Community Engagement aims to help scholars re-envision their perceptions of service and empower them to create meaningful and sustainable impact in their own communities.

During their Saturday event, Community Engagement will feature a speaker to guide conversations on community development and a consulting challenge in which scholars will work with nonprofits and community organizations to approach some challenges they are currently facing. Partner organizations will focus on a variety of issues ranging from sustainability to STEM education.

On Sunday, Community Engagement will have time for scholars to reflect on Saturday’s activities, engage with scholars who worked with different organizations, and learn more about future opportunities to apply what they’ve learned.

Spheres addressed by the various organizations include: Animal Welfare, Education and STEM, Food and Housing Insecurity, Health and Medical Assistance, Justice, and Environment and Sustainability.

Community Engagement: Non-Profit Partners List

EarthEcho International | 2005 | Washington, D.C.
Contact: Sean Russell
Category: Environmental
Mission Statement: To build a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet.
Bio: EarthEcho International is a nonprofit organization founded by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., son of the legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. EarthEcho collaborates with youth around the world through a variety of different programs to provide knowledge and develop tools that drive meaningful environmental action to protect and restore our ocean planet.
Challenges: Youth Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

Children Inspiring Hope | 2007 | Savannah, GA in partnership with Volta Region, Ghana
Contact: Amy Gaylor Nedriga
Category: Education / Social Impact
Mission Statement: To connect children cross-culturally though arts and education, to engender a deepened social consciousness and to create compassionate citizens of the world.
Bio: Children Inspiring Hope brings the word into the classroom through the tangible exchange of artistic projects focused on shared humanity, peace building, and earth stewardship. They believe in igniting the creative genius within each child by expressing their innate altruistic nature and empowering them in compassionate action as caregivers to a larger community. Their focus is on creating a more harmonious and sustainable future by investing in the capital of wisdom, joy, and optimism of our children and supporting and encouraging them as they share and build bridges with one another. As these children offer vision of their heart to each other, their work and their vision inspires all who are witness to both the process and end result.
Challenges: Alumni Engagement and Social Media

Alzheimer’s Association: Georgia Chapter | 1982 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Jill Disney
Category: Health and Medicine
Mission Statement: The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
Bio: The Alzheimer’s Association Georgia Chapter is the leading volunteer health organization in Alzheimer’s disease care. Their chapter has been serving Georgia communities since 1982 by providing local support groups, education classes, and other local resources. Additionally, this chapter relies upon community based fundraising efforts in order to serve families that need our support.
Challenges: Competition, Stigmas, and Lack of Education

I Will Survive, Inc | 2010 | Metropolitan Area of Georgia
Contact: Anisa Palmer
Category: Health Educations and Support
Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide economic support, prevention education, and health & wellness services to those at higher risk and affected by breast cancer. Our vision is to be the leading preventative organization in the world. Imagine a world with health care equity for all with a holistic approach. Our values are Innovation, Wellness, Sustainability.
Bio: I Will Survive, Inc. is a not-for-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization with a mission to provide prevention education, economic support, and health & wellness to those at higher risk and those affected by breast cancer free of charge. Their vision includes aspirations be the leading preventative breast cancer awareness and funding organization in the world. Imagine a world with health care equality for all with a holistic approach (physical, mental, spiritual, financial healing).
Challenges: Rebuilding donors, team, programming, and operations after covid. Learning to be successful in the new virtual marketing world with a demographic group that most stakeholders do not care about.

Science Is Elementary | 2008 | Mountain View, CA
Contact: Shannon Cherry
Category: Education
Mission Statement: We provide inspiring, innovative, high-quality science experiences to the preschool and elementary school children who need them most
Bio: An organization working to assure accessible and quality science education to k – 5 students. They do so both at home in California through direct in-class education and professional teacher development as well as abroad through science books and experiment kits.
Challenges: Fundraising/Financial Partnerships and Engaging New Volunteer Base (Colleges)

MindBubble | 2016 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Eric Canosa
Category: Education
Mission Statement: MindBubble sparks joy for learning through games, workshops, and tutoring sessions for underserved children in Atlanta
Bio: MindBubble was founded in 2016 by Eric Canosa and Daniel Peterson to launch lighthearted education and foster a love for learning for students. They aim to get students excited for learning with games that create thinking skills and relationships in a relaxed environment.
They currently have 2 tutoring sessions a week and one workshop a month
relating to topics such as music production or computer science. Their hope
is to open a board game cafe for increased tutoring and a safe space to
learn.
Challenges: Adapting their mission to a virtual platform, update their fundraising plan, keeping underrepresented students within the program

