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The feature below is brought to you by Atlanta Music Project, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  In the fall of 2012, I met Vivian Carter and her three daughters in Perkerson Park. She was looking for an opportunity for her children to spend their after-school hours in a safe and enriching environment and immediately felt the Atlanta Music Project (AMP) offered exactly what she was searching for. I would like to share Alivia’s, the eldest daughter and 2020 graduate, experience with AMP. Alivia joined AMP when she was 10 years old along with her two younger sisters. She was shy, had natural drive and discipline, and desired a constructive avenue to direct all that energy. Alivia had never played an instrument before, but she was immediately attracted to the sonorous resonance of the double bass. And with that, she started her journey as a music student. AMP did not require Alivia, or any of its students, to audition or demonstrate any prior musical experience. AMP alleviates obstacles to access to high-quality after-school music education by providing everything necessary — transportation, instruments, teaching artists, lessons (group and private), and multiple opportunities to compete and perform — right in underserved communities, tuition-free. The one requirement for Alivia was to attend all the classes, which took place after school four days per week. Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project’s mission is to empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music. AMP believes that a young person who can perform proficiently on a musical instrument will have developed character traits that are associated with success: the ability to delay gratification, the confidence to execute under pressure, and an optimistic mindset to take on complex tasks and complete them by using a combination of strategy, curiosity, and creativity. Although AMP is sometimes perceived as a music school, it is not in the business of developing the next virtuoso instrumentalist or chart-topping singer. AMP is in the business of teaching children the importance of the pursuit of excellence. Music is simply the vehicle used to teach this lesson, which our students then apply to their academics and their lives. The outcomes we aim to see in our students include an increase in academic proficiency, test scores, confidence, and self-worth. The impact we aim to have on the communities we serve is to increase high-school graduation rates, grow the number of music education opportunities south of downtown Atlanta, and provide a safe space that our students can call home, right in their neighborhood. Inherently, our society understands the value of music and arts education. Metropolitan Atlanta’s most sought-after public and private schools all have robust music and arts programs, a key indicator of the value of music education in the upbringing of a child. The 2012 study, “The Arts & At-Risk Youth”, by the National Endowment for the Arts found that at-risk youth who had access to intensive arts education were more likely to graduate high school and attend college than at-risk youth who didn’t have access to intensive arts education. With that said, music education is expensive. For example, a family whose child takes private violin lessons and plays in one of the many youth orchestras in the wealthier parts of Atlanta (north of downtown) will easily pay $3,500 per year to cover the costs of music studies, including participation in one of the dozen of competitive youth orchestras and choirs. South of downtown, there are no competitive youth orchestras and choirs, and the arts education budgets in schools continue to face dramatic budget cuts, resulting in very few strong and stable music education programs. According to the Brookings Institution Center of Urban & Metropolitan Policy (2016), “the poor in the Atlanta region tend to live in the southern parts of Atlanta and the close-in southern suburbs. The north side of the region has very low poverty rates and almost no areas of concentrated poverty.” They go on, “the City of Atlanta and the close-in southern suburbs are home to most of the working poor and moderate-income families of the Atlanta region.” It is these communities that AMP exclusively serves. AMP is based in the AMP Center for Performance & Education in southwest Atlanta where the median household income is $28,333 (U.S. Census Bureau), barely over the poverty limit for a family of four. The community where AMP is based is home to Atlanta Public Schools Carver High School cluster, where all schools have a 100% free/reduced lunch rate. Resources and access are limited for students in our underserved communities, with more than 12% living two times below the poverty level and 5% three times below. The families AMP serves do not have $3,500 to spare for the same high-quality music education that the affluent families of Atlanta enjoy. In Atlanta, the music education ecosystem is tied to socio-economics. As long as this is the case, competitive music education for hundreds of thousands of children is not, and will never be, a reality. The cost to the Atlanta community not engaging the untapped potential of its underserved children through music education - which has proven value - will never be recouped. It is a damaging oversight for the region. AMP fills this void by providing intensive, tuition-free music education based right in underserved communities. Now in our 12th season, AMP is still the only organization providing such opportunities to underserved communities in southwest Atlanta and we have cultivated a