The Transformative Trail: Dr. Sunit Singhal’s Journey to Wellness
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The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) kicked off the new year by awarding its final donation of 2022 to the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence (NHSFE). At the January Business After Hours event, the nonprofit received a $500 check to help it further its mission of supporting students by bridging the gap between state and county funding.
NHSFE plays a pivotal role in generating the funds and resources necessary to cultivate the level of excellence and education desired for all students at Norcross High School (NHS) in the areas of academics, arts, and athletics. Established in 2001, the foundation has helped more than 2,700 students and raised more than $2.6 million.
Co-presidents Tiffany Ellner and Erin Griffin accepted the funds on behalf of the foundation.
“We are so thankful for the Peachtree Corners Business Association. One of the very special things about Norcross High School is the community, and the support that we have from our business association is a huge part of that,” said Ellner. “We have really benefited from the partnership.”
She added that the opportunities that exist right in Peachtree Corners with Technology Park and other economic drivers are the perfect incentives to keep the talent of local students at home.
“I think about myself and my neighbor two doors down who are Norcross High School graduates who chose to stay here. We chose to have our children in this community and be involved and to see the continued support. And we know that there are opportunities for my children and the students around them to come in and stay here as well,” she said.
PCBA President Lisa Proctor also announced the charities it will be contributing to this year.
“We’re really excited about the three charities that we’re raising money for this year,” said Proctor as she encouraged members to renew memberships, register for events and invite others to join.
“You’re gonna hear me begging a lot for that this year,” she said. “For those of you who’ve never been here before, one of the things we have is the privilege …as business owners and business leaders in the community, to give back and participate in the community in a meaningful way. One of the things that I applaud the Business Association for doing is, 10 years ago, they created an Outreach Committee.”
PCBA raises funds to donate to nonprofits through memberships and sponsorships, Proctor added.
“We take a portion of those dollars, and we take the dollars from our annual charity event and donate those back to the community,” she said. “We’ve been able to fund 15 scholarships over the last 10 years. …We’ve donated $128,600 to our community, and we’re very proud. It’s not because any one person did it, but it’s what we’ve done as a community.”
The PCBA scholarship program is now open and accepting applications through March 8. The application and details are online at peachtreecornersba.com/community-outreach.
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Arlinda Smith Broady is part of the Boomerang Generation of Blacks that moved back to the South after their ancestors moved North. With approximately three decades of journalism experience (she doesn't look it), she's worked in tiny, minority-based newsrooms to major metropolitans. At every endeavor she brings professionalism, passion, pluck, and the desire to spread the news to the people.
For more than two decades, Dr. Sunit Singhal has been a member of the Peachtree Corners community. In February 2001, he opened Suburban Medical Center, making a significant contribution to community healthcare. Under his leadership, the medical center has expanded, notably by introducing Suburban Med Spa next door.
A 1988 graduate of the University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, Dr. Singhal furthered his expertise in the United States, completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Harlem Hospital Center in New York.
An awakening at the Grand Canyon
A few years ago, the 60-year-old physician had an eye-opening moment about his own health. Most of his life was spent being overweight, which he accepted and managed the best he could.
“It’s not a secret that I was overweight. Anyone could see it; it’s how I was my whole life,” said Dr. Singhal.
The pivotal moment for Dr. Singhal was his attempt to join friends on a hike at the Grand Canyon a few years back. Despite his determination, Dr. Singhal was unprepared for the hike’s demands.
“I thought, okay, I will meet my friends one-third of the way down the canyon from the opposite end. That way, I can keep up with them towards the end of the hike,” he shared.
Even starting much later, Dr. Singhal struggled greatly with the hike. He experienced knee pain, breathlessness, and exhaustion. His struggle not only slowed him down but also his friends, who had been hiking for an additional 12 hours before he joined them.
The ordeal ended in the middle of a cold night, leading to a physically taxing recovery period that left Dr. Singhal sore for days.
Despite the arduous experience at the Grand Canyon, Dr. Singhal didn’t retire his hiking boots. Feeling motivated to conquer the obstacle, he began walking long miles with friends to get into shape.
A few months later, the call of the canyon echoed again, and friends proposed a new challenge: hiking from the South Rim to the river and back. While less daunting than their previous endeavor, the task was intimidating.
“This time, I was able to make the hike without holding anyone back,” he shared. Dr. Singhal already saw the difference his efforts were making.
His triumphs over physical and mental barriers were clear and exciting. Dr. Singhal’s return to the canyon increased his resilience and personal growth.
Conquering Kilimanjaro: a test of determination
Following a series of hikes through the Grand Canyon as his health improved, Dr. Singhal and his hiking group set their sights on Mount Kilimanjaro. They regularly engaged in 10-mile hikes each week to prepare for the trek.
“It was never on our minds to simply skip or cut the hike short because we didn’t feel like it that day,” Dr. Singhal said. Even family members occasionally joined, keeping pace with the senior group with varying success.
