We are so grateful for the heart and generosity of the Blackney Family. Tina and Paul Blackney heard the call to support our vital work, and they answered it! They were one of the first Community Champion Sponsors of our “Be A Voice for Marietta Youth” campaign. Their contribution helped fill the gap to replace pivotal funding after Cobb County Commissioners voted to no longer offer the Cobb County Non-Profit grant, from which YELLS had previously received up to $65,000 annually.
Mr. and Mrs. Blackney heard about YELLS through one of our greatest champions and Board Members, George O’Donnell. George worked with Mr. Blackney, the former President and CEO for Worldspan, and has always considered him a role model and mentor. Mr. Blackney shared that “George is a big proponent for YELLS and a good friend” and he was moved to help meet this need.
The Blackney Family truly believes in investing in youth and community. Mr. and Mrs. Blackney shared how much they appreciate that someone is paying attention to the children of our community and giving them a place to gain skills and be involved in positive change. They feel that YELLS impacts everyone, whether they live on Franklin Gateway, in Marietta, metro-Atlanta, or beyond. Mrs. Blackney aptly described the impact of our shared work and why it matters for everyone to invest in youth:
“What you’re doing at YELLS not only affects their lives and the community they live in, but affects all of us. [YELLS youth] will bring the skills they gain wherever they end up – they will become a part of all of our communities.”
We’re grateful as well to Mr. Blackney for helping our youth build these skills. Our YELLS Community Action Café teens and Mentoring Program “Bigs” were lucky to meet Mr. Blackney and learn from his experience as an executive when he volunteered at our 10th Anniversary YELLS Networking Dinner. It’s so powerful for our high school youth to have the opportunity to network and build relationships with experienced business leaders.
It takes a community coming together to make our work possible. We are blessed to have supporters like Mr. and Mrs. Blackney who believe in our work and invest in our youth so they can invest in our community. Together, and with our youth in the lead, we can make our world better each day.
