From Left to Right: Dr. Thomas Lee Smith, Senator Emanuel Jones, Christine Miller-Betts, Mayor Bill Austin, Commissioner Mike Beatty, Toney Collins, Rita Jackson Samuels. Not Pictured: Lauren Elizabeth Gaia, & Dilyana Kovacheva

ATLANTA -- The Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council, meeting for the first time since it was created by the Georgia General Assembly, has taken the first steps toward fulfilling its mission of promoting the principles of nonviolence and the teaching of Dr. King.

During its first meeting, the council agreed on an outreach agenda, and approved organizational documents, including application for 501 (c) (3) status as called for in the enabling legislation.

Education about the legacy of Dr. King, recognition of service and connecting the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement to the current generation will be some of the council’s priorities.

The council met in Atlanta Jan. 20 and elected Senator Emanuel Jones of Decatur its chairman. Senator Jones, who was one of the sponsors of the Senate bill that created the council last year, said the new council “can fulfill the dreams” of Dr. King and help Georgia lead the nation in promoting Dr. King’s teaching.

Senator Jones also cited the leadership of other civil rights organizations such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta and said the members of the new council will “stand on their shoulders in reaching out to all people and to be inclusive in what we do.” He said the council can play an especially important role in promoting the legacy and teaching of Dr. King beyond the Atlanta area.

While discussing the origin of the council at the first meeting, Senator Jones stressed the important role of council member Rita Jackson-Samuels. He stated Mrs. Samuels worked for more than 20 years to establish a council to promote and teach the legacy of Dr. King.  Mrs. Samuels presented her vision for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council to the members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus last year. The Caucus met with Governor Nathan Deal, Senator Jones supported the efforts, and the General Assembly passed the bill for creation of the new Council with strong bipartisan support.  Senator Jones and Mrs. Samuels acknowledged the members of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal for championing and supporting this effort.

Members of the council appointed by Gov. Deal include Mrs. Rita Jackson-Samuels, who worked for Operation Breadbasket under Dr. King’s administration at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1960s, Dr. Thomas L. Smith, a DeKalb County teacher at Martin Luther King High School, Riceboro Mayor William “Bill” Austin, Christine Miller-Betts, head of the Lucy Craft Museum of Black History in Augusta, Agnes Scott student Lauren E. Gaia of Decatur, and Georgia Perimeter College student Dilyana Kovacheva of Norcross. Council member Toney Collins, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, was appointed by House Speaker David Ralston and Senator Jones was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle.

DCA Commissioner Mike Beatty is also a member of the council. Within DCA, the council is supported by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV)

DCA Commissioner Mike Beatty, in welcoming the council members, said he hoped the council would play a major role in educating future generations. “I want my grandchildren to understand the leadership principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Commissioner Beatty said. “Our children need heroes.”

For more information contact:
John Turner, GCSV Executive Director
404-327-6846
John.turner@dca.ga.gov

Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council

On November 18, 2011, Gov. Nathan Deal made the following new appointments to the statewide Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council:

Christine Miller-Betts— is the executive director of the Lucy Craft Museum of Black History in Augusta. She serves on the board of trustees of Historic Augusta and the Southeastern Museum Association. She is president of the Augusta Women’s Civic Club, a lifetime member of the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women.

William “Bill” Austin—retired after 26 years as a manufacturing manager with Lockheed Martin’s Missiles Systems Division in Orlando. Prior to Lockheed Martin, he was employed with Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta and General Electric’s Aircraft Engine Division in Cincinnati. He is currently serving his fourth year as mayor of the city of Riceboro and 10th year as president of the board of directors of the Dorchester Improvement Association.

Lauren E. Gaia— is a student at Agnes Scott College majoring in international relations and religious studies. She is an intern with Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey Abrams and Agnes Scott College’s Office of Sustainability. She has served as a page for the U.S. House of Representatives and volunteered with the DeKalb County Office of Neighborhood Empowerment. She is a co-founder of the Better Together Project at Agnes Scott, a national service initiative of the Interfaith Youth Core.

