It's been a brilliant summer at Oakland shaping the lives of metro Atlanta kids, changing ideas of what a cemetery can (and should) be, and having a heap of fun along the way.
We just wrapped up the second year of our Youth Landscape & Hardscape Team workforce development program with 11 participants (including 4 returnees in the leadership track) learning transferrable landscape and hardscape jobs and getting all kinds of professional development along the way. This program, and paying the students for their work, would not be possible without the support of some amazing partners, especially the Georgia Power Company Foundation (and the guidance and wisdom of Rita B., Amy H., and Jamal Jessie, MBA) and the Bank of America Foundation (and the support of Ellie Perry, Cherie Wilson, and Greg Farr).
We also launched our first year of STEAM Summer Camps for elementary aged students and welcomed over 100 students over 8 weeks to learn about everything from Birds to Simple Machines. We were able to provide scholarships to students through the incredible support of the LIVINGSTON FOUNDATION, McClatchey Foundation, and AEC Trust.
The incredible impact of these programs would truly not be possible without the generosity of our philanthropic partners as well as the amazing staff at Historic Oakland Foundation, especially Charvis Buckholts, Jessica R. VanLanduyt, Abra Lee, Ashley Shares, Erica Glasener, Melissa Bauer, and Lilly Heidari.