NEWS & OPINIONS
Breakthrough 2019 – Businesses Investing In Student Readiness
We know that a traditional four-year college pathway isn’t the right choice for many students in Georgia. The harder part is figuring out which alternative pathway is the best. Breaking ground in these areas are forward-thinking employers like Southwire, America’s...
From prisoner to influencer: Tony’s story
The day that Tony Kitchens was released from prison in 1985, he did an unusual thing: He got down on the ground and created a fake “snow angel” on the grass. “I was elated, but nervous. Free, but I didn’t know anything. The sun was very bright. Red was very red, green...
Breakthrough 2019 – Outcome-Focused Programs & Measuring Success
What works and what doesn’t? That’s a basic but important question for community nonprofits to address. But more times than not, we tend to launch off hunches. We think we know what works, but we don’t know, with quantifiable data points to back it up. At Breakthrough...
Breakthrough 2019 – What Makes Communities Thrive?
American civil society is broken. So many Americans live fragmented lives, disconnected from the institutions and associations that once characterized American life and brought people of all economic classes together—everything from churches and synagogues to rotary...
Breakthrough 2019 – Creating Conditions For Change
“The secret is in the soil.” That’s how Georgia Center for Opportunity President and CEO Randy Hicks opened Breakthrough 2019. Randy shared the story of how Moses Coleman discovered Vidalia onions purely by accident in 1931. These onions can only be grown in a...
Breakthrough 2019’s Education Panel – Building Student Networks
The first step in the Success Sequence is to get a good education. On Wednesday, September 11, attendees at Breakthrough 2019 heard from an outstanding panel describing how schooling is key to expanding opportunities for the impoverished in Atlanta and across Georgia....
Recapping an amazing Breakthrough 2019!
On Wednesday, September 11, nearly 200 community leaders, nonprofit practitioners, business people, and concerned citizens gathered at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta for one unifying purpose: To find solutions that restore dignity and hope to the most...
Education designed for everyone and every learning need
Every day we are greeted by options—from the many products available through local grocery stores to the millions of apps available on smartphones. So, why would we expect anything different in education? As Georgia’s schoolchildren head back to class this month, it’s...
Foster families in Georgia need better educational options—here’s how to help them
Gina McCarn will be the first to tell you that being a foster parent is tough. But well worth the effort. The trouble is, not everyone sees and acknowledges the sacrifices that foster families make. Take the world of education, for example. One of Gina’s foster sons,...
The impact of healthcare costs on upward mobility
For high-income individuals and families, a visit to a doctor’s office is a financial non-event. They typically have robust health insurance to cover the out-of-pocket costs, and their co-pays are low and easily affordable. But for poor and even middle-income families...
Some food for thought as kids head back to school
Many Georgia students return to the classroom this month. For most, the last days before school begins are an exciting time to squeeze in that last bit of summer fun and get stocked up on school supplies. But for students in poverty, a new school year often brings...
Government healthcare benefits create another welfare cliff that hurts the poor
Imagine being a worker on government assistance because your job doesn’t quite meet your bills. Then, finally, you get that raise to put you over the top and relieve some stress. The one catch: You lose assistance needed for things like health insurance. Now, you...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Inflation is running wild — poor and low-income Americans will be hurt the most | QUAD CITY TIMES
How can we help working families the most? Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is a popular solution, but it’s a short-sighted one given the reality that inflation — the silent assassin of Americans’ livelihoods, particularly for the poor — is now running the...
Gov’t. check can’t beat work’s dignity | AJC
Jobs provide dignity and purpose to people’s lives and contribute to community flourishing in ways that can’t be measured by monthly employment reports.
Biden’s ‘Illusions Of Economic Magic’ Fail The Forgotten American | DAILY CALLER
In a very different time — yet in similar economic straits — then-presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of the “forgotten man,” the American left behind by seismic trends and sweeping changes beyond his control. “These unhappy times call for the building...
Joining Forces to Get Our Neighbors Employment Ready | SAPORTA REPORT
In tandem with finding stable employment, many caregivers and heads of household are dealing with trauma and other socioemotional challenges. That is where Families First comes in. We have developed a screening tool to assess resiliency, a person’s ability to get back...
Kemp signs school-choice expansion bills in Georgia | WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a trio of bills Thursday to expand education options in Georgia. Senate Bill 47 expands the state's Special Needs Scholarship program to students with 504 Plans. The program offers scholarships for students with individualized education plans to...
Kemp signs school-choice expansion bills in Georgia | CENTER SQUARE
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a trio of bills Thursday to expand education options in Georgia. Senate Bill 47 expands the state's Special Needs Scholarship program to students with 504 Plans. The program offers scholarships for students with individualized education plans to...
Foster children, homeless students to get free tuition in Georgia | JOHNSON CITY PRESS
Foster children and students who are identified as homeless will be able to attend Georgia public universities and technical colleges for free, starting July 1. Senate Bill 107 was part of a legislation package signed Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp aimed at improving the...
Georgia nonprofit joins coalition pushing to use federal aid to expand broadband access | CENTER SQUARE
A Georgia nonprofit is among a group of organizations calling on state lawmakers to prioritize improving internet access with federal relief money. The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) joined a coalition of 13 other organizations across the country urging state...
