Gwinnett business owners come together at Peters Path Store to discuss Haiti fundraiser. Shown left to right, Emory Morsberger and Christine Crowley Peters, Peters Path Store

In the wake of last month’s tragic earthquake, Christine Crowley Peters, President of Peters Path Store, an online women’s boutique, which opened it’s first location in Historic Lawrenceville last fall, has spearheaded a fundraiser to help the children of Haiti.

The benefit, “HelpHopeLove” on February 27, 7-10 at Sperata’s in Lawrenceville, will be a wine tasting hors d’oeuvres extravaganza, with live music and dancing from the National Champion Southern Belles dance team. Proceeds from the ticket sales and live & silent auction will go to “Love A Child,” a children’s orphanage in Haiti. Other key sponsors for the event are redevelopment specialist, Emory Morsberger and Heather Kohberger, owner of Clogging Connection at City Center Dance.

While Peters’ boutique already donates to charity a percentage from every sale of jeans or t-shirt, throwing a fundraiser is new to her. “When I first heard the story break about Haiti, it was absolutely horrific to me,” explains Peters. “I knew I wanted to help somehow, but wasn’t able to find any local way that I could get involved in at that time. I thought if I can’t find one to be a part of, I’ll create one myself. I’ve never planned a fundraiser or event like this, but told myself I’d figure out how.”

Not being one to wait for things to happen, Peters called for a 10 a.m. meeting at her boutique the next day. In attendance and joining on as organizers were entrepreneurial women Antoinette Lopes, Sharna Fulton, Karen Turner, Lizzie Jaeger, Tami Reed, Heather Kohberger and Jennifer Morsberger. “It’s incredible how everyone pitched in so quickly to make things happen — from getting the word out to selling tickets to obtaining items for the auction,” says Peters. Then again, ask Lizzie Jaeger, a personal fitness trainer. “Christine’s enthusiasm is contagious. She has a way of making everyone want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

When asked why the fundraiser was for Haiti’s children, Peters responded adamantly “Why not! I’m sad when I think about children not having a family to come home to, hug, cook with, sit next to and know they are loved unconditionally,” explains Peters. By witnessing firsthand the incredible work done in an orphanage, I have taken mission trips to for 3 years in Mexico, It motivates me to help any orphanage in any way I can.”

Tickets to “HelpHopeLove” are 40.00 each and are available online at Peters Path Store. For more information, click here to visit the event’s blog.

Peters Path Store (PPS) is an online and brick and mortar boutique in Lawrenceville, GA aiming to make the world a better place. PPS is more than a shop for women’s latest hot fashions, organic clothing, accessories and home goods. The company promotes socially responsible shopping and creates awareness for causes such as “Love A Child.”

Love A Child is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Humanitarian Organization and a Private Voluntary Organization (PVO). Love A Child is member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA), which has the highest standards of accountability for non-profits. They also have the Independent Charities of America (ICA) “Best in America” Seal of Approval. Love A Child is working to reduce the poverty in Haiti.

For more information or to donate silent auction items, please email Christine Crowley Peters: Christine@peterspathstore.com or call 770-910-7722

Q: How long have you been the Volunteer Coordinator for Gwinnett County Senior Services? Describe your job.
A: I’ve worked for Gwinnett County for almost nine years and with seniors and volunteers for most of the time Every day is a new challenge to attempt to match known resources with senior needs.

Q: You seem to really love what you do.
A: Seniors are very humble and appreciative. We are serving predominantly mid-80’s seniors who have plenty of daily living challenges, but are resistant to giving up independent living.

Q: Have the needs of the county and seniors changed in recent years?
A: Yes. There are more seniors with greater needs. If we deliver Meals On Wheels, that might provide nutrition and overcome their inability to reliably prepare meals for themselves, but that doesn’t change the burnt out light bulbs that create dark spaces and fall hazards.

Q: Are the needs of homebound seniors in Gwinnett County the same as seniors living in other parts of Georgia, other states? If not, how are they different?
A: America is getting older, so there are more older people with challenges to their daily living activities. In Gwinnett, getting to the grocery store or to doctor is difficult because it requires driving. Many do not drive or have a caregiver. Public tranpsortation is limited.

Q: How does Gwinnett County “stack up” in the way it serves seniors versus other counties in Georgia and the United States?
A: We think that we do a decent job, but we are only as good as our ability to stretch the limited funding in a period of much greater demand for services. Every agency is tightening its belt and trying to minimize the effectiveness of its programming.

