Friends of English Avenue, Inc. (FEA) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded on justice, generosity and virtue. Our mission is to make the English Avenue Community a safer and better place to live through green-space development and public safety initiatives, improving our broader community of Atlanta. We welcome your visit to the site and interest in our organization. Learn more about us »
- NOVEMBER 21ST, 2014: Thank you to everyone who came to our Annual Luncheon at the Lindsay Street Baptist Church. We had over 120 people attend, and we are overwhelmed by the support! We enjoyed sharing our successes from 2014, and are even more excited about our upcoming projects that will be implemented in 2015-2016.
We also are very appreciative to Channel 2 WSB-TV for the continued press coverage they provide on our organization. Click the following link to watch the 2 minute news clip on our 2014 Annual Luncheon: http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/home-once-site-of-botched-raid-is-bring-new-life/vC3dC7/
- JUNE 30TH, 2014: Click the link below to see the WSB-TV video showing the transformation made at the Elm Street Urban Farm from 2013-2014! Big thank you to the Cox Conserves Heroes Program for bringing funds and awareness to our urban farming initiatives in English Avenue! http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/cox-conserves-fea-update/vChYjC/
- On Tuesday June 24th, from 5:30-8:00 PM, we are dedicating our
new Elm Street Urban Farm in English Avenue, where we are growing the English Avenue tomato! We are inviting donors, community residents, friends, and partners (FACAA, Cherokee Garden Club, and The Westminster Schools 5th Grade Class) to attend a barbecue and family gathering. The event is called “Atlanta Joins Hands with English Avenue”. We are planning a fun and uplifting event with live music, great food, and games for kids. And you will get to see the beautiful Urban Farm that you helped make possible. So, we hope you can attend.
PLEASE EMAIL SUZANNE BAKER AT SUZANNE.BAKER@GDP.COM IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THIS EVENT!
- MARCH 27TH, 2014: We’d like to extend a HUGE thank to you Paul Morgan with RainHarvest Company, Inc. for the time, effort, and expense it took to install our rain water irrigation system at the Elm Street Urban Farm! Paul and his dedicated crew spent over two days installing the underground piping and drip lines that will allow us to adequately irrigate our crops using rain water. Paul, we couldn’t do it without you! Check out the RainHarvest Company website to find out more about what they do: http://www.rainharvestcompany.com/
- MARCH 7th, 2014- Check out this 3 minute video about the English Avenue Community and the mission of Peace Preparatory Academy to raise the educational standards and opportunities for the youth in English Avenue, Vine City, and the Westside Community. We are honored to have our Community Urban Farm featured in this video. We are even more honored to have Peace Prep’s Founder and English Avenue resident, Benajmin Wills, as a part of our Board.
- FEBRUARY 9TH, 2014- We are excited to have these hand made benches installed at the Elm Street Urban Farm! Even better, all the benches were made by English Avenue residents. Placing benches in the urban farm will encourage residents to come sit down and enjoy the
green space and will improve social bonds. Big thank you to Jesse Phillips, an English Avenue resident who began this bench building initiative. Jesse Phillips explains why he started this initiative below:
“As a concerned neighbor, I’ve found that handouts don’t help people in the long run – the create dependency & entitlement. However, providing a fair exchange of payment for service is empowering and dignified.
So, I tried to find a way to give money for work. Initially I paid guys to wash my car and sweep the porch. But you can only do that so many times. The need in our neighborhood is so great, I wanted to try and find a sustainable way to provide work for my neighbors. So I happened upon this bench building idea. One of our neighbors built a bench from some pallets we had in the back yard, and it looked pretty cool. So I decided to try and expand on that. I made a few more benches with him, then we sold them to my friends. Then we built a few more and they started catching on with other folks.
We’re still in the start-up stages and I’m losing more money than I’m making, but I’m able to provide weekly work for 2 guys for 4 hours/week each + 1 guy who brings pallets. They make about $10/hr. I’m hoping to reach sustainability soon.”
- JANUARY 9TH, 2014- A non-profit organization in English Avenue, GROW Montessori, is launching their first “Baby University” on March 1, 2014 to empower and equip mothers in English Avenue and Vine City. This free, 8-week course will cover topics such as infant CPR, car seat safety, positive discipline, soothing techniques, vocabulary enrichment, home safety, and baby massage. Free food and childcare will be provided at each class.
-Learn more about the “Baby University”: http://www.growmontessori.org/
-Support this initiative through an online donation: http://www.growmontessori.org/
- DECEMBER 26TH, 2013- Check out the article written by Atlanta Intown on the Friends of English Avenue: http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2013/12/friends-english-avenue-celebrate-changes-community/
FEA Founder and Co-Founder, John Gordon and Reverend Anthony Motley, speak the the Centennial Block Party Celebration at the Lindsay Street Baptist Church.
- NOVEMBER 12TH, 2013- Congrats to FEA Founder, John Gordon for being named the 2013 Cox Conserves Hero for his environmental work in the English Avenue Community! FEA was awarded $10,000 as a result of this victory! Thank you to Cox Enterprises, the Trust for Public Land, and Channel 2 WSB-TV for recognizing and supporting unsung heroes who are making changes in the greater Atlanta community every day.
John was pleased to accept this award on behalf of the English Avenue residents, who will be the beneficiaries of this generous gift.
- NOVEMBER 3RD, 2013- Our Urban Farm is coming along well in our third Fall season. We have produced over 1,600 pounds of produce thus far in 2013! Stay tuned for information on what fruits and vegetables we’ll be harvesting!
Our amazing resident farmer, Jamaica, harvesting lettuce.