CrossRoadsNews, October 31, 2009

It’s not me – not this time.”

Police Chief Willie Rosser, who enforces the city’s sign ordi-nance, did not want to speak to a reporter about the signs, but Carter said he

told her he doesn’t know where the billboard came from.

Jackson said whoever put the billboard there is trying to influ-ence the election without any real

www.crossroadsnews.comOctober 31, 2009Copyright © 2009 CrossRoadsNews, Inc.

COVER PAGEBattle between the bestSPORTS

The AAAA state champion Lady Panthers of Southwest DeKalb (right) will meet the AAAAA champion Redan Lady Raid-ers in a scrimmage to raise money for both teams. 12

DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton has launched an initiative to encourage kids to help limit the spread of germs at school. 8

Clean hands campaignWELLNESS

Cony-ers skydiver Mark Gregory always wanted to fly. Now he soars with a world class competitive parachuting team. 14

Flying highPEOPLE

Election shenanigans afoot in Lithonia council race

Halloween Candy buyback to save kids’ teeth and supports troops

Volume 15, Number 26

No one claims to know who put up this sign that “ranks”some candidates for City Council in Lithonia. The sign lists names of all of the office-seekers except incumbent Deborah Jackson.

Al Franklin Deborah JacksonHassan Abdullah “Ric” Dodd

By Jennifer Ffrench Parker

Kids will be in candy heaven this weekend but does any kid need that much Halloween candy?

State Reps. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield and Michele Henson don’t think so. Instead, the DeKalb lawmakers have hatched a candy buyback plan that will save kids’ teeth and bring cheer to the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Between Nov. 1 and 6, the legis-lators will “buy back” three or more pounds of candy from the first 100 trick-or-treaters. The kids, ages 2-16, can trade their candy for $5

gift certificates to Subway Sand-wich Shop at Kool Smiles Family Dentistry, at 1756 Candler Road in Decatur.

Candy collected will be sent to troops in the Middle East.

Stuckey Benfield, who has two small children, Robert, 7, and Bev-

erly, 4, is the first to say the idea is not original.

“I read on the Internet where dentists from throughout the coun-try doing it,” said the lawmaker who represents House District 85 in Decatur. “I thought it was a fan-tastic idea. It ensures our children can have fun, but still do something good for others.”

Nationally, 93 percent of chil-dren are expected to consume $2 billion worth of candy Halloween, celebrated Oct. 31 annually.

Sending Halloween candy to US troops began in 2006 with Camden County, N.J., dentist Steve Markus.

Candy collected from the “buyback” at Kool Smiles in Decatur will be sent to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

S. Benfield M. Henson

Knowing that too much candy is bad for kids’ teeth, he began col-lecting the candy and shipping it to U.S. troops overseas, not just

because soldiers have enormous sweet tooth, but because they use

Please see CANDY, page 3


Two weeks ago, the Lithonia City Council election was as quiet as a mouse.

Then overnight on Oct. 20, the city sprouted so many campaign signs, its maintenance department was called in to remove those litter-ing the public right of way.

“It was a mess,” said city councilwoman Doreen Carter. “There were about 30 signs in the median.”

On Nov. 3, the city’s 1,077 registered voters are headed to the polls at Union Missionary Baptist Church on Bruce Street to elect three of five candidates vying for seats on the council. The polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Attorney Deborah Jackson, real estate tax examiner Marcus Lloyd, and advertising consultant Al Franklin are seeking re-election. They are being challenged by Wil-liam “Ric” Dodd, a grocery store employee, and Hassan Abdullah, a retired security guard.

On Tuesday this week, some-one raised the ante further when a mobile billboard announcing a pre-election ranking of candidates appeared on the side of the Litho-nia Plaza overlooking Max Cleland Boulevard, one of the city’s main arteries.

The billboard ranks 32-year-old Franklin at number one, and 56-year-old Abdullah at number two. It lists Lloyd, 52, and Dodd, 51, but assigns them no numbers. It makes no mention of Jackson, 56.

No one in the city seem to know who erected the sign but many remember a similar billboard that concert promoter Jason Lary put in the same location in November 2008. That sign declared Tanya Peterson winner of candidate fo-rums during the special election

for mayor.This time Lary, who has pro-

moted the Lithonia Concert Series at the city-owned Lithonia Amphi-theater, says he knows nothing of

the billboard.“The sign is not owned by me,”

he said Wednesday. “I don’t know anything about it. I have nothing to with that nonsense down there.

discussion.“It’s insulting the citizens’ intel-

ligence,” she said. “Hopefully it will backfire on them.”

Jackson serves on the council’s cultural affairs committee, which has recommended that the amphi-theater, which Lary wants a five-year contract to operate, be only rented for one-year intervals.

But at an Oct. 5 council meet-ing, Franklin, the cultural commit-tee’s other member, pushed for the members to vote on Lary’s five-year

Please see LITHONIA, page 2

Marcus Lloyd

Jennifer ffrench )arker / crossroadsnews

INSIDE-AD PGCommunity “At that time I had nothing to report. I didn’t

have anything contributed.”

No contributions, expenditures reported for campaign signs, advertising

City residents, leaders they don’t know anyone who was polled for ranking

contract. The motion was defeated, prompting Lary to write a scathing letter to the monthly Granite City News, characterizing the council members who opposed the motion as “stupid people that somehow get elected.”

Jackson said the billboard sug-gests that a survey of candidates was done, but that she has asked around the city and has not been

able to find anyone who was polled.

“I am not aware of any survey done and there has been no public forum for the candidates,” she said.

Barbara Lester, a former council member, said she hasn’t been polled and knows of no one who has been. Ditto for Carter, the sitting council-woman.

Seventy-two-year-old John Daughtery, who has lived all his life

in the city, said he smells a fish.“I don’t think it is fair,” he said.

“I think it is dishonest. We have had no debate. We have some dishonest people running and the people sponsoring them are play-ing games.”

Daughtery, who said he tries to go to city council meetings once a month, said he sees the people at the meetings who have agendas.

“I don’t want to name names,” he said. “They are trying to put

somebody on the council that will do what they want.”

Daughtery said Lithonia needs people who are going to help resi-dents.

“This used to be a good city and it can be again,” he said. “The Police Department needs help. We don’t have no budgets. We need people on the council who are going to help the city.”

Early voting for the Lithonia and the eight other DeKalb munici-

palities and the Atlanta in DeKalb precincts for the AStlanta Mayor’s race started Oct. 26.

Mary Frances Weeks, a DeKalb Elections spokesperson, said Thurs-day that only three people cast ballots in the Lithonia election and one absentee ballot was mailed in.

Altogether, only 316 ballots were cast for all 10 cities.

Weeks said 178 of those ballots were cast in the Atlanta mayor’s race.

LITHONIA, frOm pAge 1


Even though the city of Lithonia is plastered with campaign signs, three of the five candidates run-ning for the Nov. 3 City Council race filed campaign disclosures with zero contributions and zero expenditures.

Incumbent Al Franklin and challengers Hassan Abdullah and William “Ric” Dodd reported no contributions in cash or in-kind and no expenditures on their Sept. 30 campaign disclosures.

Incumbent Marcus Lloyd had not filed his disclosures through the end of business Thursday.

So who is paying for all those campaign signs throughout the city, and for the advertising that three candidates have placed in the monthly Granite City News?

Dodd, who is on his third run for the city council, did not report the cost of his full-page ad in the Oct. 15-Nov. 15 Granite City News and he said he didn’t buy the navy-blue-and-white “Vote Ric Dodd City Council” signs.

He said he walked out the front door of his Born Street home last week Wednesday and saw the sign in his yard.

“I was shocked,” he said. “My jaw hit the floor.”

Dodd says he has no idea who

made the signs and put them out, but that he is glad for the support.

“I really appreciate it,” he said. “We want change in Lithonia and I think they are saying we are going to put people in who can give us change.”

His benefactor put so many signs out that the city’s mainte-nance department picked up some of the illegally placed ones.

On Wednesday, there were seven Dodd signs, along with seven red and white “Marcus Lloyd City Council, Managing Our Future” signs, stored in a back corridor at city hall.

Dodd said he would be guessing if he tried to figure out who gave him the signs.

“People tell me that after the election I should just estimate the value and report it as an ‘anony-mous’ donation,” he said.

If he does, he will be in violation of the state’s campaign disclosure law, which requires names and ad-dresses of campaign donors.

Abdullah, who had a half-page ad in the Granite City News that he also did not report, said he paid about $100 for about 30 signs and 300 to 400 campaign fliers.

“I spent my own money,” he said. He said he didn’t know that he was to report when he spends his own money.

Franklin, who also did not report payment for his half-page ad in the Granite City News, filed his Sept. 30 campaign disclosure on Oct. 19. He said Wednesay that he received donations after he had filed his disclosure.

“At that time I had nothing to report,” he said. “I didn’t have any-thing contributed.”

He said he will report his contri-butions on his Oct. 25 disclosures, which he hasn’t yet filed.

Lithonia City Clerk Missye Varner said Thursday evening that she contacted Lloyd again on Thursday about his Sept. 30 dis-closure and he promised to bring it on Friday.

When she called him Wednes-day, in front of a reporter, he had promised to bring it on Thursday.

Only councilwoman Deborah Jackson reported raising any money on her Sept. 30 and Oct. 25 disclo-sures. She reported contributions of $1,302.90 and expenditures of $607.92 through Oct. 25. She reported a balance of $694.98 and debts of $500. She said she spent money on a graphic designer, on ads in the Granite City News, on printing campaign literature and on her qualifying fee for the elec-tion.

Lloyd did not return telephone calls from a reporter.

Jennifer ffrench Parker / crossroadsnews

These illegally placed signs were confiscated by the Lithonia maintenance department. They were stored at Lithonia City Hall on Wednesday.

CrossRoadsNews October 31, 20092

opinions defining appro-priate behaviors according to community standards, as reflected in the code.

When complaints of ethics violations are filed against the CEO, Commissioners or other county employees or ap-pointees, over whom the

Board of Ethics has jurisdiction, the Board conducting hearings on the complaints.

Sanford, the widow of late DeKalb Com-missioner Porter Sanford III, said she is always pleased to serve the community.

“I see this opportunity to serve on the Board of Ethics as an extension of my service to my community,” she said.

Blythers, the former president of Atlanta Gas Light Co. & Chattanooga Gas Co., said DeKalb’s form of government only works when citizens are willing to participate by giving up their time.

Longtime DeKalb real estate broker Bob-bie Kennedy Sanford and retired businessman Isaac Blythers are now members of the DeKalb County Board of Ethics.

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis welcomed their expertise to the board.

“Their service, along with the service of the current members, will assure that ac-countability in county government is upheld in DeKalb,” he said.

