.MTU0OQ.MTU0OQ
Economic • pp,ortun1ty Atlanta 101 Mari etta Screec Bldg . o r\clanca, Georgia 30303 • ~ Telephone: 525-4 262 T . M. P arham Contact: Execut i ve Administrator Mrs . Mitche l l For immediate r elease April 9, 1969 Cities acr o ss the countr y are planning programs similar to the START NOW ATLAN'I'A c ampaign launched January 10 by Economic Opp ortunity At l anta , Inc . to involve more citLzens in the war against poverty. One city of f icial wrote, "In Phoer.. i :'.: (Arizona ) we are very enthu s i asti c about thi s· program and hope -f:ho.t we wil.l be ab.I J to follow in y our foo "- steps to work out a similar pro9-rc1J", foL· o ur city • II Mi ami , florid2 already h as initiated
3..
s im i lar program a ~1.<l
other citj2s have requested info ~nation .
.:-: i.~ce START NOW ATLANTA was launched t hree m J ,.th s ago, 2 , 2 7
·;
peo9le have taken poverty area tours led by the poor and EOA hRs
i.c~ u.ir ed t he services o f 374 volunteers .
The 2, 00 0th person to take t -1e tours l ed by the poor was
Mrs. Bill Curry , wif e of the Ba ltimore Colt s football star , who
was presented with a certificate b y Vice Mayor Sam Masse ll in
Vine City on March 29.
EOA continue s to receive dai l y r equ es t s from p eop l e who wi s h
to take the tou·rs or volunt eer the ir ti rne .
�- 2 -•:,
The START NOW ATL..A.NTA progr am was initiat2d for the hundreds
of Atiantans who have asked "How can I find out what needs to be
done and what can I do?"
The prograni offers t wo phases, one 1 the tours led b y 23 poverty
area residents called Volunteer Information People, or V.I.P. 1 s,
and the other a volunteer program.
The poor wanted to lead the tours because, as one said,
11
W2 1 re. tired of people coming through here shaking their head ::.
. ._ about
i.
1.e rats and g arbage and nasty shack s and not seeing us.
We' :.·e people too and we've done a
lot to he .i.p curselves."
Indic at ions are that the tours are really :..wo-way streets;
as one V.I.P. put it,
Those
t :i....··5.ri':..·
"They learn from us and we learn fro m \ ·:;m,
11
t h e tours are you ng , middl e aqed, old.
tour b y foot , by c a r, b:· : u s.
1'hey are lawyers , busin.es s ri12n,
doctors, social workers, clul, ,Jome n, church members ,
journa li "s ts,
visito rs to Atlanta, i..he -;- l_ready concerned, and those not- .-:oo-sure'
.
about-it-all.
They come i n g~eatest number from Me tropolitan
/
'
I
i
Atlanta, but also from various p arts o f the United States and / from
countries o ver the wor ld.
I
The 374 volunteers are working in a variety of projects, ineluding story hours, adult literacy classes, tutorial progr am s,
marionette shows, horticulture classes and legislative action.
�-3- ~
In addition, . four white churche s hav e formed partnerships
with black churches, 20 college fra t ernities are working in
volunteer projects and some 200 colleg e students are conducting
a comprehensive consumer survey in one low-income area.
To volunteer, to arrange a tour for individuals or groups;
or to get a speake r or a panel, call 525-4262.
\\
I
I
I
�
