Planting the Seeds of Success

by Miranda Bryen

We want to recognize students who prepared to plant a fruit orchard in a under-served community here in Atlanta, and thank you all for making this possible.

On Saturday, Dec. 1 — on a day that felt like spring — a group of volunteers, students and educators worked together to revitalize the edible school yard in the Edgewood and East Lake communities.

Fifteen students from Coan Middle School, Carver High School, North Atlanta High School and Sarah Smith Elementary school joined with other community volunteers to prepare unused land at Coan Middle School for its Dec. 12 fruit tree and fruit bush planting.

The volunteer event, made possible by Mayson Avenue Cooperative, Coan Middle School and private foundation support, was created to give students of all ages an opportunity join together to improve their community. Though some of these students may never attend Coan Middle School, they all worked together in teams to ensure the future success of the Coan Middle School Fruit Orchard.

Avante, a GivingPoint student and Titanium Community Leader joined the Phase One volunteer event and said in a recent blog post, "I'm curious to find out what we are going to do next."

Thank you to all our supporters, volunteers and community partners for helping spark curiosity in the minds of future social entrepreneurs.

Ms. Bryen is chief advancement officer for GivingPoint, a community-based, youth development organization in Roswell.