By Carlen Ruth Hultgren
By all accounts, 2024 has been a huge year for the East Atlanta Kids Club (EAKC). From the new playground, tennis and basketball courts, the new partnership with local Root and Blossom counseling and the premiere of the short film Fortopia, the energy to move the organization forward, led by Ryan Downey executive director, has brought the Kids Club to the end of a spectacular year, filled with milestones and contributions to the community.
The total renovation of Brownwood Park is a mammoth project that has been in the works for years, and with the relentless efforts of Matt Day and Alex Levy, along with the EAKC, Art in the Paint, the City, and financial support from Appfire Town, CashApp,New Balance, Arashiblu 1720, and the City. The new playground equipment was installed in May, with the June 18 ribbon cutting, a celebratory affair that included members of the community and other supporters. A collections of murals are planned to coincide with Pavilion construction, the tennis courts were resurfaced, with murals painted, and the basketball courts redone. The park’s sidewalks were made ADA compliant, and many playground elements were also built to accessible standards.
This past spring, a no-cost counseling partnership with local Root and Blossom Counseling funded by the LuluMa Foundation, began servicing a small group of EAKC youth weekly through individual counseling, with group counseling offered during summer camp for older kids. With the ongoing commitment to holistic support for the Kids Club youth, recognizing the vital importance of mental health in overall well-being is critical.
The Film Camp, with lead partner Apple Box Productions, “Fortopia” was filmed and premiered at The Plaza Theatre to a full Lefont Auditorium. Written, directed, produced, and acted totally by Film Camp kids, the sequel is already in the works for Teen Club programming during summer camp in 2025.
The 25th Annual Brownwood Bike Rally, in September, had the highest y registration ever and continued to double down on youth cycling as the focus of this family-friendly festival of fitness.
For the second year in a row, the East Atlanta Kids Club and Brownwood Park opened to Strut activities as a family friendly venue, with activities for all ages, starting with the youngest. Street closures on Portland Avenue enabled more street vendors, music, food, and games for the venue.
Food distribution continued as a weekly program that was launched in March 2020. Supplies from the Atlanta Community Food Bank were limited, which impacted frequency of this program. The afterschool (Kids Club & Teen Club) programs and the summer programs (Camp Full S.T.E.A.M.) served 141 kids and teens from 35 area schools for 30,876 program hours. Program partners include Emory SciCovery, Black Kid Art, 8 Legged Scales, Tennis with Coach Daisha, Basketball with Coach Mosquito, Art Attack, Tech Corps, Inside & Out Project, and Tippietoes Dance, among others.
In 2024 there were also major funding ($25,000 or more) awards to the Kids Club. The Cousins Foundations Award supported the professional development, and hiring of, afterschool instructors and summer camp counselors from The Leap Year. The Zeist Foundation supported the purchase of a new 15-passenger van to provide additional transportation support. The Heisman Trophy Youth Development Fund sustained the positive sports-based youth development programming. Imlay Foundation contributed to sustain general operating and bolster the food security programming, and Harland Charitable Foundation gave to support general operating needs.
There were many upgrades to the Rec Center in 2024. The Heart of America Foundation and FedEx Cares renovated the wellness room and replaced worn classroom furniture with new, commercial-grade equipment. State Farm, Step Ahead Scholars, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta supported the renovation of the recording studio for Teen Club members engaged in recording Kidz Corner Podcast. East Atlanta Community Association and New Balance contributed to new folding chairs for the multipurpose room.
Upgrades enabled the EAKC to book 131 private rentals which meant more than four thousand neighbors used this community asset for a wide range of events and celebrations. As of late November, the Kids Club has only been closed 20 days during 2024, and the facility has been open for access for 6.5 days per week, on average.
The EAKC will again wrap up the year, with the 4th Annual Present-Palooza, supported by Twelve Days of Christmas, Atlanta Chapter this year. Over $5,000 has been used to purchase gifts for all ages valued at $86,677. They expect to serve more than five hundred neighbors with the help of seventy-two community volunteers. The Kids Club youth will shop the Holiday store, set up in the Rec Center on December 18th-19th, and the community is invited to join on December 20.
Founded in 1998, East Atlanta Kids Club was formed by a small group of local residents who understood the importance of engaging neighborhood youth as the most effective intervention for addressing the rapidly growing socioeconomic divide in the community. For 26 years, the EAKC has sought to provide youth, who otherwise would have limited afterschool and summertime opportunities, with a safe and stimulating environment to play, learn, and express themselves under the guidance of caring adults.
As EAKC enters their 27th year of service to southeast Atlanta, everyone is invited to join the Promising Futures campaign. Through the end of 2024, with all giving up to $10,000 matched, thanks to matching gifts from our Board of Directors. Go to the website for more details and contribute: https://eastatlantakids.org/get-involved/#donate.