reputation for offering some of the highest quality music education in the city and emerged as one of the leaders of youth development. Annually AMP serves 300 K-12 students through beginner-level ensembles (After-School Orchestras, Preparatory Choirs), intermediate/advanced ensembles (Youth Orchestras & Choirs), private lessons (AMP Academy), and Summer Series, an annual summer festival and school. AMP classes are led by AMP’s faculty who are paid, local, professional degreed musicians and music educators. Students participate in AMP classes or concerts 1-5 days per week for two hours per day and collectively perform 50+ concerts annually throughout Metro Atlanta. Each ensemble performs both classical repertoire and music of the African Diaspora (Jazz, Spirituals, R&B, Caribbean, etc.), representing the community and youth being served. All AMP concerts are admission-free and open to the public. Back to Alivia, she shares that “playing the double bass lets me feel a little bit more out of my skin and has given me confidence.” By spending at least eight hours a week at AMP (not including private practice), Alivia found a community where she could invest her energy in an enriching fashion and build a community of lifelong friends. Throughout her 8 years with AMP, Alivia performed alongside R&B singer Monica, Harlem string Quartet, in Mexico City under LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and participated in three Georgia All-State Orchestras (statewide ensembles of the most talented young musicians selected by audition), among many other impressive accomplishments and performances. Alivia is going into her second year at Clayton State University, where she is majoring in Film and minoring in Music. She is also the first recipient of the AMP Endowed Scholarship; a partnership with CSU that provides financial assistance to any AMP alum who majors or minors in music at the university. AMP has graduated three senior classes and has achieved a 100% on-time graduation rate. Of the 17 graduates, 16 have continued their education at a college (one graduate joined the army), with 12 majoring or minoring in music. Alivia exemplifies how musical proficiency has far-reaching benefits: “there have been times when I’ve resolved a problem — at school or in life — and thought to myself, if I didn’t know music, I would never have figured this out.” Alivia’s story is why the Atlanta Music Project exists and her success would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our donors. As an AMP alumna, Alivia continues Submitted by: Jack W.
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The feature below is brought to you by Free Foundation, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Free Foundation Inc. was founded in 2016 and has been destined to empower and encourage youth and young adults through leadership and community service. Our efforts are two-fold, as we work to bring together individuals with a philanthropic mindset and focus on being a part of something greater than ourselves. We strive to be the light in lives of those who are less fortunate, by seeing beauty in each and every individual that we come in contact with. In order to be the change we want to see; we have to put ourselves on the front line and fight until we see change. Free Foundation is more than just an organization, it is a lifestyle. We must free ourselves from the stereotypes and stigmas that the world places on what being hungry, homeless, or even poverty stricken looks like, but rather focus on how we can solve these issues and ensure that people have a better future, far greater than what they are currently experiencing. Through the organization of several events, Free Foundation is able to raise awareness of the issues going on in our community and bring volunteers together to support our initiatives. Our goal is to help in every aspect that we can and foster this same idea into our board members and volunteers as well. One of our most successful events have been our Help Feed Atlanta event. We bring together individuals who are working to server their community, such as barbers and chefs, and we work together to provide meals, care packages, hygiene products, and resources that homeless individuals can use to help get them out of their current situation. Since our start in 2016, we have helped an estimate of over 4000 individuals currently experiencing homelessness. This ranges from men, women, children, and families. Through volunteer testimonials, we have received nothing but great feedback about our events, and how they have inspired others to want to host an event. During the two years of being in a pandemic, we have stayed committed and grounder to our work. With the funding and generous donors who support our movement, we have still been able to assist families for our annual Holiday drive entitled, “Secret Santa,” provide hot meals for over 400 individuals, and distribute over 300 blankets to individuals during the cold months throughout the year. We were also able to assist local organizations to provide goods for families and children in need in Haiti. Our goal is to be the new standard of what philanthropy looks like and to inspire others to do better for those who cannot do for themselves. We want to raise up a philanthropic generation that is not about the fame or popularity but is concerned with the number of lives that can be change on daily basis. When it comes to working with those who are less fortunate, Free Foundations remembers the importance of being optimistic and altruistic, as we come in contact with a diverse group of individuals. Our founder fosters advocating