Our Westside Story: Celebrating Collaboration & Social Change

Oct 6, 2017
Group Photo with caption “Raising Expectations”

What an amazing turnout for our Westside Story event at TechSquare Labs on October 2! Atlanta community leaders, nonprofits, sponsors, and TechBridge board members showed up in force to celebrate community collaboration disrupting the cycle of generational poverty in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhoods. We also launched a crowdfunding effort aimed at helping a special local nonprofit.

Crowdfunding

Raising Expectations Co-founders Maria Armstrong and Tangee Allen showcased the work that their nonprofit is doing on the Westside to empower youth in crises by raising academic, social, and civic expectations to facilitate high school graduation and post-secondary plans.

Raising Expectations is our crowdfunding beneficiary, and we want to rally all of you to help them reach their goal of raising $10,000 for a technology transformation to be delivered by TechBridge. For those who weren’t able to join us, you still have the opportunity to help. Feel free to share with your colleagues and friends to reach this goal. Fundraising has ended for this project.

Our Vision Forward

The success of the Westside is essential to the growth of our city. With the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the backdrop, the Westside of Atlanta is experiencing rapid transformation, yet with 60% of children in Westside neighborhoods living in poverty, the area is still ripe for improvement.

Westside Future Fund and other community partners′ investments can expand the capacity of organizations supporting residents and families in these communities. We feel grateful to have assisted a number of organizations working to transform Atlanta’s Westside. We are truly excited about our partnership with the Atlanta Regional Commission and Westside Future Fund to create a Westside community dashboard. This dashboard will help realize a vision for the future of the neighborhoods of Atlanta’s Westside, particularly around four impact areas: mixed-income communities, safety and security, cradle-to-career education, and community health and wellness.

In addition, we are dreaming big for the future of these communities and developing a concept to directly support residents and families. This will come in the form of a technology training program to support Atlantans ages 18 – 24 and ensure that they have the skills needed for middle-income employment. Partners in this work include Georgia Tech, Atlanta Housing Authority, Oakwood Development, CodeStart, and various Atlanta-based employers, all of whom are eager to support our next generation together.

A Show of Support

Monday’s event featured an exciting mix of attendees. Attending were Community leaders including Atlanta mayoral candidate and Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell, Blank Foundation representative Angela Blank, Atlanta Community Food Bank founder Bill Bolling, Westside Future Fund Executive Director John Ahmann, Georgia Tech Director of Community Relations Christopher Burke, and Inclusion + Equity partner Rodney Sampson. They were joined by our board members, staff, super volunteers, nonprofit partners, and representatives from organizations working on the Westside. These organizations included Invest Atlanta, Urban Asset Builders, Wright Now Solutions, and United Way of Greater Atlanta.

We are so excited to have you join us on our journey to truly make an impact and support the nonprofits that work so hard on the frontlines of community change. And remember, one easy way to make a difference is to make a donation to help Raising Expectations meet its crowdfunding goal. Fundraising had ended for this project.

See photos from the event →

related posts

Emcee, panelists and moderator. From left to right: Manish, Jonathan, Leon, Ian, Marva, Mark, and Krish.

Spring (February) 2024 CXO Alliance Wrapup

On February 29 we hosted another of our continuing series of discussions on topics important...
Susan Walsh, Mayor Dickens, and Clint Bailey pose for the camera

Atlanta Luminaries Celebrate Tech the Halls

A Digital Cocktail® Event Last week we celebrated the season with our annual Tech the...
TechBridge Fiscal Year 2022 Impact Report

Fiscal Year 2022 Impact Report

We are pleased to present our 2022 annual impact report. Thanks to our sponsors, partners,...
Aerial view of the golf club

17th Annual Tee IT Up for TechBridge 2023 Wrapup

Swinging for Success: Tee IT Up for Techbridge Champions Community and Collaboration At the Tee...