2021 HIGHLIGHTS
“Dear Friends, the Echo Street West Partnership is proud
CELEBRATING OUR FIRST YEAR OF EFFORTS A Message from Michael Howell, Echo Street West Partnership Advisory Board Chair
to present a recap of highlights which also happens to be our inaugural report for the effort. The mission of the Echo Street West Partnership is to build a relational bridge to the English Avenue and nearby West Atlanta neighborhoods by making investments of time, talents and resources in organizations who are already doing great work towards the goal of lifting up a proud and historic community in need of support from an emerging West Midtown business community. With this mission statement serving as our “True North”, we’ve begun to make strives towards that goal.
OUR INAUGURAL YEAR WAS ONE TO REMEMBER!
Through meetings with our Advisory Board, individuals/organizations within the community, we worked to identify established organizations that were not only doing great work but, specifically, doing great work in the following target areas of investment; 1. the Next Generation, 2. Jobs and Skills Training, 3. Health and Wellness and 4. Strategic Community Investments, that provide direct economic and quality of life benefit to the legacy residents in the English Avenue neighborhood. The report details the investments made to date that the Echo Street West Partnership has made but it’s worth pointing out that investments extend beyond financial contributions; it’s the relationships being formed that will bind the Echo Street West Partnership and English Avenue neighborhood for years to come.
We asked you, the participants,
WHAT CALLED YOU TO THE ECHO STREET WEST PARTNERSHIP? It was very important that I worked with a partner that was open to new ideas and/or proven solutions to facilitate improvements in the community and build economic infrastructure. Echo Street West realizes that change takes time. As a result , I wanted to be associated with an organization that was willing to make long term commitments to communities and stakeholders. - Beverly Dabney, ESW Partnership Advisory Board Member
One of Juneau Constructions core values is to leave our communities better than we found them. This goes hand and hand with the Mission of the Echo Street West Partnership. - Kelsey Restrepo, Juneau Construction Company
DPR has been most interested with how “Intentional” and “Genuine” the ESW Partnership has been with its vision and how that vision has been implemented to positively serve (and develop) the ‘WHOLE’ community surrounding the development. ESW Partnership has not only “Talked the Talk, but has also Walked the Walk” with the implementation of its vision and also done a great job of encouraging and inviting the participation of key neighborhood leaders and partners to ensure that their needs/perspectives are being implemented and also encourage their empowerment to not only be a participant but also be part of the uplifting of the community through the works of this organization. - Gregory Ford, DPR Construction
As always, 100% of donations to the Echo Street West Partnership went to our partner organizations.
IN 2021 WE GAVE $201,040
Some impacted area kids and educators with much needed technology upgrades.
$15,040 Apple tv, dry erase board, wireless keyboard, ceiling projector, surge protector, apple mac mini, monitor, 4 macbooks,and chromebook.
$25,000 25 total laptops with monitors to handle high storage and graphics for students
You made a difference in local healthcare resources and residency displacement assistance.
$15,000
Good Sam Friday Clinic Provide funds to provide two weeks of free medical, dental and mental health services to well over 100 patients per month from the homeless community. Annually this program costs over $400,000 and receives no federal, state or local funding.
Legacy Resident Displacement Fund One-time contribution towards the Anti-Displacement Tax Fund which is an initiative that will pay qualifying homeowners’ property tax increases in the English Avenue, Vine City, Ashview Heights and Atlanta University Center communities with the goal of ensuring that current homeowners are not displaced due to rising property taxes.
$25,000
Community events were funded, and spaces built, allowing for gathering and growth.
$12,000
Community events throughout the year, including a Thanksgiving Dinner all covered under the Partnership.
$5,000
“Developer for a Day” event hosted with children in the community. Children learned about development, design and construction and were invited to attend the Groundbreaking with a private tour of the site.
An entirely new community space was built with the goals of community engagement, needed technology resources, and educational support.
Created a center for CoLab, fully equipped with AV equipment, computers, and meeting space for the community. CoLab will host various community programs through the center, that will also be available for anyone in the neighborhood who needs access to computers, training, or space.
With over twelve years of service in the Westside community I have witnessed many ups and downs, blessings and disappointments. Finding causes to celebrate on the Westside is not easy but many of these great moments are short lived or do not benefit both parties with the same level of impact. The Echo Street West Partnership allows these moments to continue to benefit the residents to hopefully achieve some long term results. With a goal of seeing Westside residents achieve success, personal growth and acquire assets, this cause matters most to provide much needed resources to local organizations. - Joan Vernon, Founder of CoLab
$104,000
OUR DONATIONS OF TIME WERE EQUALLY IMPACTFUL THIS PAST YEAR A few highlights from the year
JUNE
ESW Partnership Launch
ESW Partnership & CoLab held virtual game show with youth “Developer for a Day” Kids from the community painted 7 shovels for the ESW Groundbreaking Tour of Echo Site with Youth for “Developer for a Day” at ESW Groundbreaking
The Echo Street West groundbreaking was a first of its kind with education, entertainment, and fun all in celebration of this large scale development. I have personally never seen community members elevated and celebrated in any other groundbreaking. - Joan Vernon, Founder of CoLab
JULY
CoLab and Juneau Construction hosted a career day for some kids from the neighborhood, teaching the children the different roles in construction, taking them on a site walk and holding a team building activity at the end.
We worked directly with the community to bring everyone to the Juneau Echo Street job-site and during this visit the youth, parents, local business partners and CoLab volunteers were able to see what it is like to work on a construction site. We formulated our program around this mission while teaching the local youth about construction, architecture, and engineering. This challenge not only engaged the community but taught the community about career opportunities in the construction industry. - Kelsey Restrepo, Juneau Construction
Kick-off the first hosting of the West Atlanta Business Alliance (WABA) meetings - meetings continued once per month, through 2022.
Echo Street West Partnership filled a critical need of West Atlanta Business Alliance (WABA). They offered WABA monthly meeting and parking spaces at Guardian Works. Membership has increased as a result of this partnership. - Beverly Dabney, Executive Director - WABA
OCT
ESW Job Fair - Participating companies (Juneau Construction Company, DPR Construction and more) targeting the English Avenue Community Hosted Community Day that involved 4 projects with LPC employees and Bridge members: • Peace Preparatory - Weeding/Mulching/ Landscaping • Bellwood Boys & Girls Club - Painted benches/tables in playground area • Lindsey Street Park - Weeding/Mulching • Trash Pickup - on a total for 12 streets around the English Avenue Community
NOV
Hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Peace Prep and oaksATL members and their families.
The Echo Street West Partnership knows what impact can be made if a collection of people will simply lean in and engage with a community that, as of late, has been under-served and under-resourced. The Echo Street West Partnership has even bigger plans for 2022 so for those of you have supported the Echo Street West Partnership we thank you. And to our potential supporters, there is still much to be done and we could use your support so please join us in forming this much needed relational bridge.
- Michael Howell, Echo Street West Partnership Advisory Board Chair
To learn more about how you can support the Echo Street West Partnership, email echostreetwestpartnership@lpc.com.