Thanks to Kali Mann of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta for the information and photos of last week’s food and housing insecurity outreach event involving Cobb YMCA volunteers, including those from the East Cobb-McCleskey Family and Northeast Cobb branches:
On Saturday, September 15, nearly 80 volunteers assembled more than 300 meal kits and toiletry kits, and knitted 50 blankets for Cobb’s food and housing insecure individuals. Volunteers included employees from J.M. Huber Corporation, members and employees from the Northwest, McCleskey, and Northeast Family YMCAs, and non-Y members.
Helping Cobb’s needy families is not new to the YMCA. Now that the “Days of Service” event is complete, the Northwest YMCA in Kennesaw will begin gathering food to feed Cobb’s children during the Fall and Winter breaks.
“Over the past 160 years, the Y has evolved to meet the unmet needs within communities around the Metro Atlanta area,” said Kristin McEwen, senior VP of operations for the YCMA of Metro Atlanta. “While times have changed since the Y’s founding in 1858, the Y’s focus on serving the community has not.”
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Lingering issues over Cobb non-profit funding have been put on hold by county commissioners, who want more time to go over proposals to spend $850,000 for grants to 15 local community service providers.
Rev. Ike Reighard
At last week’s commissioners meeting, they agreed to delay action, possibly to Sept. 25 when they meet again to conduct regular business.
The funding has been set aside in the fiscal year 2019 budget commissioners adopted in July, and would be distributed over the next two years.
Most of the organizations are part of the Cobb Collaborative, an umbrella organization that coordinates non-profit county grant funding.
Last year, commissioners changed the criteria for awarding grants to non-profits. The agencies must provide services related to homelessness, family stability and poverty, ex-offender re-entry and workforce development, and health and wellness.
According to Cobb deputy county manager Jackie McMorris, the Cobb Collaborative received 27 applications for grant funding, totaling $1.8 million, before making the recommendations contained in the chart below.
Several leaders of those non-profits on the recommended list spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about how they spend that money, and how it’s still needed.
Jeri Barr of the Center for Family Resources, which focuses on homelessness issues, said losing that funding “could be a death-knell for a number of non-profits.”
CFR would receive $141,339 under the current grant recommendation, the largest for any of the non-profit agencies on the list. Of that amount, $127,205 would be used directly for homeless-related programs, especially housing assistance.
“We help hundreds of families stay in their homes” with financial assistance that includes rent payments, she said, adding that that kind of stability keeps kids in schools.
Because of its Cobb grant funding, CFR also gets a federal match from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Barr said.
MUST Ministries, which is best known for operating a homeless shelter in Cobb, also provides housing and employment services for its clients.
The non-profit reported 2017 revenues of $10.6 million, and would receive $53,002 in Cobb grant funding under the proposal.
Rev. Ike Reighard, senior pastor at the Piedmont Church in East Cobb and the MUST president and CEO, told commissioners that of that $52,002, two-thirds of it, or around $35,000, goes for shelter services.
The remainder would be used for providing employment services for clients in the South Cobb area.
“You’ve been great partners to us over the years,” Reighard said.
Commissioners expressed some differences not only on how to spend the money, but whether to do it at all.
South Cobb commissioner Lisa Cupid was upset that other agencies weren’t included on the list that serve her community.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell of Northeast Cobb said she’s concerned about spending taxpayer money involuntarily for such services and favors a voluntary process to fund non-profits.
Ott also has expressed similar sentiments, but his motion to table non-profit action was because he wasn’t at a work session on Monday in which the recommendations were outlined.
“It’s the first time I’m seeing this list,” he said.
Commission chairman Mike Boyce said without the services these agencies provide, the county would likely have to spend more money on incarceration and public health.
“What is the value of this county? Is this for the greater good of the county? My answer is, yes.”
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Thanks to Crystal Bradshaw for letting us know about the return of the Fore the Cure Golf Tournament at Indian Hills next month, as part of a larger fundraising and awareness campaign for breast cancer programs across the state:
Join us on Monday, October 22nd at Indian Hills Country Club for the fourth annual “Fore the Cure” golf tournament benefiting It’s The Journey, a local 501c3 that raises money exclusively for breast health and breast cancer programs in Georgia. This event is chaired by longtime East Cobb residents George and Kathy Bartelme.
“We love that It’s The Journey is a small organization making a big impact in our community. Since 2002, they have funded 335 grants totaling $14 million 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.”
The Bartelme support has evolved into an annual golf tournament that is now in its fourth year. The annual “Fore the Cure” golf tournament has raised over $140,000 since 2015. This year the tournament will take place on Monday, October 22nd at the Indian Hills Country Club. Registration begins at 8:00 am, with a shotgun start at 9:30 am. Participants will receive the use of a golf cart, lunch, 18 holes of golf, and prizes for golf challenges. Individual, foursome, and corporate sponsorships are available as well as donations for the silent auction and in-kind gifts. It is a very fun tournament and players consist of both members/non-members of Indian Hills as well as men and women.
There will also be a silent auction the day of the tournament. Items for auction include golf packages, sports memorabilia, original artwork, themed gift baskets, and more.
The fight against breast cancer is not a single battle. It’s an ongoing struggle that is faced with courage and determination. It is, in fact, a journey. It’s The Journey, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 2002 that raises funds for Georgia breast cancer organizations offering support to many women and men across the state.
It’s The Journey, Inc.’s mission is to support Georgians by raising money for breast health and breast cancer programs that focus on screening, diagnostics, genetic counseling and testing, support services, and research.
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The group estimates more than $70,000 was raised for a number of East Cobb and other local charities it works with, including East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
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A record total of 694 people took part Saturday morning in the 13th East Cobb Rotary Club Dog Days Run, which started and ended at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA.
The 5K event took place along East Piedmont Road and Sewell Mill Road before winding back along Roswell Road to the YMCA. The proceeds will benefit a number of East Cobb charities, including School Mates Literacy Project, Canine Assistance, Aids Awareness, The Center for Family Resources, Cobb County Public Safety and Kids2Leaders Inc.
Runners were cooled off by the Cobb Fire Department as they made the final turn back into the YMCA.
Post-race refreshments included bottled water, donuts and plenty of bananas. Local businesses, including Honest-1 Auto Care, Tuxedo Pest Control, Cheek Dental, Dentistry of East Piedmont, Fitness Together East Cobb, Big Peach Running Co., MDE School, Dermatology Consultants and The Solana East Cobb had information booths.
Also on hand were members of East Cobb Robotics, who later shot small rubber balls into the souvenir-seeking crowds.
Blooper, the Atlanta Braves mascot, also turned out for the festivities.
Some of the top winners. Medals were awarded across all age groups, ranging from under 10 to the 80s. There even was a woman runner who is 99 years old.
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This year the show, which takes place next Sunday, July 22, will benefit the Orphan Annie Animal Rescue organization, and the event has been expanded.
Here’s more about Orphan Annie, and below is the message Bradley’s is getting out about the show, including a sign-up link if you’d like to have your car registered.
We will have all of the excitement of last year plus much more! Join us July 22 from 3 PM to 7 PM for live music, outdoor food specials and entertainment, frozen treats, games, prizes and of course, lots of awesome automobiles! See you there!
Registration Info: All makes, models and types of automobile are welcome! To register, participants must FIRST purchase a Vehicle Registration ticket on Eventbrite. SECOND, participants must register their vehicle information at BradleysBarandGrill.com. A Vehicle Registration ticket is admission for one vehicle and 2 participants. General Admission tickets are sold separately! A portion of proceeds will be donated to Orphan Annie Animal Rescue to support our local pets in need!
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After donating more than $100,000 this week to help Cobb County acquire some of the Tritt property (previous East Cobb Newspost here), the Friends for the East Cobb Park is replenishing its endowment with a new fundraising campaign.
The contribution made by the non-profit citizens group helped Cobb take in nearly 30 acres of the adjacent Tritt land, and complete green space purchase around the county with $27 million of a 10-year-old parks bond referendum finally funded last year.