Sanford, a broker with Coldwell Banker Sanford Realty Co. in Decatur, and Blythers were appointed to seven-year terms. They succeed attorneys Veronica Higgs Cope and Aubrey Villines, whose terms ended.

The Board of Ethics interprets the county’s Code of Ethics, applying sanctions to violators of the Code, and issue advisory

Isaac BlythersBobbie Sanford

false statement. The three are among a group of 11 facing

171 charges in the scheme in which 30 to 40 traffic tickets were fixed for cash, goods and favors.

COMMUNITY PGCommunity “I am proud of the thousands of coat drive organizers whose creativity and generosity

of spirit are making a real difference in their own communities.”

Dentists sweet on buyback program

Two new members for ethics board

Three more sentenced in traffic-ticket fixing scheme Warm coats and jackets needed

it to befriend kids in the war-torn countries.

The idea caught on and now dentists across the country are doing it.

Henson, who represents House District 87 in Stone Mountain, said that while candy in moderation is fine, too much can be bad.

“We want kids to know that too many sweets can cause tooth decay,” she said.

Stuckey Benfield, whose grand-father Williamson Sylvester Stuckey founded the Stuckey’s candy store chain, says she definitely supports the occasional candy bar for chil-dren “but in moderation.”

“We want children to make healthy food choices and learn to have a balanced diet,” she said.

Stuckey Benfied said the candy collected in DeKalb County will be shipped to the soldiers through Operation Gratitude, a non-profit organization that provides care packages to tens of thousands of American service members.

Kool Smiles will accept the candy 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and hand out the coupons.

Families who don’t reach the three-pound minimum for trad-ing can just donate their candy for the troops.

For more information, call Stephanie Stuckey Benfield at 404-964-7025 or Michele Henson at 404-296-1442.

CANDY, frOm pAge 1

New DeKalb Chief Appraiser Calvin Hicks Jr. was selected by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners, and not the CEO. That information was incorrect in our Oct. 24 issue. We regret the error.

Our Mistake

Individuals, families and groups can donate coats on Nov. 7 to the One Warm Coat community service project at the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia.

The mall and the U.S. Public Health Service Department are co-hosting the noon to 5 p.m. drive to collect new and lightly worn coats and jackets for metro Atlanta’s needy children and adults for the fall and winter. Previously worn coats must be clean.

Sherri Wood, president and national coordinator of One Warm Coat, a national nonprofit that supports coat drives, said more people then ever need help.

“I am proud of the thousands of coat drive organizers whose creativity and gen-erosity of spirit are making a real difference in their own communities,” she said.

The Georgia Department of Com-munity Housing says Atlanta has 2,600 homeless shelter beds and estimates that across the state, there are 20,000 to 75,000 homeless individuals on any given day.

The Department of Education said 22,888 of Georgia’s school children were homeless during the 2007-08 school year.

The Mall at Stonecrest is at I-20 and Turner Hill Road in Lithonia. For more information, visit www.mallatstonecrest.com or call Andrea Smith of the U.S. Public Health Service at 678-463-2083.

A former DeKalb County Recorder’s Court employee is going to jail for 60 days and was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitu-tion in a ticket-fixing scheme at the Decatur Court.

Adrian Andrews, a former Recorder’s Court deputy clerk, was one of three people who pled guilty Oct. 26 and were sen-tenced.

His accomplice, Marlene Findley of Stone Mountain was also sentenced un-der the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Probations employee Tanzie Sankey of Decatur was indicted for public record theft and giving a

Murder suspect Robert Alexander Cooper is being held in the DeKalb County Jail without bond.

He was captured Oct. 22 by the DeKalb Sheriff ’s Office Fugitive Squad.

Deputies arrested the 26-year-old Lithonia resident without incident at an unnamed location at Panola Road and Covington Highway in Lithonia and charged him with murder of Joshua Cor-tell Franklin, 22, also of Lithonia.

Cooper allegedly shot Franklin with a handgun on Oct. 20, near 5653 Saint Thomas Drive in Lithonia.

According to police reports, an hour before the shooting, the two were involved in an altercation at Petite Lane and Young Road.

After the shooting, witnesses took Franklin to a nearby hospital where he died from his wounds.

Murder suspect now in custody

Findley got five years to serve 30 days in jail and must pay $2,000 in restitution.

Sankey, charged under a sepa-rate indictment with two others, was sentenced five years to serve 60 days in jail, and must pay $1,000 in restitution.

The three will be on probation for period they do not spend be-

hind bars. This is the second wave of sentence in the traffic-fixing scheme. In Septemeber two people were sentenced. The DeKalb DA says that $30,000 in restitution has been paid by the five defendants so far.

Adrian Andrews Marlene Findley Tanzie Sankey

CrossRoadsNewsOctober 31, 2009 3

Forum

index to advertisers

Two appointed to DeKalb County ethics board 3

Longtime DeKalb real estate broker Bob-bie Kennedy Sanford and retired business-man Isaac Blythers are now members of the DeKalb County Board of Ethics.

Ellis: Talks ongoing about redevelopment of GM plant 5

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis says the county has been in discussions with General Motors and other stakeholders concerning redevelopment of the closed Doraville auto-mobile assembly plant.

Caution urged when selling timeshares 6

The Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs is warning timeshare property owners looking to sell their resort property to be on the alert for scam artists.

Clean Hands campaign targets kids at school 8

Kids, keep those hands clean. That’s the message DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton wants to get out to District 4 schoolchildren.

Strong Legs Run benefits Atlanta Child Care Fund 9

More than 5,000 adults and children will walk, trot, jog and run to aid ailing children and qualify for the 2010 Peachtree Road Race at the CVS Pharmacy Strong Legs Run on Nov. 14.

Six films to be screened at Black Man Film Festival 10

Six films from South African, Senegal and southwest Atlanta will be screened at the seventh annual Black Man Film Festival at the Auburn Avenue Library in Atlanta.

Columbia seeking donors for homeless dinner 11

The students and faculty at Columbia High School have begun accepting dona-tions for their third annual Turkey Dinner for people who are homeless. Each year, the school holds the dinner for 400 people from various shelters in metro Atlanta.

Championship teams to raise money for title rings 12

Two state-title basketball teams will clash on Nov. 12 to raise funds to purchase their championship rings.

Pastors to help celebrate move to new location 13

Three dynamic pastors will be headlining “Welcome Wednesdays” worship services at Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church in November.

Craig B. Williams, DDS .....................................8DeKalb County Board of Health ...................... 9DeKalb Co. Contract Compliance Div ...............5DeKalb Habitat Community Housing Dev........ 6Chase ...............................................................3First African Presbyterian Church ................... 13

H&M of TX ..................................................... 15Harper & Associates Family Medicine PC ....... 8Kool Smiles Children & Adult Dentistry ...........11M&J Package Store ........................................ 15Macy’s ..............................................................7Malcolm Cunningham Ford ........................... 16

Mothers Raising Sons .....................................11My True Biz Small Business Services .............. 15Newburn Reynolds Photography ................... 15Outback Insurance ......................................... 15Padgett Business Services ............................... 6

Saint Philip AME Church ................................ 13Service 1st Auto Care ...................................... 6Sylvester Ayaeze/Solid Source Realty .............. 6The Law Office of B.A. Thomas ..................... 15Zip2Save ....................................................2, 10

QuiCk read

CrossRoadsNews is pub-lished every Thursday by CrossRoads News, Inc.

We welcome articles on neighborhood issues and news of local happenings. The opinions expressed by writers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, nor those of any advertisers.

The concep t , de -sign and content of CrossRoads News are copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the writ-ten permission of the publisher.

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LOCAL SER-

VICES!L O C A L

GOODS!

Thank God for someone like President Carter who fears the Lord and tells the

truth. Simply because Obama is a black man, he’s catching all the hell.

Kevin Oliveira

America’s double standard evident in treatment of Obama

All hair is good because all hair comes from God

NFL player Michael Vick gets jail time for killing dogs, while Lou-isville basketball coach Rick Pitino gets to keep his big-time salary after paying for an abortion of his unborn child that he conceived in a men’s room on a drunkard fling.

Representative Joe Wilson can outright disrespect President Obama during a nationally tele-vised speech and not receive an official reprimand from the United States Congress. Admitted prescrip-tion drug addict Rush Limbaugh can become the Republican Party’s “Bash Obama” boy on conservative talk radio and no one questions Limbaugh’s integrity. How obvious can it be? In both cases, President Obama took the high ground to maintain national peace and civil-ity in government. However, when President Jimmy Carter called it what it was – racism – mainstream America wanted Jimmy Carter to be quiet.

Thank God for someone like President Carter who fears the Lord and tells the truth. Simply because Obama is a black man, he’s catch-ing all the hell. It’s really not about

public policy, it’s still about race. Let’s not put our heads in the

sand. We all know racism is alive and well. Systemic racism in Amer-ica is still negatively impacting African-American lives. Contrary to what people want us to believe, we have not overcome.

President Carter’s credit, he called a spade a spade. President Obama experiences this double standard and the double-edged sword of being a Black Man in America, on a daily basis. However, he does it with style and grace.

Another example of the double-standard is that in America a white man is considered innocent until proven guilty, while an African-American man is guilty until proven innocent. In America, the evidence can clearly point to an African-American man’s innocence

but he must linger in jail because the judicial system says he’s a men-ace to society because of his color and gender.

This is not to imply that there aren’t African-American criminals. There are and they should be deal with accordingly. But the scale of justice against African-American males seems to often swing against them. I know because I used to teach in a maximum security juve-nile correctional facility.

What I’m saying is, in the judi-cial system, politics, business, and the education arenas there is a ve-hement disdain for African-Ameri-can people, especially toward black males. Systemic and institutional racism works to subjugate African-American people in general, and castrate and marginalize African-American men collectively.

What ever happened to the scriptures “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God”? This goes for government and law enforcement, too. Where are rea-sonable bails and speedy trials?

In America we’re taught to fear God, obey the laws of the land, get a solid education, make produc-tive career choices, and serve the common good of our community, city, state, and nation. President Obama has done all this and more, yet mainstream America won’t give him the same respect a white presi-dent got, even if that president was barely a C-student at Yale.

President Obama gets disre-spected by his own countrymen and then he has to represent this nation outside America’s borders. How ignorant are those people who disrespect the presidential office as the rest of the world watches?

To be an African-American man in the United States is to be cursed with a double-edged sword. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.

Kevin Oliveira lives in Mc-Donough.

The documentary by Chris Rock “Good Hair” was timely. It is about time that somebody tell the truth about the dangers of the chemicals in the permanents that we put in our hair.

