The December 20 Transform Westside Summit featured an inspiring and thought-provoking program centered on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in Atlanta’s Westside. Hosted by John Ahmann, President and CEO of Westside Future Fund , the event highlighted the transformative work of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) under the leadership of Jay Bailey, its President and CEO. The event […]
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inAtlanta Housing
Atlanta Housing and Partners Celebrate with Ribbon-Cutting at Juanita H. Gardner Village
Atlanta Housing (AH), in collaboration with Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and development partners Timshel Development, CRN Development, Gateway Development Corporation, and Hill Tide Development, announces the grand opening of Juanita H. Gardner Village (the “Village”). This new construction community provides 108 affordable housing units for seniors, featuring […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Advancing Health Equity: A Collaborative Approach to Community Wellness
Every person deserves the opportunity for a full and healthy life. But this is not the reality for many people of color and others whose health suffers because of social factors beyond their control. Poverty, income disparities, food insecurity and the lack of healthy housing have significant implications for health risk and the ability to […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Finding Home on the Westside: The Story of Destiny Motley
Destiny Motley, a Virginia native who moved to Atlanta’s Westside in 2019, is approaching her one-year milestone as a homeowner in December 2024. With the support of the Westside Future Fund, Motley has become the first in her family to own a home. In a remarkable five-year journey, she has transformed her life, going from […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Celebrating the Launch of the Habitat Stewardship Program
By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Last month, Birds Georgia was excited to launch a new conservation program called the Habitat Stewardship Program. An offshoot of our popular Wildlife Sanctuary Program for residential properties, the Habitat Stewardship Program is geared towards larger public and private lands of 10 acres or larger. The goal of the program […]
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta Names 2024 Carol D. Reiser Youth Service Award Winners
By Cheryl Kortemeier, Executive Director, Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (CVC) The Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Atlanta recently announced 2024 recipients of the Carol D. Reiser Youth Service Award, recognizing and celebrating extraordinary youth volunteerism and community engagement. The award is named in honor and memory of Carol Reiser, CVC co-founder and past president, […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
Wondering what could help address chronic homelessness?
By Natallie Keiser, executive director, HouseATL One of the basic expectations we have for our government is that it will help us as a society to care for those who cannot fully care for themselves. The Georgia Housing Voucher Program is a strong example of how a government can effectively do that – if it […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Achieving Financial Stability: How Westside Future Fund and Operation HOPE Empower Homeownership in the Historic Westside
Westside Future Fund (WFF) is dedicated to ensuring that legacy residents of Atlanta’s historic Westside remain rooted in the community they call home. Through its Home on the Westside program, WFF supports individuals and families with live, work and learn connections to the historic Westside, helping them achieve the dream of homeownership. A cornerstone of […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory heart team implants new blood-pumping device for first time in U.S.
On Nov. 18, the heart failure and transplantation team at Emory University Hospital (EUH) made history, performing the first-ever surgical implantation in the United States of a brand-new type of ventricular assist device (VAD), which provides crucial care to patients with failing hearts. An expert team led by veteran cardiothoracic surgeon Mani Daneshmand, MD, successfully […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
Celebrating 20 Years of Nonprofit Investments in Atlanta, BofA Announces Tommy Nobis Center and Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership as its 2024 Neighborhood Builder Honorees
Celebrating its 20th year, Bank of America’s signature Neighborhood Builders® program continues to be one of the nation’s largest philanthropic investments into nonprofit leadership development, while providing unique multiyear flexible grant funding annually to two high-impact nonprofits in nearly 100 communities nationwide. In Atlanta Bank of America has named Tommy Nobis Center (TNC) as a 2024 Neighborhood Builders […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Cox Campus Provides $140+ Million in Free Teacher Training
The Atlanta Speech School, through its Rollins Center for Language & Literacy (Rollins Center) and free professional development platform Cox Campus, is at the forefront of a national solution to illiteracy. To date, the Cox Campus has delivered more than 140 million dollars’ worth of literacy courses at no cost to schools or districts nationwide. […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Exploring Atlanta’s hidden forests with local author Jonah McDonald
By Hannah E. Jones, Park Pride’s Marketing & Communications Manager Local author and park naturalist Jonah McDonald is on a mission to make Atlanta’s hidden forests less hidden. One decade after his first hiking guidebook, “Hiking Atlanta’s Hidden Forests: Intown and Out,” Jonah and his co-author Zana Pouncey recently released “Hiking Intown Atlanta’s Hidden Forests: […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Westside Future Fund Celebrates Closing for New Homeowner Muhammad Fatty
Westside Future Fund (WFF) is honored to announce the closing of another home in the historic Westside along the James P. Brawley corridor. Muhammad Fatty recently purchased a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the English Avenue neighborhood through Home on the Westside. Fatty is an employee of Spelman College, a revered academic institution located in the Atlanta […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Boundless Advancements: Community Support Powers Atlanta Beltline Progress
As we close out 2024, the Atlanta Beltline Partnership thanks its partners, corporate sponsors, donors, and volunteers for powering tremendous growth. As we collectively work with Atlanta Beltline, Inc. and others to connect 45 neighborhoods, build community, and promote sustainable economic development in Atlanta for generations to come, we’re grateful for the support we receive […]
Posted inHistoric Westside
Celebrating Five Years of Partnership: WFF Volunteer Corps and Hudson Grille Deliver Thanksgiving Joy
During Thanksgiving week, the WFF Volunteer Corps joined forces with Hudson Grille to ensure individuals and families in Atlanta’s historic Westside could fully enjoy the holiday. This marks the fifth year of their impactful partnership, which provided hundreds of Thanksgiving meals complete with turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, desserts and […]
Posted inSustainable Communities
Women’s Access to Capital for Affordable Housing in Metro Atlanta
Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 9:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church | 435 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 (Streamed Live on this website, YouTube and Facebook) According to the report 2024 Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Businesses[1], 14 million women-owned businesses comprise 39.1% of all US businesses, employ 12.2 million workers and […]
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
Kaiser Permanente: Building Healthier Communities This Holiday Season
At Kaiser Permanente, we understand that health extends beyond the doctor’s office into the communities where people live, work, and play. This holiday season, we are addressing the social factors that impact health, focusing on food insecurity and access to care. Through our annual food drives and partnerships with local organizations, we delivered thousands of […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
From charity to liberation: Embracing a racial equity framework in philanthropy
By Cynthia Padilla Pearson, program officer, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Historically, philanthropy has been about providing aid—whether it’s food for those experiencing hunger, shelters for the unhoused, or scholarships for students. While these acts of kindness are valuable, they can sometimes miss the mark when it comes to creating lasting change. When philanthropy is […]
Posted inHigher Education
More than 5 million Americans would be eligible for psychedelic therapy, study finds
Acupuncture. Ketamine infusions. “Electroshock” or electroconvulsive therapy. The existing treatment options for those diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), may sometimes feel daunting or expensive alternatives to medication. However, a groundbreaking study from Emory University demonstrates how psilocybin-assisted therapy could impact more than 5 million people in the U.S. pending approval […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
See to Succeed: How the Atlanta Vision Project is Changing Lives with Free Glasses
By Dr. Rebecca Parshall In metro Atlanta, a transformative effort called The Atlanta Vision Project is setting out to provide vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to every elementary school-aged student in need, at no cost to students or their families. Aimed at addressing the challenge of accessing vision care, this initiative has clear objectives: […]
