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Rainbow Village Settling In To New Village
On April 20, Rainbow Village celebrated the ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony of the Family Service Center and two 6-unit apartment buildings. More than 250 Rainbow Village friends and family gathered to celebrate this momentous occasion. Board Chairman, Dave Fry opened the program with the words, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" And we were. 35 investors instrumental in the completion of this project took part in a unique celebration that involved puzzle solving. Each investor took one piece of a giant magnetic puzzle and as their name was called and special recognition given, they put their puzzle piece into place. When the entire puzzle was finished it captured the slogan of our campaign - Building Strong Communities... One Family at a Time.
Bishop Keith Whitmore, Assistant Bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta presided over a blessing of the buildings. One of the many highlights of the day was the recognition that Reverend Joel P. Hudson received as he was honored by having the Family Service Center Boardroom named after him, courtesy of an anonymous donor. His portrait will hang in the Boardroom, and he will be always be honored as being the rector of Christ Episcopal Church and founder of Rainbow Village in 1991. It was also announced that the two apartment buildings would be dedicated to the faithfulness of Sandra and Clyde Strickland.
Joe Young, Rainbow Village Board Member and partner with Meadows and Ohly, received a special thank you for his tireless commitment of the development of the project. In turn, he gave a special thank you and plaque to Fortune and Johnson for their excellent work in constructing the new Village, on time and under budget!
Lunch was provided courtesy of Clyde and Sandra Strickland and Gwinnett Medical Center. Guests enjoyed barbeque with all the trimmings and Gwinnett Medical Center also provided refreshments for the open house tours which continued until 7 p.m. Guests enjoyed visiting a new apartment staged courtesy of the Home Staging Group.
Special thanks also go out to All-Events Rentals for their generous donation of tents, tables, chairs and stage; Future Security for providing assistance in directing traffic; Duluth First United Methodist Church, New Days Church and Proctor Square for the use of their parking lots; our photographers, Bruce Halliburton, Samantha Loll, and Bill Monk; Mary Halliburton for the gorgeous floral arrangements; The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and the City of Duluth for their never-ending support of Rainbow Village.
If you would like to schedule a tour, please contact Sandra Cathy at 770-497-1888 x13.
 From L-R Joe Young, Dave Fry Jim Ellis adds the Jim and Billie Ellis Foundation piece to the puzzle.
 The Reverend Joel P. Hudson, Chairman Emeritus & the Reverend Nancy Yancey, CEO Clyde Strickland preparing his famous barbecue chicken for lunch
 Fun for all!
On April 26 and 27 the staff moved from 3160 Main Street to our new Village located at 3427 Duluth Highway 120. We would like to thank The Beltmann Group for assisting us in our move and Business Furniture of Atlanta for helping us furnish the Family Service Center with a generous grant from Primerica. The staff managed to retain a sense of humor without computer hookups and other unexpected surprises. But like all moves, all's well that ends well and we are loving our new, debt-free home.  No desk, no problem!
On Saturday, April 28, Rainbow Village Faith Partners helped move eight Rainbow Village families into their new apartments. It was a busy day as last minute boxes were packed, volunteers carried furniture to three floors, and residents began settling in. Rainbow Village children enjoyed a day of play, courtesy of the Peachtree Corners Rotary Club. They hosted the children and youth at the Fowler YMCA. Between moving shifts, our Faith Partner volunteers, staff, and families enjoyed a barbeque lunch. We were also thrilled to see members of the Wesleyan Lacrosse Team, spearheaded by Van Fletcher, Jr., who presented Rainbow Village with a check to purchase playground equipment for the new Community Center. Our eternal thanks to the following Faith Partners: Perimeter Church, 12Stone Church, Prospect Church, Duluth First United Methodist Church, Sugarloaf United Methodist Church, Christ Episcopal Church, Pleasant Hill Presbyterian and Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church. We couldn't have done it without you all! This was CHURCH at its finest.
 Little Helpers Moving the playground equipment
 Enjoying lunch and fellowship Moving supplies  Van Fletcher, Jr. (2nd from left)
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Fence Project Completed!
