Valdosta State University and the Valdosta Chapter of the Georgia Society for Certified Public Accountants (GSCPA) will host a night with “Mr. Unstoppable” at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the University Center Magnolia Room.
Known for his resolve to overcome obstacles, Jay Platt has helped raise thousands of dollars for charities, while performing a variety of demanding physical challenges.

In 1998, Platt retired from the Marine Corps when he was diagnosed with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), a rare multi-system disorder that attacked his eyes, brain, spine and kidneys. The former gunnery sergeant was told by his doctor that “the best of his years were behind him.”

“That was just not acceptable,” Platt said. “I refused to let this be it, to beat me.”

In 1999, Platt began the first of his challenges when he completed 2,160 miles along the grueling Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.

“When you are a Marine you are macho, so I started with a backpack weighing 85 pounds, then a more experienced trail person helped me get it down to 65 pounds,” Platt said. “By the end of the five months the backpack was down to 45 pounds.”

After his mountain experience, Platt wrote his first book A Time to Walk: Life Lessons Learned on the Appalachian Trail. He would later write No Matter What! How to be Unstoppable, Despite the Obstacles, Starting Today.

He became only the third person in history to swim the one-and-a-half miles between Alcatraz Island and San Francisco with his hands and feet tied.

His moniker “Mr. Unstoppable” describes is never-ending quest to achieve. Platt has become a highly sought-after motivational speaker. His powerful message centers on developing a positive attitude, commitment, motivation, and leadership.

Platt, who graduated from Lowndes High School in 1984, is busy training for his next challenge on Nov. 11, when he attempts to swim across the Mississippi River handcuffed, shackled and blindfolded.

Platt is an advocate for veterans and raising awareness for organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project.

“We are extremely excited to present Jay Platt as this year’s speaker for the annual Educators night, “ said Heidi Cox, past president and current chair of Educators Night for the Valdosta Chapter of GSCPA. “Not only is he an excellent motivational speaker, but his message of perseverance and goal setting is perfect for the students and really anyone looking to be inspired.”

Proceeds from the event will help fund scholarships for qualified VSU students majoring in accounting. Tickets for Platt’s presentation are $25 per person and available to purchase online at http://www.valdostastate.org/gscpa.

The market for coffee is worldwide, with many players involved in the journey from the crop to the cup. More coffee is consumed in the U.S. than anywhere else, yet the American climate prohibits the growing of coffee, so it must be imported.

Fascinating issues that affect the world coffee market include the growing demand for fair trade and organic foods, political and structural issues in origin countries, food security in origin countries, logistics of importing an agricultural product and trade policies between nations.

Such topics will presented and discussed by a panel of four experts in the coffee industry during the Coffee is a Hot Commodity Symposium, to be held Friday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Valdosta State University Student Union Ballroom.

Panelists for the symposium include Andrew Blythe, a senior coffee trader at Royal Coffee New York; Terry Davis, co-founder of Ambex, Inc., a manufacturer of coffee roasters and roast control systems; Felipe Croce, a member of a coffee farming family with a coffee plantation in Brazil; and Ricardo Pereira, owner of BRASC Coffee Importers in Greenville, S.C.

Coffee from several coffee-producing areas of the world will be served during and after the symposium.

The symposium is part of the Gulf Coast Roasters Weekend Retreat, which takes place Friday, Nov. 4 to Sunday, Nov. 6. Other events to be held during the retreat include a reception, coffee cupping demonstrations, blending tasting and evaluations and brewing exercises.

Sponsors for the event include Royal Coffee New York, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, BRASC Coffee Importers, The Beanery Coffee Roasters and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

For more information about the symposium and the weekend retreat, visit www.coffeeishot.org.

Valdosta State University’s Annual Giving office kicked off the 2012 Faculty and Staff Campaign on Monday, Oct. 17. The campaign’s theme “VSU Can Count on Me” emphasizes the positive message that the future of the university depends on faculty and staff members who choose to make a difference.

All of VSU full-time employees will receive a packet of information that outlines how they can direct financial gifts to the college, department or program of their choice through a variety of payment options, including payroll deduction. The campaign ends on Nov. 30. Employees may also visit the campaign’s website at http://www.valdosta.edu/fscampaign/
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