Georgia Magazine - September 2010 - (Page 9)

3/50 Project helps local businesses Everyone’s tired of hearing the phrase “in today’s economy,” but unfortunately, we’re still emerging from a recession. It turns out, though, that local businesses may still have hope. The 3/50 Project asks residents to pick three independently owned stores and spend a total of $50 a month there to support local businesses. The project started in March 2009 after Minnesota businesswoman Cinda Baxter, wrote a simple blog post proposing the idea of “picking three and spending $50.” Since then, thousands of nationwide supporters have joined her cause. Dozens of businesses in Georgia cities, including Monroe, Statesboro and Toccoa, have posted their signs in their windows. Toccoa’s Special Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby says the message is definitely growing in Toccoa. BeBud Sosebee of Sosebee’s Hot Dogs in Toccoa promotes the 3/50 Project in his take-out orders. From left,Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education President Michael A. Gerber and Association County Commissioners of Georgia Executive Director Ross King receive a check to help fund student internships from Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Gaining experience through internships Textbooks, studying and taking tests help in the educational process, but students who seek out valuable work opportunities in their field of study enrich their learning experience. The availability of student internships in county government offices around the state recently expanded this summer when the Georgia Department of Labor granted $250,000 to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia’s Georgia County Internship Program. More than 130 internships were available this past summer. We’ve had a tremendous response from county officials who are eager to hire an intern for projects in departments ranging from fire and emergency services and code enforcement, to community affairs and the tax commissioner’s office,” says ACCG Executive Director Ross King. “These students will not only put their knowledge to work, but they will better understand how local government works and become betterinformed citizens.” Fall positions are still available for undergraduate and graduate students. For more information on the Georgia County Internship Program, visit www.georgiacountyinternships.org. September 2010 fore, many residents would seek retail therapy at chains outside of town, but ways are changing. “People are becoming more aware that there’s good shopping downtown and that there are good options in our area,” she says. With the help of the 3/50 Project website, business owners can download promotional materials. For more on how to become a supporter or to donate to the 3/50 Project, visit the350project.com. —Sarah Bakhtiari Liberty notes Declaring and securing liberty In the July 2010 issue in “Viewpoint,” [page 5], Georgia EMC President/CEO Paul Wood suggested a program to educate citizens about our Constitution. “Liberty notes,” a regular highlight, will serve to fulfill this mission in the magazine. Sept. 17 is Constitution Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States. From mid-May 1787 until Sept. 17, 1787, 55 delegates gathered in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. Their purpose was to improve the Articles of Confederation, the previous system of government. But the delegates decided that the Articles were ineffective and a new model of government was needed. During summer 1787, they drafted the Constitution, which describes the structure and functions of our federal government, and replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution secures the rights that the Continental Congress More online at www.georgiamagazine.org first recognized in the Declaration of Independence, which set forth key principles for the new nation: “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. … That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The Constitution continued the declaration’s progress toward selfgovernment by establishing a system to protect personal freedoms, or, as the Preamble to the Constitution states, to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” For more about the drafting of the Constitution, see page 70C of the September digital edition online at www.georgiamagazine.org. —Jim Jess 9 CITY OF TOCCOA http://www.the350project.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiacountyinternships.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2010

Georgia Magazine - September 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This!
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
A Fast Track to the Airwaves
Crossing Cultures
Georgia's First Botanical Garden
The 2010 Washington Youth Tour
Higher Education in Georgia
Around Georgia
Travel Guide
My Georgia
Georgia@Home
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - September 2010