East Cobb Community Service

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson named East Cobb Citizen of the Year

by
Sen. Johnny Isakson, East Cobb Citizen of the Year
Kevin Isakson and Dianne Isakson, the son and wife of Sen. Johnny Isakson. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

A public official synonymous with the evolution of East Cobb over the last half-century has been named the East Cobb Citizen of the Year.

Johnny Isakson launched a successful real estate agency in the East Cobb area as it began growing in the 1960s and later served in the Georgia legislature and Congress.

But to those who know him best in his East Cobb community, he’s much more than Georgia’s senior senator in Washington. He’s also been a results-oriented public servant, faithful civic advocate, accessible citizen and Sunday School teacher at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.

Among many other things.

“If you looked up a definition of a statesman and a public servant, you’ll see a picture of Johnny Isakson,” said Cobb Chamber of Commerce CEO David Connell Thursday morning at Indian Hills Country Club.

That’s where the Chamber’s East Cobb Area Council held its quarterly breakfast and gave out the Citizen of the Year honor.

Isakson, 72, was unable to attend, being in Washington as Congress is dealing with major tax reform legislation. His son, Kevin Isakson, and wife, Dianne Isakson, accepted the honor on his behalf.

Connell, an East Cobb resident who’s stepping down from his post at the end of the, gushed with praise about Isakson’s dedication to public service, and several legislative accomplishments this year “in the most dysfunctional Congress we’ve ever had.”

Connell cited Isakson’s service on veterans committees, and after years of working with him and maintaining a longtime friendship, noted how Isakson remains the same person he’s known for all those years, including his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease disclosed in 2015.

“There are people in high office who are untouchable,” Connell said. Isakson is “the most humble individual you could ever find.”

It was during his time as founder and president of Northside Realty that Isakson was drawn to public service.

At a ribbon-cutting for the new Walton High School this summer, Isakson recalled how he was asked by Cobb school officials in the early 1970s to help scout land for desperately-needed schools, especially in East Cobb.

Isakson helped them spot true bargains on Bill Murdock Road, properties that now house Walton and Dodgen Middle School, for a grand total of $4,500.

In addition to being the first Georgian to serve in the state house and senate and the U.S. house and senate, Isakson also was chairman of the Georgia Board of Education.

“If there was a Citizen of the Year for the last four decades, it would be him,” said Johnny Johnson, owner of Edward-Johns Jewelers in East Cobb and a former Citizen of the Year recipient who chairs the East Cobb Area Council.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

PHOTOS: Club Pilates East Cobb Veterans Day car cruise event

by
Mike and Chuck Maloy, Club Pilates East Cobb Veterans Day
Mike Maloy, with his son Chuck, is a Purple Heart recipient for his service in the Vietnam War. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

Mike Maloy is active in a local veterans organization and is something of a classic car enthusiast, so he and his son turned out on a chilly Saturday morning at Sandy Plains Village for a first-time event that blends both of those interests.

For D.J. Little, the co-owner of a fitness business at the shopping center, this is the start of what he envisions becoming an East Cobb Veterans Day tradition.

He and his wife Stephanie, who opened the Club Pilates East Cobb at 2960 Shallowford Road exactly a year ago, decided to celebrate that anniversary and honor veterans with a “car cruise” event that also raised money for veterans in need who are stationed at the Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Club Pilates East Cobb Veterans Day
Master Sgt. D.J. Little (center left, in uniform) and other veterans pose for a group photo.

It’s part of the Littles’ community outreach that’s done every month out of their business. For November, the beneficiary is the Top Three program at Dobbins, where Master Sgt. D.J. Little is on active duty.

“We just wanted people to be here,” he said, after the inaugural event drew around 40 people, many of them veterans, and featured a dozen or so classic cars, including his own 1973 Gold Duster 340. “It’s going to get bigger.”

Top Three provides food and other assistance to veterans who are disadvantaged or otherwise in need. Little said “it’s been a rough couple years” for some of those veterans, with situations that have included suicide.

Maloy, an East Cobb resident and retired design engineer with the Georgia Department of Transportation, came to Saturday’s event with his son Chuck, a Pope High School graduate who works at the Kroger next to Club Pilates.