The idea that black women of all socio-economic statuses spend an inordinate amount of money to purchase hair from Indian people they don’t even know... was eye-opening.

There are two things that the documentary missed, however. First, is the fact that African Ameri-can women (and women of ethnic groups) have internalized a white standard of beauty that is imposed on the world.

The second is that some of the pressure for black women to conform to the white standard of

beauty stems from black men who have also internalized the white women....

The oppressive conditions of slavery made it difficult for black women to care for their hair in ways that they were accustomed to in Africa. Madame C. J. Walker, seeing how African American women were suffering from hair loss and other ailments due to lack of proper hair care was moved to do something about it, thus becoming the first Af-

rican American woman to become a millionaire in the U.S. for creating products for black hair care.

Even the extravagant head-dresses that African women were known for in Africa was reduced to a handkerchief, during the slave experience, in effort to cover up our hair. The wig is also an effort to cover our hair and was the primary cover for African American women before the advent of the weave....

Interestingly, the hair that women in entertainment are com-pelled to wear has become even more whitenized; it is blond. So, for woman to achieve superstar status, they have to conform to the stan-dard like Beyonce, Janet Jackson and many others do. The reality is because of the globalization of the white standard of beauty, people,

the world over, even black people, think black hair is inferior....

White women, Asian women and women all over the world hair in it’s natural state is considered beautiful. It is only in the context of a discussion about black hair does the word “natural” even enter into the conversation....

The film “Good Hair” helped to increase our awareness of the dangers of the perm and provided information on the exploitation of those whose hair we are weaving into our own....

Finally, black people might get rid of the notions of “good” hair and “bad” hair, and other carryovers stemming from brutal experiences of slavery.

All hair is good, because all hair comes from God.

Editor’s Note: Here are ex-cerpts from Dr. Patricia Dixon’s response to Ramata Sissoko Cisse’s “Good Hair” commentary on cross-roadsnews.com. To read the full re-sponse, visit www.crossroadsnews.com/pages/news_opinion.

It is only in the context of a discussion about black hair does the word “natural” even enter into the conversation.


Margaret DeFrancisco, presi-dent and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corp., will be the key-note speaker at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce’s First Monday Luncheon on Nov. 2 at the Atlanta Mar-riott Perim-eter Center.

D e F r a n -cisco, the lot-tery’s chief executive officer since 2004, will speak on “The Georgia Lottery: Its Contributions to Education and Its Economic Benefits” at the chamber’s 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. luncheon.

Since its inception the Geor-gia Lottery has raised $11 billion for educational programs in Georgia, including $872 million in fiscal 2009.

The first 50 registrants for the luncheon will receive a lottery ticket compliments of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

Registration for DeKalb Chamber members is $35. Ad-mission for members at the door and nonmembers is $45.

The Atlanta Marriott Perim-eter Center is at 246 Perimeter Center Parkway in northeast Atlanta. For more information or to register, call 404-378-8000.

FinanCe “At this stage, these proposals are conceptual and no final decisions regarding the use of the site have been made.”

Looking for creative ways to market your business effectively?

Test Your Media Savvy!1) True or False: Newspapers are no longer effective for advertising.

2) To build brand awareness, 1-3 newspaper ads are as effective as: a) 3-5 radio spots weekly at same time of day, M-F on 2-3 stations b) 20-25 broadcast TV spots weekly, on targeted dayparts c) 100 spots on 2-4 cable TV networks for 4-6 weeks, Sun-Thurs. d) All of the above e) None of the above

3) According to most adults, which medium has the most believable advertising?

a) Television b) Radio c) Newspapers d) Internet

4) When they want save money, where do most consumers turn to obtain coupons?

a) Mail b) Internet sites c) In-store ads d) Newspapers

5) True or False: More people are reading CrossRoadsNews today than ever before.

Answers: 1) F - People still turn to newspapers first for local news and advertising; 2) d; 3) c; 4) d; 5) T. 0-2 correct = You’ve fallen victim to the hype. Newspapers are not dead. 3-4 correct = You have a pretty good grasp of media effectiveness. 5 correct = You probably advertise in CrossRoadsNews!

Sources: 2010 Newspaper Advertising Planbook; Scarborough Research, Multi-Market 2008 Release 2; The Media Audit

For more information about these or other media truths, or to advertise in CrossRoadsNews, call 404-284-1888 or visit www.crossroadsnews.com

Local News. Loyal Readers. E v e r y We e k !2346 Candler Road • Decatur, GA 30032 • 404-284-1888 • Fax: 404-284-5007

www.crossroadsnews.com • [email protected]

Ellis: Talks ongoing about redevelopment of GM plant

Seminar for entrepreneurs focuses on business growth

Ed UkaonuLaVon Lewis

M. DeFrancisco

Burrell Ellis

Peggy Duncan Andrew Morrison

DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis says the coun-ty has been in discussions with General Motors and other stakeholders con-cerning redevelopment of the closed Doraville auto-mobile assembly plant.

Ellis released a state-ment on Oct. 13, after news surfaced that the DeKalb Board of Commissioners had au-thorized Ellis to negotiate a real estate acquisition. Ellis did not say whether the board’s resolution in-volved the 165-acre site, which has been owned and operated by GM since 1947.

Ellis said the county’s primary interests have been to pursue a redevel-opment strategy for the site that would help create jobs, revitalize the area and surrounding com-munities, and add to the county’s tax base.

GM shut down the Doraville plant in September 2008 as part of a major reconstructing to save millions of dollars. When the plant closed last summer, 4,000 jobs were lost and the tract of land became unused. Rumors and ideas about what to do with the land have swirled since the plant closed.

Recently, David Pace, president of Orlando, Fla., developer New Broad Street, said the county agreed to help his company convert the property into a mixed-use area with businesses, restaurants, homes and offices.

Last year, Sembler Co. of St. Petersburg, Fla., said it would like to build a stadium for the Atlanta Falcons at the location.

New Broad Street, Sembler Co. and Hines of Houston are the de-velopment companies bidding for the former auto-making property.

Ellis said the county has en-gaged in discussions regarding a variety of redevelopment proposals

and business closures across the country.

Lewis, the author of “Today is a Great Day for a WOW Image, said during the tough economy small business owners and entrepreneurs have to conduct business in new and innovative ways.

The seminar is offered by New

Birth and the Embassy Chamber, a group of faith-based businesses that actively implement practices that are aligned with biblical teaching and principles.

Ed Ukaonu, the president of the Embassy Chamber, said it is es-sential for large and small business leaders to equip themselves with

for the site. “Several of those proposals

involve mixed-use developments including retail, residential, com-mercial, and recreational facilities. At this stage, these proposals are conceptual and no final decisions regarding the use of the site have been made.”

Ellis said GM has not sold the property yet.

“Therefore, DeKalb County intends to continue working with GM to encourage the responsible and progressive redevelopment of the site in order to return this tract of land to productive economic use,” he said.

Entrepreneurs and small busi-ness owners can learn ways to expand their businesses during a “Guide to Growing Your Business & Creating Wealth in the New Econo-my” seminar on Nov. 5 at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Speakers at the 6 p.m. seminar include Small Business Camp president Andrew Morrison, Pen-cilWorx Design Group president LaVon Lewis, Execute Your Passion founder Chris Cooper and The Digital Breakthroughs Institute founder Peggy Duncan.

The U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007. The economic tailspin has in-cluded heavy job loss, foreclosures

resources and tools to be successful in a new economy.

“This eye-opening seminar will empower, enlighten and educate everyone in attendance,” he said.

Seminar participants will have an opportunity to speak directly to industry professionals during panel discussions and question/answer sessions.

Registration is $7 for Embassy Chamber members and $10 for nonmembers.

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is at 6400 Woodrow Road in Lithonia. For more information or to register, visit www.embas-sychamber.com or call 1-877-762-3422.

Lottery chief to speak at luncheon


FinanCe “We are excited about the possibility of empowering business owners and displaced corporate workers with tools to help them succeed in this economy.”

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DeKalb Habitat Community Housing Development is holding a public meeting to get input on house designs and locations that it builds for homeowners.

Everyone is invited to attend:

Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the DeKalb County Library, 2861 Wesley Chapel Road, Decatur, 30034

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Caution urged when selling timeshares

Ways to keep budget on track

When it comes to teeing off for its fifth annual Golf Classic, the DeKalb Chamber of Com-merce is hoping the third time is the charm.

The annual fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce is now scheduled for Nov. 9 at Stone Mountain Golf Club. Nov. 5 is the deadline to register for the tournament, which was resched-uled twice in October due to bad weather.

Event registration begins at 10 a.m., with tee-off at 11 a.m.

The Stone Mountain Golf Club is at 6867 James B. Rivers Drive in Stone Mountain Park. For more information, call 404-378-8000.

New date for tourney

State House District 88 can-didate Simone Joye, Capital Stra-tegic Communications president Vic Bolton and Women About Biz

president Tri-na Newby will be the keynote speakers at MyTrueBiz’s fourth annual Entrepreneur Summit 2009 on Nov. 7.

MyTrue-Biz, a creative design technology firm, and ABC-Biz Events, an en-trepreneur education group, are holding the 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. summit at the Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center to facilitate net-working among entrepreneurs and industry professionals in the Atlanta area.

Mary McDonald, a partner at MyTrueBiz, said the summit has something for everyone.

“We are excited about the possibility of empowering busi-ness owners and displaced cor-porate workers with tools to help them succeed in this economy,” she said.

The conference will encour-age attendees to start their own businesses and foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the business market.

Attendees will learn mar-keting, social media, financial management and technology-based techniques to enhance their business. The speakers will give instructions and inspire the budding entrepreneurs.

Joye, who is seeking to rep-resent portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett in the state legislature, said small businesses are the larg-est employers in America.

“Conducting an event specifi-cally to help small businesses in Georgia is instrumental to our economic development and re-covery efforts,” she said.

Registration is $45 and in-cludes lunch, business materials and a post-networking reception. The Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center is at 246 Perimeter Cen-ter Parkway, Atlanta. For more information or registration, visit www.abcbizevents.com or call 404-966-5697.

Summit looks at keys to success

Simone Joye

The Governor’s Office of Con-sumer Affairs is warning timeshare property owners looking to sell their resort property to be on the alert for scam artists.

The agency said consumers of-ten turn to services that promise to relieve them of their timeshare and the maintenance fees and associated costs of owning the property. The agency said to use caution when confronted by these offers.

“The agency has received a number of complaints from con-sumers alleging that they have paid substantial sums of money and signed over their deeds to resellers,” the statement said, “only to find that the maintenance fees were not paid, the deed was never filed, and they are now being sued for past-due maintenance fees.”

