Community

Peachtree Corners shows support for Ukrainians

Published

3 years ago

March 3, 2022

Arlinda Smith Broady

Lights on the Pedestrian Bridge are shining blue and yellow in solidarity with a war-torn country half a world away.

Peachtree Corners has joined the throng of cities and governments throughout the world showing support for the country of Ukraine as is battles against an unprovoked invasion by Russia.

City officials unanimously agreed to shine the colors of the Ukraine flag on the pedestrian bridge.

“The reasons why we had the bridge built was to give people a sense of place,” said City Councilman Alex Wright. “When you see it, you know you’re in Peachtree Corners.”

But in designing the structure, the city had the foresight to add a feature that could make it even more special.

“There are four lanterns that can be lit with different colors to commemorate different events or holidays,” Wright said. “We used red and green around the end of the year and different groups have asked us to shine different colors like pink for breast cancer awareness.”

Although it was Wright’s idea to stand with the second largest country in Eastern Europe as it defends itself against the superpower, he admitted it was really a no-brainer.

“We built this to engage our constituents and from the reactions on social media, it looks like everyone agrees with our decision.”

Scores of passers-by have commented on the blue and yellow lights.

Wright disclosed that he has a personal reason too for wanting to advocate for the cause of freedom. His mother-in-law is a descendant of Ukrainian immigrants.

“That makes my wife and daughters all Ukrainian, too,” he said.

Local Ukrainian Faction

Familial ties with Ukraine are much more prevalent in this area than many would suspect.

Liliya Makhlaychuk-Sharma, a founding parting of Bair, Wilson, Sharma, a law office located in Peachtree Corners

Attorney Liliya Makhlaychuk-Sharma, a co-founder of Peachtree Corners-based law offices of Bair Wilson Sharma was born in the former Soviet Socialist Republic.

“I’m one of the lucky few in that my parents are here, and at least that part of the worry is a little bit easier on me. However, all the rest of my family and friends are still in Ukraine,” she said. “And as far as communication goes, it’s really it’s on and off. We kind of have to live by their schedule, because you never know when the air raid will begin again. So, they have to go into shelters. And obviously, the communication there is not great. They are also busy, busy saving their lives, busy watching what’s going on busy rebuilding little things, looking for food and everything.”

Even with spotty communication, Makhlaychuk-Sharma is overjoyed with the progress her countrymen are making.

“It’s definitely going bad for Russia, because as of the seventh day of the war, they lost more soldiers than in two years of the first war with Chechnya,” she said. “But we’re not overconfident. … And keep in mind that since the war started, there were 42 newborns. … Ukrainians are strong. Ukrainians keep going. But even when Ukraine wins, and when the war is over, we would need a lot of help on all fronts.”

How Can I Help?

Nataliia Onyskiv, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Georgia Branch which is headquartered in Peachtree Corners, said she’s heavily involved in passing along information about loved ones and raising funds and support for the war-torn country.

Nataliia Onyskiv (pictured in traditional Ukrainian outfit), president of Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Georgia Branch which is headquartered in Peachtree Corners.

“Being in America, we do have ways to help. However, just shipping supplies is not the most effective way, because we are far away. … There are already established structured funds that have their volunteers in their warehouses on the border with Ukraine. So what we do here we as UCCA, we started a fundraiser on the first day and we transfer money as we receive them to this reliable foundation. And these foundations, they take care of the rest. They purchase everything they need, directly from factories and plants in Europe.”

With the conflict, there are already reported scams and Onyskiv wants donors to know their money is going to do some good.

“We offer one easy way so you can take your credit card or debit card and we collect money and direct it to the people who need it. The website is ukrainianatlanta.org.”

The organization has planned a “Stand with Ukraine” rally for noon Saturday near the CNN Center at the corner of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park. There are several similar protests staged across the globe in the hopes that more countries will support Ukraine and force Vladimir Putin to call off his troops.

At last count, Onyskiv said there are nearly 20,000 Ukrainians in the state of Georgia. Her organization has several hundred active members, but after living under Soviet rule, many aren’t keen to “join” anything.

