Nonprofit Dedicated to Ending Homelessness – One Family at a Time – Played Host to Golf Classic, Campus Expansion Groundbreaking, and Benefit Gala Over the Course of Two Weeks
With a game plan of Bringing Help, Hope, Housing, and Healing to Families Experiencing Homelessness, Metro Atlanta nonprofit – Rainbow Village – has already had a busy Fall. It hosted its annual Second Chance Golf Classic on September 22, a groundbreaking on its campus expansion on September 29, and its annual benefit gala on October 4. The results are in, and the Duluth-based transitional housing program has stacked up some impressive stats – all for the purpose of providing critical support to families in need, helping them pave a path to self-sufficiency and ultimately win at the game of life.
- 2025 Second Chance Golf Classic – With Primerica as its title sponsor and Northside Hospital as its Legacy Sponsor, Rainbow Village engaged 200 golfers at TPC Sugarloaf with three courses of play under sunny skies. Participants enjoyed golf entertainment provided by trick shot and long drive professional, Dan Boever, and sponsor tents set up with giveaways throughout the courses. The bourbon and cigar tent proved to be a big hit with the golfers. The winning teams included Amplifi, BMC, & Subaru of Gwinnett. The youngest player was just 13 years old, who subbed in at the last minute on the Broyles Claim Decision Support, Inc. team, and made one of the longest drives of the day. Marking Primerica’s first year as the Title Sponsor, the company introduced Rainbow Village to 56 corporations from its network that helped sponsor the event at various levels.
- Groundbreaking of Campus Expansion – 115 guests were in attendance at the groundbreaking of Rainbow Village’s campus expansion. With an estimated completion date of Fall 2026, the expansion will include two new apartment buildings with space enough to accommodate 36 additional families – more than doubling the nonprofit’s capacity. It marked a significant milestone in Rainbow Village’s history and its ongoing “Building Homes, Building Hope” Capital Campaign.
- 2025 Tailgate to Tackle Homelessness Benefit Gala – Sponsored by Northside Hospital, the annual Gala had been newly rebranded with a football theme and was hosted at Formetco in Duluth. Gala guests were greeted by volunteer cheerleaders with pom poms at the Rainbow Village tailgate tent before heading inside to a sports bar on steroids-like atmosphere. College football games were played live on big screens throughout the reception inside, while guests enjoyed cornhole, giant Jenga, and a mobile bar cart for sideline sips outside. Mascots Freddie Falcon and Lil’ Fred kept energy levels high, and renowned Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Ernie Johnson served as the emcee. Auctioneer Jordan Campbell led the auction and live appeal. Marking the most exciting auction moment, two bidders battled it out over a 10-day Expedition Cruise to the Galapagos Islands donated by National Geographic, with the final winning bid of $10,000. During the Mission Moment, each donor was given a light-up wand. At the end of the appeal, the overhead lights were lowered, and the wands were waved high to light up the room as a sign of brighter days ahead for Rainbow Village residents.
While the atmosphere and theme may have been changed, one Gala tradition that carried forward to this year’s event was a testimonial from a former resident of Rainbow Village. During her speech, Shakia S. spoke to the power of community and encouragement she received at Rainbow Village, inspiring the former public school bus manager to pursue a career as a Medical Assistant through Northside Hospital’s MA program. During the Gala, Rainbow Village also named its Joel P. Hudson Humanitarian Award Winner of the year, Maxine Acosta, Founder and CEO of Happy to Help (HTH Inc.) Acosta, currently a freshman at the University of Georgia, founded her 501(c)(3) organization in 2020. With the belief that Everyone Can Make a Difference in the Lives of Others, Acosta and HTH inspire community members to give to local charities, such as Rainbow Village and Home of Hope at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, through donation drives and charity performances.
Other sponsors of the Gala included Chick-fil-A as the Game Changer Sponsor, as well as Morgan Stanley, The Terminus Group, Fortune Johnson, W3 Accounting, and Axis Companies as MVP Sponsors. In addition to serving as the venue, Formetco provided AV tech support and a fantastic staff that made the event as successful as possible.
During the Gala, Rainbow Village CEO Melanie Conner shared with attendees, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of our gala — two decades of people like you showing up, cheering on our mission, and making sure families experiencing homelessness know they are not alone. Helping them to think big. And we, as an organization, are thinking big. Just as we ask our families to envision a new future, we are asking the same of ourselves. We’ve launched the biggest growth in our history: 36 new apartments that will allow us to more than double the number of families we serve — and we’ve set a bold goal of raising $20 million to make it happen. There really is no “I” in teams. Teams create community. When you’re on a team, there’s no room for spectators. Everyone has a role to play. And tonight, each of you is part of the team working to put homelessness on defense. We won the toss, and we’re keeping the ball — because we are determined to move the chains forward for the families we serve.”
As Conner’s speech suggested, the chains will be moved thanks to a combined $749,807 raised from the Golf and Gala fundraising events. Because there are still many yards to go, she encouraged everyone to get in the giving game, “It’s the fourth quarter of the year, and it’s giving season. We need to finish strong to care for our current families and new families who will call Rainbow Village home before the year’s end. We also need to kick off the New Year with a touchdown. There are many ways to get involved – from volunteering and joining our monthly giving donors to spreading awareness about Rainbow Village and praying for the families we serve.”
The next event on Rainbow Village’s social calendar is the Ordner Construction Pickleball for a Purpose, hosted at Pickle & Social Gwinnett on November 15. The Rainbow Village team is also busy planning its Women’s Giving Circle Microgrant Awards Ceremony on December 9, when residents and alumni of the nonprofit will receive funds to help them overcome challenges and achieve goals. To learn more about Rainbow Village and its all-important mission to end homelessness – one family at a time, visit www.RainbowVillage.org.