Q: What are the challenges Gwinnett faces in serving seniors and how is Gwinnett meeting those challenges?
A: Doing more with less or doing things more creatively. We remain committed to never compromising the quality of our programming, but seek to leverage our effectiveness with volunteers however and whenever possible in order to reach more senior needs.

Q: Though our “Sweaters For Seniors” program, we’ve seen people donate hundreds of sweaters and blankets to warm-up Gwinnett County’s seniors. What other ways can citizens get involved, reach out and help seniors?
A: This large senior population has needs and faces challenges year- round. The sweaters and blankets are valued even in July, because many  medications seniors take leave them chilly even during the hot summer. Groups can always help with yard work or repair projects. We can always use help with health fairs or screenings or to visit “at-home seniors” who don’t have much outside contact.

Q: Describe an average senior that uses Gwinnett County Senior Services?
A: Age 85+, 75% female, do not drive. 30%+ have no caregiver or family support to meet daily living challenges, yet still living independently. Many have grown old in place, while others relocated to be near their children, good doctors, etc. Our senior population is expected to have a huge increase as people seek greater public safety and move from the city of Atlanta. We’re the most culturally-diverse county which extends to our senior population. Finally, there’s a huge “grandparents raising grandchildren” population.

Q: What needs do Gwinnett County Senior Services address?
A: The basics such as food, shelter, companionship, assistance with little things that they can no longer handle, and transportation. It’s amazing that they are no longer caught up in the need for “stuff.” They would rather have shampoo or skin lotion than a new appliance.

Q: How does Gwinnett County receive funding to take care of these seniors?
A: The Older Americans Act provides federal funding that is supplemented by Georgia and Gwinnett County. State and local cutbacks have threatened to reduce meals service for seniors, and monthly meals waiting lists are near 200. The non-profit partner, Friends of Gwinnett Senior Services, provided more than $30,000 to offset increased food costs and paid for numerous senior emergencies.

Q: How did “Sweaters For Seniors” help Gwinnett’s Seniors?
A: The sweaters and blankets went fast at the Lawrenceville Senior Center before they could even be separated into portions for Norcross and Buford Senior Centers. The added delivery was distributed and they went “like hotcakes.”

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Thank you for your generous and heartfelt support. Without great partners, we would consistently come up short of serving our seniors.

(Sharna Fulton is the Marketing Director for Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) AHCS started “Sweaters For Seniors in 2009.”

A tin can gets repurposed as an ornament and is sold for $1. Proceeds to help build Magill's Outdoor Classroom.

Magill Elementary recently held a Recycled Ornament Fundraiser. Students in grades K-5 at the Gwinnett County School used their artistic talent and imagination to transform an everyday household item into a decorative holiday creation. On Dec. 17 and 18, the ornaments were displayed and on sale for $1 each in the school front lobby.

The proceeds will go to the Environmental Science Club to help create an outdoor classroom at the school. All classes including the Science Club will be able to use the outdoor space for special class projects.

Principal Crystal Collins is new to Magill this year. "I wanted to bring recycling to our school," Collins explains"

The ornament program is part of the recycling efforts that begun at Magill this year when Collins became principal. For more information about the program or to donate to the Magill’s outdoor classroom, contact Crystal_Collins@Gwinnett.k12.ga.us or call 770-554-1030.

This is all part of an initiative at Magill,” explains Crystal Collins, Principal. “In today’s video game generation, it takes a lot to hold children’s attention. So, our focus is on active, hands-on engaging lessons like making recycled ornaments.”

The petroleum company will be giving not just 10%, 25% or 50%, but 100% of all coffee sales from its Georgia stations–including seven in Gwinnett–to Camp Sunshine. And it’s not just for one day, but three: Monday, December 21 through Wednesday, December 23.

The idealic Cause Marketing Campaign, is a win/win/win for everyone. RaceTrac deservedly earns brand equity by showing us, Gwinnetian java lovers it does more than sell gasoline. RaceTrac’s customers can enjoy a great cup of joe knowing they’re supporting a wonderful charity. And Camp Sunshine gets much needed funding for its North Georgia haven dedicated to helping children with cancer and their families.

“This is a really important cause to our company and CEO, and we hope that everyone needing gas or coffee can help the effort,” explains David C. Smith, Assistant Brand Manager for RaceTrac. He adds, “Our CEO, Carl Bolch, Jr., and his wife sit on the board of Camp Sunshine. The organization is facing a very severe financial deficit this year, and this was an opportunity to help close that gap.”

