Last week we mentioned a human trafficking discussion at Mt. Bethel UMC that featured Mary Frances Bowley, who leads a local organization fighting childhood sexual abuse and exploitation.
She’s going to be back in the community again next Thursday at a forum on the topic at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.
It’s called “Get the F.A.C.T.S.,” and the acronym stands for Fighting to Abolish Child Trafficking for Sex. The forum is from 6:30-8 in Nolan Hall at the church (4905 Roswell Road).
Bowley started Wellspring Living, which was started in Atlanta in 2011. She is a member of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force, and will be joined at the St. Ann forum by representatives from the Cobb District Attorney’s Office and the Cobb County Police Department.
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On Monday Cobb County will hold its official service to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on his national holiday.
King, who was assassinated in 1968, would have turned 90 years old on Jan. 15. The service on Monday takes place at 10 a.m. at Turner AME Church, 492 North Marietta Parkway (at Fairground Street).
The emcee is Fred Blankenship of WSB-TV. The service includes entertainment performances with messages that convey Dr. King’s dedication to freedom, justice and equality for all.
The event will also feature the annual presentation of the “Living the Dream” award by the Cobb branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
This honor is given to community members who demonstrate leadership and commitment to making our county more diverse and inclusive.
This annual celebration is free to the public and hosted by Cobb County Government and the Cobb NAACP.
All Cobb government offices and services, including libraries, will be closed on Monday. Cobb schools also will be closed on Monday.
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Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church will feature a guest speaker this weekend on the subject of human trafficking.
Mary Frances Bowley is the president and founder of Wellspring Living, which fights childhood sexual abuse and exploitation. The event, “You Can Help: Combat Human Trafficking,” takes place Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. at the church (4385 Lower Roswell Road).
Last week we noted efforts by the Cobb District Attorney’s office to get a Windy Hill Road motel to address concerns about sex trafficking, with the threat of forfeiting its property.
Bowley is a member of the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force, and other related organizations will be onhand at the Mt. Bethel event with information on how the public can help.
Also next Tuesday, Jan. 15, the East Cobb Middle School PTSA is holding a forum on similar topics for middle school and high school students and their parents.
“Hidden Dangers” will explore trafficking issues, social media, “sexting” and pornography. Guest speakers include Susan Norris of Rescuing Hope and Jeff Shaw of Out of Darkness.
The title comes from a U.S. Department of Justice statistic that for 76 percent of predators, their most common first encounter is online.
Last month a Canadian man was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a Cobb girl he contacted online, and whom he arranged to meet in person. He was arrested at the Atlanta airport.
The event takes place from 6:30-8 p.m. at East Cobb Middle School (825 Terrell Mill Road), and there are separate events for students and parents. Click here to register.
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Photo and info from the Cobb County School District:
Because of their dedication to community beautification, students in the Lassiter-Pope-Kell (LPK) NJROTC program earned the title of Adopt-a-Mile Youth Group of the Year by Keep Cobb Beautiful.
Capt. Jim Minta (USN, RET) and First Sgt.Lorenzo Cox (USMC, RET) recently paired the NJROTC unit with the Keep Cobb Beautiful initiative by adopting Shallowford Road in front of Lassiter High School. Once a quarter, cadets, armed with plastic gloves, trash bags, and neon vests, spend a morning picking up trash along the mile stretch.
Knowing that individuals are far less likely to desecrate a well-maintained community motivates the Cobb students to keep their community beautiful. The student volunteers are not only helping the local community, but they are also helping the environment.
Ever since the unit’s involvement along the road, litter within the area has decreased dramatically, according to the students’ NJROTC leaders. The reduction of litter mitigates the effect of pollutants flowing into the surrounding water basins. Both the Lassiter High School campus and the area surrounding it appear healthier and cleaner than ever. LPK’s NJROTC cadets plan to continue to set an example with their clean-up efforts in their East Cobb community.
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The weather was frightful on Saturday morning, but thanks to those at the Delta Community Credit Union not only for getting out in the cold rain to help out with Toys for Tots but also for passing along the photo and information from its event at Highland Plaza Shopping Center on Sandy Plains Road.
Branch manager Eddie Johnson is pictured with Kristin Klingshirn, from The Bert Show on radio station Q100, as part of the Great Toy Drop taking place across metro Atlanta.
Donations will benefit the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots campaign, which provides gifts for underprivileged children during the holidays.
Toys for Tots will also be accepted from Dec. 10-23 at metro Atlanta Publix stores. For more information, visit the Q100 website.
