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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Over 100 "Project
Safe Place" areas in Gwinnett for Children
By
Laura Cochling
Safe Place Coordinator, Gwinnett Children's Shelter
Special to GwinnettForum.com
AUG. 17, 2004 -- Jimmy, a young man living with his older sister,
found himself homeless one day. Jimmy and his sister frequently
moved, finding a different motel every night. They had no permanent
housing, so everyday after school Jimmy would head to the meeting
spot he and his sister had agreed upon the night before.
One day after returning to the meeting spot, Jimmy's sister never
showed up. He walked to the last few motels and suburban lodges
where they had stayed but saw no sign of his sister. Jimmy ended
up sleeping outside a local parking lot. He stayed there a few days,
continuing to attend school while sleeping outside and rummaging
in the trash for food.
This is the type of youth who gets help from Project Safe Place.
A friend at school told Jimmy about Project Safe Place, and Jimmy
went to the closest QuikTrip to ask for help. A shelter volunteer
arrived to transport Jimmy to the Gwinnett Children's Shelter. We
gave Jimmy a warm, safe place to stay, while we found relatives
in another state who were able to care for Jimmy and give him a
permanent place to live.
Many times in the past youth like Jimmy would call in and request
help from local youth shelters, but a lack of transportation to
the Shelter meant they did not receive the help they needed.
That was before Safe Place. Project Safe Place is a National Program
that was started in Louisville, Ky. in 1983. The program was founded
to meet the needs of youth who find themselves living on the street,
whether through homelessness or family turmoil. Since then, the
program has spread to 42 states, serving over 74,000 youth since
its inception.
The program came to Gwinnett six years ago through a partnership
with QuikTrip. Project Safe Place offers a preventative intervention
for families in crisis while providing youth a safe place to stay
until the family conflict is resolved.
There are currently 106 Safe Place sites in Gwinnett County. QuikTrip
remains a strong partner, along with Publix, Kroger, Gwinnett County
Library branches, the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Chick-Fil-A, Collision
Care, Buford Auto Plaza, Buford Human Service Center, and Pinckneyville
and Centerville Community Centers. These community partners can
be recognized by the yellow and black diamond safe place signs displayed
at each location.
Any youth in any type of crisis situation, whether being followed,
bullied, homeless, or runaway, can walk into a safe place site and
ask for help. Last year, the Gwinnett Children's Shelter served
38 youth through Project Safe Place, counseled over 80 youth and
adults through phone counseling and educated over 8,000 youth and
adults about the dangers of running away and life on the streets.
To find out more about how you can volunteer or support the Gwinnett
Children's Shelter, contact us at 678-546-8770, or info@gwinnettchildrenshelter.org.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Clyde
Edgerton uses voice to entertain, and to ensnare
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
AUG. 17, 2004 -- As a Southerner, reading through Clyde Edgerton's
"Walking Across Egypt" made me wonder about myself.
You might wonder about yourself, too.
 You
see, Edgerton several times refers to the a gospel hymn, which is
the book title, "Walking Across Egypt." And try as I might
as I went through the book, I could remember neither the words nor
the tune of the song.
All that would come to my mind was another old gospel favorite,
"Beulahland." But no "Walking Across Egypt."
Not being able to recall the song bugged me.
Meanwhile, the book moved along nicely, with a relatively simple
story. Yet what we liked about the book best was its true Southern
voice, with lots of dialogue making it easy to fall into the rhythm
of the Southern voice. The conversations went on easily to the ear,
sometimes two or three conversations going on at the same time,
but everyone involved thoroughly connected, including this reader.
That Edgerton, a master at showing the Southern voice in all its
beauty.
The Gwinnett Public Library's decision to have Clyde Edgerton as
part of its 'Gwinnett Reads" 2004 program is a good one. Following
on the fine reception that Rick Bragg got last year in the first
program, it adds luster to the series.
A special treat will be presented on Friday night, as Edgerton
and his band, Rank Strangers, will appear at the Gwinnett Performing
Arts Center. Billed as both an audience with Edgerton and his music,
tickets are still available for the show. (Tickets are $20 each
and can be purchased at any branch library or by phoning 770-978-5154.)
This performance will be one of the highlights of the literary season.
We look forward to seeing you there.
One reason the book proved to be so true to me is the continual
references to food throughout the book. The characters, as many
southerners, seem almost obsessed with insuring that everyone gets
an adequate portion of food, and then they make sure that they have
enough.
It's something like this, as asking a person who has just come
into the home at the end of a dinner:
"How about some tea?"
Then: "Are you sure you don't want a piece of apple pie or
ice cream?"
To which you can almost guarantee the reply: "Well maybe a
little piece of pie won't hurt me."
