After a long fight with the Family Dollar Corporation about reinvesting in our community and acknowledging our purchasing power, our neighborhood school Beecher Hills Elementary has taken a proactive approach to this concept.  This year Beecher Hills Elementary kicked off their 1st Annual Christmas Tree Sale!  They will be featuring Premium Frasier Fir trees ranging from 5-15 ft. with incredibly competitive pricing.
This is huge simply because so many of our community members have an opportunity to make a direct impact on our neghborhood by simply purchasing this years Christmas tree from our children, for our children.  The children have set their goal to sell 500 trees in the 1st year.  Additionally, in the spirit of giving and the holidays, they have implemented the Give- A-Tree initiative.  35-50 families will receive a tree as a gift on behalf of their Tree Angel.   In order to accomplish such a lofty goal, they have asked that the community members, business owners, churches, banks, teachers, residents, and advocates for Intown Cascade pitch in.  
As a Concerned Neighbor, I am enthusiatic about the priveledge to not only purchase a tree myself but to also encourage our local bank managers and immediate neighbors to do the same.   I applaud Beecher Hills Elementary for creating an empowering opportunity for Intown Cascade families.  I am sure Home Depot, Family Dollar, Lowe's, or Ace Hardware will not miss your Chistmas Tree money this year.   This is easier than waiting on Family Dollar to reinvest in our community!  

HOW CAN YOU HELP BEECHER HILLS ELEMENTARY?
1. Encourage your Neighbors, Family, Friends & Co-Workers to purchase their Christmas tree from the school this year.

2. Become a Tree Angel & purchase a 5-6 ft. tree ($55) for a deserving family (a tax deduction is available for your contribution.)

3. Make a donation to the Beecher Hills Foundation.

4. If you usually have an artificial tree, make a difference in your community today and purchase a live tree this year for yourself or someone else!

For additional information, you can send an email to Liza@Beecherhillsfoundation.Org or simply visit www.BeecherHillsFoundation.Org. 

This weekend InTown Cascadians will have an opportunity to celebrate our neighborhood schools, organizations & schools that feed to Mays High School in this Saturday's fall festival and parade down Benjamin E. Mays Drive.

The parade—sponsored by Councilmen C.T. Martin & Lamar Wills- Mays High School and Embracing Mays Community and Cluster Schools (EMC2)—begins at 10 a.m. at Hoosier Memorial United Methodist Church, 2545 Benjamin E. Mays Drive, and ends at Mays High School, 3450 Benjamin E. Mays Drive.

The sponsors will host a cluster pep rally at 11 a.m. on the Mays track followed by a Mays High homecoming tailgate party at noon. Participants are also invited to join Young Middle School for their annual fall festival.

Embracing Mays Community and Cluster Schools (EMC2) was formed by parents in the Mays Cluster concerned about the negative perception of local public schools in southwest Atlanta. Emc2 joined with Councilman C.T. Martin and Mays to coordinate this kick-off event to foster a more positive energy in our community about public education.

Bring the children and enjoy the festivities!  There will be vendors, obstacle course bouncers, music, & mostl importantly your neighbors!

If you have questions or need more information, email info@emc2now.com or call 404-849-1916      .

Our friend, Caleb, from WhatNowAtlanta.com has reported that Family Dollar is spending roughly $750k to build a new store at 2324 Cascade Rd.

The report states that this is part of a larger expansion that Family Dollar is completing throughout the country, after seeing large profits the past year.

But, do residents want or think we need a Family Dollar in the middle of Cascade Road, near Benjamin E. Mays?  There is already one near West End Mall, and some believe these stores bring crime with them.

One of our Cascade Patch readers sent me a personal email in opposition to another Family Dollar, instead she would rather see a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's...

Cascade Patch: June 25, 2012
Be sure to read the comments and see what other residents have to say about it....