The power of parks can only be activated with the help of our community!
Category: Thought Leadership
Posted inPhilanthropy
In 2022, conditions at the Forest Cove apartments threatened to destabilize the neighborhood. We were – and are – there for area residents.
Located in southwest Atlanta, Historic Thomasville is a strong and tight-knit community. The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta has collaborated with residents for years. In 2022, conditions at the Forest Cove apartments reached crisis level. The Community Foundation partnered with the City of Atlanta and other organizations in a $9+ million effort to relocate roughly […]
Posted inCorporate Community Impact
Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) of Atlanta IMPACT Awards highlights stand out companies for innovation and outcomes
By Cheryl Kortemeier, Executive Director of the Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta. When businesses take time to understand social needs and allocate dollars, skills, services, and products to help solve problems and influence positive change, everyone benefits. If your workplace is considering a community investment strategy, it is beneficial to learn about where and how […]
Posted inHigher Education
Artists bring new perspectives to Emory classrooms through Arts and Social Justice Fellows Program
The Arts and Social Justice (ASJ) Fellows Program enters its fourth year of programming, welcoming seven Atlanta-based artists to classes across the university this fall. The cohort of artists includes Antonio David Lyons, Adán Bean, Bird Harris, Kelly Taylor Mitchell, Meredith Gordon, Nia Jackson and W.J. Lofton. With the support of Emory University’s Office of […]
Posted inWorkforce Development
Goodwill of North Georgia recognizes National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and Goodwill of North Georgia is proud to join the country in celebrating the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), people with disabilities are landing jobs at record numbers despite the recent layoffs. In 2022, 21 percent of […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Partnership Puts Atlanta on Path to Better Health
By Rich Kenah, CEO of the Atlanta Track Club When Atlanta Track Club was founded in 1964, its focus was competition. While we have always welcomed everyone at our events regardless of speed, age, gender or race − as shown by the growth of our flagship event, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, into the […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
South Fulton nonprofit empowers residents to advocate for themselves
Mary Wilson, one of Ubuntu Community Catalyst’s three co-founders, says the organization is “emerging.” Although Ubuntu is new — they officially became a nonprofit in 2020 after receiving a planning grant from United Way of Greater Atlanta — the extent of their work in such a brief period of time suggests otherwise. According to United […]
Posted inMoney Matters
Financial Stress is Negatively Impacting Americans’ Personal Lives
Middle-income households say their financial situation is leaving them depressed and impacting their relationships. Despite easing inflation, many middle-income Americans find themselves stuck in a difficult spot financially, with continued high costs for necessities impacting their monthly budgets. Now, after months of economic uncertainty, the financial pressure is cresting over into their personal lives as […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
A Human-Centered Design Workshop for Early Educators
By GEEARS Last month, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students and partner Quality Care for Children co-hosted over 50 early childhood professionals—almost all of them teachers—for a Human-Centered Design Workshop. GEEARS invited early childhood educators from across Georgia to the workshop, asking participants to give up an entire, precious Saturday. For some, it […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Transforming health beyond the classroom in metro Atlanta
Fostering collective action with the National Football League and community organizations to improve the health and well-being of youth and their families in the metro area For over 15 years, the American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL) have championed 60 minutes of daily youth activity in schools, benefiting millions through the NFL […]
Posted inWorkforce Development
Goodwill and Accenture Launch Major Green Jobs Program
Goodwill, in partnership with Accenture, is launching a groundbreaking relevant workforce training program for the most in-demand, entry-level, clean energy jobs. The Goodwill Clean Tech Accelerator™ will teach employability and technical skills for jobs involving solar and storage, electric vehicle charging, heat pumps and energy efficiency. Goodwill and Accenture announced the initiative at the U.S. […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
We’re marching off the child care cliff together, and we need to take action
By Erica Stephens, Founder & Executive Director, Nana Grants, Inc. The United States marched off a child care cliff last week. How else can I describe our relentless move toward this inevitable outcome? This manufactured crisis is the result of expiring pandemic emergency relief funds that had helped thousands of child care centers pay their […]
Posted inHigher Education
Emory receives $9.2 million award to help diversify U.S. research ecosystem
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $9.2 million to Emory University to support the expansion of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP) Consultants Program, which is dedicated to diversifying the U.S. research ecosystem. The NORDP Consultants Program provides research development services to minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and […]
Posted inGlobal Health & Development
Detroit Team Helps Residents Prepare for Changing Climate
By Ruth O’Neill It was a grey and overcast day in Detroit when I met up with Deandra Smith, director of the AmeriCorps Climate R.E.A.D.Y. program at Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies. Climate R.E.A.D.Y.–Recreation, Education, Awareness, Demonstration and Youth–is a partnership between the university and AmeriCorps, an independent agency of the United States […]
Posted inPhilanthropy
Clarkston-based organization CDF Action is a model for community-driven change
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Clarkston, you know that it’s earned its title as “the Ellis Island of the south.” Since the 1990s — when refugee resettlement programs designated the city as an ideal place for displaced individuals and families — Clarkston has amassed a hugely diverse population that continues to grow. […]
Posted inWorkforce Development
Goodwill of North Georgia hosts a grand reopening of Griffin Store and Donation Center
Goodwill of North Georgia hosted a grand reopening of its Griffin store and Donation Center on September 28. The store had been closed since January 13, 2023, when an EF-3 tornado struck it, causing extensive damage to the sales floor. According to Felicia Upshaw, Griffin store manager, she received several storm messages from the internal […]
Posted inFinancial Inclusion
Improving credit scores hailed as path to progress in Buffalo
John Hope Bryant believes credit scores are a telling statistic. And he is on a mission to raise them. The founder, chairman and CEO of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Operation HOPE contrasted the experiences of people living in the Schiller Park ZIP code of 14211 and the West Seneca ZIP code of 14224. The communities are […]
Posted inSecuring Atlanta's Future
Amid Talent Crisis in Education and Childcare, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta Director Dedicates 45 Years of Service to Atlanta Youth
By David Jernigan, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta I’ll never forget my mom’s response when I told her I was going to become a teacher: “You’re going to settle for that?” In her mind, becoming an educator was somehow acceding to a profession less than my potential, especially as […]
Posted inPeople, Places & Parks
Creating Change One Native Plant at a Time
By Nikki Belmonte, Executive Director Early fall is arguably the most beautiful time of year in Georgia with a new palette of wildflowers blooming, shrubs bursting with berries and hints of autumnal colors in the trees. I have been obsessed with a single plant in my yard – a white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) planted […]
Posted inViews From Peachtree
5 Ways Everyone Is Wrong About the Future of Downtowns
By Megan Hodgkiss, Hodgkiss Consulting LLC How should leaders address growing challenges related to the city’s post-pandemic economy and culture? This is a key question that Dr. Tracy Hadden Loh addressed during her recent presentation to Central Atlanta Progress. The program, entitled “Five Ways Everyone Is Wrong About the Future of Downtowns (And What to […]
