THE CITIZEN BLOG
THE CITIZEN BLOG
The Weekly High 5: Getting Ready for Kick-Off
College football season isn't the only thing getting ready to kick-off.
Join the Hands On Atlanta team, corporate and nonprofit leaders, and plenty of changemakers on Wednesday, October 3 at the Monday Night Brewing Garage for a fun evening to kick-off Atlanta's largest, single day of service!
The Weekly High 5: We Got That Beyoncé Upgrade
Better than the feeling of an all new, unlimited data plan, we've upgraded our office with a fresh focus on creativity and connectivity.
The Weekly High 5: Americorps Gets it Done in Atlanta
The Americorps gets things done.
You probably know Hands On Atlanta as the volunteer hub of the city, right? When you want to do something good, you give us a look. But, did you know we also run one of the largest Americorps programs in the south?
Now Playing: The Weekly High 5 Podcast
I remember a time when the only question on anyone's mind was, "Is Adnan Sayed innocent or guilty?" In fact, I've been told this was an ice breaker for many first Bumble dates... Anyways, Sarah Koenig and Atlanta's sweetheart Mailkimp brought the world of podcasts out of the basement and into your living room, your car, your commute, and everywhere you went with "Serial." If you don't know what I'm talking about, surely you've heard someone mention "Serial" or maybe you've heard of "This American Life" or even Atlanta's own podcast empire, "How Stuff Works." Atlanta is also home base to one of my faves, Crazy Good Turns. Whatever your interests, guilty pleasures, or preferences to pass the time, chances are, there's a podcast out there waiting for you to press play.
Announcing the Hands On Atlanta Shop
Volunteering, serving your community, being an engaged citizen... these are not things you do on a Saturday morning. These actions are not simply, "scheduled time for good" before carrying on with your weekend. It's a lifestyle. It's a choice you make every morning when you wake up, confirming "Today I'm going to do something good."
To help celebrate you and your lifestyle, we're excited to announce the Hands On Atlanta store! When you shop with Hands On Atlanta, you'll find fun and meaningful swag that helps express your inner changemaker to the world. Sounds good, right? There's more, with every purchase, 100% of profits will go directly to supporting our impact programs! Every shirt you buy can help provide a day of snacks for 1 student OR provide that student with a literacy kit at one of our partner Title 1 schools. With each accessory you pick up, it can provide 2 basic hygiene kits for a child or adult. These are just a few ways in which your purchases have power!
Love Atlanta Turns (and Builds) the Tables on Service
Sometimes you just want to sit down on a picnic table and enjoy a little sunshine. Pull the lap top out, crank out some emails, drink an ice cold Coca-Cola, and enjoy a little peace and quiet. You know what I mean?
Luckily for the staff at Hands On Atlanta, this fairy tale story is now a reality, thanks to our friends at Love Atlanta! As part of our big office renovation, (and some impeccable timing) their team chose to build 3 brand new picnic tables for our outdoor patio as a site project for their annual week of service. So, the organization that hosts and leads volunteer projects 24/7/365 has now been on the receiving end of one. Yes, the literal and proverbial tables were turned. Things felt pretty good from this side of things, a little too good...
5 Ways Volunteering Improves Your Life
Everyone knows that volunteering is an incredibly giving action for your community. However, sometimes life keeps us too occupied and stressed to even think about it, even though we know it’s the right thing to do. It turns out that volunteer work not only helps your community, but it also improves multiple areas in your own life.
A little skeptical? Keep reading to learn the five ways it does just that.
Too Busy to Love - A Reading from Civic Saturday
Atlanta, I have come to realize, is like America in all its complexity and contradiction. It is, as W.E.B. Du Bois said, south of the North but north of the South, challenging the assumptions and mores of each half of the nation. It’s a city that General Sherman had to burn to the ground so that Doctor King could rise from it a century later. A capital of slavery and a hub of black liberation. A city of rising prosperity and inequality, of suburban sprawl and status anxiety and immigrant influx and persistent poverty – and beneath it all, a web of faith communities and a corporate power structure that dominates civic life.