Newspaper Page Text
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SEPTEMEER 16, 1999
Working women find relief from
restrictions of public assistance
By Timothy Cox :
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The red and white sign on the
front of the welfare office, reads
December 31, 2000. The date re
fers to the deadline when public
assistance beneg;s for Georgia
residents will foreTler cease.
Sandra Burley and Vanessa
Ballard are already prepared for
the time when welfareis nolonger
an option. Instead of being depen
dent on federal funds, the young
women have joined the working
world ranks and are employed
with the Atlanta Bread Company
on the Robert C. Daniel Parkway
in Augusta.
After living most of her life on
welfare rolls, Ballard, 36, who at
tended Lucy Laney High School
but never graduated, is a second
generation welfare recipient and
recalls her mother regularly get
ting “her check.” With four chil
drenbetween ages 4 to 13, Ballard
will also never forget the depen
dent feeling which appears when
waiting for her check.
“I'd get my money once amonth,
pay the bills and there was noth
ing left. So, I'd get help from my
family and the Salvation Army
was helpful during Christmas,”
shesaid. Since gettingherjob last
November, Ballard says the inde
pendence factor has rubbed offon
her children.
“They’re actually proud to say
their mother is at work. Now, I'm
able to buy things for them and
still have some money left. Most
of all, their respect for me has
changed for the better. They’re
more willing to help me iron my
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as a customer. “All these busi
nesses are in the same market,
but they need to be more aware of
each other’s services. This is a
way for black businesses to mar
ket themselves and know who’s
who,” said the 10-year radio and
television sales professional.
The Expo is scheduled for Sat
urday, Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. at the Radisson Riverfront
Hotel second floor, main ballroom.
The event features a variety of
seminars including two financial
workshops hosted by Wachovia
Bank at 11 am. and 1 p.m.; a
children’s fashion show by
Courtney’s Closet, The Silk-con-
Neck-tion and a health seminar
provided by Dr. Cal Brice, chiro
practor, and Gerald Oliver, M.D.,
an internal and pediatric special
ist.
The inspiration behind what
could become an annual Expo,
was generated earlier this sum
mer during the Juneteenth cel
ebration sponsored by the station,
said McFalls. “We received such
greatresponse duringJuneteenth,
we figured to build on that aspect
by attracting black businesses who
target urban markets.”
Juneteenth celebrates the June
19 date when the Emancipation
Proclamation was signed, legally
ending slavery.
By holding the event in an “up
scaleenvironment”like the down
town Radisson, McFalls said, in
stant credibility is offered busi
nesses partakingin the Expo. “This
is a chance for business owners to
leave a great first impression,”
said McFalls. About 45 vendors
from “cosmetics to computers”
have registered for the Expo, he
said. .
The Expo is free to the public
with donations for the Juneteenth
Scholarship fund to be monitored
by the CSRA Busingss League.
Kiss 96 is a Cumulus Broadcast
ing station, owner of seven sta
tionsin marketsincluding Atlanta
and Dallas.
(Editor’s Note: Kiss 96 Black
Expo is'conjunctively sponsored
by the Augusta Focus, Wachovia,
Food Lion, CSRA Business League
and Kiss 96.3. For more informa
tion about the Expo, call Timothy
McFalls of Cumulus Media at
803.279.1977, ext. 141.) .
AUGUSTA FOCUS
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PRIDE AT WORK — Vanessa Ballard (left) and Sandra Burley
are employed at the Atlanta Bread Factory. Charlie Baggs
(center) is owner of the upscale eatery and calls the women
“positive” influences. (Photo by Timothy Cox)
uniform and encourage me to keep
working,” said Ballard, who at
tends Beulah Grove Baptist
Church. She alsoattends Augusta
Technical Institute in pursuit of
her GED.
At 44, Burley had established a
solid work history as a caterer and
personal home care worker. Do
mestic problems caused a mar
riage separation with her hus
band, forcing Burley to look for
public assistance. “I was uncom
fortable beingon assistance, but it
was something I had to do for my
family. But the independence of
working is a great feeling. Now, if
my 15-year-old son asks me for
money, it’s nice to know I can help
him and he shows me that much
more respect,” she said.
Charlie Baggs is owner of the
Atlanta Bread Company which has
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become the top franchise in the
Atlanta market, hesaid. He never
hesitated giving the women a
chance at the store which serves
sandwiches, soups and pastries.
“It was a good opportunity for
them and for our business. They
build self-esteem and we get our
selves excellent employees,” said
Baggs. The eatery also gets a tax
break for participatingin the gov
ernment program.