“We come together to enjoy our language and our culture,” said Makhlaychuk-Sharma. “We don’t force people like back in the days of the Soviet Union to ‘belong to the Communist Party.’”

The freedom and unity felt here in the United States is something both women hope their country can rebuild.

“We have a great and trustworthy government,” said Onyskiv. “We were in peace up until the invasion.”

While many are fleeing Ukraine for foreign borders, coming to this country isn’t an option for most.

“Unfortunately, there is no refugee war refugee status for Ukrainians right now in the United States. So, Ukrainian people cannot just come and claim refugee status. It’s not in place. And I’m not sure whether that’s going to be in place soon. So it’s not as easy,” said Makhlaychuk-Sharma.

But Onyskiv is hopeful that it will come about eventually.

“I received a lot of phone calls from American citizens. And I feel huge, huge help and support. People call and ask, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’ They offer their housing. And believe it or not, I have a note where I write down all the phone numbers, it looks it looks very messy, but I’m keeping track of every contact,” she said.

At the end of the day, Ukrainians near and far are uniting and are grateful for the worldwide efforts to keep them free from a Russian takeover. This area has shown that it is living up to the words of one of its greatest native sons.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Contact Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Georgia Branch: ukrainianatlanta.org, 404-259-0824 or 6460 Spalding Drive Suite B Peachtree Corners, GA 30092

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Arlinda Smith Broady

Arlinda Smith Broady is part of the Boomerang Generation of Blacks that moved back to the South after their ancestors moved North. With approximately three decades of journalism experience (she doesn't look it), she's worked in tiny, minority-based newsrooms to major metropolitans. At every endeavor she brings professionalism, passion, pluck, and the desire to spread the news to the people.

City of Peachtree Corners

A Look at this Year’s Memorial Day Challenge and Ceremony

Published

3 days ago

June 10, 2025

Shawne Taylor

Veterans and city officials in front of a veterans' monument on memorial day 2025

On Memorial Day last month, Peachtree Corners residents, officials, veterans and business leaders joined together on the Town Green to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

The day started with a special 9 a.m. ceremony at the city’s Veterans Monument to recognize that sacrifice and honor the lives of those who died while serving. As in previous years, the ceremony was organized by the Peachtree Corners Veterans Association and included the raising of the flag, placing of the wreath, remarks from city officials and a moment of silence.

For this year’s event, three keynote speakers — each connected to the community and now at a different place in their journey of service to our nation — were also invited to address the gathered crowd.

The 2025 keynote speakers

Sean Balderas (Norcross High 2025) — Sean was accepted to the Naval Academy and begins his military career there this fall.

Kellen Grave de Peralta (Norcross High 2020) — Kellen graduated from the Naval Academy in May and will attend flight school as a 2nd LT in the Marines.

Justin White (Wesleyan School graduate) — Justin graduated from the USNA in 2014 and completed his service commitment a few years ago as a Marine Officer. He now works as a consultant for Bain & Company.

Each speaker talked about what Memorial Day means to them and also shared their thoughts on the importance of service.

Memorial Day Youth Challenge 2025

Following the ceremony, the city and the PCVA hosted the Memorial Day Youth Challenge.

Held at Town Green’s Fort Pain, the challenge is a thrilling obstacle course-themed physical competition for kids and teens ages 9 to 18 with the purpose of increasing the knowledge and appreciation of Memorial Day and those we honor.

Each participant was paired with a veteran who served as their judge, safety spotter and cheerleader as they worked their way through the course. Family members and spectators also added to the excitement of the challenge, cheering on the competitors as they gave their all to complete the course in the fastest time.

According to Alex Wright, former U.S. Naval officer, Peachtree Corners councilmember and a founder of the Memorial Day Challenge, the event had a full field of 45 on race day (with eight no-shows), and 37 racers completed the course.

Each competitor received a t-shirt, dog tags and refreshments for attempting the challenge, and first and second place finishers also received awards during a short ceremony following the race.

