Mayor Shirley Franklin is participating in the inaugural Summit on Cities of Service and will join other large and small city mayors to encourage Americans to volunteer.
Mayor Franklin is eager to participate in the summit because, “mayors are on the front lines and have their finger on the needs of the communities we serve.” The coalition of mayors will:
· Support mayors to increase service in their communities.
· Share best practices.
· Increase the voice of mayors in policy decisions in Washington DC around community service.
· Partner with local grassroots organizations to increase service from the ground floor up.
What the City of Atlanta will be doing on Friday, September 11, 2009
The City of Atlanta is coming together for the National Day of Service.
ATLANTA EVENTS:
· The City of Atlanta, Park Pride and the Home Depot will be cleaning up and beautifying Sphinx Collins Park.
· The City of Atlanta Office of Recreation will host 13 facility cleanups with the after school programs and various neighborhood groups.
· MLK Recreation Center will kick off a recycling program with the neighboring elementary school, John Hope Elementary school. A community garden will be built by the afterschool program and the Friends of Peachtree Hills Park association at the Center.
· The Bitsy Grant and Sharon E. Lester Tennis Centers and surrounding areas will undergo beautification.
· The remaining recreation centers will host a cleanup of the inside and outside of the facilities.
· The Grove Park Recreation Center will be cleaned by the community and a new mailbox will be installed.
· The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs will coordinate efforts to visit multiple sites in three distinct Atlanta neighborhoods where participants will clean sculptures in the city’s public art collection.
- We will get started at one of Atlanta’s crown jewels, Piedmont Park where we will landscape at the newly restored “Noguchi Playscapes.” At mid-day we will clean the “Ex-Static” by Atlanta artist Maria Artemis located on Piedmont Avenue. We will end the day at an urban streetscape artwork “De-code/Re-code Atlanta” at the footsteps of Georgia State University.
- 9:30am – 10:00am - The day will start at City Hall East (675 Ponce de Leon Avenue) where parking and transportation will be provided for those that are planning to work a full day. We will meet at the Office of Cultural Affairs on the 5th floor. The parking garage is near the corner of Ponce de Leon and Glen Iris Avenues.
- 10:00am -12:00 noon - Our first stop will be Piedmont Park where we will do general cleaning and landscaping of the Noguchi Playscapes site. The “Noguchi Playscapes,” is a playground designed by architect Isamu Noguchi located near the 12th Street entrance of the park on Piedmont Avenue. Parking is limited and may be found behind Willie’s Cantina and the Piedmont Park Conservancy’s satellite office.
- 12:00 noon – 12:45pm - We will break for lunch (lunch NOT provided).
- 1:15pm – 2:30pm - The next stop will be “Ex-Static” at the median near the Connector (West Peachtree and Pine Streets).
- 3.00pm – 5:00pm - The final destination will be the Fairlie Poplar District where we will clean an architectural streetscape entitled “De-code / Re-code Atlanta” (Central Avenue and Decatur Street).
About the Coalition
Cities of Service is a bi-partisan coalition of large and small city mayors from across the country who will work to engage millions more Americans in a new era of service. Founded in New York City on September 10, the coalition and its member cities will respond to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act's historic call to action by finding new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteers to help solve pressing local challenges. Additional information about the coalition can be found at www.citiesofservice.org
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For more information about this and services of the City of Atlanta visit our website at www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26