Game Changers Magazine Collectors Edition featuring Mayor Sandra Vincent by Game Changers Media Network

Game Changers 2024 Collectors Edition

The Conscious Culture Magazine

Volume 6 Issue 31

City of McDonough Collectors Edition

Mayor Sandra Vincent: A Mayor For All McDonough

Celebrating 200 Years www.gcmnetwork.net

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CONNECTING COMMUNITY AND SMALL BUSINESS

The city of McDonough, Georgia was founded in 1823 and named after Commodore Thomas MacDonough, a naval officer who fought in the War of 1812. The town was established around a traditional town square design, with the Henry County Courthouse originally in the center. Some of the buildings surrounding the square are still intact today, including the historic jail building and a Standard Oil service station built in 1920.

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CONNECTING COMMUNITY & SMALL BUSINESS ISSUE 2024 Winter Edition | Volume 6 Issue 31 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Andreal Mallard Founder/ Publisher COVER MODELS Mayor Sandra Vincent Mayor City of McDonough, GA DESIGN & LAYOUT Streetz of Gentlemen, Inc #EEEsUp Branding (@streetzofgentlemen) CONTRIBUTORS Marvella Nesbitt, Shawn Raleigh, Dominique Huff, Richard Stewart, Andreal Mallard

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WWW.GCMNETWORK.NET The information contained in this magazine is for general information purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical, legal, or financial advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions about your health, legal matters, or finances. The magazine makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the information contained in this magazine for any particular purpose. The magazine shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained in this magazine. The magazine reserves the right to make changes to the information contained in this magazine at any time without notice.

Game Changers 2024 COLLECTOR‘S EDITION

THE CONSCIOUS CULTURE MAGAZINE

VOLUME 6 ISSUE 31

CONTENTS INFO YOU NEED 28 UNPACKING THE LEGACY OF PASTOR TIMOTHY J MCBRIDE

37 FROM BOW TIE CHEF TO JUST DOGS ATL: THE MACDONOUGH DOG 14

MCDONOUGH, GA: SMALL TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIG CITY

SPOTLIGHT

MEET MAYOR SANDRA VINCENT: A MAYOR FOR ALL OF MCDONOUGH

TIPS & TRICKS

MAYOR OF THE CITY OF MCDONOUGH

COUNCILMAN JAMAL BURT REFLECTS 16 FORWARD THRU THE JOURNEY OF TRANSITIONS

41 COUNCILMAN SCOTT

COUNCIL WOMAN KAMALI VARNER REFLECTION FORWARD: FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

REEVES:EMBRACING CHANGE

The Voice of A New Generation

COUNCILWOMAN VANESSA THOMAS: 50 SERVING THE CITY OF MCDONOUGH AS A VOICE FOR THE PEOPLE

FEATURES

24 GIVE THEM THEIR FLOWERS NOW: LECAGY OF COUNCILMAN RUFUS STEWART

NOBODY LIKES CHANGE BUT CHANGE IS GOOD: TRISHA MORGAN

08 REFLECTING BAK LOOKING FORWARD TO PRGRESS: A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

MICHELLA AMARRA

BECOMING A COMMUNITY CHAMPION JOURNEY OF SCBTV & BUILDING 140

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JUDGE ANDREA BOYD CELEBRATES REFLECTION FORWARD First African American Female Judge of City Of McDonough

OUR TEAM

Reflecting Back Looking Forward To Progress In The City Of McDonough Letter From The Editor

ANDREAL MALLARD

EDITOR & CHEIF In 2011, I moved to McDonough GA, starting a new life. It was the start of a new family and along with my wife Tabitha we were looking for a place to raise our children in a more rural area and be close to the city at the same time. My mother and most of my family lived in or near the area and it felt like the perfect place to call home! Over the years I met many amazing people who I cherish that are still in my life today, and I must say my wife called the jackpot putting us in a space where we could live, work and play. Over time the city has grown tremendously, and the culture is definitely different here from what it was years ago! Although we moved here thinking we made the best choice, many of our friends from the North Metro Atlanta area were uncomfortable with the narrative of Henry County. Even with a thriving education system and the sweetness of buying a home on decent land, the stigma still played in the minds of most people ``Don't Come to Henry County". After becoming involved in the community meeting the people in the area I didn't realize God had placed me on the land for such a time as this.

Not knowing the work I was called here to do, never in a million years would I believe it would be a game changer! Fight boots on the Ground with many of the now leaders of the community, over the past 8 years the change of the guard has occurred and we found ourselves walking in a season of first! The old way was dying and a new wave was coming in, and the journey is something I wouldn't trade for the world! The footprints of those who paved the way to get this city where it is today will always be honored and to say the least I'm blessed to be able to document the Blacksville community and all the great historical districts of this city first hand! I would like to thank Mayor Sandra Vincent for giving me this opportunity to be a part of Reflection Forward and trusting Game Changers Magazine with the vision she has to move us forward! To All the great people who support this publication, I thank you and appreciate you guys with all my heart! Get ready Reflection Forward: Celebrating 200 Years City of McDonough! #EEEsUp GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE| 08

FEATURES

REFLECTION FORWARD FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS Kamali Varner is a native of Mcdonough, Georgia. She has served her community for over 12 years as a three term Councilwoman, and as of January 2nd 2024, she is currently serving a fourth term as a council member for the city. In 2011 Councilwoman Varner was elected and recognized as the youngest person to serve on the board, paving the path of her journey to put her footprint in the community she was raised in. As a graduate of Henry County High School, a Warhawk alumni, she furthered her education earning a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership while achieving her Masters in public administration, maximizing the opportunity of serving in the spirit of progression to move the community forward. Councilwoman Varner is responsible for creating the first youth council for the City of McDonough, helping young people understand the protocol of local

written by Shawn Raleigh

government while building leadership and civic engagement skills. We want them to know that they are leaders that can be their own individuals. It’s a different generation, so I want them to harness their leadership skills, whether they decide to be a janitor, blow up balloons for a living, or be the CEO of a company or a community, inspiring students to believe they have leadership abilities in local government serving our community. "There's nothing like giving young people an opportunity to serve each other in real time, they have the opportunity to know that there's a need." There's people that look differently than them in the spectrum of socioeconomic status and they GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE| 09

Councilwoman Varner Set To Serve 4th Term in City Seat Now, where she's reflecting forward, she's actually moving the agenda towards the new promised land and as a council, we're doing the work to ensure that we are the new promised land and our goal is to be the head of the county and continue to hold that county seat. Varner celebrates Mayor Sandra Vincent's vision putting together the bicentennial year celebration of reflecting forward, with the ability to reflect and move forward at the same time. Take what was good for the past and move it forward and keep building on it. She's one that cares, one that listens and so, it's absolutely astonishing to have the opportunity to serve alongside her as she has before, but in the capacity as mayor, it's amazing. She's impacting people's lives in this community. She's a mayor for all and she's definitely making sure that she represents this great diverse community.

