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View from the Village: Quilter Michelle Collins

March 9, 2020 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

Having recently launched her own quilting company with a debut collection called “The Rainbow Village Collection,” we are elated to share the motivation behind Michelle Collins’ decision to use her artistry and talent to benefit our organization.

Armed with a Psychology degree from Georgia College and State University, Michelle left her idyllic college campus knowing one all-important truth… she wanted to help people. She got involved with the Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) in Gwinnett County, focused primarily on the foster care program. She found a great deal of fulfillment bridging the gap between foster children, foster parents and birth parents. Her work eventually led her to Jesse’s House – a home for girls in the foster care system where she felt a real connection to the children she served.

In the middle of it all, she had gotten married and became pregnant – making the difficult choice to leave the emotional stress of her job behind to come home and be with her new baby. While being home with her first and soon to follow second child was a dream come true, Michelle felt like she’d had a plan for her life and – while she dearly loved her children – her once clear purpose had become blurred. She longed to help people again and wanted to create something every day to feel productive. She started quilting – tackling a quilt of t-shirts from college in the beginning and was delighted that she had suddenly stumbled across this random passion. After quilting daily for three years, she had an epiphany – there was a way she could combine her passions.

After six months of praying to find the ideal way to have her quilts serve a purpose and give back to the local community somehow, her quest led her to Rainbow Village. As a member of Perimeter Church and during her days with DFCS, she had heard about our community of transformation with a mission to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in the lives of the families we serve. She felt Rainbow Village would prove the ideal fit for her new company, Meesh Quilts. Her Rainbow Village Collection features gorgeous modern baby quilts in a variety of bright colors – like a rainbow – all handmade by a mom dedicated to empowering vulnerable children and their families.

When a person purchases a quilt from the Rainbow Village collection at Meesh Quilts, 15% of the proceeds benefit our organization. But Michelle doesn’t want it to end there. She’s looking to build a community of passionate individuals who are willing to partner with her to strengthen the local community. A great place to start is by joining her newsletter or becoming a follower of her Instagram page. She is also considering becoming more involved at Rainbow Village and hopes to start volunteering in the afterschool program with a focus on middle school girls – much like the ones she worked with at Jesse’s House.

Michelle and her husband Daniel live in Duluth with their two young daughters, Sawyer and Scout – just five minutes away from Rainbow Village. To learn more about Michelle and her brand-new company – Meesh Quilts – visit www.meeshquilts.com. “Quilts that give back” from the Rainbow Village Collection can be purchased online.

Sponsors Being Sought for the 2020 Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic

February 20, 2020 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

Local Nonprofit with a Mission to Break the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence to Host Benefit Golf Tournament in May – Presented by Duluth’s Columbia Engineering at TPC Sugarloaf

Duluth, Ga., February 20, 2020 – Rainbow Village is a place that’s intimately familiar with the concept of second chances. Families come to this community of transformation after facing challenges like homelessness, poverty, food insecurity and domestic violence in search of a second chance. Playing host to two major fundraisers each year – one a formal gala hosted in the fall and the other a charity golf tournament in the spring, it makes sense that the latter has become known as the Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic. Touting the tagline “The course of life can be a challenge. Sometimes we need a mulligan,” this year’s Golf Classic will be hosted at TPC Sugarloaf on Monday, May 4. With its first major sponsor – Columbia Engineering – already lined up as Presenting Sponsor for the second year in a row, Rainbow Village is issuing a call for additional sponsors in hopes of making this year’s event the most memorable and successful tournament to date.

“Let’s equate this event to a big beautiful potluck dinner, where everyone is tasked with bringing something to the table,” said Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village. “The more people involved, the greater the gathering. As our presenting sponsor, Columbia Engineering has effectively signed on to bring the proverbial ‘steak.’ There are plenty of spaces for companies, churches, families and individual donors to have an impact on not only this event, but also on the families who call Rainbow Village ‘home.’ The proceeds from events like our Golf Classic and Benefit Gala support programs carefully designed to transform lives and put our residents squarely on the path to self-sufficiency. Not to mention the fact that the Classic represents a really fun day on one of Atlanta’s most beautiful and challenging courses. Many of our sponsorship levels come complete with a foursome, so it’s an opportunity to do good works while having a blast!”

