Rainbow Village

Breaking the cycle of homelessness, poverty, and domestic violence

Poverty

Rainbow Village CEO Named Finalist in Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards

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Melanie Conner in the Running for the “Pay It Forward” Category for her Role at the Helm of Nonprofit Dedicated to Breaking the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence in Georgia

Melanie Conner – CEO of Rainbow Village

Duluth, Ga., July 30, 2020 – After assuming the role of CEO of Rainbow Village in January 2018, Melanie Conner has been busy redefining the self-described “community of transformation” dedicated to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in Georgia families with children. With the nonprofit’s campus built out to include offices, a community center and five apartment buildings with room enough to house 30 families, Conner has shifted the focus to the creation of more robust programming for the families Rainbow Village serves, solid partnerships with community leaders and corporations, streamlined data systems to track progress and a compelling brand to let the public know what Rainbow Village is all about. Two and a half years later, she is being recognized for her hard work by being named a finalist in the Gwinnett Chamber Moxie Awards in the “Pay It Forward” category.

“I am incredibly honored just to be nominated, not to mention make it to the finalist phase,” said Conner. “Particularly when you consider the incredible women who are being recognized alongside me and those who have preceded me over the last two years. While I am grateful to be in the running, the true rewards of my job come from working with my incredible team and seeing a family rise above the dark cloud of homelessness and food insecurity to a promising future of self-sustainability. It is a privilege to do what I do with and for the families I am blessed to serve every day.”

Presented by Northside Hospital, the 3rd Annual Moxie Awards are designed to honor women who are making it happen. The “Pay It Forward” category for which Conner has been named a finalist seeks to pay tribute to an individual who is generous with her time, talent, or resources. In doing so, the community is a better place because of her contributions and efforts to helping others. Winners will be announced at a hybrid Virtual/In-Person awards ceremony on August 28 at Infinite Energy Forum.

For more information about Rainbow Village and its programs, please visit 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.

View from the Village: Quilter Michelle Collins

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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.

Rainbow Village Recognized as Best of Gwinnett

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Nonprofit Dedicated to Breaking the Cycles of Homelessness, Poverty and Domestic Violence Honored as One of the County’s Foremost Providers of Family Services

Duluth, Ga., March 5, 2020 – After a rigorous process that’s 10 months in the making, the votes are in and Rainbow Village has once again been recognized among the best nonprofits in Gwinnett County. Earning its “Best of Gwinnett” title in Family Services, the nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in the lives of the families it serves is incredibly honored to achieve this recognition.

Created by Guide to Gwinnett, the Best of Gwinnett poll spans a wide variety of industries – from Auto Dealers to Wedding Venues and everything in between. Best of Gwinnett winners and nominees are chosen by a combination of readers’ votes and editors’ input. The process begins with a nomination on the Best of Gwinnett website. After tens of thousands of votes have been received and tallied, the voting culminates with the publishing of the annual Best of Gwinnett issue. Best of Gwinnett marks the highest designation given to the businesses with the most votes in their category, followed by Among the Best and Ones to Watch/Others Worth Noting.

“Because Best of Gwinnett involves the votes of our Gwinnett County neighbors, that makes this recognition all the sweeter,” said Melanie Conner, CEO for Rainbow Village. “We don’t do what we do for the recognition and fanfare, but it’s awfully nice to be thought of so highly as to be declared the BEST in our local community. What’s equally important is that recognitions like this shine the spotlight on our all-important work of helping homeless families find their way back to lives of self-sufficiency. It validates our work and our perception in Gwinnett County, while making us more visible to people who didn’t know about us – whether that be a homeless family seeking help or a local leader seeking a nonprofit for his or her company to partner with. We are truly grateful to Guide to Gwinnett and everyone who voted on our behalf for this honor.”

To determine the Best of Gwinnett, reader opinions are vetted thru several ranking sites, Better Business Bureau complaint reports, and voting pattern analysis reports before Guide to Gwinnett approves Best of Gwinnett winners. Winners are named in more than 20 broad business and community sectors.

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.

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

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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

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!
  • 19th 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.