for the voiceless through every event that we host, being part of something that is bigger than ourselves and being the change that the world desperately needs. Submitted by: Team Representative The feature below is brought to you by Carolina Dance Collaborative, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  The Carolina Dance Collaborative is a mobile dance outreach organization with an extensive dance education curriculum that incorporates individual creativity, healthy living, and developing life-skills to reach all populations and demographics in Greenville County and the Upstate of South Carolina. We see beautiful each and every day when we have the privilege of working with children in underserved communities, senior citizens, disability organizations, schools, and community centers. We travel to their space and help participants develop healthy life-skills that will impact them beyond the dance classroom and into their everyday lives. CDC is making the Upstate of South Carolina more beautiful through giving all people access to dance education regardless of location, ability, and resources. Dance is an art form that uses the beauty of the body and movement to communicate with both the soul and the outside world. We believe that every individual should experience and embody the life changing power of dance. Each student's background, their body shape & color, creativity, and their personalities are to be celebrated. We value collaboration, empowerment, and equity in our classrooms and believe that each individual has value and importance in the class at large. Our programs range from working with small pre-schoolers to older adults. Each program differs from the other in terms of length of time, curriculum, location, and population served. One of the main barriers for parents we experience every day is the cost of programming. Parents are simply unable to provide enrichment, possibly life changing enrichment, due to the financial strain even for a low cost program. Equity for the Carolina Dance Collaborative is making sure that all dancers have access to our program no matter their circumstances. We raise funds, apply for grants and build relationships with families to support their needs. One program we have worked with since 2017 is a good example of that. Wheatley Montessori School is a neighborhood preschool program that is specifically located within an affordable housing neighborhood and directly seeks to serve that neighborhood. Sixty percent of their students receive state vouchers and the school's owners also provide scholarships to deserving students. The Montessori Method is of special importance in closing the achievement gap that exists between low-income and minority students and their majority peers. Through creative movement and a variety of other dance styles like African, Ballet, Jazz, and Hip-Hop, dance helps students make concrete and abstract connections with their body, classroom learning and the world. Our ongoing partnership with Wheatley has allowed us to see many students through their pre-school years into elementary school. We have had the joy to watch their moving, creative selves grow and see their beauty unfold. In recent years our partnership was significantly affected by the pandemic. Prior to 2020 we asked parents to pay a reduced tuition and offered financial assistance when necessary. In the fall of 2020 the director knew these parents would not be able to pay even a small amount for the dance enrichment these students loved and looked forward to. It was at this point that our organization started looking for full funding for this specific program and many others that had been significantly affected by the pandemic. Each and every one of these students are beautiful in their own way and they love to dance. Their life circumstances should not overshadow opportunities offered to them and our partnership strives for just that. We see beautiful in how these under-resourced students are impacted through developing them as creative learners. The project aims to connect learning and creativity in order to promote physical and social emotional wellbeing for the students involved and their families. Beautiful is in every moment with our students. Beautiful is the self-esteem we see grow within and emanate out to the world. Beautiful is the creativity of our students shared with their classmates. Beautiful is the joy on anyone's face when they get to move freely without judgment and with purpose. Beautiful is any group of people with a shared purpose to promote wellbeing no matter how young! Submitted by: Alyson R Dixon
The feature below is brought to you by Rise Up Marketing Fellowship, an organization that received a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  2020 was a tough year for everyone, with COVID and the racial justice movement being two of the most prominent and life-changing. As companies wrestled with how to respond to both, conversations around diversity, inclusion, and racial equity took center stage within many businesses and organizations. Pledges were made, social graphics we posted. But largely, the groundswell of momentum stopped there. As a digital marketing agency dedicated to the nonprofit space, Media Cause understood so many of the inherent challenges in changing our country’s social and economic systems. But we also saw the beauty in recognizing our own opportunity—and obligation–to do better within our own industries. So rather than just talking about what to do next, we decided to address the lack of diversity in the marketing, advertising, and communications fields head on—by taking action to change them. Several