Remaining sponsorship levels for the 2020 Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic include:

Premier Sponsor: Includes Two (2) foursomes – Three (3) hole signs – Lunch, dinner and beverages for eight (8) players – Marketing table/tent on course – Logo on signage and Rainbow Village website – Logo on leaderboard – Speaking opportunity at shotgun start and 19th Hole Reception – and MORE!
19^th Hole Sponsor: Includes One (1) foursome – Two (2) hole signs – Lunch, dinner and beverages for four (4) players – Logo on signage and Rainbow Village website – Logo on leaderboard – Speaking opportunity at 19th Hole Reception – Company Brand at 19th Hole Reception – and MORE!
Player Gift Sponsor: Includes One (1) foursome – Two (2) hole signs – Lunch, dinner and beverages for four (4) players – Company branded player gift – Marketing table/tent on course – Logo on signage and Rainbow Village website – Logo on leaderboard – Speaking opportunity at shotgun start – and MORE!
Corporate Sponsor: Includes One (1) foursome – One (1) hole sign – Lunch, dinner and beverages for four (4) players – Option to set up Marketing table/tent on course – Logo on signage and Rainbow Village website – Logo scrolling on leaderboard – and MORE!

Additional opportunities available for Beverage Station Host, Lunch Sponsor, “Bloody Mary” Breakfast Bar Sponsor, Golf Cart Sponsor, Contest Sponsor and Hole Sponsor. Slots for individual golfers and foursomes are also available for purchase. Lunch, beverages, snacks and dinner will be provided for each golfer. To sign on as a sponsor or golfer for the Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic, interested parties can visit the Golf 2020 page at www.rainbowvillage.org.

About Rainbow Village: Established in 1991 and based in Duluth, Georgia, Rainbow Village is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. Committed to serving as a “community of transformation”, Rainbow Village applies a holistic, two-generational approach to serving homeless families with children. With the goal of helping families achieve emotional stability and financial independence, Rainbow Village provides housing, early childhood education and after-school care, child and youth programming, financial planning, career counseling, workforce readiness, mental health counseling, community events and more. Rainbow Village accepts applications from homeless families with minor children throughout Georgia. To learn more about Rainbow Village, register as a volunteer or make a donation, visit www.rainbowvillage.org.

About Columbia Engineering: Founded in 1963, Columbia Engineering and Services, Inc. (CES) is a regional Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and privately-owned professional services civil engineering firm headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. The firm’s services include land planning, site development, land surveying, transportation design, water resources, LEED® project design, landscape architecture, and construction engineering inspection. Columbia is proud to be an active contributing member of the Duluth community. www.columbia-engineering.com.

View from the Village: Rainbow Village’s Christie Newman

February 10, 2020 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

While her official title may be Receptionist, Christie Newman is affectionately known as Director of First Impressions around the offices at Rainbow Village. Having just celebrated her 5^th anniversary at our community of transformation, Christie often serves as the voice and face of Rainbow Village for homeless families seeking refuge in our program, prospective volunteers calling about ways they might donate their time and talents, donors wishing to make a donation and board members calling to check in. She treats everyone the same – flashing her signature big smile and acting as though she has all the time in the world to listen to their story or serve their needs.

Before she arrived at Rainbow Village, Christie gave 28 years of her life to Kraft Foods. When she left, she wanted to keep working, but no longer for Corporate America. She wanted to be part of something making a difference in the world, so she started to explore nonprofits in the area. She served two years at another local nonprofit before her journey led her to Rainbow Village. While eating breakfast with friends at Duluth’s Rexall Grill, their server mentioned that they were doing a coat drive for Rainbow Village. Christie had never heard of Rainbow Village, so she asked a few questions and liked what she heard. She reached out to them shortly thereafter and signed on as a volunteer before she applied for a position with our Village.

“It’s funny. I’m shy typically,” said Christie. “But there’s something about my little bubble in the lobby of Rainbow Village’s Family Center. I love speaking to everyone and showing them compassion when needed. I have a calmness about me that seems to be reassuring when people need it most. And I love my relationships with my fellow co-workers – we truly are a ‘family’ at Rainbow Village.”

In addition to answering phone calls and greeting guests, Christie is often the first point of contact for families in crisis. If there is an opening at Rainbow Village, she will prescreen callers looking to get into the program. She will ask a series of questions such as what led them to homelessness, how many children they have, where are they sleeping, do they have transportation, do they have a criminal record and more. When there are no openings at Rainbow Village, Christie will provide them with contact information for other resources and programs that might be able to help them. She fields several hundred phone calls a month – 274 in January 2020 alone. Christie’s duties also include assembling materials for staff and board members, assisting with HR, making sure the copy machine is maintained, serving as IT troubleshooter and so much more.

Christie knows that everyone at Rainbow Village has an important role to play and she is included among them. While she normally switches the phones to voicemail at 5 p.m. each day when the office closes, she took a call late last year from a corporate caller who had been tasked with making a donation on behalf of the company and wanted to know more about Rainbow Village and what we do. Christie walked them through our all-important mission of breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence and how our programs lead our residents back to lives of self-sufficiency. By the end of the call, the caller said she would be submitting a donation request to her company. This resulted in a $7500 donation from her company’s foundation.