"It's simply absolutely amazing! God Almighty is giving me the opportunity to continue to serve. To continue to do God's will." says Varner. have the opportunity to serve. When young people see they have the opportunities to serve it inspires them to serve others. As a representative of district four, City of McDonough, Varner is committed to serving her entire community. As the representative for one of the city's strongest social economic districts, Councilwoman Varner says this district is the pipeline to economics with over 32 hotels, mixed use development, residential, and industrial features. With the increase of traffic in the district, The city hopes to draw developers that desire to come in and create more commercial zoning for retail and high end attractions. To Varner, reflection forward is much like carrying the torch of the previous mayor, Mayor Bill Copeland, he felt that McDonough is the new promised land, he was historical for that slogan. So reflection for our current mayor is doing exactly that represents this great diverse community.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 10

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Reflection Forward: Celebrating 200 Years

Judge Andrea Boyd: First African American Female Judge Serving City of McDonough Written By Marvella Nesbitt

serving as Judge, Boyd is committed to fairness and impartiality. ”Residents move here for Now The Municipal Courts system makes sure the city of McDonough stays a safe and clean place for the citizens and local business owners. The a reason! Our city is a municipal courts govern the code enforcement team making sure that and residents maintain their properties. Again, the reason safe place, a great place business citizens chose McDonough is because it is a clean and safe environment. The courts handle everything from shoplifting to to raise Children, and misdemeanor cases occurring within the city of McDonough, governed by the balance of the gamut. it’s clean.”

12 | GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

REFLECTION FORWARD The courts handle traffic cases as well, we have a beautiful environment. Our kids are a great place to raise your kids and the kids are here playing and we want to make sure that someone isn't speeding 80 MPH in a 25 mile per hour zone or in a school zone. it's all for the safety of the Children, we a have a strict policy on speeding infractions in school and residential areas

the citizens of McDonough and, those abroad because we don't only handle cases from the citizens you have people who are visiting here, people who are passing through and they may have to have, they may have an opportunity to come into this court. It is beautiful. The courthouse is beautiful. The scenery around the courthouse is beautiful.

“It is an honor to be here to serve the citizens of the city of McDonough and the city government. It is an honor to be a part of this government. This is a beautiful edifice that we have here. I would say the nicest courthouse in the square and some of my colleagues, I teased them about it, so it's wonderful.” says Judge Boyd.

The city of mcdonough is continuously the developing again to make sure that our A community is a live work play community that is safe and clean and That it's just a place that everyone would want to raise a family and for Children who are going off to college, We are making sure that it is a place that they would want to come back and begin their families as well.

I am the first female and first African American judge for the city of McDonough. So that is an honor in and of itself, in being the first, I am also honored to be in this new building, so new Judge, new Movement, new building in the City of McDonough, reflecting forward, celebrating 200 years. As a 20 year resident, and owner of The Price Boyd Law Firm, she is committed to serving in the community of Henry County and the city of McDonough, with great passion and leadership. reflecting forward means growth, It means looking back at not losing as we grow, not looking, not losing on what we loved about this place 20 years ago and we're reflecting on what worked in the past, what's great in the past and we're bringing that forward into the future and for some people who don't like change, everything's not changing, we are keeping the good things from the past and reflecting those things forward. we're just gonna continue building upon the city of McDonough as the city grows, it's just gonna continue to be a great place to live, work and play. And here with the court, we're going to make sure that it continues to stay a safe and clean place as we live, work and play here. This courthouse is amazing, the windows of this courthouse, they are inviting. Sometimes you go into a court building and it can be very intimidating, especially if it's someone's first time in a courthouse.We make sure coming into the city of McDonough Municipal court, it is inviting two, that it is professional three that we are respectful to all of the citizens. And then as cases come before this court, we are fair and impartial at all times, all of 24 | STARTUP MAGAZINE

Shout out to the city of McDonough. Happy 200th birthday City of McDonough! Judge,the honorable judge Andrea Boyd City McDonough City Court, Judge City of McDonough municipal court, chief judge.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

MCDONOUGH: A SMALL TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIG CITY

Former Councilman Benjamin Pruitt Reflects Forward Written By Shawn Raleigh

Former Mayor Pro TEM, Councilman Ben Pruitt is no stranger around City Hall . He served on the council of the city of McDonough for eight years and spent two of the years as chair of the Planning Commission before serving his tenure in the council seat. Setting his focus to help the community with a passion of placing policy over politics while ensuring all of McDonough, every citizen in McDonough had a voice at City Hall. Pruitt is not a native of McDonough but found McDonough to be home after meeting his wife who is originally from here. She grew up here and that's how he ended up here chasing the love of his life almost 20 years ago. For her, growing up in a small town of McDonough, especially back then and still in some ways feels like a small town in the middle of a big city. Pruitt remembers 20 years ago, there were a lot of aspects that kind of felt like home, you could drive and see farms in McDonough with the convenience of the city close by. The square closed down at five o'clock, it was almost like they rolled the sidewalks up at night. "It's been really fun over the last 10 years trying to help make sure we had the right zoning and the right codes to help businesses thrive on the square. It's been wonderful watching businesses on the square succeed." says Councilman Pruitt. Developing a government that makes sure we are making it easy for businesses to thrive, not only

