Brooks County Community Heart & Soul Recognizes Talent

Quitman--On Thursday, August 9, 2023, Ms. Evelyn Hernandez was formally recognized for her contribution of talent to Brooks County Community Heart & Soul. This year, our sister Cities and County government as well as the Board of Education, Development Authority, Georgia EMC and Community Heart & Soul came together in a collaborative effort by which every citizen has the opportunity to help their community grow through input and volunteer work. Named “Brooks County Community Heart & Soul,” it is the mission of this group to bring together the voices, ideas, talents, and stories of every citizen so that we can build together a community of which we can all be proud- a community that fosters growth, innovation and talent. 

The BCH&S Core Team consists of a Project Manager, two Co-coordinators, and more than a dozen diverse citizens from across Brooks County. As the team begins this multi-year process, it is necessary to create a logo for marketing and branding purposes. Often, an entity will hire a professional to do the job, but we wanted to take a different approach altogether. Rather than hiring a marketing or branding professional, the BCH&S Core Team wanted to seize the opportunity to look within our area in the hopes of discovering that “diamond in the rough.” 

After meeting to discuss the idea, the team came up with keywords that would represent all of Brooks County. For two months, the Brooks County Community Heart & Soul team ran a contest for the concept design, and in the end, had forty-four entries- most of whom were children in the ECHOES Summer Program. The children ranged from elementary to high school, and the pool of talent was apparent. In the first week of July, the Core Team took a blind vote on the submissions, as the participant names and other information were concealed to prevent unintentional bias. On August 8, the Board of Education was presented with Certificates of Appreciation for our ECHOES students for their contribution of talent. 

Other entries included those of professional artists and branding experts. Nevertheless, it was our own Evelyn Hernandez, who stood out among the others with her vivid concept. Evelyn’s design was brilliantly and thoughtfully conceived. The peach sits in the middle as the main body of the peacock, whose feathers cascade like the leaves of the peach. This so beautifully represents the Cities of Pavo, Morven and Barney. The layers of color of the sun represent the rind layers of a watermelon, whose ‘world capital’ is celebrated to be our City of Barwick. The pink camellia delicately adorns the logo for the City of Quitman. The cotton, green lines (agriculture) and trout (fishing) represent our other unincorporated areas of Dixie, Grooverville, and Pidcock as well as the rest of our lush, scenic county. We believe that this is an art design that we can all be proud of, and one that will lend well to the marketing and promotion of our county. 

Ms. Evelyn Hernandez works with the City of Quitman at City Hall. The Brooks County Community Heart & Soul Team, as well as our partnering entities, feel that it was fitting that on National Woman’s Day, Ms. Evelyn Hernandez be recognized for her public service and valuable contribution of talent. She was awarded with a framed Certificate of Appreciation, signed by Mayor Zinda Mc Daniel, City of Quitman; Mayor Anita Hill, City of Morven; Mayor Marvin Bryan, City of Pavo; Mayor I.J. McCann, City of Barwick; Mr. Derren Yearby, Chairman, Brooks County Development Authority; Dr. Vickie Reed, Superintendent, Brooks County Schools; Mr. Patrick Folsom, Chairman, Brooks County Board of Commissioners; Mrs. Sonya Aldridge, Georgia EMC; Mrs. Jenny Robbins, Community Heart & Soul. 

Please join us in recognizing and congratulating this young lady and all our participants for their valuable contribution of talent. The following is a list of those who participated in this event. We thank you all and truly appreciate your commitment to helping this community grow. 



Dae’Juan Gray, Jakhiry Arnold, Camaion N., Jacob Rothrock, Tre’mari Reynolds, Leah Williams, Gabrielle Hopper, Gracie Strickland, Kylie Arnone, Harmony Jenrette, Jamarion Arnold, Dylan Boykin, De’Quanton White, Dojion Hollis, Dakenzee Sol, Moses Cooper, Ajah Williams, Shake’vius Reynolds, Camaya Williams, Ashley Garcia Perez, Triston Beon, Reggie Donaldson, Darrel Hollis, Skyler Perry, Charles Smith, Lsyss Thomas, Jamavel Waters, Jeremiah Willson, Timothy Gobb, Tamarrion Kimbrough, Lalla Williams, Ja’ven Watts, Marquis Williams, Allen Corbin, Angela Crosby, Drake Coody, Ella Knighton, Tiahzmine Thomas, and Evelyn Hernandez. While there were two entries that were unsigned, we would also like to recognize those young artists as well. Thank you again for helping our community grow.