Laurie L. Cook, Executive Director
RISE Augusta
RISE Augusta works to increase literacy rates within schools by formulating the best solutions for local students. “In partnership with schools, we provide remediation and tutoring. We work closely with teachers to get kids back on track because if kids don’t read on grade level by the end of third grade, it gets harder and harder for them to do well in school,” shares Laurie. “In addition to the literacy tutoring, we provide wraparound supports for children. If a child needs shoes or clothes, or maybe the family needs food, we'll take care of those needs. If it's a bigger crisis, we'll pull in some of our partners to help with housing and other long-term problems.” Visit www.riseaugusta.org or call 706-550-7716 for more information on supporting RISE Augusta.
Amy Breitmann
Golden Harvest Food Bank
Amy serves as President & CEO at Golden Harvest Food Bank, which distributes over 12 million meals a year across 25 counties in Georgia and South Carolina. She’s spearheading two construction projects that will help the Food Bank and its partner agencies get more food out into the communities they serve. “One is a volunteer and administration center, which will open late next spring and greatly increase the number of volunteers we can bring to our campus,” shares Amy. “The other is the demolition of our current food sorting facility which will be replaced with a Produce Rescue Center. It will add tremendous freezer and cooler space to bring in more fresh produce and get fresh food out to our counties.” For more information and to get involved, visit goldenharvest.org.
Liz Walker, RN, BSN
That’s My Nurse
As a concierge nursing service, That’s My Nurse focuses on helping clients manage their long-term health to produce positive outcomes and prevent hospitalizations. “I help educate people about what they need to do to get healthier, stay healthier, stay out of the hospital,” explains Liz. “I advocate for them at doctor's appointments, or in the hospital if they're hospitalized, help coordinate the care between their doctors and stay on top of their appointments, and assist in setting up medications. In general, I make sure my clients get access to the resources they need through building an individualized program to produce the best outcomes for that particular client.” For more information or to set up a consultation, visit www.thatsmynurse.com or call 803-599-6655.
Shawn Edwards, Executive Director
Augusta, Georgia Land Bank Authority
“The Augusta, Georgia Land Bank Authority's mission is to take tax delinquent, underutilized properties and get them back into productive use,” explains Shawn. “We do that by judicial tax delinquent foreclosures. Once in our inventory, we put those properties in the hands of private investors, as well as nonprofits, churches, individuals, or organizations, that are then going to pay future taxes. Additionally, we teach them how to develop the land to make it more valuable than the original land purchase.” For more information on how to get involved, visit AugustaGA.gov and search Land Bank Authority, or give the office a call at 706-849-3737, or email Shawn at s.edwards@augustaga.gov.