Atlanta top muralists join forces on MLK Day

Photo by John Spink Sr. for the AJC

Ten Atlanta artists join forces to creating mural at Frederick Douglass High School on Atlanta’s westside during the King Holiday on January 21, 2019. Organized by Atlanta artist Charmaine Minniefield, the mural is sponsored by Spelman College for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with Hands On Atlanta.

The project will return the portrait of Douglass originally painted in 1972 by then art teacher, Mr.William Murray to the school. Mr. Murray will be present on Monday to meet the artists and to lend a hand. The project features some of the city’s most prolific artists, including Fabian Williams (Occasional Superstar), Joe Dreher (Joe King ATL), Sachi Rome, Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (Think Greatly), Michael Jones (Letter 75), Angela Davis Johnson, Krista Jones (Jonesy), Shannon Willow and Sean Irving (BlesOne aka DeeJay Rebellion).

All artists are donating their time, and leftover paint from murals past, to model community service and civic duty on the 2019 MLK Day of Service. Hands On Atlanta volunteers, Spelman College students, and Clark Atlanta University students will join the team on the day as well. Over the weeks to follow, artists will work with former Frederick Douglass HS art teacher Murray, current art teacher Dr. Mark Jones and students to complete the wall.

The Frederick Douglass High School Alumni Association, Frederick Douglass Ole School, staff and faculty will host this mural project during the 200th anniversary of the birth of abolitionist namesake Frederick Douglass to return the portrait of Douglass to the campus grounds after renovations covered its original image a few years back. Frederick Douglass High School is the alma mater of Atlanta’s Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Minniefield worked with non-profit, fiscal sponsor Culture Centers International to bring attention, support, and talent to this important effort as a continuation of its Westside Murals project which seeks to preserve important Atlanta cultural histories and legacies in the community through public art and creative programming.

This wall is the fourth wall in this series now on the Westside. The first, which honored Adrienne McNeil Herndon, was sponsored by DoSomething.org, Spelman College and Hands On Atlanta last year during the King Holiday on the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. Since, other walls include a wall on the Adair Park Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine which honors Carrie Steel, matriarch and founder of the Carrie Steel Pitts Home for Children; and most recently the wall for Civil Right hero Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson, sponsored by the WonderRoot Off The Wall Project for the upcoming Super Bowl.

As an artist, arts administrator and producer for over 20 years, Charmaine Minniefield has worked with such arts organizations as the National Black Arts Festival, the King Center, Fulton County Department of Arts and Culture, Flux Project and the High Museum of Arts. She was a recent feature in the Mercedes Benz Greatness Lives Here Initiative and has been doing murals in schools during the King Holiday for many years with Hands On Atlanta. Minniefield states, “I am excited to collaborate with this group of amazing Atlanta artists. It is an honor to stand with as artist activists, working in communities as an example act of service during the King Holiday.

This is an exciting time in our city’s history. Each year during the King Holiday, we honor the shoulders on which we stand--the freedom fighters, the abolitionists, the suffragists, the organizers of resistance--who have come before us and are inspired by their example to use our work and our voices to affect change today.”

Participating Artists:

·       Fabian Williams (Occasional Superstar)

·       Joe Dreher (Joe King ATL)

·       Sachi Rome

·       Lauren Pallotta Stumberg (Think Greatly)

·       Michael Jones (Letter75)

·       Angela Davis Johnson

·       Krista Jones (Jonesy)

·       Shannon Willow

·       Sean Irving (Bro Sean aka BlesOne)

·       Charmaine Minniefield

Blue Heron receives Five Star grant for urban wetlands restoration

The Blue Heron Nature Preserve recently received a $30,000 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for urban wetlands restoration. The total conservation impact of the grant will be $71,000 including Blue Heron’s restoration partnership contributions.

The project aims to engage 300 volunteers to restore 2.5 acres of wetlands on the Blue Heron property in Buckhead. Volunteers will focus on removing invasive plant species and planting native ones. Additionally, a Discovery Dock will be constructed to support education efforts and facilitate research. Blue Heron plans to utilize the Discovery Dock during their public programs and children’s camps.

“We are thrilled to be working with our long-time partner, Blue Heron Nature Preserve, on their Blueway Trail Initiative. With the population of Atlanta growing more each day, it's more important than ever that we endeavor to make our city more accessible and connected while preserving its beautiful natural habitats and green space. We’re excited to join in on this project by kicking things off during our annual MLK Day of Service,” says Elaine Hudson, Associate Director of Nonprofit Services at Hands On Atlanta.

