Community
It Takes a Community
Published
2 years agoon
Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries shows how local nonprofits work together to better the lives of at-risk families.
A few years ago, Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries (NCM) acquired a complex to further the mission of helping neighbors who sincerely want to break their cycle of poverty and regain financial independence. To remind the community of its expanded facilities and partnerships with other nonprofits, NCM invited the community to an event called Tacos + Tours.
Stakeholders were informed about ways they could continue their support while munching on tantalizing Latin cuisine. Afterwards, guests were shown the improvements and processes NCM has devised to help those in need.
Ryan Jones, director of community development, kicked off things by explaining why he retired from his career in banking to begin the journey of helping improve the lives of people who were hungry, homeless, jobless and lacking some of life’s basic necessities.
“I realized today that it’s my two-year anniversary here,” he said. “The man is in the room who, kind of, led me on the journey to retire as a banker.”
He motioned to Randy Redner, who had been the president of the Community Foundation at the time and now is working at Rainbow Village.
“One of the things that stood out to me as I was doing my discernment and making my career change was ‘where could I make the most impact?’” said Jones.
He shared statistics about the pockets of poverty in the community. Then the various partners talked about how they work together to improve the lives of at-risk families in Gwinnett County.
Community helping community
“We’re now a county of more than a million people. We expect to have another 500,000 in the next 20 years,” said Jones. “The poverty rate has doubled, and the vast majority of that poverty is right here in our surrounding area.”
According to the United Way’s child well-being index, 45% of southwest Gwinnett’s children are living below the poverty line. That adds up to more than 11,000 kids.
Lack of affordable housing is also a big issue in this area. “A lot of times, we have families that are living in extended stay hotels and paying more money to live there than I pay for my house,” said Jones. “What these families are facing, a lot of times, is a cycle of poverty. They’re forced to make choices between their basic needs. ‘Am I going to feed my kids healthy food or am I going to pay for transportation to get to work? Am I going to pay for my medical bills?’”
Jones added that this cycle of poverty creates low grades in school, high unemployment rates and many other negative effects.
Even though the area boasts some of the toniest homes, high incomes and high levels of education, there are pockets of poverty similar to those near Clarkson, where refugees are given solace, or west of Mercedes Benz Stadium, where homelessness and addiction are high.
Better Work Gwinnett
Luisa Beeco, a program manager for Better Work Gwinnett, part of the Georgia Center for Opportunity, (GCO) explained that GCO focuses on family work and education.
“Our goal is removing barriers, and we do it in many ways so that every person, no matter their race, past mistakes or the circumstances of their birth, can have access to quality education, fulfilling work and a healthy family life,” she said. “We have people who are working on research and policy and working on trying to keep families together.”
One way to keep families together is by making sure the adults have jobs. That’s where the Better Work program comes in.
“It’s not like a staffing agency — it’s different,” she said. “I would call it a referral program.”
Better Work has partnered with multiple employers in the area that have agreed to reach out to job candidates within 3 business days for an interview or a conversation to be able to go through their process.
“We have people go through our portal. It takes five minutes. They can do it on their phone,” said Becco.
Once the applicant signs up, Better Work has a 30- to 60-minute conversation to understand where they fit in the work world. They assess the barriers to work — transportation, childcare, etc. Instead of creating more programs, Better Work connects clients to existing resources such GED classes and English language classes.
Next Generation Focus
Rachel Mannino, a recent UGA grad, is one of the after-school program directors of Next Generation Focus, a nonprofit afterschool program that meets Monday through Thursday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Norcross First United Methodist Church.
“We also have locations at Discovery High School and Summerour Middle School, and we also meet virtually,” she said. “We provide out of school tutoring for our youngest scholars. That provides year-round academic support, enrichment activities, character education and life skills development for under-resourced and vulnerable youth and their families.”
She explained that since its inception, the mission has been to provide high quality educational and developmental opportunities to impact underserved communities. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade receive assistance in all subjects, including English language classes. There are even English language classes for parents.
Rainbow Village
Rainbow Village is the largest transitional housing nonprofit in Gwinnett County. It was founded by Christ Church in 1991 and used to be a bunch of scattered homes. It is now a 2.5 acre campus in Duluth.
“We can handle 30 homeless families at a time. Those families can stay with us for up to two years. We are not a quick fix program,” said Redner. “This is not a rapid rehousing program, because that just keeps rehousing them again and again. That doesn’t really help families.”
Redner explained that Rainbow Village is working to expanding so it can help more than 30 families at a time. “We have over 2,000 homeless kids in our school system,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and we’re working hard to expand.”
