EACA Newsletter for May 31, 2010

EACA's Monthly Meeting comes early this month. Please join your neighbors and some local elected officials at the Brownwood Recreation Center next Tuesday, June 8. In the meantime, there's lots going on in and around the EAV...

Enjoy this week's newsletter!!

EAV Farmers Market

Don't forget the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market is open every Thursday, 4pm to 8pm May through November

1231 Glenwood Ave At Village Hardware.

Please join for farms, food, crafts, community, wood-fired pizza, music, chefs, cheese makers, granola, grass-fed beef and pork, bakers, hula-hoops, popsicles and more.

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market is your local farmers market. They accept credit cards and double EBT& WIC.

For more information please visit here.

MARTA and Georgia Aquarium Video and Blog Contest

In celebration of this year's national Dump the Pump Day on June 17th, MARTA and Georgia Aquarium are hosting a Video and Blog Contest to highlight "Why MARTA Matters to the Environment." Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their talents and compete for great prizes all while promoting how transit helps to improve the environment and quality of life for our community!

The video and blog contests, sponsored by Georgia Aquarium, will each have a youth (ages 13 to 17) and adult (18 and older) division. All submissions are due June 4th, 2010, and winners will be announced on Dump the Pump Day on June 17th. First-place prize winners will receive two annual passes to the Georgia Aquarium and a MARTA Breeze card good for one year. Second-place winners will receive one annual Georgia Aquarium pass and one monthly Breeze card. All winners will have their videos and blogs posted on MARTA's website, Facebook page and YouTube site.

Attached is a registration form along with contest rules and information. MARTA has also posted a web registration form at www.itsmarta.com.

Please contact Press Secretary Cara Hodgson at 404-848-5157 with any questions.

East Atlanta Strut Yard Sale and Raffle Fundraiser

When: Saturday June 5th, 8am - 3pm (No early birds please.)

Where: Holy Taco parking lot at Glenwood and Haas in the East Atlanta Village. 1314 Glenwood Ave. www.holy-taco.com

Join the East Atlanta Strut for their yard sale and raffle fundraiser event on June 5th, and support the village's eclectic one day festival now in its 13th year.

Click here for more information about this event. For more specifics about the raffle prizes please click here.

Holy Comforter's Plant Sale

Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter's Seedtime and Harvest, Greenhouse and Gardens Plant Sale

June 5th from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m

737 Woodland Ave Se, Ormewood Park.

Irises, giant red canna lilies, banana plants, and sweet potato transplants as well as many other perennials, warm weather vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, succulents, hanging baskets and annual flowers will be available. All proceeds benefit the Friendship Center, a program of Holy Comforter that offers respectful and supportive community to friends and neighbors marginalized by poverty, mental illness, and various disabilities providing meals, transportation, and activities to 80-100 program participants. Regular activities include gardening, woodworking, weaving, painting, ceramics, music, field trips, and games. To learn more go to Holy Comforter's website.

Sopo Volunteer Orientation

Our mission...is to create equitable access to cycling by providing affordable bicycle maintenance, services and education.

Our shop...provides a central forum for sharing equipment, materials, and expertise, and facilitates affordable, practical, hands-on support for cyclists of all ages and skill levels.

Our next Volunteer orientation is rescheduled (because of Memorial Day) for Monday June 7th at the shop. For more information on what Sopo is please visit our website.

MARTA Public Hearings

MARTA is holding public hearings regarding its 2011 budget. It is proposing some significant changes for the upcoming year, and there are two opportunities for you to share you input. On June 8 from 5:00-7:00 pm - at both Atlanta City Hall and the Maloof Auditorium in Decatur - you can share your public transportation questions and concerns.

NCS and ACMS Proposed Merger

A proposed merger of Neighborhood Charter School (NCS) in Grant Park and Atlanta Charter Middle School (ACMS) in Ormewood Park has been under consideration for several months. As stakeholders, East Atlanta residents have the opportunity to formally share their opinion(s) on the merger.

At the EACA Monthly Meeting, Matt Underwood, Principal of ACMS, presented some aspects of the merger and fielded questions and comments from the community. Jill Kaechele, Principal of NCS, and a few NCS and ACMS board members were in attendance as well. EACA voted to postpone a decision on whether or not to support the merger for one month.

Please review the charter petition here. This matter will be voted on at the June 9 meeting.

Neighbor in Need

An all-volunteer, nonprofit organization based in Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood, the mission of Neighbor in Need is to help low income, elderly homeowners make emergency home repairs. Its vision is to increase home value and, more importantly, help neighbors keep their homes.

