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Issue 10.17 | Friday, May 28, 2010 |
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TODAY'S FOCUS LAWRENCEVILLE,
Ga., May 28, 2010 -- The Gwinnett-based IMPACT! Group will host a day-long
community foreclosure prevention forum on Monday, June 7, at the Gwinnett
Environmental and Heritage Center. The event will be open to the public
and include speakers from the housing counseling, legal, and financial
fields. There will be limited space for both the morning and afternoon
sessions; interested homeowners and realtors are asked to register in
advance at www.theimpactgroup.org.
The morning
Realtor Forum will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is a three-hour continuing education
credit seminar, offered through instructors at O'Kelley and Sorohan, LLC.
The seminar will focus on short-sales and foreclosures, with a special
section on how to help clients avoid foreclosure prevention scams. Realtors
who complete the session will receive three CE credits towards their re-certification. Since Georgia has consistently ranked among the top ten states in number of foreclosed homes, Georgians have been especially susceptible to foreclosure prevention scams. In 2009 alone, The IMPACT! Group provided housing counseling and education services to over 4,800 households and expects that number to increase to over 6,000 in 2010. * * * * * The IMPACT! Group is the recipient of the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Humanitarian Award, given each year to only one agency by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. This year's award noted IMPACT!'s comprehensive work in homeless prevention assistance and housing development. EEB PERSPECTIVE MAY 28, 2010 -- The generation of Americans born in the Depression had little, if any, significant military combat experience. Many were too young for World War II or the Korean War. And by the time the fighting escalated in Vietnam, they were older, and some had already discharged their military duty.
Yet for me, the problems and the impact of the war in Vietnam eventually strongly hit home. We were among those who had a casual realization of the problems in Vietnam, primarily from the nightly television reports. But what really got our attention was when the son of a friend we had watched graduate from high school a few years before became a casualty of the war. The shipment of his body back to Georgia, and the funeral at the First Baptist Church sent shudders through most of the people of the town. The large church was packed for the service, with people also standing outside during the funeral. Suddenly, this was no far-off war. The quick shipment of the body back to the United States was something new to most of us. During World War II and the Korean War, bodies did not often return immediately. The return of this body was from a war that was very local, since it had taken someone many of us knew personally.
His name was PFC Ralph T. Woodall, 22, who was killed March 18, 1967, a member of the 8th Calvary of the First Calvary Division. He had only been in Vietnam for a little over a month when he was killed in Binh Dinh Province. His parents lived in our town, where his father was a Farm Bureau insurance agent. Young Ralph's death changed my mind about the Vietnam War. Suddenly, it was very real and local. I began thinking of other servicemen from our community who were endangered. Before the war was over, five other young men from our town of 7,000 would be listed among the dead from this war. Now we've run across an amazing Web site concerning that war. You can see a list of those who died in Vietnam from your community by going to http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm. It lists by state and town those killed in action in Vietnam. It is a most complete web site, often with photos of individuals killed in the war. * * * * * Several activities in the next few days will mark Gwinnett's observance of Memorial Day.
It all
starts on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., when the City of Suwanee hosts the
U.S. Army Ground Forces Band at Town Center Park in a musical tribute
to U.S. Troops. It is sponsored by the Gwinnett Daily Post. There will
also be a sky-jumping demonstration by the Silver Wings, at approximately
7:45 p.m., weather permitting, and display of an Army Black Hawk aircraft.
The Army Ground Forces Band is composed of 64 soldier-musicians. Most
of them have studied music at leading universities and conservatories.
A ceremony in Lawrenceville at the Fallen Heroes Memorial will honor those killed in service to their country. That program will begin at 1 p.m. Monday the Gwinnett Justice and Administrative Center. The keynote speaker is Maj. Gen. James W. Nuttle, the commanding general of the First Army at Forest Park. ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today's underwriter is Garden Plaza at Lawrenceville, one of Gwinnett County's newest retirement communities. The 150-unit community boasts a full range of amenities, including an indoor swimming pool, spa facilities, fitness center, beauty/barber shop, Internet café, courtyard gardens and separate garages. The apartment homes (studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom) are leased on a monthly basis to senior adults 55 and older. The team at Garden Plaza is committed to providing extraordinary customer service. We believe our programs and services are operated at a level of excellence that exceeds our residents' needs and expectations. The action-packed recreational calendar includes outdoor excursions, as well as anything from movie matinees and shopping trips to educational seminars and live performances. Visit the web site at www.lawrencevilleretirement.com.
McLEMORE'S WORLD ARCHIVE
FEEDBACK Editor, the Forum: It's ironic that less than one week after announcing an exciting new economic stimulus "Let's do Business Gwinnett," that the County Commission would lead by example and award a $3 million Water Resources construction contract to a North Carolina firm. I'm sure Winter/RLG or others could have managed the project. I wonder if the county's bidding regulations have been changed to reflect the benefits of awarding contracts to Gwinnett firms?