Military service is a family tradition. The elder Maloy’s 99-year-old father-in-law is a World War II veteran, and their plans for later Saturday included attending a Veterans Day event at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre on the Marietta Square.

Having something like this on Veterans Day, so close to home, “is fantastic,” he said.

Club Pilates East Cobb Veterans Day
D.J. Little’s 1973 Duster. “Whenever it’s not raining, I’m driving it,” he said.

Maloy also lends a hand with those efforts at Dobbins. He’s a Vietnam veteran, and received a Purple Heart after being wounded in the shoulder when his gun truck convoy was attacked in 1968.

At a Purple Heart chapter in Alpharetta, he and others raise funds for food baskets for those at Dobbins who need some help paying bills. His group also visits veterans who need company and other support.

A silent auction at the Club Pilates event also raised funds for the Top Three program.

Little, who’s lived with his wife and children in East Cobb for four years, wanted to do more than run in the occasional 5K sponsored by Top Three.

He said the outpouring of support, even for a first-time event, was gratifying.

“We wanted to do more in our community,” he said. “We want to be involved in East Cobb. The support has been just great.

“We’re going to keep doing this from now on.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

 

Cobb Police coat drive includes Precinct 4 dropoff point

by

East Cobb Government Center, Cobb Police Precinct 4

For the first time, the Cobb County Police Department is conducting an annual coat drive, and East Cobb’s Precinct 4 is one the places you can drop off old coats for distribution. 

The drive is called “Giving the Gift of Warmth,” and it’s part of the expanded outreach efforts of the Cobb PD’s community affairs department (previous East Cobb News post here of new chief Mike Register’s recent talk on that and other subjects before the East Cobb Civic Association).

Precinct 4, located in the East Cobb Government Service Center at 4400 Lower Roswell Road, will be accepting items through Dec. 1. Cobb PD says the best times to drop off items are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for county holidays. Here’s more from Cobb PD about what they’re looking for and what they’re going to do with what they collect:

“The donation of your gently used coats and other winter wear (scarves, hats, and gloves) to kids and families in need is appreciated by all. Your donated items will be shared with numerous organizations throughout Cobb County.”

The other precinct locations are as follows, and the same Dec. 1 cutoff date applies:

  • 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.

If you want to donate but can’t go to a dropoff point, contact Sgt. Jeff Tatroe, the Cobb PD Community Affairs Unit supervisor at 770-499-3981 or email jeff.tatroe@cobbcounty.org to have your items picked up.

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

St. Ann Catholic volunteers continue food provisions for Cobb elementary students

by

St. Ann Catholic volunteers, LaBelle Elementary School

Thanks to the Cobb County School District for submitting the info and photos about a continuing program involving volunteers from East Cobb’s Catholic Church of St. Ann, who’ve been raising money for and delivering food for students at LaBelle Elementary School since 2015.

It’s part of the “Sharing Our Blessings” program with the church’s St. Paul de Vincent Society, and the items the volunteers also deliver include school supplies, board games, uniforms and books.

LaBelle is located southwest of Marietta, not far from Osborne High School, and a majority of the students are on a free or reduced-price lunch program.

When the volunteer effort began, around 150 bags of food were delivered each week by St. Ann volunteers. Now it’s grown to more than 400, more than enough to provide a bag for every student.

That’s around 5,000 bags since the school year began, according to Karen Miller, the “Sharing Our Blessings” coordinator at St. Ann. Around 20 volunteers prepare the food bags every Friday at the church before they are delivered to the school.

“They feel very special when they get the bag, even if it is only five items,” LaBelle art teacher Jerrilyn Price said. “They look forward to Fridays. They say, ‘Oh it is Friday! We get the bags today!’”

The St. Ann volunteer effort is gearing up for the upcoming holidays with another food collection drive, filling a truck with nine days’ worth of food for the students during their break.

Some of the money raised for the food collection comes via the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s Hunger Walk.

“There are a lot ways a community can support a school,” Miller said.

St. Ann Catholic volunteers, LaBelle Elementary School

 

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!

