{"242451":{"#nid":"242451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Westside Communities Alliance Honored by Washington Park Community","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat a difference seven months can make. In February, Christi Jackson demanded more attention from the Westside Communities Alliance (WCA) for the Washington Park neighborhood. \u0026nbsp;On\u0026nbsp;September 14, The Conservancy at Historic Washington Park presented its inaugural \u201cExcellence in Leadership\u201d award to the WCA.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This year, the WCA has stepped up to become a true resource for the entire Historic Washington Park\u0026nbsp;District,\u201d said Jackson, who is executive director of The Conservancy. \u201cWhether it is providing technical assistance or volunteers, we rely on the expertise provided by our growing association with the WCA. Ultimately, the Westside Communities Alliance helps us be successful as an organization.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe brainchild of Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline J. Royster, part of WCA\u0027s core mission is coordination and communication among communities. Since Jackson\u2019s appeal last February, the WCA has connected Washington Park leadership with other neighborhood organizations and resources.\u0026nbsp; The result has been more robust participation and impact for Washington Park initiatives. \u0026nbsp;For example, at the Jody Brooks Memorial Movie in the Park, international athlete Qiana Martin hosted the first Pop Up + Play event, where neighborhood youth learned soccer skills. This collaboration came about through introductions by the WCA.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESheri Davis-Faulkner in the Ivan Allen College dean\u2019s office is Community Liaison for the WCA. \u201cThis is what the WCA\u0026nbsp;does: \u0026nbsp;We facilitate these kinds of connections and provide expertise and volunteers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough the WCA, Georgia Tech is involved in several Washington Park projects: a design studio led by Herman Howard in the College of Architecture; a white paper on the re-use of the historic E.R. Carter school that is\u0026nbsp;being developed collaboratively with IAC advisory board member, Haywood Solomon; and a neighborhood canvassing project and a playground clean-up with student volunteers from the Georgia Tech Office of Minority Educational Development--an event that served as a catalyst for a community grant from Park Pride.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe WCA is excited about the next stages of the relationship with Washington Park as a full and active partner in the Alliance,\u201d said Davis-Faulkner. \u201cThis kind of relationship is what we strive for, because this is how, together, we can do better as a community.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhat a difference seven months can make. In February, Christi Jackson demanded more attention from the Westside Communities Alliance (WCA) for the Washington Park neighborhood. \u0026nbsp;On\u0026nbsp;September 14, The Conservancy at Historic Washington Park presented its inaugural \u201cExcellence in Leadership\u201d award to the WCA.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27889","created_gmt":"2013-10-03 13:52:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:00","author":"Beth Godfrey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-10-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"242441":{"id":"242441","type":"image","title":"WCA","body":null,"created":"1449243704","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:41:44","changed":"1475894916","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:36","alt":"WCA","file":{"fid":"197819","name":"img_3487.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_3487_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/img_3487_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2069775,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/img_3487_0.jpg?itok=X30ZUVqG"}}},"media_ids":["242441"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}