At Tuesday’s Cobb commission meeting, District 2 commissioner Bob Ott said he would be chipping in to help Friends begin its fund drive, and here’s what he sent us and is sharing with his constituents and the community today:
I, along with the rest of the Board of Commissioners, am especially grateful to Friends for the East Cobb Park. You may have read in the newspaper that this nonprofit group contributed to make up for a shortfall in County funds needed to close this purchase. The final figure isn’t available just yet but is expected to be over $100,000. You’ll recall that this is the group of community volunteers who raised over $1 million to purchase the original 13-acres of the East Cobb Park almost 20 years ago. This is a very unique public/private partnership that we are all very proud of. The Friends group once again stepped up to assist so that the east Cobb community’s much-loved park can literally double in size.
What wasn’t in the paper is that these funds came from an endowment fund established over 15 years ago from a generous grant matched by funds that the group raised. Interest from this endowment has been used over the years to make various improvements to the park. The Friends group, with the assistance of the Cobb Community Foundation where the fund is held, received permission to utilize some of the principal from the account to cover this shortfall, with a promise to launch a new fundraising campaign to raise money to replenish the fund.
The board of Friends for the East Cobb Park is planning to launch a new fundraising campaign, and you can soon learn more about it on their website www.eastcobbpark.org. It’s my hope that the east Cobb community will rise to the occasion and consider participating in the campaign. Remember that the community will one day have the opportunity to purchase the remaining acreage, and any funds raised over and above the amount needed to restore the endowment fund will be earmarked to assist with this potential purchase down the road. I have heard from many, many of you over the years regarding the Tritt property, and now the east Cobb community will have the opportunity to be a part of this exciting project. I have personally pledged $1,000 to the campaign, and challenge each of you to consider how you and your family can help. To make a tax-deductible contribution please make your check payable to “Friends for the East Cobb Park” and mail it to P.O. Box 6313 Marietta, Georgia 30065.
I’ll continue to provide updates in my newsletter and look forward to seeing a long list of supporters!
The Friends for the East Cobb Park has set up an online payment system via PayPal, and you can contribute directly at this link, in any amount that you like. You can make a one-time contribution or set up a monthly payment.
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“Why Non-Profits Are Good for Small Business” is the title of the panel discussion at the ECBA’s monthly luncheon on Tuesday. It takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway).
The speakers are Dawn Reed of Aloha to Aging, Inc., Natalie Rutledge of the Cobb Schools Foundation, Tom Gonter of MUST Ministries and Mary Kay Boler of TAG-Ed Education Collaborative.
The cost for the luncheon is $20 in advance for ECBA members, $25 in advance for guests, and $30 at the door. Online registration can be done here.
A couple of stories related to these groups that we’ve posted recently: Aloha to Aging, the East Cobb-based non-profit that works with seniors and their caregivers, is holding a gala celebration at Kennesaw State in August as a fundraiser as it expands its services.
In January the Cobb Schools Foundation held a Casino Night fundraiser at SunTrust Park to benefit its programs that assist the Cobb County School District.
The Marietta-based MUST Ministries operates a homeless shelter and services for families and individuals in need.
Also next week, the Northeast Cobb Business Association will hold its monthly luncheon. It’s Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road), and the guest speaker is Dana Johnson, director of the Cobb Community Development Department.
The cost is $15 for members and $25 for members and online registration can be done here.
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Thanks to Anne Pitts, incoming president of the East Cobb Rotary, which is staging its 13th annual Dog Days Run Aug. 4 at the East Cobb-McCleskey Family YMCA (1055 East Piedmont Road), for the submitted information about the event. Here’s the online sign-up page if you want to run/walk on what’s becoming one of East Cobb’s biggest 5K events.
Last year we raised over $92,000 that we used to support local non-profits and many school programs in our community.
