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Rosalynn Carter visits Macon
Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter traveled to Macon to tour Aunt Maggie's Kitchen Table, the community outreach program started through Wesleyan College Professor Dr. Catherine Meeks and the Lane Center for Community Engagement and Service. In 2000, on behalf of the program and Wesleyan College, Dr. Meeks accepted the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration. In celebration of the 9th anniversary of Aunt Maggie's Kitchen Table, Mrs. Carter visited the program personally to witness the success of the program's efforts.
Students of Matilda Hartley Elementary School who have participated in Aunt Maggie's Saturday School took a field trip to meet the honored guest. Also, Seniors 50+ who have participated in Aunt Maggie's Healthy Living program anxiously awaited the arrival of the Former First Lady and to speak to the success of the program's efforts to reduce obesity. Wesleyan representatives, community volunteers, and other supporters of the program's projects all participated in aspects of the site tour.
Dr. Meeks now serves as the Executive Director of Aunt Maggie's, a program she spearheaded in 1996 which has grown to become a community resource center and outreach program serving hundreds of men, women, and children. Located in Macon's Anthony Homes, a public housing development, Aunt Maggie's provides support and assistance to families in the area, offering help with basic needs such as food and clothing, educational support, advice and guidance. The center's programs include the Saturday School enrichment and tutoring program, a community garden, a library, parenting support and community meals through the Healthy Living nutrition program.
Faculty, staff and students from Wesleyan work with Aunt Maggie's staff and community members in the center's programs. Through the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award for Campus-Community Collaboration, Aunt Maggie's was awarded $5,000 in 2000 for the continuation of the program. Since then, recognition from the national award has increased opportunities for grants and donations necessary to fund the project locally.
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Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter
touring the nationally recognized
Aunt Maggie's Kitchen Table.
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