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By Maria Saporta

The Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s annual “Numbers Too Big to Ignore” luncheon on Thursday was exactly that.

The keynote speaker was Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., who spoke about women being the economic drivers of the 21st Century.

And then in a most dramatic fashion, at the end of his talk, Kent announced that the Coca-Cola was giving $500,000 to the Atlanta Women’s Foundation — half as a grant to help empower women and girls and the other half as a challenge grant — a challenge that the hundreds of women attending the lunch at the Georgia World Congress Center seemed more than willing to meet.

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta’s civic leaders are standing by, ready to help provide services to the homeless men currently living in the Peachtree-Pine shelter in downtown Atlanta.

The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta Thursday announced that it has established Operation RESPECT, a community plan to provide services and resources to the homeless men who have been staying in the shelter.

Operation RESPECT stands for: Respond. Educate. Serve. Protect. Effective. Care. Transition.

The Peachtree-Pine shelter has been

By Maria Saporta

The second annual France-Atlanta symposium opened Wednesday — forging partnerships in business, technology, education and culture between the French and Georgians.

France’s ambassador to the United States, Francois Delattre, said such a comprehensive partnership does not exist anywhere else in the country. In fact, Delattre said the France-Atlanta event could become a model and an inspiration for other U.S. regions and France.

France-Atlanta was the brainchild of Pascal LeDeunff, the French consul general in Atlanta.

By Maria Saporta

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation — hoping to bring new life to 10 special places in the state — has come out with its latest “Paces in Peril” list.

The 10 historic locations are sprinkled all over the state — from Rutherford Hall at the University of Georgia in Athens to Chattahoochee Park Pavilion in Gainesville to the W.W. Law House in Savannah to the Secondary Industrial High School in Columbus.

The 2012 Places In Peril list includes the historic railroad buildings including AMTRAK’s Brookwood station on Peachtree street to the 1912 Norfolk Southern buildings next to the gulch in downtown Atlanta.

By Maria Saporta

Atlanta is the third largest market for Wells Fargo, according to the bank’s CEO John Stumpf, who spoke to the Atlanta Press Club at a Newsmakers luncheon on Monday at the Commerce Club.

But despite the city’s importance to the bank, there is no Atlantan on Wells Fargo’s board.

“If we could find the right person from Georgia, that would be welcomed,” Stumpf said in an off-the cuff interview after his talk. “That is one of the things we absolutely would like to do.”

Stumpf said that when looking for new board directors, the bank looks for “a diversity of experience and a diversity of geography” as well as other factors. “We are always looking for great directors,” he added.

By Maria Saporta

Thanks to a multi-million dollar gift from philanthropist Bernie Marcus, Grady Memorial Hospital opened its new and expanded Level 1 trauma center Friday — transforming the formerly dingy emergency facilities into a brightly-lit, modern and state-of-the-art center.

That is the latest project that’s part of a $325 million campaign to upgrade and improve the largest public hospital in the State of Georgia. The fundraising effort so far totals nearly $319 million, meaning about another $6 million needs to be raised.

One of the major donors to the campaign was Marcus, who contributed $20 million to Grady for two major projects. Just 18 months ago, Grady held a ribbon-cutting ceremony opening the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center. That was followed by Friday’s ribbon-cutting of the $7 million Marcus Trauma Center.

By Maria Saporta

Hundreds of people turned out Wednesday night at the Mason Murer Gallery to celebrate the PATH Foundation’s 20th year anniversary.

The “cocktail buffet” was hosted by Cindy and Bill Fowler, who is chairman of the PATH Foundation; and Sarah and Jim Kennedy, who have been the most generous donors to the organization.

“It’s amazing that a small group of cyclists got together and said: ‘Let’s build a few trails before the 1996 Olympics,’” Jim Kennedy said at the event. “Today we have 170 miles of multiuse trails around the City of Atlanta and Georgia.”