We expect 800-1,000 runners and their families at the race and after-race festivities. Our purpose for the event is to raise money for local charities or charities with local impact. Last year, the money raised supported the Rally Foundation (childhood cancer research), REAP (improving reading proficiency in public schools), Lekotek (empowering children with special needs) and more than 30 other charitable organizations that make a positive impact in the Cobb County community. Additionally, we have committed $35,000 over 3 years to help Wheeler High School start and implement an AVID program which directs college-preparatory assistance to students of lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Not only do we raise the funds, our members actually help put these funds to work, by serving as volunteers for many of the projects financed. Dog Days funds allow us to sponsor Interact Clubs (youth service organizations) at Wheeler and Walton High School, students at Lassiter and Wheeler High Schools to participate in the National Laws of Life Contest which spans the academic year and culminates in the contest in the spring, and we are able to sponsor 4 students from Walton and Wheeler High School each year to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Camp in the summer. The students that attend this camp tell me that it is by far their best experience, and they are lit up and ready to bring positive changes to their communities.
You can also register at Big Peach Running Company (1062 Johnson Ferry Road) or via regular mail at this link by July 22; early registration is $20 through July 28. After that, including race day, it’s $30.
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Submitted photo and information below from Sgt. Jeff Tattroe about the Cobb Police Bookbag Palooza initiative to collect school supplies for needy students. He’s the head of the department’s community affairs unit and one of the dropoff points is the Precinct 4 headquarters in East Cobb:
Cobb County, it’s time to rally up for a great cause – BOOK BAGPALOOZA.You came through with overwhelming support this past winter with “Giving the Gift of Warmth” coat drive, so let’s now do the same with Book Bag-Palooza.
The Cobb County Police Department’s Community Affairs Unit would like to gather as many book bags and school supplies as possible.The donations that are received will be distributed to those Cobb County students in need at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, which is only two month away!
We are seeking new book bags, paper, folders, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, markers, etc. Any items that a student, whether they be elementary to high school, would need to start the school year out prepared and proud!The Palooza starts now.
Drop off locations are any of the Cobb County Pct. locations:
Pct. 1 ) 2380 Cobb Parkway NW, Kennesaw
Pct. 2 ) 4700 Austell Rd. Austell
Pct. 3 ) 1901 Cumberland Parkway, Atlanta
Pct. 4 ) 4400 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta
Pct. 5 ) 4640 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs
HQ ) 140 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta
The hours for drop off at the above locations are from 9am till 4pm, Monday thru Friday (excluding holidays).If you have a business or club that takes on the Palooza challenge and collects a large amount of school items, one of the Community Affairs officers will be happy to arrange pick-up from your location.
If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call.I look forward to seeing how the residents of Cobb County step up to make sure all students walk in to school proud and ready to learn.
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From Cobb Police Sgt. Jeff Tattroe, head of the department’s Community Affairs Unit:
Tomorrow, June 1st, from 5am till 11am, the COPS ON DONUT SHOPS will take place, in partnership with Dunkin Donuts. This event brings together law enforcement and Dunkin Donut stores across Georgia with the goal of raising funds and awareness for Special Olympics Georgia!
Officers from the Cobb County Police Department will be at the following stores, spread throughout Cobb County:
1) 4311 Bells Ferry Road
2) 836 Veterans Memorial Highway
3) 2651 Cobb Parkway NW
4) 980 East Piedmont Road
5) 2475 Dallas Highway
As part of National Donut Day, which is tomorrow, every guest will receive a FREE donut with the purchase of one beverage. Please stop by one of the above stores to take part, make a donation to Special Olympics, and say hello to your Cobb County Police.
Let’s make this program a HUGE success in Cobb. If you are not able to stop by tomorrow morning, you can still make a difference for Special Olympics Georgia by visiting specialolympicsga.ejoinme.org/donuts. Please enter Cobb County Police when prompted to do so to show your support.
Thank you and we look forward to saying hello tomorrow morning. Please keep in mind, the officers are only set up to accept U.S. currency tomorrow morning.Every donation counts, so let’s do this as a community.
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This past Saturday, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team and a group of local businesses joined together to host a free appreciation BBQ lunch for our armed forces at the Janice Overbeck Real Estate office.