Rita Jackson Samuels—is the co-founder and director of public outreach of Women Flying High, LLC, a female-owned consulting and public engagement enterprise in Atlanta. She is a former White House consultant and special assistant to the deputy director of Community Services Administration. In 1971, she became the first African-American in Georgia history appointed to serve as coordinator of the Governor’s Council on Human Relations. She was the first chair of the Georgia Commission on Women and is a Rosalynn Carter fellow at the Institute of Women’s Studies at Emory University. In 2009, she was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame located at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic site.

Thomas L. Smith—is a high school civics and American government teacher with DeKalb County Schools. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Georgia Perimeter College. He serves on the Edwards-Miller Foundation for Physical Disabilities board and the Mission Outreach to Africa board of directors. He is the recipient of the Kennesaw State University Presidential Leadership Award and the Atlanta Braves Community Service Award. He served for eight years as the honorary consul general of Peru in Atlanta.

Daekwon Holloway—is a 2010 graduate of William H. Spencer High School. He volunteers with the Youth Business Development Program.

Responsibilities of the council include planning for statewide Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events, supporting cultural, educational and service activities that further the legacy of Dr. King, and reporting annually to the Georgia General Assembly.

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Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism

Awards $3.4 million in AmeriCorps Grants

The board of the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism has awarded federal AmeriCorps grants totaling $3,480,668 to 18 organizations that will engage about 650 AmeriCorps members in service to meet community needs in the areas of education, mentoring, public safety, health, seniors, veterans and persons with disabilities.

The board voted Tuesday to award 15 continuation grants totaling $2,904,718 to current AmeriCorps programs and also approved new AmeriCorps grants totaling $575,950 to three organizations, Teach For America, New Teacher Project and Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers.

When combined with the four competitive AmeriCorps grants awarded to Georgia organizations by the Corporation for National and Community Service May 26, the total AmeriCorps program amount administered by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) for 2011-2012 is $5,071,196, a slight increase over the current year.

“The 981 AmeriCorps members supported by these grants will teach and tutor students, mentor at-risk youth, make neighborhoods safer, recruit and help manage volunteers, and serve on the front lines to help veterans and meet the special needs in our communities, ” said GCSV Executive Director John Turner. “By combining the power of national service and volunteerism with their commitment to get things done, these Georgia AmeriCorps members are going to help non-profits, cities and universities solve local problems.”

In other business Tuesday, the GCSV board voted to re-elect Laurie Chandler of Berry College in Rome as the board chair. The board elected Deborah Silcox of Atlanta vice chair and Kim Brannen of Statesboro as secretary. The GCSV board members are appointed by the governor to serve three year terms.

A total of 19 different organizations will operate AmeriCorps programs in Georgia through the grants awarded by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, with all of the funding coming from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The programs begin in late summer or early fall and run for one year. Programs offer a variety of full time, part time and reduced time AmeriCorps positions. Recruitment and selection of AmeriCorps members is conducted by the individual programs.

Competition for the three new AmeriCorps grants awarded by the GCSV board was unusually stiff this year, according to Turner. Ten applicants requested more than $1.8 million in funding for 2011-2012. Awards were determined by application scores, he said.

The new AmeriCorps grants approved by the GCSV board include:

•  Teach For America, $415,800 and 231 AmeriCorps member positions

•  New Teacher Project, $27,150 and 30 AmeriCorps member positions

•  Goodwill Industries, $133,000 and 10 AmeriCorps positions

Continuation AmeriCorps program grant awards approved by the GCSV board include:

•  Hands On Atlanta Silver Corps, $146,916 and 12 AmeriCorps member positions

•  Jumpstart for Young Children, $167,409 and 89 AmeriCorps member positions

•  United Way of Metro Atlanta, $273,781 and 21 AmeriCorps positions

•  Youth Villages/ Inner Harbour, $327,985 and 32 AmeriCorps positions

•  Operation REACH, Inc., $199,500 and 36 AmeriCorps positions

•  Fannin County Family Connection, $187,302 and 19 AmeriCorps positions

•  Georgia Mountains YMCA, $237,365 and 45 AmeriCorps positions

•  Refugee Family Services, $139,650 and 15 AmeriCorps positions

•  City of Albany Police, $132,719 and 10 AmeriCorps positions

•  Georgia State University Research Foundation, $171,086 and 20 AmeriCorps positions