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE 15

survive but thrive and then, staying out of the way and allowing businesses to operate efficiently. Sometimes the government can get a little too caught up in wanting to control every little aspect of what a business does, but at the end of the day, they're the experts and the business owners know how to do it, how to run their own business and it's up to us to support them not micro manage. McDonough is growing and continues to grow as we've seen over the last few years, Pruitt has seen this personally over the last 20 years, feeling everyone sees that McDonough is such a great place to be and people want to be here. The city has to be so intentional about making sure we are focusing on quality development. From the standpoint of the council, we would do everyone a disservice to walk in and say, ok no more development, let's stop. We don't want to keep things the way they are if we did, we would have a development that would still have to develop, and it wouldn't work. We have to make sure that we have a good vision for the city, that we understand how local zoning ordinances work along with state laws and make sure that we are preparing for that growth. The Atlanta Regional Commission projects that over the next 20 years, The City of McDonough is going to see a huge

increase in population just because people want to be here. Pruitt reflected on the annual Geranium Festival, sponsored by the Lions Club, and the impact and revenue it brings to the city yearly attracting people from all over Georgia, parts of Florida, Alabama and South Carolina to the city and gather in the square to celebrate this event! The Lions Club does a great job hosting The Geranium Festival and the City is grateful for the hard work that they put into it over the years. Literally, people are working through the entire night preparing for the occasion and It's pretty spectacular. This is what makes McDonough Great! City of McDonough ever since I've been here on council. I was just hoping that I would be around to celebrate your birthday. So happy 200. Now that square doesn't shut down at five o'clock anymore, it's a hangout and being a hangout in the square, a few of the things council did was make sure we created an entertainment district. In some aspects that went along with that was making sure that we were as supportive as we could be with the businesses to continue to do business at night and the entertainment district part of it was really big improving a couple of the zoning ordinances allowing businesses to operate in a specific way that some of our outdated codes didn't allow. Under the outdated codes, many of the old policies were preventing the city from birthing into what it has blossomed into today.

Featured Article

NAVAGATING TRANSITIONS COUNCILMAN JAMAL BURT’S REFLECTS WRITTEN BY CHILTON STEWART

16 | GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

Who is Councilman Jamal Burt? Well according to him he’s a “northern boy with southern sensibilities” an educator, a founder member of “Streetz of Gentlemen” a lover of the city of McDonough and Henry county. “My wife and I came down here in 2009 and we didn’t know what we were getting into. When we first saw the city. I fell in love with the city. As a northern boy I grew up in New Jersey and we had a very close knit community up there. All the kids were taken care of. There were services and things all of us were able to have growing up. Great education, great sports organizations and programs for the kids and stuff like that.” He continues “So when I came down here. And I saw there was a thriving community here and a growing community. This place could have the same kind of stuff. Even though I am a northern boy. I have southern sensibilities.”

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

EDUCATION BUILDS OPPORTUNITY

He truly loves the south in general, southern

Education allows you to create one for

black culture in particular. “I love the down

yourself. I know the education system

home feeling down here. I love the feeling of

nowadays kind of disillusions everybody.

the cooking first of all and the heart that

Why? It's messed up. I am not going to lie. Part

people put into the cooking and the food and I

of the work I do is trying to fix that. Try to be

love just hanging out with the people.”

the net to catch whatever is being dropped out

As a passionate and lifelong educator

of that. So now that we are catching all these

Councilman Burt thanks his father and family

students and seeing what their needs really

for his strong foundation and motto:

are and stuff. That’s the key filing in the gaps

Education Builds Opportunity . “In my family

where education is not hitting our students,

we had a code word called EBO. One thing

our children. It needs to be reformed, it needs

about education is this. When there’s no doors.

to be changed.”

With a wealth of knowledge on the ins and outs of public education and how it affects our youth. It becomes obvious that the city of McDonough has the right councilman for the job! His dedication for youth developmental opportunities drives him daily. “These are the people we need to invest in. Because when we’re long and gone they are the ones taking over. So I teach my butt off. Why? Because I tell every single student I see I am not about to leave my kids here with a bunch of knuckle heads.” Yet he is hopeful about what we can do to ensure our kids understand that they have a bright future. “Because the world we are living in right now is crazy, we know that. But if we give these kids a glimmer of hope and let them know you already got inside you to make it. You just need a little effort. A little direction.” Another aspect to Councilman Burt is his love of HBCUs. As a Morehouse man he enjoys nothing more than explaining to our youth the value and blessing HBCUs are to our community. “The main reason. I wanted to be closer to my people and get closer to my culture. I learned everything I would have learned at any other kind of university. But then before the classes were over every professor would be like “okay how does that fit in with the Black male experience” And when you are at college and every class is centered around how you relate what you just learned to the world as to who you are” that makes you see the world in a different lens.” HE credits his time at Morehouse for his work ethic and overall world view. “That’s what they indoctrinate with at Morehouse. They show us y’all brothas are not at a disadvantage you’re strong, you’re powerful, go out here and use what you have been given. It wasn’t just Morehouse, the community that I grew up in was led by some amazing men, my father being one of them.”

ARTICLE NAME HERE | 09

REFLECTING FORWARD

He credits current Mayor Sandra Vincent for starting him on the path of public service and is philosophical about any growing pains the council may have experienced of late. “Every organization that’s new, even this city that’s new. Goes through a storming period before they go to a norming period. And in the storming period there’s going to be fighting there’s going to be arguing but it has to happen. Because if that doesn’t happen in your organization, the norm… What’s normal now won’t be set. The rules for the norm won’t be set. And that’s exactly what this city did.”

