Box 18, Folder 21, Document 5

Box 18, Folder 21, Document 5

VOLUME I NUMBER 35 March 3, 1967

NEIGHBORS RAISE TUITION FOR SIX

Six unemployed, unskilled women are taking an Industrial Power Sewing
class at Hoke Smith Technical School. Their neighbors, advisory com-
mittee members for Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc's., Price Neigh-
borhood Service Center, raised the money to send them.

The EOA-Price Citizens Neighborhood Advisory Council, collected $250.00
to send the women to school. Neighborhood businesses, civic organiza-
tions and churches contributed $50.00. One church, the Mt. Nebo Bap-
tist Church, where Rev. P. J. Dotson is pastor, contributed $100.00.

An anonymous donor contributed another $100.00.

One of the biggest problems in the Price area is that of finding em-
ployment for the unskilled woman.

Geoffrey Heard, Acting Director of the EOA-Price Neighborhood Service
Center said, “During the month of December, our Center received over
twenty-six requests for trained female power machine operators from five
local manufacturing companies. Our unemployed women were not trained.

When we were unable to fill these requests, which would have helped so
many of the needy women in our area, we realized that something just
had to be done."

Mr. Heard presented the problem to the residents of the community at
the December meeting of the Price Citizens Neighborhood Advisory Coun-
cil. The Citizens Neighborhood Advisory Council Manpower Committee
decided to launch the fund raising project.

The Committee, realizing that records kept at the Center are confiden-
tial, requested the Center's Social Service and Manpower Departments
to select six persons to pioneer the project, from their list of un-
employed females.

They further requested that the applicants be screened to find the
most needy women, who had some sewing abilities and who had been most
persistent in their job seeking efforts.

On the basis of these requirements, six women were selected: Mesdames
Minnie L. Colbert, Catrean Fountain, Noble Grey, Sadie Parham, Eula
Mae Williams and Dorothy Wortham.

The Committee gave each woman twenty-six dollars; twenty-one dollars
for tuition and five dollars for sewing equipment such as scissors,
tape measurers, and hem liners.

The six women themselves suggested to the group that the funds be made
a "revolving fund." They plan to replace the money when they complete
the course and get jobs, thereby allowing others to have the same
opportunity.


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The twelve week course started on January 3rd and will run until March
28th. Classes are held’from 9 a.m: to 3 p.m., five days per week.
Another class is scheduled to start in the spring. The Committee
hopes to have at least ten enroiled in it.

Financial assistance is not the only help these women have received.

The Price staff has also been successful in finding part-time employ=—
ment for them. Several are working as domestics and the others have
jobs as cafeteria workers.

Most of ‘the women are either separated or divorced from their hus-
bands. Each has at least three children. The women had to have some
type of employment while they went to school to sustain themselves
and their families.

They say they don't mind the hard schedule now because soon they'll
be making a much better living.

"TI feel wonderful. I don't have no kind of training and riow I'll be
able to make something of myself," said a member of the class, Mrs.
Eula Mae Williams.

Another member, Mrs. Minnie L. Colbert, said, "I'm just so happy. All
I can say is that I never knew my neighbors were so nice and would do

something like this for me."

Members of the EOA-Price Neighborhood Service Center Manpower Committee
are:

Melvin Barnes - George Brumfield

Robert Barnes James Dean

Rev. O. L. Blackshear, J. T. Fagan, Director
Chairman ' Manpower - Price

Thomas Goosby ’ Alfred Kimpson

Lewis Newell . Melbo Peek

Henry Phipps L. D. Simon

Henry Whiteside | James Willis

Rey. H. RK.» Green - » Rev. W. A. Jacobs
S. H. McCrary iM i

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THIS WEEK AT EOA

MARCH: 6: Mr. C.O. Emmerich will attend the National Association of
Community Development in New York.

MARCH 8: Mr. C.O. Emmerich will speak at the St. Anne's Episcopal
Church, 8:00 p.m.

MARCH 9: Mrs. Gloria Gross will speak to the Board of Women's Work
of the Presbyterian Church of the United States about EOA.

MARCH 15; Mrs. Doris Bridges will meet with a committee from St.
Mark Church to discuss a volunteer child care project.

Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc., will
hold its first Annual Meeting at the Riviera Motor Hotel,

1200 p.m. .
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NORTHWEST ~PERRY :

PRICE:

VISTA:

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STAFF NOTES

A program to pay tribute to local community leaders
is being sponsored by the Extension Area Department
March 12th, at 4:30 p.m., at William Scott Elemen-
tary School. The Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference will be
guest speaker. Everyone is invited. -

A meeting of community residents was held at the
Price Center on March lst to discuss the recently
proposed Comprehensive Health Program. Members of
the Emory University Medical staff, participants
in the proposal, led the discussion. They were
Dr. Thomas Sellers, Jr., Mrs. June Gray, and Dr.
William Marine.

Mr. J. T. Fagan, former Manpower Director, has been
promoted to Assistant Manpower Coordinator for EOA.
Mr. F. A. Humphries will take his place at Price.

One of the Price community block clubs, Area Block
2 B, from the Carver Homes area, received first
place honors for table decorations and originality
at the Martha Washington Tea, February 26th. The
Tea was sponsored by the Red Feather Clubs of the
area. Mrs. Nettie Bennett heads Block 2 B.

Mrs. Jean Feldman, VISTA Volunteer working at the
Antoine Graves Center, has sent out a call for
help. Since recreation funds were cut she has few
supplies. The Center has four sewing machines, but
her class need NEEDLES, THREAD, PINS and MATERIAL.

If your club or church would like to help Mrs. Feld-
man with her project, please call her at 577-1793.

DOES YOUR CENTER HAVE NEWS? CALL VIRGINIA BROWN, 525-4262, ext., 39-
40, OR MAIL TO MRS. BROWN AT 101 MARIETTA STREET, N. W., BY 10:00 a.m.,
THURSDAY OF EACH WEEK.