•  Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Service of Atlanta, $134,000 and 10 AmeriCorps positions

•  Communities In Schools, $193,047 and 30 AmeriCorps positions

•  Clayton State University, $222,126 and 37 AmeriCorps positions

•  University of Georgia, $172,267 and 18 AmeriCorps positions

•  City of Macon Police, $199,565 and 15 AmeriCorps positions

                                                            

              Deal Announces AmeriCorps grants for Georgia organizations

                                                                Press Release

Gov. Nathan Deal announced today that Georgia nonprofit organizations will receive more than $9.7 million in federal AmeriCorps grants to engage hundreds of Georgia residents in intensive community service to meet education, housing, environmental and other local needs. 

The grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service will support AmeriCorps members across the state who will serve as classroom teachers, build homes for low-income families, tutor at-risk youth, provide after-school enrichment and strengthen the capacity of Georgia nonprofits to address local problems.

“Citizen service and volunteerism is an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges facing our state,” said Deal. "From teaching and tutoring to building homes and preserving our environment, the work carried out by these AmeriCorps members will have a positive and lasting impact on our people and communities."

Six nonprofit organizations will receive $6.2 million to support up to 710 AmeriCorps members through the grants announced today. The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, an agency of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, plays a key role in administering AmeriCorps programs in the state and will oversee four of the grants. Two of the grants – to Habitat for Humanity and Points of Light Institute – go to national organizations headquartered in Georgia to support AmeriCorps members in Georgia and other locations across the country. 

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism will announce additional AmeriCorps grants supported by $3.4 million in AmeriCorps formula funding in July. 

“I congratulate these outstanding organizations for rising to the top in a highly competitive grant competition, and thank all those who have answered the call to service by joining AmeriCorps,” said Eric Tanenblatt, vice-chair of the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “At a time of great social need, AmeriCorps is a critical, cost-effective investment that taps the power of citizens to solve problems.”

This year more than 1,200 Georgia citizens serve in AmeriCorps, providing intensive result-driven service to meet education, environmental, health, economic and other pressing community needs. Last year Georgia’s AmeriCorps members tutored or mentored more than 31,030 disadvantaged children and youth, provided more 845,000 hours of service, and recruited 41,640 volunteers. Since 1994, more than 13,000 Georgia residents have served 16 million hours and have earned more than $32 million in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards to help pay for college or pay back student loans.

Below are AmeriCorps grants announced today:

•  Habitat for Humanity International, Inc . in Atlanta will receive $3.9 million to engage 300 AmeriCorps members in Georgia and other states to build and rehabilitate homes, recruit and mange volunteers, and work towards greater affordable housing and stronger neighborhoods.

•  Points of Light Foundation  in Atlanta will receive $793,285 to support 78 AmeriCorps members serving in Georgia and other states to develop volunteer projects in partnership with community-based agencies, and recruit, train and manage volunteer leaders to lead community-based service projects. 

•  Teach For America  in Atlanta will receive   $331,200 to support 184 AmeriCorps members to serve as teachers for high-need subjects in high-needs schools in seven counties.

•  Hands on Atlanta, Inc.  will receive $991,520 to support 80 AmeriCorps members who will provide support to students facing academic trouble through one-on-one and small group tutoring, classroom assistance, after-school enrichment, and service projects in  Atlanta.

•  The New Teacher Project  in Augusta will receive $45,250 to support 50 AmeriCorps members to serve as full time teachers in elementary and secondary schools to improve the educational outcomes of children in Burke, Chatham, Dougherty, Meriwether, Muscogee and Richmond Counties.

•  The Georgia Sea Turtle Center  (Jekyll Island State Park Authority) in Jekyll Island will receive $222,558 to support 18 AmeriCorps members to assist with sea turtle tracking, rehabilitate turtles and promote community awareness of the importance of preserving turtles and their habitat on Jekyll Island.

Thanks to all of you for your service to improve Georgia communities and the lives of Georgia citizens!