Mr. Rogers is well known for having said, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” That comforting bit of advice for those in need has been used, mis-used, and over-used, but one place where it will always be true is in Tucker. And as the Mayor, I can tell you that every time we put out the call, Tucker answers.
In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided relief to Americans via the CARES Act. They did that by providing money to local governments like Tucker’s, and we turned to our community for help. We partnered with third parties to get help to our residents and small businesses that were hit hard by the economic effects of sheltering in place, loss of childcare, schools closing their doors and loss of jobs. These local agencies and volunteers included NETworks Cooperative Ministries, Rehoboth Baptist Church, St. Andrews Presbyterian, Georgia Grown, and others, to provide assistance with rent and utilities, food, remote learning, masks, and a range of other needs.
In 2021, the federal government again turned to local governments for help, this time through the American Rescue Plan, and we are turning to our community. ARPA, as it’s called, is intended not only to help local governments give continued aid to their residents, but also to address a variety of infrastructure needs to help if and when we should be faced with a similar pandemic or other emergency in the future. It calls for spending on items like green spaces, water and sewer infrastructure, broadband availability, and similar resources to be available for the public during such times. Tucker qualified for over $13 million and received the first payment in the summer of 2021. Already, we have partnered again with NETWorks for the distribution of over $1 million to our residents to help come out from the financial burden of a lingering pandemic. As we go forward, we’ll call on our Friends of the Parks (and Trails) groups for advice, and we’ll seek help from our expert residents on topics like broadband. As always, we’re grateful to our churches for standing in the gap, meeting so many human needs for families and individuals.
All this, and so many more examples, are front of mind for me right now as we approach our Tucker Day Celebration (which is also run by volunteers). As we celebrate our community, we are celebrating the “Tucker Way” and the fact that we are so closely linked together. We have so much to share with each other! No one has to volunteer, and if they do, it doesn’t have to be in a public way. But when you do, life is so much richer for you and for the people you reach. Feeling connected to your community removes the fear and mystery and frustration about what’s going on around you. It opens doors to things others are experiencing that can add to your enjoyment of your world, and may even remind you of all the goodness in your own life, even when you might not have been realizing it in the midst of your own difficulties.
So please, do yourself and all of us a favor, and join in! There are endless ways, and you can find some of them on our community calendar and our resource pages at tuckerga.gov/calendar and tuckerga.gov/volunteer. See you on Main Street!