The agency offers these tips: n Ask your resort’s developer, manager or owner’s association if they have a newsletter, website or bulletin board where owners can advertise their timeshare for sale. n If doing business with a reseller, shop around and compare prices and services before deciding who gets your business. n Avoid paying money to a reseller up front. If possible, find a reseller that takes its fee after the timeshare is sold. If you must pay a fee in advance, ask about refunds. Get refund policies and promises in writing. n Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics; they often indicate a scam. n Ask if the reseller’s agents are li-censed to sell real estate where your timeshare is located. If so, verify it

with the Real Estate Commission. Deal only with licensed real estate brokers and agents, and ask for ref-erences from satisfied clients. n Read the contract thoroughly and make sure you understand everything before you sign. n Contact the Better Business Bureau to check the company’s reputation. Ask if any complaints are on file. n If you sell your deed, let the resort know who now owns your timeshare and whom to bill for the maintenance fees and taxes. n Check public records to verify that the deed has been filed in the new owner’s name.

If you believe you have been the victim of a timeshare scam, contact the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs at 404-651-8600.

Dear Dave,We started doing a budget a

couple of months ago, and already it’s springing leaks. It’s just a little bit out of balance in a few different places, but combined, it makes a big dent in our finances. How can we plug the leaks?

– Joy

Dear Joy,First, don’t worry about it.

This kind of thing happens a lot in household budgeting, especially when folks are new to the process. Here are some ideas to help stretch your dollars and plug those leaks.

Use the cash-only method when shopping for groceries. Take cash only for the amount you’ve bud-geted for groceries.

Use coupons only for items you normally buy. Lots of people use coupons just to be using coupons, thinking they’re saving when they aren’t. This adds more to the gro-cery bill. Even though the item itself may be less expensive, you’ll buy things you don’t really need.

Try stocking up on those items you use often when there’s a big sale, too. These are little things, but trust me, they add up!

You buy groceries for a reason, right? So stop eating out! Only go to restaurants for special occasions, and don’t be afraid to use coupons in restaurants. Have you seen the price of a soda or iced tea these days? Drink water instead.

Always check the sale and clear-

ance racks first when it comes to buying clothes. There are good clothes at consignment stores and thrift shops, too. While you’re there, sell your old, worn out clothes, and anything you don’t wear anymore. Most of all, avoid the trendy, expen-sive clothes. Buy durable classics that don’t go out of style.

When it comes to entertain-ment, nothing beats family time. It may sound old-fashioned, but there’s nothing wrong with a night of playing board games. It’s fun!

If you like movies, use dis-count coupons and go to matinees whenever possible. The prices are always lower before dark. If you’re planning a trip with several other people, call ahead and ask for a group discount.

– Dave

When it comes to entertainment, nothing

beats family time. It may sound old-fashioned, but there’s nothing wrong with

a night of playing board games. It’s fun!



Wellness “One thousand transplants have changed the lives of so many children and even more families.”

Clean Hands campaign targets kids at school

Program supplies canes for military vets

Balance holiday candy with healthy habits

Antiviral drugs offer 2nd line of defense against flu

Children’s notches 1,000th organ transplantChildren’s Healthcare

of Atlanta now has 1,000 organ transplants under its belt.

Staff at the hospital’s Egleston campus in At-lanta performed the mile-stone transplant – a liver transplant on a 10-year-old girl – in September.

Children’s is now one of only two hospitals in the southeastern United States to have reached the milestone. The United Network of Organ Sharing says only a handful

of hospitals across the country have performed more than 1,000 pediatric transplants since 1988.

Dr. Stuart Knechtie, whose surgical team per-formed the operation, said the milestone is im-portant for Children’s Transplant Program.

“One thousand transplants have changed the lives of so many children and even more families,” he said.

Children’s launched its trans-

plant program in 1980 with the inception of its Kidney Transplant Program, which has performed more than 450 kidney transplants. Its Heart and Lung Transplant Pro-gram began in 1988 and has com-pleted more than 200 heart trans-plants and four lung transplants. The Liver Transplant Program, founded in 1990, has completed more than 300 liver transplants.

U.S. News & World Report has recognized all of Children’s trans-plant programs among the top pediatric programs in the country.

Stuart Knechtie

While youngsters may want to eat their way through a mountain of goodies on Halloween, the holi-day presents a unique opportunity for the family to incorporate heart-healthy practices into daily living.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, created through the partnership of the William J. Clin-ton Foundation and the American Heart Association, continues its fight against childhood obesity.

To promote healthful habits for the holiday, the alliance offers these tips: n Get moving. Being active is a great way to spend time together, so take the family for a long trick-or-treat walk or have a “Monster Mash” dance party in your living room.

n Challenge your kids not to hand out candy this year. Do something healthy for the neighborhood children and give out 100 percent juice boxes, snack-sized wrapped packages of dried fruit like raisins, or animal crackers, pretzels or reduced-fat popcorn.n Remember not to go overboard eating holiday treats. Balance the sweets with plenty of fruits and veggies the rest of the day.n Make it a family dinner date. Stay in during dinnertime this Hallow-een. Get the gang in the kitchen and cook a heart-healthy family meal together. Remember to incorporate lean meats or fish and foods low in saturated and trans fats as well as vegetables full of the colors of fall.

Halloween’s the start of the

holiday season. Save special treats like Halloween candy for the day itself and try not to get into the habit of satisfying your sweet tooth whenever you get a craving.

It’s OK to indulge a bit on the holidays, but eat healthy on routine days. Enjoying Halloween candy and spirits does not have to com-promise your family’s health.

Adults aren’t the only ones at risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. To-day about 25 million kids ages 2-19 in the United States are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. That’s nearly one of every three kids.

For more information, visit www.healthiergeneration.org or www.empowerme2b.org.

As the flu season gets into full gear, everyone will become more familiar with treatment options.

One that is being talked about a lot involves flu antiviral drugs.

This week the DeKalb Board of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sought to clarify what these are and how they should be used.

Flu antiviral drugs are medi-cines in pill, liquid or inhaled form that are used to treat the flu once it has appeared in the body.

Antiviral drugs, which are not sold over-the-counter, are differ-ent from antibiotics and available only with a prescription from a doctor or health care provider.

While the CDC recommends flu vaccines as the first and most important step in preventing the flu, antiviral drugs are a second line of defense against the virus.

Antiviral drugs are used early to treat sick people who come down with the flu or people with the flu who have an increased chance of developing complica-tions from the illness, including children younger than 2, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions, such as asth-ma, heart failure and chronic lung

disease. Most healthy individuals with

the flu do not need to be treated with antiviral drugs.

This flu season, the CDC rec-ommends Tamiflu and Relenza antiviral drugs to treat the flu. Tamiflu, also known by its generic name, Oseltamivir, is available as a pill or liquid. Relenza, also known by its generic name, Zanamivir, is available as a powder that is inhaled.

Both drugs are safe for preg-nant women and Tamiflu is safe for young children. Relenza is not approved for children younger than 7 and people with breathing problems.

Antiviral treatment can short-en the time a person is sick by one to two days and prevent serious complications from developing.

If an antiviral drug has been prescribed by your doctor or health care provider, ask for an ex-planation on how to use the drug and any possible side effects.

For more information on the treatment of the seasonal flu and the novel H1N1 flu, visit www .dekalb health.net, www.flu.gov or www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/recom mendations.htm.

Kids, keep those hands clean. That’s the message DeKalb Com-missioner Sharon Barnes Sutton wants to get out to District 4 schoolchildren.

Barnes Sutton launched the Clean Hands 4 Kids campaign on Oct. 28 at Stone Mountain Elemen-tary School. It seeks to put hand sanitizers in 16 elementary schools throughout her district “to help reduce the spread of germs and encourage personal hygiene and hand washing preparedness.”

When Barnes Sutton arrived, the school had one dispenser that was out of sanitizer. More than 240 bottles of hand sanitizer donated by Energy Systems Group were placed in classrooms and common areas at the school.

Jessica Warren, the school’s principal, welcomes the donation and said schools can be a point of spreading germs.

“Students can easily pass viruses

to other students and individuals,” she said.

Donations from businesses and organizations will make the pro-gram a success. Barnes Sutton says that the program will go county-wide as supplies are donated.

Her next stop is Stone Mill El-ementary School, 4900 Sheila Lane in Stone Mountain, on Nov. 4.

For more information or to support the campaign, e-mail [email protected] or call 404-371-4907.

DeKalb Commissioner Sharon Barnes Sutton provides a squirt of hand sanitizer to one of Principal Jessica Warren’s students at Stone Mountain Elementary.

Military veterans who need help getting around can get free Hugo Folding Canes from Sam’s Club on Turner Hill Road on Nov. 11.

The Veterans Day giveaway, which is taking place at all Sam’s Club locations nationwide, is honoring retired service personnel

for their contributions to the country.The stores will give away up to 25,000 canes during the chain’s “Hugo

Salutes Our Veterans” program. The cane, which retails for about $29.99, has an ergonomic comfort grip handle appropriate for both left- and right-

handed users and multiple height settings.Sam’s Club membership is not required to get a cane, but proof of

U.S. military service may be required to determine eligibility.AMG Medical Inc., based in Alpharetta, launched the program in

2007, giving away 5,000 canes. This year, the program has been expanded with backing from Sam’s Club,

Procter & Gamble, Novartis, Wyeth, Johnson & Johnson, U.S. Nutrition, First Quality, Schiff Nutrition and AMG Medical.

For more information, visit www.amgmedical.com or www.HugoSalutes .com.


Wellness “School Walk is not only an event to raise funds for diabetes, but it helps educate students about living a healthier and more active life.”

Strong Legs Run benefits Atlanta Child Care Fund

Students to walk in support of diabetes research

More than 5,000 adults and children will walk, trot, jog and run to aid ailing children and qualify for the 2010 Peachtree Road Race at the CVS Pharmacy Strong Legs Run on Nov. 14.

The event, which is in its 25th year, is one of At-lanta’s largest road races. It includes a 10K qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race, held annually on July Fourth. Entry fees range from $12 to $50. Race day registration, from 7 to 10 a.m., is $30.

To receive your number in the mail, entries must be received online or by mail by Nov. 2. For entries received after Nov. 2, runners can pick up their num-bers starting at 7 a.m. at Turner Field on race day. Online registration closes at 6 p.m. on Nov. 11.

All proceeds benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Care Fund.

The multi-race event includes a 10K, 5K, 2K family fun run, mascot trot, and the CVS Pharmacy All Kids Can Race 75-yard dash for children with physical and/or developmental disabilities.

The race begins at Turner Field and strollers are welcome. Donald Long, CVS regional sales manager, said the company, along with thousands of Atlanta athletes and families, looks forward to the event year after year.