He said that when he was the CEO of the Community Foundation, he saw that there are six great cooperative ministries across the county that were created 30 years ago by very future thinking leaders.
“When you add all those cooperative ministries together, we see 100,000 people a year; 10% of our population will go through our cooperative ministry,” Redner said.
Rainbow Village sees a 90% success rate in helping families break the cycle of poverty. So, the charities started a pilot program in January where one or two social workers were embedded at other nonprofit organizations.
“We’re working side by side to take a look at that and learn how nonprofits can work closer together,” said Redner.
The NCM tour
Intake at NCM begins in the front lobby where clients are screened to make sure they are eligible for services. “Here they tell a little bit of their story, their background, a little bit of what’s going on,” said Jenny Ortega of NCM.
After being processed, they meet with caseworkers. “Once they come back to us, the options include clothing, food, hotel, rent and utilities,” added Ortega.
The complex also has space for those who just need a little extra help, such as once-a-month food distribution to stretch the grocery budget or clothes for back to school or job interviews, as well as assistance with utilities or finding work.
“We talk to them about all the various different ministries that we have here,” said Ortega. “It’s not just financial; there are also spiritual ministries,” she said.
And there are English classes and healthcare sessions where clients can get blood pressure checks and talk to someone about medical assistance and/or prescriptions assistance.
During COVID, NCM offered a drive-through pantry, but now clients can enter the expanded food facility with more space for cold and frozen foods. Healthy snacks are offered during tutoring sessions.
The changes at NCM are focused on helping families become independent and stand on their own. With the newly formed partnerships, all involved pray that the years ahead see more at-risk families becoming stable and able to give back to the organizations so they can help other families.
By the numbers
11,018 children face hunger in NCM’s service area.
256 individuals were served by NCM in 2022.
336,439 pounds of food was distributed by NCM in 2022.
41 families were served by Rainbow Village in 2022.
274 individuals were connected to jobs and services by Better Work Gwinnett in 2022.
450 to 500 students are served virtually and in person by Next Generation Focus.
28% of Norcross residents spend more than half of their income for rent.
119 billion pounds of food are wasted in the U.S. each year.
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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
Public Notice: Scheduled Maintenance on Town Center Parking Deck
Published
7 days agoon
March 25, 2025Maintenance and repairs will take place from March through July; the deck will remain open to the public throughout
Starting the week of March 24, the City of Peachtree Corners will begin scheduled maintenance and repairs on the Town Center Parking Deck. These improvements are expected to continue through July 2025 and are necessary to ensure the longevity of the structure.
During this period, the deck will remain open to the public, but the repair areas will be temporarily closed on a rolling basis. These closures will allow crews to efficiently complete the necessary work while minimizing disruption to tenants, customers and residents.
To assist with navigation, directional signage, barriers and other safety measures will be in place to guide drivers and pedestrians safely around work areas. For public safety, drivers must follow the directional signage and only park in the open sections of the deck.
The city appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation as they work to maintain a safe and well-functioning parking facility.
For project updates, visit peachtreecornersga.gov.
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City of Peachtree Corners
Fun for a Good Cause at Curiosity Lab’s Inaugural 5K Run/Walk
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 18, 2025The Charity Run/Walk will be part of Curiosity Lab’s annual Criterium event
Expect a day of thrilling races and family-friendly fun at the inaugural Curiosity Lab Charity 5K Run/Walk followed by the Curiosity Lab Criterium on Sunday, April 27.
The day-long community event will kick off at 8 a.m., when registration opens for the 5K. The race will start at 9 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m., and the Criterium will begin at 11:15 a.m.
In addition to the running and cycling events, there will also be kid’s races, food & beverage vendors, a kids zone, a DJ spinning tunes and more fun throughout the day.
The Charity 5K Run/Walk
Presented by Werfen and Sidel, with additional support provided by Atlas Collaborative and the City of Peachtree Corners, the Charity 5K Run/Walk will benefit the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and 100% of the registration fees will be donated.
While no prizes will be given for the race, bib timing will be used for those who would like to see their times. And each registrant will receive a Curiosity Lab Charity 5K Run/Walk t-shirt for participating.
Registration for the 5K is open now.
Curiosity Lab Criterium
Following the 5K, hang around and experience the Curiosity Lab Criterium, part of U.S. Pro Cycling’s Speed Week.
Speed Week is a premiere week-long event on the U.S. Pro Cycling Circuit that draws cyclists from around the world, including Olympic medalists and world and national champions. In 2024, the professional men’s and women’s events drew cyclists from over 30 states and more than 20 countries.
