CEO Kevin Stump outside the future home of MORA located on Lakeland Drive.

RANKIN LIVING - 31

section of its website at www.msora.org, “Or-gan and tissue recovery takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been legally declared. The doc-tors working to save your life are entirely sepa-rate from the medical team that would be in-volved in recovering your organs and tissues.”

Many families object on religious grounds, but this is another myth. “All religions sup-port donation,” Stump emphasizes. “One of the founding principles of Christianity is helping your fellow man, so what better way to make your last act on this earth count than by helping someone else through a life-changing organ or tissue donation? As I was being raised in the church, I was always taught that, when I get to heaven, I will get my heavenly body and I can be 6-foot-6, and they can take everything out of this body to help someone else, because I won’t need this one anymore.”

Financial reasons may also prevent a family from considering donation, but organ donation does not cost the donating family anything. Any fees associated with organ donation are transferred to the hospital and the transplant recipients’ families, their insurance providers or Medicare.

Another reason more people overlook organ donation is that they simply do not understand the need. Chuck Stinson, Community Out-reach Manager for MORA, says this is one of the biggest barriers to donation in Mississippi, “People don’t realize how many out there are in need or the impact it can have on others’ lives. There are over 100,000 people waiting for a life-changing organ transplant in the United States. Eighteen of those people die every day, but every 12 minutes, another person is added to the waiting list. The need is real,” he states.

Misunderstanding of what happens be-fore, during and after organ recovery may also contribute to a person’s reluctance to consider organ donation. In addition to informing the public, another of MORA’s functions is to fa-cilitate the organ recovery process.

It begins when a hospital notifies MORA that a patient is about to undergo tests to deter-mine brain activity for the purpose of assessing brain death. If a pronouncement of brain death is made, MORA begins its work. “We will go to the hospital and review the patient’s chart to make sure there is nothing that would rule the patient out for donation,” Stump explains. “If the patient can donate organs, a family care specialist sits down with the family and works closely with them to discuss their options. If the patient was already on a donor registry, we make sure the family understands what the procedure entails.

“The next step is lab tests,” Stump contin-ues. “We do echo cardiograms for the heart, bronchoscopes to check out the lungs and other tests. Then, we gather all that informa-tion and send it through the waiting list to see who might match up to this donor. Blood type

is the number one indexes to determine com-patibility. For heart, lung and liver, there must be height and weight compatibility. The com-puter sends out this information to all potential recipients.” A national system has been estab-lished to guarantee that donor organs will be fairly distributed throughout the United States.

“The next thing is we electronically notify the hospitals to tell them we have an organ available and to please notify us if they can ac-cept it or not. Then, they start going down the list of available organs until we get everything placed that the family wants to donate or that functions well enough to be donated,” Stump notes. “Then, we go into the surgical aspect of it where the organs are removed and taken back to the transplanting hospitals and are trans-planted. After everything is done, we send out family letters to let them know what their pre-cious decision has done to impact the lives of different people.”

When Gary McInnis died unexpectedly on January 1, 2007, he was 14 years old.* “The spir-it is what’s going to live on, but the heart and other parts of the body can help somebody else live on,” says his father, Gary McInnis, Sr. “He saved five lives: his heart, his liver, his kidney and his pancreas.”

One of the lives he saved was Ron Bran-son’s, who received McInnis’ heart on January 2, 2007. “I thought my time was done and I was ready to go,” says Branson. “Heart problems ran in my family. My dad died at 44 from heart re-lated problems. My mother died at 55. I don’t know what those reasons were, but for some reason, the Lord decided that [Gary McInnis] was going to make a contribution in another way. And I have to prove every day that I am worthy of that.”

“I know my son would be very proud and very happy to know that his heart is in Ron Branson,” says the elder McInnis. “I remember those words daily,” says Branson, “and I made a commitment to them that I’m going to spend every day of the rest of my life doing something good for somebody.”

MORA hopes to better facilitate these life-saving donations with its new facility on Lake-land Drive in Flowood. About five years ago, the Board of Directors and I began discussing plans for a new facility,” Stump. “We bought some land and began designing a facility to build there. Then, in January, we saw that the old Howard Willson Mazda dealership had closed and was up for sale, and we felt like it was a better option both financially and loca-tion wise, so we purchased that land. We are just about done with the renovation plan. We hope to start the renovations in September and be in the building in March of 2012.”

In addition to office space and medical sup-ply storage, the first phase of construction will also include a 3,200 square foot meeting room that will be made available to community orga-nizations at no charge. “That is one way that we

can go about making sure people know that we are a part of the community,” explains Stump. “Every day, we ask people to give to us to help others. This is one way we can give back.”

The second phase of construction will in-clude an on site surgical facility and donor trib-ute garden. The addition of the surgical rooms will shorten the organ recovery process. “We will not move a person until both the family and the hospital is ok with it,” Stump details. “Once the family has given their consent, we will move the donor to our facility.