All active duty or retired members were invited to enjoy live music by Vietnam Veterans, The Tunnel Rats, while satisfying their bellies with a full catered barbeque lunch and custom ice cream dessert bar.
The Marietta Local provided pulled pork sliders and other contributions to the lunch spread came from local sponsors: Chick-fil-A, Wells Fargo, Atlanta Peach Movers, Arrow Exterminators, Perrie & Associates and Janice Overbeck.
Although the forecast showed nothing but storms, thankfully the weather held up which allowed for a great turn out!
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The fourth running of the Northeast Cobb Business Association 5K-9 Run is taking place on June 9, and this year the event will be raising money for the purchase and training of a service dog for a military veteran.
Frank Wigington of the NCBA said past events have raised funds for dogs for the Cobb County Police Department, the Cobb Sheriff’s Office and for an autistic child in East Cobb.
This year, the business group asked Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Greene to assist in finding a recipient for a service dog, and a veteran who is dealing with PTSD and other issues has been identified.
In remarks to his counterparts at the East Cobb Business Association on Tuesday, Wigington said the costs for the purchase and training have grown since the initial events raised around $15,000 each.
He said if this year’s event raises more money than what’s needed for the veteran’s dog, other proceeds will be provided to the Cobb Fire Department to purchase oxygen masks for dogs dispatched for rescue work, and possibly for iPads for special needs students in Cobb County.
“The money will be spent, but it will be spent wisely,” Wigington said.
The 5-K9 Run includes a puppy trot for children 8 and under that’s $10 in advance, and $15 on race day. The 5K run/walk is $25 in advance and $30 on race day.
Awards are presented to overall and masters winners, as well as several children’s age groups.
Anyone who is entered can bring their dog along for the event.
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The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team’s non-profit organization, JO Gives, hosted their second annual wine event last Friday, March 23. JO Gives is considerably involved with World Vision and this year, our goal is to raise enough money to put two water wells in Africa. The event was a huge success and $2,452 was raised in just a few hours! An auction was held where participants bidded on a sparkly bottle of brut champagne, plenty of games were played on the patio outside and a variety of wine bottles and gift sets were displayed for sale. Not only did they raise almost double the amount compared to last year, but the event also enabled the agents and staff to mingle with and familiarize themselves with current and past clients. We’ve all heard the phrase “Jesus turned water into wine”…. Well, the Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team is determined to turn wine into water.
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For the second time this week, the National Weather Service office in Atlanta has issued a wind chill advisory that includes Cobb County.
The advisory period is from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 a.m. Friday for northwestern Georgia. Low temperatures are projected to dip into the teens, with wind chills possibly resulting in temperatures between five above and seven below zero.
Two East Cobb churches are also offering shelter from the cold tonight for the homeless, and need volunteers. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (4385 Lower Roswell Road) and Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (955 Johnson Ferry Road) announced on the Opening Our Doors website that they need volunteers at both locations.
The cold snap that’s lingered into the new year won’t be thawing out anytime soon. Friday’s high is forecast to be only in the mid 30s, with Friday lows once again in the teens. Saturday and Sunday highs will be the same, and there’s a chance of freezing rain on Sunday night.
Temperatures aren’t expected to get into the 40s until Monday, and next week could bring temperatures in the low 50s.
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Volunteers of all ages fill fruit baskets with special Christmas messages to be delivered to seniors in Cobb County. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
On Christmas Day, the East Cobb Lions Club and the Marietta Lions Club prepared special holiday meals for elderly citizens and their families, and community volunteers helped deliver them around Cobb County.
More than 100 volunteers turned out at Powers Ferry United Methodist Church by mid-morning Monday to cook food, fill plates and fruit baskets, and deliver special messages for about the same number of shut-ins.
Longtime East Cobb Lions Club member Ray Moore said the Meals on Wheels program started when he and other Lions learned that the Cobb Senior Services Department didn’t make deliveries on holidays.
