NEWS & OPINIONS
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...
Expanding Medicaid is not enough to help middle class families in Georgia
Some in Georgia are pushing for a full expansion of Medicaid. As the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team has outlined before, this step would do more harm than good for low-income Georgia families. But there’s another narrative unfolding that tends to not get...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Poll: Support for school choice increases after COVID shutdowns | KULR8
After states shut down schools and forced families into virtual learning, parents and families found new ways to provide K-12 education to their children. While doing so, support for school choice options soared, a new poll from Real Clear Opinion Research found....
Resilience and Equity | SAPORTA REPORT
The challenges of the last year have impacted all of us. From social injustices to racial inequality and COVID, our communities are suffering. We have also seen great acts of heroism with our front-line workers who have continued to serve our communities. A common...
Georgia Center for Opportunity to host drive-thru job fair in Gwinnett County Thursday | GWINNETT DAILY POST
The Georgia Center for Opportunity will host the Better Work Gwinnett Job Fair Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Infinite Energy Center parking deck in unincorporated Duluth. During this drive-through job fair, job seekers will have an opportunity to meet...
Big Drive-Through Job Fair In Gwinnett This Thurs April 1st | CBS Atlanta
The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is proud to announce a collaborative effort known as the Better Work Gwinnett Job Fair occurring April 1, 2021, from 10am to 2pm at the Infinite Energy Center Parking Deck. During this drive-through job fair, job seekers will...
Need a job? Drive-thru job fair to offer hundreds of positions | AJC
More than 20 employers are looking to fill hundreds of jobs and are making the interview process as safe and easy as possible. Jobseekers will have the opportunity to meet employers from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday at the Infinite Energy Center Parking Deck during a...
Buzz Brockway is a Guest on the Erick Erickson Show | WSB 95.5
On March 4, 2021 Buzz Brockway, VP of Policy, was a featured guest on WSB 99.5's Erick Erickson Show to discuss legislation (HB 60) that would allow parents and students more education options. Unfortunately, HB 60 will not come to fruition this year, but we're not...
Georgia Senate approves special needs scholarship expansion | WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A bill that would expand the state's special needs scholarship program was approved Wednesday by the Georgia Senate. The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program offers scholarships to students with individualized education plans to attend a private school or a...
Georgia Senate approves special needs scholarship expansion | CENTER SQUARE
A bill that would expand the state's special needs scholarship program was approved Wednesday by the Georgia Senate. The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship program offers scholarships to students with individualized education plans to attend a private school or a...
