Newspaper Page Text
Page 6A
LOCAL
The Champion, Thursday, May 21 - 27, 2015
RENEE BAZEMORE
Weed
When Renee Bazemore
joined Junior League of
DeKalb County in 2011 she
had just turned 40.
“My kids were heading
to college and I felt it was
just time for me to do some
thing for myself and [find] a
way to get involved and give
back to the community,” said
Bazemore, who is the vice
president of community for
the Junior Leagues board of
directors.
Junior League “has been
a great experience,” Baze
more said. “It has helped
me to further develop my
professional skills, my lead
ership skills as well as be
ing able to bond with other
women who have like goals.
We all want to better serve
our community.
“I am a firm believer in
being involved in the com
munity and giving back,
especially in the community
where I live,” said Bazemore,
who is the alumni asso
ciation director at Georgia
State University.
The Stone Mountain
resident said, “Volunteerism
is important.. .because.. .you
have an opportunity to get
involved and do something
that you like outside of your
day-to-day work. When
you’re a volunteer, you have
the opportunity to expand
your knowledge and skills.
“We have an opportunity
to bring ideas and a different
perspective,” she said.
Bazemore said organiza
tions need more help than
can be provided by paid
staff.
“One of the quotes from
Martin Luther King Jr. says
we all can be great because
we all can serve. Being a
servant leader is very impor
tant,” Bazemore said.
In addition to volunteer
ing with Junior League, Ba
zemore is active at Greater
Travelers Rest House of
Hope. She is the chairwom
an of the steering committee
for Advancement of Women
at Georgia State University
and is a volunteer instructor
for the first-year learning
experience classes at the col
lege. Additionally she works
with the Teacup Girls men
toring organization.
“Being a volunteer is
very fulfilling as an indi
vidual, and I believe organi
zations definitely are in need
of volunteers and people
who care,” Bazemore said.
According to Bazemore,
volunteers save companies
and organizations approxi
mately $22 per hour. “If you
think of the money that as
volunteers we are saving an
organization, .. .it’s invalu
able to the organization we
are serving.”
If you would like to nominate someone to be considered as a future Champion of the Week, please contact Andrew Cauthen
at andrew@dekalbchamp.com or at (404) 373-7779, ext. 117.
Ellenwood girl addresses commissioners about parks
Foreground, from left, 6-year-old Gabrielle Manning meets Roy Wilson, DeKalb’s parks and recreation depart
ment director, after asking commissioners to fix the parks she uses. Background, from left, Gabrielle’s mother
and sister, Tricia and Nadia Manning, accompanied Gabrielle at the commissioner’s meeting. Photo by Andrew
Cauthen
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
Six-year-old year
Gabrielle Manning of
Ellenwood has some
concerns about her
community and she told the
DeKalb County Board of
Commissioners about them
May 12.
“I am here to request
funds for the things that I
care about,” Gabrielle said.
“I would like for you to do a
few things for me.”
Gabrielle asked
commissioners to renovate
County Line Park.
“It is really old and the
tennis and basketball courts
are in a state of disrepair,”
Gabrielle said. “I would like
for the park to be fixed up.”
Gabrielle also asked for
a new park on River Road.
“It would be great to have
a recreation center and
awesome playgrounds and
a place to have my birthday
parties,” she said.
The homeschooled girl
told commissioners she
wants their help with tennis.
“I would like you to
bring the lights on the Dottie
Bridges tennis courts up
to code so that I can play
tennis at night time,” she
said. “I also would like
for you to pay for junior
tennis courts and balls at the
Sugar Creek tennis courts.
My mom takes me there to
practice, but the nets are too
big for me. Please buy the
children’s size nets so I can
practice with the same nets
and balls that I will use at
my tennis matches.
“I know some of these
things will take time but I
think you can fix my tennis
issues now,” Gabrielle said.
When asked why
she addressed the
commissioners, Gabrielle
said, “because my mom told
me to.”
“She wants me to leam
how to speak in front of
people so one day I can be
president or something,”
said Gabrielle, who added
that she was “kind of
nervous.”
Tricia Manning,
Gabrielle’s mother, said she
encouraged her daughter to
address the commissioners
because “the children are
the ones who primarily use
the parks and they’re the
ones who when we go to the
parks, they notice that the
playground is old or they
have complaints and issues.
“I wanted her to know
where to go to field those
issues and who should be
listening to her,” Manning
said.
“I think this is something
we’ll do once a month to
see what’s going on in our
community and let her have
a voice,” Manning added.