COMMUNITY BRIEFS

GWINNETT COUNTY

Ornament going to White House

A little bit of Georgia will adorn the White House Christmas tree this year.

Karron Denaple of Buford has been selected to create a hand-painted ornament that will hang on the tree.

Denaple, who is an artist, will meet first lady Laura Bush today in Washington.

Lola Art Gallery & Gift Shop in Roswell will host a reception Dec. 12 and will display Denaple’s 12 prototype ornaments.

—- Shane Blatt

FULTON COUNTY

Stars turn out to help human rights

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Center for Civil and Human Rights has organized a series of free cultural events through Dec. 10. Tonight at 8, actors Danny Glover and Jasmine Guy present their film “The People Speak,” in which actors portray activists who championed the principles of democracy and the UDHR. The center is at 1280 Peachtree St.

Among the programs are a panel discussion on a new human rights agenda at the Carter Center; a musical performance by the Vega String Quartet and member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; and an art exhibit at Mason Murer Gallery.

For a complete schedule and more information: www.cchrpartnership.org.

—- Catherine Fox

DEKALB COUNTY

Emory highlights quilt on AIDS day

Emory University was host Monday of one of the largest collegiate displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the country.

To commemorate World AIDS Day, the campus presented the display of 800 panels memorializing people who died of AIDS.

The opening ceremony was to feature a talk by fashion designer Kenneth Cole, who graduated from Emory. Cole is chairman of amfAR, the world’s largest HIV/AIDS research organization.

The curator for the quilt is the NAMES Project Foundation, which is based in Atlanta.

—- Associated Press

VENT OF THE DAY

I used to give my family checks for Christmas presents. Then I switched to gift cards. This year, they are getting Monopoly money.