Author: janrcostello

Fabulous Day Helping Our Trees Thrive

janrcostello

Thirty people helped us spread mulch around the Nellie Stevens Hollies on S. Hairston across from the park July 20. We planted them in early 2018, and they need tender loving care. The mulch, provided by DeKalb County, will help the trees conserve moisture and fight the heat.  We also picked up trash.

Many thanks to Nadine Rivers-Johnson and the Mainstreet Community Association for helping us with all the tools; Gwendolyn Stegall for bringing the snacks and water; Jan Costello for helping organize the event; Herbert Love, Jonathan Stegall, Larry Coles, Phyllis Frierson. Jarvis Walker, and Patrick Medley for your leadership and sweat equity. Thanks to Officer J.D. Brown for using our project as part of the Sheriff’s Department community service detail.

Enjoy the pictures below.

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Here are ways you can get involved in your community. Keep reading to learn about the fireworks and back-to-school event!

janrcostello

Spread the Love/Mulch around our S. Hairston Trees

July 20, 8:45 a.m.
911 S. Hairston Road, Stone Mountain (park in Hairston Park)

The Nellie Stevens Hollies we planted in early 2018 need tender loving care. Join us Saturday morning to spread mulch around each tree. This will help the trees conserve moisture and fight the heat.  We will have tools. Please bring work gloves. 

Bear Witness: The Community Does NOT Want a Slaughterhouse in a Neighborhood

Rudolph Bradford continues to slaughter animals at 1676 Rice Road, Lithonia, and he will be in court July 23, 9 a.m.  We ask you to attend (please wear white.) 

If Mr. Bradford wants to enter a guilty plea to his citations on Tuesday, July 23rd, then he should be sentenced that day.  If Mr. Bradford elects to have a trial, then a trial date will be set. 

WHAT: DeKalb County v. Rudolph Bradford, Criminal Calendar Call
WHERE: Magistrate Court of DeKalb County, Courtroom E, 3630 Camp Circle, Decatur, Georgia
WHEN: Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.

The Camp Circle Courthouse is diagonally across from the DeKalb County Jail.  Camp Circle intersects with Memorial Drive near Interstate 285.  There are many parking lots around the Camp Circle Courthouse complex, but the lots require a credit or debit card to use.

Celebrate Summer & Kick Off Great School Year with Fireworks

The Mainstreet community invites neighbors to enjoy the show!  Fireworks on July 27, Mainstreet Field, 7 – 10 p.m.   (Large community field on Mainstreet Park Drive, halfway between S. Hairston and Martin Road. Bring a blanket or chairs to sit on. And send a prayer for clear skies!

Public Safety Town Hall Meeting at Antioch AME Church

Monday, July 29, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
765 S. Hairston Rd. Stone Mountain

This is an opportunity for the community to meet the new Tucker Precinct commander and to discuss public safety issues. You can learn what the public safety professionals are doing to address crime and what we can do to help protect our community.  The Fountainhead neighborhood arranged the meeting and invites all to attend.

Back-to-School Event for Local Students

On Aug. 3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Crowe’s Plaza (southeast side of S. Hairston/Redan) will stage a back-to-school event for local students. Merchants will give away basic school supplies. The event is coordinated by Coast Dental, and Kroger, T-Mobile, New Link Management and others are contributing to the effort.  Greater Hidden Hills CDC will be there, too, with anti-litter campaign pencils (Stop. Drop, Pick-it-up! ) and a raffle of zoo tickets (a packet of four!)

Stop, Drop, Pick it Up!

janrcostello

Thank you for your support!  More than 30 people took to the streets on Saturday, June 1, to urge people to stop littering.

We held banners and signs at S. Hairston and Covington, and S. Hairston and Redan. We picked up bags of trash along the streets at both intersections.

The “Your Community…Your Litter – Pick It Up!”  Campaign is the creation of Phyllis Frierson. It was co-sponsored by District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.  Special kudos to Phyllis and to Larry Coles (pictured above) for their part in the guerilla marketing effort – they donned costumes covered with trash to draw attention to the consequences of mindlessly tossing out trash from cars.

Other neighborhoods that participated in the clean-up were Meadowbrook Glen, and neighborhoods near Greenforest, Deshon, and Rainbow Drive.   

Check out these links to coverage of our Anti-Litter Day in On Common Ground News. 

