Atlanta Workforce Development Agency Adds EarnBenefits Program
The Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA) is now providing EarnBenefits services to eligible City of Atlanta residents.
The program is being funded by the Arthur Blank Foundation. EarnBenefits connects low-wage workers to a wide range of income-enhancing benefits that have a proven impact on long-term job retention and asset accumulation.
Clients are offered assistance for multiple benefits, including Low-Income Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids, WIC, Food Stamps, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and federal tax credits. These benefits can supplement a family’s income by $3,000 or more annually.
EarnBenefits also provides clients with free tax preparation services through the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. EarnBenefits services are provided Monday thru Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information on the EarnBenefits program, call 404.880.7234 or email ajones@atlantaga.gov.
Anthony Jones, EarnBenefits representative, assists AWDA customer Annie Rhodes. |
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Atlanta Court Holds Free Valentine’s Day Wedding
This Valentine’s Day, the Lenwood A. Jackson, Sr. Justice Center (formerly the Municipal Court of Atlanta) will host a free mass civil ceremony for Atlanta couples who wish to get married and already have a marriage license from the Fulton County Probate Court.
The “Celebrate Your Love” ceremony is designed for couples who want to get married without the exorbitant wedding costs. Judge Elaine L. Carlisle will perform the mass ceremony. A brief reception will follow the ceremony.
The wedding will begin promptly at 10 a.m. at the Justice Center, located at 150 Garnett Street, Atlanta, 30303. For more information, or to register, call 404.954.6794 or email lwashington@atlantaga.gov.
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Public Invited to Plant Trees for Georgia Arbor Day Celebration
On Friday, February 16 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., the City of Atlanta will join a coalition of volunteers and students to plant 100 large trees in Freedom Park and give away seedlings in honor of Georgia Arbor Day.
Atlanta is known for its comprehensive tree care program and was named a “Tree City” by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Expert arborists will teach volunteers and students how to properly plant, mulch and water trees to facilitate long-term health. To volunteer, just show up ready to get dirty!
Strategically placed trees can have a positive economic, social and environmental impact. Some “tree” facts:
- Just three trees strategically placed around a home can decrease utility bills by 50 percent. Residential property values can increase 5 – 20 percent if trees are in the landscape.
- Crime rates decrease in areas with more greenery.
- Access to green spaces relieves the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), resulting in better concentration.
- Each year, an acre of trees absorbs the amount of carbon produced by driving a car 26,000 miles.
- Trees reduce the amount of water runoff from rain and clean the water that does run off, saving billions of dollars otherwise needed for storm water control and water treatment facilities.
For more information about Atlanta’s Environmental Initiatives, visit here.
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Police, Fire Personnel Compete for a Worthy Cause
The City’s annual Badges for Life Blood Drive will be held on Monday, February 19 in honor of Atlanta Firefighter Steven Solomon, who succumbed in 2006 to injuries sustained in the line of duty.
The Badges of Life Blood Drive is an annual competition between the Atlanta Fire Rescue (AFR) Department and the Atlanta Police Department (APD). Each year, the departments compete to see which can donate the largest amount of blood to the Red Cross. This year, departments have a goal to collect 70 pints of blood each.
The blood drive is open to metro area public safety and fire personnel as well as the public. APD will host their drive in the lobby of City Hall East, 675 Ponce de Leon Avenue, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. AFR will host their drive in the auditorium of the Atlanta Fire Academy, 407 Ashwood Avenue, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
For more information on APD blood drive, contact Sgt. Janice Y. Sturdivant at 404.853.7780. For more information on AFR blood drive, contact Captain Byron Kennedy at 404.853.7004.
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Video on Demand
Aviation Day at the Capitol |
Officials from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) recently spent a day at the Georgia State Capitol to give lawmakers an update on operations at the world's busiest airport. With a statewide economic impact of more than $53 billion, HJAIA is a vital economic generator for Georgia. Click here to go to Video On Demand (VOD) webpage where you can watch the news conference.
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Rave Reviews!
- Last week, more than 250 metro Atlanta high school students got a bird’s-eye view into operations at the world’s busiest airport. “One Great Day of Job Shadowing,” hosted by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA), introduced students to the many career aspects of the aviation industry. Attendees took an airside tour, participated in an Aviation Career Expo and met members of the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military airmen.
Hartsfield-Jackson Chief Management Analyst Alrene Barr (left) talks with metro area high school students during the Aviation Career fair at the airport’s “One Great Day of Shadowing” program. |
- Office of Cultural Affairs director, Camille Russell Love, was appointed to serve on the executive committee of the United State Urban Arts Federation (USUAF). USUAF is an alliance of directors from arts agencies in the nation’s 50 largest cities. USUAF members discuss urban arts policy and funding. Since 1998, Love has directed the Arts and Cultural programs for the City, administered the Public Art Program, produced the Atlanta Jazz Festival and managed facility contracts for the Chastain and Hi-Fi Buys amphitheaters and the Trolley Barn.
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- The City of Atlanta will present “African American History at Oakland Cemetery” on Wednesday, February 21 at 2 p.m. and on Saturday, February 24 at 2 p.m. This event includes guided tours of the historic Oakland Cemetery that show the state’s African American history. Highlights include Slave Square, an original plot designated in 1852 for the burial of enslaved African Americans, and the final resting places of Carrie Steele Logan, Bishop Wesley Gaines and former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson. Tours are free and open to the public. Oakland Cemetery is located at 248 Oakland Avenue, Atlanta, 30312. For more information, email sreed@atlantaga.gov or call 404.658.6019.
- On Friday, March 9 from 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., the City of Atlanta will host “Generations of Women Moving City Government Forward,” in celebration of Women’s History Month. Held at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center, this annual event will launch with health seminars, panel discussions and screenings. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, president of the Council of A.M.E. Bishops, will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon. Attendees can win airline tickets, door prizes and more. Tickets for this event are $40; group tables are available for $400. For more information about this event, or to purchase tickets, call 404.330.6360.
- On Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., certified tax preparers will be preparing and electronically filing returns for EITC-eligible taxpayers during “Super Saturday” at the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency. No appointments are necessary. Also on Super Saturday, AWDA will host an “Asset Building Fair.” The fair will provide information on financial awareness programs for first time homebuyers; earned benefits assistance programs; financial products offered by local banks and credit unions, among other specific capacity-building opportunities. Activities will be provided for children who accompany their parents.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
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