Lynmore Estates’ Dream Neighborhood Clean-up Day – January 18, 2014

January 18, 2014, residents of Lynmore Estates and members of the community of Macon, GA along with other volunteers came to Lynmore Estates in order to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day weekend by helping clean-up Lynmore Estates. The event which lasted from 10am to noon featured speeches by community leaders of Lynmore Estates, a performance by a dance group of Beulahland Bible Church called Chosen Generation Too, Ashton Young's recitation of Dr. King's “I Have a Dream” speech, and speeches by residents of Lynmore Estates, stating what their dreams for Lynmore Estates are. The clean-up was a massive success due to the amount of volunteers who assisted in not only the clean-up but events following the clean-up such as providing food and beverages before and after the event and helping residents who came to the clean-up.

One of the most memorable quotes from the event were said by Lynmore Estate's Neighborhood Watch president, Carrie Redmond as she said,”It's not the Peach Orchard, it's Lynmore Estates.” This statement was supported later by another neighborhood resident, Christine Pearson, who said when she moved to Lynmore Estates in the early 2000's, as a Habitat home owner her contract stated that the neighborhood was called Lynmore Estates, not the Peach Orchard as it was known to be called. She said when she moved here, “It became Lynmore Estates that day for me.” These two statements defined truly what residents think of Lynmore Estates and the dreams we have for the neighborhood. Another powerful statement was said by Pastor Johnson of Countryside Baptist Church who said “We're not here for race.” This statement in its entirety embodied what Dr. King's “I Have a Dream” speech was about and what his motives were when he fought for civil rights in the 1960s in order to end segregation among races.

Entirely, the event was a bonding experience not only among the residents of Lynmore Estates who participated but among the entire community of Macon, Georgia in general. Groups of volunteers from different areas of Macon such as Mercer University students, Public Works employees, the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission members, and youth from the different high schools in Macon were able to bond today. Lynmore Estate's “Dream Neighborhood Clean-up” wasn't just about cleaning up Lynmore Estates, it was about bringing a community together in unity and appreciating how far we have come from the past and how far we will go in the future.

Scenes from the Lynmore Estates “Dream Cleanup”