members of our leadership team spent months researching hiring trends, and having one-on-one conversations with both agency leaders and aspiring talent. And while we recognized that the factors contributing to the diversity issues in our industry are complex and nuanced, one of the biggest insights that came out of this research was an experience-based Catch 22: It’s hard for someone to get their first job in the field without previous experience, but it’s equally as hard to gain experience without having had a previous job. It’s a dangerous (but not uncommon) double-standard, and it creates an unfair advantage for a select, and often non-diverse, group of candidates: recent college grads who have attended “leading” 4 year universities with specialized professional degrees; people with family or friend networks that can assist with getting interviews; and individuals who are in the fortunate financial position to be able to accept unpaid internships in order to build the experience needed to land a full-time entry level role. We knew that in order to affect long-term change at all levels of the industry, we’d need to reimagine the way things work from the bottom up—starting with the recruiting, training, and retention processes. So we developed the RiseUPMarketing Fellowship, a purpose-driven career development program that works to break down the barriers that so many diverse candidates face when trying to break-into the marketing, advertising, or communications fields.  The RiseUP Marketing Fellowship is based on a few key principles: Diversity: Many companies define diversity by race, gender, or ethnicity—characteristics that are physically visible on a website’s “Our Team” page. However, this definition doesn’t take into account the many other factors that are also discriminated against in many hiring decisions: age, non-traditional educational background, transferable but not exactly matching professional experience, gender identification, neurodiversity, and more. RiseUP is open to ALL applicants who have struggled to get their feet in the door, not just one specific segment—because not only is there beauty in bringing people with different experiences and backgrounds together, but there’s also greater beauty, and impact, in the work they can create. Access: In order to make marketing, advertising, and communications careers truly accessible to everyone, we believe in providing a fair living stipend while they’re learning, training, and gaining experience. This means getting rid of the industry’s traditional “unpaid internship” model, and providing enough support so that Fellows don’t feel the need to earn additional income outside of the program to support themselves. Financial independence is SO beautiful. Access also means providing our Fellows with all the tools they need to be successful—including fully-covered online training courses and certifications, a computer, fast internet, and a home-work setup or access to an office. Experience: Virtual education has come a long way in the last few years, and is a great start for building tactical skills and practical knowledge. But in order to be job-ready, developing professionals need the opportunity to work on real assignments for real-world clients. Not only does this help them understand how their “classroom” learning translates into specific actions and deliverables, but also helps them develop the soft skills that are needed to succeed, like relationship management, project management, teamwork, giving and receiving feedback, and professional communications. Our Fellows start shadowing real account teams from Week 1, and become contributing members of those teams along the way—helping them learn, grow, and discover the places their skills truly shine. Impact: We believe that there’s always more good to be done to help change systems, expand opportunities, and improve the world. Much of our Fellows’ hands-on training time is spent assisting incredible nonprofits with pro bono marketing services—not only building their own skills, confidence, and resumes, but also helping amazing organizations fulfill more of their missions. There’s nothing more rewarding, or beautiful, than that. While the RiseUP Marketing Fellowship is still young, we’ve already seen its impact. From our first two cohorts, five of the six Fellows received full-time jobs upon completing their training, with the sixth deciding to pursue an education in design. We welcomed our 3rd cohort into the Fellowship in January 2022, and continue to be inspired by their curiosity, passion, and ambition. With each new year, we’re also continuing to learn and evolve the program. Since its inception, we’ve expanded the curriculum, streamlined the structure, provided more opportunities for networking and mentorship, and diversified the resources and support available at all times. However, we recognize that in order to make an even greater impact, we need to be able to scale the Fellowship to serve a much greater number of people. We are now at a stage where we are planning to raise outside funding from Foundations and corporate sponsors to enable this growth, and bring more agencies into the mix, to host, train, and sponsor more Fellows. The See Beautiful Grant we recently received is incredible validation that we’re headed in the right direction, and the grant itself will help us provide our Fellows with more of the training they need to succeed. We’re so appreciative of all of the support, and are looking forward to building a more diverse and equitable industry for years to come. Submitted by: Amy SmallThe feature below is brought to you by Art in the Paint, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Art in the Paint was originally developed with an integral purpose of providing art and opportunities to underserved communities. The creation of the Community Champions League allows us to directly address this mission and provide options and opportunities to the neighborhood youth, making them feel connected to the community as a whole. I was walking on the beltline and I was parched. I saw free water for walkers and bike riders outside of wild beer heaven. I walked over to get water and saw a group of black kids on their bikes who were obviously thirsty. When I got my water I asked the kids why they didn’t get water. One looked up from his sip and said, “I didn’t know it was for us too.” This broke my heart and I knew then I’d have to do something to make the communities’ existing members feel as a part of the community as their new neighbors. That experience and conversations with law enforcement on the rise in crime amongst kids in their early teens is how the Community Champions League was developed. The Community Champions League consists of 10 teams of scholars from the neighboring areas of Atlanta. Scholars have practice and games each week, where we not only focus on fundamental skills of the game, but also focus on building character, establishing ways to solve conflicts and work through hurdles in day to day society. We have partnered with neighborhood organizations to allow them to host events at the court on the days of practice and games to allow scholars more access and exposure to what their community has to offer to them. Throughout the league we not only provide scholars with opportunities to play and learn basketball, we provide coaches with skills in mentoring youth and exposing them to problem solving skills, opportunities off the court, and exposure to professions that they may not be aware of. Our league is focused on connecting the community and bringing resources to the scholars at the court. With partnerships with other organizations like WeRestoreMore and FeedingGAFamilies we are focused on building the full character of all of our scholars and reminding them how important they are in the whole of the community and what the community can bring.
Art in the Paint sees beautiful, not only with the installation of court murals all around the city, the country and the world, but also with the development of youth of the communities into amazing people that can add to and help our society as a whole rebuild, flourish and be more just, unified and equal than ever before. The feature below is brought to you by Impact46, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  In 1984, the Lawrenceville square was a place where you wouldn’t find a growing city filled with restaurants and languages. Instead, it was a place where you would see the KKK doing marches as the city was also housing an abandoned segregated school, Hooper Renwick. It was also a place where black men were lynched in the same place where people bought their livestock at the city’s courthouse. Lawrenceville’s history is important because it shapes the context for what we stand for and what we never want to repeat. In 2020, Lawrenceville had two major Black Lives Matter protest that were led by young adults under the age of 24. Many of these students and young adults voiced their opinions and we are learning how to be better listeners and using their passions to bring an evolution of change and leadership through opportunities. In 2018 Impact46 began initiating conversations around opportunities for students as we were thinking about how Lawrenceville would be defined in the future. With the pending question of legacy on our brains, we partnered with Central Gwinnett HS and the Lawrenceville Neighborhood Alliance to gather community information around the health of the community. We polled over 250 people via a community needs assessment asking residents about the assets and deficiencies in Lawrenceville. Many of the answers and concerns were around crime, aesthetics, and growth, but the majority of people desired more opportunities to develop their passions. Based on the understanding and research from the “Soul of the Community” study conducted by Gallop and the John McKnight Foundation, we knew that we had to build opportunities for our students to create an equitable city. As a city that is 30% Caucasian, 30 black, 30 Hispanic, and 10% Asian in racial make-up and with the most diverse 4 year college in the Southeast, we knew that we had begin with our youth if our future was to be inclusive and equitable. Since the inaugural year, the Summer of Impact has helped secure internships for over 50 students in the city of Lawrenceville at two of our minority-majority high schools, Central Gwinnett and Discovery. We believe that local education should be supported thru real world experiences as seen thru paid internships. Although the internships themselves help students discover their God-given purpose, passion, and influence, Impact46 took it a step forward by creating community leadership workshops. During the 8 weeks of Summer the students learn about asset-based community development and how to engage in their local community thru an interactive game, New Town. New Town allows theses students to dream about their vocation but in the context of where they live. The students volunteer at the largest community event in Lawrenceville, Prelude to the 4th, where they interview residents about their cities. They take the survey information and formulate this into a community impact plan that is shown to our city council, Mayor, and city staff. This plan is then incorporated into the daily life and commitment of the students as they enter their next school year as rising juniors, seniors, and/or college freshman. One of the beautiful things about the Community Impact plan is its ability to bring together various races, backgrounds, opinions, political affiliations, and stories to come together for the betterment of the city of Lawrenceville. As the students interact and rub shoulders with current community leaders they are being invited to be a part of the next development of the city. Many of these students have participated in city council meetings, student council, and the upcoming, City of Lawrenceville Youth Council. Many of our students were introduced to Lawrenceville thru the “Love Lawrenceville Day” where we partner students with a business/industry of interest represented in the city. These students have the opportunity to see insights as well as develop a professional network. Due to the students first impression on business owners, many of the local businesses have gone on to hire these students for the Summer of Impact. This small internship program has brought together people who had no excuse to meet, but by focusing on relationships and our city, we have been able to develop an equitable pipeline for students that is inclusive and filled with economic opportunities. Our end of the summer celebration looks more like a world leaders conference due to the diverse attendance. As a city, we are celebrating the changes in our community through invitation and equitable opportunity based community development. Submitted by: Jen Young The feature below is brought to you by Mahasin’s House Foundation, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  D.R.E.S.S Equity is a program of Mahasin's House Foundation. Mahasin's House Foundation is committed to providing access to youth ages 12-19 years of age the ability to be well from the inside out. Our programs focus on urban gardening and fashion design. Our D.R.E.S.S Equity program teaches our youth about design, recycling, and educating one another by way of simple solutions. This program uses modules rooted in simple design to create clothing, recreate clothing, and share with others the knowledge of design. Every child should feel confident in how they dress. D.R.E.S.S equity allows for this to be possible in communities where financial resources do not always allow for the purchase of in style and self-expressive fashions. Since our beginning as a nonprofit we have been focusing on community involvement, teaching one another what we learn and how together we can change our realities for the betterment of all. Recycling clothing, sharing with others, and recreating outfits is good for the environment. We create beauty by learning about design, fabrics and how to use what is available or can be purchased at a low cost to transform wardrobes, boost confidence, and create lasting impressions and memories together. Every person is unique and deserves the ability to dress how they feel regardless of socioeconomic status. Together we create beauty by various designs, patterns, and rich discussions about how we can continue to make our planet a better place by how we show up for ourselves and one another. Learning about environmental responsibility, math, agriculture, and effective communication through team activities is a great opportunity for all of our students. We teach compassion, caring and attention to detail as we work through one-on-one activities and group projects. The confidence that comes along from creating whether it be from the seed of a plant in our agriculture classes or D.R.E.S.S Equity program is priceless. The excitement and smiles from our youth as they see their patterns and clothing be completed is absolutely priceless and beautiful. We create everyday clothing to more advanced garments such as prom dresses. The commitment of our team is heartwarming and the long-lasting relationships from the students and mentees in our programs is an honor. Mahasin House Foundation serves the Metro Atlanta area. We have transportation available to any child who would like to participate in our programming. We also offer community resources to families who attend our program and find themselves in circumstances needing more support. As a nonprofit serving the community, we are committed to supporting one another. Since 2017 we have served hundreds of youths and various community settings. We are looking forward to serving more families in person and virtual learning adventures to come. Submitted by: Sherita TaylorThe feature below is brought to you by St Anne’s Center/Lantern House, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here. Those of us who are securely housed do not often take the time to reflect how one misfortune might cause any one of us to fall into homelessness. Consider what you would do if you suddenly lost your job. What if you or your partner were diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and could no longer work? What if your landlord raised your rent beyond what you could afford? What if a natural disaster destroyed your home? How long could you survive without a paycheck? How long would your food storage last? Where would you turn to for help? These questions are becoming more prevalent for many individuals and families living in Northern Utah as the cost of groceries, gas, and housing rise. Despite a global pandemic, the cost of purchasing a home in Utah rose 30% in 2020 (Woodruff, 1), and rent prices are continuing to increase at an alarming pace – pushing the most vulnerable low-income individuals into poverty and homelessness. High demand and low housing supply have created a genuine crisis for buyers and renters alike, and as we see more and more individuals experiencing homelessness for the first time, we are tasked with finding new and creative solutions to help the homeless population get back on their feet. The reasons an individual becomes homeless homeless are as diverse as the individuals themselves, but the current economic climate throughout our state is creating a single looming problem: Current wages simply are not high enough to afford basic housing and food. For some, an unforeseen medical event can cause homelessness. For others, immobility within their careers is causing stagnant and unlivable wages. By understanding the root cause of what has pushed our clients into homelessness we can better target their needs and quickly move them out of homelessness and into a permanent residence. We know this is a complex problem. A problem we certainly cannot solve on our own, which is why we are partnering with so many local organizations like the Department of Workforce Services, Weber-Morgan Health Department, Housing Authorities, School Districts, Law Enforcement, and Medical Providers to create custom care plans that offer individualized wrap around services to support the unique needs of every one of our clients. Additionally, our shelter offers critical assistance to clients working to obtain jobs, housing, and independence by maintaining a free shop of gently used and new work clothes, transporting all homeless children to and from school and providing them with new clothing and school supplies, helping clients get to job interviews with free bus tokens and uber rides, and partnering with the local court system to hold on-site hearings and community service opportunities to expunge charges. Clients residing at our shelter become family, with each other, and our staff, but it is always our greatest joy to see them obtain and maintain independence. Despite the current challenges, we remain committed to our mission of caring for those who fall into homelessness with the shelter, food, and dignity they deserve. By working closely with our community partners, state representatives, lawmakers, and fellow human service organizations, we hope to create clear and direct pathways for our clients to become housed and stable, regardless of the economic changes our state is facing. Woodruff, Daniel. “Utah Housing Prices Hit Record Highs Again, but There Are Some Silver Linings for Buyers.” KUTV, 7 June 2021, kutv.com/news/local/utah-housing-prices-hit-record-highs-again-but-there-are-some-silver-linings-for-buyers. Submitted by: Hannah BowcuttThe feature below is brought to you by Peace of Thread, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Finding Refuge in the Beauty Peace of Thread is a nonprofit based out of Clarkston, GA that empowers, employs and advocates for women in vulnerable populations through the art of sewing. We envision a world where every woman has dignity, value and a voice. Our Founder and CEO, Denise Smith, says “Peace of Thread is proud to be recognized as a female-owned, global accessory brand built on relationships and quality work. Established in 2012 with a business plan to empower women, Peace of Thread has grown from pop-ups to selling products worldwide.” The beauty of Peace of Thread’s work is that we provide the opportunity for refugee women to work from home, meaning they can take care of their families and still make an income. Through working for Peace, these women also have access to free counseling, free medical care, free ESL classes, job training, and educational workshops. One of Peace of Thread’s core values is providing an atmosphere of peace for refugees to work in. The environment created within the training center is one of kindness, inclusion, love and safety. We create an atmosphere for learning culture, English and respect for not only others, but themselves as well. In Clarkston, women from the East and the West work together to master the challenges of managing a business. The seamstresses can develop life-long relationships with our team who may not understand their struggles but are more than willing to share the joys and sorrows of life. At Peace of Thread, we have created a beautiful backyard space, through the support of See Beautiful, where we’ve planted herbs and flowers, and the women and their children can feel protected and safe enough to be themselves again. Their children can engage in play therapy on our donated swing set while their mothers have space to rest. It’s truly beautiful to see these kids, who have come from such trauma and difficulty, simply become kids again. Other than the sheer beauty found in the reenabling of our women, the beauty that comes from their work is incredible. Every bag sold by Peace of Thread has been handled with an immense amount of care and love by our team. Each product is sewn one-of-a-kind and with up-cycled materials. All of the fabric, leather and straps have been donated by partners, such as the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center. We take pride in knowing all our products have a story, just like our women, and no one product is the same, just like no one woman is the same. We teach them every products is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the inside. Their work allows them to make an income, which provides motivation and drive for the ladies to turn in their products routinely. They are learning many different jobs skills while working with us. We are committed to developing opportunities for women to support themselves through working, but also through relationships. We pair invested volunteers with each refugee artisan to bridge the gap between cultures, transfer skills, build confidence, and affirm dignity and value. This mentorship-based program allows for beautiful friendships and connections to form through genuine time together and intentional conversations. It provides another way for these women to feel welcome, seen and loved. Submitted by: Annie JonesThe feature below is brought to you by Restoration Atlanta, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about the featured organization, please visit their website here.  