“During the creation of a video for our largest fundraiser – the Rainbow Village ‘We Are Family’ Benefit Gala – we asked one of our graduates to share her story,” recalled Melanie Conner, CEO of Rainbow Village. “We posed the question, ‘Who had the greatest impact on you at Rainbow Village?’ and she didn’t hesitate to name Christie Newman. There’s just a very special way about Christie. She can have our board members laughing one minute as she walks them down the hall to our boardroom, then offering authentic empathy when one of our residents has a bad day and stops by the office. We’re very blessed to have Christie serve as the face of Rainbow Village for so many of our guests and residents. She’s a bright light to people who have seen many dark days.”

A Gwinnett County resident for 26 years, when she’s not manning the phones at Rainbow Village, Christie can be found curled up with a good book at home, working in the yard, getting together with friends several times a week or faithfully attending weekend car shows with her hubby John.

View from the Village: Board Member Jeffrey Charron

January 9, 2020 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

A chance encounter led Jeff Charron from an Open House Event in 2012 to a seat on Rainbow Village’s Board of Directors. As Senior VP of Commercial Banking for SunTrust, it wasn’t unusual for Jeff to receive invitations from clients. He attended the Open House Event at a client’s behest during a turning point for the nonprofit – the launch of Rainbow Village’s capital campaign. It was there that he met CEO Nancy Yancey and learned more about the nonprofit organization with a mission to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. He was immediately impressed with Rainbow Village’s great track record and reputation they’d built in the North Metro Atlanta community since the nonprofit’s launch 21 years earlier. Although nothing stood on that ground but a few architectural renderings of future buildings on easels, he could easily envision the promise this place held for homeless families with minor children.

Finding real value in his background in banking, Nancy invited Jeff to join the Finance Committee – helping to manage the budget and expenses for the nonprofit. By 2013, he was invited to join the Board of Directors. Over the course of the last 6 years, he has served as Treasurer, Chair and Treasurer again. In 2020, it will be his time to roll off the Board, but he’s grateful for all that he’s experienced and witnessed during his time at Rainbow Village.

“It’s an organization that I really wanted to help,” recalled Jeff. “It was a great time to be introduced to Rainbow Village. When I first arrived at the Open House, it was nothing but raw land. So, in the seven years that I’ve been here, I’ve been able to witness its growth over time. It helped that there were already very good building blocks in place to help people for over two decades. I had a heart for what they were doing during an exciting period in their history as they were completing the first phase of their capital campaign. It was a pivotal time for an organization with a great vision that I wanted to be a part of. I had never served on the board of a nonprofit before and I had wanted to be more involved, so it was great timing.”

Jeff insists that his biggest source of pride in serving on the Board of Directors for Rainbow Village was that the organization was able to complete building the entire campus without debt thanks to the capital campaign and pledges. When asked why Rainbow Village continues to draw a strong support base with so many great nonprofits in place throughout Atlanta, Jeff said that he felt it all goes back to the fact that Rainbow Village is all about the mission. Even though the capital campaign has ended and the original vision of a Family Services Center, Community Center and five Apartment Buildings with room enough to house 30 families at a time is a glorious reality, the mission remains strong.

“It’s one that really tugs on a lot of heart strings,” Jeff added. “People have different perceptions of homelessness. They may envision a middle-aged man begging for food in downtown Atlanta. The reality is that the average age for a homeless person is 8 years old. People don’t necessarily think about homelessness impacting children and families, but homelessness is a big problem in Gwinnett and Atlanta. By educating the public about this issue and Rainbow Village’s mission to break those cycles, I have no doubt that we can convince more individuals, companies and organizations to invest the resources to help. Rainbow Village offers a completely different model from a homeless shelter. In addition to helping the parents work their way out of homelessness, we’re having a bigger impact than we realize on their kids.”

“It was – and continues to be – a totally different organization,” said Jeff. “It’s been so cool to see it evolve over time and witness the vision come together to become the thriving campus it is today. But, it’s more than a campus and community. It’s an organization that goes deeper to make a more lasting impact with its residents. It brings different types of talent together with all this positive momentum. It’s awesome to think of how many families we’ve served and all the success stories that have come out of Rainbow Village. It’s making real change for the good of its residents and society. We really are making a difference. The people who graduate from Rainbow Village are prepared to be more productive members of society.”

