Annette Harvey
Owner/Baker, So Bueno Cakes & Treats
This one-woman operation is crafting unique cakes. She tosses her version of paint on the canvas, perfecting each detail with brush strokes and color. She’s telling a story through her work. Her hands are sticky and a sweet smell hovers in the air. Her works of art, cakes. Annette Harvey, Owner/Baker at So Bueno Cakes & Treats, handcrafts modern buttercream celebration cakes. Harvey is known for her majestic creations. Her job as a baker doesn’t start with a mixing bowl and ingredients, it begins with a creative meeting to discuss the style of the cake. She will then sketch the perfect cake before baking even begins. Harvey’s cakes have a dual purpose, party décor and dessert. “I love letting my artsy side show,” Harvey shares. “This is everything from mixing colors to creating textures and bringing my ideas to life.” Late nights and trial and error contribute to the excellence of her cakes.
Unlike many bakers, Harvey chooses to not use fondant when decorating. “I like the look and taste of buttercream, decorating a cake is like painting a canvas to me and I can achieve that look better with buttercream instead of a fondant-covered cake.” The most challenging cake to date was a Harry Potter theme. Harvey hand-painted the characters and castle with buttercream. “I am detail-oriented, so getting the faces and clothes just right was a challenge.”
Harvey’s cakes are true masterpieces that will touch your heart. All inquiries should be sent to sobuenocakes@gmail.com.
Chelsie Nichole
Executive Director, Southside Support, Inc.
Chelsie Nichole describes her story as a twisty tale, but its plot has prepared her for service as Executive Director of Southside Support, a local organization that provides support, resources and inclusion for the families of those with special needs.
Chelsie and her partner, Josh, had been married previously and had a son, Joshua. After their divorce, Chelsie had a daughter, Adelaide, and Josh had a son. When the couple got back together in 2017, Chelsie wanted to learn how to support children with special needs and a friend put her in touch with Southside Support.
Her association with the group proved providential after the couple’s daughter Rosie was born in 2018 with a rare genetic mutation known as Pfeiffer Syndrome in 2018. “It was like the Lord had aligned my life the way it should be,” Chelsie said. “I already had this amazing support group of moms. It was just really wonderful.” Although there have been many hospital stays with Rosie, when the executive director position for Southside Support came open, Chelsie, who has worked with non-profits much of her life, said, “It was just put on my heart that this was something I needed to do.”
After a year in the position, she knows that all she’s been through has led her to this place to help the families of special needs kids have the support they need and have the same kinds of memory-building experiences that other families have. “I’m loving it,” she said. It’s been incredible.”
Christina Rufenacht
Fayette County’s 2020 Teacher of the Year
Having grown up in Fayette County, now working and having children grow up in Fayette County, Christina Rufenacht feels like she’s come full circle. She loves the close-knit community and feels thankful for where she’s landed and where she’s been able to make a difference for her family and the students she teaches.
As an ESOL (English as a Second Language) teacher at Flat Rock Middle School, Mrs. Rufenacht believes, “Students have to know you care about their success – that you are invested in helping them to be successful, and then they’re going to meet you halfway.” One of the many important things an ESOL teacher must do is make sure the students they teach have access to the same resources all other Fayette County students have.
Mr. & Mrs. Rufenacht are certified foster parents, which for Christina is an extension to teaching. “It’s teaching kids what a family looks like; even teaching their biological parents how to navigate the educational system. It’s a journey, but it’s worth it.”
Mrs. Rufenacht works with the same students from 6th - 8th grade. A student’s third day in the United States and she teaches things like how to ask to go to the bathroom, and then the student is able to write a personal memoir that’s five eloquently written paragraphs at the end of 8th grade. That’s what makes Christina show up the way she does at home and at school. “To give a kid a voice in the language, in the country they live in – it’s priceless.”
Jacqueline Harris, M.D.
Medical Director, Fayette C.A.R.E. Clinic
Georgia born and raised Dr. Jacqueline Harris’ life-long mission is to provide high-level quality care to all. A physician who treats people from all walks of life, she believes that the right doctor and the appropriate health care practice model are critical factors to an individual becoming healthier and living a satisfying life. Dr. Harris views herself as her patients’ extended family member, advocate and friend.
The primary care physician’s service to others doesn’t end with taking care of her Cross Care Clinic patients. For the past three years, Dr. Harris has assumed the role of Medical Director at the Fayette C.A.R.E. Clinic, overseeing its clinical operations and providing a patient-centered medical home, with her healthcare team, to the county’s underserved individuals, who she believes, deserve quality healthcare. The clinic’s volunteer doctor encourages other members of “our loving Fayette County community” to donate, in any way they see fit, to the non-profit. “We must remember that we all owe someone or something, and giving back is a very easy way to pay it forward,” reminds Dr. Harris.
Becky Smith
Former Executive Director – Fayette FACTOR
Helping people through difficult times has always been the driving motivator for retired nonprofit Executive Director Becky Smith. The last fifteen years of Becky’s 35-year career in nonprofit social work were capped with a rewarding experience - leading Fayette FACTOR. Becky’s biggest joy is connecting people. Her efforts as CEO of this impactful organization contributed significantly to nonprofit leaders in Fayette County feeling that and more – connected, engaged, and supported.
The legacy Becky created – and continues to live out – is built on the belief that love, shared values, shared vision and shared goals can result in great things; especially if you don’t care who gets the credit. One piece of advice Becky offers to anyone considering nonprofit work/service, is to “make sure you are certain there’s a need for what you’re proposing in the county. If anyone else is providing that service, be willing to work with them.” As Becky celebrates her birthday this month, her wish is that “everyone does their part to ensure Fayette remains the warm, generous community we all moved here for!”