“We are honored to participate in this landmark 25th race and look forward to seeing athletes of all ages and levels enjoy the rewards yielded by partici-pating in this charitable event,” he said.

Race day kicks off with an 8 a.m. 10K for timed and untimed runners. All 5K and 10K participants receive a long-sleeved CVS Pharmacy Strong Legs Run T-shirt. Awards will be presented to top finish-ers in the 5K and 10K races.

In the All Kids Can Race event and the mascot trot, ribbons will be distributed to participants under age 12, and participants will receive T-shirts. For more information or to register, visit www.choa .org/stronglegs.

Students can help their classmates and other youngsters by stepping out for dia-betes in the School Walk for Diabetes.

Twenty-two metro Atlanta schools, including Edward L. Bouie Sr. Traditional Theme School in Lithonia and Berean Christian Academy in Stone Mountain, have already signed up for walks or com-pleted activities, which are held during American Diabetes Month, observed nationally in November, and throughout the school year.

Bouie Elementary, which has held walks for the past three years, has an event scheduled for Nov. 13.

School Walk for Diabetes is an edu-cational school fund-raising program of the American Diabetes Association. It promotes healthy living, school spirit and community involvement while raising money to help fund diabetes research, education and advocacy.

Students learn about diabetes and the importance of making healthy choices, including eating nutritional foods and exercising every day.

The walks, which are all-school events, can be held as part of regular physical education class. They may take place indoors or outside and may be any distance or length of time that the school determines.

Schools also can add other physical activities such as basketball and danc-ing.

Students only have to raise $5 each to start earning prizes including sporting equipment and outdoor gear.

At $100 or more, they have the option to choose from a selection of high-end prizes.

Schools that raise $1,000 or more get a certificate to purchase physical education

equipment and school medical supplies from U.S. Games. The amount of the certificate is based upon a percentage of the gross dollars raised.

Nationally, more than 24 million children and adults have diabetes, and the American Diabetes Association says an-other 57 million are at risk for the chronic disease that undermines the body’s ability to process carbohydrates.

If current trends continue, one in three children will face a future with diabetes. Each year, about 15,000 youngsters ages 20 and under are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in the United States.

Nickey White, an American Diabetes Association logistics specialist, says they are excited that schools in the community are joining the movement to help stop diabetes.

“School Walk is not only an event to raise funds for diabetes, but it helps edu-cate students about living a healthier and more active life,” she said.

School Walk for Diabetes teaches students about diabetes and the role that good nutrition and exercise play in preventing Type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications.

Boar’s Head, the sandwich meat com-pany, has joined the American Diabetes Association as a national promotional sponsor of the program. It is offering two contests to encourage schools to register for School Walk for Diabetes.

The first includes a random drawing in which 20 of the first 200 schools to reg-ister through Dec. 4 will each be awarded one faculty luncheon worth up to $150.

In the second contest, an additional 10 schools will be randomly drawn from all registrations and awarded an author visit featuring Tina Powell, who writes age-appropriate books for children in grades one through three. Students who hear her talk also will receive complimentary copies of Powell’s book “Fernando’s Fun-tastic Friends.”

Visit www.boarshead.com for addi-tional information. For more informa-tion on School Walk for Diabetes, call 1-888-342-2383 or visit www.diabetes .org/schoolwalk.

School Walk for Diabetes promotes healthy living, school spirit and community involvement while raising money to help fund diabetes research and education.


scene“We are family men, builders, visionaries, just plain fathers and

sons, artists; survivors or hard times trying to find our way.”

Soft toys sought for Caribbean kids

Spa Cash offered for food donors

Carter to talk about creativity, art

Six films to be screened at Black Man Film Festival

West Africa’s presidential election through the eyes of the country’s hip hop artists, and “Saggin’ in the ATL…,” a 25-minute documentary film about the sagging pants phenomenon in Atlanta.

The other films are the 71-minute “Blacks Without Borders: Chasing the American

Dream in South Africa,” the story of blacks from the U.S. setting up businesses in South Africa; “Surfing Soweto,” a 34-minute documentary about young men in South Africa who climb atop fast-moving trains for sport; “As the Technics Spin,” a hour-long movie about DJ Rob Swift; and “A Panther in Africa,” the story of Black Panther Pete O’Neal, who fled jail time in the U.S. to the African country of Tanzania in 1970 and now faces different challenges in Africa.

The PC video game “Know Thyself Episode I” and the comic book “Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline” will also be featured

during the festival. There will also be a special tribute to black women.

Admission is free. The Auburn Avenue Library is at 101

Auburn Ave. N.E. in Atlanta. For more in-formation, visit www.blackmenfilmfest.net or call 404-432-2194.

“Blacks Without Borders,” about blacks from the United States setting up businesses in South Africa, is one of the films in this years festival.

Families and individuals can get free $25 Spa Cash Certificates at the Nov. 8 “Fall Into Being Beautiful Open House & Food Drive” at the Spa at Stonecrest in Lithonia. The 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. event is offering wom-en a preview of the spa’s services which help women look and stay younger.

The open house will include free food, goodie bags and raffles.

Participants who donate two canned goods to Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless will receive the free $25 Spa Cash Certificate.

Promotional pricing on botox and facial fillers treatments, laser hair removal, photo-rejuvenation, massages and chemi-cal peels will be offered. A nail specialist, laser technician, massage therapist, estheti-cian and physician will be on site.

Admission is free. The Spa at Stonecrest is at 8042 Mall

Parkway, Suite 104, Lithonia. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.SpaAt-Stonecrest.com or call 678-672-4100.

Six films from South Africa, Senegal and southwest Atlanta will be screened at the seventh annual Black Man Film Festival on Nov. 7 at the Auburn Avenue Library in Atlanta.

The movies, which focus on African and African-American men, will express the trials, tri-umphs and vision of black men across the globe.

Yemi Toure, the festival’s founder, said the festival uses film to explore male-female relations, media images, spiritual questions, world affairs and masculinity.

Toure said that black men are not only macho, but also hurting.

“We are family men, builders, visionaries, just plain fathers and sons, art-ists; survivors or hard times trying to find our way,” he said. “Film is a place where all these issues come together.”

The festival lineup includes the 67-min-ute film “African Underground: Democracy in Dakar,” which discusses 2007 Senegal,

Former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter will talk about creativity, visual art and writing at Emory University’s Creativity Conversation on Nov. 10.

Doors open at 2 p.m. for the 2:30 p.m. event in Emerson Con-cert Hall, in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

The Creativity Conversation series highlights creative and artistic minds from across the country. Since its launch in 2007, participants have included poets Seamus Heaney and Natasha Tretheway and scientist E.O. Wilson.

Eighty-five-year-old Carter was U.S. president from 1977 to 1981. In his conver-sation with writer and Emory vice president Rosemary Magee, he will discuss his creative interests prior, during, and since his presi-dency. Carter, author of the 2003 novel “The Hornet’s Nest,” and the 1995 book of poetry, “Always a Reckoning and Other Poems,” will talk about his writing, painting and wood-

working; and the ways creativity and innovation influenced his personal and work life; and how a passion for creative endeavor can remain vibrant for a lifetime.

A well-known figure around the Emory campus, Carter has been an Emory University Distinguished Professor of 27 years, often lecturing in classes and assemblies.

Each September he conducts a town hall meeting for freshmen and other members of the Emory community. In October, he taught a journalism class and in December, he will speak during a Chinese studies class.

A quartet of students from the Emory Jazz Combos, directed by Gary Motley, will perform at 2:10 while people are arriving for the 2:30 p.m. conversation.

Admission is free, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Schwartz Center for Performing Arts is at 1700 North Decatur Road in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.creativity.emory.edu or call 404-727-5050.

Jimmy Carter

New and lightly used stuffed animals and other soft toys are needed for children in the pediatric wards at hospitals in Jamaica and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Caribbean Association of Georgia is collecting the toys through Dec. 1.

They will be shipped to the patients at the Span-ish Town Hospital in St. Catherine, Ja-maica and Roy Lester Schneider Hospital in St. Thomas, Virgin Is-lands before Christmas.

Jackie Watson, the group’s president, said the toys will bring comfort to the ail-ing children.

“These children are up all night, some-times they are lonely, probably missing a loved on or hugs,” she said. “A stuffed animal is another way of showing love or compassion.”

She said teddy bears, Elmos, Winnie the Pooh characters and other fluffy toys are needed.

Donors are asked not to give hard toys such as trucks,

action figures or sports equip-ment.

“Soft toys that they can squeeze and hold onto is

what we need,” Watson said.

The need is great and Watson said the

association wants to collect as many toys as it can

get.Donors in can drop off toys at Cross-

RoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur or at Royal Caribbean Bakery, 4859 Memo-rial Drive in Stone Mountain, and Pete’s Caribbean Bakery and Restaurant, 1117 McDonough Place, McDonough.

For more information, call Jackie Wat-son at 678-464-0680.


construction and programs. This year, the school system

opened Arabia Mountain High, its first LEED-certified school. Over the last three years it has also taken the lead on clean air and recycling programs.

Foundation’ chairman Robert Brown Jr. said they are partnering with DeKalb Schools to focus on green living.

“We want DeKalb County School students to embrace their roles as the future caretakers of our earth,” she said.

Tickets are $100 each and regis-tration closes Nov. 8.

For more information and to purchase tickets or become a spon-sor, visit www.dcpsf.org.

Youth “We want DeKalb County school students to embrace their roles as the future caretakers of our Earth.”

Fundraiser supports conservation initiatives

Workshop explores financial aid options

Columbia seeking donors for homeless dinner

Essay contest seeks America’s essence

Rally to support charter schools

AAA offering teen memberships

Improving Academic Achievement for Boys

Mothers Raising Sons

Afterschool Program Now RegisteringLocations

ML King Jr. High School • Redan Elementary SchoolMillers Prep Academy for Boys

✓ Careers ✓ College Tours ✓ Life Skills ✓ Goals ✓ Laws✓ Character ✓ Education ✓ Leadership ✓ Communication

To provide experiences that help young men mature and to prepare them to become responsible and successful men.

404-247-1086

Transportation provided by parents for all activities.If interested, please contact [email protected]

www.mothersraisingsons.org

Extended hours are offered on the

weekends and after program activities.

SnacksHomework/TutoringLeadership DevelopmentTyping, Art, Language, Computer Lab, Exercise, etc.

Typical Activity Day Agenda

“Developing Boyz 2 B Positive Men!”

Fifteen-year-old drivers can now get free AAA memberships if their parents are AAA Auto Club members.

The Tampa-based club is offer-ing the free memberships to give parents of young drivers some peace of mind. The membership expires on the primary member’s renewal date. A coupon for the free membership is available at www.aaa.com/teens.

