The latest updates from our members and partners, highlighting accomplishments and impact, new partnerships, staff moves, and more.
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GCN update
Our member-exclusive, directors-only CEO Forum series continues with Post-Covid Workforce Strategies on September 21, covering the recruitment and retention strategies you need right now.
Worth sharing
Vaccines for Southwest Georgia: The mobile vaccination clinic series from Fair Count is ongoing: Check here for the current schedule of vaccination events across Southwest Georgia.Grantmakers
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation donated $9 million to Chattahoochee Riverlands’ Trust for Public Land to establish a 2.7-mile demonstration project, part of a larger 100-mile vision for publicly-accessible “greenways” and “blueways” along the Chattahoochee River.
Arts and culture
Westobou is pleased to announce a new membership program for fans and long-time supporters.
▲ Flux Projects welcomed more than 2,400 people to Charmaine Minniefield’s installation Remembrance as Resistance: Preserving Black Narratives, presented as part of the Praise House at Oakland Cemetery project with support from Historic Oakland Foundation.
The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum established the Walter and Frances Bunzl Family Foundation Exhibition Fund, made possible by a $400,000 gift from the Frances Bunzl Family Trust, the largest donation since the museum’s 1996 opening; the first project to be supported by the new fund will be the museum’s 25th anniversary exhibition History with Chutzpah.
Advocacy, equity, and justice
Georgia Equality celebrated a legislative victory with Athens-Clarke County Commission’s unanimous decision to pass a new nondiscrimination ordinance specifically protecting the LGBTQIA+ community and other marginalized groups from bias or discriminatory treatment in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
CAIR-Georgia received a $20,000 grant from the TIDES foundation in support of the civil rights and advocacy work they’ve both completed previously and have planned for the future.
Animals, environment, and greenspace
Trees Atlanta and Park Pride partnered with other area organizations to open Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood, converting an area known for flooding into a recreational greenspace with mature and new trees, scenic pathways, a splash pad, playgrounds, exercise equipment, a waterfall and retention pond, and a statue of late civil rights leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis.
▲ The Jekyll Island Foundation set an all-time record with this year’s annual 2021 Turtle Crawl, raising $24,858 for rehabilitation, research, and education conducted by the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.
Health
Among organizations selected to receive funding from UnitedHealthcare’s Empowering Health grants: Atlanta Community Food Bank, for the Food as Medicine program; Wellspring Living, for behavioral health program expansion; and Open Hand Atlanta, for courses about nutrition and cooking.
MAP International and Medshare have been sending medical supplies and hygiene items to Haiti to help survivors of the recent 7.2-magnitude earthquake and Hurricane Grace, both striking the country in the wake of increasing political unrest and a rising COVID-19 caseload.
Human Services
In July, Giving Kitchen provided $124,075 to food service workers in need of financial assistance and processed 173 referrals through its Stability Network.
▲ HomeAid Atlanta partnered with two church youth groups in July to pack 1,000 HomeAid CareKits designed to help ease the burden of homelessness during the summer months.
For the fifth consecutive year, the National Association for Business Resources has named Tommy Nobis Center one of the 2021 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Atlanta, citing the organization’s commitment to excellence in human resource practices and employee enrichment.
The Latin American Association received a two-year, $100,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Aging & Independence Services to help expand services for Spanish-speaking seniors and adults with disabilities.
In anticipation of massive displacement following the end of the federal moratorium on evictions, the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation has received funding from the Atlanta City Council to help lower-income Metro Atlantans fight eviction proceedings in court.
Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN) released a new 2021-2024 strategic plan and updated the organization’s mission statement and values to better reflect the resiliency and complexity of the clients served: Their new mission is to “protect and empower immigrant survivors of crime and persecution,” and their updated values list now includes “dignity” and “collaboration.”
Kate’s Club received a $15,000 gift from Atlanta resident Robert Spencer, recipient of Northwestern Mutual’s Community Service Award, for the purpose of funding services and programs for those who are grieving.
Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing announced the release of Tippy Talk, an application designed by their Georgia Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program to help non-verbal individuals communicate.
People
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta announced its 2021 board of directors: Darius Bates, Erica J. Bolden, John Bottini, Solange Claudio, Jerald Estime, Charisse Evans, Derek Goshay, Eric Hagen, Jamael Hester, Cloteen Jasmin, Esq., Judy Starkey, and Michael Sullivan.
United Way of Greater Atlanta named Dr. Raphael Bostic the 2021-22 board chair and welcomed new board members Chloe Barzey, Sarah Clamp, Jessica Corley, and Dr. Lisa Herring.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. appointed Nicole Kimes to the position of chief financial officer.
The Atlanta Ballet has named Tom West its new executive director, effective September 27.
Goodwill of North Georgia welcomed five new board members for the 2022 fiscal year: C. David Moody Jr., Erica Qualls-Battey, Andre Dickens, Carol Waddy, and Natosha Reid Rice.
The Drake House appointed Lynn Wilson as the new board chair.
Jerusalem House announced that Maryum Gibson has taken over as president and CEO following the August retirement of Charlie Frew.
Sadie G. Mays Health & Rehabilitation Center appointed Beth Laxton to serve as executive director upon the retirement of Charles Robinson Jr.
Georgia Audubon added Dr. Clark Rushing, assistant professor at the University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, as an organizational advisor.
Saporta Report talked to David Yoakley Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, for this article about the historic restoration of Midtown Atlanta’s iconic Krispy Kreme, following its destruction by two fires earlier this year.
Georgia Equality Youth HIV Policy Advisor and Youth HIV Advocate Kayla Quimbley is among the eight new members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), sworn in by Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine this August.
In July, CAIR-Georgia welcomed Ebony Carter as new communications and outreach coordinator, and Javeria Jamil as new legal and policy director.
This roundup was sourced from member and partner submissions, as well as their websites, newsletters, and social media channels; the Coxe Curry & Associates Week in Review newsletter; and GCN staff.
Kelli Lynn Karanovich is a professional copywriter and educator who publishes poems and essays as Kelli Lynn Grey.