As for removing a controversial symbol of southern hate and racism Councilman Burt leans in and offers this explanation. “Things have to progress with what’s going on. If you don’t make room for that future you are going to get left behind. Henry County is the fifth fastest growing county in the U.S. Our job as city officials is to reflect our demographics. So yes we can respect everybody’s past and I do. That statue came down because it was an eyesore to too many people in the community. More people than it was a blessing. And so we have to go with the majority.” Indeed with leaders like this the future for the City of McDonough and Councilman Burt is as bright as it is promising.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 19

EVOLVING WITH HENRY COUNTY: MICHELLE AMARRA SHIFT TO COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Growing up in the Southern Crescent, Michelle Amarra thought she was like everyone else: she enjoyed suburban living and suburban schools, went to college, and then entered the workforce. While she did complete her studies at Eagles Landing High School and Gordon College, she became an addict and a single mother. When she sobered up at the age of 32, she never envisioned that she would be an entrepreneur. She had the opportunity to acquire Southern Crescent Broadcasting, a local cable network that served the region in 2014. “I was two years out of treatment, a single mother and recovering addict who was working for my pastor,” she recalled. “I told my pastor about it, and he said he would help me. When I took this over, I knew nothing about television.” Amarra is the sole owner of the business, but she quickly realized she had to create programming, sell advertising, and, most importantly, maintain and grow the viewership. “We had many content holes that needed to be filled, and this network ran 24/7/365. I had the chance to evolve it into a streaming service on all the apps and develop some quality

Written By Dominique Huff

“I would not be here today if not for this place,” she said. “I love giving back every chance I get.” Seller's Guide | 11

programming,” she said.

GCMNETWORK.NET

Southern Crescent Broadcasting became SCB Video TV Marketing in 2019 with the changing media landscape. Viewer tastes shifted from scheduled programming to ‘on demand,’ and platforms such as YouTube and Facebook allowed producers and creators to access a larger audience than South Metro Atlanta. We had to change with the times as technology advanced and consumers had increased accessibility to media tools. Businesses started using localized shots instead of stock photography,” she said. “Now, you can do many things with your cell phone.” Keeping true to its television roots, SCB Video TV Marketing offers television services, business marketing services, and content creation. The firm also offers website development and management, media buys on various platforms, including billboards, Google My Business management, and SEO consulting. For many media entrepreneurs, the shift was natural if they wanted to keep the doors open, but Amarra was concerned about the closure of a beloved local network. “It was difficult for me because I was afraid the community would not accept the change in our business model. When we had the network, you could find us at every community event doing

something because I love McDonough,” she said. “Now, I see myself in a position to sell McDonough to the world, not just to itself.” Being a native, she witnessed Henry County evolving from the boondocks to a suburbanized county. “I remember when we had no street lights and the one gas station that is now surrounded by tons of development closed at night,” she fondly recalls. “Many natives don’t like the growth and what’s happening, but I love it. We have something special here; others want a piece of it.” She credits the community along with her faith in recovering from addiction. I would not be here today if not for this place,” she said. “I love giving back every chance I get.”She’s not done yet. Now, she is operating Building 140. Like other things in her life, it started as one thing but evolved into something else. Initially wanting to put a painting studio in Downtown McDonough, she saw the need for a collaborative workspace as more people were entering entrepreneurship and wanted to serve local residents and business owners.

“NOW, I SEE MYSELF IN A POSITION TO SELL MCDONOUGH TO THE WORLD, NOT JUST TO ITSELF.” GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 22

“I wanted to create a space for entrepreneurs to build community. Whether it's office space, meeting space, or just some space to get out of the house, I wanted it here in McDonough,” she said. “It was a need as all of our office suites are leased. We have space that can be used for various events that may not have the budget or fit for hotels or banquet halls.” Just like she helped content creators bring their television programs to life with SCB and assisted business owners with promoting themselves to the region with SCB TV and Video, Building 140 will now allow business owners to grow and thrive in their backyard. “I will always contribute and give back to McDonough, and this is my next level of doing so,” she concluded.

FEATURE

GIVE THEM THEIR FLOWERS NOW: THE LECAGY OF COUNCILMAN RUFUS STEWART GIVING BACK TO HIS COMMUNITY Written by Michael Brown

Viewed by many as a gem of the Blacksville community and

“She asked what I wanted to be and asked me to write a

now an asset to the Henry County community, Councilman

paper telling what I wanted to be. I politely said "I want to

Rufus Stewart has done many great things for the people.

be the president” and she said “are you sure” and I said

He served on the deacon board at Shiloh Baptist Church, as

“yes.” Mrs. Reese was in charge of student council advisor

he focused a lot of his attention on the young men’s

and I wasn’t on that board, said Mr. Stewart, but Shirley

development within the area. Rufus Stewart Park was built

Fletcher and myself volunteered to be a voice for our

with the youth of the community in mind to keep them

students.” “We took that journey on and from that

active while under the watchful eye of Mr. Stewart Councilman Stewart is a resident of Henry County. He started his leadership journey in the ninth grade at the Henry County Senior High School. As with a lot of influencers, Councilman Stewart as encouraged greatly by Mrs. Reese, his language arts teacher.

journey I was interested in leadership.” “I was VP of the Tri High Why Christian Club in the school. In 1989 Rufus Stewart ran for justice of peace, he initially lost, yet four years later he ran for city council and won. Mr. Edward Head (bless his soul) told me when you win city council,

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 24

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RUFUS STEWART PARK

it’s up to you to say when its over and believe it or not this November marks 35 years and I still serve with pride.” “I take this very seriously, Stewart explains, I look at my neighbors and the community. I want to make a difference in our community and our young people," says Stewart. Rufus Stewart studies the needs of the communities and puts in the work developing programs with other council members and the community leaders to actively change the trajectory of our neighborhoods. His vision among his peers is teamwork makes the dream work. It was because of that leadership prowess that Mayor Vincent made a motion to make Rufus Stewart Park.

“I Don’t Need To Make A Name For Myself, My Mama Gave Me A Name When I Was Born!”

Blacksville GA, was a region with a stereotype of troubled youth. “I actually lived and grew up there.” My aunt lived next door to the precinct, we stayed right in that area in a two-room house. I never knew I'd be still standing in that same neighborhood. I see people all the time, I go sit and have conversations with them, I go to the basketball court and talk with the young people. I ask the same question to the youth that was asked to me “what do you want to be in life?”

“Happy Birthday City Of McDonough! Let’s Continue To Grow In The Vision of Our Great Leadership Supporting Mayor Sandra Vincent!”