East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service emphasizes youth community service

by

East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service

Community service has always been a strong component of the East Cobb Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service held at Temple Kol Emeth.

This year, it’s the featured theme, especially as it pertains to youth, when this year’s service takes place next Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. Kol Emeth is located at 1415 Old Canton Road.

“Dare to Do!” is the theme of the 13th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, which will include a special interfaith effort involving Center for Children and Young Adults, a non–profit agency in Marietta providing services for homeless, abused, neglected and at-risk youth.

More than a dozen faith communities in and around East Cobb will take part in the service, which includes music, reflections and post-service fellowship, refreshments and writing on the “Wall of Words.”

The service is free and open to the public, and attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items to be donated to MUST Ministries.

Carpooling also is encouraged, and overflow parking will be available across the street from Kol Emeth at Eastminster Presbyterian Church (3125 Sewell Mill Road).

The following faith communities will be taking part:

  • Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
  • The Art of Living Foundation
  • Baha’i Faith Center for Learning
  • East Cobb Islamic Center
  • East Cobb United Methodist Church
  • Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation
  • Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
  • Interfaith Community Initiatives
  • Islamic Center of Marietta (Al-Hedaya)
  • Temple Kol Emeth
  • Masjid Al-Muminum
  • Pilgrimage United Church of Christ
  • Roswell Community Masjid
  • Sikh Educational Welfare Association
  • Gurudwara Sahib
  • St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  • Transfiguration Catholic Church
  • Unity North Atlanta Church

Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team makes donation to Emory ALS Center

by

Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, Keller-Williams, Emory ALS Check

East Cobb-based Keller-Williams agent Janice Overbeck (second from right) of the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team recently handed over a $25,000 check to the ALS Center at the Department of Neurology at Emory University and director Dr. Jonathan Glass (center).

The money was raised through her non-profit, JO Gives. Here’s what she has to say about the reason for the fundraiser:

“Some of you may not know that my dad suffered from ALS. This past week, we had the pleasure of presenting Dr. Glass with our annual donation towards his research for a cure at Emory. Our employees can tell you with the profits we make, we pour back into the business, and that is why it has grown so quickly.

That is God’s blessing. And in turn, we are able to give to our three worthy charities through JO Gives, Inc. This makes us happier than any material possessions could bring. Thank you to everyone who has supported our mission by buying and selling homes with the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team, referring people to us, and supporting our fundraising activities.”

Bells Ferry Road cleanup project includes Cobb police chief

by
Bells Ferry Road cleanup
Cobb Police Chief Mike Register (third from left) and commissioner JoAnn Birrell (center) with members of the Bells Ferry Civic Association at Saturday’s Keep Cobb Beautiful project. (Cobb Police Department photo)

Press release:

Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, Police Chief Mike Register, and about a dozen of his officers joined a group pounding the pavement to clean up the Bells Ferry Road corridor on Saturday.
 
The county leaders joined members of the Bells Ferry Civic Association in the effort. The Association keeps tabs on the stretch of Bells Ferry near I-575 as part of the “Adopt-a-Mile” program. Keep Cobb Beautiful runs the “Adopt-a-Mile” program.
 
The group spent several hours cleaning up the shoulders and curbs, finding everything from cigarette butts to car parts to bottles and cans.  In the end, they filled nearly 30 bags of trash.
 
This was the second time Chief Register brought his officers to a community cleanup. “It’s not all about catching criminals,” Register said.  “It’s that partnership with the community that is very valuable and very precious and doing things like this brings us closer together as a community.”
 
“It means a lot to the community to keep our county clean, and we’re happy to show we’re willing to contribute to that,” said Commissioner Birrell.

Fore the Cure golf tournament at Indian Hills to benefit breast cancer programs

by
Fore the Cure golf tournament
Carrie Bartelme, George Bartelme, Fore the Cure co-chair Kathy Bovey Bartelme and co-chair Chad Bartelme at the 2016 event. (Submitted photos)

For the third year, the Fore the Cure Golf Tournament will take place Oct. 30 at Indian Hills Country Club, and donations and sponsorships are being sought.

The day-long event—which will be held rain or shine—is a fundraiser for the Atlanta-based It’s The Journey, a non-profit that promotes breast health and funds breast cancer programs.

