🌱 City Leader's Retreat + Sunshine on a Ranney Day + 911 Career Fair

Hello, friends! It's me, Jessica Griffin, your host of the Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in town, including...

• New program for Fulton County teachers
• Celebrate the Groveway Community Group
• Councilmember Beeson's new position

Today's newsletter is sponsored by the Hernandez Group at Keller Williams

Meet a local husband-and-wife real estate team with over a hundred 5-star reviews on Zillow.

It’s not easy getting raves these days — let alone 125 of them.

But here’s a sampling of what Roxie and Michael Hernandez’s clients say about them:

• "Second to none. Roxie Hernandez did an excellent job." - 25 year real estate veteran and ReMax Hall of Fame member
• “Responsive, caring, trustworthy and knowledgeable”
• “Absolutely awesome real estate professionals”
• “I felt that I had a very trustworthy coach behind me at all times.”
• “Amazing! Highly recommended. Extremely loyal, patient and hard workers.”

We could go on — and on — or you could just read the reviews yourself.

How do Roxie and Michael turn so many clients into fans? 28 years of experience in the Atlanta market doesn’t hurt. Nor does their expertise in staging, negotiating and financing.

But mostly it’s this: they care about clients. They take pride in being the best, working the hardest and making sure clients feel they have a true partner and ally as they navigate one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.

Want to speak to these local gems? Contact The Hernandez Group today.

Now, today's weather:

Times of clouds and sun. High: 67 Low: 49.

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Here are the top three stories today in Roswell:

1. Sunshine on a Ranney Day is accepting applications from families who are in need of a wheelchair-accessible bathroom, a customized bedroom, or for an in-home therapy room. Sunshine on a Ranney Day renovates homes for children with special needs. Due to their partnerships and donations, this nonprofit organization has completed 73 wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, 114 dream bedrooms and 41 in-home therapy rooms since 2012. More information and the applications are found on their website. (Paywall: ajc.com)
2. The school board for Fulton County has voted unanimously to proceed with the third edition of a program that is created to hone an instructor’s ability to teach reading. The program is called The Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling program. Teachers will be trained on the "'five essential pillars of reading,' phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension." The program will cost about $1.48 million to implement. (appenmedia.com)
3. Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson, that staff leadership team, and the city council just came back from a four-day retreat in Alabama. They discussed strategic planning for economic development, zero-based budgeting, and other important subjects regarding Roswell's future. They also shared in some teambuilding activities. The mayor said that "this retreat gave us an opportunity to get our leaders in one place, to collectively reset, refocus, and have meaningful discussions about Roswell's future and how we can better serve our community." They also met with the mayor of Auburn, Alabama and toured the new Public Safety Facility. (roswellgov.com)

Today in Roswell:

• Inspired: A Student Art Exhibit - Roswell City Hall (8:00 AM)
• Roswell Fine Arts Alliance Exhibition - Chattahoochee Nature Center (10:00 AM)
• Valentine's Day Celebration - Pure Roswell (12:00 PM)
• AARP Free Tax Preparation - Roswell Library (12:00 PM)
• Titanic in ( 3-D) Valentine's Day Showing - Aurora Cineplex (1:30 PM)
• Admin & Finance & Recreation & Parks Committee Meeting - City Hall (5:00 PM)
• Public Safety & Public Works Committee Meeting - City Hall (5:00 PM)
• Spread the Love Flower and Candle Making - Pinkies Up Beer and Wine (6:00 PM)
• Valentine's Day Wine Dinner - Deep Roots Wine Market (6:30 PM)
• Board of Zoning Appeals Regular Meeting (7:00 PM)
• Team Trivia - Houck's Grille (7:00 PM)
• Music Bingo - Rock N' Taco Roswell (7:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• City of Roswell, Georgia: The Groveway Community Group is a neighborhood organization for African Americans in Roswell and has a deep and intricate history with the city. The group was founded by the African American citizens of Roswell in 1943. It created a space to discuss Roswell's cultural disparities, to develop solutions to those issues, and to give a "voice" to the community. On the afternoon of February 19, the Groveway Community Group will present "Telling Our Story" at the Pleasant Hill Community Center. (City of Roswell, Georgia via Instagram)
• City of Roswell Councilmember, Sarah Z. Beeson: Councilmember Beeson announced that she will be the council's Liaison to Public Safety. She will be working with Police Chief Conroy and Fire Chief Pennino to aid Roswell's first responders and uphold public safety in the community. (Sarah Z. Beeson via Twitter)
• Roswell Police Department: Roswell's 911 Career Fair is this week. This position with the Emergency Communications Division, requires one to dispatch services for the Public Safety personnel. If you or someone you know are interested in becoming a first responder, come to the career fair on Wednesday, February 15 or Saturday, February 18. (Roswell Police Department via Facebook)
• Keep Roswell Beautiful: The city has new street lights that are powered by solar energy on Scott Road in East Roswell. These lights use renewable energy and will make safety better along this road for pedestrians. (Keep Roswell Beautiful via Instagram)
• Roswell Inc: The next Virtual Coffee Connect for Roswell Inc will be on the morning of February 24. Join this free online event, it's a wonderful way to meet business owners in Roswell. (Roswell Inc via Facebook)

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That's it for today. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Jessica Griffin

About me: My name is Jessica Griffin and I am a native of Roswell, Georgia. I have been in the Roswell-Alpharetta community for over 30 years. As a native "Roswellian", I embody, participate, and support all things local. Community is at the core of all of us, and I aim to convey the collectiveness and unity that should be promoted and celebrated throughout our community. Being a mother, a writer, a student of history, and the arts are my passions.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Roswell Patch newsletter? Contact me at Roswell@Patch.com