The NFWF grant was supported with funds from Southern Company, Georgia Power and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was selected from a competitive pool of 250 applications nationwide. This grant will be matched by Blue Heron, the Atlanta Audubon Society, the Amphibian Foundation, the Department of Watershed Management, Hands On Atlanta, Marcy Scott, a local ichthyologist, and Beech Hollow Farms. Over $70,000 will be allocated towards urban wetland restoration.

“This is a unique opportunity to not only restore a critical and disappearing habitat in an urban environment, but also to engage the community to allow them to discover for themselves why efforts like these are so important,” says Brooke Vacovsky, project and operations manager at Blue Heron.

Serve your neighbor being affected by the shutdown

An important letter from Kyle Waide, President and CEO, Atlanta Community Food Bank

The current government shutdown is now the longest in U.S. history. Georgia’s federal employees and contractors are feeling the immediate impact. Roughly 16,000 of our neighbors have either been furloughed or required to work without pay since the shutdown began four weeks ago.

Many of these families are faced—for the first time—with impossible choices between food and other necessities, like housing, transportation and medication. During the past week, we've seen a 383% increase in searches for help on our website. We've heard from local TSA workers who have never had to ask for food assistance. And we've talked to multiple feeding partners who are reporting an increase in the number of people they serve daily.

The Atlanta Community Food Bank is proactively working to support impacted federal employees and contractors. We may see many more in the coming days if this shutdown continues. If you or someone you know is met with the new challenge of putting food on the table during the shutdown, please the ACFB Government Shutdown relief page to find help.

---

The Atlanta Community Food Bank and it’s partner food pantries need your help more than ever. The increased demand for food means there’s even more need for volunteers to support these distribution efforts. It’s time to step up and serve.

Hot Projects: Week of January 21

Open Hand Meal Packing

Daily Tuesday January 22 - Friday January 25 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Atlanta: Lindbergh)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independent and ultimately able to return to serve others. Serving over 250 families every Thursday and over 471,508 pounds of food this year, we are greatly impacting our communities and with your help, we can continue to be more successful in making an impact in our community. Give back to your community while having fun and meeting new friends, while re-stocking food shelves, loading boxes with food items and assisting in expediting boxes to attendees vehicles.

---

TeamWorks! Kick Off

Saturday January 26 from 9:45 AM - 12:00 AM (Atlanta: Westside)

Hands On Atlanta TeamWorks! is a program that betters metro-Atlanta through meaningful service projects. It’s a program that affords you the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others and our communities, and to develop friendships with your fellow volunteers along the way. It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself and get involved! Kick-off is the first meeting of every round. It is an orientation - a chance for volunteers to meet, form teams, and learn about the projects planned for that round. It is not a service project. For five to six Saturdays after the kick-off, teams compete to have the highest turnout at service projects that impact a variety of causes and communities throughout Greater Atlanta.

---

Centers of Hope Classroom Support Volunteer

One day per week Monday-Friday 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM from January through May (West Atlanta)

After-School Program volunteers engage Kindergarten students in STEM, literacy and service learning enrichment activities in City of Atlanta’s Centers of Hope. Volunteers also serve as positive and encouraging role models for students and create an environment that supports social-emotional development. Major responsibilities include working with Instructors to facilitate activities and nsuring a positive, safe and controlled environment.

---

Point In Time Homeless Count: Clayton County

Monday January 28th with Shifts From 4:00 AM - 10:00 AM (Riverdale, GA)

Hearts to Nourish Hope will be coordinating the Clayton County 2019 Point in Time (PIT) Homeless Count on the morning of January 28, 2019. We are currently asking for volunteers to help conduct this count. The surveys conducted by volunteers will provide demographic information on each unsheltered, homeless individual, give insight to their homeless history, and assess individual needs that will enable the Continuum to effectively plan housing and service interventions to prevent and end homelessness in Clayton County.

Pajama Folding Party

Wednesday January 30 From 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Atlanta: Glenwood Park)

Help fold pajamas that we give to the children that visit the Pajama Program Reading Center/Atlanta. Pajama Program knows that a loving good night leads to better days for all children, no matter how dire their circumstances. For thousands of children, often abandoned, abused and neglected, and living in group homes, shelters and temporary housing – the treasured bedtime ritual of changing into clean pajamas, reading a story and being tucked in with love is miles from their reality.

