Welcoming Week comes to Brookhaven Sept. 13-22

Brookhaven, GA, Sept. 9, 2019 – The City of Brookhaven will join other municipalities across the state, and the world, to observe Welcoming Week 2019 on Sept. 13-22. The event is part of a growing movement of communities across the world who recognize that being a welcoming community for all makes everyone stronger economically, socially and culturally.

The observance was founded by Welcoming America and is aimed at showing how communities welcome everyone, from every background and demographic. “Together we can help make Brookhaven the kind of place where diverse people from around the world feel valued and want to put down roots,” said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst.

In 2018, there were over 2,000 events in 400 communities during Welcoming Week, with more than 80,000 people participating and over 14 million social media impressions. This year, a series of activities have been coordinated to reflect Brookhaven’s “can do” spirit and celebrate the spirit and vitality of our community:

• Sept. 13 – at 11 a.m. residents are invited to the groundbreaking for the new Public Safety Building along the Peachtree Creek Greenway (PCG), the latest example of the City’s commitment to continued growth and safety for residents.
• Sept. 13 – Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) has two outstanding new art exhibits open. A Route Campagne: Impressionist Works from the Melamed Family will open in The Shelley and Donald Rubin Gallery featuring more than 35 original works of art by artists such as Bonnard, Boudin, Cezanne, Chagall, Corot, Matisse, Montezin, Pissaro and Renoir, among others. Also opening is OUMA Collects: Selections from the Permanent Collection highlighting selected works including new acquisitions of works by Romare Bearden and Raphael Soyer plus a diverse collection ranging from 14^th Century Japanese sculpture to contemporary abstract works from the 21^st Century. Both exhibits run until Dec. 15. The museum is located at Lowry Hall, 3^rd Floor, 4484 Peachtree Road. NE. Open Tues.-Sun. from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, free for children under 12.
• Sept. 14 – from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Brookhaven residents will gather at the PCG for a Volunteer Clean-up Day as a prelude to Phase 1 of the greenway’s official opening later this year. The effort is part of the Cowart Family YMCA’s “Days of Service” initiative.
• Sept. 15 – Independence Day for Mexico and Central American countries will be celebrated at an event held at Plaza Fiesta, 4166 Buford Hwy NE starting at noon. Although this is not a City of Brookhaven event, BPD officers will be there to provide community outreach. The BPD officers will talk with attendees, alongside other officers from neighboring cities, and stress that they should feel comfortable reporting crime, calling 911, and reaching out to police officers when in need. 
• Sept. 15 – from 1-4 p.m., artists of all ages and skill levels are invited to the annual “Paint the Park” event at Blackburn Park Pavillion, 3493 Ashford Dunwoody Road. The free event was created to illustrate the importance of civic art and winning pieces will be put on public display. Art supplies and paper will be provided.
• Sept. 18 – international and American food fare is on the menu at the Brookhaven Food Truck Rally scheduled for Blackburn Park from 6-9 p.m. Be sure to stop by the City tent nearby to learn about local events and ways to become involved.
• Sept. 19 – Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst will host a Town Hall Meeting at the Latin American Association, 2750 Buford Hwy NE., from 6-7 p.m. The topic will focus on inclusion and diversity in the City of Brookhaven.
• Sept. 21 – OUMA/Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day offers museum visitors free admission using tickets that will be available online. For that one day, complimentary tickets for two people may be printed or presented on a smartphone.   

“The observance demonstrates that in places, large and small, rural and urban, people of all backgrounds can come together to create stronger, thriving communities,” added Ernst. “It is a time to celebrate the values that unite us as neighbors, parents and colleagues and to make our city more welcoming to newcomers and to everyone who calls Brookhaven home.”

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Welcoming America is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization leading a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone who lives there know they belong. 

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