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From L-R: Trey Sanders, 2018 Cobb Chamber Chairman; Becky Shipley, East Cobb YMCA, 2018 Health Hero Award Winner (organization); Misty Lathem, East Cobb YMCA, 2018 Health Hero Award Winner (individual); Dr. Ross Brakeville, 2018 Health & Wellness Committee Chair (Photo: Cobb Chamber)
Thanks to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce for the info and photo with some good news about the McCleskey-East Cobb Family YMCA:
The Cobb Chamber presented its 2018 Health Hero Awards to two recipients at its First Monday Breakfast at the Cobb Galleria Centre on Dec. 3. The awards, sponsored by MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service and the Cobb Community Foundation, recognized the outstanding accomplishments of one individual and one organization who have made significant impacts on the health of the Cobb County community.
The individual 2018 Health Hero Award was presented to Misty Lathem, Wellness Director for the YMCA of East Cobb. In addition to her role as wellness director, Lathem serves as the East Cobb Y hunger relief coordinator, organizes and manages the YMCA run club and oversees the Haunted Hustle 5K/10K, Little Nugget 1 Miler and Youth Fit 4 Life events.
Lathem further serves the Cobb community by managing Farm Fresh Markets for impoverished seniors, promoting active lifestyles through the Atlanta Y Kids Tri program and providing leadership as a board member of the Roswell Bike Club, Cobb 2020 and the Cobb Health and Wellness Committee.
The organizational 2018 Health Hero Award was presented to the YMCA of East Cobb, which actively seeks gaps in the Cobb community and plays a critical role in the health and wellness of thousands of citizens. The Y tackles hunger through Farm Fresh Market food deliveries and the School’s Out Lunch program, and as America’s Swim Instructor, teaches thousands of children how to protect themselves in water.
Additionally, East Cobb YMCA addresses the needs of special community populations, having designed programs such as PD Gladiators, a program designed for people living with Parkinson’s Disease, and programs supporting cancer survivors and promoting diabetes prevention.
In 2018 alone, East Cobb YMCA partnered with Walton Communities to offer adult swimming lessons, with Brumby Elementary and MUST Ministries to create a food pantry, with Cobb and Douglas Public Health to prepare children for their first-ever triathlon and continued a partnership with East Valley Elementary School and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, offering Youth Fit 4 Life, an after-school fitness program designed to lower the BMI and increase the cardio health of children.
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Next week a toy collection drive that includes the county’s transit service will take place across the county. The CobbLinc ‘Stuff A Bus’ dropoff points include three in East Cobb, on designated days and at specific times.
Donations of unwrapped toys, food and monetary contributions will be accepted to assist needy children and their families during the holiday season.
It’s part of the Cobb Christmas program, an all-volunteer non-profit organization, and which “provides a minimum of three age-appropriate toys to each child, ages infant through 15.” Participating families go through a qualification process.
The collections in East Cobb will take place as follows:
Monday, Dec. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at WellStar East Cobb Health Park (3747 Roswell Road);
Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at WellStar administration building (805 Sandy Plains Road);
Wednesday, Dec. 12, from 2:30 p.m to 3 p.m., at Three-13 Salon (2663 Canton Road).
The full dropoff schedule and other details about Cobb Christmas can be found at this link.
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Destiny Center & SPI Theatre will be hosting its Annual “Holiday Relief” program with Toys For Tots on Saturday, Dec.15 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. All community participants will receive a complimentary table top Christmas Tree along with decorations to be able to participate in the “2018 Christmas Tree Challenge.” They will also receive a wrapped toy for the kids, popcorn, a tour of the facility and watch a LIVE “Holiday” performance by Spoken Images’ talented performers.
This is a free event for the community and is for kids and adults of all ages!!
During the free event, you will be given the opportunity to support the work of Holiday Relief with a tax-deductible charitable donation. Your generosity and monetary gift will have a positive impact on the Performing Arts within the Cobb County Community. All donations are tax-deductible.
The Christmas Tree Challenge/Holiday Relief program will be held at the SPI Theatre at 3378 Canton Rd., Marietta 30066. For more information visit https://www.spitheatre.com/.
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Treat your friends and family to an Intimate Christmas Brunch or Dinner Concert with the John Driskell Hopkins Band and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra. John Driskell Hopkins (“Hop”) is a founding and current touring member of the Zac Brown Band. For several years Hop and his band have put their own spin to best loved holiday classics including: Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Santa baby, Here Comes Santa Claus, and scores of others!
