ATL is in Good Hands - the 2025 High Five Party

On April 17—yes, actual National High Five Day—we threw up our hands (literally) and celebrated Atlanta’s all-star volunteers the only way we know how: with food, fun, and a whole lotta gratitude.

The High Five Party made its triumphant return, this time doubling as a fundraiser to fuel the fire our volunteers light in communities across the city. We packed out The Painted Pickle with ping-pong, pickleball, putt-putt, and pure joy. There were good eats (seriously, the waffle fries are insane), cold drinks, great music, and more than a few friendly competitions (shout out to our own Trey Stanley aka Mr. Discovery for the Highest High Five).

But the true highlight? Our awards program, where we hit pause on the games to shine the spotlight on some of Atlanta’s most inspiring changemakers. Let’s meet the winners:

Left to right: Jay Cranman, Monica Taylor, Jennifer Smith, Predita Lundy, David Jernigan

🎉 Corporate Champion Award: Jennifer Smith, OneDigital

Presented by the incredible Elizabeth Chrane, this award recognized Jennifer’s unwavering dedication to corporate volunteerism and creating a culture of service at OneDigital.

🎉 School Legacy Award: Monnica Taylor, Kindezi at Gideons

Presented by the amazing Angeleria Willis, Monnica was honored for going above and beyond to empower her students and bring meaningful volunteer partnerships into the classroom.

🎉 Nonprofit Legacy Award: Grady Health

With words of admiration from Hands On Atlanta Board Chair, Adrienne White, we celebrated Grady Health for its deep-rooted commitment to health equity and community partnership that spans decades.

🎉 Founder’s Award: David Jernigan, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

Presented by none other than Michelle Nunn, this special award went to David for his visionary leadership and lifelong devotion to building brighter futures for Atlanta’s youth.

These honorees aren’t just names on plaques—they’re the heartbeat of this movement. The ones who rally teams, ignite change, and make it their mission to leave Atlanta better than they found it.

And speaking of impact… in just the first few months of 2025:

• We’ve activated 60,000 volunteers

• Our 52 AmeriCorps members clocked over 250,000 service hours

• 30 Civic Leaders engaged 2,000+ neighbors

• And our top volunteers contributed thousands of hours to local causes

So yeah, a party was very necessary.

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The High Five Party means we can give high fives all year long at volunteer projects, events, meal distributions and more.

Give here to keep the good work going.

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To everyone who came out to celebrate, to cheer, to play, to give—thank you. This night was for you. And to everyone who supports this mission year-round: you’re helping us build an Atlanta where service is second nature and high fives are a love language.

Until next time… high fives all around. 👋💥

Thank you to our Host Committee

• Michelle Nunn & Ron Martin

• Elise Eplan

• Amber & Frank Hall

• Allyson Eman

• Jay & Brendalee Cranman

• Tara and Rahul Naya

• Barbara and Nick Costides

• Beth Cabrera

• Chloe Barzey

An extra special Thank You to our sponsors

Meet Gayle Kahn: An extraordinary volunteer and Founder's Award Recipient

We’re excited to spotlight one of our amazing volunteers, Gayle Kahn. In April, Gayle was awarded our Founders Award, and has volunteered with our longest running program - Discovery at Parklane Elementary School! Outside of volunteering, she was the regional training manager for Prudential Real Estate and Relocation. She’s emerged as a leader in everything she does, and is truly as she describes: kind, extroverted and active! Her passion for giving back to our community is amazing!

Read more about Gayle in our interview below!

What impact areas or pressing needs facing Atlanta do you care about most? Why?

Public schools especially Title I schools. The unhoused population Refugees especially in Clarkston, GA.

What do you love most about an organization you volunteer with? Why do you volunteer with them?

I was an elementary school teacher for 11 years with a Master's Degree in Education. I left teaching for the corporate world but once a teacher always a teacher. Parklane ES Discovery gives me the opportunity to use my teaching background and my love for children and volunteering. I want to make a difference in a child's life.

“I have loved being able to make a difference in the lives of so many children for 28 years. We try our best to combine reinforcing academics with fun activities. The children are so smart and are like little sponges. It is a joy to be with them. We also teach kindness and other soft skills and I love seeing them interact with each other. I get as much out of it as they do or more.”

