Stories of Impact

Inside Herman J. Russell West End Academy, colorful murals remind students to dream about what their futures might hold. One encourages them to “DREAM BIG.” Another introduces career paths they might one day pursue. For Principal Chendra Dupree, these murals represent more than a fresh coat of paint. They are reminders that the community is […]

Brandon Teal first got to know the Westside through the people who came into the YMCA. Older members told him what the neighborhood used to look like, how it had changed, and what they loved about it. Their stories made him want to be part of its future, too. “They love their neighborhood,” he says. […]

At October’s Transform Westside Summit, neighbors, community members, partners, business and civic leaders gathered at The Gathering Spot to explore how Atlanta can invest in its neighborhoods while ensuring longtime residents can stay and benefit from that investment. John Ahmann, President & CEO of Westside Future Fund (WFF), and Jon Ingram, WFF’s Chief Development Officer, […]

Another neighbor has turned the key to a home of his own through Westside Future Fund’s Home on the Westside program. Charles Cannon closed on a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in English Avenue, and he didn’t have to go far to find it. Rooted in the neighborhood he loves Charles already calls English Avenue home. He […]

Another neighbor has turned the key to a home of her own through Westside Future Fund’s Home on the Westside program. Monica Sealey closed on a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in English Avenue, joining a growing number of new homeowners who aren’t just moving to the historic Westside but are already invested in it. A life […]

Broderick Thompson-Smith calls his front porch an oasis. He added curtains and a television, and he likes being able to sit outside and talk with the neighbors who look out for one another. “We hold each other down,” he says. That sense of community is part of what makes his home on Atlanta’s historic Westside […]

On Saturday, September 26, the Atlanta community gathered for the fifth annual Ride for the Westside, Westside Future Fund’s (WFF) signature community fundraiser. Hundreds of riders, runners, and walkers made their way through the neighborhoods of the historic Westside. Along the way they saw the progress underway in English Avenue and Vine City, and then […]

At September’s Transform Westside Summit, community members, leaders and service providers came together to explore what it takes to create accessible pathways to meaningful employment and economic mobility for residents of the historic Westside. Westside Future Fund (WFF) President & CEO John Ahmann and Chief Development Officer Jon Ingram welcomed attendees before a devotion from […]

At August’s Transform Westside Summit, neighbors, educators, partners, and community leaders came together to celebrate the progress taking place across the Booker T. Washington cluster and consider what more is possible when an entire community invests in its young people. Westside Future Fund (WFF) President & CEO John Ahmann and Chief Development Officer Jon Ingram […]