Joining John and the band to serve up mouthwatering brunch and dinner is Chef Rusty Hamlin, Executive Chef on tour with the Zac Brown Band. For the evening concert only, 15 members of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra will join the band on stage for a truly memorable experience.
The Olde Towne Athletic Club will host two concerts on Saturday, December 15, 2018. The first concert is a family friendly brunch (yes, with Santa!). The evening concert will be a more upscale, adult-oriented evening featuring our special guest, Wes Henderson of Angels Envy bourbon – and of course special cocktails featuring one of the world’s highest rated spirits. VIP meet and greet opportunities are available for both events.
A silent auction adds to the excitement, you even have the opportunity to bid on a private concert by Hop in your home for your guests.
Both shows benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Click here to go to the ticketing site.
Please contact Lara Dolan for information on donations, and for VIP Tickets and tables. Lara.dolan1969@gmail.com or text to 404.514.6533.
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Real estate agent Janice Overbeck and former Atlanta Falcons player Terance Mathis were the hosts of a celebrity poker fundraiser for Emory ALS last weekend in East Cobb.
Here’s more on the event per a release from the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team:
A little over one hundred attendees joined together to try their luck in the tournament while raising funds through a silent auction and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease. Other local celebrities such as Mark Lee from the band Third Day, Michael Reid (NFL), and Corey Patterson (MLB) came to support the cause and play in the tournament with local fans and event goers.
Through donations, silent auction, and raffle tickets sold, the event raised $20,472 presented to Dr. Jonathan Glass of the Emory ALS Reach Center.
Since its inception in 2016, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team’s non-profit, JO Gives, Inc., has hosted fundraising events in addition to making donations to the Emory University ALS Research Center annually.
“After losing my father to ALS in 2015, I have been very passionate about research and finding a cure for this horrible disease. Additional funding is extremely important to better understand the disease and determine possible risk factors. Though research has advanced over the last several years to help m any ALS patients live longer and more productive lives, there is still a lot of work to be done,” says Overbeck.
For more information on current research and clinical trials for ALS or to make a donation please visit the Emory ALS Research Center website.
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The Cobb County Police Community Affairs Unit is conducting its second annual coat drive for those needing them this winter.
Last year more than 2,000 coats and other items were collected as part of “Giving the Gift of Warmth.”
Those wishing to donate new or gently used coats, scarves, hats and gloves can do so now by dropping off items at Cobb Police precincts. In East Cobb, that’s Precinct 4 at the East Cobb Government Service Center (4400 Lower Roswell Road).
The hours to make donations are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, excluding holidays. A cutoff date for the drive will be announced later.
The other precinct locations are as follows:
Pct. 1—2380 Cobb Parkway, Kennesaw;
Pct. 2— 4700 Austell Road, Austell;
Pct. 3—1901 Cumberland Parkway, Atlanta;
Pct. 5—4640 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs;
H.Q.—140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta.
Those who donate to the coat drive and who are interested in adopting a pet can get the adoption fee waived by the Cobb Department of Animal Services.
To receive a voucher, donate either five hats, five pairs of gloves or one coat. Those items must be new, and you should indicate to the precinct staff where you drop off that you’re interested in getting a pet adoption voucher.
Vouchers can be obtained starting Nov. 19, and can be used for an adoption from Dec. 3-21.
Those who want to donate but cannot do so in person are asked to call Sgt. Jeff Tatroe, the Cobb Police Community Affairs Unit supervisor, at 770-499-3981 or email him at jeff.tatroe@cobbcounty.orgfor a scheduled pick-up.
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She noted that the non-profit she started to help people in need with basic, everyday items is holding an open house Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
They’ve got a warehouse in the Marietta area, and will be giving tours, discussing their programs and asking for volunteers to help them help families in need. Here’s more from Rhodes:
“We’re inviting everyone in our community to stop by the warehouse to chat, grab a bite to eat, meet some clients and learn about our mission. The open house is a great opportunity to see for yourself what Simple Needs GA does for people in need in Cobb County and to learn how you can get involved. Those who take the tour always learn something new about our programs.”
The open house coincides with a donation drive in which SNGA is collecting household items, winter wear and more. For more details, visit simpleneedsga.org.
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On Saturday, Nov. 24, the East Cobb Honest-1 automotive repair business is having its fifth anniversary celebration.
