Local Salute

Former All-American golfer Matt Russell of Parsons Xtreme Golf introduces BlazeSports' kids to the sport.
TEAMWORK

Learning new adaptive sports skills. A partnership between Parsons Xtreme Golf and BlazeSports youth athletics…

Charessa Sawyers created a campaign to provide mental health services to cancer patients.
EMPOWERING CANCER WARRIORS AND CAREGIVERS

Restoring smiles. When Charessa Sawyers’ mother, Barbara Nobles, was diagnosed with breast cancer, it took…

Catherine Lautenbacher is passionate about creating strong community leaders.
LEADING LADIES

Training today’s leaders. Leadership Perimeter (previously known as Leadership Sandy Springs) recently graduated its inaugural…

Mary Cotta Reed, board chair of Life House Atlanta cuddles her daughter Catherine in her specially equipped bedroom.
RESPITE RELIEF

Lifeline for caregivers. Caring for a child with a life-limiting illness is a labor of…

Co-founder and CEO Daniel Dorfman (second from left in rear) with his team at Roots Real Estate Investment Company.
SETTING DOWN ROOTS

Helping renters. Just when you thought there was nothing new in the finance industry, along…

Happy Kids Tournaments founder Shyam Contractor (center front), pictured with his brother, Arjun Contractor-Bali, his mother, Dhruti and basketball coach Jay Slone.
KID ON A MISSION

Tournament brings kids with autism together! Thirteen-year old Shyam Contractor is on a mission to…

Attorney Marcy Sperry (right) founder of Vivid IP Law, works with Vanessa Hardiman of Boss Kidz to empower young people.
ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Protecting intellectual property! When veteran attorney Marcy Sperry established Vivid IP Law, a boutique firm…

Anne Barge Clegg and Roger Smith chair Open Hand's Party in the Kitchen.
TIME TO PARTY

Food for body and soul! As soon as long-time Open Hand volunteer Roger Smith was…

Ilene Engel honored with the Atlanta Jewish Committee's Distinguished Advocate Award.
VETERAN VOLUNTEER HONORED

Serving the Jewish community. After retiring as a broadcast news executive, Buckhead resident Ilene Engel…

Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance Executive Director Doug Barron poses with Barb Pires of Les Dames d'Escoffier at the annual gala.
EARLY DIAGNOSIS IS KEY

Creating awareness! A picture of Executive Director Doug Barron’s mother-in-law sits on his desk at…

Dr. Jane Goodall congratulates Kerry Stumpe on receiving the Ngamba Island Lifetime Achievement Award.
CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION

Scholarships for sanctuary workers’ kids. Kerry Stumpe, co-founder of Children of Conservation, was told ahead…

Co-founder Jessica Lewis is hands on at MOBU Enterprises Foundation.
EARNING WHILE LEARNING

Green job training! The mission of MOBU Enterprises Foundation is two-fold: to train veterans, formerly…

Kathleen Rollins was honored by The Atlanta Humane Society with the Anne Cox Chambers Humane Heroine Award.
A PASSION FOR PAWS

Helping pets in crisis. Kathleen Rollins has always been passionate about animals, and when she…

Dr. Stephen Smith and P.A., Katie Smith lead medical missions in South America.
CHANGING LIVES

New knees for those in need. Eight years ago, Dr. Stephen Smith, Physician Assistant Katie…

Brassica will donate $1 of each Ivy League Old Fashioned to the Uncle Nearest Bourbon Scholarship.
SIP SIP HOORAY

BUCKHEAD’S BRASSICA DONATES A PORTION OF SALES TO SCHOLARSHIPS! The Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead restaurant,…

Amanda Brown-Olmstead has been a publicist and volunteer for more than 50 years.
CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE

Bringing people together. Receiving the Ann Cramer Lifetime Achievement Award at the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s…

Amy Gresens displays the new art closet filled with free supplies.
BEHIND THE CLOSET DOOR

Supplies encourage creativity. Always striving to find new ways to connect to the community, the…

Kathryn Kolb, head of EcoAddendum, leads nature walks through Atlanta's urban forests.
A WALK IN THE WOODS

Discovering Atlanta’s ecosystems. Environmental artist and activist Pandra Williams created EcoAddendum in 2009 to restore…

Volunteer Julio Gonzalez joins Food Well Alliance staff member Emily Barton and executive director Kate Connor at Heaven's Corner.
HEAVENLY GREENSPACE IN WESTSIDE

Creating beauty, growing healthy food! Unlikely bedfellows Food Well Alliance and Tito’s Handmade Vodka frequently…

Johanna Ellis-Reisinger, Butch Whitfield and Liz Lapidus help bring nonprofits together to share information.
THE ROOT OF THE ISSUE

Strength in numbers. During a dinner conversation, friends Butch Whitfield, a realtor at Harry Norman…

Sarah Levitt, founder of Atlanta chapter of Impact100, carries on a family tradition of giving.
WOMEN POWER

Impacting little-known nonprofits. Growing up, Sarah Levitt was no stranger to Impact100, an organization that…

DNA Brand Foundation's Akilah Love and Douglas Johnson help underserved communities around the world.
SERVING THE UNDERSERVED

Providing basic needs and education! With a focus on impacting the lives of others, the…

Raquel Souza's Sweet Peach Wax and Sugaring partners with the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance. photo: Sara Hanna Photography
SYMBIOTIC PARTNERSHIP

Beautiful inside and out. Finding the perfect place for grooming became easier when Brazilian-born Raquel…

Zorro's Crossing, a horse sanctuary founded by Jennifer Astrop, offers horse therapy.
RESCUING RACEHORSES

Saved from the slaughterhouse! When Jennifer Astrop’s then-6-year old son, Alex, was released from the…

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Celebrating fundraisers! When the Association of Fundraising Professionals hosts its 41st annual National Philanthropy Day…

RECYCLING BUILDS A COMMUNITY

Aluminum cans fund Habitat homes! The interior may be painted red and black, but since…

PRESERVING HISTORY

Celebrating the past. Community involvement is a way of life for Home Real Estate agent…

Open Hand Executive Director Matt Pieper helms expansion efforts for new facility.
DELIVERING NUTRITION

A lifeline for the homebound. In 1988, a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was a death sentence,…

Former Buckhead residents Wendy Lewis and Shelley Massey launched the first Down and Derby event to raise money for Children's.
DERBY FOR A CAUSE

Special camps for special kids! Milton transplants Wendy Lewis and Shelley Massey both hail from…