Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Water Safety Coalition working to increase access to water-safety programs
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Roughly 70% of the earth is covered in water, and yet, many people do not know how to interact with it.
That problem is especially prevalent in African-American communities. According to the National Institutes of Health, from 2019 to 2020, the drowning rate for Black or African Americans ages 29 and under increased by 23.7%.
That problem was a catalyst behind the 2023 creation of the Atlanta Water Safety Coalition.
“We have to do something,” said Allison Toller, the Chief Social Impact Officer of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta.
Swimming is a life skill that has struggled to wade into some metro Atlanta communities. For people who don’t know how to swim, the idea of being close to large bodies of water can be terrifying. And if parents don’t swim, there’s a good chance their children don’t either.
“The highest rate of death in children is a result of drowning,” Toller said.
This is the thinking behind the AWSC, a union of the YMCA of metro Atlanta, Atlanta Parks and Recreation, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and the Red Cross.
“We share our resources, and we come together and share ideas, and we use those ideas to help advocate for water safety,” said Atlanta Aquatics Director Marcus Byams. “Some people may have a fear of water, and we’re here to help them overcome those fears as well.”
That’s especially true for the area surrounding the Villages at Carver Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta.
“In those brown and black communities, the percentages of drownings have increased,” Byams said, echoing the NIH data.
Part of creating access is spreading the word, something addressed in the showing of the documentary, Drowning In Silence at the ‘Carver YMCA’ on Thursday night.
“The documentary sheds a light on a few families that have experienced drownings and the effects it had on their lives,” Byams explained.
The message is spreading. David Goldstein swims at the Carver YMCA five times per week and has seen the plan in action.
“You can tell each time the kids come they get more comfortable, and they really do a good job with their youth program, teaching kids to swim,” Goldstein said.
While the AWSC is barely six months old, the coalition has created an excellent jumping-in point to teach people to safely interact with 70% of the earth.
“We’re just getting started,” Toller said.
Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
The Best Vintage Shops in Atlanta
Vogue’s guide to the best vintage stores in Atlanta is part of our directory of the very best vintage around the world, curated by editors from all over. Whether you’re traveling and searching for some superb stores to visit on your trip or are curious about your local vintage treasure chests, Vogue’s directory has you covered.
Come to Atlanta for its southern charm and lush greenery, stay for its vintage. The Hollywood of the South has a lot more than on-set locations and an upcoming roster of FIFA World Cup games, and whether exploring shops along the Beltline, losing your voice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or itching for the eccentric pleasures of a roadside antique mall, these vintage gems make the journey to the A more than worth it.
Photo: Courtesy of The Clothing Warehouse
Dutch field pants, netted shirts, prairie dresses, and a floor-to-ceiling selection of cowboy boots are a few of the many goods awaiting your search at this Atlanta mainstay. Opened by Jim Buckley in 1992, the Clothing Warehouse now calls the hipster Little 5 Points home. Its redbrick exterior is hard to miss—head upstairs for womenswear and union-made dresses, then downstairs to a room of seriously color-coded tees—it’s likely you will find plenty of Atlanta history in the form of 1996 Summer Olympics shirts. Plus, its wholesale location is a 15-minute drive away in West Midtown, if you’re up for an afternoon dig.
Address: 420 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta
At the vintage and makers market Mother Lode, there’s something for every lover of old things. Founder Lindsay Short’s estate sale background is well-reflected in the shop’s range of garments, decor, and wares. Find 1930s beach pajamas beside bowling shirts and Edwardian tunics at Fellows Vintage’s booth, or ’60s wedding dresses that seem more Factory Girl than bride-to-be from Iron Pony. The hunt continues at Mother Lode’s sister location in college town Athens, which opened in 2023.
Address: 3429 Covington Hwy Ste B, Decatur
Monet Brewerton-Palmer first got her love for bridal from her grandmother, who was a shop seamstress. Then, after shopping for her own wedding dress in 2014 and ending up with four, her interest (and personal collection) only grew. Now, Brewerton-Palmer offers brides an array of dresses by Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Catherine Rayner, and more. Standout pieces include a 1959 one-of-one from Jacques Heim, a silk rose-covered Christian Dior for the romantic, and a fur-accented Muriel Martin for the nontraditionalist.
Atlanta, GA
Former Atlanta principal back at his old school as its new handyman:
Retirement did not last long for one Atlanta school principal.
After 10 years leading Burgess Peterson Academy, David White is back, and this time he’s making sure everything inside the school’s building runs smoothly.
White retired last September from being the school’s principal, but home didn’t suit him for long.
“I found myself really kind of lonely and disconnected,” White said. “I had lost my sense of community, for sure, so when this position became available, I kind of laughed because I used to say that it would be the perfect retirement job.”
White applied for the open site manager position and got the job. Now he enjoys being back in the same halls that bring him joy.
He is six weeks into the new job.
“I find myself now always looking to see if there are lights that are burned out, if there are issues that need to be addressed,” said White. “There’s always the need for touch-up painting, right? Because kids have dirty little hands, and they love to pick paint.”
During CBS News Atlanta’s visit, White was repairing a broken lightbulb in the boy’s bathroom.
“The light started flickering, like, just blinking off and on, and so of course the kids were saying it was haunted,” he said.
Around the school, his impact hasn’t faded.
Students and staff light up when they see him.
“It’s been really great to see their excitement to be here every day and to see Mr. White,” said principal Dr. Holly Brookins. “I really feel that having him back has added so much value to our community, and it’s really been a joyful thing for all of us.”
With a tool belt and new titles, White proves that no matter the role, some people never stop showing up for the places they love.
Atlanta, GA
APS bus struck by stray bullet in southwest Atlanta; 2 children injured, police say
A shooting in southwest Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon left a young man injured and sent glass flying inside an Atlanta Public Schools bus carrying children.
Atlanta Police say officers responded around 3:10 p.m. to a report of a person shot in the 2600 block of Campbellton Road SW.
When officers arrived, they found a 20-year-old man with an apparent gunshot wound. He was alert, conscious, and breathing when he was transported to the hospital.
As investigators began piecing together what happened, they discovered the violence had extended beyond the initial shooting scene.
Police say an Atlanta Public Schools bus was struck by a stray bullet during the incident, shattering one of its windows.
At the time, only the driver and two students were on board.
The children suffered minor scratches from the broken glass, according to police. The bus driver was not injured.
No further details have been released about the condition of the shooting victim or what led to the gunfire.
Atlanta Police say investigators with the Aggravated Assault Unit are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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