“I never set out to do a bike program, but it seems to be meeting a need right now.”

Michelle Witherspoon is the Youth Development Coordinator at Focused Community Strategies (FCS), a local nonprofit empowering neighborhoods in historic South Atlanta to thrive through neighborhood engagement, mixed-income housing, and economic development.

We all know the saying, there’s no place like home.

We feel the comfort of our surroundings when we return from a long trip or get back to normal after a disruption to our environment. And as nice as our vacations may be, there’s just something about home.

Do you remember the first time you traveled outside your hometown? Or your home state?

Stepping outside the familiar and experiencing new places and cultures is an important step for all of us as we grow up. It can show us new ideas and possibilities and help us grow in our understanding of the world around us.

Focused Community Strategies’ (FCS) annual Pride for Parents Christmas store is a destination for holiday shopping for over 600 families in the community.

Meet Gerod. He is a single father who served time in prison. Gerod’s number one priority was establishing stable employment and housing for himself and his children. Thankfully, he was connected with Furniture Bank.

For more than 30 years, BCM Georgia has been focused on intervention efforts that keep families in their homes and off the streets. One of the primary ways they intervene is by forestalling evictions and utility shut-offs through their Emergency Assistance Program.

We cook. We deliver. We teach. We care. Those four simple ideas sum up the vast impact and scope of Open Hand.

Meet Tevon. Tevon is a graduate of City of Refuge’s auto mechanic job training program. Thanks to City of Refuge, he is now a certified mechanic and working full-time at a local dealership.

Meet Daryl. Daryl moved to Atlanta looking for a place to start over after devastating hurricanes pushed him out of the Virgin Islands. A friend recommended Atlanta Mission to him and it set him on a journey of personal development and service as he took on leadership roles during his time as a resident.

Meet Seth. Seth believes all people have dignity. More importantly, he believes all people deserve to know they have dignity. So, Seth devotes his time to City of Refuge—a community in the heart of Atlanta.

Meet Matt. Matt first volunteered at Open Hand Atlanta back in the mid-90s. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Matt returned to Open Hand to lead the organization’s fundraising efforts, ultimately accepting the role of Executive Director in 2011.

Meet Eben. Eben is a Biomedical Engineer who works for an organization called MedShare. MedShare helps resource-constrained communities all over the world by providing vital medical supplies and equipment.