When the time arrived for their Kilimanjaro quest, they needed to identify the number of days their group would need to complete it.
“There are different levels you can choose for hikes. If you are very athletic, the 5-day hike is for you. It goes all the way up to 9 days if you need to go slowly,” Dr. Singhal explained.
The friends chose the six-day option. It seemed like a good balance of their confidence in their fitness coupled with a conservative approach. Yet, they completed the ascent in five days.
“We couldn’t believe we finished at such a quick pace. We weren’t straining ourselves to do it. It was the natural pace we wanted to go, and we finished with the group we viewed as the most fit and athletic.”
Mount Everest on the horizon
The hiking group isn’t resting on their laurels, though. The crew continues to meet and train for their next goal, climbing Mount Everest.
“There’s a lottery to be accepted to climb. We entered and are hoping to be selected for a hike this fall,” Dr. Singhal shared. When asked if he felt intimidated about this potential hike, he confidently replied, “No, not really.”
The team of friends will hear this summer if they are selected to climb.
Dr. Singhal’s health journey is the perfect example of the potential for change at any stage of life. It also highlights the importance of self-care, perseverance and pursuing one’s goals, regardless of the starting point.
His patients can rest easily. He isn’t walking away from his practice for the mountains full-time. Dr. Singhal is committed to his practice and patients. He firmly believes and displays that personal improvement and professional dedication can coexist harmoniously.
“I want my patients to know that I am equally dedicated to being here for them and their own health journeys.” When he’s not hitting the trails, Dr. Singhal can be found spending time with his family in Duluth or at his practice in Peachtree Corners.
What started 20 years ago with two Texas moms looking for ways to get their sons involved in community service projects while spending quality time together turned into the Young Men’s Service League (YSML).
The national organization has dozens of chapters in 20 states, including Georgia.
Peachtree Corners mom, Heather Fleming, heard of a chapter in the northeast part of metro Atlanta, but it was pretty much at capacity.
“The way the chapters work is each class can only have around 30 boys,” she said.
“The more people you have in your chapter, the harder it might be for people to get hours in and just managing that number of people [can be difficult],” she added.
Taking matters into her own hands
Fleming partnered with another mom whose son couldn’t get into the chapter either to start their own.
“She was determined that she wanted her boys to be able to have this experience,” said Fleming.
“Our chapter started with a full ninth-grade class , and then the tenth-grade class was a little bit smaller, with around 20 boys,” she added.
Even though it’s a good way for public school students to earn community service hours, most of the participants attend private schools that don’t have that requirement.
They do it to do good in the community and to have fun hanging out with their moms.
“The whole point is that we only have four years left before our sons go off to whatever their next step is after they graduate from high school,” said Fleming.
“It’s just to have that quality time together, serving the community and then also to give them the opportunity to hear from speakers they would not ever necessarily have access to,” she added.
Fleming’s son Luke graduates next year and he’s found fulfillment in YMSL.
“It has been fun serving our community with many of my friends and their moms. I have also learned a lot from the various speakers we have had over the years,” said Luke. One of my favorite speakers was Tyler Hannel, who spoke about how to be a better version of yourself.”
There are many charities that need volunteers, and many align with the skills and interests of the young men.
“My most memorable experiences were serving with BlazeSports at their annual Big Peach Slam basketball tournament the last two years,” said Luke.
“Watching kids my age play basketball from a wheelchair was so inspiring. I am thankful for an organization like BlazeSports that gives kids and adults with disabilities a way to still compete in a variety of sporting events,” he stated.
Tracey Shell and her son, Carson, have similar views.
“Our first year was last year, so I didn’t know about this organization when my older son was in high school,” said Shell. “They learn about things like life skills and leadership, … but the real heart of the organization is volunteering in your community and learning about local philanthropy.”
Each YMSL chapter works with a certain number of nonprofits each year—usually nearby. Although this chapter is called the John’s Creek Young Men Service League, it has members from Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, Alpharetta and John’s Creek.
YMSL donates time and energy, not money
Every year, each chapter does what it calls the ultimate gift. This time around, the Johns Creek chapter went farther outside its boundaries and helped the Atlanta Music Project (AMP). It’s a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 to provide tuition-free world-class music training and performance opportunities in under-resourced communities.
In October, AMP presented its first event, which brought together its entire community of performers for an afternoon of music and fellowship. The AMP Experience took place at Pullman Yards and featured performances from past and present students, with about 500 participants in total.
To pull off such a feat, AMP needed many volunteer ushers and stage crew. That’s where Johns Creek YMSL stepped in, with nearly 80 local YMSL volunteers who gave 246 service hours. Mom and son volunteers loaded instruments, set up and cleaned up, served as parking lot attendants and greeters and supported social media outreach.
Both Fleming and Shell have seen their boys grow and mature and are proud of the young men they are becoming.
“They become more aware of the different nonprofits and philanthropy that are just right in our own backyard that they might not have known about,” said Shell.
