Tag: partnership

Partner Spotlight – Chris Roupp, Synergy Systems & Solutions

YELLS is blessed with so many partners that pour into our youth and community and make our work possible.  Often when we think about these amazing partners, our first impulse is to consider those that work directly with our youth.  But the truth is that partners come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s extra special to see partners contributing to YELLS in their own way, even if they don’t directly work in youth empowerment.  These partners think outside of the box to harness their gifts and resources to contribute and make a significant impact on our day-to-day operations. This month, we would like to recognize a new partner who fits this mold, and that is Chris Roupp with Synergy Systems and Solutions!

Chris is the Managing Partner of Synergy Systems and Solutions, a copier company based in Atlanta. A few years ago, in the early days of building his company, Chris found himself walking through Franklin Gateway and introducing himself to different local businesses, offering his services if needed. It was during this walk that Chris first stumbled upon YELLS, and what started as a simple conversation about printing services quickly evolved into a broader discussion about the YELLS mission and how we empower our youth to give back and serve their community. Chris said that something about that initial conversation struck a familiar chord in him.

“So my whole family are educators. And I sell copiers. But I have a strong leaning toward that, and toward the purpose of what you guys are trying to accomplish. So as soon as I got that feeling, then I was like, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m finally in a position where I get to make decisions about what I want to do for supporting organizations and stuff.’ It’s not like I’ve got a ton of income coming in. We just started probably weeks before I first stopped in to see YELLS. But what I can do is I can give you a copier, and I can give you services associated with it. So that’s the piece that I can provide.”

At the time, YELLS didn’t have an immediate need for a free copier. But a few years later, our Executive Director, Laura, did reach back out to Chris asking if his offer was still on the table, and a month ago Chris personally came to YELLS to install a brand new copier along with associated services like ink cartridges at no cost to our organization! The donated copier and printing savings has been a game changer, allowing us to print the resources we need for engaging lessons and the fliers our youth create to promote their events for our community. The incredible value of this contribution is felt every day.  This kind gesture was not lost on us, and it further served to remind us that the work we do isn’t lost on those who cross paths with our organization.

“Part of my vision when I opened up the company is that when it comes to being a member of an association to support, I wanted to pick two that I really believed in and go full bore with those two,” Chris explained. “And very similar, I’m not going to donate copiers all over town. I’m not doing this to get my name out there or to be able to name drop or earn more business; I’m doing it because I really believe in the mission of what you guys are trying to accomplish. I probably meet with 100 different businesses every day, and I’m sure 99 of them would love to have a donated copier. But it really has to be something that speaks to me and also, on the selfish end, fills that void of doing something to be able to help out in that education space that I’m not fully contributing to.”

Moving forward, Chris sees a couple of ways for this partnership to continue growing. He has always been a firm believer that sales can be a great equalizer for a lot of people, and expressed interest in possibly leading workshops with our Community Action Cafe teens about the power of sales as a viable career path. Many of the YELLS values that we aim to instill in our youth, values like self-respect, having a growth mindset, and a willingness to always improve, also correlate to success in a sales field. Chris thinks giving teens  alternative options on how to proceed in life can go a long way in helping them get to where they want to go. 

We’re very grateful to Chris Roupp and his generous donation to YELLS! Sometimes what makes a great partner is simply an appreciation of the values we share, and a willingness to contribute to our mission. Although Chris doesn’t work in youth empowement, his actions just go to show that these shared values can transcend industries. 

“For me, I’m not an educator like the rest of my family. But these are little things that I can do along the way, in order to still get back to what I believe is a righteous cause.”

Partner Spotlight – The Radisson Hotel and Richard Leon

At the end of the day, YELLS is nothing without the partnerships that support our mission. We are successful in serving our youth because we have incredible partners that help us facilitate our programs, provide invaluable resources, and who truly buy into the principles that we aim to instill in the children of Franklin Gateway. This month we would like to spotlight a valuable new partner that has been instrumental in consistently providing a space for the YELLS Mentoring Program to meet weekly, organize their community projects, and grow their mentoring relationships: The Radisson Hotel Atlanta-Marietta and their Director of Sales and Marketing, Richard Leon!