The experiences of Phillips Drive, Simpson Street and Carver Road at that time was built upon families and friends. We respected one another and GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE| PAGE 25

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ontrolled our manners & issues. On Phillips Drive every Sunday afternoon we’d play baseball, football and other games. On Carver Road, I became a businessman, operating Stewart Candy Shop. Mr. John Glen & Mr. Nellis taught me how to do income taxes and be a businessman. When I look at Blacksville a lot of good came from there, said Stewart. Teachers would talk to parents if a child was out of line; for us it was do your homework, chores, and then you play. In this town, good people struggled to make it good. Now serving district 1 closest to downtown McDonough square, Councilman Rufus Stewart has seen how McDonough has changed.“Back then I worked at Hamilton Furniture, I’d come to work and watch people and learn from them. I looked at McDonough as it was, and said to myself, one day I will help McDonough. I learned by talking to others, I listened and learned what things were needed and I am a man of few words, but much action. Stewart says he goes to conferences in other cities & states, pays attention to what other cities do to thrive & grow and brings ideas back to our city’s development. Councilman Stewart is so passionate about his duties; he is indeed a man of action. Mr. Stewart pulled for community organizations, pushed for the city of McDonough to partner with these organizations, and

was pivotal in the basketball programs and Streets of Gentlemen. Stewart stepped up putting his personal resources to help these programs thrive. From seniors to young people, Rufus Stewart makes sure people have what they need. Last year Councilman Stewart’s basketball program saw over 200 kids participating on the court, thanks to all who partnered together to see that happen; it took the whole council to do it. “Since becoming City Councilman in 1989 I’ve seen a lot that I wanted to do and I am still doing in the City of McDonough, " Councilman Stewart states. “It's been a journey to be a part of the changes spanning over 20 years.” “I tell young people now, it's not where you came from, it’s where you’re headed. I never would’ve thought 34 years ago I’d be a part of this council. We just celebrated 52 years of graduations from the Henry County Senior HS. Stewart has partnered with Mayor Copeland, Richard Craig, now Sandra Vincent, still talking teamwork and “we’re doing it for our city Stewart mentions.” Councilman Stewart remembers partnering with mentor Reverend Lee, one of the pillars of our community and the pastor of Shiloh Baptist church. Reverend Lee would lead marches through Blacksville during the Civil Rights Movement. “He was a community man & I learned a lot from him. He would preach on Sunday and serve the community.” He gave me a chance to serve as the Superintendent of Sunday School at Shiloh. Rev. Lee left a legacy of good stuff in Blacksville. He was also involved with young people, to make sure they had what they needed. Mr. Stewart says; “if I could help somebody as I travel along life’s journey then only then my living shall not be in vain and that’s what I do everyday. I try to reach back to those that don’t have, to those who didn’t make it, and bring them forward.”

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 26

GAME CHANAGERS MAGAZINE

UNPACKING THE LEGACY OF PASTOR TIMOTHY J. MCCBRIDE:

A COMMUNITY OF FAITH REFLECTING FORWARD written by Chilton Stewart

Have you ever been to church…REAL CHURCH…GOD FEARING, WORD OF GOD CONSISTENT CHURCH? No judgment, just an unbiased assessment of any given Sunday at Tabernacle Of Praise International the church where Pastor McBride preaches. Pastor McBride, while an amazing orator and sincere man of God is also acutely aware of how “The World” works and is more than comfortable preaching in it.

But maybe more importantly for the sake of this article, he is a man that LOVES and honors the city of McDonough and Henry County. He has watched the city and county grow exponentially over the years and is pleased with the results. That is not to say that coming to Georgia from California didn’t provide him with a certain “culture shock” upon arrival down south. “It was definitely something new that I had to experience because I’m from San Francisco so I was a city boy. So I ‘m used to street lights and sidewalks. When I got here it was man, it was dirt roads and backroads. However it didn’t take him long to not only adjust and thrive in McDonough but to fall in love with the city and its people as they adopted him as one of their own. “You know what I love about McDonough? It's like a family.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE 29 Once you know certain people then all of sudden you become a family with people. I like the intimacy of McDonough. And I really love the growth of the city.“We do the work of the community and people trust us. When people fall on hard times and they’ve done all they can, they come to the church. We have to be the arms and feet of Christ to help people.” Pastor McBride and Tabernacle Of Praise International’s impact on the city of McDonough is no small feat. Indeed the pastor credits city leadership in general and most particularly the current Mayor Sandra Vincent for her leadership in guiding the city to and through explosive growth. As the church grew out of a warehouse and into the spiritual giant it is today. “Mayor Sandra Vincent was really helpful in getting us known in McDonough. She was very instrumental in making sure that the church had a voice in the city of McDonough in getting things done.”

This represents a remarkable change as the city had, for all intents and purposes the same leadership for years “For forty one years two white mayors ran the whole city. Even before mayor Sandra officially became mayor she had already put her stamp on this city. She’s female and she’s black and she speaks out for people who don’t have a voice. The Bible says "When the righteous are in charge the city will rejoice.” He continues “I have seen a change in people's hearts just in the churches. When we first started TOP nobody was handing out boxes of food. Nobody had a youth ministry. There was no place for rappers. There was no place for hip hop dancers. We ushered in teen extreme nights. All the teens could come in, they could dance, they could get something to eat. Now these teens are adults but they are still doing positive work because of the impact we made in their lives.”

It is plain to see that Pastor McBride lives by the biblical principle that “Faith without works is dead” and he goes to work every day to make his church, followers, the city and Henry county better. “All of us have a purpose. All of us don’t know why we are here but we know that God put us here for a reason. When we started the mentoring program. Every Monday night we had all the boys come down to the church. We need to get our arms wrapped around these young men. If we want to see our cities and our better it's our job to get our hands involved and to make it happen! “ He goes on to say “I am really pushing every ministry. Get outside the four walls, find out what’s going on in your community and be a blessing to the community. You are not a church if you don’t go out in the community. A church is supposed to be the answer for any economic emotional situation that’s happening in our community, the church has got to be the answer.”

Despite all of Pastor McBride’s victories he is quick to remind anyone who will listen that he didn’t build anything by himself. Indeed he credits his relationships within the halls of leadership for the meteoric rise of the church. “Mayor Sandra Vincent was very instrumental in helping us really get known in McDonough so when we went to get that warehouse the city kind of wasn’t approving us because of the fact we didn’t have enough parking. Councilmen Sandra Vince stood up for me. You know I think we need to give this church a chance. And she was the one who stood up for me and helped us to go ahead and get the zoning that we need to go ahead and move the church in that warehouse and that’s where things started jumping off for the church. So to have her be the mayor now.. she was serving as my mayor back then. Because she spoke up for me and she’s been a catalyst towards helping me. She was very instrumental in making sure that the church had a voice in the city of McDonough to get those things done. She’s always been in our corner and I am so glad that she is still in our corner today.”

