The weather man predicted thunderstorms for the afternoon of Saturday April 26, 2008, but that did not keep Ariel Johnson, Hal Jackson’s Talented Teen International of Georgia (Marietta High School) or Briyana Guadalupe, Empowering Georgia’s Talented Youth Inc. Miss Talented Pre-Teen (Dean Rusk Middle School) from volunteering in the Walk for Lupus Now, benefiting the Lupus Foundation of America Georgia Chapter (LFA-GA). “The Lupus Foundation raised more than predicted and I was a part of it!” exclaimed Johnson. Volunteerism is nothing new for these two, but there is a personal connection.

Tasha Smith Dixon is the former director of Hal Jackson’s Talented Teen International of Georgia, and a victim of Lupus. Her desire was to give young women the opportunity to show case their talents and intelligence, as she did, in a supportive environment. Empowering Georgia’s Talented Youth, Inc. director, Arlisa Bradshaw, states this is one of the reasons they continue with the program despite budget short falls and the massive amount of work the program requires. Each year, a scholarship in the name of Tasha Smith Dixon is awarded to the competitor with the highest grade point average.

Empowering Georgia’s Talented Youth, Inc. is non-profit organization whose goal is to promote culture and education through the performing arts. They are also the state sponsors of Hal Jackson’s Talented Teens International of Georgia and Miss Talented Pre-Teen of Georgia Scholarship Programs. Ariel Johnson and Briyana Gaudalupe will be crowning their successors June 8, 2008 at Southern Polytechnic University. Visit www.talentedteenofga.com for more information.

The Lupus Foundation of America Georgia Chapter’s goal is to help find a cure for lupus and help those affected by the disease. It is the only statewide organization dedicated solely to lupus. Visit them at www.lfaga.com to learn more.