Host a Civic Dinner and Bridge the Racial Divide

Nothing brings people together quite like a good meal. For me and my family, it was my grandma’s world-famous (well, southeast Michigan famous) spaghetti that almost always drew a large crowd. Now, I know here in the south the food has a little more soul, but there’s something about sharing the joy of a full belly that allows family, friends, and complete strangers to come together around the dinner table, to share in conversation.

Our family at Hands On Atlanta is no different. Every year on the Sunday before MLK Day, we host our annual Signature Sunday Supper. We’re joined by corporate and community leaders, activists, teachers, and students to share with each other, often around a principal or vision of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our 2019 Signature Sunday Supper is sold out, but this year we’re going really big and want you to join the conversation.

We’re teaming up with The King Center, Civic Dinners and Mailchimp to help launch a national conversation around Bridging the Racial Divide, with a goal of getting 1,000 Civic Dinners to happen all across the United States! While the campaign officially kicks-off on Sunday, January 20 at our Signature Sunday Supper, we’re hoping to secure 53 Civic Dinners in Atlanta through February, in honor of the 53rd edition of [insert alternative name for a really big, huge and awesome football game here].

How it Works

The way a Civic Dinner works is super simple. You’ll start with introductions, and then get into three big questions, with one voice at a time, and equal time to share. While everyone loves to talk, you are there to listen far more than speak. And most importantly, you should share from your heart, be real, and be kind.

Your Role as a Host

As a host, your main role is setting a date, a time and location for friends, neighbors and colleagues to gather together over food and follow the simple conversation guide Civic Dinners created for Bridging the Racial Divide.

Here are just a few things to keep in mind as a host:

• Select a date register your dinner on civicdinners.com/theracialdivide

• Dinners can be in homes or restaurants (like at partners King + Duke or Miller Union)

• Everyone pays for their own meal or brings a dish if it is potluck, so there is

  no cost burden on the host

• The Host Guide (you’ll receive after sign up) includes all prompts and questions that guide the conversation so you can sit back, relax and listen as you follow the guide

• Civic Dinners are designed to be inclusive, so try to invite diverse voices to

  the table to create a robust conversation

• Remember to share photos with @handsonatlanta, @thekingcenter and @CivicDinners using the hashtag #bridgethedivide

• After the dinner, Civic Dinners will follow up with guests with a survey link to

  share their reflections, ideas and actions with The King Center to inform a

  national report on how we can bridge the racial divide

Get Started

Signing up to host a Civic Dinner is easy! It’ll take you just a few minutes to get set up and start inviting your network. Don’t feel like hosting, but want to attend? Perfect. There are plenty of open dinners you can join. Don’t wait, start planning your Civic Dinner now.

Hot Projects: Week of January 14

C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution

Thursday January 17 From 3:30 PM - 7:00 AM (Marietta)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independent and ultimately able to return to serve others. Serving over 250 families every Thursday and over 471,508 pounds of food this year, we are greatly impacting our communities and with your help, we can continue to be more successful in making an impact in our community. Give back to your community while having fun and meeting new friends, while re-stocking food shelves, loading boxes with food items and assisting in expediting boxes to attendees vehicles.

---

Mercy Seed Community Food Pantry

Friday January 18 from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Lilburn)

The Mercy Seed Community Food Pantry (MSCFP) changes lives by helping to meet the needs of the church and community by providing food to the community with the love of Christ. MSCFP provides food assistance to low-income individuals. MSCFP works to meet its mission through our weekly food distribution, annual Thanksgiving food giveaway, and mobile food trucks twice a year. Volunteers will help unload Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) truck and unpack and sort food to be ready for clients on Saturday and the following Wednesday.

---

Discovery @ Parklane Elementary

Saturday January 19 From 9:45 AM - 12:00 PM (East Point)

The Hands On Atlanta Discovery program is a volunteer-led Saturday tutoring and enrichment program. The two-hour session occurs twice a month from 10am to 12pm. The program reinforces weekday learning through academic assistance, educational games, field trips, service-learning projects, and other enrichment activities. Students are engaged in a variety of subjects depending on the needs of their particular schools. Our goal is to have a one-on-one volunteer to student ratio, allowing for individualized attention and the building of relationships between students and volunteers.