The fact that the church is a living testimony to hope and faith makes it uniquely bring shining light in an otherwise bleak modern society. Pastor McBride believes that Black America is “owed a blessing” due to our violent and exploitative history in this county. “Because of what we went through we are owed a blessing. But you have to put a demand on it. If you don’t put a demand on what belongs to you. YOU NOT GOING TO GET IT. He continues. “God wants his people to be blessed. Think if we all had the money to change our communities. That’s all I am preaching about. God wants to bless you so you can be blessed to be a blessing. So when you get blessed you are able to help somebody. Wealth and riches shall be in your house.”

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE 09

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"BREAKING BARRIERS: HOW MAYOR SANDRA VINCENT IS LEADING MCDONOUGH WITH INCLUSIVITY AND UNITY" WRITTEN BY CHILTON STEWART

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

“We have become contagious. Everyone wants to be

Mayor Vincent loves the history and people of

in the city”says Mayor Sandra Vincent. Mayor

McDonough even though the history of the

Vincent is a political wizard who is passionate about

McDonough may not resemble her or other people.

the development of the city McDonough GA. She is a

She loves the rich history and nuances that make

visionary leader interested in making her

McDonough..well McDonough.

community better while leading them into the future.

“We have been reflecting on the history of

A conversation with her can give you a vision of the

McDonough. We’ve had so many amazing partners

founding fathers of this nation and how they built

like the genealogical society that did both a tour of

the constitution. Without a bit of hesitation she takes

the cemetery, also an open house. We’ve had the

her job as the Mayor of McDonough just as seriously

women’s club of McDonough and several

because she knows that she is making not just a city

organizations to just share McDonough’s history.

of McDonough for today, but the McDonough of the

That was the reflection part to really look at where

future.

we’ve been and look towards where we’re going. As

“We are looking forward to 2024 and beyond to

a theme we adopted “reflection forward” for our

seeing what McDonough really can become once we

comprehensive plan. We wrote this year our

open up these processes.”

comprehensive plan update.

Featured Article of the Month

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

That was a very community engaging project. We made sure that we had senior citizens, diverse groups of individuals. We included folks from the Caribbean association from the school board, from the senior center. We really tried hard to make sure that we had a great cross section of McDonough citizens. So that is the whole reflection forward piece.” As a transformative and transparent leader Mayor Vincent is easy going, open and honest about her plans for McDonough. She speaks with the confidence of a woman who has nothing to hide because she has no hidden agenda, just an undying love for her city and the heights she believes it can reach. “A comprehensive plan is basically your land use plan with

other

elements

included

that

create

comprehensive plan. So it sets forth how we’re going to grow. What our element of focus will be. Who will be involved? How much money it's going to cost us. Because what we do is take that document and create a work plan.” She continues “When

you

are

growing

rapidly.

you

can

metaphorically think about a house that you are building on. From. Civil engineering standpoint you’ve got to have the footprint and the foundation to do that development. I felt strongly that because we were moving so fast. That our codes weren’t in place. That we were not following the governance model that we should be as a city. And I felt that anybody coming who lacked the experience that we needed would love McDonough further back. So the vision that I got was to run off of a good governance platform. There are 9 pillars to that platform and that platform has been integrated with all of the ideas of our council members and we have used those nine elements in everything we’ve developed throughout this year.” She takes transparent governance to heart as it is a major guiding principle to her leadership style. “Transparency is one

those

nine

pillars.

Primarily

financial

exchanges. Deals with the fact that we are creating a reconciliation policy that didn’t exist when I came in.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE36 It's important to have policies and procedures in

pillars is citizen engagement. So one of the things

place in anything and everything you do. What that

that we derived from our comprehensive plan was

means if Game Changers came in and Game

that citizens are very interested in quality of life

Changers had the charge of keeping things moving

and what our parks look like, what they are doing.

forward then there’s a document that they can go

We are in a joint plan service delivery strategy

to that tells them not only what the governmental

with Henry County. The agreement is that the city

policy is but it also tells them step by step what they

would be responsible for the passive parks and

need to do when they are operating the affairs of

the county is responsible for those elements

the city. That did not exist when I came in.” She

where there is a sports league or some other type

also explains how big the concept of diversity and

of recreational piece involved. So what we’ve seen

inclusion is in her administration. “One of the

is that our citizens have placed a bigger demand

things that we realized to be very important in a

on us. Saying we don’t want you wanting for the

diverse Community is to make sure that equity and

county. This is broken we want it fixed or this

inclusion was a part of that plan, to make sure

looks bad we want it fixed. So under our

health was a part of that plan.

McDonough beautiful initiative I am very proud.

These are elements that you don’t normally see but

It's one of the initiatives I started when I was on

in McDonough we are really approaching

the council. We have been able to resurrect

everything that we do from a very progressive

that.``

standpoint meaning that we are thinking futuristically. Mayor Vincent often refers to “the nine pillars” of effective government as a guiding principle for her administration. “One of the elements of the nine

THE NINE PILLARS The theme of the nine pillars is crucial to understanding a person and style of governance focused on doing the most good possible in the amount of time she is allotted to serve. However she is also quick to remind people that she isn’t a “Johnny come lately” to being a Mayor or serving the city of McDonough for that matter. “Beyond being Mayor, I think this is the important thing for people to remember. I sat on that bench for 16 years. And during that time I was a city councilman for all people. And so that period really laid the foundation and helped me to garner the experience, the respect that I need in order to even pursue the office of Mayor.“

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

FROM BOW TIE CHEF TO JUST DOGS ATL Written By Dominque Huff

From 2016 to 2018, DuLac’s Bow Tie Cafe was one of the early pioneers of the Atlanta Black Restaurant Scene. The Atlanta Black Restaurant Scene has seen many concepts come and go before entities finally grabbed their footing and place within the regional culinary scene. Many blacks who resided in the suburbs wanted to mirror concepts that many went to Virginia-Highland, Midtown, Buckhead, or Downtown Decatur for in areas such as West Cascade, Downtown College Park, Stonecrest, and the Southern Crescent–Clayton and Henry County.