— Gayle Kahn

What skills have you honed or what have you learned through your experience as a volunteer?

The children are on so many different levels and it is great to be able to give them one on one individual instruction and attention. As a former teacher I know this is not always possible in a classroom setting. This is an enrichment program since it is on Saturdays and only 2 hours but one would be surprised the impact we can make.

Can you share a memorable highlight or moment you've experienced that might motivate others to volunteer?

The two main areas we work on the most are reading and math. I tutor in 2nd grade. We try to instill a love of reading. One year we asked the children to draw a picture of what they wanted to do when they grew up. I'll never forget the little boy that drew a motorcycle policeman but when he shared his picture with the class he said he had changed his mind and he wanted to be a librarian so he could help children pick out books. You bet I cried. If you touch just one child in some way it is all worthwhile.

“I have lived in Atlanta since I graduated from the University of Florida except for 4 years when I taught for the DOD school system in Germany. I was born in Syracuse but I have become a Southern at heart. I love the friends I have made, the trees, the parks, the restaurants, the local theatres including the FOX, my walking neighborhood and most of all the good people that are all around the city trying to make Atlanta a better place to live for all. I love volunteering and besides Hands On Atlanta I am involved with other projects.”

— Gayle Kahn

What advice would you give to someone who is interested in getting involved with volunteering?

Go to the Hands On Atlanta website and look at all the opportunities offered. Check Facebook, Nextdoor, etc. Someone is always in need of help. It can be a one-time thing or a long-term commitment. There is something for everyone.

Please list anything else you think our community should know about you, your volunteer service, or your commitment to Do Something Good! 

I will be a young 80 years old in July and am grateful I am able to be so active at this stage of my life. I have been volunteering at Parklane ES for 28 years and hope to be doing many more years. I also was known as "The Jacket Lady" for over a decade as I collected donated money and purchased new winter jackets and distributed to the Parklane students that were in need as identified by the teachers. Some years we (it got so big I had friends helping me distribute at the school) gave out over 200 jackets! I discontinued the project in 2021. Any leftover jackets I donated to Friends of Refugees in Clarkston. I also work with 2 friends helping to feed and collect clothing for the unhoused in downtown Atlanta. I have done many charity walks...American Cancer Society, Saint Jude's, etc. I guess you might say volunteering is my hobby. Before Covid I was a regular volunteer usher at the FOX. I also have made sandwiches for The Sandwich Project and made fleece blankets for the dogs at the LifeLine animal shelter. I collect newspapers for the Jack Russell animal rescue group. I have purchased food at the Food Commune and taken it to the Free Frig. There's more but I won't bore you any further. I guess I have my fingers in a lot of pies and love every minute of it.

Looking Back at the Hands On Atlanta 30th Birthday

From left to right: Mayor Shirley Franklin, Jay Cranman, Danny Shoy.

Way back in the spring of 1989, 12 friends got together to try and figure out a better way to solve some of the challenges facing our city. After a few drinks and a few ideas, this gathering led to the start of Hands On Atlanta. 30 years later, on Saturday, April 13, more than 300 long-time (and new) friends packed into Manuel’s Tavern for an evening of celebration and fundraising at our 30th Birthday.

We celebrated visionaries like Elise Eplan, Kent Alexander and Michelle Nunn who helped make Hands On Atlanta one of the largest community engagement organizations in the world. How big? Since 1989, we’ve engaged 500,000 changemakers to serve more than 4 million hours in communities across metro Atlanta!

We celebrated changemakers like Ms. Genora Crooke, who spent 24 years as a teammate at Hands On Atlanta, and Mayor Shirley Franklin, our 2019 Holly Palmer Rhodes Changemaker of the Year. With the help of guest emcee, WSB-TV’s Fred Blankenship and Mayor Franklin, and the support of our sponsors and attendees, we pulled in $150,000 in donations!

Our history, our community, our impact, and those who continue to support our work… now, that’s worth celebrating!

Mayor Shirley Franklin, accepting the 2019 Holly Palmer Rhodes Changemaker of the Year award!