June 6, 2019
 Talkin’ Trash-DeKalb Volunteers spread anti-litter messages with creative costumes, colorful signs

TALKIN’ TRASH: DeKalb volunteers spread anti-litter messages with creative costumes, colorful signs

May 30, 2019 
Cochran-Johnson announces winners of jingle, video contests in anti-litter campaign

Cochran-Johnson announces winners of jingle, video contests in anti-litter campaign

Students Win Prizes for Anti-Litter Songs and Videos

janrcostello ,

The winners of the anti-litter campaign school contest are E.L. Miller Elementary School and Martin Luther King, Jr. High School!

 The Greater Hidden Hills Community Development Corporation (GHHCDC) in partnership with DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson launched the Your Community, Your Litter – Pick It Up! campaign this past March to encourage DeKalb residents to clean-up their communities and eliminate litter throughout the county.

As of part of the campaign, a jingle contest and video contest took place to build litter awareness and promote community pride. Students from DeKalb County were invited to participate and develop original content supporting the campaign theme.

(from left) Gwendolyn Stegall (GHHCDC), Joel Kight (teacher MLK High School), Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson (DeKalb County), De’Ziya White (senior MLK High School), Phyllis Frierson ( (GHHCDC) , and Jan Costello ( (GHHCDC) . Photo by Ennis C. Harvey.

Several entries were submitted for both contests and a committee of judges from the GHHCDC and DeKalb County’s 7th District office came together to tally scores and select winners based on a number of criteria including lyrics, originality, music, interpretation and creativity.

“All of the schools and students that participated were phenomenal and extremely talented,” said Commissioner Cochran-Johnson. “DeKalb County is truly home to some of our country’s most creative youth!”

Miller Elementary School, under the guidance of Victoria Waterman and Raphael Habeen-Ullah led 5th grade students in creating a catchy jingle that reminds people to “Stop, Drop and Pick It Up.  (Click here to hear the jingle.)

MLK High School senior De’ziya White created a video that calls out the senselessness of littering. (Click here to see the video.) The sponsoring teacher was Coach Joel Kight.

The runner-up in the jingle contest was Rowland Elementary School. In the high school video contest, another team from MLK High School came in second, and Miller Grove High School came in third.

GHHCDC awarded prizes: $25 Amazon gift cards for each participating teacher; a $100 gift card to the elementary school winner; a $200 gift card to the winning high school.  

The Your Community | Your Litter Campaign is designed to encourage pride in our communities through education and community collaboration. It is time to clean-up DeKalb!”

It culminates with a guerrilla-style marketing event on June 1, 9 a.m. – noon. GHHCDC invites you to meet at the staging area, 1215 S. Hairston Road (just south of Redan and S. Hairston).  This event is an opportunity to remind people that “the only cure for littering is YOU!”

Keeping Up Appearances!

janrcostello ,

Dozens of people worked together to add plants, prune, and put down fresh mulch on the median on S. Hairston near Redan on a beautiful Saturday morning, April 27. Thank you volunteers! And thanks to Keep DeKalb Beautiful for supplying the mulch and the crew and equipment to help us spread it. We appreciate, also, the community service workers.

  • Sherrie Walker
  • Obadiah Biggs and Randolph Pitts, DeKalb County
  • from left: Phyllis Frierson, Herbert Love, Jan Costello, Ken Blackly,
    Erica Weaver, & Lois Dunlap

Great Events Coming Up

janrcostello

April 27, 9:15 a.m.  Mulch Day!  We’re planting a few shrubs, pruning, and spreading fresh cedar mulch on the median on S. Hairston, just south of Redan.  Meet in front of Wendy’s & DOS Seafood.  Bring your pruning shears, a bow rake (not leaf rake), and a shovel.  Many hands make light work! 

April 28, 2 – 4 p.m.  Park Rx Day at Hairston Park.  Super FUN Event.  Enjoy the fitness obstacle course and get tips from professional fitness trainers. There will also be guided trail walks, health education resources, fun games, music, prizes, and more!  Feel free to bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets!

May 4, 8:30 a.m.  5K Walk-Run-Bike.  Join us at Biffle Park,  5221 Biffle Road,  and do your workout in Hidden Hills. This is an official timed event.  Register online at: http://www.wearehiddenhills.com/    or come early and register in person.

June 1 – Your Community | Your Litter Campaign
Greater Hidden Hills CDC and District 7 Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson are staging a guerrilla-style marketing campaign to clean up their communities and to stop littering.  The campaign includes contests at local schools and street theatre.  Stay tuned.  To join the effort, write to GHHCDC@gmail.com