BUSINESS MAGAZINE

CREATING THE MACDONOUGH DOG Chef Dulac Celebrates City With Good Food

“There were a select few of us in the scene who

Closing a business is one of the hardest

didn’t want to be seen but worked,” he said.

things an entrepreneur can ever do. The U.S.

Lights and cameras are lovely, but to get to the

Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 20.8

money, we need people in seats eating and

percent of businesses fail within the first

drinking.”

year, 40 percent within three years, 49.9

After shutting down DuLac’s BowTie Cafe in

percent within five years, and 65.8 percent

September 2018, he became highly emotional

within ten years.

and cut everything off from family, friends, and

“I took the closure personally. I felt like I

relationships.

failed myself and others,” he recalled. “I felt I

“The only thing I was still committing to was

owed success to others and didn’t do it.” He

being a father to my two children,” he recalled.

stated he had support along the way, but it

“I did indeed disappear like everyone said I did.

could not cushion his internal pain of

I was embarrassed and ashamed.”

embarrassment.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE 39 DuLac returned to Corporate America for a while and bounced around to make ends meet while rebuilding himself professionally. While he admitted he wanted to continue the Dulac’s journey, there wasn’t a set timeframe or method for how that would continue until he came across Just Dogs ATL. “Just Dogs was a little gem in McDonough, and the previous owners had met their ceiling and were ready to change hands,” he said. “I wanted to take it up a notch.” The menu lives up to the restaurant's namesake: dogs with an ATL vibe. There’s the ATL Dog, 75 South, and Dirty Bird. Turkey is an option for those who want a different type of meat. While his previous venture did not have the grown-up and sexy vibe, DuLac is grateful to have walked back into entrepreneurship. In 2018, he stated he would be back, and now, six years later, he is still feeding McDonough-Henry County. In 2023, he earned the Judge’s Choice for Taste of Henry. Just Dogs ATL is also a “Henry Eats” Superstar with a 4.9 rating on Google. And for McDonough’s 200th anniversary, Just Dogs ATL is rolling out a unique combination. “We wanted to do something to commemorate the city and pay homage. We asked on social media what McDonough, and we had some great combinations, which we will use as specials this year,” he said. I had one person who said we should put pimento cheese on a dog, and I said nothing saying McDonough is like pimento cheese.” He played around with a variety of combinations to accompany the pimento cheese, so he added hot chili, onions, and tomatoes. “I stopped at the tomatoes and onions. I considered adding bacon,” he said. But I didn’t look right, so we stopped at the tomatoes, onions, and pimento cheese. This is the McDonough dog!”

And now another location is coming to Atlanta on Moreland Avenue. Just Dogs ATL 1059 Meredith Park Drive McDonough, GA. 470-507-4170

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

Scott Reeves was born and raised in McDonough, GA He is one of the few people on the council that's been here all his life for almost 65 years. His grandfather started the theater on the square Clay Plaza as he was raised in the show business. His family owned and operated the movie theater for a number of years. Reeves mother was a local native and his dad was from Milner, Georgia, near Barnesville, GA. His parents met in college, got married and moved to McDonough residing in the community growing up with his brothers and sisters. Reeves is no stranger to the council seat; as a second generation councilman, Reeves father was a city councilman for 22 years along with a sister and brother that served on the council as well.

EMBRACING CHANGE A Councilman’s Journey in Serving The City Of McDonough written by Marvella Nesbitt

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | PAGE 42 As the representative of the third district of the city, Reeves is over McDonough Main Street and a

member

the

Main

Street

Board

partnership with a great team of volunteers who have accomplished quite a bit promoting The Main Street District, which has been highly successful over the past few years. As the city prepares for a bright future, Main Street is looking

forward

complete

landscape

overdue on the square and it's going to be a big deal

which

citizens

and

tourists

really

appreciate. With other great projects in the works as well in the coming future. As a youngster growing up to now, Councilman Reeves has seen the growing pains and the struggles to bring people to come together. The city and MainStreet District is focused on Diversity and Reeves is appreciative of the way the council operates from that perspective.

The last thing on his mind was serving following the family tradition but his family pushed him to put up or shut up. A few years back, there was a vacancy on the council and Reeves was determined in his mind to put up. At the time, Councilman Reeves felt very naive about serving and had certain things that interested him, like zoning issues. The more he became involved, he fell in love with the process and took it on as a ministry, which was the only way he was willing to serve. He fell in love with the people, being a part of a council that serves people, the citizens and values the employees and the staff of the city and feels it's been a real blessing, when he never really thought about much as becoming an elected official. Being a part of this council is very meaningful and part of his decision to recently rerun for another four years.

Thank You McDonough “they're my brothers and sisters, regardless of their background, race or ethnic ethnicity. I represent the people, for the people who voted for me and for those who didn't, I plan to serve the citizens regardless, in my district as the people's voice at City Hall.” says Councilman Reeves. Growing up in MCDonough was great. It was like Mayberry, back then the city had one police car patrolled by a wonderful gentleman named Mr Boots Welch, who has a park named after him recognized for his commitment to serving others. As teenagers, we certainly appreciated him, he let us slide a little bit if we were going a little too fast around the square or doing the circle around the square without stopping, although at that time, the city only had one red light.

We used to ride, we actually had ponies and horses in a pasture over here where we would ride our ponies and horses uptown and time to the parking meters and go into,

The mayor has a great vision for Reflection Forward as she leads the council preparing for this historic time. It's an exciting time and I'm glad as an older guy that people are letting me be a part of the vision. The voters gave me that opportunity to come and be their voice for the next four years and the goal is to make a difference. A difference that will be a positive movement for the next 200 Years to come. Reeves wishes the city a happy birthday celebrating 200 years and is thankful to all of the people involved in the everyday operations of the city apart from preparing for this type of celebration.