The festivities are from 10-4 and include door prizes, games for kids, a cookout with free hamburgers and hot dogs and a photo opportunity with Cousin Eddie from the “Christmas Vacation” movie.
There also will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. with the East Cobb Business Association.
Owner Butch Carter is active in the community as a member of the ECBA and the Rotary Club of East Cobb.
As part of the celebration, Honest-1 also is collecting items for the food pantry at Brumby Elementary School.
You’re asked to bring like peanut butter, jelly, canned meats, beef stew, spaghetti noodles and sauce and granola or breakfast bars.
Anyone who brings a bag with those items to the event will receive a voucher for a free synthetic blend oil change.
Honest-1 is located at 1391 East Cobb Drive, next to the East Cobb Station post office and behind Pinestraw Plaza (Trader Joe’s and California Pizza Kitchen).
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Do you have business news to share? We’ll post your openings and non-sales events here, including charitable activities. E-mail us at editor@eastcobbnews.com.
If you want to promote your business (including sales and specials other than grand openings), email us at advertising@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll be glad to send you a media kit.
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Thanks to Donna Goldenberg for the photo and information about her son Trevor, who for the second year in a row organized the For Three Basketball Clinic for exceptional youth, and a few adults.
She says 18 participants, ranging in age from four years old to 39 years old, turned out for the clinic last Tuesday at the Mt. Bethel Christian Academy high school gym on Post Oak Tritt Road.
In addition, around 20 volunteers took part in helping run the clinic, which was held on Election Day, when Cobb schools are closed.
Donna says the clinicians are selected in various ways, usually by word of mouth. She says Trevor, who’s circled at the bottom left of the photo, began the clinic last year as a bar mitzvah project (the family attends Temple Beth Tikvah in Roswell). He is an 8th grader at Dodgen Middle School and is a member of the school’s Beta Club.
She adds that East Marietta Basketball, a youth organization, and president Clark Humble, is involved as a sponsor of the event.
“We are going to do it again next year and will continue to do it with their help,” she said. “Hopefully, we can get more sponsors next year to make it even bigger and better.”
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Rev. Ike Reighard of MUST Ministries opens the Brumby Elementary School food pantry with students, volunteers and staff. (Cobb County School District photos)
The 31st school in Cobb and Marietta schools to be provided with a food pantry had a ribbon-cutting Thursday. The Brumby Elementary School food pantry is now open to students as part of the non-profit’s Save It Forward initiative.
The pantries are located primarily at Title I public schools in the county to address hunger and nutrition needs for at-risk students.
In the Save It Forward program, volunteer shoppers receive weekly e-mail lists for items that cost less than $6 each. Those items, which also include toiletries, are then stocked on the shelves at the school pantries for students and their families who need them.
Partial funding for the pantries also comes from the United Way of Greater Atlanta. More than 3,000 Cobb students and their families are served by the school pantries.
On hand for Thursday’s event were Cobb Board of Education member Scott Sweeney and State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, as well as members of the Rotary Club of East Cobb, which is involved extensively with community service projects at Brumby Elementary School.
Rev. Reighard meets with Charlene Brisco, the Brumby social worker.
Other Save It Forward schools in East Cobb include Lassiter and Sprayberry high schools and McCleskey Middle School.
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Brenda Rhodes receives the East Cobb Citizen of the Year plaque from Johnny Johnson of Edward-Johns Jewelers. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
The East Cobb Citizen of the Year for 2018 has an expansive background in community service, but she noticed some seemingly small things from her primary volunteering effort that led to larger action.
Volunteering at MUST Ministries inspired Brenda Rhodes to do something more for the homeless and low-income people who relied upon the non-profit agency for shelter, food and other basic assistance.
In 2010, the East Cobb resident started Small Needs GA, a non-profit that helps those in need with a little more—like bringing tents to those living in the woods, or duffel bags with toiletries and other household items.
It’s grown to much more than that, but her philosophy has remained the same.
“I just happened to see some needs that were being unmet,” Rhodes said Thursday as she was honored by the East Cobb Area Council of the Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast at Indian Hills Country Club.
“So I thought that I should do something about it.”
That was in 2010. Since then, Simple Needs GA has helped hundreds of clients, many of them single mothers with children, often fleeing domestic violence and abuse. Among the items delivered are birthday and Christmas presents, shoes, furniture, bedding and mattresses and school uniforms.
Last year, Simple Needs GA provided birthday gifts and other items to more than 200 homeless children in Cobb through the My Birthday Matters and Spirit of Christmas programs.
