Change For Chee

05/27/2026

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mason. 🕊️

Today, Mason should be turning 16. It’s a milestone that should have been filled with friends, driving lessons, late-night snacks, and loud music - all the little moments that are so easily taken for granted, but mean everything. He should be here with us today.

While we didn't have the honor of knowing Mason personally, reading his family’s words paints a beautiful picture of the incredible person he was. Even in the midst of heartbreak, his impact never changes.

He was a proud big and little brother, a deeply kind son, and a protective soul who fiercely loved those around him and stood up for others without hesitation. He made people feel seen and safe.

Remembering his light and honoring his heart is what fuels our work every single day. We carry his memory with us as a driving force in the fight for a better, safer world where every child gets to see their milestones.

So today, we say Mason’s name a little louder. We share his memory a little bigger. And we promise that his name and impact will never fade.

Please take a moment today to visit and follow his family's page on instagram to support them and lift up his legacy. 🤍

May 27, 2010 – September 4, 2024
Forever loved. Forever Mason's World. ❤️

05/22/2026

05/17/2026

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Christian. 🕊️

Today marks what should have been Christian’s 16th birthday. It should have been a Sweet 16 for the sweetest boy - a milestone filled with driving lessons, high school memories, and big dreams for the future. He should be here to celebrate it all.

While the years continue to move forward, our promise to him remains entirely unchanged. We choose to honor his light, his joyful spirit, and the laughter he shared with those who loved him.

Christian, your name will never fade, and your impact will never be forgotten. We carry you with us in every step we take toward a safer world.

May 17, 2010 – September 4, 2024
Forever loved. Always remembered.

05/07/2026

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/gov-kemp-signs-georgia-high-school-cellphone-ban-law.amp

High school students across Georgia will soon be required to lock up their cellphones for the entire school day under a new law aimed at cutting classroom distractions.

04/17/2026

🎤 The mic is on. Civically engaged students are talking about what matters to them.

We talk a lot about the future of Barrow County, but how often do we actually sit back and listen to the students who are going to live it?

This Saturday, a group of local high schoolers is hosting a “Pop-Up” Youth Panel at the RH Burel Park Large Pavilion. It’s a totally open, neutral space for students to talk about what they need from their community, from safety to local opportunities.

If you’re a student, come hang out. If you’re a neighbor, come listen.

📍 Large Pavilion (RH Burel), Auburn
📅 Saturday, April 18th
⏰ 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
🍕 Free pizza & drinks
🌳 Bring a chair or blanket

04/08/2026

REMINDER:

CERT training this weekend!!

Be the help until help arrives!

Space still available to join our upcoming CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Basic Training and become part of a team that makes a real difference in our community

April 11 & 12
8 AM – 5 PM each day
222 Pleasant Hill Church Rd. NE, Winder, GA

Learn life-saving skills like disaster preparedness, fire safety, light search & rescue, medical operations, and more. When you complete this training, you’ll be ready to step up when it matters most.

Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

Together, we are stronger.

04/08/2026

⚠️ IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING ⚠️
VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.

We are resharing this via March For Our Lives and their initial warning. Many parents have been misled by the marketing for the new film "The Drama."

While it is sold as a dark comedy, the plot centers on the history of a planned school shooting. We believe this subject is too serious to be treated lightly or used as a "plot twist."

Please share this to ensure our community members and students aren't blindsided by this content.

We don't want to spoil The Drama, but we have to...

Content warning: this film includes themes of a school shooting.

The Drama's marketing sells a dark romantic comedy. Here’s what’s actually in the film:

Emma (played by Zendaya) reveals that, as a teenager, she planned a school shooting. She practiced, recorded a manifesto, and brought a weapon to school.

She did not go through with it.

The rest of the film follows her fiancé Charlie (played by Robert Pattinson) as he tries to reconcile who she is with what she almost did, and whether he can still marry her.

The film may be attempting to engage real questions about accountability and change, but A24’s marketing does not meet it there.

With a subject this serious, especially in the U.S., that conversation cannot begin and end on screen. It has to carry through in how the film is presented.

We understand that art can provoke discomfort and use humor to approach difficult subjects, but when something like a school shooting is treated lightly or played for irony, it raises a deeper question: what kind of conversation is this meant to start?

The filmmakers and actors have said this film will spark conversation. We hope it does. But on a topic that touches so many American lives, there is a responsibility to help shape that conversation in a productive direction, not just provoke it.

That expectation only grows when the artists involved have this level of cultural influence.

The way this film has been marketed is deeply misaligned with the reality it engages.

We expect better from A24 and the artists behind it.

04/04/2026

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Georgia lawmakers ended their 40-day legislative session after midnight, approving a final state budget and a scaled-back property tax measure but leaving major debates over school safety, disability services, and elections unresolved.

School safety
A separate effort to require weapons detection systems in every Georgia public school stalled before final passage.

Layla Contreras, an advocate with Change for Chee, said she supported the proposal after the shooting at Apalachee High School, where she said her mother and sister were inside the building.

“We don’t want what happened to Apalachee to happen anywhere else,” Contreras said.

Full Video & Article below.
✍️: Atlanta News First

04/02/2026

🚨URGENT ACTION🚨
Please take less than 2 minutes to call!

HB 1023 still hasn't been voted on this legislative session!!

We have to call Lt. Governor Burt Jones and ask him RIGHT NOW to call this bill to the floor (404) 656-5030

School Safety CANNOT wait.

*Please share this post with your network to call right now! 🍎📓

10/18/2025

**UPDATE**

People are twisting my words, as they’ve done before — and as they’ve done to many others who’ve tried to stand for something meaningful. So I want to be very clear:

There is no agenda for gun control, and there never has been. We are defenders of responsible gun ownership and believe in gun safety education to encourage accountability and preparedness — not restriction.

This post is not about illegal immigration, nor is it about promoting it. I believe in secure borders, public safety, and enforcing the law to protect U.S. citizens 🇺🇸.

At the same time, we must find real solutions for the innocent children who were brought to this country through no fault of their own — many of whom have grown up here, attend our schools, go to our churches, and strengthen our local economy. These are our neighbors, classmates, and friends.

Even President Trump emphasized removing dangerous individuals — and I agree. Criminals should not have safe harbor. But there’s a clear difference between those who harm others and those who simply seek to live peaceful, productive lives.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about politics — it’s about principles. Principles I hope the next generation, and my future children, will live by. We can protect our communities, uphold the law, and still lead with compassion and humanity.

That balance is what real leadership requires. 💜

~ Layla Renee Contreras

********

Change for Chee was made aware of an ICE-assisted checkpoint reportedly involving Winder Police and federal immigration agents.

According to community reports, this appeared to be a City of Winder Police Department checkpoint.

➡️ Why is ICE assisting with local traffic stops near our schools?
Federal immigration enforcement has no jurisdiction in schools or community buildings, and their presence near school zones creates fear and instability for students and families.

If you or others are concerned about this development, please remember: ICE is not allowed in schools.

Every student deserves to feel safe — free from fear, intimidation, or uncertainty in their own community.