On May 11, 2010, by unanimous community vote, EACA formalized a partnership with Neighbor in Need and extended its model to the entire East Atlanta community. EACA's initiative will raise funds for East Atlanta neighbors and leverage pre-existing relationships with Neighbor in Need in East Lake. Over time, EACA's Neighbor in Need initiative plans to broaden its own network of local business and corporate partners to get the work done. This initiative is a grassroots, relationship-based, block-by-block effort; if you have a neighbor that might need some help, let us know! Also, if you have questions or would like to get involved, please contact Jeff Whitehouse, Chairperson of EACA's Neighbor in Need initiative.

Hands On Atlanta is Having a Party, And You're Invited!

Hands On Atlanta's 20th Birthday Bash!

Celebrate their 20th birthday and join the volunteer movement for a special evening filled with original art, delectable hors d'oeuvres and the first-ever Great Atlanta Cake-off.

Please click for more information.

Kindergarten "Class of 2014" Playgroup forming!

Do you have a child born between 9/1/2008 and 8/31/2009 and wish to connect with other parents and children of the same age in the neighborhood? EAPN is starting a playgroup for the Kindergarten class of 2014 and hope you are interested in joining!

Since this is a new group, day and time and frequency of the playgroup have not yet been determined and will be worked out among its participants. Playgroup members can either take turns hosting at their homes or at kid-friendly venues (like a park or the zoo).

If you are interested in joining the playgroup, please email our new "K-14" coordinator, Julie Cureton, at aria1600@yahoo.com. She will then email you an invite to join a Google group created specifically for this playgroup.

Playgroups for the other age groups will hopefully be forming soon. If you are interested in coordinating one of these groups please contact EAPN.

2010 Neighborhood Summit

The Civic League for Regional Atlanta presents 2010 Neighborhood Summit.

Saturday, September 25
The Loudermilk Center, 40 Courtland Street, Atlanta, GA 30303

Join more than 700 neighborhood leaders, community activists, neighborhood associations and concerned community members for the 2nd annual Neighborhood Summit on Saturday, September 25th. Representatives from 10 counties in the Atlanta region will participate in this unique two-way dialogue to strengthen civic ties, discuss regional issues, and form relationships with others committed to regional collaboration.

Early bird half price special, May 1 - July 1:
Online registration is now available -- just click here. To register by mail with a check or money order, download the printable registration page, complete and mail the form to the address indicated.

For additional information please visit Neighborhood Summit website.

East Atlanta Security Patrol

To learn more about the East Atlanta Security Patrol, view updated news and notes or to enroll, visit the EASP website. There is a 50% discount for longtime residents and those 65+. To qualify, you must have lived at the same address for 20 years or be over age 65. We also have a 20% discount for members of an APD-sanctioned Neighborhood Watch. Please contact us if you're interested in setting up a Neighborhood Watch on your street.

If you have additional questions, please direct them to easp610@gmail.com, or call EACA Public Safety Chair Myron Polster at 404-954-1568.

EACA Public Safety - Weekly Crime Report

The weekly crime reports for weeks 18 -21 are below:

Week 21
Week 20
Week 19
Week 18

Weeks 20 and 21 were not available at press time.

East Atlanta Library Upcoming Activities

Upcoming Area Meetings

Neighborhood Planning Unit, NPU-W, Land Use and Zoning Committee
Meeting: 1st Tuesday of the month (06.01), 7:00pm
Martha Brown United Methodist Church, 468 Moreland Ave SE

East Atlanta Business Association (EABA)
Meeting: 1st Wednesday of the month (06.02), 2pm
East Atlanta Library, 400 Flat Shoals Ave. SE

Atlanta City Council
Meetings: 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month (06.07), 1:00 pm
City Hall, 55 Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta

DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
Meetings: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month (06.08), 9:00 am
Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Dr, Decatur

East Atlanta Community Association, (EACA)
Meetings: 2nd Tuesday of the month (06.08), 7pm
Brownwood Park Rec Center, 205 Emerson St. SE

South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development, Inc. (SAND)
Meetings: 2nd Thursday of the month (06.10); 7:30pm
Beulah Heights University Student Center, 892 Berne Street

2010 EACA Membership

Join EACA today! Annual dues are $10 per household. As an EACA member, you can vote at EACA meetings on topics of interest within our community. Additionally, there are numerous local businesses who offer discounts to EACA members. Email questions to membership@eaca.net.

You can sign up for your 2010 EACA membership and order EACA Yard Signs on-line! Pay electronically through your online banking site or via Paypal HERE.

East Atlanta on Facebook/Twitter

If you're a Facebook member, be sure to become a fan of both the EACA Fan Page and the East Atlanta Village page, too! Click on links below to take you directly to each.

<--- EACA Fan Page

<--- East Atlanta Village Page

Contact Information:
E-mail: newsletter@eaca.net
Website: http://eaca.net

Submissions:
If you're interested in submitting an article to the EACA weekly newsletter, send it to newsletter@eaca.net by the end of the day on Friday. Include relevant dates, times, locations and contact information, as well as details of the event or announcement.