About

Although it is nestled 5 minutes from one of the busiest airports in the world, a dark cloud has always loomed over the Old National Corridor.  In the past when people spoke of College Park, they mentioned the high crime rates, extreme division within the community and low voter turn-out among the citizens of the blackest city in Georgia.  But one man has made it his mission to shed light on the positive things happening in hopes of bringing change and prosperity back to the Old National area.

Torrey Tomlinson was born in Atlanta’s Adamsville community and at the age of 14, moved to College Park where he attended McNair Middle School and Banneker High School.  Over the years, Torrey has been blessed with his beautiful wife of 15 years, 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

Torrey’s journey to becoming known as the unofficial Mayor of Old National began with a luau that he held annually for 11 years in his backyard.  The luaus became very popular, with the crowds reaching up to 500 people, a stage being set up in the yard and artists such as Kilo Ali performing at the events.  After realizing that the event was becoming too much for a backyard, Torrey came up with the idea of Old Nat Day.  He wanted a day to celebrate those that were raised along Old National by showcasing their talents and giving them a place in their own community where they could enjoy themselves without fear of violence.

Torrey formed Old National Entertainment (O.N.E.) and BLESS O.N.E. Community, Inc. in his call to bring people together in a safe and fun environment.  As Torrey’s presence and following on Old National grew from promoting at clubs such as Legends and Burn Lounge, so did the annual Old Nat Day event, which attracts hundreds of people of all ages to Old National Park to fellowship and enjoy the entertainment.  For 6 years, Old Nat Day has provided a platform for young, local artists to perform, provided an opportunity for dance troops, the 40+ Double-Dutch group, and local high school bands to entertain the crowd, provided local vendors a space to showcase their small businesses within the community, and gave away hundreds of laptops to school age children.

Over the years, the motivation to host Old Nat Day created other events for the community such as:

• Torrey and Tiffaney’s Relationship Talk Atlanta Podcast

• Annual Easter Eggstravaganza which showcases all youth vendors and an adult egg hunt

• Annual “We Got You Covered” Coat Drive that provides coats and blankets for the homeless

• Annual Halloween Party

• Black Fathers Matter March during the tumultuous times following the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks

• Annual “Naughty or Nice” Christmas toy and bike giveaway Party

• Partnered to host “Son Day” where sons of all ages come together to fish and fellowship

• Southside Day

As a result of his efforts to improve and uplift the community, Torrey has been awarded 4 Proclamations from the City of South Fulton:

• Old Nat Day organizer of the biggest and safest event in the city

• Torrey Tomlinson Crime Prevention Day -Proclamation for using his social media presence to find and bring home a missing child

• Largest Annual Easter Eggstravaganza Event in the city

Torrey’s accomplishments, however, have not been without pushback.  Torrey has had to constantly deal with adversity from those that do not approve of his vision and platform for developing the Old National Corridor.  But Torrey does not allow that to deter him and instead, with guidance from a couple of key government leaders, he continues to create innovative ways to uplift the city despite the turmoil that exists within the city’s council.

Torrey’s continuous advocacy efforts garnered the attention of the first black, female Gubernatorial candidate, Stacey Abrams.  Torrey felt it was vital to have her presence at Old Nat Day to encourage the city to get out, vote and make their voices heard on issues that effect their community.  A week later, Torrey helped to orchestrate hundreds of Slingshots, bikes, and car clubs to ride for Stacey Abrams down Old National where he introduced her as she participated in a round table discussion about the new developments and improvements coming to the Old National area.

In the past, Torrey thought that in order to be heard and to make a difference, he needed to be an elected official.  The support of local businesses and community members and leaders has shown him that he does not have to have a title in order to make an impact within the community.  Torrey’s future plans include raising sponsorships for his non-profit, BLESS O.N.E. Community, Inc., in order to provide more needed events and programs for Old National as well as to form a new Old National Coalition that will work to erase the stigma that has surrounded Old National for so many years and to focus on improving the area.  With your help, winning this election, Torrey will be able to do more for his beloved community and its residents.