As for what he sees on the horizon for the nonprofit… “I’m very excited about the recent addition of Melanie Connor as Rainbow Village’s Chief Executive Officer and how much she’s been able to accomplish in a short time. She adds a different level of focus and serves as a breath of fresh air. She fit right into the organization’s unique culture from day one. I have all the faith in the world that she will take the Rainbow Village vision forward while applying key past professional operational experience. I would love for Melanie and the Board to figure out a way to replicate the success of Rainbow Village in other geographical areas plagued by homelessness – either by opening satellite campuses or by serving as a model for other communities to follow. It would also be wonderful to develop better metrics and tracking around our alumni and their children to measure future success.”

In addition to the Board of Directors for Rainbow Village, Jeff serves on the Corporate Development Society Board for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG). He lives in Suwanee with his wife with two children. When not hard at work at SunTrust or at board functions, his favorite pastime is spending time with his wife, 3½-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter. On Sunday mornings, you can find the Charron family in the congregation at Victory World Church.

View from the Village: Mary Jane LaBonte

December 13, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn 1 Comment

Julie Lyn Donaldson was bright, beautiful and well-loved with a promising future. She was a great kid – and her mom made a point to tell her that every day. Julie overcame dyslexia, made the Dean’s List and graduated from Georgia Southern University. Two weeks after graduation, her life was cut short in a tragic automobile accident on December 23, 1995. Rather than let this tragedy go unanswered, Julie’s mom – Mary Jane LaBonte – established a foundation in her name the following year. In hopes of finding the best way to honor Julie’s memory, Mary Jane decided on a mission to benefit single parents with small children by providing childcare scholarships. As if a reflection of their own relationship, this would be a way to benefit both the parent and the child. The child would be placed in a structured environment and the parent would have peace of mind – knowing that their child was being cared for while they attended school and worked. Mary Jane knew that Julie would approve.

She raised $10,000 and deposited that amount into a CD that was seed money to establish the Julie Lyn Donaldson Foundation, Inc. She then hosted huge garage sales with donated items to raise additional funds. She also received donations from others who were willing to donate to the foundation. Mary Jane then matched those funds. Various non-profit agencies and school counselors gave her referrals for families in need. She was able to build up enough funds so that she never had to turn anyone away and she always assisted recipients anonymously.

Mary Jane met the former CEO of Rainbow Village, Nancy Yancey, through the Gwinnett Community Council. Nancy invited Mary Jane to meet with her at Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross – the nonprofit’s headquarters at the time. The two ladies talked for three hours and – although Mary Jane was not looking for work and she mentioned that she didn’t hold a degree in social work – Nancy had convinced her to come on board at Rainbow Village as a case manager. It was one of the best decisions Mary Jane ever made. At the time, Rainbow Village represented eight houses in Norcross and an 8-unit apartment in Duluth – serving 16 homeless families at a time.

“I loved my job – I loved working with the families,” said Mary Jane. “I chose not to wear business attire when I met with clients so they would feel more comfortable when we met for our weekly meetings. I also made it a point not to ever pass judgement on the clients. I just listened and occasionally interjected with ‘Can I make a suggestion?’ I gave them a push when they needed to ‘toe the line’ and encouraged them to make better choices. It was important that they understood that this was a program and not just a place to live. I witnessed some truly wonderful results. It was so rewarding to watch the clients grow. I often compare people to sunflowers. I believed that as the seeds fell, some seeds take root, some seeds blow away, some seeds need more nourishment and some seeds blossom. Most of the families I served blossomed.”

She recalled a time when she had just placed her husband – who was losing his battle to Alzheimer’s Disease – in a nursing home in Milledgeville (a trip she made weekly for 3 ½ years). Her daughter had been gone for some time, Mary Jane was alone in the house and it was Christmas time. Rainbow Village had been blessed with a large number of gift card donations for the families, so Mary Jane spent the evening handwriting 52 thank you notes to all the generous donors. It filled her with a sense of peace and purpose instead of sadness.

As much as she loved her job with Rainbow Village, she made the choice to retire in 2010. She was invited to Rainbow Village’s Thanksgiving Dinner later that same year and was extraordinarily touched when she found a line of people queued up to speak to her. Most of them were past residents she had helped during her time at Rainbow Village and they each wanted to share their story of how she helped changed their lives.

In addition to the lives she touched through Rainbow Village and her service as an officer with the Gwinnett Community Council for 28 years, Mary Jane was able to help countless single moms, and even six single dads, with children through the Julie Lyn Donaldson Foundation. After 25 years, she recently made the difficult decision to dissolve the Foundation. On September 26, 2019 – her daughter’s birthday – Mary Jane took the original seed money and made a $10,000 donation to Rainbow Village. As she toured Rainbow Village’s new campus in Duluth – which features a Family Services Center, five apartment buildings with space enough to serve 30 families at a time for a period of one to two years, and Community Center with its Childhood Development Center, she knew she’d made the right choice. She would still be assisting with childcare and afterschool fees for single parents in need.

