🌱 Asbury Memorial Church Vow Renewals + Homelessness Bill Pushback

Good morning, everybody! It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Patch newsletter. Let's get this Saturday started off right, with a quick review of the most important things happening in town these days.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and cooler. High: 60 Low: 44.

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Here are the top three stories in Savannah today:

1. Asbury Memorial Church held its annual vow renewal ceremony on Valentine's Day. This year's event was particularly special, as the newly independent church was able to celebrate LGBTQ+ partnerships as well, following its split from the United Methodist Church. This ceremony was free to all and has taken place since 1996. (WJCL News Savannah)
2. A new Senate bill that would designate areas for homeless camps in counties and cities concerns Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, given its potential to criminalize homelessness. CoCo Gunthrie-Papy of the nonprofit Deep Center, who works with homeless youth, also raised concerns about having people from different walks of life (age, sobriety, etc.) in one location. Savannah Chatham Authority for the Homeless indicated that the county has the second highest homeless rate in Georgia; therefore, Savannah representatives are asking for “more transitional housing, more safe shelters” and the chance to "be creative and deal with the issues as it relates to our particular city.” Senator Summers, who brought forth the bill, said these negative impacts are not his intent and plans to change it. (WTOC)
3. Fundraising for the 15th annual Dancing with the Savannah Stars is open, and each dancer's profile is now available to view. Professional dancers are paired with a local "Savannah Star" to compete and raise $15,000 for Brightside Child and Family Advocacy, which supports children in foster care. The event will be held on Thursday, Apr. 20, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Victory North. More information and links to donation pages can be found here. (WSAV-TV)

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Today in Savannah:

• Savannah Black Heritage Festival At Various Venues In Savannah (8:00 AM)
• JLS Fit Kids Fest 2023 At Savannah Children's Museum (1:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Bruce Molsky will be playing at the Savannah Music Festival on Mar. 30-31. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here. (Savannah Music Festival via Instagram)
• Early registration for the Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance Camp is open through Mar. 15. Click here to secure your early bird rate. (Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance via Facebook)
• The Black Artists in Music Festival, "BAM!," is back on Feb. 20 and Feb. 28 in Savannah! You can purchase your tickets here. (SCAD - The University for Creative Careers via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Delighted Every Week (February 21)
• BJ's Wholesale Club Pre-opening Limited-time Offer (February 23)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Saturday. I'll see you around!

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.