Restoration Atlanta (RATL) has a mission to strengthen and equip under-resourced families to experience holistic restoration. The Restoration Atlanta Summer Camp and After School Programs provide students transitioning out of homelessness, and low-income students, with the opportunity to maintain a high level of academic achievement equivalent to children in permanent housing. The RATL programs were created to allow mothers to gain and maintain meaningful employment. RATL serves to provide no-cost childcare to low-income and homeless families. Our programs have the unique ability to provide up to 60 children from under-resourced families with a loving, safe, and structured environment during summer and after school hours. Concurrently, mothers who are experiencing homelessness and are utilizing RATL Programs participate in a 6-month empowerment program that leads to family stability and self-sustainability in the areas of housing and employment. RATL “Sees beautiful” by meeting families where they are, coming alongside them, and empowering them to reach their full potential. RATL was built on the premise that “Being with is more transformative than doing for.” This is meant to embody the idea that while providing resources is valuable, relationships are even more valuable. RATL recognizes that families may be experiencing homelessness for a myriad of reasons. We recognize that when they arrive at a shelter, they have likely already been on a long, arduous journey. Our goal is to be a breath of fresh air, and to “Be with” the families that we come in contact with. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, children experiencing homelessness have higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems, an increased risk of serious health problems, and have lower academic performance. A study done by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network shows homeless children have twice the rate of learning disabilities and three times the rate of emotional and behavioral problems of non-homeless children. By the time children experiencing homelessness are eight years old, one in three has a major mental disorder. Most of the stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by homeless children is caused by the uncertainty in their lives. While the work RATL does with education is important for the future of these children, it is also important to recognize that giving children a consistent, stable space where they feel safe and loved matters for their physical and mental well-being. RATL’s staff members are trained on trauma-informed practices, enabling them to recognize and respond to the signs of trauma in the individuals and families they serve. In addition to being prepared to address specific trauma symptoms, RATL’s staff creates safe and supportive environments by modeling prosocial behavior and skills, maintaining clear and consistent boundaries, and delivering services in a nonjudgmental and respectful manner. RATL has the opportunity to transform lives through having a relational and programmatic impact. This testimony from a RATL mother speaks to the power of healthy community: Jasmine and her four children were living in an apartment, until the apartment complex was condemned due to mold. Forced from their home, they found temporary housing at a local shelter. When Jasmine arrived, she was grateful to find that her children would be cared for by the RATL team. They got involved in the daily after school activities, receiving individual attention. We offered friendship, help with school work and a safe space for the children to learn and grow. Meanwhile, Jasmine quickly gained employment and was able to focus on retaining her job. While her children received quality care, Jasmine was also able to get involved in RATL Women’s Programs and develop a healthy friendship with a RATL mentor - someone who had previously walked the journey of homelessness as a single mother of two. “RATL has played a huge role in our lives,” Jasmine said. “My children have grown at RATL and feel a special bond to it. My family is so blessed to be a part of RATL.” Jasmine has been able to keep her job and sustain an apartment for one year. The RATL team continues to stay connected with Jasmine and her family through RATL Women’s Programs, and her children continue to attend RATL Programs. We See Beautiful in the journey through homelessness and beyond. Friendships with families far outlast their time spent in a homeless shelter; we continue to stay connected with families as they move forward in life, reaching their full potential as individuals and as a family. When we welcome children into our programs, we also welcome the family as a whole. We “See beautiful” in each individual and in each family as a unit. We empower them through care, resources, and friendship. Each person that RATL has the opportunity to serve is beautiful, and we are honored to be a part of the journey of helping them discover that for themselves. Submitted by: Anna Jackson |
See beautiful in yourself.
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