Hot Projects: Week of February 18

Trees Atlanta Forest Restoration Invasive Plant Removal

Saturday February 23 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Morningside, Atlanta)

Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized non-profit citizens’ group that protects and improves Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. The vast majority of the work we do is accomplished with the help of volunteers including all the trees we plant, and much of our invasive plant removal! Volunteers will be using hand saws and pruners to remove Chinese Privet and English Ivy from trees at the Morningside Nature Preserve.

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Chairish the Future

Friday February 22 from 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM (Westside, Atlanta)

The Furniture Bank’s vision is for all individuals and families to have the furniture necessary to create a safe and secure environment that contributes to health and well-being. Our mission is to recycle gently-used furniture by collecting it from the community and giving it to individuals and families moving out of homelessness and fleeing domestic violence, as well as countless others struggling to make ends meet. Volunteers will greet attendees, check guests in, and/or run the photo booth.

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Discovery Program @ Belmont Hills Elementary

Saturday, March 2 from 9:00 AM - 12:00PM (Smyrna, GA)

he 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, service-learning projects, and other enrichment activities. Volunteers who speak Spanish are especially needed. 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.

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Books For Africa

Monday February 25, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (NW Atlanta)

Most African children who attend school have never owned a book of their own. For many children in Africa, the gift of books truly is a gift of hope. Since 1988, Books For Africa has sent over 20 million books to the children of Africa. We rely on volunteers like you to sort and pack the books for our shipments. No heavy lifting is involved.

Food Forest Grow-and-Learn

Saturday March 9 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Southeast Atlanta)

Help grow the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill: largest food forest in the U.S. This 7.1 acre site is located in the heart of one of Atlanta's largest food deserts. South Atlanta residents worked with designers and partners for 1.5 years on a community vision plan. You are helping the community implement and steward their vision and future food oasis! How: Food forest "grow and learns" are held monthly at this site. Grow and learn opportunities include: planting and caring for the orchard and community garden, composting, bees, invasive species removal, trail building and more! The food forest ranger and guest speakers will share lessons along the way!

Hot Projects: Week of February 11

Atlanta Science Festival

Various Shifts through March 23rd (All Over Atlanta)

Join the Curious Corp, the volunteer team that makes the annual Atlanta Science Festival possible! From March 9-23, 50,000 children and adults will celebrate local science and technology at more than 100 events throughout metro Atlanta. Festival events feature hands-on activities, tours, tastings, and performances from more than 100 partner organizations, including school districts, post-secondary institutions, museums, businesses, civic and community groups. Volunteers are needed for every event and in the weeks leading up to the Atlanta Science Festival. We will need greeters, tweeters, ushers, wayfinders, lifters, marketers, and more

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Food Pantry Volunteers

Friday February 15 from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM (Riverdale, GA)

The Food Pantry began as a community service project, envisioned by youth to address the need of families in our community. This service project continued and now has the capacity to serve over 1300 families per month, providing year-round food assistance. The food pantry gives our youth a chance to be held accountable, develop empathy and self-esteem and give back to the community. Duties: Help prepare food boxes and give them out to the community. Stock and organize shelves.

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Reflections of Trinity Grocery Distribution

Saturday, February 23 from 8:00 AM - 11:00AM & 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Powder Springs, GA)

Reflections of Trinity is a non-profit organization dedicated to meet the basic needs of those in crisis with food, clothing, and housewares and facilitates structured opportunities for people to engage in meaningful community service. Every week the Reflections of Trinity Outreach team, Team 58, assembles grocery boxes for the people in need in our very own community. We feed around 400 families on a weekly basis so we are always in need of volunteers!

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SWEEAC Mobile Food Distribution

Thursday February 21, 2019 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (West End)

Southwest Ecumenical Emergency Assistance Center (SWEEAC) provides assistance to southwest Atlanta residents in the form of monthly food distribution. SWEEAC serves more than 48,000 families & distributes over 1,000,000 pounds of food to the families in Atlanta. Volunteers provide the agency with much needed resources that allow the agency to complete their mission in a cost efficient and orderly manner. Volunteer tasks include: set up and breakdown, unpacking and organizing food to be distributed, bagging or boxing of food for recipients, assisting recipients to their vehicle or helping them carry food

C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution

Thursday, February 21 with shifts From 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM (Marietta, GA)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independant 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.

