Diagnosis sparks new career

Kristie Dozier has a lot of loose marbles of wisdom that she would like to share with her community.

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The Harlem resident is wanting to do so with an organization named Loose Marbles that she started after multiple sclerosis forced her to retire in 2000 from her job as a family and consumer sciences county extension agent.

"I was a county extension agent for 20 years, and I came down with MS and I had to retire early," said Dozier, who continues her creative programs for children and adults through her organization. "I really missed my job. So Loose Marbles is basically giving talks and doing things that I actually did in my job."

Dozier offers programs on stress management, etiquette, and creative craft and cooking courses for children and adults, in addition to programs focused on Williamsburg design crafts.

She said she derived the name Loose Marbles from her hobby of collecting marbles and for her "crazy personality."

Dozier said she served all over Georgia during her career, including Griffin, Crawfordville, Dublin, Homerville, Fargo and Sandersville. She offers programs to families, civic and church clubs, children parties and other groups.

Dozier has offered a Stress Be Gone program at Harlem United Methodist Church.

She puts on costume jewelry, a large-brimmed green hat and a feather duster, representing someone so depressed that she can't decide whether to clean house or go to the symphony. The idea is to get a laugh from the participants as a way to loosen them up. The program includes props and silliness, Dozier said.

Children's programs are close to Dozier's heart, because she often dealt with school-age 4-H'ers during her career.

"If you are going to do an activity with children, small children especially, you need bright colors," she said. "And I like bright colors, too. I think I am a child at heart, I worked with them for so long."

She provides cookie-baking and decorating programs for seasons or holidays, making cupcakes or bread dough, springtime grass planting and other creative children's crafts.

Etiquette classes cover thank-you notes, table settings and social graces, which Dozier said she learned at home as a child.

Dozier also consults and assists in planning weddings and adult parties.

"The sky is the limit on adult parties," she said. "Usually I just give suggestions and help them come up with ideas (and activities)."

Dozier offers most of her programs, which can be customized to the audience, for free. Other programs might bring minimal charges for food, materials or travel expenses.

For more information or to schedule Dozier for a program, call her at (706) 556-2320.