When: December 21-23rd

Where: All RaceTrac stores in Georgia, including the following in Gwinnett:

• 3840 Stone Mountain Hwy., Snellville
• 3405 Sugarloaf Pkwy., Lawrenceville
• 2682 Buford Drive, Lawrenceville
• 906 Pleasant Hill Road, Lawrenceville
• 5700 Peachtree Ind. Blvd., Norcross
• 3195 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd., Suwannee
• 2592 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth

Cost: Nothing beyond the normal cost of the coffee with all proceeds going to help children with cancer.

RaceTrac operates over 525 retail gasoline convenience stores in 12 southeastern states. RaceTrac’s roots go back over 75 years to 1934 when Carl Bolch, Sr. opened independent gas stations. His strategy was to be independent of major oil companies and to consistently offer lower-priced gasoline to the public. A standard RaceTrac features 20-24 fueling positions and a 4,000 plus square foot convenience store, featuring over 4,000 items.

Camp Sunshine enriches the lives of children with cancer and their families through recreational, educational and support programs allowing them to share similar experiences and to participate in activities that promote normal childhood development as they cope with the challenges of childhood cancer. For more information about Camp Sunshine or the numerous programs offered, call 404-325-7979.

• provided financial assistance and support to 769 disaster clients- almost half  were children

• trained more than 9,545 adults with the lifesaving skills of CPR, first aid, and disaster preparedness

• received donations from 22,000 local blood donors, which helped approximately 67,000 people with emergency needs

• supported the volunteer efforts of 60-member Disaster Action Team who respond on average to 9 disasters per month

• helped 722 military families send emergency messages, get financial assistance and find counseling through the Armed Forces Emergency Services Program.

More recently, after the Sept. flooding, the Red Cross set-up two shelters in Gwinnett to assist flood victims, provided individual financial assistance, and delivered supplies, food, and water in with our mobile outreach efforts.

It’s easy to give to the Red Cross and make a difference from Lawrenceville, GA to Kabul, Afghanistan:

The Red Cross is encouraging people to give a meaningful gift this holiday that can honor friends or loved ones with gifts that really matter:  food, shelter, comfort & hope for people and families in crisis. Here’s how it works. We direct people to our online Holiday Gift Catalog. Once online, you can select a choice of gifts from three different service areas, select an item and checkout. You will receive a gift card in the mail featuring a photo of the item you selected. You can then personalize the card to let someone know you purchased a gift on their behalf. You can also choose to have an online card e-mailed to the recipient if you prefer.

Here are some SERVICE AREA (gift examples)

Local Disaster Relief

$20 – provides a warm meal for 2 during a disaster
$54 – provides 9 blankets for people who are burned out of their home during the winter or are sleeping in a Red Cross shelter.

For The Troops

$20 – provides a phone card to help a service member stay connected to a loved one
$50 – provides a comfort kit to a wounded soldier in a hospital (phone card, robe, shoes, toiletry items, calendar and iTunes card)

For International Relief

$25 – provides lifesaving measles vaccine to 25 children overseas
$60 – provides shelter and supplies for a family who have lost their homes overseas to a natural disaster

For more information, please visit www.atlantaredcross.org

B.I.G. (Boomer Information Group) helping you to prepare and protect your nest egg

Wondering how you’ll take care of your parents in the coming years? Curious about the warning signs of financial fraud? Unsure if you’re saving enough for retirement?  B.I.G. (Boomer Information Group) is here to help.

B.I.G. is a new FREE panel speaking group of local experts to address the health and wealth needs of baby boomers and seniors. The group is available to speak at  church, civic or business association functions. In fact, B.I.G. gave its first presentation to the Loganville Rotary Club on October 1.

The B.I.G. panel is Joel Beck of The Beck Law Firm, LLC, Damon Ladd-Thomas of T&D Montana Wealth Management and Derrick Merchant of  AHCS, (Alternative Home Care For Seniors.)

B.I.G at the Rotary Club of Loganville. Left to right, Damon Ladd-Thomas, Sheryl Fambrough, Derrick Merchant, Tommy Houston (Houston and Fambrough are Rotary members

“We met through the Greater Grayson Chamber of Commerce and realized that by teaming up, we could share a wealth of inside knowledge to benefit baby boomers and their parents in Gwinnett community,” said Derrick Merchant of Alternative Home Care for Seniors. Merchant has 20 years experience in home care and helping seniors live gracefully in their own homes.”

“There’s also a growing segment of the population known as the sandwich generation,” adds Damon Ladd-Thomas, a financial advisor currently running for Mayor of Grayson. These folks are raising their own families and taking care of their parents as well. This presents a challenge like never before–in preparing their own nest eggs. Thus, the mission of B.I.G. is to listen to the concerns of aging boomers and then, to share ideas and offer insight as to how best prepare for the future.