Rhodes, who holds down a corporate job as a business analyst at Genesys, says she spends 20-30 hours a week with Simple Needs GA, and even drives delivery trucks.
“It’s actually fun to drive a big truck,” she said.
“Our goal is to meet the needs that aren’t being met” by other agencies. “We’re trying to fill the gap.”
Simple Needs GA accepts donations of money and other items on its website. More about its programs and community partnerships can be found here.
Rhodes has served in many capacities as a community volunteer. In addition to MUST, she has helped with Good Mews Animal Foundation, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Hands On Atlanta, WellStar Foundation and The Center for Family Resources.
She contributes to local missions teams, sings in the choir at First United Methodist Church of Marietta and belongs to the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
Rhodes is a two-time recipient of the National Points of Light Award and was Hands On Atlanta’s Premier Volunteer in 2004.
She is a graduate of the 2016 class of Leadership Cobb and the winner of the 2016 W. Wyman Pilcher Jr. Memorial Grant for community service from the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association.
The East Cobb Area Council chooses the Citizen of the Year from nominations made by members of various community service organizations, including the East Cobb Lions Club, Rotary Club of East Cobb, the East Cobb Civitans Club, the East Cobb Business Association and others.
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Low-income families often have the daily stress of choosing between food and diapers.
Prolonged wearing of a wet diaper causes diaper rash and a crying baby leads to more stress in the home. Local agencies such as the Center for Family Resources, liveSAFE, MUST Ministries and others can only dispense diapers four times a year to their clients, due to the lack of resources. In tough economic times, low-income families face the facts that:
Food stamps do not include hygiene products such as diapers.
On average, the cost to purchase diapers is approximately $100/month.
Day care centers require parents to provide their own diapers.
Declare a day in October to collect diapers from your employees, organization members or friends, or hold a diaper drive in your neighborhood.
Drop off the diaper donations at Glover Park on the Marietta Square on Monday, Oct. 29 from 5-6 p.m.
All donated diapers will be given to Center for Family Resources, liveSAFE Resources, MUST Ministries, Ser Familia, Simple Needs GA and Sweetwater Mission for distribution to help ease some of the burdens of the hundreds of families with infants that enter their doors each month.
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The Atlanta office of Wells Fargo has awarded Simple Needs GA (SNGA) a $5,000 grant to help people in need in Cobb County.
The Human Services & Basic Needs grant will go toward SNGA’s Simple Household Needs program, which provides furniture, household items and cleaning kits to people transitioning out of homelessness or escaping from domestic violence.
“We are deeply honored to receive this generous grant from Wells Fargo’s Atlanta office,” said Brenda Rhodes, an East Cobb resident and Founder and Executive Director of SNGA. “This will help dozens of children and families in need in Cobb. It will translate directly into people moving from the floor or air mattresses to real beds, or finally having kitchen or bath basics that most of us take for granted.”
The Atlanta office of Wells Fargo is proud to support SNGA’s commitment to the community, said Tai A. Roberson, Vice President, Senior Community Development Officer, Wells Fargo Government and Community Relations. Each year, she noted, local offices of the national bank provide similar grants to a wide variety of community organizations across the country.
“At Wells Fargo, we believe that grant-making decisions are more effective when made locally,” Roberson said. “That’s why Wells Fargo is actively involved in the communities where we live and work, and why our team members are leaders in helping our communities succeed.”
SNGA’s Simple Household Needs program provides all-new cleaning kits to help families sanitize and dignify their surroundings. The new laundry baskets are filled with more than a dozen cleaning products and tools—supplies not covered by food stamps. “Social workers help us distribute these kits to families,” Rhodes said. “They also go to our furniture clients and to several agencies who shelter clients in apartments, such as LiveSAFE Resources.”
Via the program, SNGA also relies on donations of household items, including dishes, linens, silverware, microwaves, vacuums and cookware for clients and collects donations of gently used furniture such as beds, tables and chairs, dressers and more. “It’s all the essential items you would need if you had nothing in a new home,” Rhodes families. “Struggling families are typically overjoyed when we drive up in the delivery truck and also when they see all the household items from which they can choose during their appointment at our space. Most leave with no room left in their car. This program helps them live with greater ease and dignity.”
For more information about SNGA or Simple Household Needs, email brenda@simpleneedsga.org.