Join in the excitement and watch as some of the world’s top male and female Criterium Racers tackle the most challenging track on the circuit.
The details
The 2025 Curiosity Lab Criterium & 5K will take place on a course located within the world-famous Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners — a 5G-enabled, 500-acre living laboratory ecosystem designed specifically as a proving ground for IoT, mobility and smart city emerging technologies.
Location: Curiosity Lab at City Hall • 310 Technology Pkwy NW, Peachtree Corners
Date and time: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The 5K starts at 9 a.m and ends at 10:30 a.m. The Criterium begins at 11:15 a.m.
Parking for the event will be located at 400 and 420 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners.
For more information, visit peachtreecornersga.gov.
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Community
Upcoming Spring Events You Won’t Want to Miss in April
Published
2 weeks agoon
March 17, 2025The sun is out, days are getting warmer and spring is on its way. That means more time outdoors and more fun events and activities in and around Peachtree Corners.
From movies and sports to live music and family fun, now’s the time to mark your calendar for all of the upcoming events you won’t want to miss. We’re sharing a few of our April favorites to get you started.
CrossFit on the Green
All ages and fitness levels are invited to join Terrance Fox with CrossFit PPG on the Peachtree Corners Town Green, Thursdays at 8 a.m. for a strength and conditioning workout. Bring water (no glass containers), a small towel or two, and a mat if possible. Wear comfortable workout attire and good shoes. March–November. Admission: free
Peachtree Corners Town Green • 5140 Town Green Blvd., Peachtree Corners
Cornhole Spring League
Come out and cheer on the teams who’ve registered to compete in this seven-week spring league. Play takes place weekly beginning March 20 and ends on May 15 with a tournament and trophy. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission: free
The Forum at Peachtree Corners • 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners
Friday Night Live
Kick back and groove to the smooth sounds of live music from favorite local artists every Friday night on The Plaza, April–October. Concert schedule will be announced soon. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission: free
The Forum at Peachtree Corners • 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners
Kids and Parents Gardening Workshop
This gardening workshop presented by nonprofit group DFOWW will share basic gardening information for youth ages 5–12 and their parent or guardian. Seeds, plants and a catered lunch will be provided. Register online. April 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets: $75 per adult; $10 per adult for low-income families
Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center • 10 College St., Norcross
Forum Flicks
Forum Flicks are back for 2025. Gather on The Plaza and enjoy your favorite movies on the big screen on the second Tuesday of each month. Movie schedule will be announced soon. April–October starting at 6 p.m. Admission: free
The Forum at Peachtree Corners • 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners
Spring Plant & Pot Sale
Kick off the spring gardening season with this four-day sale of plants and pots. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs, flowers and more will be available for purchase. April 19, 21–23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday; 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Wednesday.
Peachtree Farm • 356 Research Ct., Peachtree Corners
Earth Day Celebration
Learn about the origins of Earth Day and create seed bombs to take home with you at this all-ages workshop. April 22 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: free. Registration is not required.
Peachtree Corners Library • 5570 Spalding Drive, Peachtree Corners
Mt. Carmel Spring BBQ
Enjoy pork BBQ, Brunswick stew, slaw and desserts. The event will continue until items sell out. Dine in and take out are available. April 25 starting at 11 a.m.
Mount Carmel United Methodist Church • 5100 S. Old Peachtree Rd., Peachtree Corners
Wesleyan Artist Market
This annual two-day market showcase features a curated selection of artwork, handmade goods, jewelry and more, with offerings from professional artists as well as student artists. April 25–26 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Wesleyan School • 5405 Spalding Drive, Peachtree Corners
Spring Fest!
Welcome spring at CtK’s annual Spring Fest! Families are invited to join in for a day of free family fun, food, face painting, a petting zoo and more. April 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission: free
Christ the King Lutheran Church • 5575 Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree Corners
Curiosity Lab Criterium and Charity 5K Run/Walk
This day-long, family-friendly event on April 27 will feature an inaugural charity 5K Run/Walk to benefit the American Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Following the race, guests are invited to hang around and experience the Curiosity Lab Criterium, a U.S. Pro Cycling Circuit Race. The 5K starts at 9 a.m.; the bike race begins at 11:15 a.m. There will also be kid’s races, food & beverage vendors, a kids zone, DJ and more throughout the day. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Curiosity Lab at City Hall • 310 Technology Pkwy NW, Peachtree Corners
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