S I M P LY NOW
LOCAL SALUTE BY:
Mickey Goodman
Surrounded by a Who’s Who list of Atlantans, Charlie Loudermilk cuts the ribbon to open the park named in his honor.
Bells for Buckhead A pocket park’s clock chimes a welcome At 87, Sandy Springs resident Charlie Loudermilk is an Atlanta treasure. After borrowing $500 in 1955, he founded the Aaron’s rent-to-own furniture chain and built it into a $2 billion nationwide chain of 1,985 stores. But what really gives him “treasure” status is that along his road to success, he donated millions to various nonprofits in Atlanta and worked tirelessly to revitalize the Buckhead community and the city. To honor his years of service, the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), in partnership with the City of Atlanta and Livable Buckhead, celebrated the reopening of the Charlie Loudermilk Park at the triangle where Peachtree Road, Roswell Road and Sardis Way intersect. “I’ve always felt that Buckhead needed an identifying object, and I’m very honored that the park was named for me,” Loudermilk says. “As an alumnus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, I always admired the Morehead-Patter-
son clock tower and felt that a replica would be the perfect landmark.” Loudermilk got his wish. A smaller version of the famous UNC clock tower stands at the northern end, and a water feature on the Peachtree side provides ambient noise to mask the sounds of traffic. “We hope the combination of hardscapes and landscape, tables and benches will help knit together the public and private sectors and become a gathering place,” says Jim Durrett, executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District. Dignitaries who attended the rededication of the park included Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and members of the City Council, as well as iconic builder John Portman, community leaders and Loudermilk’s family. l To provide input on the sound/ times of the chimes, “like” Buckhead Community Improvement District on Facebook.
Mary Katherine Colbath, Pine Tree Garden Club president, and resident Dossie Gates plant flowers at the entrance of A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehab.
Digging in the Dirt Horticulture is oldest prescribed therapy Mary Katherine Colbath, Pine Tree Garden Club president, loves to get down and dirty in the garden. So do the 22 members of the Buckhead group who have been helping beautify senior residences since 1998. “We work under the guidance of Kirk Hines, a registered horticultural therapist, at A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehabilitation Centers,” Colbath says. “He designs the gardens and we donate funds to purchase the plants and assist residents as they plant the raised beds and pots at the entry.” According to Hines, one of only three registered horticultural therapists practicing in the Atlanta metro area, garden therapy is beneficial for both long- and short-term residents. “In addition to helping with mobility, working in the garden also alleviates depression, stimulates the
senses and encourages sociability.” There is even a wheelchairaccessible greenhouse at A.G. Rhodes on the Wesley Woods campus for year-round use. The husbands of Pine Tree members have gotten in on the action by building raised beds to make gardening more manageable for residents in wheelchairs and for those with mobility issues. Members assist in the planting at least twice a year and help maintain the Rhodes’ garden throughout the year. “Beautifying the space is very rewarding for members and pleasing to visitors,” says past president Frances St. John Childs. “We also enjoy interacting with the residents and have come to know some of them very well.” l For more information, visit agrhodes.org.
Following a Family Tradition Three generations volunteer at the Center for the Visually Impaired Kelly Garges of Buckhead is not just a figurehead on the board of the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI); he’s very hands-on, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, H. Kelly, who was one of the organization’s founders, and his father, Douglas, who serves on the trustee board. “The CVI is a Garges family tradition,” says Kelly Garges, a producer at Johnson & Bryan Risk Management and Insurance Brokerage Services. “I especially enjoy working with school kids in the ‘STARS’ program, like Julius Lindsey, whom I took
striper fishing on the Chattahoochee River. The minute I met him, I knew he was special,” he says. “Julius is one of 100 children age 5 to 21 with vision impairment served by CVI’s ‘STARS’ program—the only non-residential program for schoolaged kids in Georgia,” explains Helene Erenberg, senior director of development at CVI. “Ninety-five percent complete high school.” Year-round services teach people of all ages and degrees of vision loss—from newborns to seniors (and their caregivers)—how to navigate
a sighted world. Each year, the True Blue Do special event raises funds to support vital programs for approximately 5,000 clients annually. This year’s fundraiser took place on May 14 at the Buckhead Theatre. For the second consecutive year, Garges served on the planning committee, following in the footsteps of his parents. All proceeds benefitted CVI, the largest organization of its kind in Georgia serving people of all ages.
Center for Visually Impaired board member Kelly Garges and Julius Lindsey show off their fishing prowess.
l For more information, visit cviga.org.
June 2015 | Simply Buckhead
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