---

Atlanta Public Schools District and Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Thursday January 24 with Shifts From 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM (Kirkwood)

Atlanta Public Schools Office of Science is hosting its annual District and Regional Science and Engineering Fair. The purpose of this fair is to allow students in grades three through twelve an opportunity to present their original science and engineering research projects. We are requesting your support in judging/volunteering student projects

Action Ministries We Serve Service Bowl

Sunday January 27 From 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (East Point)

Please join us for our We Serve Service Bowl event. Kick off the New Year with family, friends and fun! Retired football coach and NFL player Bill Curry will be joining us for some pre-Super Bowl fun at Action Ministries! Enjoy game-day activities and stations packing food boxes, snack packs, and weekend meal kits for kids and families that face hunger in Georgia!

A Beginner’s Guide to Volunteering in 2019

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, in 2018, more than 1.2 million metro Atlanta volunteers contributed 105 million hours of service, worth an estimated $2.5 billion. Woah. Additionally, 42% of metro Atlanta residents do favors for their neighbors and more than half of y’all donated $25 or more to charity. Give yourself a high five!

If you're feeling inspired and looking to make right on your new year’s resolutions, we’ve got you covered with our Beginner's Guide to Volunteering. Whether you're a seasoned, volunteer pro, or just getting started, check out these tips and fun ways to do something good in 2019.

---

Make Time

Just like anything else in your life, if it’s not on your calendar, it’s probably not happening. You might have blocked time for the gym, to read that book, learn to cook, or to spend more time with your family, but don’t forget about scheduling time to volunteer! Simply adding time to your calendar is a great first step. Once you’ve set time aside, then you can browse our calendar of volunteer opportunities for projects Monday-Saturday.

Short on time? We get it, but don’t sleep on CareerVillage.org, where with just a few minutes of your time, you can answer career and college readiness questions for opportunity youth across metro Atlanta and beyond. Pro tip: This is a great time filler while running/walking on the treadmill.

Finally, you can take giving back with you by downloading Purposity’s free (and super slick) mobile app. Get one weekly notification of a need in our community, read their story and decide if you want to help, all from your phone.

Use Your Skills

Volunteering is more than painting a wall or planting trees (while important and bring a ton of positive impact to the community) and the need for skills-based volunteers is on the rise. Are you a lawyer, accountant, web developer…or have any kind of specific skill? The Atlanta nonprofit community needs your help!

A great first step is to reach out to an organization you’ve volunteered with in the past or would like to volunteer with in 2019 and ask if they could use your help.

[Insert phantom coughing noise here] we have a ton of skills-based volunteer needs here at Hands On Atlanta! For example, we’re looking for handy volunteers who can help write the instructions and do the assembly of beds and bedroom furniture for homeless and low income children.

Looking for something ASAP? To celebrate MLK Day, the United Way is hosting a Day of Innovation and looking for skills based volunteers to think up innovative solutions for some of our communities’ most complex problems.

On January 25-27, our buds at 48in48.org are organizing a 48-hour Super Service event and they’re looking for marketing and tech pros to help build 48 websites for 48 local nonprofits.

Why dip your toes when you can belly smack your way into skills-based volunteering!

Serve With a Friend

Whether out at a movie or on the bike path, having a partner in crime is always more fun. Bringing your bestie, a co-worker, or a significant other with you volunteering is the best. Check out these fun, daily, group friendly opportunities you can sign up for now:

• Books for Africa – Hang indoors and pack boxes of books for children in Africa. Volunteers as young as 12 can serve and they can accommodate groups up to 40!

• Dad’s Garage – Help out Atlanta’s top improv theater by checking ID’s, running the line at the bar, scanning tickets, ushering and more. The best part? You get to see the show for free! This is one of our more popular opportunities and they go quick.

• Trees Atlanta – It will eventually stop raining… and when it does, you should totes help care for plants and projects around town with Trees Atlanta. They offer daily, morning and afternoon shifts, and plenty of fun.

Make New Friends

So, you’re new in town (welcome!) and swiping through your apps to meet someone new has grown old? Give volunteering a try. There’s no better way to meet good people than at a service project. Check out our TeamWorks! program and join our next Kick-Off on January, 26 for a fun and borderline competitive series of volunteer projects.

