Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

NFL Foundation, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation & Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee unveil $2.4 million renovation of the Westside’s John F. Kennedy Park

By Westside Future Fund Each year, the NFL seeks to improve the surrounding communities of the Super Bowl host city, through the Super Bowl Legacy Grant Program, by giving an annual $1 million contribution from the NFL Foundation. This year, a $2.4 million grant – supported by funding from the NFL Foundation, Atlanta Super Bowl […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Building Community Through Partnership

Intro by John Ahmann: Thanks to Kathy Colbenson, President & CEO of CHRIS 180, for this week’s column.  Chris 180 is a critical organization in our Westside ecosystem as we collectively work to build a community Dr. King would be proud to call home.  The trauma and mental health care counseling support they provide is […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Remembering Ivory Lee Young, Jr.

This last Saturday, December 1st, 2018 I joined hundreds of others at the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in celebrating the Life, Legacy and Spirit of The Honorable Ivory Lee Young Jr.  Dozens took voice to share their experiences of this remarkable man, including two former Atlanta mayors, Ambassador Andrew Young and […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

When communities like Downtown and the Westside thrive, Atlanta thrives.

Intro by John Ahmann Thanks to AJ Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), for this week’s column.  Founded in 1941, CAP is a member-based not-for-profit advocating on behalf of a vibrant Downtown Atlanta.  As the leader of CAP, AJ has been a long-time advocate of greater connectivity between Downtown economic vibrancy and the historic […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Building-the-Block to achieve affordable, sustainable homeownership and neighborhoods

Intro by John Ahmann: Thanks to Lisa Gordon, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s President and CEO, for this week’s column.  Habitat for Humanity’s model is a great proof point of the “the more we, the more I can do,” from their engagement of the homeowner, to their volunteers, to their donors and sponsors.  The proof is in the results: Atlanta Habitat […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

A First Step Toward a Mixed-Income Community

Intro by John Ahmann, Westside Future Fund: Thanks to the Jaren Abedania, the Westside Future Fund’s (WFF)  Vice President of Real Estate, for this week’s column. In my October 2, 2018 column, Two Years of Westside Future Fund, I spoke to our commitment to increase the supply of high-quality affordable rental housing and in this […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

The Power of Service to Heal  

Intro by John Ahmann, Westside Future Fund: Thanks to Michael Lucas, Deputy Director, Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF), for this weeks’ Historic Westside column.  In the spirit of the “more we the more I can get done,” AVLF has built a community-based collaborative model to provide top tier pro-bono legal services to Westside residents facing […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

The 1300: Atlanta’s Beloved Inspired Community Catching The Hearts of Many

Intro by John Ahmann: If you are on a tall building and happen for a moment to wonder about the law of gravity as you watch a beautiful bird soar, just release an apple from the top to be reminded that the law very much exists.  If you wonder whether “the more we the more […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Building Strong Foundations for the Westside’s Next Generation

Intro by John Ahmann: Thanks to Justin Carr, Director of Partnerships, Westside Future Fund (WFF), for this week’s column. In the spirt of “the more we, the more I can get done,” “We” have no more urgent call to action than ensuring access to highly quality, affordable early learning (birth to age 5) for families […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Creating Sustainable Change, and a Beloved Community, on Atlanta’s Westside

Column By Rodney Bullard Intro by John Ahmann, Executive Director of Westside Future Fund “Thanks to Rodney Bullard, Vice President of Community Affairs for Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Executive Director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, for this week’s column. In the spirt of “the more we, the more I can do,” the Chick-fil-A Foundation has been a […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership, Uncategorized

Two years of Westside Future Fund

By John Ahmann, Westside Future Fund The Friday before last, September 21, 2018, I was honored to give the second annual update on behalf of the Westside Future Fund (WFF). Just over a year after expanding our board and team, WFF has made significant strides as an “accelerator” of the revitalization of Atlanta’s historic Westside […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

The Power of “We” – The Atlanta University Consortium (AUC)

Note from John Ahmann: The Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) by definition demonstrate the power of We as the world’s largest consortia of African American private institutions of higher education. These constellations of institutions have long served as an anchor for the Westside and have had an incredible impact morally, economically, and politically on not only […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

It Takes a Village to Make a Park

Intro by John Ahmann- Under the leadership of Executive Director Michael Halicki, Park Pride has demonstrated the power of “we” in first leading to develop the Proctor Creek North Avenue Watershed Basin: A Green Infrastructure Vision and then helping to bring that vision to life with the recent ground breaking of the Kathryn Johnston Memorial […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

Building Momentum at Hollis Innovation Academy

We consider some of our greatest partners in this work to be the prominent Atlanta leaders who serve on the Westside Future Fund board, like Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, the author of this week’s piece.  Dr. Tatum, like many of our board members, not only brings her professional expertise, but her keen awareness of the […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

“A Westside Story,” by Rev. Howard Beckham

We are delighted that Westside native and community leader Rev. Howard Beckham is the author of this week’s column.  Rev. Beckham wears many hats but is probably best known as the founder and CEO of Integrity Transformations CDC, the managing partner of the workforce development program Westside Works, which has already transformed the lives of many […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

Building Atlanta Together

A first look at The Home Depot Backyard By John Ahmann On Friday, August 17, for our 15th Transform Westside Summit of 2018, WFF had the honor of hosting more than 150 attendees, ranging from Westside residents to members from across the city’s public, private and nonprofit sectors.   What they witnessed was yet another […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

The More We, The More I Can Do

By John Ahmann, Executive Director, Westside Future Fund Last Saturday, as I visited the different booths of the At-Promise Block Party, sponsored by the Atlanta Police Department (APD), the phrase “the more we, the more I can do,” sprung into my mind. As I walked the block of Cameron Alexander, closed for the celebration, I was […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

Transform Westside Summit — Friday, June 1, 2018

About the Transform Westside Summit: Westside Future Fund’s Transform Westside Summit is held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month and is free and open to the public. Our audience includes a diverse group stakeholders. Longtime neighborhood residents, community and faith leaders, heads of non-profits and corporate executives come together to share success stories […]

Posted inHistoric Westside, http://leadership.saportareport.com/historic-westside/, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership

About Westside Future Fund

The Westside Future Fund is a not-for-profit organization of Atlanta community leaders who believe in the future of the Westside and are committed to helping the area revitalize and grow. Why the Westside? Westside Future Fund was established in December 2014 out of the vision and leadership of former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed. Recognizing the […]