Inside City Hall: Golfers gather to support youth scholarships

To raise money for the city’s long-time youth scholarship program, Mayor Andre Dickens hosted a golf tournament last week where he and more than 100 other golfers grabbed their clubs and descended on Brown’s Mill Golf Course.

The 2023 Mayor’s Cup Golf Tournament was a fundraiser for the Mayor’s Youth Scholarship Program which has provided financial aid for students pursuing post-secondary education. According to the city, the program helped 125 students this year.

“This is an investment in the young people that are so critical to our city,” Dickens said. “And so that’s why I want Atlanta to be the best place to raise a child in the United States.”

The first-term mayor has dubbed this year the ‘Year of the Youth’ where he’s focused on increasing youth support from the city and curbing youth crime. It included initiatives such as the Midnight Basketball program — which we’ve learned will expand with a women’s league next year.

“The announcement of the year to youth gave people a common goal which was to raise a village together,” Dickens said.

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The mayor’s schedule is almost always packed with meetings — from check-ins with his top staff to a weekly call with his pastor. We have been requesting his monthly schedules, to try to keep up.

Last month we noticed a special guest squeezed in: a meeting with one of President Joe Biden’s senior advisors.

Dickens met with Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu on Aug. 29. Landrieu oversees implementation of Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure spending package passed in 2021. When we reached out to a mayor’s spokesperson to hear what the pair talked about, he said:

“The meeting with President Biden’s Senior Advisor Mitch Landrieu was broadly about policy and how the White House and City can partner together on infrastructure, housing, transportation and other initiatives — made possible by our other Federal partners like Senator Ossoff, Senator Warnock and Congresswoman Williams.”

But we can’t help but wonder if anything else came up in conversation — like Atlanta’s disappointing loss of the Democratic National convention to Chicago, or Dickens role on the Biden-Harris reelection campaign advisory board.

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Atlanta City Council member Jason Winston is hosting his first annual diaper drive to help Atlanta families who are struggling financially. All items collected will go directly to families in need.

“As the father of young girls, I know how expensive it is to raise a child,” Winston said in a statement. “I am urging all Atlantans to contribute, either by dropping off supplies or donating online.”

The goal, he said, is to collect 4,000 items.

You can contribute diapers or other baby supplies online until Wednesday, Sept. 27 by purchasing diapers at Gooddler.com/Wishlist/10495.

You can also drop off donations at any of the seven businesses listed below until Thursday, Sept. 21:

Squash Blossom Boutique, 519 Memorial Drive SE Suite B-01

Community Grounds, 1297 McDonough Boulevard SE

Black Coffee ATL, 1800 Jonesboro Road SE

3 Parks Wine Shop, 451 Bill Kennedy Way SE, Suite C

Grant Park Coffeehouse, 337 Georgia Avenue SE

The Nest, 1040 Grant Street SE No. 600

Red’s Beer Garden, 1328 Boulevard SE

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Lastly, one important note from Wilborn:

This is my last contribution to Inside City Hall. After nearly three years, I’m leaving the AJC for a new journalism opportunity.

God’s grace has given me amazing opportunities to learn and share about the experiences and communities that make Atlanta special. I’m grateful to y’all for trusting me to tell your stories.

As for City Hall, you’re in more than capable hands with Riley. Her transparency and tenacity for the truth exemplifies the AJC’s mission. May she continue to grow in wisdom, and may you all continue to help her serve Atlanta with honor.