Then the guest gets served a handsome slice of apple pie, and yes,
with ice cream on top. Most likely, they won't even comment on the
ice cream that they didn't ask for.
That's the type of give-and-take in an Edgerton work, always entertaining,
always on target, and seeming to be conversation that can continue
to well past bed time.
Now back to the book. One of the pleasures we found in "Walking
Across Egypt" is at the end of the book, where across two facing
pages are the words and music to Number 216 (apparently out of a
hymnal) "Walking Across Egypt."
But as I read the words, they didn't recall anything from the past,
and seemed almost unfamiliar. Thinking that strange, we looked up
to the line under the title, where is listed the author of the words
and music.
To our amazement, we found: "Words and music: Clyde Edgerton!"
Yep, Edgerton had tricked us. There was no old-time song, "Walking
Across Egypt." He had made it all up, complete with words and
music in the back of the book, like an old hymn. We felt thoroughly
taken in, but also a little happier since we weren't losing our
mind. It made us feel a little saner thoroughly ensnared by the
novelist!
Attaboy, Clyde Edgerton. You got us.
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FEEDBACK
8/17: On chairman's
race and so-called "majority" in Georgia
Editor, the Forum:
Comment on the recent runoff election: Charlie Bannister 1, Georgia
Republican Establishment . Good move, Gwinnett.
You mentioned the runoff law changes. Please remember why they
changed the runoff threshold to 45 percent - they took advantage
of the Losertarian (read Libertarian) vote to win for Democrats.
That's how Max Cleland won the Senate seat in 1996. The Demo legislature
gave it to him.
The new math : 45 percent is a majority in Georgia. No more runoffs.
Cleland'd have lost to Guy Millner under the old, fair law. That's
why the Democrats changed it - it was fair.
Losertarians will tell you with a straight face that they take
votes equally from both sides but I'm betting 70 percent of their
votes come from ostensible Republican voters. Their one or two percent
can come up big in a close race. Losertarians are being used and
don't seem to mind. Demos are far more party loyal than the GOP.
-- Marshall Miller, Lilburn
8/17: Voters showed
"TNT" concern: trailers, neglect, traffic
Editor, the Forum:
The challengers in the recent Gwinnett County Commission races
dropped TNT on the incumbents: Trailers, Neglect, and Traffic. Year
after year, those rusting trailers in the school yards just wouldn't
go away. Month by month, deterioration kept sneaking up on formerly
bustling communities like weeds in an abandoned parking lot. Day
after day, commutes have gotten longer and nastier. Good citizens
are willing to be patient for a while, but not forever.
Perhaps the election results weren't a massive blowout for change,
though, because life here in Gwinnett County isn't all bad. We do
have the Hill years to thank for the impressive Gwinnett Center
and the nice new parks. By many measures, we are the envy of all
the other counties. But the tarnish on the shine of day-to-day life
here can be understandably attributed to a Commission that was looking
to the future while yesterday was still hanging around.
Now we voters need to re-affirm in November our insistence on a
substantial shift in focus, and we must then challenge the newly-elected
Commission to live up to the high standards that have been set for
our county as they lead Gwinnett into the next, more mature phase
of responsible growth that also takes good care of what we've already
got.
-- Ruth Holleman, Duluth
8/17: Feels ARC has
done little to solve transportation problems
Editor, the Forum:
The change in leadership in Gwinnett County can be attributed to
the arrogance of the current leaders we have. Mr. Brack's list of
accomplishments of Chairman Hill leadership have merit on most parts
but become overshadowed when you include mentioning his participation
in the ARC, an organization that has done little to solve transportation
woes as has its counterpart GRTA.
Mr. Hill's backing of the outer ARC is another example. The fact
that a bus system is the best example of the urbanization of the
county is a prime example of how the commissioners and the transportation
department want to force feed their programs on the public. The
buses are empty! Anyone driving in the county can see this at any
time of the day with the exception of a couple that run downtown
each day, yet no one addresses this. If you read the articles in
the papers, you would think that the bus system is great. This attitude
is what cost Mr. Hill and the two other commissioners their positions.
-- Lee Baker, Lilburn
8/17: Wants all presidential
candidates to get more respect
Editor, the Forum:
I find it appalling the bias in the coverage of the presidential
candidates. They should be treated with equal respect and fair coverage.
-- Wanda Niles, Gainesville.
CALENDAR
Gwinnett Technical
Forum to hear more on Web services
Join the Gwinnett Technology Forum with Kristin Kirkconnell, CIO
for Atlanta Gas Light Company, for a discussion on "Web Services",
on Tuesday, August 17, at 7 a.m. at the Scientific Atlanta Auditorium
located on the Gwinnett Technical College Campus in the George Busbee
Center (Building 700).
