Rutherford Weekly

Page 18 - Rutherford Weekly 828-248-1408 www.rutherfordweekly.com Thursday, May 20-May 26, 2021 FOREST CITY 74 Junction Convenience A-1 Vacuum B&D Pawn Banfield Gallery Big Dave's Seafood Big Al's Grill Bill's Auto Glass Broadway Kwik Store Carolina Chiropractic Chase Mini Mart CPA Main St. Davis Donut Dollar General Don Ramons Drop-Inn Fastway Oil Fat Tracy's BBQ Family Dollar Forest City Honda Forest City Mowers Forest City Post Office Forest City Pet Adoption Center Gadget Connection Greene's Cafe Greene Real Estate Habitat Restore Harmony Hills Apts. Hardin's Drug Hardin's Rentals Hampton Inn Hamrick CPA Henson Building Material Hill Top Grill Home Trust Bank Horn's Home & Garden Ingles Impact Wellness Louie's Café Manis Convenience Store Mane Attraction Salon McCurry-Deck Auto Mellnik Real Estate Mighty Dollar Mi Pueblito's Mt. Vernon Cupboard Moore's Auto Mike's Auto Sales Medicine Box Drug McDonalds OHM Food Mart PSU Plaza Barber Shop Porter's Real Estate Putt N Go Video Ray's Mini Mart Ray Rice Martial Arts Rutherford Weekly Office Scott's on Broadway Sammy's Barber & Style Shoe Show Sisk Ford Smith's Drug Tri-City Tire Whitey's Barber Shop BOSTIC Dollar General East Kwik Stop Fair Haven Home Forest City Fish Camp The Corner Store GOLDEN VALLEY Becky's Store & Grill Bostic Post Office Drop Inn Mkt Freeman's Café Golden Valley Store Washburn Store ELLENBORO Dollar General Frank's Station Kwik Stop Roco Wash Tub Laundry SPINDALE Alan's Repair Asian Wok Restaurant Carolina Cafe Circle B BBQ Chicken Coop Debs Mini Mart Denny's Dollar Tree Dollar General Frank's BP Gas Granny's Bakery Harbor Freight McDonalds N.C. Co-op Extension Oakland Feed & Seed Oakland Quick Stop Rutherford County Library Steve's Cleaners Shake Shop Grill The Foundation (ICC) The Senior Center Top Dog Junction Grill Universal Automotive COLUMBUS Calvert's Kitchen Cane Creek Grocery Columbus Laundrette Family Dollar McDonalds VGO – GAS RUTHERFORDTON Arts & Crafts Bon Bon Kwik Mart Century 21 Clearwater Creek Dollar General East Mt. Kwik Mart Express Conv. Store Falcon Corner Stop Farmers Friend Freds Discount Food Lion Great Wall Green Hill Store Gregory's Original Rutherford Regional Hospital Legal Grounds Main St. Coffee/Ice Cream Matheny Real Estate R-S Service Center SAI Mart Scoggins Steak House East Kwik Mart CHESNEE, SC Bantam Chef Rest. Cash & Henderson Drug Chesnee Cycle Chesnee Washerette Debs Mini Mart Dollar General Free Time Conv. Hot Spot Chesnee Gas Hardee's O'Reilly Auto Parts Pizza House Space Stateline Grocery CLIFFSIDE Dollar General Wease Convenience Store MOORESBORO Haynes Library Key Largo Food Mart #2 CAROLEEN Caroleen Post Office Hardin's Drug ALEXANDER MILLS Drop Inn #7 Convenience Dollar General OHM Food Mart Spake's Grill Wells Jenkins Wells LAKE LURE Debs Mini Mart #1 Debs Mini Mart #4 Dollar General El Lago Restaurant Ingles Japan House Lake Lure Post Office Rotten Creek BBQ & Grill Welcome Center ISSUE NO. 14 • April 8, ISSUE NO. 14 • April 8, 2021 • 2021 • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 Our 29 th Year • Over 25,000 Weekly Readers C h e c k o u t o u r S p r i n g E d i t i o n ! C h e c k o u t o u r S p r i n g E d i t i o n ! NO CREDIT, POOR CREDIT LET US DECIDE! LET US DECIDE! WE FINANCE www.mooresautos.com www.mooresautos.com 345 South Broadway, Forest City 828-245-8067 M O O RE ' S AUTO S ALES ©Community First Media Community First Media IT'S IT'S FREE! FREE! Dreams come true on Hardin Road near the intersection with Oak Street in Forest City. "I've done many jobs, cleaned stores and banks and cooked, but here waiting on the tables and cooking, this is my life," Alba Hernandez said after the lunch crowd cleared at Mario's Italian Restaurant. "This is my dream come true." And having three daughters who are academic superstars doesn't hurt either. Alba said, "I'm happy and give God thanks." Mario is a little more subdued, but he is clearly both the proud papa and a guy who loves his daughters. "They've worked hard all their lives," he said of the three young women. He's almost always smiling. Carina, the oldest, graduates medical school in May and already has a job working at the hospital where she studied, SUNY Upstate Medical University. SUNY is the State University of New York. "I go to visit them every year at Christmas and no matter that I now have two doctor's degrees, I still bus tables. If