Before working at the Radisson, Richard crossed paths with YELLS once before, having been invited to volunteer with us by his good friend and YELLS Board Member, George O’Donnell. 
“It was just kind of spot projects here and there, like painting the interior of your building over there, again with a friend of mine who was on the board. And so he’s like, ‘Richard, come on, let’s do some painting!’” (Photo/Dito Montaña)

Earlier this fall and with a week to go until the Mentoring Program was set to begin, we were informed that our usual meeting space was no longer available to use. Throughout that week our staff scrambled to find a place in our community for the Mentoring Program kids to gather temporarily until more secure accommodations were made, and in this endeavor, our Executive Director, Laura Keefe, was put into contact with Richard Leon, the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Radisson Hotel just off Franklin Gateway, to see if he could help solve this urgent problem.

“Under new management, one of our primary goals was to establish ourselves as an anchor in the Franklin Gateway community to restore its reputation to be a great neighbor,” Richard said. “And I know this is a cliche, but it was kind of a win-win situation. Laura needed a place, I was looking toward having some type of involvement that helps the community, and that’s what this is.”

Richard Leon, a native New Yorker who came down to Georgia over 14 years ago with his family, has been working in the hotel business for almost 30 years, the majority of that time with Marriott International. Richard joined the Radisson in late August, three months after the hotel was purchased by Veteran Service USA, and was tasked with revitalizing the hotel’s reputation in the community. When Laura approached him with the idea of hosting the Mentoring Program at the Radisson, Richard was able to secure one of their conference rooms for YELLS to use, and what started as a temporary arrangement quickly became an established meeting place for the kids in that program! The initial agreement was until the end of the 2021 year, but The Radisson extended their offer until at least until the end of March!

“I see all the great work that YELLS is doing in the community. And you know, this is really not empty praise, YELLS does important work in the community with our youth,” Richard said. “Being in the hotel industry as I have been for so many years, it’s ingrained in me, it’s kind of in my culture, that if you’re not helping the customer, you’re supporting the people who are helping the customer. So if you’re not directly helping kids in the community in Franklin Gateway, then you should be supporting the people who are. So that’s something I’m pretty passionate about.”

Especially as we navigate our programs during the pandemic, it has been vitally important that our kids have a consistent place to grow their mentoring relationships, and The Radisson has hosted some pretty memorable moments so far for our Bigs and Littles! During the first few weeks of this year’s Mentoring Program, the Bigs helped Littles with their homework, they played games that challenged them to grow in their leadership, and together they brainstormed some truly thoughtful community projects that will teach them to be servant leaders for the Franklin Gateway community! Most notably, The Radisson hosted our Match Party, the big day where Bigs and Littles were matched together through a series of “Fear Factor” challenges scattered throughout the hotel, and since then it’s been so heartwarming to see these relationships growing every week! Our Bigs are learning to be leaders by guiding their Littles through life, and in turn our Littles can turn to their Bigs for support, advice, and motivation. Thanks to The Radisson, our Bigs and Littles are able to focus on building these mentoring relationships without the worry of figuring out where they are going to meet that week.

The Radisson has undergone several changes in ownership over the years, with Commonwealth Hospitality assuming management of the property in May of 2021. Richard said he has a vision of how he sees the Radisson cementing itself as a good neighbor on Franklin Gateway while increasing business for the hotel. 

“Well, I see us growing by partnering with other businesses in the community. I have attended some of the Franklin Gateway Community Improvement District meetings and just partnered with them to offer our hotel as lodging options, meeting options, events options. Fill the hotel is my job, get the hotel busy, get foot traffic in here.” (Photo by Dito Montaña)

Anyone involved in YELLS who knows Richard can attest to the fact that he’s been up to bat for the Mentoring Program time and time again. His passion for hospitality as well as the Radisson’s ongoing generosity is evident every time our Bigs and Littles step into that space. We’re very grateful for how this unexpected partnership has blossomed into one of the most directly impactful resources for our Mentoring Program kids. As this partnership grows, Richard remains optimistic about the Radisson’s continued support of YELLS and its mission.

“We’re very proud of the partnership that we’ve shared with YELLS. It’s been a short relationship of only three months now, and we look forward to going into 2022 with that same effort, with that same relationship and just growing and strengthening it,” Richard said. “Because as I mentioned before, we feel as though YELLS is a very important part of the community for mentoring our youth. And I know this also sounds like a cliche, but the youth are the future of this area. And to help them now only helps all of us in the future.”

Thank you, Richard and The Radisson Hotel, for believing in our Franklin Gateway youth!