- Metro Atlanta Project
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The Metro Atlanta Project is a nonprofit organization that empowers teens to reach out in their communities by addressing needs in the Atlanta area. Their work has focused on home repair and roofing projects, and is currently involved in playground construction. [1]
Contents
History
A youth group from Northside United Methodist Church [2] conceived the idea for the Metro Atlanta Project while returning from a mission trip in Tennessee during the summer of 1997. During their discussion of their work in Tennessee, they came to realize there was enough need in Atlanta for mission work that there was no reason to leave home. The following summer that group recruited several others from Northside and organized various service projects in the Atlanta area.
Starting in 1999, the organization began performing home repair tasks for low-income seniors through a partnership with Project Extend. Between 2000 and 2003, Metro Atlanta Project shifted to focus its efforts solely on roofing. By 2010, the youth and volunteers from M.A.P. had provided over 143 families with new roofs in historic neighborhoods such as East Point, Bankhead, Union City, Dunwoody, and Decatur.
In 2011, M.A.P. refocused its attention towards providing playground structures and equipment for daycare centers and children's homes. M.A.P. also worked with the DeKalb County Public School Board to construct a playground at an elementary school in Clarkston, GA. Over 1500 children were provided with new playground equipment by the 9 structures built.
Organization
By the summer of 2011, M.A.P. had grown to involve over 250 youth. These youth volunteer from Northside United Methodist Church, Covington First United Methodist, Druid Hills Church, East Cobb United Methodist, Haygood Memorial United Methodist, Uplift Ministry, and Oak Grove United Methodist Church.
Also heavily involved are hundreds of adult volunteer coordinators who provide transportation, serve food, supervise construction tasks, coordinate logistics, and mentor the youth as they are housed in Northside UMC during the duration of the M.A.P. project.
References
External links
Categories:- Organizations based in Atlanta, Georgia
- Social welfare charities
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
