On July 16 we held our Back-To-School Supply Drive on the campus of Clarkston First Baptist Church. This was done in partnership with Clarkston Mayor Beverly H. Burks, School Board Chair Vickie Turner, and School Board member Dr. Joyce Morley. We were also supported by School Board Member Deirdre Pierce and incoming School Board Member Whitney McGinnis and Interim Superintendent Dr. Vasanne S. Tinsley. It was so great to have this kind of collaboration among DeKalb County leaders.

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I would characterize the event as a resounding success, and the numbers bear that out.

• We gave away 1,141 back packs with school supplies.

• We fed 700 people with hot dogs, hamburgers, and Italian ice.

• We distributed 500, 5-pound bags of fresh produce.

• We vaccinated 41 people and gave away $100 gift cards.

 

A success indeed.

 

Of course, an event of this magnitude does not happen alone. Our team had tremendous support from several community partners who included:

 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

CareSource

D.J. Sugar Bear

DeKalb Board of Health

DeKalb Community Service Board (CSB)

DeKalb County Chapter 100 Black Men of America, Inc.

DeKalb Human Services, Youth Division

DeKalb Mobile Farmers Market, Fresh on DeK

DeKalb Recreation, Parks & Cultural Affairs

DeKalb Sanitation Division

K.D. Moore Community Development Center, Inc.

Kappa Alpha Kappa Fraternity, Inc.

MedCura Health

Michey Italian Ice

National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., Stone Mountain-Lithonia Chapter

Operation Hope

Prevention Research Center at Georgia State University

Southern Chef Catering

The Gideons International

 

And I would like to thank our sponsors:

 

American Facility Services, Inc.

CareSource

Corporate Environmental Risk Management (C.E.R.M.)

Kaiser Permanente

K.D. Moore Community Development Corp.

 

Needless-to-say, I was overjoyed by this demonstration of support. And this underscores what can be accomplished when we come together.

 

Of course, I want to thank Pastor Karl D. Moore & First Lady Angela Moore of Clarkston First Baptist Church for graciously hosting us. The logistics went very well.

 

And of course, none of this would have been possible without the diligence of my District 4 team capably led by Chief of Staff, Alesia Brooks. We are already looking forward to next year.