Volunteers Gear Up For Projects To Make a 'Better Sandy Springs'

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Hundreds of dedicated residents will spend half of their Saturday giving back to their community.

Leadership Sandy Springs will host Volunteer for a Better Sandy Springs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 25.

Incoming LSS Executive Director Jan Paul, who currently oversees the VBSS program, is excited about the possibilities for making needed upgrades to local nonprofits, government establishments and public schools that don’t have the manpower or funding to get it done.

Last year, about $425,000 in improvements were made throughout the community.

With just days to go before the big event, at which LSS hopes to engage 500 volunteers (350 are presently assigned), the to-do list has been compiled; tools, plants and landscaping materials are ordered; supplies are secured; food, drinks and t-shirts are ready for distribution.

“It is exciting to see the impact that the annual VBSS Day has had on the community and how it has grown since started in 2002,” said current LSS Executive Director Carolyn Axt, who will retire in June. “One of the best aspects, aside from the work that gets accomplished, is seeing individuals get hooked on volunteering and continue their involvement beyond this one day of service. Families and groups working together to create a better community is terrific.”

At 8 a.m. sharp, a free breakfast and T-shirts will be provided to the first 500 participants at North Springs Charter High School, which is at 7447 Roswell Road.

Walk-ins are welcome, but registering guarantees the T-shirt and breakfast. Following Mayor Rusty Paul’s inspirational rally, volunteers will disperse to the 21 work sites, some of which still need volunteers to complete the planned tasks.

Invite your friends and family to join in the projects. Sites are listed on the LSS website and those interested can register now on LSS’s website.

“Our event organizers have an unrivaled commitment to continuously improve our community that originated with our city founder Eva Galambos,” said Dave Flynn, a class of 2012 alumni, owner of CrossFit Perimeter and chair of the VBSS committee. “We will certainly have her memory in our thoughts as we hold our most impactful VBSS day ever.”

There will be a selfie contest on the day of the event, for a prize of a $100 gift certificate from Hammock’s Trading Company, for the best, most creative photo submitted through the Leadership Sandy Springs’ Facebook page.

“We’re on, rain or shine,” Paul concludes. “VBSS is what it means to be a community – residents, nonprofits and corporate citizens coming together to make Sandy Springs a better place to live and work. Come celebrate Earth Day with us! Stay tuned for updates on the VBSS or LSS Facebook page.”

For more information, email communications@leadershipsandysprings.org.

Photo: Lake Forest Elementary School Principal Harvey Oaxaca and Wakeeta Rosser, Senior Community Relations Coordinator of VBSS location sponsor Gas South join LSS Class of 2015 member and Gas South employee Alice Clark at the work site. Credit: Leadership Sandy Springs.