you're gonna be here, you're gonna work," Carina said. Sure, but have their parents been an encouragement to their oldest daughter? "They never forced us to do anything," she said. "You know how some parents say their kids have to do one thing or another. They said we could do whatever makes us happy," Carina said. Her other doctorate is in chemistry. Her new job is in internal medicine. She looks to work in either gastroenterology or oncology. In 2000 she received a certifi cate for academic excellence from President Clinton and Secretary of Education Dick Riley. Mario said they have always worked hard even when they were little kids. And sometimes the help from their daughters would come in handy when things get "crazy." The popular restaurant, which the couple opened in 2005, sometimes packs out. "It's hard when things get crazy," Mario said. "Some people don't understand that we make everything fresh. You can't rush good food, so some people get frustrated." He smiled and tipped his head to one side and said, "It's okay. We deal with it." Alba is a little more animated. As she described "crazy times," she waved her hands and gestured in all directions. "Sometimes it's so crazy I can't answer the phone, so I say to Mario, 'You answer the phone. I've got customers to take care of.' " Next in birth order is daughter, Jessica. She has two nursing degrees, one from UNC-Charlotte and one from Duke. In case you're counting, we're now up to fi ve college degrees among the three daughters. She works in orthopedic neuro-surgery. Jessica said, "My dad is more the visionary. My mom is the force that moves things forward. He's the introvert and she's the extravert who loves to be around people. Both of them modeled hard work." Sixteen years serving hungry folks from Rutherford County has seen some money go to pay student loans. "We've had fi ve loans, but that was all for the four- year college. After that the girls did everything, worked hard and paid their own way," Mario said. Jessica's daughter, 12-year-old Ashley, is the couple's only grandchild. "Tell everybody that restaurant is my home. I grew up there," Ashley said. When she heard she was going to be in the newspaper, she wore a big smile. Daughter number three, and soon-to-be college degree number seven, is Giovanna. When she graduated NC State eight years ago, she went to work for the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke. As of this year, she is working on her PhD from Wake Forest. She is studying in a program that deals with molecular and cellular bioscience, but is not sure which topic will be her fi nal fi eld of study and validation. Of the three, she is the only one to fi nish high school locally. She spent her senior year at Thomas Jefferson Academy. She said of Mario and Alba, "They instilled a work ethic in all three of us. We were always working. In a way, a restaurant is confi ning because you always have to be there, but in another way it is a blessing, because you get to watch the evolution of families. We got to cater the wedding for a girl we fi rst knew when she was eight years old. We got to watch her grow up through her taste buds." She said of her dad, "He never minds fi xing special meals for customers. If someone is allergic to this or that, he changes the dish to suit the customer. That can be hard when things get crazy, but he doesn't mind." She also said, "When we hear of long-time customers passing, we cry." So much of life is about the spirit that comes into play. Grouchy and mean can ruin a day at the beach. Sweetness and kindness can soften the pain of a broken leg. Alba's love for her dream come true and her work with the public may best be summed up by her irrepressible smile and something she believes deeply. She said, "I don't cook. I wake up every morning and God cooks through me." The restaurant will be closed the last week in May for Carina's wedding. Dreams Come True Article Provided By: Pat Jobe Italian Restaurant Serves At End Of Alba's Rainbow Alba and Mario Hernandez beam with pride behind photos of their three daughters, Carina, Jessica, and Giovanna, who among them will soon have seven college degrees, all in the healthcare fi eld. Mario's Italian Restaurant near the corner of Hardin Road and Oak Street will be closed one week in late May for Carina's wedding in upstate New York. Mario's Italian Restaurant has been a frequent meeting and eating spot for 16 years near the corner of Hardin Road and Oak Street in Forest City. It is full of the spirit and faith of a couple who are very proud of their three successful daughters. Where to fi nd your Where to fi nd your FREE FREE Rutherford Rutherford Weekly Weekly Pick up your Pick up your FREE FREE copy copy every week! every week! Delivering positive news & information for over 29 years! Rutherford Weekly Sudoku Answers on page 23 North Carolina American Legion District 23 elected new offi cers for 2021-2022 at its meeting Saturday, May 8. The district is made up of American Legion Post 82 of Shelby, Post 155 of Kings Mountain, Post 74 of Forest City, Post 423 of Henrietta, Post 437 of Lake Lure, and Post 527 of Fallston and Upper Cleveland County. Woody Weaver of Post 82 was elected Commander; Jimmy Sherman of Post 82, First Vice Commander; Martha Bridges, Adjutant of Post 82, was appointed District Adjutant; and Jerry Welch, Commander of Post 527, was appointed as Chaplain. Outgoing Commander Jim Quinlan of Post 82 presided at the meeting. American Legion post elects new ofÐicers Article Provided By: Jean Gordon. Photo Contributed. Shown are District 23 offi cers (left to right) Jim Quinlan past commander, Woody Weaver Commander 2021-22, Jimmy Sherman First Vice-Commander 2021-22. The NC License to Give Trust Fund Commission awarded grant-in-aid to two North Carolina nonprofi ts in support of organ donation education and advance care planning. The recipients are Donate Life North Carolina and the Health Innovations Group. "These grants will educate and encourage more North Carolinians statewide to register as organ donors through the NC Division of Motor Vehicles or online at DonateLifeNC.org, and complete Advance Care Planning through mechanisms to 'fast track' important recommendations regarding electronic transmission of documents, particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Commission Chairman Dr. David Leeser. "The ultimate goal of these organizations' efforts are to save the lives of more North Carolinians who are waiting for an organ, eye or tissue transplant and educate North Carolinians about the importance of having advance directives." Donate Life North Carolina was awarded a project grant for $275,000. The objective of the project entitled "Erase the Wait NC" is to ensure every North Carolinian has the information and resources needed to make an informed decision about organ, eye and tissue donation, which includes donations from both living and deceased individuals. Donate Life NC will work closely with statewide partners and specifi c community resources to increase donor rates across the state while continuing to increase the number of people who "say yes" to donation by registering as donors at the NC Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or online at DonateLifeNC. org through DMV Outreach and other program projects. Donate Life NC will focus on education, awareness and advocacy, while aiming to have greater impact in communities with low donor participation. The Health Innovations Group was awarded a grant in the amount of $80,000 to continue efforts to enhance the ability of individuals to create and communicate their advance care plans and to promote more effective communication of those plans to the care providers. The project goal is to strengthen and expand the advance directives movement by building, complementing, and expanding existing efforts within communities across North Carolina and leveraging their signifi cant outreach in the area of personal health decision making. The expansion of this effort will provide increased access to health information in a safe, secure and readily accessible manner. For more information on the License to Give Trust Fund and grant opportunities, visit the website or call 919-715- 3837 for more details. About the License to Give Trust Fund Commission: Established in 2004, the License to Give Trust Fund Commission manages the policies and guidelines for awarding grants-in-aid to nonprofi ts, continuing education and awareness activities relating to organ and tissue donation and advance care planning. NC License to Give Trust Fund Commission Announces Grant Recipients 2 North Carolina nonprofi ts receive funds for organ donation education & advance care planning Article Provided By: ncdoa

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