Kirkconnell , chief information officer of AGL Resources in July
2001, previously served as chief information officer for consumer
and interconnect services with BellSouth and was involved in the
implementation of Oracle's Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
solution. Kirkconnell served as vice president for the National
Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) regulation. In this capacity,
she directed the development and deployment activities associated
with registration and licensing systems.
Kirkconnell is a graduate of George Mason University where she received
her Bachelor of Science degree. She currently resides in Norcross,
with her daughter Laura.
UGA Business College
dean speaks in Gwinnett on Thursday
Dr. George Benson, dean of the Terry College of Business at the
University of Georgia, will speak at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
General Membership Luncheon August 19.The luncheon will be held
preceding the Big Expo & Job Fair at 11:30 a.m. at the Ballroom
at Gwinnett Center located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.
Sponsorship will be provided by Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dr. Benson became dean of the University of Georgia's C. Herman
and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business on July 1, 1998. He
previously served for five years as dean of the business school
at Rutgers University. From 1977 to 1993, he was a faculty member
in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Dean Benson is the co-author of one of the leading textbooks in
business statistics. It has been widely used for the last 25 years.
Prentice Hall published the eighth edition in 2001. Contact Meghan
Beard (770) 232-8816 or meghan@gwinnettchamber.org
for more information
Rep. Linder sets two
one-hour town meetings in area
Congressman John Linder will hold Town Hall Meetings in Forsyth
County and Gwinnett County on Saturday, August 21. The Town Hall
Meetings have been scheduled to provide a legislative update, as
well as listen to constituent concerns.Ý
The Forsyth meeting will be at Forsyth County High School Auditorium
from 9-10 a.m. The Gwinnett meeting will be at the Justice and Administration
Center (courthouse) from 11 a.m. until noon.
BOOK
RECOMMENDATION
8/17: From Bill Baughman
of the Gwinnett Historical Society
Retired County Agent
"I am working on editing Gwinnett County Georgia Families
1818 - 2000, to be published by the Gwinnett Historical Society
next year. So, that is my current interest in non-fiction. Aside
from that, the last book I read was Margaret Mitchell & John
Marsh, The Love Story behind Gone With the Wind.
"It's one of those books I have read and will probably always
keep. I doubt I will read it again, but I don't want to get rid
of the book.
"Being a native Atlantan, I knew about Margaret Mitchell,
and Gone With the Wind, and the tragic ending of her life.
No one knew much about her life, however. I was surprised to find
her somewhat of a rascal.
"Lately, I have read several mini-coffee table books using
images from post cards. I started with From Abbeville to Zebulon
by Gary Doster. It's a history of Georgia using postcards. Then,
recently while in Columbus, I picked up two similar books, written
by Ken Thomas, a native of Columbus. One is a history of Columbus
in postcards, and the other is a history of Ft. Benning. When I
got home I searched the web looking for postcards of images of Gwinnett.
I even bought one online. All I need now is another 100 and wíll
have enough for a book."
- An invitation: What books have you enjoyed? Send us
your best recent book along with a short paragraph as to why you
liked it, plus what you plan to read next. --eeb
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
8/17: Wyomia Tyus of
Griffin first to win gold medals in succession
Wyomia Tyus, born in Griffin on Aug. 29, 1945, was the first person
to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash. Her
father, dairy farmer Willie Tyus, encouraged his only daughter to
compete in sports, although her mother, Marie, felt participation
in sports was unladylike.
 In
1963, Tyus accepted a scholarship to Tennessee State University.
In 1964 Tyus narrowly earned a spot on the Olympic team, which traveled
to Tokyo, Japan, for the games. She captured the gold in the 100-meter
dash and anchored the second-place 400-meter relay team at only
19 years of age. After the Olympics Tyus's mother tried again to
discourage the young champion, but Tyus wanted another Olympic gold
medal.
The Mexico City games in 1968, were personally and professionally
important for Tyus. She won gold in the 100-meter dash for a second
consecutive time, something no one else did until Carl Lewis competed
20 years later, and she also proved herself the fastest woman in
the world for a second time.
After the 1968 Olympics Tyus retired to Los Angeles, married Duane
Tillman, and had a daughter, Simone, and a son, Tyus. One of the
most popular runners in history, Tyus capitalized on her celebrity
by serving as a goodwill ambassador to Africa. She has been inducted
into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (1976), the National Track
and Field Hall of Fame (1980), and the International Women's Sports
Hall of Fame (1981).
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Sometimes you just
have to get something done
"Incremental progress is better than delayed perfection. Let's
make something happen."
-- Jim Scarborough, Norcross.
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