Hot Projects: Week of February 4

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance 2nd Service Saturdays

Saturday February 9 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Southwest Atlanta)

This program facilitated by the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and made possible by a grant from USDA Forest Service for our Atlanta Children’s Forest Network, provides the opportunity for youth 10 years and older to participate in meaningful activities encouraging conservation, stewardship and experiential learning on the second Saturday of every month (excluding January and July). Tasks: Trail building and maintenance, Invasive Plant Eradication, Habitat Restoration and other activities needed to manage the facility and grounds of this unique urban resource!

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Volunteer Orientation Program

Monday February 11 from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM or Wednesday February 13 from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Grayson)

Prior to serving along side us at the SE Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry we require ALL volunteers complete our Volunteer Orientation Program. The orientation program provides new volunteers with information about our mission, the people we serve, the types of volunteer opportunities available, and our requirements and expectations for all those serving in our ministry.

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Discovery Program @ Belmont Hills Elementary

Saturday February 9 From 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Smyrna)

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, service-learning projects, and other enrichment activities. Volunteers who speak Spanish are especially needed. 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.

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Meal Packing

Various Weekdays Throughout February 9:00 AM -12:00 PM and 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Lindbergh)

Open Hand helps people prevent or better manage chronic disease through Comprehensive Nutrition Care, which combines home-delivered meals and nutrition education as a means to reinforce the connection between informed food choices and improved quality of life. Packing involves portioning food into individual containers and snack bags on our packing assembly line. With over 5,000 meals to package every day, your help is essential. This is a great project for individuals and families, and a great team-building exercise.

Share the LOVE Family Volunteer Day @ Easterseals North Georgia

Thursday, February 14 From 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM (South Atlanta)

Easterseals North Georgia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving children with disabilities and their families locally for over 50 years. Come share the love on Valentines Day! We welcome families of all ages to do a book drive for children age 6 weeks to 5 years. Please bring your books and write a short summary of how you did your drive. We will place you in a classroom so you can share your books with the children. We are all about literacy! We encourage you to engage with our kids, make them feel special! When you read to them, they are likely to want you to look at them, ask them questions about the book.

Hot Projects: Week of January 28

Beautification @ Panola Way Elementary School

Saturday February 2 from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Lithonia)

Panola Way Elementary School opened in 1986 and is located in Lithonia, Georgia in DeKalb County. Panola Way's mission is to provide an environment that addresses the emotional, social, physical, and academic needs of all our students. Volunteers will paint, clean and build garden boxes.

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C3 Ministries’ Food Pantry Distribution

Tuesday February 7 with shifts from 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM (Marietta)

Our mission at C3 Ministries is to provide resources of four various ministries in order that families can become whole, independant 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.

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Discovery Program @ Parklane Elementary

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

Parklane Elementary Discovery is a Saturday morning tutoring program that offers one-on-one and small group enrichment activities for at-risk children. Volunteers lead activities and help with reading and math skills for students in kindergarten through 5th grades. Volunteers who speak Spanish are especially needed.

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Share In Our Valentine

Wednesday February 13 From 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM (College Park)

At InCommunity we partner to enrich and sustain the lives of individuals who have developmental disabilities, their families, and their communities.  This volunteer opportunity helps the InCommunity Organization carry out its mission by engaging the residents of InCommunity to engage in activites that are apart of everyday living and to work with volunteers. Volunteers will be participating in fun activities including the making Valentine Cards, playing boards games and BINGO, and distributing prizes to the winners.

Share the LOVE Family Volunteer Day @ Easterseals North Georgia

Thursday, February 14 From 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM (South Atlanta)

Easterseals North Georgia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving children with disabilities and their families locally for over 50 years. Come share the love on Valentines Day! We welcome families of all ages to do a book drive for children age 6 weeks to 5 years. Please bring your books and write a short summary of how you did your drive. We will place you in a classroom so you can share your books with the children. We are all about literacy! We encourage you to engage with our kids, make them feel special! When you read to them, they are likely to want you to look at them, ask them questions about the book.

Sunshine, Smiles and Service: A recipe for impact for the 2019 MLK Day of Service

The masses were out in full force for another big day of impact for the 2019 MLK Day of Service. Numbers are still trickling in, but about 2,000 volunteers served at 32 projects across metro Atlanta. Backed by a huge turnout from all 20 of our corporate sponsors, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and worked on a diverse and impactful series of projects at our partner nonprofits and schools.

At Truly Living Well 200 volunteers helped winterize fruit trees, composting, cleaned up a pond and more. Teammates from our title sponsor Coca-Cola were busy at sites like Blue Heron Nature Preserve, getting dirty, removing invasive plants along one of their trails, and with Keep North Fulton Beautiful by unloading and sorting donated goods and helping with customers. There was a pop-up letter writing station outside of The King Center, where visitors could join the Atlanta Legends by crafting encouraging messages to Atlanta Public School teachers.

Not all projects were outside (thankfully) and there was plenty of work to do at both schools and nonprofits. At Stoneview Elementary, volunteers from State Farm and the surrounding community teamed up for a school maker with a ton of paint projects throughout the school and with some brand new picnic tables in the courtyard. At Helping Mama’s, volunteers sorted diapers, ran inventory on donations and bundled clothing by season & size. At Frederick Douglass High School, 50 volunteers helped paint a huge mural (thanks to sponsors Mercedes Benz USA) that was created in partnership by some of Atlanta’s top muralists. At the Amani Women’s Center volunteers helped sort sewing supplies for the classes they teach to refugee women along with interior painting and a few other beautification projects to give the women a nice place to work and learn.

These are just a sampling of the impactful projects accomplished by volunteers today. We can’t thank the Atlanta community enough for showing up and serving for another huge MLK Day of Service! We’re also sending high fives to all of our corporate sponsors for making this massive day of service possible. To all of the project managers, our AmeriCorps members, all of the current and past Civic Fellows, every task leader and each member of our team at Hands On Atlanta - THANK YOU!

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See more photos and learn about the impact our volunteers created across metro Atlanta on the 2019 MLK Day of Service on Twitter and Instagram! Did you volunteer? Share your service with us across social media by using #HandsOnMLKDay.

Take a look back at our 2019 Signature Sunday Supper presented by The Coca-Cola Company —>

Sports and Social Justice: A look back at the 2019 Hands On Atlanta Signature Sunday Supper

Hands On Atlanta Signature Sunday Supper presented by the Coca-Cola Company

On Sunday, January 20, 300 corporate and community leaders gathered around the dinner table at the College Football Hall of Fame for an engaging conversation about sports and social justice.

Slam poet, Poetix, kicked off the night with an energetic and moving performance that set the tone for the evening. Jay Cranman, Hands On Atlanta President and CEO gave a warm welcome to attendees and Alba Baylin, V.P. Community and Stakeholder Relations at The Coca-Cola Company followed with a moving reminder of the importance of “having tough conversations.”

Guests enjoyed dinner before our panel shared their views and roles on social activism in sports. 11Alive’s Cheryl Preheim moderated the panel that included Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and professional football player with the Seattle Seahawks. Nate was a catalyst in Colin Kapaernick's decision to take a knee in protest against police brutality. He shared his eye-opening story and challenged us all to have empathy for others. He shared his eye opening story and how important Dr. King’s idea of listening to others and having empathy for others helped his role in the movement. Nzinga Shaw, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena showcased how the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks are solving a set of diversity challenges. It’s safe to say, there isn’t a more transparent and inclusive organization in all of sports. Reverend Dr. Greg Ellison, founder of Fearless Dialogues and Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Emory University, passionately shared the connectedness of Dr. King’s vision to changemakers making a difference in today’s culture. He also dropped helpful tips for having a tough and sometimes uncomfortable conversation.

The panel was a great place setting for the table conversations, the night’s main course. We partnered up with The King Center and Civic Dinners, to create a series of questions built around the Building the Racial Divide civic dinner. Even more important, our Signature Sunday Supper was the official launch of a huge campaign. Our goal is to ignite the  Bridging the Racial Divide conversation, sparking 1,000 Civic Dinners across the country!

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Feeling inspired to create change? Join Hands On Atlanta and The King Center by hosting your own Civic Dinner on Bridging the Racial Divide.

Take a look back at our 2019 MLK Day of Service —>

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.