AAA also is reminding teens that texting, cellphone use and driving don’t go together.

Leticia Messam, AAA Auto Club South traffic safety manager, said the distraction of sending and

Nearly 1,000 students, parents, educa-tors, politicians and others are expected to congregate at the Georgia State Capitol on Nov. 6 to show their support for public charter schools.

The two-hour “Rally at the Capitol for Charter Schools” comes in the wake of grow-ing support for a lawsuit challenging the law that created the Charter School Commission to allocate tax money to local charter schools, even if the county has rejected the school.

DeKalb County and Atlanta Public Schools joined the lawsuit last week. Gwin-nett, Bullock and Candler counties also are suing.

The lawsuit claims the law is unconstitu-tional because the commission is, in effect, creating an independent school system,

which is prohibited by the state constitu-tion.

The charter school rally starts at 10 a.m. on the steps of the Capitol. The rally, which is coordinated by the Georgia Charter Schools Association, is designed to show the growing support in Georgia for charter schools.

Tony Roberts, GCSA’s CEO, said the rally is not a protest march.

“In fact it is a celebration of the positive impact that charter public schools are having on student achievement here in Georgia,” Roberts said. “This is our opportunity to come together to say that we support our current charter schools and want more char-ter public schools in our state.”

For more information, call Seth Coleman at 404-835-8917.

High school students in grades nine to 12 can share their thoughts on American citizenship by answering the question: “What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?” in an essay contest sponsored by the Bill of Rights Institute.

Entrants will vie for cash prizes totaling nearly $200,000 and one of 54 trips to the nation’s capital awarded both to teachers and their students.

Eligible contestants must be no older than 19 and must be attending a public, private, religious, or charter school; being home-schooled; or participating in a GED or correspondence school program.

Teachers must submit essays online at www.beinganamerican.org by Dec. 1. The names of the top three prize winners in the nine contest regions will be announced at a special Washington Awards Gala in spring 2010. Georgia schools will compete in the South Atlantic region that includes Delaware, Florida, Maryland and North Carolina.

The contest is sponsored by the Arling-ton, Va.-based institute, David H. Koch,

Amway Global and the Jack Miller Family Foundation.

First-place winners in each region and their sponsoring teachers will each receive $5,000 cash awards, second-place winners $2,500, and third-place winners $1,250. Honorable mention prizes of $250 will be awarded to seven students and teachers from each contest region.

The winners will be treated to a tour of national landmarks and hear from a range of important voices on American citizenship.

Bill of Rights Institute President Victoria Hughes said the essay contest allows teachers to open dialogue with their students about what it means to be a modern-day American citizen in light of the principles upheld by our founders, documents and heroes.

“Supporting contest materials, includ-ing lesson plans meeting national academic standards, are provided at no cost to teachers who want to incorporate the essay topic into the classroom,” she said.

For contest rules and more information, visit www.beinganamerican.org.

The students and faculty at Columbia High School have begun accepting donations for their third annual Turkey Dinner for people who are homeless. Each year, the school holds the dinner for 400 men, women and children from

various shelters in metro Atlanta.This year’s dinner will be Nov.

21 in the school’s cafeteria. The homeless also will receive clothes, haircuts, health checks and toiletry items. The school is soliciting do-nations of hams, turkeys and cans

of string beans and yams. It also is accepting coats, blankets, cash donations and toiletry items.

Columbia High School is at 2106 Columbia Drive in Decatur. For more information or to donate or volunteer, call 404-664-9761.

Parents and high school juniors and seniors can get information on financing college at an Oct. 31 Fi-nancial Aid 101 Workshop at Stone Mountain High School.

The DeKalb School System’s Of-fice of School Improvement and the nonprofit DC Blazers Youth Orga-

nization are co-hosts for the 9-to-11 a.m. workshop to give parents the tools to finance their children’s post-secondary education.

Attendees will learn about financial assistance offered by col-leges and universities and state and federal programs. A second work-

shop is scheduled for January. The school is at 4555 Central

Ave. in Stone Mountain. For more information, call Delicia Lucky at 770-322-5273 or the Office of School Improvement at 678-676-0312, 678-676-0250 or 678-676-0376.

Education supporters and environmentalists will be gather-ing Nov. 9 at a DeKalb County Public School Foundation event to raise funds for the school system’s conservation and sustainability initiatives.

“Sustainable? Together, It’s So Doable!” takes place 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Thalia N. Carlos Hel-lenic Community Center Ballroom, 2500 Clairmont Road.

It will have a “green” carpet at 6 p.m., a “Best of Georgia” silent auction and a “Georgia on My Mind” live auction. Items include golf packages, hotel and sports get-aways, a NASCAR racing package and a girlfriend shopping getaway. The evening’s heavy hord d’oeuvres

will all be Georgia grown.The business-attire event is co-

hosted by eco living expert Laura Turner Seydel, and Charmaine Ward, Georgia-Pacific, Community Affairs director.

DeKalb School System is among the nation’s first school systems to focus on sustainability and con-servation in lesson plans, school

Charmaine WardLaura Seydel

receiving text messages is a recipe for disaster.

A 2008 Royal Automobile Club Foundation study found that text messaging causes reaction times to decline by 35 percent and steering control by 91 percent, while research by the University of Utah found that drivers are eight times more likely to crash when texting.

AAA offers a variety of pro-grams – safety tips, driver’s tests, insurance data – at www.aaa .com/teens to educate new drivers and provide tools to make them feel more confident behind the wheel.


sports “We want to make sure we preserve the history and legacy of the game at historically black colleges.”

Former NFL quarterbacks creating hall of fame for black college football

Street basketball star developing space where women can work out

Game between state championship teams to raise money for title rings

A hoops star with local ties, known famously for hanging up-side down on the rim like an arach-nid after throwing down energetic dunks, is opening a women’s-only gym on Atlanta’s west side.

Former And 1 street basketball player Dennis “Spyda” Chism, a 1999 graduate of Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, is opening Elnora’s Gym on Oct. 31 on Wells Street in Atlanta.

Chism, 28, who now plays with the Ultimate Sizzle Streetball Tour and Sky No Limit tour, said he is opening the 32,000-square-foot gym to give women a venue where they can become physically fit and healthier.

“There is really no place in that area for people to go work out,” the highflying guard said. “I usually go to Run ’n Shoot, but they are

closing. I just want to give people a place to work out and get fit.”

Chism, who first gained fame while playing with the And 1

Streetball Tour in 2003, named the facility after his mother, Elnora Reddick, who has inspired him throughout his life.

“This was just the right time for me and my mother to do this together,” he said.

At the gym women can take classes in yoga, aerobics, kickbox-ing, self-defense, pole dancing and stiletto. They also can take part in massage therapy and have a per-sonal trainer.

The gym will be staffed with up to 11 personal trainers and workout instructors.

The grand opening will include a ribbon cutting, food and beverag-es, and a sampling of the health and wellness services the gym offers.

Chism purchased the facility that is now the site of his gym in the summer and workers have been renovating it since Septem-ber. Workers have painted walls in the former warehouse pink and green, and bathrooms, a shower

Workers are renovating a 32,000-square-foot warehouse space to house a women’s-only gym in west Atlanta.

area, lounge area, and aerobics and massage therapy space have been added.

Chism put the price tag of the purchase, renovation and opening of the facility at $20,000.

The center is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Chism, whose jersey is being re-tired at Cedar Grove in December, said he plans for the facility to be open 24 hours a day when he is in the Atlanta area and not traveling the world playing basketball.

He said he just wants women to feel good.

“I want them to be able to tone up and be happy with themselves,” he said.

Elnora’s Gym is at 585 Wells St. in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.elnorasgym.com or call 404-856-0423.

By McKenzie Jackson

Two state-title basketball teams will clash on Nov. 12 to raise funds to purchase their championship rings.

The two-time reigning state AAAA champion Lady Panthers of Southwest DeKalb High School will play the defending state AAAAA champion Lady Raiders of Redan High School in the 6:30 p.m. “2009 Preseason State Champs Shootout” at Southwest DeKalb.

Lady Panthers coach Kathy Richey-Walton said the teams are holding the scrimmage to gener-ate enough money to buy state championship rings for the Lady Panthers and Lady Raiders. She said the teams are looking to raise at least $6,500 to purchase 30 rings for players, coaches and administrators on each team.

Coming into the 2009-10 bas-ketball season, both squads return tons of talent from teams that had a combined record of 56-4 a season ago.

The Lady Raiders, who went 27-0 last season and beat Marietta 64-40 in the state championship game, are led by a talented quartet

– frontcourt player Nia Evans and perimeter players Alisha Andrews, MacKenzie Dalrymple and Kierra Page.

The 6-foot Evans averaged 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a contest last season, while Dalrymple pumped in 9.6 points per game.

Andrews, the speedy senior point guard, was named to the Girls AAAAA All-State team last year and led the county with 5.2 assists a game, and Page, a junior, led Redan with 41 three-pointers last year.

Redan will be coached by Jerry Jackson this season, in the wake of the sudden retirement of 11-year

head coach Rhonda Malone last June. Jackson was an assistant coach at Redan last season.

The Lady Panthers, 29-4 last season, defeated previously un-beaten Fayette County 59-46 for the state crown.

Five-foot-11 wing player Kayla Lewis – who averaged 16.3 points,

9.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks and was named to the Girls AAAA All-State team last season – leads a returning cast that includes sisters Alondra and Kajuanna Rivers at guard and three-point marksman Chancie Dunn.

Alondra, a senior, averaged 9.6 points a game; Kajuanna dished out 81 assists; and Dunn hit 42 percent of her three-point attempts last season.

Richey-Walton, the Lady Pan-thers’ coach, is the reigning Girls AAAA Coach of the Year.

The scrimmage action will be-gin with the Lady Raider and Lady Panther junior varsity teams at 5 p.m. After the junior varsity scrim-mage, there will be a step show featuring the Redan and Southwest DeKalb step teams. At halftime of the varsity scrimmage, drum lines from both schools will perform. Cheerleaders from both schools will be cheering during the event.

Admission is $5 in advance and $8 at the door.

Southwest DeKalb High School is at 2863 Kelley Chapel Road in Decatur. For more information, call Coach Keith Johnson at 678-874-1902.

The fund-raising scrimmage will feature returning players like Redan’s MacKenzie Dalrymple (above, left) and Southwest DeKalb’s Kajuanna Rivers (photo at right ).

By McKenzie Jackson

Five years ago, two of football’s ground-breaking quarterbacks began tossing around the idea to establish a hall of fame honoring the greatest football players and coaches that ever hit the gridiron for historically black colleges and universities.

