The City of Peachtree Corners and Intuitive have partnered to support local non-profit, Because One Matters, at this year’s event.

It’s time again for one of Peachtree Corners favorite annual traditions: The Holiday Glow Lighting and Concert on the Town Green.

With live musical performances, trackless train rides, fun holiday activities and sparkling Christmas Tree and Menorah lightings — along with complimentary hot chocolate for guests — this festive, all-ages celebration has become a holiday tradition for many families in and around the city.

Kids and adults can immerse themselves in the joyful atmosphere, mix and mingle with neighbors, friends, family and entertainers and experience the magic of the season beneath the night sky and twinkling holiday lights.

Partnership for a special cause

Special for this year, the City of Peachtree Corners has partnered with Intuitive to support Gwinnett County non-profit, Because One Matters, at the event.

The organization provides assistance to children and families in the foster care system through donations and fundraising.

“[The] holiday event … is a good place to partner with companies like Intuitive and non-profits like Because One Matters to get their message out and allow more people to be involved [in helping] a good cause,” said Louis E. Svehla, director of communications for the city.

“Intuitive came to us, wanting to be more involved in the community,” Svehla continued, “We [looked at] a list of all of the non-profits that are [located] in the city or that help assist in ways in the city … and they [chose] Because One Matters.”

A custom-designed holiday ornament

Together, the city, the company and the non-profit decided to partner for the Holiday Glow event and do a limited-edition ornament — custom-made, custom-designed and hand-numbered to 200 — making it available as a gift to anyone who brings an item to donate from the organization’s wish list.

The city designed the ornament with input and agreement from both Intuitive and Because One Matters.

“And now here we are,” said Svehla. “It’s our first time offering a limited-edition ornament for people at the event who donate clothing, toiletries, things that [the organization] needs — it’s not a cash donation. And we’re hoping that we can do this every year, whether it’s a different company or a different non-profit, to do a series of [Holiday Glow event] ornaments to bring companies in, to support locals, to support non-profits and make sure we’re giving back.”

Because One Matters

With a mission of helping children in the foster care system as well as children and families in need, Because One Matters runs a variety of service programs throughout the year.

Their Wrapped in Love Closet initiative provides those families the opportunity to shop for new or like-new clothing items, toys and books, all free of charge. They also provide kids entering foster care with a duffle bag filled with essential items to increase comfort and security during their earliest days of placement.

Foster, adoptive or kinship families who would like to participate in the program, can find information on the Because One Matters website. For individuals, families or local businesses who would like to assist, a variety of donation, fundraising and volunteer opportunities are available.

During Holiday Glow, guests who bring an item to donate from the organization’s wish list will receive one of the special Holiday Glow ornaments in return — a great way to make giving back part of your holiday festivities.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Holiday Glow event and deeply grateful for the City of Peachtree Corners and Intuitive’s incredible partnership,” said Andrea Barclay, CEO of Because One Matters. “Their support not only brings joy to the community during this festive season but also helps raise awareness and vital donations for our mission. Together, we’re making a meaningful impact for the children and families we serve.”

The donation wish list

• New underwear for girls (sizes 2T–14)
• New bath towels & washcloths (no white towels, please)
• New boy clothes (sizes 7–18)
• New girl clothes (sizes 2T–12)
• New boys’ boxers (no briefs; sizes 2T–14)
• Bath body wash (for sensitive skin)
• Non-spicy toothpaste
• Single toothbrushes
• Ikea bags
• New girls’ & boys’ shoes (all sizes)
• $50 store gift cards for teens
• Pjs for girls & boys (all ages)

In addition to the food, fun and festivities, the crowd will enjoy live performances from:

• Simpson Elementary Chorus
• Peachtree Elementary Chorus
• Pinckneyville Middle Band
• North Metro Academy of Performing Arts Chorus and Dance
• International Charter Academy Chorus
• Chabad Enrichment Center Chorus

The Town Green offers free parking directly on-site or in nearby parking areas, which are accessible by a short stroll on the center’s nature path. Guests can also access the Town Green via Peachtree Corners’ landmark bridge, which connects to The Forum and the city’s pedestrian and bicycle trail system.

The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) donated a check for $3,500 to the Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer at their October Business After Hours event. The organization was selected by the PCBA Community Outreach Committee and board, who are dedicated to identifying and selecting charities whose mission aligns with supporting the community. 
 
Georgia Alliance for Breast Cancer — formerly It’s the Journey — is a registered 501c3 non-profit that supports Georgia’s breast cancer community by raising funds for breast health and breast cancer programs throughout the state.

Since 2002, the organization’s Georgia 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer has raised over $19 million to fund 554 grants that provide breast cancer education, screening, early detection, support services and continuing care for Georgians. Their mission is to engage with Georgia’s breast cancer community to increase access to care and reduce disparities in cancer outcomes.
 
“Since [our] donations are made possible through our members and sponsorships, we wanted to award this check at our recent PCBA Business After Hours Speaker’s event, allowing our members the opportunity to celebrate with us and learn how this organization supports our community” said Lisa Proctor, PCBA president. “This check represents the first of three charities we raised money for at our annual charity event, Tailgates and Touchdowns, in August of this year. We will be awarding a check to the Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries in November and Spectrum Autism Support Group in December.”

