News from Atlanta, GA

Determined to keep their students engaged in gardening throughout the pandemic, our Youth Futures AmeriCorps Associate, Michel Osta, and FoodCorps Service Member, Meggie Stewart, created the Home Garden Challenge!

Although the end of the school year didn't go exactly as planned, the IRC in Atlanta’s Youth Futures and Connect to Success programs still had lots to celebrate. 46 IRC students graduated from high school in the Class of 2020—collectively earning 69 college acceptances so far!

The IRC in Atlanta is partnering with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) to provide free walk-up COVID-19 testing to community members in Clarkston. Founded by actor Sean Penn and Ann Lee, CORE is working with local organizations across Georgia—and the U.S.—to provide much-needed access to COVID-19 testing.

The IRC in Atlanta’s Health and Wellness team is thrilled to introduce three new staff members to support the replication of the Health Improvement Project (HIP Teens), a pregnancy prevention program that has proven effective through rigorous evaluation.

Wisam and his family were resettled in Georgia in 2008 after being forced to flee their home in Iraq. Now a naturalized U.S. citizen, Wisam works as a MARTA bus mechanic, ensuring many frontline workers and families in Atlanta continue to have access to reliable public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since we began serving clients remotely in mid-March, our Adult Education instructors have prioritized maintaining contact and communication with students. They are focused first on the well-being of their families and second, on supporting the continuation of education through distance learning platforms.

Last year, generous individuals like you raised an incredible $8,600 to ensure that 23 future graduates could attend the IRC in Atlanta’s 'Ready, Set, College!' summer camp. For 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our summer camp is going virtual!

The IRC in Atlanta is currently recruiting for our 2020-2021 AmeriCorps Service Members! We are looking for dedicated, motivated and service-driven individuals to join our team.

The IRC in Atlanta’s Microenterprise Development (MED) program is open and working remotely to support refugee entrepreneurs and business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Are you a sewer? Email us at [email protected] for more info on how you can help us meet our goal of collecting at least 200 masks for our most vulnerable families here in Georgia.