UPCOMING The Gwinnett
Village Community Alliance is hosting the 2010 Multi-Cultural Career and
Job Fair on June 16 at Victory World Church in Norcross. The Fair will
feature approximately 40 employers and will offer career related workshops.
Letycia Pastrana, executive director of the Alliance, explains: "With one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, many Gwinnett families are experiencing job loss and significant financial stress. We are anticipating that more than 1000 job seekers will be in attendance providing a great opportunity for companies to search for quality employees." Author makes only metro Atlanta appearance in Duluth June 5
On a national book tour to promote his newest book, "Bodily Harm," New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni will make his exclusive Atlanta area stop in Gwinnett County. He will appear at Duluth's Red Clay Theatre on Saturday, June 5, at 5:30 p.m. After his performance, Eagle Eye Books will have on hand the book, Bodily Harm and his older titles, to purchase and have them signed by the author. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Gwinnett County Public Library. Lionheart Theatre plans two camp sessions in Norcross Sign up now for Lionheart Theatre's drama camps in Norcross and save! The early bird rate is only available until June 1. One camp is June 14-18, from 9 a.m. until noon. Campers will act, sing and dance in royal splendor as favorite princesses, dashing knights and comical court jesters. There will be a castle, with all campers getting the royal treatment. A theatre fantasy camp will be held June 21-25. Campers get to be who they want to be in skits, song and dance, such as Annie, Captain Hook, Mad Hatter, Cat in the Hat, or Dorothy. This is for campers age 5-13. Camp cost is $125 a week, with a $25 saving if registered by June 1. Sibling cost is $75 a week. For information, call 404-314-0668 or email casey196@bellsouth.net. NOTABLE The Federal
Aviation Authority (FAA) has accepted a preliminary application from Gwinnett
County that reserves the fourth of five slots for Briscoe Field under
the national Airport Privatization Pilot Program. This gives Gwinnett
the green light to move forward with the process of selecting a private
manager and operator. County officials say they will continue to analyze
whether privatization and the potential addition of scheduled passenger
air service is in the best interest of Gwinnett residents. They plan opportunities
for public participation throughout the process.
Should
the county decide to move forward with privatizing the airport after analyzing
the potential impacts, two steps would remain. First, the county would
negotiate an operating agreement with a private operator that has demonstrated
the financial resources and management capability to improve and operate
the airport. Afterward, Gwinnett County would submit the final application
to the FAA. There is no timeline for the FAA to complete the review of
the final application. Augusta artist has new exhibit at Hudgens through September Tom Nakashima,
the well-known Augusta artist, now has a new exhibit at The Hudgens Center
for the Arts. A companion exhibit, the Augusta State University Faculty
Invitational, also is open and features artwork by Nakashima's colleagues
at Augusta State University. The exhibits will be on view at The Hudgens
through September 25.
Angela
Nichols, director of Education and Public Programs at The Hudgens.says:
"This is the second exhibition of Tom's work that I have curated
and it's been exciting to see the direction his work has taken over the
years. Several of his large collage pieces will be included in this exhibition;
the scale of which is very impressive. I am thrilled to be able to share
his beautiful, intricate and timely artwork with this community."
RECOMMENDED
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has 69 congregations in Georgia. Leaders in the church are usually theologically liberal. Nationally, the denomination's strongest presence is found in the central part of the United States, from Kentucky to Texas. The Christian Church may receive into membership people who were baptized according to the practices of other denominations without requiring re-baptism. The Disciples operate Camp Christian in Gordon (in Wilkinson County) as a summer camp and retreat center. The Disciples' educational institution in Georgia is the Atlanta United Divinity Center, which ministers to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ students attending seminaries in the Atlanta area. Among its many ministries are the nonprofit Campbell Stone Apartments, which provides residences for retirees in Atlanta. The Christian Church and Churches of Christ have dozens of congregations in Georgia. Atlanta Christian College is the educational institution serving adherents. These churches are theologically conservative, relying primarily on traditional interpretations of Scripture to establish church doctrine. Musical instruments are used during their worship services. The churches
of Christ (their preferred spelling is lowercase) are numerous in
Georgia. The theology of these churches is usually very conservative or
fundamentalist, and members seek to follow only those practices and beliefs
clearly taught in the New Testament. Describing themselves as "undenominational,"
adherents have no central headquarters or presiding officer but use informal
contacts to associate with those churches that share a common polity.
They believe that musical instruments should not be used in worship because
there is no verse in the New Testament that explicitly authorizes this
practice. CREDITS GwinnettForum is provided to you at no charge every Tuesday and Friday. If you would like to serve as an underwriter, click here to learn more. Send
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TODAY'S QUOTE "On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time."
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