Loyanna Young, resource special
ist for Richmond County Depart
ment of Family and Children Ser
vices, said employers are increas
ingly becoming familiar with the
Welfare to Work concept and its
overall benefit. “The tax break en
courages employers to be a part of
our plan. Then again, this presents
an excellent way to give people an
other chance,” Young added.
Lucy Laney High school
students dig into learning
By Eileen Rivers
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Nichole Gregory, a freshmen at
Lucy C. Laney High School, didn’t
think twice before jumping knee
deepintoamudfilled pond. Atask
she did frequently while collect
ing specimen’s for her freshmen
biology class. The young science
student was surrounded by class
mates, all of whom were gathered
at the Merry Park Brothers Brick
Ponds Tuesday morning, wearing
everything from rubber wading
boots to plastic overalls.
“This whole experience is a lot
of fun,” commented Gregory.
“We're getting out to really see
everything instead of sitting in
the classroom.”
About 40 students are partici
patingin the school’snewly formed
science and math fusion project,
designed toget students out of the
classroom and into more tactile
learning environments.
For the next three months,
these freshmen will conduct sci
entific data collection, analysis,
and research on about four differ
ent ponds. Using fertilizer and
carp, they will do quality control
experiments, and learn to use the
scientific method, the same tech
niques used by ecologists and en
vironmentalists. Ultimately they
will learn how human interven
tion can manipulate the eco-sys
tem.
Once every two weeks, the stu
dents head for the ponds. When
they arrived, they were divided
into nine different data collection
groups, and were assigned tomoni
tor things like aquatic insects,
pond temperature, and fisheries.
They also made note of wind speed
and the weather, elements they
quickly learned could influence
the quality of their data.
After that students got to dig
(literally) into what was clearly
the messiest part of the exercise:
aslimy, mud-ridden treck, through
bug-infested waters that often
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Lucy Laney students get a closeup view of environmental
issues. Photo by Charles Jones
came up to their waistlines. While
moments like these may have
turned some away from pursuing
a science career, others were de
lighted. ;
“It’s fun to be out here, and I'm
learning how to use tools that I
never thought I would use,” com
mented Sherrika Mack. “Isl ever
pursureacareerinscience, I think
this will definitely help me.” '
The project was the brainchild
oftwo Lucy C. Laney High School
teacher— Richard Dunn a 9th
grade math teacher, and Carl
Hammond-Byer, ateacher offresh
men biology, and former instruc
tor at Glenn Hillshigh school. His
previous experience with projects
like these at Glenn Hills have
already proven successful.
“All kids have the potential to
grow into budding environmen
talistif you catch them at an early
Floyd evacuees here
From page one
On Tuesday President Clinton
issued an emergency decleration
making federal resources and
funds available to support Geor
gia relief efforts, according to
FEMA (Federal Emergency Man
agement Agency) director James
Lee Witt. The decleration in
cludes the provision of federal
personnel, equipment, and sup
plies, to relief areas, and will also
provide support to areas that may
be damaged after the hurricane.
But federal funds are not ex
pected for Augusta/Richmond
county. Any money needed for
shelters, and services, that are
not paid for by the Red Cross, will
have to come out of Richmond
County’s pocket, according to Mr.
Dlugolenski. However, that does
not seem to have local officials
worried.
“Our main concern is providing
Augusta Focus is an award-winning
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National Hills
2635 Washington Rd.
Augusta, Georgia 30904
(706) 738-7777
age,” said Mr. Hammond-Byer. .
“A former student of mine is now
getting his masters degree at -
North Carolina A&T in biology,
and it’s because of a program like °
this that I conducted at Glenn -
Hills high school.” r
The experience also gives stu
dents a more practical use for
math, and computer skills that
may not have interested many
before. .
“Now when we domath calcula- .
tions, and I bring up examples in
the classroom they have some- |
thing to relate it to,” commented .
Mr Dunn. “I can refer to some
thingwedid outhereand theycan
draw on that experience.” i
After all of thier data collection
is finished, students will use the
- to verify their findings
and do comparison studies.
peoplesshelter, not worrying about
expense,” explained Mayor Young.
A total of 806 federal workers
are currently engaged in hurri
cane preparations at FEMA head
quarters, the Regional Operations
Center in Atlanta, and various
other field stations attempting to
provide any transportation, fire
fighting, communications, hazard
‘ous materials, food and energy
needed.
City employees seem to have
these areas under control.
“We have upgraded staffing in
anticipation of anything out of the
ordinary,” said Augusta Richmond
County Fire Chief, Ronnie Fiew.
“Wehavealsoidentified what has
happened in the last few years in
emergency situations and I feel
like we have everything under
control.”
Anyoneinterested in volunteer
ingin the hurricanereliefeffortis
encouraged to contact the EMA
officeat 821-1155.
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