“The interest from that original $10,000 was enough to serve families for 25 years,” said Mary Jane. “25 years was a good run. Since education was part of the Foundation’s articles of incorporation, Rainbow Village proved a good fit for the final proceeds. My personal attachment to the organization made it even more special.”

Even though she lost her daughter in 1995 and her husband in 2006, Mary Jane insists that she’s had a good life and has been extremely blessed. For her, the blessings come from serving others. Above and beyond the families she helped through the Julie Lyn Donaldson Foundation and Rainbow Village, Mary Jane once taught survival skills for women through Gwinnett Technical Institute and served as a youth director at her church for 10 ½ years. Today, her servant’s heart still beats strongly as she teaches bridge and pickle ball at a local senior center.

View from the Village: Volunteers Mike and Pat Corkum

November 10, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

For Mike and Pat Corkum, volunteering is a family affair. Both were familiar with Rainbow Village as Christ Episcopal Church congregation members. Their Norcross church was the original sponsor for the burgeoning nonprofit with a mission to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in North Metro Atlanta. After retiring from a long-standing career in banking in 2004, Mike felt compelled to lend his services to Rainbow Village as a volunteer. With eyes firmly focused on future growth, the organization was in need of a financial administrator. What began as volunteer work quickly evolved to a part-time job and it wasn’t long before Mike became a full-time member of the staff. In the meantime, Pat began serving as a volunteer in the Family Services Center at Rainbow Village, primarily taking phone calls from applying families and listening to their stories. After 10 years as a staff member, Mike had to retire once again, but continues to serve as a volunteer wherever and whenever needed.

During their time at Rainbow Village in their individual roles, Mike and Pat have witnessed a lot of things that opened their eyes to what the homeless are facing and what they need to get back into the mainstream. The Corkums have been particularly impressed with Rainbow Village’s focus on young people in hopes of getting them out of the cycle of homelessness and on the path to futures filled with promise.

“Rainbow Village offers these kids an opportunity to stay in one place and make friends while their parent – many of whom are single moms – gets back into the workforce or furthers their career so they can eventually graduate the program and find a home of their own,” shared Mike. “It’s not easy to be a single parent managing the well-being of their children all on their own. Suddenly, they arrive in a community of support. There’s real value in what’s being done here.”

“It’s one thing to hear the stories and another to see results,” added Pat. “Rainbow Village is like a dream come true for them. Sometimes, when the families first arrive, the kids don’t want to go to school because they don’t want to leave their beautiful new home and have it disappear.”

Mike’s biggest source of pride during his time at Rainbow Village to date was when he worked with the finance chairman to advise Rainbow Village against taking part in a low rent government housing program that involved a long-term loan and required cumbersome reporting. He didn’t want the organization to tie itself to a mortgage that had to be paid back. It took well over a year of looking at other viable options, but they were able to get it quashed and the building of Rainbow Village’s campus was completed debt-free. For Pat, it isn’t just one moment in time that fills her with pride. It’s all tied to the hundreds of times she answered the phone to hear the stories of homeless families. Rainbow Village wasn’t always able to help them all, but she feels it was important to have them go away feeling that they had been heard and give them access to other resources, whenever possible.

“I feel honored to have seen the birth of this organization and watch it grow,” said Mike. “I helped with building program. The current campus was an enormous undertaking, but it was all worth it because you can see the impact it is making on peoples’ lives. It’s very special to be a part of a successful program that is contributing to peoples’ lives. The proverb ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ is in practice here every day. Rainbow Village is giving the families they serve the tools required to support themselves. When some of them arrive, they don’t even know how to count money. It requires hard work on the part of the families, too. Rainbow Village is not a shelter, it’s a program – a commitment.”

To this day, Pat and Mike make an effort to take part in as many of the events and get-togethers on campus as possible. In addition to their volunteer work and presence on campus for both the families and staff, the Corkums donate regularly to show their financial support for the nonprofit.

“We’re very thankful for what we have and are honored to give back – to pay it forward,” said Pat.

“Funding is necessary to make operations go,” added Mike. “This place needs money. It’s funded by donations – mostly from individuals, families, corporations, trusts and grants. From a financial perspective, you could really see the need. Of course, there are other ways to give. So many corporations come in and help out. People often come with suggestions of ways to enhance the program. At the same time, there’s got to be a limitation on how big you should get. Research showed that 30 units was the optimum number to provide. Bigger would not be as cohesive a community to effectively and efficiently run programs. Rather than grow in terms of size, I would much rather see Rainbow Village serve as a national model for other communities – to create a blueprint of this program for others to follow.”

