WFF Board Member Helen Smith Calls the Westside “A Very Special Place”

A native woman of the Westside, Helen Smith Price has a unique passion for the community. Her grandparents, father and his 10 siblings were all born and raised on the Westside, and she recalls it as a place during her childhood where Black residents felt truly equal, safe and protected in the days leading up to the Civil Rights Movement. In honor of Women’s History Month, Price takes a moment to talk about her personal history in our Westside community.

For Price, a deep passion for the Westside is rooted both in her personal history and its role advancing Black excellence and culture.

Thank You, Women of the Board

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are honoring key women leaders from our community, both past and present, including many of our very own hard-working board members.

“I am incredibly grateful for the many visionary women civic and business leaders who form our Board,” said John Ahmann, president and CEO of Westside Future Fund. “Their leadership as Women of the Westside and commitment to the equitable revitalization of the four historic Westside neighborhoods are essential in our mission to transform our community into one Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be proud to call home.”

Thank you, Women of the Westside board members:

• Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita, Spelman College
• Stacy Apter, The Coca-Cola Company
• Kathleen S. Farrell, Truist Inc.
• Shawntel Hebert Clark, Vanderlande Industries Inc.
• Virginia Hepner, Retired, Wachovia Bank
• Susan Somersille Johnson, Prudential Financial
• Lee Kuschel, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Penny McPhee, Retired, The Arthur Blank Family Foundation
• Helen Smith Price, Retired, The Coca-Cola Company
• Sylvia Russell, Retired, AT&T Georgia
• Beverly Thomas, Retired, Kaiser Permanente
• Kathy Waller, Ex-Officio, Atlanta Committee for Progress
• Dr. Eloisa Klementich, Ex-Officio, Invest Atlanta

Women-Led Panel Talks Anti-Violence, Youth Empowerment

To honor Women’s History Month, community members and business leaders came together for a women-led panel and discussion about youth anti-violence at the Westside Future Fund (WFF) Transform Westside Summit on Friday, March 17.

Meet the Panel

An all-woman panel took the stage to discuss youth anti-violence and how their organizations present options that steer these youth in the right direction. Panelists included:

• Tangee Allen, Co-Founder, Raising Expectations
• Maria Armstrong, Co-Founder, Raising Expectations
• Kanesha “KaCey” Venning, Co-Founder, HEY! Helping Empower Youth
• Dr. Danielle Sweat Whylly, Ph.D., Community Outreach Specialist, U.S. Attorney’s Office of Northern District of Georgia
• Moderator Ebony Ford, Director of Community Building and Engagement, Quest CDC

Powerful Testimony

The most powerful moment of the Summit happened when co-moderator Benjamin Earley, Westside Correspondent at Redclay-Hill and a fourth generation Westside resident, shared his testimony with tears streaming down his face. (The video contains audio with potentially disturbing language.)

T. Dallas Smith Named Chair-elect, Danny Shoy Joins Board of Directors

Earlier this month, Westside Future Fund announced the election of T. Dallas Smith, founder and CEO of T. Dallas Smith & Company, as chair-elect (pictured top), and the appointment of Danny Shoy, managing director of youth development and Westside Atlanta for The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, as a member of its Board of Directors (pictured bottom). Their combined experience and extensive community involvement will support the organization’s mission to revitalize the Westside.

Black Homeownership on the Rise in Atlanta

According to new data from Zillow, Black-owned homeownership rates jumped during COVID – increasing by nearly five percent, the most of any race. Odetta MacLeish-White, director of Georgia Initiatives for the Center for Community Progress, says thanks to programs like Westside Future Fund’s Anti-Displacement Tax Fund, homeowners have the resources needed to stay in their homes for the foreseeable future.

Meet Alesha Bell

Revitalizing our community is a team effort, one that relies heavily on the support of our many incredible volunteers. To thank them for their hard work and dedication, we shine a light on people who actively support our mission.

This month, we’re spotlighting Alesha Bell, a Westside local committed to helping transform our community for the better. See what inspires her to give her time as a volunteer for Westside Future Fund.