Fore the Cure was started in 2015 by East Cobb residents Kathy Bovey Bartelme and her friend Helen Hvizdak, who were were looking for a local breast cancer organization to support.Fore the Cure golf tournament

“We love that It’s The Journey is a small organization making a big impact in our community,” Bartelme said. “They have raised $13 million since 2002 to support everything from breast exams, to biopsies, to research, all right here in Georgia. As a breast cancer survivor, it meant a lot to me find an organization that was helping the women and men in my community in meaningful, tangible ways.”

Fore the Cure has raised $96,000 in its first two golf outing events, and last year 164 people took place.

The Oct. 30 event starts with registration at 8 a.m. and a shotgun start at 9:30 am. The cost is $125 per person and includes cart, 18 holes of golf, lunch, and prizes for golf challenges.

Individual, foursome, and corporate sponsorships are available as well as donations for the silent auction and in-kind gifts. In previous tournaments, players have consisted of both members/non-members of Indian Hills as well as men and women.

There will also be a silent auction, which is open to the public to attend. Items for auction include golf packages, sports memorabilia, original artwork, themed gift baskets, and more.

For information and to register, click here for a sign-up flyer with details that include sponsorship packages, handicap scores and more.

Fore the Cure golf tournament

Deadline is Friday to sign up for Cobb emergency preparedness training

by

From the Cobb Emergency Management Agency:Cobb Emergency Management Agency

Cobb County will hold its free Community Emergency Response Team training for three sessions in August and registration is open now. The class size is limited, and all applications are due by noon, Friday, Aug. 4. This program trains people to be better prepared for emergency situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims and organize volunteers at a disaster site.

CERT members can also help with non-emergency projects that improve the safety of the community. The classes will be held 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, 19 and 26 at the Cobb County Emergency Operations Center. Members must attend all sessions to complete the program. Participants must be at least 16 years old. The Emergency Operations Center is located at 140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta. If you would like to register for the program, contact Kimberly Repak at kimberly.repak@cobbcounty.org or 770-499-4567.

EAST COBB WEEKEND: Dog Days Run; Pins for Paws; real estate seminar; new Walton HS open house & more

by

 

Walton High School

Because one school ribbon-cutting event this week isn’t enough (and also, because it’s right before the start of a new school year): The new Walton High School administration and classroom building will be officially opened on Sunday, starting with ribbon-cutting ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. and an Open House to follow (1590 Bill Murdock Road).

The next day, students will finally get to enjoy some elbow room as they start classes in a building that can better accommodate them. Having been subject to massive overcrowding myself (as a Wheeler student when Walton opened, too many years ago), I understand the feeling. We’ll be out there on Sunday to document all the proceedings.

The Walton ribbon-cutting comes at the end of a busy and varied weekend of events in East Cobb. See our full calendar listings for so much more, and send yours along if you don’t see it to: calendar@eastcobbnews.com). We’ve pulled out a few highlights here:

  • The Rotary Club of East Cobb is holding its 12th annual Dog Days Run that starts at 7:30 Saturday morning at the McCleskey-East Cobb YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), and race-day registration is available for both the 5K and fun run;
  • The East Cobb-based Good Mews Animal Foundation is holding a bowling fundraiser Sunday from 2-4 at AMF Bowling on Cobb Parkway. Pins for Paws includes lots of related fun, including raffle tickets;
  • If you’re thinking of buying a home for the first time, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate team is holding a free seminar from 11-1 Saturday at its Keller Williams North Atlanta office at 2249 Roswell Road;
  • At the end of a long week why not enjoy some Open Mic entertainment? From 7-10 p.m. Sunday at Keegan’s Irish Pub (4401 Shallowford Road), the local acoustic duo The Woodys (who were in action earlier this week at the Paper Mill Village food truck) will perform your requests. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m.

Did we miss something? Do you not see an event you think the community ought to know about? Let us know if you have calendar items to share, for this weekend and beyond. We’re working to have the best calendar listings in East Cobb, so have a look around and let us know what you think!

Have a great weekend, and stay in touch!