In February, the dream of for-mer Grambling State University quarterbacks and National Football League pioneers James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams will be realized with the inaugural en-shrinement ceremony for the Black College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Harris and Williams, two of the first African-American quarter-backs to find success in the NFL, announced the creation of the Black College Football Hall of Fame during an Oct. 9 press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta.

Williams, the only African-American quarterback to win a Su-

per Bowl and become Super Bowl MVP, said players and coaches from HBCUs have played a very signifi-cant role in college football.

“We want to make sure we pre-serve the history and legacy of the game at historically black colleges,” said Williams, currently the coordi-nator of pro scouting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “We all know the

game, but I think historically black colleges get overlooked every now and then. There are so many guys that have contributed to college football as a whole and we just want to make sure that we educate not only the HBCUs, but also the country as a whole about histori-cally black college football.”

The Shack Harris & Doug Wil-

liams Foundation, a Louisiana-based nonprofit, is sponsoring the hall of fame. Williams said they chose to place it in Atlanta because of the city’s proximity to many HBCUs across the Southeast.

The former quarterback of the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers said the hall of fame won’t have a fixed site in the Atlanta area, but will instead float around to different locations.

“I think it’s important that we mobilize it, so everyone will get a chance to see what it is all about,” Williams said.

He said that he couldn’t put a price tag on the start-up costs for the hall, but added that they are seeking donors and sponsorships.

The Four Seasons is the hall of fame’s first platinum-level spon-sor.

On Feb. 20, seven players and/or coaches, plus one contributor will be named to the hall of fame’s inau-gural class and be inducted during a ceremony at the Four Seasons.

Former Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young will serve as the honorary chairman for the Enshrinement Ceremony, and ESPN Monday Night Football ana-lyst and Super Bowl winning coach John Gruden will be the master of ceremonies.

An 11-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee, comprising prominent journalists and football executives, will pick the hall of fame’s first, eight-member class.

Harris, the first African-Ameri-can quarterback to be named MVP of an NFL Pro Bowl and Grambling State’s quarterback from 1965-68, said he just wants to preserve his-tory.

“There are so many outstand-ing players and this is something that should have been done a long time ago,” said Harris, now the se-nior personnel executive with the Detroit Lions.

Hall of Fame nominations can be made at www.BlackCollegeFoot-ballHOF.org until Nov. 23.

Doug Williams (far left) and James Harris are launching the Black College Football Hall of Fame to recognize players and coaches from historically black colleges and universities.

McKenzie JacKson / crossroadsnews


The Rose of Sharon International Choir donated 516 phones to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine for domestic violence victims.

one of the premier preachers of his generation.

Watson says he was born to be a preacher, teacher and pastor.

“Seeing people helped and seeing people’s lives transformed through what I might have to say or what God might have to say through me motivates me,” he says.

“It’s my purpose for being alive.”Morton, who will preach on Nov. 18,

was pastor of Greater St. Stephen Mis-sionary Baptist Church in New Orleans for 33 years. He and his wife, Debra, are now co-pastors of the “baby” church, G.S.S. Changing a Generation, in Decatur. The new church grew in the wake of Hur-ricane Katrina that scattered survivors to metro Atlanta. As an apostle, Morton has birthed many other churches out of Greater St. Stephen. He is also an interna-tional TV preacher who has reached thou-sands weekly for more than 25 years.

For more information, visit www .greatertravelersrest.org or call 404-243-9336.

Three dynamic pastors will be headlining “Welcome Wednes-days” worship services at Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church in November.

Pastors Craig L. Oliver Sr. of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta; Dr. Maurice Watson of Beulah-land Bible Church in Macon; and Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr. of Changing a Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church in Decatur will preach at the services on Nov. 4, 11 and 18.

The services are part of a three-week “Dedication Celebration” com-memorating the Decatur church’s re-cent relocation to a new and larger campus at 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway. Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church, which moved from 2600 H.F. Shepherd Drive, bought the 55-acre former Chapel Hill Harvester campus for $17.6 million on Aug. 10.

On Oct. 31, church members will form a caravan at 9 a.m. from their old location to the new campus, where they have been worshipping since Aug. 30.

Pastor E. Dewey Smith Jr., the church’s senior pastor/teacher, will lead a ribbon-cutting ceremony after the parade. There also will be a “House of Hope Warming” with food, entertainment and tours of the new facility.

Special 10 a.m. Sunday worship services are planned on Nov. 1, 8,

MinistrY “Seeing people’s lives transformed through what God might have to say through me motivates me.”

Pastors to help celebrate move to new location

Gospelfest winner to perform in concert

Choir dials in cash prize

Sacred harp singing at Emory Presbyterian

Berean to provide families food for Thanksgiving

Gerard Placide, a multiple American McDon-ald’s Gospelfest winner, will perform Nov. 7 at a benefit concert for DeKalb families in need.

The “Reaching the World Through Music” concert will take place at 6 p.m. at Word Church International in Decatur.

Placide, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, is also a soldier in the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Divi-sion at Fort Stewart.

Word Church International and the nonprofit Potter’s House Community De-velopment Corp. are co-hosts of the concert. There is no admission fee, but concertgoers are asked to donate nonperishable food items to support a food pantry and families in DeKalb.

The Potter’s House has been serving DeKalb County families and at-risk students for more than seven years. Its initiatives include Camp Heritage summer enrichment program and Cool School before- and after-school care; family and couples counseling; food pantry and food distribution; and restoration and recovery support and counseling.

Word Church International is at 2030 Wesley Chapel Road. For more information, call 404-288-3834.

Gerard Placide

Paul Morton Sr.Craig Oliver Sr. Maurice Watson

Newcomers and seasoned performers alike can make a joyful noise with sacred harp singing on Nov. 5 at Emory Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.

Early American hymns are sung in a powerful, exuberant style, as seen in the movie “Cold Moun-tain.” Beginners are welcome and instruction is provided.

The group meets 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The church is at 1886 North Decatur Road. For

more information, call 404-892-6836 or visit www.atlantasacredharp.org.

By Brenda Camp Yarbrough

A thousand families in need in DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties can get a helping hand this Thanksgiving from Berean Christian Church.

The Stone Mountain church is part-nering with local agencies, schools and churches to hold a giveaway of holiday food boxes to needy families on Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church.

Applications will be available at local schools and social service agencies or at the church’s Kerwin B. Lee Family Life Center at 2197 Young Road.

The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 9 and families will be notified on Nov. 16.

Andrea Diallo, Berean’s minister of community outreach, said applications are rolling in.

“We will still be accepting applica-tions until we reach the 1,000 mark,” she said. “There has been tremendous response from schools and social service agencies.”

The church is appealing to area churches, businesses and individuals to donate food items and cash.

Diallo said supporters can donate a

15 and 22. The dedication celebra-tions culminate at the Nov. 22 service with the church’s 133rd anniversary. All the Welcome Wednesdays services start at 7 p.m.

Oliver, who kicks off the Nov. 4. ser-vice, has been pastor of Elizabeth Baptist Church since 1995. He was called to min-istry at age 16 and has preached nationally and internationally.

Today, he leads a ministry of more than 10,000 members.

H i s c h u r c h h o l d s H U M P (Heavenly Upli f t ing Music and Preaching) on Wednesday nights.

Watson of Beulahland Bible Church will be in the pulpit on Nov. 11.

He too began preaching at age 16 and was ordained two years later. He was pas-tor of his first congregation at age 28. Beulah land Bible Church is his third congre-gation and Watson has been there since April 2004.

He has been described as

The Rose of Sharon Interna-tional Choir of the Way from the Truth and the Life Christian Cen-ter in Decatur didn’t win the Best Church Choir in America crown, but they got money.

The 35-member group snatched a $1,000 grand prize for donating the most cellphones to aid domestic violence victims during the compe-tition’s mobile phone drive.

The phone drive was part of Ve-rizon Wireless Presents “How Sweet the Sound: The Search for the Best Church Choir in America” regional celebration Oct. 2 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

The Decatur choir, which vied in the competition’s Small/Medium category, donated 516 wireless phones to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine.

It was one of eight singing groups from metro Atlanta and Macon to compete in the regional celebration.

The Hope Cathedral Church of God in Christ Choir won the Atlanta Small/Medium category, and the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir was the Atlanta Overall/Large Category/Verizon Wireless V CAST People’s Choice Award regional winner.

They will compete in the Nov. 7 “How Sweet the Sound” finals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

During their one-day stint in the competition, the Rose of Sharon International Choir, whose church is at 2255 Miller Road, performed Kurt Carr’s “For Every Mountain” in front of 10,678 screaming gospel music fans.

specific amount of money for a food item or support one or more families for $40 each. They also can volunteer time.

“Some churches have responded. Some are holding their own programs and others have helped to identify families as well,” she said. “It’s not just about Be-rean. It’s about a community responding to a community need.”

The giveaway event will include music, dancers, skits and group games.

For more information or to donate or volunteer, contact Andrea Diallo at [email protected] or call 770-593-9179.


people “I always wanted to fly as a kid, not in a plane, but just to float.”

Spacious skies yield championship thrills for competitive sky diver

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Conyers sky diver Mark Gregory is realizing a childhood dream.

The 47-year-old has been dropped from more than 10,000 feet in the sky, skied through and seen his shadow in fluffy white clouds, and been airborne above one of Southeast Asia’s most impressive cities.

Along the way, Gregory, a sky diver since 2000, has become one of the world’s top performers in the sport of parachuting.

Gregory and his team, Clean Air, staked their claim as the world’s top sky-diving team when they won two gold medals at the 2009 United States Parachute Association Na-tional Skydiving Championships on Oct. 22 in Rosharon, Texas.

The four-member team’s gold medals came in the four-way canopy formation rotationals event and the sequential event during the 13-day championships, which

were held in the skies above Skydive Spaceland, a 130-acre private airpark in Rosharon, 30 min-utes south of downtown Houston.

In the four-way cano-py formation rotationals event, the parachutes of team members are

stacked vertically on top of each other while they perform various formations.

The four-way sequential event involves team members grabbing hold of each other while falling toward the earth and forming as many shapes as they can, including a diamond, in two minutes’ time.

Nearly 500 participants com-peted in aerial events during the championships, which concluded on Oct. 25. Events included radi-cal free flying and freestyle, canopy piloting, vertical formation sky diving, free-fall style and accuracy landing, canopy formation and

formation sky diving. As a kid, Gregory said he would

build his own hang gliders out of bamboo and plastic, then ride his skateboard down the street with the glider and attempt to fly.

“I always wanted to fly as a kid, not in a plane, but just to float,” he said.

He went from balloons to hang gliders, and at the age of 35, friends suggested, sky diving.

“I took my first sky dive and was hooked,” he recalled.