 Not to be outdone by the hard-working group of Faith Partners on Family Move Day, the United Methodist Men and others, led by Harvey Anderson and Bob Balkcom have been hard at work constructing the fence that will surround the Rainbow Village property. The materials were donated courtesy of John Howard, Howard Brothers Hardware, with assistance from Accurate Fence. We'd like to thank Harvey Anderson, Bob Balkcom, Rob Hill, Brad Etheridge, Linda Goodwyn, Guy Abernathy and Ricky for their hard work and dedication to this project. We are particularly grateful for Harvey's expertise!
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Golf Classic Raises $35,000 to support Rainbow Village
The 17th Annual Golf Classic was a huge success with over 100 golfers playing at TPC Sugarloaf on May 7. Almost $35,000 was raised to support Rainbow Village. Thank you to our sponsors, golfers, and volunteers, and especially our golf committee made up of Jane Koontz, John Koontz, Martha Smith and Jed Smith. To see this year's winners and photos, visit us at www.rainbowvillage.org and click on "Golf Classic." Mark your calendars for May 6, 2013 for the next Classic. at TPC Sugarloaf!
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Faith, Hope & Love Gala Plans in Full Swing
Mark your calendar now for the Faith, Hope & Love Gala to be held October 13 at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Be sure and check the website regularly to view all the items being added to the live and silent auction lists. If you would like to help, we are actively seeking donations for a 10-12 foot slender artificial Christmas tree, a golf cart, vacation home rentals, and free tickets to concerts or sporting events. All donations are tax deductible. Please contact Sandra Cathy at 770-497-1888 x13 for more information including other donation ideas you may have.
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Volunteer Recognition
- Thank you to Miss Cindy's Dance Studio in Duluth for providing tickets for our children and parents to attend a special show as well as an offer to provide dance instruction for our residents in the future.
- Thanks to Anna Huthmaker and the Trail Dames for preparing Mothers and Fathers Day Gift Bags for residents.
- Thank you to the Gwinnett Rotary Club for their fundraising efforts on behalf of Rainbow Village at the Suwanee Memorial Day Concert. They sold American flags with proceeds benefiting their Rainbow Village Legacy Project.
- A special thank you on behalf of our Rainbow Village families who received welcome home kits courtesy of Akzo-Nobel.
- The Jacqueline Hudgens Center for the Arts is a new Rainbow Village partner. They donated annual memberships to each Rainbow Village family.
- We would love to recognize our Rainbow Village friend and volunteer, Mary Cerney, who received the Girl Scout's highest honor - The Gold Award. She organized the annual Rainbow Village Barnes and Noble Bookfair in Duluth. Great job, Mary!
 From L-R Mary Cerney, Lynnette Ward, Rainbow Village Community Resource Director
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Rainbow Village Wins Award
Rainbow Village was the recipient of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award. Each month the Chamber honors one organization, rarely a non-profit, that makes a difference in our community.
 Pictured R to L): The Reverend Nancy Yancey, CEO, Rainbow Village receives the May, 2012 Small Business of the Month award from Vince DeSilva, Sr. Vice President, Member Services, Gwinnett Chamber.
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Our campaign, "Building Strong Communities... One Family at a Time," commitments continue to grow. Click here to see the Investor Honor Roll!
It truly does take a village to change the lives of homeless families with children now and for generations to come. Contact Sandra Cathy, Chief Development Officer, to learn more.
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Be a Rainbow Village Angel
Pledge a recurring monthly gift to support our ongoing operations and be a guardian angel to our families.
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Save the Dates!
Rainbow Village Annual Gala
October 13, 2012
Atlanta Athletic Club
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Please help us spread the good news about Rainbow Village and our vision for the future. Share this email and encourage those in your circles to become personally vested in helping us break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence.
Forward this newsletter to a friend!
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NOTE NEW ADDRESS:
Rainbow Village, Inc.
3427 Duluth Hwy 120
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 497-1888
rainbowvillage.org
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