For Atlanta to be considered among the nation’s top tech hubs, its higher education system must play a pivotal role in unlocking its potential technological advancement and entrepreneurial investment. A study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that increasing the number of local startups while retaining the talent graduating from Georgia Tech and other research […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inHistoric Westside
970 Partner Spotlight: Second Helpings Atlanta – Fighting Hunger Through Food Rescue
In 2019, Food Well Alliance and Westside Future Fund partnered to purchase and revitalize 970 Jefferson St. NW, the historic site of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Bill Bolling and John Ahmann played pivotal roles in making this acquisition a reality, turning a shared vision into a success. The two organizations collaborate on managing the […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Shifting the Stigma: Rewriting the Narrative Around Homelessness and Mental Health
When you think of someone experiencing homelessness, what image comes to mind? For many, the answer is shaped by decades of media portrayals, political rhetoric, and public myths—images of tents under bridges, untreated mental illness, and individuals who appear to have “given up.” But these ideas are not only incomplete—they’re dangerous. They fuel stigma, reinforce […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
The Connection between Vaping and Mental Health Challenges: Why Youth Deserve Our Protection
By Adriana Dragicevic and Amaya Carthan Each year, World No Tobacco Day reminds us that protecting future generations from tobacco harms is a population health imperative because tobacco is the world’s leading cause of preventable deaths. In 2025, the campaign’s theme, “protecting children from tobacco industry interference,” rings especially urgent. An area of growing concern […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
The Women Shaping Atlanta’s Westside & Why We Should Know Their Names
When the future story of Atlanta’s Westside is told, it will include women who lead, build, organize, and advocate for equity. As John Ahmann, President and CEO of the Westside Future Fund, has stated, “Despite all the work that is being done on the Westside to rebuild the community and provide supportive services to people […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Native Plants in the Spotlight at the Native Habitat Garden Tour
By Laura Qadri, Intown Atlanta Chapter of Georgia Native Plant Society The ever-sunnier days of late can only mean one thing: the start of garden tour season in Atlanta. Whether we are just curious or seeking inspiration, it feels welcoming and special when gardeners invite us into their carefully designed spaces. While many tours are […]
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
Celebrating Community-Minded Companies: The 28th Annual CVC IMPACT Awards
Do you work or partner with a company that is invested in making Atlanta great? Consider nominating them for a Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Atlanta 2025 IMPACT Award! Now in its 28th year, the IMPACT Awards honor companies that demonstrate excellence in corporate community engagement in three award categories: Winners will be announced at […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Welcoming Lyric McGhee and Jaylyn Maddox Home on the Westside
This month, two new homeowners put down roots in Atlanta’s historic Westside through Home on the Westside — each bringing a meaningful connection to the community. Lyric McGhee: A Lifelong Westsider Finds Her Home Lyric McGhee’s story is deeply tied to the historic Westside. She grew up in the community, attended local schools, and gave back through […]
Posted inHigher Education
Children as Young as Five Can Navigate a ‘Tiny Town’
Many behavioral studies suggest that using landmarks to navigate through large-scale spaces — known as map-based navigation — is not established until around age 12. A neuroscience study at Emory University counters that assumption. Through experiments combining brain scans and a virtual environment the researchers dubbed Tiny Town, they showed that five-year-olds have the brain […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Preserving the Past, Protecting Community: National Preservation Month on Atlanta’s Historic Westside
May is National Preservation Month — a time to reflect on the spaces that tell our nation’s story and to recognize the people working to protect them. On Atlanta’s historic Westside, preservation is not just about safeguarding the past — it’s about protecting a community’s future. Westside Future Fund (WFF) was established to help revitalize […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Housing Is Health Care: How Hope Atlanta Is Redefining Behavioral Health for People Experiencing Homelessness
By Kala Farrare, LCSW-C, LCSW, Sr. Director of Clinical Operations At Hope Atlanta, we are building a behavioral health program rooted in the realities of homelessness, where safety, stability, and trust must come first. Traditional outpatient models assume a baseline of security. But for someone living on the streets or in survival mode, behavioral health […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
LEVERAGING THE MOMENT: Maximizing Housing Opportunity in New Developments & Events
If executed thoughtfully, transformative development and special events have the potential to have a lasting impact on affordable housing, including homelessness. Development: Centennial Yards, previously known as The Gulch, aims to develop four million square feet of office space, 1,000 hotel rooms, nearly 1,000 residential units, retail and entertainment venues, public green spaces, and civic […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
May Transform Westside Summit Recap: Generations of Opportunity – Building the Future Together on Atlanta’s Westside
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The dignity of the individual will flourish when matters concerning his life are in his hands.” More than 50 years later, those words inspired Hope Wollensack, Executive Director of The Georgia Resilience & Opportunity Fund (The GRO Fund), to launch a nonprofit dedicated to doing just that: putting power back […]
Posted inHigher Education
Celebrating Emory’s Class of 2025
Excited graduates and their proud families and friends filled Emory’s campus May 9-12 to mark the university’s 180th Commencement, honoring the achievements of thousands of hardworking students in the Class of 2025. Undeterred by days of drenching rain, graduates celebrated their achievements at diploma ceremonies for each of the university’s nine schools and multiple degree […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Plan your green outings with Park Pride’s Park Picks: 2025 Spring & Summer Edition!
Welcome to Park Pride’s Park Picks: 2025 Spring & Summer Edition! With the weather getting warmer and the days getting longer, this is a great time to head outside and enjoy all that our local parks have to offer! The City of Atlanta and DeKalb County are home to hundreds of incredible, high-quality parks and […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Trapped in the Cycle: How Behavioral Health, Homelessness, and Substance Use Are Intertwined — And What Hope Atlanta Is Doing About It
Homelessness is more than just a housing issue—it’s a public health crisis affecting communities across North America and around the world. Mental health struggles and substance use can put people at greater risk of losing their homes, and once someone becomes homeless, the stress and trauma of that experience often make these challenges even worse. […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Head Start is Essential for Our State’s Economy and its Families
In 2025, Georgians need more help than ever accessing high-quality child care and other services for their children, ages birth through five. After all, the pandemic-era relief funds that sustained child care programs and made them more affordable for families expired in September. And in our most recent state legislative session, only $5.4 million in […]
Posted inSmall Business
GMSDC Celebrates National Small Business Month: Honoring the Backbone of Georgia’s Economy
The Month of May is designated National Small Business Month across the nation. It is well documented how significant small businesses are to the overall economic health and well-being of any community, and the outsized impact they have on the global economy. In markets around the world, employers of just a handful of people are […]
Posted inPoverty & Equity
Hope in Motion: How Hope Atlanta and MARTA Are Redefining Community Care in Transit Spaces
When most Atlantans think of MARTA, they think of movement: trains, buses, the daily flow of a bustling city. But for those without a place to call home, MARTA is often the last place of shelter when every other option has disappeared. Recognizing this sobering reality, Hope Atlanta and MARTA forged an innovative partnership—MARTA HOPE—to […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Strengthening Data to Prevent Disease
Collecting accurate, up-to-date and accessible cause-of-death data remains a challenge in many areas throughout the world. This information is critical to allow communities to know why people are falling ill and dying, so officials can create policies and programs to address diseases at both the regional and national levels. The Data for Health initiative launched […]