Since that first jump, Gregory has dived out of aircrafts more than 5,900 times. Some of his Clean Air teammates, who hail from Albany, Ga.; Florida; Arizona; and New York, have taken the plunge more than 10,000 times.

The group also is recognized as the top sky-diving team in the US and the top sequential sky-diving team in the world.

In July, Gregory and teammate Chris Gay won a gold medal for the

two-way sequential at the World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Gregory has won gold at events in Croatia, Russia and the Nether-lands since 2004.

He also has parachuted in the skies above Spain, Brazil and France.

In July 2010, Gregory and Clean Air will compete in sky-diving championships in Russia.

“The Russians are a competi-tive team,” he said. “So, I suspect that once they post the scores we had they are going to train very vigorously.”

Gregory, the owner of Foam Packing Inc. in Conyers, said when he began parachuting he had no clue the sport would allow him to earn gold medals and travel the globe. Plus, he said performing stunts thousands of feet above the Earth is a unique feeling.

“It is just a childhood dream come true,” he said. “You just can’t describe it to anybody.”

Mark Gregory

In competitive parachuting, teams and individuals perform acrobatic stunts and formations in the air.


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House for Rent or Lease to Own. 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, Living Room, Dining Room, Quiet Neighborhood. Stone Mountain. 678-773-6210.

lAndscApe/lAWn cAre

Landscape Services Since 1996 Design-Installation-Main-tenance Aeration, Bobcat Work, French Drainage, Concrete Work. Free Estimate. Call 770-593-1382.

moVers

Gideon Movers, Inc. Moves & Deliveries, In-house Moves; Loading & Un-loading. Free on-site Estimate. (404)[email protected]

serVicesHandyman, 27 years experience. Plumbing repairs, water lines, hotwater heaters, showers, toilets, sinks, bathtubs, sewer drain clean-ing, pressure washing, gutters cleaned. Call 404-244-9193 or 404-838-6541.

Rent tables, chairs, linens, tents and much more Call your community rental store today at 770-323-0424. Add a touch of class to your special event. Call Funcity Party Rentals today. Best rates in metro Atlanta.

mArKetplAce rAtesPlace your MarketPlace line ad here – up to 20 words for $25. Additional words are $3 per block of five words (maximum 45 words). Boxed Ads (with up to 3 lines bold headline): $35 plus cost of the classified ad. Send ad copy with check or credit card information and contact phone number (if different from ad) to MarketPlace, CrossRoadsNews, 2346 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30032, or e-mail to [email protected]. Our deadlines are at noon on the Friday one week prior to publication, unless otherwise noted.

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5c (10.5”) x 16” 18304-MC

FO

(10-31) Crossroads F

C (nb)

Brand New 2010 MAZDA6Vin#1YVHZ8BA6A5M00110

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All offers plus tax, tag and title with approved credit. Offers cannot be combined. See dealer for details. Offers expire date of publication.

MSRP......................$17,474MCF Factory Rebate Match - $2500 Factory Rebate...... - $2500

$12,474SalePrice

New 2009 Ford Focus SE New 2009 Ford F-150 Sport New 2009 Ford Ranger Super Cab Sport New 2010 Ford Fusion SE


$12,474SalePrice

$17,109SalePrice

$17,109SalePrice

Stk#96510Stk#94526 V8,Auto

Stk#98089 StK#101024

...ORCHECK

OUT OURHUGE

SELECTIONOF USED

CARS

V6, Auto, Loaded! V6, Auto, Loaded!

MALCOLM CUNNINGHAM AUTO GROUP

2 LOCATIONS MEANS TWICETHE INVENTORY AND TWICE THE SAVINGS!

On purchase price up to $49,500. Please be sure to consult a qualified professional tax advisor for more details.

Buy A Car Or TruckAnd You Could...

WHEN YOU FILE YOUR 2009 FEDERAL INCOME TAX RETURN.DEDUCT THE ENTIRE SALES TAXDEDUCT THE ENTIRE SALES TAX

2001 Mercury Sable . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5995Clean, Clean, Clean! Stk#101508A2000 BMW Z3 Convertible . . . . . . . . .$7995Stk#P9038A2005 Ford Escape XLT . . . . . . . . . . .$10,885P/L, P/W, AM/FM CD, Cruise, Stk#P90372008 Ford Focus SE 3 To Choose From! Starting At$10,888Auto, 30k Miles, MP3, Warranty and More! Stk#P88832008 Pontiac G6 GT . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,988Cruise, OnStar, Power Seat, P/L, P/W Stk#P90192005 Dodge Magnum SE . . . . . . . . .$10,999P/L, P/W, Cruise, Tilt, Stk#G8089A2007 Ford Fusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$11,888Auto, P/L, P/W Stk#P90002008 Chrysler Sebring Conv. . . . . . .$11,88838k Miles, Black, Cruise, ABS, Power Seat, Stk#P89472008 Ford Fusion SEL 3 To Choose From! Starting At$11,8883.0L V6 Auto, 6 CD Changer, Cruise, Wireless, Stk#P9005

2008 Mazda6 Sport VE 2 To Choose From! Starting At$11,888Auto, Cruise, Leather Wrapped Steering, Power Seat, Stk#P89422007 Nissan Titan Extended Cab . . .$12,888Automatic, V8 Stk#98064A2008 Dodge Nitro SXT . . . . . . . . . . .$13,885Keyless Entry, AM/FM CD/MP3, P/L, P/W, Stk#P93042008 Nissan Altima . . . . . . . . . . . . .$13,888AM/FM CD, P/L, P/W, Stk#P90322007 Ford Mustang . . . . . . . . . . . . .$13,999V6, Premium, Leather, MP3, Wireless, Orange, Manual, Stk#98110C2008 Toyota Camry LE . . . . . . . . . . .$14,888Cruise, P/L, P/W, Stk#P89992004 Nissan Murano . . . . . . . . . . . .$14,888P/L, P/W, Cruise Tilt, Stk#P90352005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLS . .$14,999Black, Auto, CD, A/C, Alloys, Stk#P90062009 Ford Fusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15,888P/L, P/W, CD, Auto, Warranty Stk#P8856A

2007 Nissan Maxima SL . . . . . . . . .$16,555Leather, Low Miles and More! Stk#P8945

2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK . . . . . . . . .$18,888Nice Fine Leather, Stk#G80662008 Toyota Avalon Touring . . . . . . .$18,888Silver, Auto, Climate Control, Leather, Power Seat, Stk#P89852008 Volvo S60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$18,88825k Miles, Safety First Stk#G8079

2008 Honda Accord . . . . . . . . . . . . .$19,888P/L, P/W, Cruise, Tilt Stk#P89772006 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer . .$20,888Black, Auto, 43k Miles, CD, DVD, Leather, Stk#P89832006 Cadillac STS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20,888Like New! Must See! Stk#G8081

2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 . . . . . . .$22,47649k, Nice Ride! Stk#G8060

...OR CHECK OUT OUR HUGE SELECTION OF USED CARS

MSRP......................$23,604MCF Factory Rebate Match - $3000 Factory Rebate...... - $3000Addtl MCF Discount - $609

$16,995SalePrice


$16,995SalePrice




$17,995SalePrice


$17,995SalePrice

1997 Acura RL..............................$49953.5L, Leather, Sunroof, P/L, P/W, Must See! Stk#96006A2005 Chrysler Sebring Conv. ........$7995Nice, Fun in the Sun, Stk#94510A2007 Chevrolet Cobalt ..................$8888Cruise, P/L, P/W, Stk#M82292006 Dodge Ram 1500 ............$10,8884Dr. P/L, P/W, Stk#93016A2008 Hyundai Sonata................$11,888Auto Trans, P/L, P/W, CD, Low Miles, Stk#M8259

2008 Nissan Sentra ..................$11,995Automatic, P/L, P/W, CD Stk#M8264

2008 Mazda3i Sport ................$12,888P/L, P/W, CD, Just Serviced, Gas Saver, Stk#M8234

2008 MAZDA5 ........................$12,8882 To Choose From! P/W, P/L Hard To Find! Stk#M4626

2006 Nissan Altima ..................$12,9952.5 S, CD, Wheels, Must See, Stk#M4589

2008 Pontiac G6 ......................$12,995Chrome Wheels, P/L, P/W, Come Test Drive! Stk#M8242

2008 Volkswagen Jetta ............$12,999P/L, P/W, Auto, Stk#M8232

2005 Volvo S80........................$13,990Price Reduced, Sunroof, Leather, Alloys, Stk#G8072A

2008 MAZDA6i Touring ............$13,995P/L, P/W, CD, Stk#M37787

2008 Ford Fusion SEL ................$13,995Loaded, Low Miles, V6 Stk#M8262

2005 Nissan Maxima ................$14,888Leather, Roof, Sporty, Stk#M8211

2008 Nissan Altima ..................$14,888P/W, P/L, Tilt, Price to Sell, Stk#M8131

2007 Mazda CX-7 Sport............$15,995CD, Wheels, Must See! Stk#M8261

2009 Toyota Camry LE ..............$15,995Loaded, Low Miles, Must See! Stk#M8266

2006 Jaguar X-Type..................$16,995Leather, Moonroof, Low Miles Stk#M8271

2006 Nissan Maxima ................$17,888Leather, Sunroof, Alloys,1 Owner/Non-Smoker, Stk#M8217

2007 Mazda CX-7 Touring ........$18,995Leather, Roof, CD, Navigation Stk#M8263

2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 ........$22,888Leather, Navigation, Sunroof, Alloys, Stk#P9016

That’s$5000 Off MSRP! That’s

$4774 Off MSRP!That’s

$8000Off MSRP!

This Is Your Last Weekend For Malcolm Cunningham To Match The Factory Rebates On A HUUUGE Selection Of New Vehicles!

That’s$6609Off MSRP!

Turner Hill Road

More Inventory at www.MCAutoATL .com

• 169 Point -By-Point Exam

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**See dealer for details.

2008 FORD FOCUS Stk#101042A3 To Choose From ........Starting At $11,8882008 FORD FUSION Stk#P90883 To Choose From ........Starting At $12,8882010 FORD MUSTANG Stk#F9075Like New With Preowned Price ........$19,8882008 FORD F-150 SUPERCREW XLT Stk#98026Ready To Work Or Play ..................$19,8882009 FORD TAURUS LIMITED Stk#P9067Leather, Sunroof ............................$23,1412009 FORD FLEX Stk#F90742 To Choose From ........Starting At $23,8882009 FORD F-150 SUPERCREW XLT Stk#P9079Priced To Sell! ........................................$24,888

18304-MCFO (10-31) Crossroads 10/28/09 6:32 PM Page 1


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CrossRoadsNews, October 31, 2009