School System and Fayette Holiday Helpers Thank Community for Generosity

Thanks to the generosity of the Fayette community, assistance from Fayette Holiday Helpers, local businesses, private citizens and employees of the Fayette County Public School System, all angels on the CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree will have their wishes granted and then some.

Over 400 angels, representing students and their families who are in need, were part of this year’s Angel Tree project. Counselors at each school identified students who met the special requirements mandatory for inclusion: all adults in the household must be working or legitimately trying to find work, and the family’s combined income is not sufficient to make ends meet.

Angel requests are non-traditional and include basic need items such as clothing, blankets, space heaters, toiletries, and laundry detergent. While priority is given to meeting the basic need requests, donors do not stop there. Generally, they make sure that angels are also given some non-requested, fun items such as toys, bicycles and games.

“We couldn’t do this each year without the generosity of our community and organizations like Fayette Holiday Helpers. Thanks to all of the donations from churches, businesses, civic organizations and individuals, many children and their families will have a merrier holiday season. I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for making these angel wishes come true,” says Karen Spangler, the school system’s CARE coordinator.

Although the Angel Tree project is seasonal, the needs for students and their families are not. The CARE program assists those in need all year long by helping with After School Program tuition scholarships, extra curricular program fees, and various activity dues so that all students can feel a sense of inclusion and take full advantage of their school experiences. To make a donation, contact Spangler at spangler.karen@fcboe.org or call 770-460-3990.

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Holiday Village Promotes Fayette Merchants

Fayette merchants and restaurants have a wonderful opportunity to promote their business during prime holiday shopping season with the Fayette Chamber’s Holiday Village. The virtual shopping village is now online through December 31 and will allow businesses to post coupons and menus, advertise new products, announce holiday events and sales and more.

The Holiday Village is part of the Chamber’s Find it in Fayette!(R) Campaign to encourage consumers to buy local. Offering this promotional opportunity gives merchants and restaurants a low-cost way to attract the attention of holiday shoppers through this one-stop-shopping website. The Holiday Village is core to the Chamber’s mission of providing tools and resources to help local businesses succeed.

The Village is open to non-Chamber member as well as members; however, members can take advantage of a reduced rate. Interested businesses may sign up online at www.FayetteChamber.org or call the Chamber at 770.461.9983.

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10th Annual Harvest Yard Sale & 3rd Annual Holiday Bazaar

Calling all bargain hunters! Visit over 50 yard sales in one location at the 10th Anniversary Harvest Yard Sale on Saturday, October 23rd from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Sponsored by the Fayette County Parks and Recreation Department, this community-wide sale will be held at the Activities House parking lot at 980 Redwine Road in Fayetteville. Shoppers at past sales have come from Norcross to Macon, Lithonia to Luthersville and everywhere in between. All booth space has been sold! FREE admission and parking for all bargain hunters! All vendor booths for the Harvest Yard Sale are SOLD OUT!

The Harvest Yard Sale will feature a fundraising booth for the Fayette County Special Olympics. The goal of the Fayette County Special Olympics is to help bring persons with intellectual disabilities into the larger society under conditions whereby they are accepted, respected, and given the chance to become useful and productive citizens. When we achieve this goal through our sports program, we demonstrate that Special Olympics has a unique value: to show the world that every person counts and that every person can be something good when we work together.

Also, the 3rd Annual Fayette Holiday Bazaar & Bake Sale will be held on November 13 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Kiwanis Center, 936 Redwine Road, Fayetteville.  The holiday season just wouldn't be the same without a 3rd Annual Fayette Holiday Bazaar where handcrafted crafts and home-baked treats can be found, just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Local crafters will put their unique homemade crafts on display and sell their wares to Fayette visitors and local residents looking for that special gift.

Homemade items at the Bazaar typically include handmade jewelry to knitted clothing, wooden toys, quilts, arts & crafts, gift baskets and holiday arrangements (cornucopias, wreaths, and centerpieces).....and don't forget the delicious home-baked confections and treats!  Booth space will be available for craft & bake sale vendors.  . Booth spaces are still available for craft & bake sale vendors for the Holiday Bazaar. Registration deadline is October 16 or until full.

For more information about the Harvest Yard Sale, Holiday Bazaar & Bake Sale or Fayette County Special Olympics, please call the Fayette County Parks & Recreation Department at 770-716-4320 or visit www.fayettecountyga.gov/parks_and_recreation.

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Fayette County School System and Fayette Holiday Helpers Thank Community for Generosity

CARE coordinator Karen Spangler (far left) and her assistant Diann Ferrante (far right) thank Fayette Holiday Helpers members Helen Rickman, Sandy Hogan, Dale Bettis and Janet Prescott for their assistance with the 2009 Angel Tree project.