When asked why they have given so much to Rainbow Village for so long, Mike answered, “There’s great satisfaction that comes from helping a good organization do a job that needs to be done and provide a service to a population that desperately needs it.”

Pat and Mike were both born in Nova Scotia Canada, moved to Atlanta in 1982, relocated to New York for a few years and moved back to Atlanta in 1989. They’ve lived here ever since. The couple is exceedingly proud of their two daughters and four grandchildren.

Rainbow Village Welcomes Cheryl Carter as Success Team Leader

October 24, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

Seasoned Veteran Brings 25 Years of Experience as Nonprofit Executive to Organization Dedicated to Transforming Lives of Homeless Families with Children in North Metro Atlanta

Duluth, Ga., October 24, 2019 – Cheryl Carter is never one to shy away from a challenge. From the moment her career as a nonprofit executive began 35 years ago, she’s found great success in not only tackling, but overcoming challenges. From her role as Development Director for Friends of Zoo Atlanta paving the way for the raising of $25M to transition the zoo to natural habitats to launching her own company – Strategic Solutions – to aid destinations like the Tennessee Aquarium and Creative Discovery Museum, her journey to Rainbow Village almost seems written in the stars. Particularly for the time in her life when she found herself a divorced single mother of four – struggling to get by. At that time, she pledged to use her skills to help single moms and – in her new role as Success Team Leader at Rainbow Village, where many residents are single moms who recently faced homelessness – she’ll get to do just that.

With a reputation for being a change agent who isn’t afraid to dig in and do the hard work, Carter’s colorful resume also includes stints at the YMCA and Family Promise of Gwinnett. During her time at Family Promise, she became keenly aware of the issue of homelessness throughout Gwinnett County. Feeling the need to prepare the families for sustainable success, she was instrumental in retooling the organization’s aftercare program. It is here that she really began collecting data, researching empowerment methods and applying self-sufficiency metrics to her strategies. The data she collected was invaluable to learning what worked and what needed to change. She quickly discovered that “measuring the extent of homelessness is essential to combating it”.

“In moving families from homelessness to housing, you need to be intentional about your purpose and the desired outcomes,” said Carter. “With many facing systemic issues, it’s vital to change their thinking and provide them with learning experiences rather than ‘things.’ Most importantly, “we have to create interventions that allow individual participants to exercise choice in their approach to skill building and goals completion”. It’s vital that we meet them where they are and empower them to attain three main goals: to earn a living wage, build their credit and pay off debt. Beyond employment, career management and financial coaching , we also need to address other barriers to housing such as the lack of strong social support networks, physical and mental health and family well-being.

In her new role as Success Team Leader, Carter will be responsible for directing and managing Rainbow Village’s Success Coaches – who move families along the continuum towards self-sufficiency. She insists that – since Rainbow Village addresses the needs of the whole family – it’s critical to move every member of the family along the continuum simultaneously. Carter also has oversight of the youth afterschool program – where she intends to create connections between the students, parents and the school. Lastly, Carter is excited to tackle alumni programming – to collect data and measure results from former Rainbow Village residents in hopes of developing a more robust alumni program in the near future.

“I’ve never had resources and support before like I’m experiencing at Rainbow Village,” said Carter. “I’m no longer a ‘Lone Ranger.’ I’m part of a team dedicated to seeing that every graduate is prepared to successfully transition from this program and into market rate housing. I love that the Rainbow Village team also strives to ensure that when families are employed, it’s not just a job, but a career with room for growth. Earning a living wage is a vital part of breaking the cycle of homelessness and paving the way to a promising future. We want to help the families we serve see beyond the challenges and view the possibilities. When they embrace their ability to transform possibilities into realities, that’s a very important first step in the right direction.”

Carter is happily married with a supportive husband, a wonderful mother who lives nearby and four daughters – one of whom is an Advertising Executive in Manhattan, two in college at Elon University and one at home who loves to play soccer. She considers her family to be her greatest blessing.

Answer to a Prayer

October 22, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn 1 Comment

Spotlight on Rainbow Village Graduate: Carrie Chaney

Carrie Chaney was doing just fine. She had a good job, roof over her head, beautiful teenage daughter, committed boyfriend of three years and bouncing baby boy on the way. In 2009, a “perfect storm” took hold in her life, turning her whole world upside down. That same year, the economic downturn wreaked havoc on the construction industry. Her company – a construction adhesive supplier – laid her off and shuttered their doors. Over the course of the next two months, her boyfriend went from being a productive member of society to an abusive daily drug user. Not wanting to raise her children in that environment, she told her boyfriend to leave – even though that meant raising her children all on her own with nothing to live on but government assistance, food stamps, unemployment and child support checks. By 2010, she was sued by a former creditor – requiring her to declare bankruptcy. Carrie’s mother moved in with them to help alleviate some of the financial and childcare issues while Carrie returned to school to become a certified medical assistant. Unfortunately, the jobs she was able to find either paid too little or required a long commute.