Fleming echoed that sentiment. Her older son Andrew is a sophomore at Clemson University, and she’s seen him carry the lessons learned at YMSL into his daily life by being actively involved with service projects in his fraternity and a mission trip over Spring Break.
“He definitely has a heart for helping others, which … is the ultimate goal. When they’re not living at home, and I’m not necessarily making them serve, they want to do this on their own in college and beyond,” she said.
For more information, visit ymsljohnscreek.org.
Peachtree Corners resident Adam Pomeranz will celebrate 20 years at a place of hope where hundreds of adults are served each day. That place is Annandale Village, a residential community for adults with developmental disabilities or brain injury. At least, that’s how it began.
Today, it’s not solely a residential community because it now serves people who don’t live on the campus in Suwanee. A newer, smaller program now offers options for a wide range of needs.
Annandale Village began in 1969 as the dream of Dr. and Mrs. Maxwell Berry, parents of a young woman with developmental disabilities.
“They did not like the very limited options that they saw in the country and the local community and beyond for their daughter,” he said. “She was entering adulthood, so after seeing a similar model, but not the exact model, on a vacation to Europe, they decided to try and do something on their own here.”
The 55-acre campus in Suwanee serves individuals in the facility and outside of it.
“One of the things that truly differentiated Annandale was that, a little over 20 years ago, it decided to embrace a new phenomenon in the world of working with people with intellectual disabilities: the aging person with developmental disabilities,” said Pomeranz.
For many years, people with developmental disabilities had shorter life spans than folks without those challenges for many reasons. Now, advances in medicine and other factors help people with developmental disabilities live much longer lives, some very close to the lifespan of people without disabilities, said Pomeranz.
“Shortly before I came, Annandale decided to embrace that aspect of the population. And we opened up a 16-bed skilled nursing facility solely for that population to complement the cottages and apartments that we had spread out through the campus at the time, said Pomeranz. “And so, the nursing home filled up very quickly and it became apparent that this was a huge need.”
Over the next several years, Annandale opened an assisted living building and also expanded the nursing home. Although the facility is aimed at ages 18 and up, some are younger and some are considerably older.
“The idea is that Annandale provides progressive life assistance. As the individual’s needs change, the services we offer can change with them. So someone could come to Annandale at 22 or 23 years old and conceivably live here the rest of their lives, and we can meet their needs as they change throughout that adult lifespan.”
A few years ago, Annandale added and new service to its continuum of care.
“On occasion, some folks gain skills when they’re here and then leave to be more independent elsewhere, either in our independent living program or some other option,” said Pomeranz.
The All In program has about 16 people who need about 10 to 12 hours of support a week. They live in apartments in Suwanee or other parts of metro Atlanta. They’re required to work or volunteer to be eligible for the program.
Annandale’s founders wanted an affordable private pay model. Their philosophy was to charge families about 75% of what it costs to care for their loved ones, and the philanthropic community would take care of the other 25%.
With rising health care costs, that 25% is getting harder to come by, but Pomeranz and his staff are making it work.
“Now, almost 55 years later, when you look at our bottom line at the end of the year, you will see that about 75% of our revenue is fee-for-service revenue, and about 25% is philanthropy,” he said.
“At the same time, we are still mostly a private-pay organization, and it’s become very expensive to provide the care. But we have wait lists, so clearly there’s a market for what we do,” he explained.
Annandale does take Medicare and Medicaid in the nursing home. It also has a relatively small day program for which it takes Medicaid waiver funds. But everything is supplemented with fundraising.
Annandale’s fourth annual golf tournament
Before COVID, Annandale threw charity events with dinner and dancing like many other nonprofits. For about 26 years, the annual fundraiser was called The Jazzy Thing, which then became shortened to Jazzy. It took place on the last weekend of April. In March 2020, the pandemic struck, and everything was canceled.
The staff had to pivot and find something to take the place of Jazzy.
“Our chief development and marketing officer had done golf tournaments [for a] previous employer and felt like we could do one and that it would be successful,” said Pomeranz.
To make it a little different, the tournament honored a long-time board member. The tournament was very successful, so the tradition continued. This year, however, Pomeranz is the one being honored.
“I was out on a brief medical leave when there was a board meeting; first board meeting I missed in 19 years,” he said. “They voted to make me the honoree of this year’s tournament to celebrate and honor my 20 years here at Annandale Village.”
Sponsorships are pouring in with congratulatory praise for Pomeranz.
“Some of these folks I’ve known for 20 years,” he said. “Their sister or brother has been in our care that long or maybe even a parent has had their child in our care.”
Annandale’s fourth Annual Golf Tournament is on May 6 at The Country Club of the South. Registration is open for foursomes. More information can be found at annandale.org/event/golf.
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Read the Peachtree Corners Magazine April/May 2024 Digital Edition Online
Decades of Doing Good at Annandale Village Celebrated with Golf Fundraiser
Local Youngsters Learn Life Lessons Through Community Service
Wesleyan Artist Market 2024: Spotlight on Three Artists
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