Thanks to the generosity of the Fayette County community, assistance from Fayette Holiday Helpers and employees of the Fayette County Public School System, all angels on the CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree will have their wishes granted and then some.

Hundreds of angels, representing students and their families who are in need, were part of this year’s Angel Tree project. Counselors at each school identified students who met the special requirements mandatory for inclusion: all adults in the household must be working or legitimately trying to find work, and the family’s combined income is not sufficient to make ends meet.

Angel requests are non-traditional and include basic need items such as clothing, blankets, space heaters, toiletries, and laundry detergent. While priority is given to meeting the basic need requests, donors do not stop there. Generally, they make sure that angels are also given some non-requested, fun items such as toys, bicycles and games.

“We couldn’t do this each year without the generosity of our community and organizations like Fayette Holiday Helpers. Thanks to all of the donations from churches, businesses, civic organizations and individuals, many children and their families will have a merrier holiday season. I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for making these angel wishes come true,” says Karen Spangler, the school system’s CARE coordinator.

Although the Angel Tree project is seasonal, the needs for students and their families are not. The CARE program assists those in need all year long by helping with After School Program tuition scholarships, extra curricular program fees, and various activity dues so that all students can feel a sense of inclusion and take full advantage of their school experiences. To make a donation, contact Spangler at spangler.karen@fcboe.org or call 770-460-3990.

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Payless Shoes and Holiday Helpers Grant Wishes of Angels in Fayette County

Helen Rickman of Fayette Holiday Helpers (left) and Karen Spangler with the school system’s CARE program accepted the donation of 150 gift coupons at the Payless Shoe Source in Fayetteville from store manager Vincent Clayton.

Thanks to Payless Shoe Source and Helen Rickman of Fayette Holiday Helpers, 150 students in need of shoes on the CARE (Children at Risk in Education) Angel Tree will have their requests granted.

The 2009 Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program is a grass roots campaign to deliver $1.2 million in free shoes to children of families in need. Over 2,900 nonprofits nationwide and in Canada applied to the program this year. Fayette Holiday Helpers was one out of 700 nonprofits selected to receive gift coupons redeemable for children’s shoes; each gift coupon is worth $15. Fayette Holiday Helpers, which assists with the CARE Angel Tree project each year, donated all 150 of the gift coupons they received to help fulfill the wishes of Fayette County’s public school students.

“We are so grateful to Payless Shoes Source and Holiday Helpers for this donation. We have a large number of requests for shoes this year so this gift is very meaningful to us,” says Karen Spangler, the school system’s CARE coordinator.

The CARE Angel Tree project is designed to help working families struggling to make ends meet provide basic needs for their children. The tree fulfills nontraditional needs such as clothing, after school program scholarships, eyeglasses and dental work. All adults in the household must be employed in order for students to qualify for the program.

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"The Sound of Angels" Performance by the Georgia Singers at PTC First Presbyterian Church December 6

The public is invited to a special holiday concert performed by the Georgia Singers at PTC First Presbyterian Church on December 6 at 6:30 pm. This concert features sacred and secular opening sections followed by delightful seasonal selections and the singing of congregational carols.

The Georgia Singers is a new force in choral music for women's voices in Fayette County and is directed by Dr. Franklin Green, who is nationally known for his work with young women's voices and accompanied by Mr. Rick Massengale, Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Fayetteville.

Admission is free, however a ticket is required. For more information or to reserve a ticket, please call 770-487-7757 or email concerts@firstpresptc.com. A free-will offering will be taken. Childcare will be provided for ages 4 and younger.

First Presbyterian Church
206 Willow Bend Rd
Peachtree City

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Register for Prizes and Support Fayette Businesses!

The Fayette Chamber is encouraging holiday shoppers to buy local with their Find it in Fayette! Holiday Campaign. At www.FinditinFayette.org, visitors can find places to shop, local holiday events, hot deals, and register for great drawing prizes.

Supporting Fayette County businesses strengthens our local economy in multiple ways. Sales tax dollars provide funding for local resources and buying local helps bolster the Fayette job market and supports local business owners and their families. According to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. Non-profit causes also benefit because successful, community-minded businesses are more likely to support local charities.

The www.FinditinFayette.org website is an ongoing effort by the Chamber to connect the community with local businesses and to help sustain the excellent quality of life we enjoy here in Fayette. For more information on how the Chamber helps local businesses, visit www.FayetteChamber.org or call 770.461.9983.

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Fayette County After School Program Offers Holiday Special

The Fayette County Public School System’s After School Program (ASP) wants to help parents get ready for the holidays.