B.I.G. is a free panel format speaking group that will tailor it’s topics and length of presentation to your church, civic or business function’s needs. For more information about having Boomer Information Group speak for you, please contact sharna.fulton@att.net

Mrs. Miller, 5th grade teacher at R.L. Norton accepts award for most "Sweaters for Seniors" collected on behalf of her class.

At the start of the Gwinnett County school year, Njeri Skeete, Care Coordinator at Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) had a good idea. Why not place a ”Sweaters For Seniors” (S4S) collection box at her daughter’s elementary school? And then, what if all the classes competed to win a pizza party by collecting the most sweaters?

Four weeks later, 11 fifth graders beamed on a Friday afternoon. That’s when representatives from AHCS, Njeri Skeete and Sharna Fulton, dropped by with pepperoni pizza and strawberry apple juice to honor the student’s charitable achievement. Their collections will go to Friends of Gwinnett County Senior Services. But first, they held a brief Q&A session and awards ceremony for Mrs. Miller’s 5th grade class, which raised the most sweaters — or rather blankets — for S4S.

As Mrs. Miller explained, “When the contest started, I asked the class if they’d want to trade in their ice cream cards — a tradition here– for blankets to give to seniors instead. They unanimously agreed and thus, raised the most sweaters in the school.”

The 2nd Annual “Sweaters for Seniors” was started by Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) last year.

“We were looking for a way our small business could contribute to seniors in our community and came up with the idea,” explains Derrick Merchant, co-owner, AHCS.

Thanks to the help of local media, ‘Sweaters gained the attention of the Galloway School in Atlanta and raised more than 250+ donations in 2008. With more knit pieces than imagined, the program looked to find an organization with a serious need.

Enter Gary Galloway, Volunteer Services Coordinator for Gwinnett County Seniors Services who gladly received many of the donations. “The sweaters were given to seniors facing the dilemma of keeping prescriptions filled before Medicare deductibles were met. They also had to turn down their heat due to increased bills,” explains Galloway. “Many seniors get cold from medications that thin the blood too.”

“To grow the much needed program in 2009, we sought out a business partner who could provide added foot traffic and give people more opportunities to donate,” says Sharna Fulton, Marketing Director for AHCS. “Sweaters for Seniors seemed to especially touch women who went through their closets to find new or like-new sweaters they never wear, but could really help a senior.”

As for Chick-Fil-A? “We couldn’t ask for a better partner,” explains Derrick Merchant, ACHS. “They’re a respected business in Snellville and also where family and friends come together in our community.”
Alternative Home Care for Seniors is a privately owned home care agency that helps seniors remain independent in their own home. AHCS has provided companionship and personal care to seniors throughout Gwinnett and all major metro Atlanta counties since 2002.

Gwinnett County Senior Services is the contracted provider of aging services for Gwinnett County. Its mission is to help seniors maintain their independent living status. For more information on the 2nd Annual Sweaters for Seniors, please call Sharna Fulton@ 404-663-8450 or email her at sharna.fulton@att.net

The definition of Cause Marketing is when a nonprofit and for profit business work together for mutual benefit. In this case, F.A.C.E.S., the nonprofit will receive donations of 10% of all Moe’s (in LV) sales that day. Plus, they’ll benefit from free publicity (such as this blog post and the ”highlight” posted on their friends’ Facebook pages this morning). As for Moe’s, the ”for profit” partner, they get to show the citizens of Loganville and neighboring towns that they’re vested in their community. This creates goodwill and, chances are, rings up increased sales in the long run. Moe’s employees also feel good about themselves and their employer, knowing they’re making more than a burrito that day. They’re also making families of Autism more hopeful.

Moe’s is the neighborhood burrito place offering flavorful Southwestern fare with a healthy twist. With nearly 400 locations across the country, Moe’s Southwest Grill serves only the freshest ingredients prepared right before your eyes.

F.A.C.E.S. Mission is to provide education, information, and a sense of community and fellowship to families, friends, caregivers, and others affected in a variety of ways by Autism/Asperger’s. For more information about the Walton County chapter, contact waltonfaces@yahoo.com And that’s a wrap!

Chocolate! 2009

The cure for Cystic Fibrosis just might be discovered by Atlanta’s finest pastry chefs. We’re talking about culinary geniuses in white coats from places like Canoe, Rathbun’s and the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead. They’re all coming together on one special night to benefit Cystic Fibrosis and us, chocoholics as well. The event is June 18, 6-10 p.m. at Villa Christina. Advance tickets, only 65.00. Won’t you please help? PLEASE! With a little sugar and a strawberry on top? http://www.chocolateforcf.org/index.html

http://www.villachristina.com/directions.php