What began as a two-day turnaround before Thanksgiving in 1983 has turned into one of the lasting charitable Christmas traditions anywhere in Cobb County.
In early November, Moore contacts Cobb Senior Services for a list of those in need of meals, and starts making holiday delivery plans. If some recipients need extra meals, then the Lions volunteers make sure to note that.
“I’ve got food for 120 people here,” he said. “We’ve got to do something with it.” The Lions groups raise money throughout the year for the holiday deliveries, including selling $5 tickets for a homemade quilt that will be raffled off in May.
Pamela Williams, a member of the Marietta Lions Club, said she wanted to be a part of the program after her grandmother received Meals on Wheels in South Carolina. “I could see the light in her eyes,” Williams said. “It showed me that they cared.”
Each recipient is given a plate with sliced turkey and ham, green beans, sweet potatoes, dressing and gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, small cakes and a fruit basket. The meals are cooked on-site in the church kitchen, which wafted with the savory smells of holiday food.
Santa Claus paid a visit as volunteers continued to create the fruit basket messages. A first-time volunteer is Dorie Gallagher of the Roswell area of East Cobb, who is spending Christmas alone after her husband died earlier this year.
She admitted it’s been a difficult few months since then, but said “I need to get out, and help the community.”
At the same table, former East Cobb residents Jay Levy and Debbie Cohen were returning as volunteers, for the fifth and third years, respectively. Both now live in Sandy Springs, after raising now-grown children who graduated from Pope High School.
“We come back and see people we recognize, but the most rewarding thing is when you deliver the meals,” Cohen said.
As volunteers filled the fruit bags and loaded food onto the plates, others were getting ready to roll out with the meals. Drivers raised their hands, then got maps for their deliveries.
Driving volunteer Jay Levy gets his map from Ray Moore of the East Cobb Lions Club.
Each driving volunteer is typically assigned two or three homes in relative proximity. Levy and Cohen were assigned two residences in the South Cobb area. Among them were an elderly woman with two high school seniors in the Mableton area, and a man living alone in Smyrna.
Levy said the biggest challenge often is squaring up the address on the map with what’s on the road. The latter meal recipient, James Dyer, lives in an apartment building on Sandtown Road, which stretches for miles and is located amid commercial and industrial buildings.
Jay Levy uses his GPS device to track the Sandtown Road address of a Meals on Wheels recipient.
Dyer opened the door and was eager for some company, as Levy and Cohen placed his food on a kitchen countertop and chatted with him for a few minutes.
Moore said he’s gratified the holiday Meals on Wheels has grown from “a family thing” in his own household and Lions Club friends to many in the community who simply want to lend a helping hand on Christmas for those who can’t get out.
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Release from the Cobb County Communications Office, dated Dec. 2:
Cobb County’s tireless efforts to keep the county clean were recognized at the Keep Georgia Beautiful Awards Ceremony in Atlanta. The county’s Keep Cobb Beautiful organization was recognized a half dozen times during the ceremony at the Marriott Century Center.
Erin Mulgrew was recognized as the Keep Georgia Beautiful “Woman of the Year.” Mulgrew was appointed to the Keep Cobb Beautiful Board by Commissioner JoAnn Birrell.
Barry Krebs, appointed to the Keep Cobb Beautiful Board by Commissioner Lisa Cupid, was named the organization’s “Man of the Year.”
The annual program honors individuals and organizations working to improve Georgia’s environment.
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell was recognized as the “Elected Official of the Year,” an award that honors a state or local elected official that strongly supports environmental and community improvement activities. Birrell had served on KCB’s Board for ten years before she was elected to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.
KCB was also recognized with a Waste Reduction and Recycling Award, the South Cobb Lions received the 2nd place award in the Litter Prevention category, and the local organization received first place recognition as a Keep Georgia Beautiful affiliate.
Created in 1978 by Governor George Busbee, the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation is based on a fundamental premise that the environmental interests of the state of Georgia and the people who live here are best served when public and private interests work hand-in-hand to achieve common goals.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.”
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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 Newspost 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.
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