By 2013, Carrie was at her wit’s end and barely staying afloat. Her former boyfriend continued to hound her – even showing up at the apartment with a gun. She filed a restraining order but remained frightened at all times. As luck would have it, her teenage daughter was able to land several scholarships and a student loan – allowing her to move on to college and a brighter future. Sadly, at home, Carrie was no longer able to cobble together enough to stay in her apartment and she wanted to get as far away from her former boyfriend and his threats as possible. She took her toddler son and moved from Rockdale County into her sister’s small home in Gwinnett County – where they slept in the only space available, a pallet on the floor of her nephew’s bedroom. Before the move, Carrie held an estate sale and sold off nearly all of her possessions. The rest she tucked away in a 5×10 storage unit or loaded into her Toyota Corolla. She soon landed a sales job making $200/week + commission – only she never saw any of the latter because she learned that she did not have an affinity for sales. Carrie recalled on numerous occasions taking her son for rides in the car to get out of her sister’s hair for a little while, and then sitting in parking lots crying and praying because she didn’t know where to go or what to do.

“I didn’t know how I was going to find a full-time job or afford childcare,” said Carrie. “I felt desperate and broken. The emotional side of what I was going through was just as big as the financial side. I was in my mid-30’s and having to start all over again. I’d never felt so helpless or hopeless before in my life.”

Little did she know, Carrie’s prayers were already being heard and answered. She learned about Rainbow Village and applied for our program. Not long after, she received a call from United Parcel Service stating that they’d come across an old application she had submitted. She was hired on in a part-time managerial role and felt as though she had won the lottery. The money was still meager, but she had benefits for the first time in a long time. She soon learned that she had been accepted into our program – where she moved into an apartment with her young son and began benefitting from our childcare program, life skills classes, counseling and sense of community. Our job placement program found a full-time position for Carrie not far from the Rainbow Village campus working at Howard Brothers in Duluth. Marking her first full-time job since 2009, she started in the summer of 2015 and has been there ever since.

“I wasn’t looking for a hand out, I needed a hand up,” insisted Carrie. “I remember praying to God in my car ‘Open the door and I will do the work to walk through it.’ Having a place to stay was a huge relief, but to have a support system to show me the way, assess my skills and place me in a job I love helped me feel as though I had finally dug my way out of a hole and could see forward progress. Rainbow Village helped me get on my feet in every way possible and never ever passed judgement.”

Carrie recalled that our life skills classes that encouraged participants to pull together vision boards, take part in mock interviews and learn how to dress for success were essential to her regaining a great deal of the confidence she had lost. Leaving Rainbow Village was bittersweet and a bit scary, but Carrie also felt the pride of striking out on her own was a powerful motivator. Today, she lives in a place of her own with her son Hayden, who continues to participate in the afterschool program at Rainbow Village’s community center.

“A lot of the people I met at Rainbow Village had a hard life from the get go as a result of generational poverty – one of the cycles the program strives to break,” said Carrie. “I enjoyed a middle-class upbringing and early adulthood, and NEVER would have dreamed that what happened to me could have ever happened. Never say never. I’ve learned that it can happen to literally anyone. I feel so blessed to have found a community that supported me – that continues to support me – at Rainbow Village. If anything good has come from all of this, I believe I have a bigger heart now and more compassion for others.”

Today, Carrie serves as a Program Alumni Representative on Rainbow Village’s Board.

2019 Rainbow Village “We Are Family” Benefit Gala Breaks Records

October 22, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

Nonprofit Dedicated to Breaking the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence Raised More Than $330K During Annual Fundraising Event October 12 at Atlanta Athletic Club

Duluth, Ga., October 22, 2019 – Marking one of Duluth, GA-based Rainbow Village’s largest fundraisers of the year, the 2019 Rainbow Village “We Are Family” Benefit Gala was hosted at the Atlanta Athletic Club on Saturday, October 12. Over 300 people were in attendance to enjoy silent and live auctions, seated dinner, speeches from the nonprofit’s CEO and one of its graduates, and more. By the end of the evening, the nonprofit with a mission to transform lives by breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence had witnessed record-breaking results from its fundraising efforts.