Our pals at Community Bucket have monthly service projects for young professionals that come stocked with a post event social and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network have bi-monthly volunteer events as well. No need to be a member to join, just more good people, doing good.

Want to try something different? You can create a space for people of diverse backgrounds to connect and come together to solve some of our city’s toughest challenges by hosting a Civic Dinner.    

Make A Difference

Here in Atlanta, 3 out of 4 children considered “economically disadvantaged” are not reading on grade level by the 3rd grade. This is major because 3rd grade is the turning point for students when they start reading to learn and shift from learning to read.

There are lots of ways to help with these literacy challenges, including volunteering with our Discovery program. On Saturdays throughout the school year, volunteers read with, tutor and work with students in various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities. Learn more about Discovery and the impact volunteers create here.

The Pajama Program has a fun, daily opportunity to read stories with kids at their reading parties. You can read up to 4 books and engage the kids in conversation about the books after.  

Get a jump start on solving the literacy challenges facing Atlanta’s youth by signing up to serve as a Talk With Me Baby @ Work facilitator. You’ll learn how to provide parents and caregivers the tools and strategies to support early brain and language development.

---

These are just a few ways you can start 2019 off on the right (service) foot! What other ways are you planning to give back this year? Let us know on Facebook, by commenting on this post.

Hot Projects: Week of January 7

Share a Story With a Child

Friday January 11 From 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (Glenwood Park)

At Pajama Program, we promote a comforting bedtime routine for children affected by instability to help them thrive. At the Atlanta Reading Center, our programming focuses on shared reading between a child and an adult volunteer. Reading Buddies are paired with school age children during our one hour Reading Party to do shared reading. During shared reading, Reading Buddies may read between 1 and 4 books and engage in conversations that inspire creativity. Afterwards, children will select a book to take home with the help of their Reading Buddy.

---

Margie’s House Monthly Giveaway

Saturday January 12 from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Fairburn, GA)

Margie’s House mission is to bring food and assistance to the communities around South Fulton. Join us in our monthly food distribution! Food sorters will be responsible for removing food off trucks as well as organizing, sorting, and packing food in bags. Volunteers will ensure the quality of the food, provide the quantity of food to each client as instructed and break down the boxes in which the food was delivered. Other jobs that may be required include taking out trash, assist clients with carrying food to their transportation, set up, break down and clean up..

---

Discovery @ Parklane Elementary

Saturday January 12 From 9:45 AM - 12:00 PM (East Point)

The Hands On Atlanta Discovery program is a volunteer-led Saturday tutoring and enrichment program. The two-hour session occurs twice a month from 10am to 12pm. The program reinforces weekday learning through academic assistance, educational games, field trips, service-learning projects, and other enrichment activities. Students are engaged in a variety of subjects depending on the needs of their particular schools. Our goal is to have a one-on-one volunteer to student ratio, allowing for individualized attention and the building of relationships between students and volunteers.

---

Kashi Atlanta Street Meals Distribution 2019

Wednesday January 16 From 10:30 AM - 12:30 AM (Candler Park)

Please join us Wednesdays to distribute lunch to homeless men, women, and children in downtown Atlanta from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We will meet at Kashi Atlanta at 10:30 to load food and for a brief orientation. Parking is very limited so please allow time to find spaces and carpool if coming with a group. A Tuesday night team has prepared a healthy, vegetarian meal that we will load and safely transport downtown for distribution. Once at the distribution location, we will plate and serve a sit down, dignified meal to 100+ homeless individuals. This is an opportunity to interact with positive people, intent on making a difference. We practice the yogic principles of nurturing, healing, compassion, inner growth, and community service.

Students with King-Elementary, Middle and High School Students

Wednesday and Thursday January 16 and 17 From 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Old Fourth Ward)

The King Center prepares global citizens to utilize Dr. King’s Philosophy and Methodology of Nonviolence ( Nonviolence 365) to create a more just, humane and peaceful world. provides much needed manpower to carry out the task of educating youth and others to the vision of Dr. King’s Beloved Community. Volunteers will serve as a greeters, stage crew assistance or ushers to assist students. They will ensure the the students are seated safely and ensure that the event runs smoothly. Students will need warm smiles and kind personalities to greet them on their arrival and help move them into the auditorium to be seated. Other duties as required such as collecting forms and providing directions.