Capping off the night of fundraising, Fred and Mayor Franklin announce our raffle winner!

All-in-all, it was a throwback party we’ll be talking about for years to come. Thanks to all who came out in support of 30 years of service to the Atlanta community. Thank you to all of our Civic Fellows for volunteering and to our team for producing such a fantastic event! Thank you to all of our host committee members and all of our generous donors and sponsors: The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Publix, The Coca-Cola Company, UPS, Points of Light, Cognizant, Datum Sofware and BBDO Atlanta. Our work does not exist without your help. THANK YOU.

Looking Back: The 2018 High Five Party

Hands On Atlanta celebrates service at annual High Five Party, raising over $130,000 to help engage and mobilize volunteers, and support education and hunger programs.

The week of April 15, 2018 will go down in the record books for our team here at Hands On Atlanta. We kicked off National Volunteer Week with a weekend of service projects for Good Deeds Day, and highlighted 5 outstanding volunteer leaders (1 per day) on The Citizen. Over the course of the week, we filled 450 volunteer opportunities through our calendar, and on Saturday, April 21, we partnered up with the Coke Scholars for a Global Youth Service Day project - mobilizing over 150 youth in service. To cap off this exciting (and exhausting) week of service, we partied with 300 civic and service leaders at our High Five Party!

Attendees arrived at The Gathering Spot and got things rolling with drinks, appetizers, and on-site service projects (including packing 125 literacy kits)! There was also a chance to bid on some of our awesome silent auction items, spread throughout the venue.

The program kicked off with a little trivia from The Big Game show and really set the takeaway for the evening - FUN. Jay Cranman, Hands On Atlanta President and CEO (left) formally welcomed attendees and David Richardson, Hands On Atlanta Chairman of the Board (right), followed with a heartfelt and personal story about the impact volunteers recently made on his family.

One of the highlighted moments of the night came with the announcement of the 2018 Holly Palmer Rhodes Changemaker of the Year Award. This year's recipient, Arthur Blank, was unable to attend in person, but he requested we send a team of our best and brightest journalists to interview him on the importance of giving back to kids in Atlanta, entrepreneurship best practices, and more! Enjoy this special segment of Between Two Fans:

After dinner the guys from The Big Game Show came back for a hilarious, "Jeopardy style" game show that included a few of our friends - CARE CEO, Michelle Nunn (Hands On Atlanta co-founder/former CEO), Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Meria Carstarphen, and Executive Director of the Atlanta Speech School, Comer Yates, and a few special guests from our Discovery program.

After the game show, guests settled in for an impact story from one of our Discovery program volunteers, Priscilla "Granny" McDowell. Priscilla spoke to the importance of exposing her grandchildren to different cultures, different people, and different experiences the program provides. It was a great reminder of why we had all gathered for the evening, emphasizing why supporting Hands On Atlanta matters.

Jessica "It's All Good" Williams came out to help with our live auction and a few motivated attendees left with tickets to Hamilton, a dream vacation to Antigua, and a chance to watch a Falcons or United game from Arthur Blank's suite! It was a great start to the giving, but things were just heating up. After a brief announcement from Mr. Blank (with a match of up to $15,000) our audience blew passed our goal and gave over $20,000 in less than 10 minutes!

Attendees poured out of the ballroom and onto the dance floor where Oh No Stereo was keeping the good vibes (and guests) moving at our High Five Late Night party, hosted by our Changemakers Board. Young professionals from across metro Atlanta joined the party and 1 guest won weekend getaway to Charleston, South Carolina!  

We can't thank our sponsors and supporters enough, but we're going to try. Huge thank you's and high fives to the Arthur Blank Family Foundation, Publix Charities, Chick-fil-A Foundation, Congizant, Cox, KMS Technology, UPS, Evelyn and Bernie Wedge and all of our sponsors! Our work isn't possible without you, thank you!

In total we raised over $130,000 on the evening, raised awareness around some big challenges facing our communities, shared a few moving stories and a few great dance moves, recognized and connected changemakers, mobilized volunteers in service, and had an absolute blast doing it!

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Feeling inspired and want to get in on the High Five Party action? It's not too late, you can make a donation and help our efforts to engage volunteers and/or support our impact programs.