“Doing on site organ recovery will mean two things. First of all, we won’t disrupt the hospi-tals’ busy OR schedule. Currently, all organ re-covery procedures must be done in a hospital’s operating rooms on very short notice. Secondly, this will improve logistics,” he continues. “In-stead of loading ten people on a plane to fly them around the state, we will bring the donor to us. For example, if a heart transplant is go-ing to be done at UMC, the donor organs are five minutes away as opposed to two hours or more.”

As a non-profit organization, MORA also relies on volunteers to help families, educate the public and participate in fund-raisers. “MORA engages in a variety of community outreach programs,” says Stinson, Community Outreach Manager. “Much of our work is done through health fairs. Some of our outreach is done through churches. We have a booth at the Mississippi State Fair to raise awareness and also host a golf tournament. “April is National Donate Life month, and we have a picnic and welcome volunteers to be a part of that as well.

“It’s not a conversation you have every day,” Stinson acknowledges, “but when you are in this line of work and start to see the impact that organ donation has on families on both sides, it really is a humbling experience. The most in-spiring thing I have found is the donor stories. During what is some of the most tragic times of their lives, with a loved one dying traumati-cally or unexpectedly, they make the decision to save or change someone else’s life. And in that time of grieving and great despair, what is amazing to me is the kind of joy that they find by passing on a part of their loved one so that someone else can live.”

To get involved with MORA, individuals can call the Community Outreach depart-ment at any of MORA’s four offices around the state or contact Becky Pierson at the MORA Flowood office at (601) 933-1000. To register as an organ donor, inform the reviewer at the Department of Motor Vehicles when renewing a driver’s license, sign up at a health fair or go to http://www.donatelifems.org/ and click on Enroll. - RLM

*Testimonies of the Long and McInnis families were taken from MORA’s Donate Life Missis-sippi videos, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/donatelifems.

32 - RANKIN LIVING

{ON MY MIND...} B.K. SANCHEZ

Guest ColumnistIt’s more than a game...

Rankin County is a funny place these days. With so much growth in the area the people are chang-ing. Sure, you still have families that have been in the area for decades. Those families formed

the county from the ground up and are the forefather’s that made the area what it is today.

I have lived here 20 years now and during this time the area has grown at an amazing rate. New people are moving in from all over the Metro area and areas from across the state. And that’s what got me thinking about this column. Rankin County has become a melting pot with so many transplanted people with different backgrounds. No one re-ally has anything in common.

I went to watch the Brandon/Pearl football game recently and what I saw there made me think “this is what community is all about.”

For one night everyone forgot what was going on in the world and congregated at the Brandon High School field and united for one common cause. Supporting their kids and taking pride in where they live. Bragging rights were on the line for a whole year. The home side was decked out in red and black and the visitors in their blue and gold. The stadium was packed and people were lined along the fences just to get a peek.

Rivalries like these help keep a communi-ty strong. For one night you sit together with your extended family. You talk to the people sitting beside you, who you’ve probably never met before, and leave the game with new friends.

Communities like Pearl, Brandon, even Florence, Pelahatichie, and Puckett take their football seri-ously. It’s a way of life. The concept of towns shutting down on Friday nights to go to the games is a reality in these communities.

In some small towns, the high school is the only gathering spot for the community, so football includes so much more than just the players on the field. It’s a Friday night social event and if you’re not there you’ve missed out.

Even if you’re not a football fan you go to the games to support the local kids. They work hard every week to take the field on Friday night to prove that their town is better than yours. On Friday nights college rivals take off their maroon and white and red and blues glasses and they focus their sup-port on the local high school team. They stand side by side and cheer for a common cause.

As a player, there is nothing like walking into the stadium

from the locker room and hearing your hometown fans cheering you onto the field. These kids may not play a down of football after their high school careers and this is some-thing they will remember the rest of their lives. Friday night is that one night a week where they are the stars. Hearing 8,000 people cheering for you is an amazing feeling. For that one night the kids are the main attraction.

High school football stays in the family for generations. Grandfathers, dads, cousins, brothers are all a part of the tradition of each school. The pageantry also plays a major role at the event. From the band playing the fight song to the cheerleaders firing up the crowd, there is no spectacle like a local Friday night at the stadium.

This years game between Brandon and Pearl lived up to

the hype. The emotions of both sides went up and down like a roller coaster at the state fair. Brandon took a lead into the fourth quarter, but Pearl fought back to take the lead with just under a minute remaining. The Bulldogs did not give up either and made a last second field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime for a second straight year. Can it get any better than that?

By now we all know the outcome of that game. As always, someone has to win and someone has to lose. But in high school football all these kids are winners.

No other sport brings a community together like football. So get to the stadium on Friday night and not only show support for the kids involved, but show that you support your hometown.

Some people say football in the South is a religion. There’s no doubt that is true in Rankin County. - RLM

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RANKIN LIVING - 33

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