Crowded stores, long checkout lines and heavy traffic may leave some parents needing to add a few extra hours to their day to get everything done. That’s why the ASP is extending a special offer just in time for the holidays.

November through December, parents can purchase one or two day tickets for their students to attend the program at participating schools. Hours for ASP care begin at the end of each school day through 6:30 p.m. The program is available at the following elementary schools: Braelinn, Brooks, Robert J. Burch, Cleveland, Crabapple Lane, Kedron, North Fayette, Oak Grove, Peachtree City, Peeples, Fayetteville Intermediate, Hood Avenue Primary, Huddleston, Inman, Sarah Harp Minter, Spring Hill and Tyrone.

The ASP offers quality supervision with plenty of fun activities to keep children busy including arts and crafts, games, computer classes and homework assistance.

Advanced ticket purchases are required. Space is limited and based on availability. More information about the holiday special can be obtained by contacting the ASP site coordinator at a participating school or call 770-460-3990, ext. 256.

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The Avenue Supports Fayette County School System’s CARE Program

(L-R) School social worker Michelle Martin and CARE Coordinator Karen Spangler thank The Avenue Marketing Manager Kim Tanalgo-Minshew and The Avenue Peachtree City Merchant Relations Coordinator Lisa Hernandez for the latest donation to CARE.

A partnership between the Fayette County School System’s CARE (Children at Risk in Education) program and The Avenue Peachtree City has helped enrich the lives of students and their families who are in need.

Over a year ago, the shopping center teamed up with the CARE program by making it the beneficiary of all charitable contributions collected through programs hosted at The Avenue including Camp Avenue, Movies in the Park and Holiday at The Avenue. Although the programs are complimentary, patrons are asked to make a voluntary donation. CARE Coordinator Karen Spangler estimates that last year alone the shopping center raised over $3,000 for the program.

“We are very grateful to The Avenue for all that they have done to help our students in need. This is a great partnership that has helped bring attention to the CARE program and the fact that there are students and families in our schools who need assistance. Their support has helped to make many lives much better,” Spangler says.

The Avenue recently gave the CARE program $565 that was raised through Movies in the Park and one Camp Avenue session, along with a box of donated school supplies. The monetary donation will be used to fund After School Program (ASP) scholarships for working families who cannot afford the tuition. The school supplies will be made available to students in need at various schools. Spangler estimates that the money raised will fund approximately three ASP scholarships.

“This is very important in that it can mean the difference between a student being able to stay with his or her family or being placed in foster care,” Spangler says.

School social worker Michelle Martin knows first-hand the positive impact the CARE program has on students. That is why she answered a call from Spangler last month for volunteers to help with Movies in the Park.

“I popped popcorn and enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve had students who have been impacted by the CARE program and this was a way for me to give something back,” Martin says.

The CARE program is unique in that all proceeds go toward helping needy students. The program carefully screens students and their families who receive assistance; no money is ever given directly to parents or students. To qualify for assistance, all adults in the household must be employed but unable to meet the needs for which they are requesting assistance.

“I think this is what sets us apart from other programs. We don’t just hand money over. Families have to prove that they are trying but are unable to make ends meet. We constantly monitor those who receive assistance to see if their situation has changed,” Spangler explains.

The Avenue’s next program benefitting CARE will be Holiday at The Avenue every Sunday November 30-December 21 from 1-6 p.m.. There will be complimentary carriage rides and photos with Santa, and in exchange, participants will be asked to make a donation to CARE.

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Fayette County's After School Program Offers Holiday Special

The Fayette County School System’s After School Program wants to help parents get ready for the holidays.

Crowded stores, long checkout lines and heavy traffic may leave some parents needing to add a few hours to their day to get everything done. That’s why the ASP is extending a special offer just in time for the holidays.

November through December, parents can purchase one or two day tickets for their students to attend the program at participating schools. Hours for ASP care begin at the end of each school day and end at 6:30 p.m. The program is available at the following elementary schools: Braelinn, Brooks, Robert J. Burch, Cleveland, Crabapple Lane, Kedron, North Fayette, Oak Grove, Peachtree City, Peeples, Fayetteville Intermediate, Hood Avenue Primary, Huddleston, Inman, Sarah Harp Minter, Spring Hill and Tyrone.

The ASP offers quality supervision with plenty of fun activities to keep children busy including arts and crafts, games, computer classes and homework assistance.

Advanced ticket purchases are required. Space is limited and based on availability. More information about the holiday special can be obtained by contacting the ASP site coordinator at a participating school or call 770-460-3990, ext. 256.

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