Roadshow Grantee: Clayton County “Community Changemakers”
HERCULES partnered with Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing’s Center for Children’s Health Assessment, Research Translation, and Combating Environmental Racism (CHARTER) to fund this community.
Phase 1: Exposome Roadshow Workshop
The Panhandle Corridor is located near Hampton, Georgia south of the Atlanta Airport in Clayton County and is a close neighbor to the Clayton County Water Authority J. W. Smith Facility. The Flint River runs through several communities along the Panhandle Corridor.
Residents of the Panhandle Corridor, brought together by the Northbridge Estates MABRA Endowment Trust, have concerns about their air and water quality and the rapid development happening in their area. They are also concerned about the communication gap between the government and the diverse communities and multiple generations that live in the community. They applied to the Roadshow Program in order to bring seniors and youth together to “organize, analyze, monitor and share data to make action-plans and/or requests/demands for action to improve the quality of our environment.” 
This group met with Emory HERCULES and CHARTER in October and November 2023 to share their environmental health concerns, learn about the exposome, and identify an environmental health priority. As a result, a group of residents committed to working together to address air and water quality in their area, specifically related to diesel school buses and a bus barn and PFAS water contamination.
Phase 2: Planning Grant
Residents who came together in Phase 1 were awarded $1000 in January 2024 to develop an Action Plan to address the community needs identified during the Roadshow:
- Air Quality/Pollution
- Water Quality/Pollution
- Litter and its Impact on Panhandle Corridor environment
They will develop an action plan that will include an anti-litter campaign, collaboration with the Clayton County Water Authority, and to gather data on the bus barn.
Phase 3: Action Grant
The Clayton County residents, now going by the name “Community Changemakers”, completed an Action Plan detailing three priority areas of focus: Water Pollution, Litter, and Youth Engagement. They received an Action Grant to implement this plan in May 2024.
Their group’s mission is to bring Clayton County communities together for intergenerational events to reduce litter and involve youth in meaningful civic engagement activities through targeted educational experiences and community health awareness.
Phase 4: Sustainability Grant
To sustain their efforts, the Community Changemakers were
awarded $2500 in September 2025.
Project Mission: To bring Clayton County communities together for intergenerational events to reduce litter and involve Youths in meaningful civic engagement activities through targeted educational experiences and environmental health awareness.
Project Goals: Through Identified Health Priorities we will continue to address Water/Litter Pollution by educating Youth and Adult Volunteers about what everyone can do to lower the effects of PFAS on the environment. Working with 4-H, Georgia Assoc. of Conservation Districts, Veterans and Commissioner Allen we will offer Neighborhood Learning sessions, and K-12 assemblies for Anti-litter/Clean up events. With Youth Engagement as a priority, we will organize events and educational sessions around civic engagement that can be tracked by HERCULES with the support of Clayton County Police, Sheriff, Educators, Commissioners and Volunteers to address the need for Youths to participate in meaningful social events and activities that impact the social and environmental health of Clayton County.
HERCULES supported their efforts by developing a fact sheet about PFAS for youth to use to educate community members via presentations and canvassing (click on image to see full infographic).