Community contributions

Several local businesses also contributed to the success of this year’s Memorial Day Challenge with both material donations and volunteer support. King of Pops Peachtree Corners was on hand to give out popsicles for participants, and Vox-pop-uli provided the challenge t-shirts and signs.

Photos courtesy of Jim Stone, TYTAN Pictures.

Community

Peachtree Corners Festival Awards Debbie Mason Drama Scholarship for 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

June 2, 2025

Peachtree Corners Magazine staff

A young woman wearing a long, floor-length dress receiving a $1000 scholarship for drama. She's standing on stage with two men, holding a large version of the check. The background is a dark blue curtain.

On May 9, the Peachtree Corners Festival awarded the Debbie Mason Memorial Scholarship for Drama to an outstanding Norcross High School drama senior. The recipient was Elizabeth “Ella” Armes, a student who has been involved in the Norcross High School drama department for four years and was most recently the primary stage manager directing the high school’s performances.

According to Terry Gabbard, director of theater at Norcross High School, Ella “was vital to the success of our program. She is an incredible young lady who will be continuing her studies in media and the arts in college.”

In fact, Ella plans to continue her education and work in theater and communications at Kennesaw State University starting this fall.

This marks the third year that the Peachtree Corners Festival has awarded the drama scholarship in the name of the late Peachtree Corners Festival co-founder, Debbie Mason.

In addition to being the first “First Lady” of the city of Peachtree Corners, Debbie and her family were long-time supporters of the drama program at Norcross High School. After her passing in 2023, the Peachtree Corners Festival established the Debbie Mason Memorial Scholarship for Drama as an appropriate way to honor her legacy.

About the Peachtree Corners Festival

The Peachtree Corners Festival is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization dedicated to bringing a safe, wholesome and family-friendly festival to the city of Peachtree Corners each year.

The organization’s goal is to foster community pride and civic involvement, not just through the weekend-long festival, but by giving back and supporting education and beautification initiatives within the city and recognizing deserving members of the community.

This year’s Peachtree Corners Festival will take place on the Town Green, September 20–21.

For more information, visit peachtreecornersfestival.com.

Community

The PCBA Awards $500 to Light Up The Corners at After-Hours Event

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2025

Shawne Taylor

A group of people standing together at a business event, holding a large check made out for $500 to Light Up the Corners

The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) awarded a check for $500 to Light Up the Corners at their May 2025 Business After Hours event.

Light Up the Corners, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, organizes the annual Glow Run and Twilight Trot — a nighttime, community celebration that’s equal parts race, fun run, party and fundraiser.

This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, August 16 at The Forum in Peachtree Corners. The 1K Twilight Trot will start at 8 p.m., and the four-mile Glow Run will begin at 8:30 p.m. After the runners have crossed the finish line, a fun, post-race party will follow.

All proceeds from the Light Up the Corners event go to benefit less fortunate children and families in the community by giving them the chance to participate in life-enhancing programs and activities at the Fowler YMCA.

A history of charitable donations

PCBA’s donation to Light Up the Corners will help the organization meet its goal of assisting struggling families through their Why It Matters campaign. It’s the latest in a series of donations that PCBA has made over the years through their community outreach program.

“We are so proud that the PCBA has awarded 20 scholarships to outstanding future business leaders and donated in excess of $173,500 into our metro Atlanta community over the last 13 years,” said Lisa Proctor, PCBA board president.

Funds for PCBA’s community outreach program are raised throughout the year from PCBA membership, sponsorships and Tailgates and Touchdowns, an annual charity event they hold each August. Donations and scholarships are awarded at their Business After Hours events so that their members have the opportunity to learn more about the community organizations.

About Peachtree Corners Business Association

The Peachtree Corners Business Association is a business membership organization that focuses on innovative approaches, programs, shared resources, community outreach and opportunities for member businesses and professionals to connect, develop, grow and prosper.

The PCBA is made up of businesses of all sizes and types that want to expand their reach and grow their business within Peachtree Corners and the greater metro Atlanta area.

For more information call 678-969-3385, email membership@peachtreecornersba.com or visit peachtreecornersba.com.