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Cobb Juvenile Court Judges at Volunteer Dinner honoring CASA Volunteers left to right: Judge Amber Patterson, Judge Wayne Grannis, Judge-Elect Kareem West (Photos courtesy Cobb Juvenile Court)
Thanks to Amanda Marshall, director of the Cobb County law library, for submitting the photos and information about Cobb CASA volunteers being honored by juvenile court judges last week. CASA volunteers are the court’s special-appointed special advocates, and the organization says its looking for more people like them to help out kids who’ve been abused and neglected:
Cobb Juvenile Court Judge Amber Patterson spoke to a group of volunteers at a dinner honoring Cobb County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) on Oct. 11 at 7pm.
Cobb Juvenile Court JudgeWayne Grannis, and Judge-Elect Kareem West, also attended the event held to show appreciation to CASA Volunteers for their time and dedication to youth in our community.
The event, held at The Conservatory in downtown Acworth, was put together by the CASA Advisory Council. The council is comprised of volunteer members from the community who gain support for the Cobb CASA program by promoting the program in the community, and raising funds. A CASA is a trained volunteer, appointed by a judge, who watches over and advocates for abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers make sure children don’t get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system, and remain on the case until the child is placed in a permanent home.
Judge Patterson, who served as a CASA in law school, recalled her first appointment as a CASA during her speech to volunteers. She related with many of the struggles and triumphs CASA volunteers face during their service. “I remember my very first case, his name was Billy, and he was five,” stated Patterson. “He didn’t choose this life for himself, these were the cards he was dealt.”
After years spent advocating for Billy and trying to find him a permanent home, Billy was placed back into the child welfare system. Patterson recalled a conversation she had with Billy’s previous foster mother. “He doesn’t know anyone, all of these people are strangers to him, he has no one,” said Patterson.
Then the foster mother responded with a powerful message that stayed with her, “He has YOU.” Patterson told volunteers it was at that point her mission as a CASA became clear. “Children like Billy, need a YOU,” Patterson claimed. She continued, “They need someone they can count on, even when the outcome you hope for doesn’t always come to fruition.”
According to the Georgia Association for CASA, there are currently 21,000 children in foster care, and of those, 9,700 children are waiting for a CASA to help them find a safe and loving permanent home. GA CASA states a child who is appointed a CASA is half as likely to languish in the foster care and child welfare system, and that much more likely to find a safe permanent home.
Maricruz Garcia, Cobb CASA Program Coordinator, says there are approximately 100 children in Cobb waiting for a CASA to be assigned to their case. Because there are not enough CASA volunteers to represent all of the children in care, judges typically assign CASA volunteers to their most difficult cases.
“Our program needs more volunteers to serve as the court’s eyes and ears for these children, and to be the child’s voice in the courtroom,” stated Garcia. Garcia urges individuals interested in advocating for abused/neglected children in our community to contact Cobb CASA at casa@cobbcounty.org or by phone at 770-528-2285.
The Juvenile Court of Cobb County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program provides thoroughly screened, expertly trained, and fully supervised community-based, citizen volunteers to advocate for the best interests of children involved in juvenile court dependency proceedings.
Cobb County Court Appointed Special Advocates speak up for the needs and basic human rights of child victims of abuse and neglect, one child at a time. Cobb County CASA is a program of the Juvenile Court of Cobb County, affiliated with Georgia CASA, Inc., and a member of the National CASA Association, Inc.
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From the office of Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who recognized the East Cobb Lions Club at Tuesday’s meeting:
The East Cobb Lions Club has a legacy of service that spans 60 years! They received their charter July 14, 1958 from the Lions Clubs International to serve the eastern portions of Cobb County. The East Cobb Lions have conducted fundraisers of every kind and have worked tirelessly to benefit the citizens of East Cobb and Cobb County.
Their efforts over the past 60 years helped lead the expansion of the Cobb County Library System and they have been vigilant in providing eye exams and glasses for countless children and adults.
The East Cobb Lions’ work is not limited to services in Georgia for they have provided training and dog guides which restore independence and mobility through Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, MI and Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, FL.
As part of their greater mission they support Lions Clubs International Foundation which provides disaster relief both within our state and internationally and works to eradicate measles and preventable causes of blindness throughout the world.
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Destiny Center & SPI Theatre will be hosting its Annual “Holiday Relief” program with Toys For Tots on Saturday, Dec.15 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. All community participants will receive a complimentary table top Christmas Tree along with decorations to be able to participate in the “2018 Christmas Tree Challenge.” They will also receive a wrapped toy for the kids, popcorn, a tour of the facility and watch a LIVE “Holiday” performance by Spoken Images’ talented performers.