Supporting the community

“We are so proud of our continued commitment to supporting our community,” Proctor continued. “The PCBA has donated over $162,000 to local deserving charities and awarded 19 scholarships to outstanding graduating high school seniors in our metro Atlanta community since the inception of our community outreach program in 2013.”

Funds for the PCBA Community Outreach program are raised throughout the year from PCBA memberships, sponsorships and an annual charity event. Donations and scholarships are awarded during monthly events so that members have the opportunity to learn more about the selected organizations.  

For more information about the Peachtree Corners Business Association, visit peachtreecornersba.com.
 

Not long after the incorporation of Peachtree Corners in 2012, city leaders envisioned an arts council that would ensure local arts and culture were given necessary attention. The Peachtree Corners Arts Council, now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established in 2016 to bring that vision to life by creating an Arts & Culture Master Plan and Public Art Initiative program for the city.

The council facilitates public art projects, such as a soon-to-be-completed mural on Peachtree Corners Circle by artist Jonathan Bidwell. With another major endeavor, the independently funded Debbie Mason Memorial Garden, also nearing completion, Peachtree Corners Magazine caught up with the organization — now called Peachtree Corners Arts Inc. (PTC Arts) — to learn more about the projects as well as the future of arts and culture in our city.

Debbie Mason Memorial Garden

The Debbie Mason Memorial Garden is an aesthetic and contemplative garden space nestled in an area of the Peachtree Corners Botanical Garden near Town Center. A group of Peachtree Corners residents, with a shared love for the city’s first first lady and an appreciation for all that she has done for the city, formed the Debbie Mason Memorial Committee (DMMC) to raise funds to build the oasis that will delight with flowering color each season.

The goal of the DMMC is to preserve Mason’s memory by transforming a space that will offer Peachtree Corners residents a quiet place to reflect, connect and rejuvenate among vibrant colored seasonal plantings and mosaic tiled artwork, according to the PTC Arts website. 

Although the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden falls under the umbrella of PTC Arts Inc., it had its own committee in charge of design and fundraising goals.

“When they started getting going, because they were creating an artistic kind of installation in the city and were going to raise the funds for it, they worked with our council for ideas and input on the plan that they ultimately came up with,” said Marcia Catterall, a member of PTC Arts. “They really ran independently with that. Primarily, they used us as the nonprofit vehicle to raise the funds.”

Independent of PTC Arts, DMMC created all of its own publicity and had a committee tasked with handling all of the fundraising.

Building a master plan

Although the objective of PTC Arts Inc. is simple, the execution can be complicated.

“We had our hands in numerous things,” said Catterall. “We’ve created the city’s arts and culture master plan. We created a public art initiative. Our goal was to think about all of the ways that arts and cultural activities could impact the city and then to help facilitate the creation and the installation of arts and culture in the city.”

The initiative, along with the master plan, took up the first several years of the council’s efforts. The master plan was formalized and officially adopted in 2018. 

According to city records, “The resolution requires developers to meet with the Peachtree Corners Arts Council to discuss possibilities for public art on their property. Developers would also be asked to voluntarily set aside one percent of their project costs for public art, either by including public art on their site or contributing money to a public art fund administered by the city.”

“This Public Art Initiative and Vision Map is intended to help city officials, developers and the community at large visualize and implement the city’s public art future. It outlines a vision for public art, offers an inventory of opportunities for public art throughout the city and provides background on the types of projects that should be encouraged and prioritized,” the records continued.

Early efforts of the council included designing activities for the Town Green and facilitating the use of public spaces for a variety of arts and cultural activities.

“One of the things that we helped with initially was designing some of the activities and talking about how to host activities on the Town Green,” said Catterall. “Now that’s all handled separately by the city, but we were sort of the sounding board and created a lot of the ideas and the thoughts about how Town Green was to be used.”

The mural project and what’s ahead

The first big art installation project initiated from beginning to end by the council is a mural on the retaining wall at Peachtree Corners Circle.

“That’s going to be our first big project that we’ve started — soup to nuts — and have run with completely on our own,” said Catterall.

Jonathan Bidwell, a well-known artist out of Asheville, North Carolina is creating the mural, having designed several others in the past.

“He designed, for example, the playful foxes on the Social Fox Brewing Company in downtown Norcross,” she said. “He’ll be covering the big, long retaining wall that will border part of the Botanical Garden Walk around the Town Center area. And it will actually be near the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden.”

Funding for the mural project was covered partly through business donations.

“Part of our arts and culture master plan is to ask businesses, when they either develop or open up a new business, to donate 1% of their project value towards public art on their property or to give that to us,” Catterall said. “So, this is being funded mostly through the donation from QuickTrip’s new development.”

Since the company didn’t have a particular art installation in mind for its property, it allowed the money to go toward an effort elsewhere in the city.

The mural’s background colors were scheduled to be painted by the end of September with the remaining details to be completed by late October, in time for the ribbon cutting for the Debbie Mason Garden. That event is set for 11 a.m. on October 26.

For more information about Peachtree Corners Arts Inc., the mural or the Debbie Mason Memorial Garden, visit ptcarts.org.

You can read this article in the October/November issue of Peachtree Corners Magazine.