October 14, 2016
Board of
Winter Clothing Drive Starts November 1
Commissioners Regular Meetings October 18 at 6:30 PM November 1 at 9:00 AM Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.
This winter, Henry County’s Connecting Henry Department is teaming up with Yasna Grainger, the founder of the grass roots effort “Warm & Toasty” that has been collecting donations of winter items and gear for homeless populations for six years. The original service project was managed by Grainger herself, who was able to collect brand new cold weather clothing items for the children in need at “A Friends House.” In an effort to expand the scope of the project, Director of Connecting Henry, Susan Crumbley, reached out to Grainger and asked her to team up with Connecting Henry, The Southern Journal, O.B.’s BBQ and Piedmont Henry. “It was the result of a homeless meeting facilitated by Connecting Henry,” stated Crumbley. “We reached out to Yasna to join her campaign to expand the program to assist the homeless, non-profits and needy families in Henry County.” With Crumbley’s connections, Grainger’s help is now able to reach all families in shelters and all non-profit charities within the County. The donation drive will take place from November 1 through November 30. You can drop off new hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, underwear and socks at Connecting Continued on page 2
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October 14, 2016 Clothing Drive from page 1
Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners
Editor Melissa Robinson
Graphic Designer Meredith Butler Samantha Watson
Layout Designer Samantha Watson
Contributors Melissa Robinson Samantha Watson
Henry (66 Veterans Dr., McDonough), Hood Street Art Center (136 Hood Street, McDonough), O.B.’s BBQ (1120 Old Industrial Blvd., McDonough), Moye’s Pharmacy (62 Keys Ferry St., McDonough), Piedmont Henry (1133 Eagle’s Landing Pkwy, Stockbridge) or Piorra Mattress (3832 GA-42, Locust Grove). “The donated items will be distributed to local Henry County non-profit locations, the homeless and any items not given away will go to the Connecting Henry Community Christmas program,” stated Crumbley. This year’s goal for the drive is to collect five thousand new winter items for those who are in need. For more information or to ask a question, contact Yasna Grainger at southerncharmmcdonough@gmail. com or Brandie Craig at bcorbincraig@aol.com.
HCLS Offers Free Admission Passes to The Carlos Museum The Henry County Public Library System is now offering family passes to The Carlos Museum on the Emory University campus. The passes are available to check out at any of the five Henry County Library locations and one pass will cover up to six admissions into the museum. The Carlos Museum is a premier ancient art museum with collections from Egypt, Africa, Asia and the ancient Americas. In addition, works of art on paper from the Renaissance and forward are also on display. Upcoming traveling exhibits include Shakespeare’s First Folio which will take place November 5 through December 11. The First Folio includes 18 of Shakespeare’s plays, including Macbeth, The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew. For more information visit www.henry.public.lib.ga.us.
henrycounty-ga.org
HCFD Appreciation Night at O.B.’s BBQ October 21
Early voting for the November 8 General Election/Special Elections will begin October 17 at the following locations and times: Elections & Voter Registration Main Office: October 17th – 21st: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm October 22nd: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm October 24th – 28th: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm October 29th: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm October 30th: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm October 31st – November 4th : 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
O.B.’s BBQ on Old Industrial Blvd in McDonough is hosting a Henry County Fire Department Appreciation Night from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. in celebration of the Department’s honor, integrity, sacrifice and commitment to the community and citizens of Henry County. The night is a time to show your support for Henry County Firefighters, Paramedics and EMT professionals. Bring your entire family out and enjoy delicious BBQ, musical performances by “True Story,” a local band, a cornhole tournament and an opportunity to meet SPARKY the fire dog. A portion of all food sales go to benefit the Henry County Fire Department. On-site registration is required to enter the cornhole tournament, which will begin at 7 p.m.
Merle Manders Conference Center: October 24th – 28th: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm October 29th: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm October 30th: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm October 31st – November 4th : 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Fairview Library: October 31st – November 4th: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Fortson (Hampton) Library: October 31st – November 4th : 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Locust Grove Library: October 31st – November 4th : 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Polls will be open Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your local precinct. For further information or to request an absentee ballot, call 770-288-6448. The Elections Office is located at 40 Atlanta Street in McDonough.
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October 14, 2016 Henry County Deploys Mutual Aid Ahead of Storm Track In response to a request from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) yesterday, Assistant County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews authorized the Henry County Fire Department’s Command staff to assemble two separate ambulance strike teams to be immediately deployed to the Savannah area, ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The responding teams will be responsible for evacuating persons who may be endangered by the approaching hurricane.
Lieutenant Brian Gibson and Lieutenant Michael Hunnicutt both paramedics, are leading the group of six Emergency Responders to a staging location near the Southeast Medical Center, located in Brunswick, Georgia. If called upon, they will assist in the evacuation of area hospitals, nursing homes and similar facilities. Hobson-Matthews also authorized the Savannah-Chatham 911 Department use of the Henry County Emergency Operations Facility to stage and prepare for Hurricane Matthew. “Our staff members will be onsite at all times and will ensure that our facility is monitored and manned during their entire stay. Our staff has always done a great job of providing additional resources and assisting with these type of emergencies when the need arises,” said Hobson-Matthews. EOC director Don Ash said the importance henrycounty-ga.org
of partnering with the Savannah-Chatham 911 is to provide a critical link for Savannah in the event the city loses its primary and secondary means of communication. Currently, 14 staff members from Savannah are utilizing the Henry County 911 Center. “By setting up here, they have a means to continue emergency operations in addressing the needs of their citizens,” said Ash. To add further support, Connecting Henry is providing meals to the Savannah E911 operators who are currently at the County’s EOC facility. Susan Crumbley, director for Connecting Henry has reached out to local restaurants and Helping in His Name food pantry to provide meals to the operators.