COMMUNITY
YOUTH
WELLNESS
The enlarged and renovated Salem-Panola and new Stonecrest library branches will be dedicated on June 6 and 11. 2
His topic inspired by the movie “Glory,” 10-year-old Correggio Peagler Jr. went on to build an award-winning project for the Georgia Social Studies Fair. 8
Even as the Southeast recovers after devastating tornadoes this spring, residents are being reminded that hurricane season began on June 1. 9
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Volume 17, Number 5
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New MyPlate icon to help families eat healthy meals Eating healthy got a lot easier this week when the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled MyPlate, a new icon to help Americans choose better foods and portions. The MyPlate icon replaces the food pyramid introduced in 1992. The new guide is depicted as a white plate divided into four wedges, one each for fruit, vegetables, grains and proteins. Fruits and vegetables account for half the space and grains and protein make up the rest. When the vegetables and grains quadrants are grouped together, they account for largest portion on the plate. The simplified icon is another plank in the fight against the nation’s obesity epidemic, and first lady Michelle Obama, who has been at the forefront of the obesity battle with her year-old Let’s Move campaign, is
useful than a plate?” hoping it will help she said. “What’s deliver square meals more simple than for adults and chila plate? This is a dren. quick, simple reThe federal govminder for all of us ernment estimates to be more mindful that about twoof the foods that thirds of U.S. adults we’re eating.” and up to one-third Obama said of children are overMyPlate will help weight or obese, putbecause it makes ting them at risk it easier for kids for diabetes, high and their parents to blood pressure, heart make choices that disease and other will help them lead conditions. At the June 2 launch in Washington, healthier lives. “As long as they’re eating proper portions, Obama said the icon makes sense. “When it comes to eating, what’s more as long as half of their meal is fruits and veg-
etables alongside their lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, then we’re good,” she said. “It’s as simple as that.” Obama, who has two daughters, said parents don’t have the time to measure out exactly 3 ounces of chicken or to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving but that parents can look at their children’s plates. Along w ith the new icon, the USDA also int roduced ChooseMy Plate.gov, a site offering practical information on healthful eating to consumers and information for health professionals, nutrition educators and the food industry. MyPlate recommends reducing portion size, consuming whole grains, switching to fat-free or low-fat milk, cutting down on salt, and drinking water instead of sugary beverages.
$20 Million to Get Home Now Charles Johnson’s “Get Home Now” loan will cover repairs like the door rot in the Ellenwood house he is buying and even pay for appliances.
Initiative to put families into 230 homes quickly By Jennifer Ffrench Parker
Charles Johnson got the call last week that he had been approved to buy his first home. His credit isn’t sterling, but he was able to qualify for funding under the new $20 million “Get Home Now” program unveiled June 1 by Atlanta-based APD Solutions, First Guaranty Mortgage Corp., DeKalb County government, the Home Depot, and several community development groups. “If I can do it, anybody can do it,” Johnson said during the program’s kickoff with HUD and DeKalb officials, real estate agents, contractors and home buyers in the parking lot of the Everest Institute. Wednesday marked the start of Home Ownership Month observed in June. The program offers borrowers with credit scores of 580 and police and military personnel with credit scores of 550 the opportunity to buy homes and renovate them. Its FHA-insured loans also come with a job-loss protection plan that pays the homeowners’ mortgage for up to six months if they lose their jobs. The loan will also covers renovation expenses and the purchase of appliances. With that kind of a lure, Johnson said it was time. “I thought if I am able to pay $700 to $800 for rent, why can’t I put that into a home,” he said. “As cheap as houses are, now is the time to just get out there and do it.” Johnson went through a home ownership class at Greenforest CDC and picked out a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house off River Road in Ellenwood, a few minutes from the house he’s been renting for his wife,
Carla Parker / CrossRoadsNews
Leetrice, and their four kids ages 7 to 16. It needs a little work and a coat of paint, but Johnson is happy. Vaughn Irons, APD Solutions’ CEO and creator of campaign, said its flexible lending is a wonderful thing. “When every other lender is saying 640 or Vaughn Irons 680, First Guaranty is saying we understand something happened in the economy and we are going to help,” he said. Irons said the program is designed to get people off the fence and into homes. “If you can’t buy a home, you really don’t want one,” he said. “This program will do the hand-holding that people need today, provide the flexible credit that they need
today, job-loss coverage, reputable home repairs, thousands of dollars in down payment assistance provided by DeKalb County at interest rates that make homes affordable today while interest rates are low.” CEO Burrell Ellis, who fought to have Irons launch the campaign in DeKalb, said he is proud to work with APD Solutions and Home Depot on the campaign that will fund the purchase of up to 230 homes in DeKalb’s foreclosure inventory. He pointed out that last year, metro Atlanta ranked third in the nation for foreclosures with 38,535 homes repossessed by lenders and that the region ended the year with more than 102,000 foreclosure filings. During the first five months of this year, there were more than 18,700 foreclosure filings. Still Ellis said that we cannot give up. “We know that the economy will improve
as we continue to partner with stakeholders to address the critical issues that led to this crisis,” he said. District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson called the launch a glorious day. “We want to ensure that we can continue to restore, rebuild and renew our commitment to home ownership,” he said. “But the real challenge is how do we get the public to really buy back into home ownership.” Johnson said the Get Home Now program can help by offering access to loans. “We have the capacity and we have the apparatus in place,” he said. “Now we have to make sure folks can qualify and can get into a home they like so that they can have a true American dream.” District 7 Commissioner Stan Watson Please see HOMES, page 2