Performers at FSC opening. Photo provided.
The Vietnamese community’s First Senior Center opened to great fanfare in the Norcross community on July 15. Around 1,200 people attended the ribbing cutting event, surrounded by traditional Vietnamese celebrations and dancing dragons.
Following the outdoor ceremony with music and fireworks, guests poured into the enormous activity center and ballroom for more presentations, entertainment, and a traditional Vietnamese lunch. The event lasted more than three hours and was an unique experience for all involved.
According to Gateway85 CID Executive, Emory Morsberger, “I was absolutely amazed at the splendor of this event. This incredible 26,000 square foot facility is a perfect example of the type of development that the international community is bringing to our area.”
Founder and CEO of First Senior Center, Von Tran, has hidden herself from the “limelight” of Gwinnett County, but she has brought distinction from her home country of Vietnam, letting her hard work and successes speak for themselves. Von Tran and her family left Vietnam when she was nine years old and spent a year and a half in refugee camps in Malaysia and the Philippines, before they arrived in Dallas, Tex.\. Upon graduating from Trinity University with a Bachelor of Science in 1998, Tran moved to Atlanta and started her career in residential real estate, flipping houses.
After transitioning into commercial real estate and developing a flourishing career, Tran had ideas for a new business venture. She says, “I had always heard, you spend the first 50 years of your life on yourself, doing what you can to get yourself stable. The second 50 years is to serve others and make a difference. I have a burning desire to do so. I am just trying to meet the needs of my community.”
The First Senior Center (FSC) is a mecca of community care. Beginning as a senior day care center, the operation grew to create a transportation leg – bringing in their day care members everyday directly from home, delivering meals, and providing at-home nursing services. Throughout the pandemic, FSC adapted their services and began telehealth communications with their patients and members and has operated limited in-person activities since. Full-time in-person operations will begin again on November 1 –– a date that the staff and their 250 members are looking forward to.
Members of FSC can enjoy unique amenities such as an in-house movie theater with reclining massage chairs, a craft room, hair salon and spa, performance stage, and even an acupuncturist and chiropractor –– all covered by Medicare. Even beyond the senior services, First Senior Center is home to Atlanta’s second-largest food pantry and the only bank with transportation services provided, distributing about 15,000 pounds of food to around 3,200 families each week.
The day care aspect of the FSC operation is specifically for elderly Vietnamese, after Tran learned about the common disconnect these elderly citizens were having with their family and care-givers. The next business venture will be to expand the day-care services to the local Latinx community during the weekends.
School of Music gets second campus; grand opening on July 29
The Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, an educational center that offers music and art lessons in Gwinnett County, is expanding by opening a second campus near Lawrenceville. Its new facilities are at 1612 Collins Hill Road, and boasts 11,000 square feet. It also operates at its original location in Suwanee at 345 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The original campus had only 3,400 square feet. The school started with 25 students and has grown to nearly 1,200 students today.
The Lawrenceville location provides students with spacious rooms, a large auditorium for recitals, and an extended waiting area. The expansion of the music center gives instructors the opportunity to introduce new educational programs to the community. One program that has already been added to the list of classes is the music production program. The team designed a room that provides industry standard software for music technology instruction. Students learn how to mix music and record songs.
Music Director Valencia Giles, says: “We’ve made plans to celebrate our expansion at a special event held at the music school on July 29, from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. There will be a ribbon- cutting ceremony at 1 pm. In attendance will be Lawrenceville Vice Mayor Austin Thompson, and council member Victoria Jones.” Guests will have the chance to learn about the creative programs at the school.
Among activities at the opening will be free trial lessons, special student performances, a musical petting zoo, a tour of the school, refreshments, and detailed information about the music and art programs.
Giles adds: “We plan to thank the community for supporting our school at the celebration. As our enrollment numbers have increased, we’ve been able to provide financial assistance to individuals in the community who experience hardship. I think our school is unique in that we are providing more than music lessons to our students; we are providing life lessons with the opportunity to encourage students to make a difference.”
Students from the Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music will return to Carnegie Hall on October 14. Their showcase will start at 8 p.m. in the Weil’s Recital Hall. There will be 43 local students performing. Parents, grandparents, friends and relatives are anticipating traveling to this event to see their performers on a stage that many people will never get to do in their lifetime. Those wanting tickets for the New York performance should go to info@lsschoolofmusic.com.
Sugar Hill to cut taxes, adopt higher exemptions
Sugar Hill Greenway.
The Sugar Hill City Council plans to adopt its 2023 millage rate at the August city council meeting. It is anticipated to include the largest city property tax cut in two decades. The first tax relief will be a recommendation to lower the city millage rate from 3.8 to 3.69 mils.
In addition, the city is expected to ratify a general homestead exemption for homeowners that will increase from $2,000 to $10,000. Senior homeowners will see an increase from $4,000 to $20,000; and income-tested disabled senior homeowners will go from $6,000 to $30,000.
If these three measures are approved by the voters this November, Sugar Hill homeowners will benefit from a 400 percent increase in their homestead exemption. This is the first time in three decades that homestead exemptions have been increased in Sugar Hill.
Mayor Brandon Hembree says: “I am proud of our city and the investments we have made that make Sugar Hill a desirable place to live, work, play and worship. Collectively, we have made investing in the community a priority while also ensuring that our fund balance/reserves – the government version of personal savings – remain healthy and unencumbered.”
Sugarloaf Rotary’s 9th annual Duck Derby on tap
Coming August 31 will be the ninth annual Gwinnett Duck Derby, a project of the Sugarloaf Rotary Club. Last year the club raised nearly $30,000, exactly $29,359, for local charities through the Duck Derby.
Again this year, the race will be virtual. Members of the Sugarloaf Rotary Club will gather on August 31 for the annual Derby, and invite participants to join through the Internet.
Among those participating by “buying” a duck for the Derby, the first place winner will receive $2,500. In addition, there will be in-kind prizes for other winners. The club will give the proceeds from the Derby to local charities, including the Lawrenceville Boys and Girls Club, Rainbow Village, Nothing but the Truth Food Ministry, Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett, and other groups!
- Those wanting to participate can buy their duck(s) at the Club web site: https://www.duckrace.com/gwinnett/adopt/?team_id=6366
Nonprofit Spotlight: Fresh Films and Rainbow Village
(Editor’s Note: this story first appeared in Gateway85 CID’s July newsletter.–eeb)
This summer, Fresh Films mobilized onsite for multiple shoots in Atlanta and the surrounding area, including Rainbow Village, as part of its program to open doors for employment and economic mobility for underserved youth.
Fresh Films is a national organization that creates films which are often Emmy-nominated. It also produces television shows and documentaries while training underserved youth in film production, building critically important life skills, alongside tech and storytelling skills. Fresh Films programs are designed to provide youth with college opportunities as well as careers in the entertainment industry and beyond.
One of Fresh Films’ current projects includes an interview with Rainbow Village’s Chief Executive Officer Melanie Conner as part of a larger series designed to introduce high school students to a wider range of career options. Gateway85’s Emory Morsberger joined the Fresh Films crew for an inside look at the program in action during its shoot on July 13.
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