For More Info Visit

www.goldenessenceco.com

NOBODY LIKES CHANGE, BUT CHANGE IS GOOD TRISHA MORGAN REFLECTS FOFWARD CELEBRATING CITY OF MCDONOUGH Written by Marvella Nesbitt Patrisha Morgan started in 2003 as the assistant court clerk and worked her way up to a deputy clerk in 2005 to become the full time court administrator for the City of McDonough. Her job is to ensure the court runs smoothly with her team and support staff under the administration of Judge Andrea Boyd. As a court administrator, Morgan understands it takes a village and everybody has a part for the municipal court to operate functionally. Trisha is committed to helping citizens communicate with the court staff, probation staff, and all other needs at the Municipal Courts of The City of McDonough! “I'm here for them as they are for me, I’m here to make sure we are transparent in the things we do,” says Morgan. For Morgan, The City of McDonough courtroom is a very friendly atmosphere when citizens walk in the building. from the guard at the door to the ladies at the desk, people that come to court, and it is their first time coming, they don't know what to expect. So providing the best customer service experience is a passion of hers to be nice, and respectful providing information to the people who didn't ask to be here. Maybe it was an accident, a ticket, or maybe they've never gotten a ticket, however when they come inside our courthouse, and here people are treated good like people deserve to be.

47| GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

Be respectful, be helpful in situations that arise, diffuse a situation before it gets worse and take care of the citizens and that's what we pride ourselves in doing. Now under the leadership of Judge Boyd, Morgan has worked with three prior judges during her tenure with the city of mcdonough and says “it's been rewarding, when you meet a lot of people, meet many of the locals, you're able to meet to connect with people that does not often happen in larger communities creating that homelike feeling.Back when Trisha started in 2003, many of the locals would come by and visit, even if they had a ticket or not, they would come by but many have moved on or passed away, but this community has always felt like family and she still has people in the community that come by and visit just to say, hey! Morgan is one of the longest serving staff members within the Municipal courts for the city, and

is considered as the last one of the originals, what most call the last of the Mohicans! Nobody likes growth but growth and change are good. The direction of the City with Mayor Vincent, doing great things and continuing to do great things to keep moving the city forward to even better things. I'm excited for the city of McDonough and its growth. Although nothing stays the same, that small town feel is what Morgan cherishes since she started with the city in 2003. Everybody knows everybody, now you can run to the grocery store and you may see people that you don't know and that’s part of change and change is how we grow, it’s inevitable. This city is more diverse now, with people of many different backgrounds and cultural density. Patricia feels the diversity of the city is amazing and has always embraced diversity through her lifetime not looking at the color of a person but the character of the individual, for her diversity is everybody all inclusive working together for common goals. Some people don't embrace diversity, some have issues with diversity but it's essential we grow together serving the city, the citizens, regardless of the stigma of the court of Justice For All. Our goal here is to create an open space of communication with the city and citizens, and be available for serving the needs of the people as a court administrator. One of Trisha’s favorite places to eat is Pasta Max on The Square, treating herself to the delicious bread and Pasta as well as visiting many of the local shops in the downtown district of the City of McDonough.

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 48

Good Read

Serving City of McDonough As A Voice for The People

Councilwoman Vanessa Thomas Reflects Forward

Councilwoman Vanessa Thomas

Reflection Forward, to Thomas, means looking back on how far we've come! Thomas says”although I wasn't here 200 years ago and, none of us have been here for 100 years, but just looking back seeing the things that the city of McDonough has gone through over the years and reflecting how far we've come from 200 years ago to now. We still have ways to go and we're making progress with mainstreet McDonough developing into a highly attractive culturally diverse audience.

Vanessa Thomas is all about the people! She loves having the opportunity to serve the people as a 1st term councilwoman for the city of McDonough. Retired from the federal government, public service is a thing of second nature for her. With a continued desire to serve the citizens of McDonough she is dedicated to be a public servant for all of McDonough. Serving as the councilwoman for the city at large, Thomas is responsible for all four districts, and can speak on behalf of all four districts and what can be done in all four districts. As a Councilwoman at large, she can look at the whole picture and be able to speak on behalf of the entire city of McDonough.

Councilwoman Thomas moved to the City of McDonough almost seven years ago after residing in the city of South Fulton in the College Park area for over 30 years and one of the reasons she moved here is because McDonough was a smaller city with a hometown feel and less people, but since then the city has grown, and houses are up all over the place, development booming like never before and we're still growing, along with the population, the buildings, the houses and apartment complexes with everything that's coming along with it. it also has brought traffic into the city, more traffic that we're dealing with and hopefully we'll get a handle on infrastructure soon. We're in the process of widening some roads, the main roads that's affecting the traffic and that's affecting where many residents live, work and play. Hopefully within next year sometime, we will have traffic under control as well.

After Falling short in 2020 running for Clerk of Superior Court for Henry County,Thomas never gave up! She gained great knowledge in the experience of campaigning, learning how to strategically build her campaign and reach the community to get the people on board. Although Henry County is very large, the city of McDonough provided a platform that allowed her to touch the city after running a countywide campaign.

written by Dominque Huff

Game Changers Magazine - Collectors Edition City Of McDonough

51 | GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

“Happy Birthday City of MCDonough Celebrating 200 Years!”

GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE

Councilwoman Vanessa Tomas envisioned her leadership role within the city to be a voice for the people and felt led to be a voice for people who may not want to speak up but desire to be heard. I know we're a great city. Her goal is to see more activities for families, such as top golf and other feature attractions for families and develop activities for teenagers through after school and summer programs with the benefits of summer employment. As a Councilwoman that serves this great community Thomas loves to explore the feature attractions shop in the South point area, shop in the downtown area and feels the resources are right here having local shops within the city of McDonough.” says Councilwoman Thomas. Thomas is dedicated to working together with her fellow council members and feels It's very important for all of council members to be able to talk with one another and share ideas and plans to continue the growth of the city. I'd like to see our vendors, our companies out here, within the seat of McDonough to be able to hire our students for the summer so they can have summer employment, that will keep them busy for the summer and that will keep them out of trouble during that time, and have resources within the city, in order to move the city forward, in order to move our residents forward.

Game Changers Magazine - Collector’s Edition Issue

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