“A great deal of hard work goes into planning and implementing the ‘We Are Family’ Gala each year,” shared Melanie Conner, CEO of Rainbow Village. “And each year, that hard work pays off so beautifully. Last year was my first introduction to our Gala, which has been a long-standing tradition for our organization. It’s a very special evening on so many fronts that often includes an account from one of our residents or alumni as they share their story of what Rainbow Village has brought to their lives. This year, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room as one of our graduates, Carrie Chaney – who now serves as Program Alumni Representative on our Board – painted an amazing picture of how our organization had changed her life and the lives of her children. Accounts like hers make it real for the folks in attendance and they feel a true connection to our mission and the families we’re helping. We are so grateful to our supporters, sponsors, board members and staff for the hand they had in making this one of our most impactful Galas to date.”

Carrie Chaney – Rainbow Village Alumnus and Featured Speaker at the 2019 “We Are Family” Gala – with her Friend Jonathan Murray

In 2017, the Rainbow Village “We Are Family” Gala raised $276,000. By 2018’s event, the number rose to an astounding $300,000. This year’s event raised an unprecedented $337,893. The Gala serves as one of the nonprofit’s largest fundraisers of the year, followed by the Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic – which is hosted each Spring. The 2019 Second Chance Golf Classic raised $88,100 for the organization.

“All of the proceeds from our Gala and Golf Classic go to support the operations and crucial programs available at the Rainbow Village campus,” added Conner. “We have the capacity to house and serve 30 homeless families at any given time. Unlike many homeless programs that simply provide shelter and food, we provide programming in the areas of family stability, physical and mental well-being, education and training, financial counseling, money management, career development and employment assistance. We are devoted to helping the WHOLE family – which is why we also provide programs for children on our campus. The funds we raise through events like this, as well as through grants and donations, pave the way for the homeless families we serve to move on to their NEXT home.”

The next fundraising event on Rainbow Village’s calendar is the 2020 Second Chance Golf Classic, which is slated for May 4, 2020 at TPC Sugarloaf. More information about Rainbow Village, its programs and calendar of events can be found at www.rainbowvillage.org.

Robert D. Fowler YMCA partners with Rainbow Village to serve and make a difference in their community

October 7, 2019 by Michelle Alcorn Leave a Comment

By: Yer Thao

At Rainbow Village, we always look forward to days of service in which corporations, organizations and individual volunteers arrive on our campus to pour into the community and give back with their time and talents. This is certainly the case with Robert D. Fowler YMCA, which has been a partner to Rainbow Village for nearly six years. This wonderful organization not only serves by helping us with maintenance activities throughout the facility, but also by providing other programs for Rainbow Village residents. For instance, the Y offers a Holiday Camp where the children of Rainbow Village can learn and have fun over holiday break while their parents work. It also offers a Leadership Program geared to our teenagers that instills them with a sense of confidence while providing them with some very important skills to succeed in high school and beyond.

On their most recent day of service, Mark Thornell, Executive Director of the Robert D. Fowler YMCA, led the group of volunteers. This amazing crew tackled everything from pulling weeds from our landscaped beds to cleaning out an apartment for an incoming family to pressure washing some of the buildings. These actions not only help us maintain the facility, but they’re also helping us build a better and stronger community.

Chairman of the Board, Eric Mai, kept busy on many different cleaning projects throughout the morning. When asked about his reason for volunteering, he stated, “I have been associated with the Fowler Y for the last 6 years. [Rainbow Village] is one of these partners that gives back and helps people to get back on their feet and kind of create a strong life and that’s also what the YMCA is all about… creating culture and an environment where people can be safe and be at their best.”

Not only does Eric serve others with a giving heart, he shares about his own past experiences where people have really invested in him, “I really became passionate about volunteering in general because throughout my life people have given to me and, as you start to let that resonate with you, you begin to see the value in that and create opportunities to give and serve.”

Throughout the morning volunteers collected litter and swept leaves off the sidewalk, all the while enjoying a beautiful Fall day as they worked as a small group for a larger community that they viewed as their own. One volunteer, Deborah McGunner, expressed that this was her first time working with the Y and Rainbow Village. “I love to help people and communities. The people here are great and what Rainbow Village does has definitely touched my heart.”

Jessica Blalock, who has been with the YMCA for several years and does volunteer work with her husband, Colin, stated, “I am retired and for the past ten years I do volunteer work and it’s an extension of what I like do and I really enjoy it. When you walk away, you know that it’s made someone’s life better in some small way and I can’t do a lot, but I can do a little bit and that to me is important.”

The volunteers ended their morning of success with a well-deserved picnic of cold lemonade and sandwiches, making the Rainbow Village facility a little better in their own small way.

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Local Nonprofit with a Mission to Break the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence to Host Benefit Golf Tournament in May – Presented by Duluth’s Columbia Engineering at TPC Sugarloaf

Spotlight on Rainbow Village Graduate: Carrie Chaney

Nonprofit Dedicated to Breaking the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence Raised More Than $330K During Annual Fundraising Event October 12 at Atlanta Athletic Club

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