Caterpillar’s Promise | 2011 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Danie Mathis
Category: Education
Mission Statement: Caterpillar’s Promise is a non-profit organization motivating others, especially the youth, to use their talents, such as STEM and the Arts, for the greater good through service, seminars, and showcases.
Bio: Caterpillar’s Promise aims to encourage, enlighten, excite, educate, and elevate youth in Middle Georgia and Greater Atlanta. Stemming from a high school project that the founder created at a summer camp, this organization offers various avenues by which students from elementary through high school can be holistically developed. This includes STEM events, service opportunities, arts showcases and fundraising, and other enriching activities.
Challenges: Limited resources, expanding program offerings

Black Girls Smile Inc. | 2012 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Lauren Carson
Category: Health and Social Impact
Mission Statement: Black Girls Smile is dedicated to encouraging positive mental health education, resources, and support geared toward young Black women and girls.
Bio: Black Girls Smile Inc. empowers the mental health and well-being of young Black women and girls through culturally and gender-responsive educational programming, support initiatives, and resource connections. Since their inception, BGS has grown to support over 10,000 Black women and girls nationally through their mental health literacy programming, intersectionality workshops, and therapy scholarship program. BGS is uniquely led by a staff of all Black women, volunteer team, and Board. BGS continues to strategically and responsively expand their programming and initiatives to meet the mental health needs of Black women and girls.
Challenges: Developing wellness spaces, broadening reach within the demographic

Medshare| 1998 | Decatur, GA
Contact: Tonya Grant
Category: Health relief, education, and prevention
Mission Statement: MedShare is a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities and our planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world.
Bio: MedShare helps increase health system capacity and drives sustainability by providing biomedical equipment training and service to healthcare organizations and medical professionals serving populations in need. Their deliveries of vital medical supplies and equipment have decreased our nation’s carbon footprint and brought health, healing and the promise of better lives to 100 countries and countless patients.
Challenges: Expanding funding, combating donor fatigue, measuring impact on served communities, and developing technology to monitor shipments and better communicate with partners abroad

T1 International | 2013 | London, UK
Contact: Elizabeth Pfiester
Category: Health, Medical advocacy, Education
Mission Statement: T1 International supports local communities by giving them the tools they need to stand up for their rights so that access to insulin and diabetes supplies becomes a reality for all.
Bio: T1 international is a non-profit led by people with and impacted by type 1 diabetes for people with type 1 diabetes. The organization believes in a world where everyone with type 1 diabetes – no matter where they live – has everything they need to survive and achieve their dreams. T1 international opterates on a patient-led model and ethical fundraising policy. This means that they don’t accept funding from pharma, medical device companies, or any body that would compromise their ability to represent patients. One of their global goals is to mitigate worry about insulin supplies. They advocate for an insulin price cap, with insulin costing no more than 5% of median income.
Challenges: Expanding funding availability

Food Well Alliance | 2018 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Kate Conner
Category: Food Insecurity, Environmental
Mission Statement: Provide resources and support to local growers to connect and build healthier communities
Bio: Food Well Alliance is a collaborative network of local leaders working together to build thriving community gardens and urban farms across metro Atlanta. They support urban farms around 5 counties through local partners and Farm Labor Stipends to create an equitable, local food ecosystem.
Challenges: Understanding the impact of their urban farms on their local community

Atlanta Regional Housing Forum | 1988 | Atlanta, GA
Contact: Bruce Gunter
Category: Affordable Housing
Mission Statement: Provide educational events that inspire action in advocates and concerned citizens to increase the region’s ability to produce more affordable housing.
Bio: The Atlanta Regional Housing Forum is a quarterly gathering of affordable housing stakeholders from all sectors – private, public, nonprofit, philanthropic, and concerned citizens.The Forum also examines housing policies, best practices, ongoing collaborations and initiatives, and the need for more subsidies in affordable housing development throughout metro Atlanta.
Challenges: Creating a system to monitor all affordable housing projects being developed