Orange Duffel Bag Initiative

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice's Division of Community Services celebrated the graduation of 16 youths from the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative (ODBI) on Thursday, May 23rd.

Youth from two Room, Board, and Watchful Oversight programs had the opportunity to participate in the 12-session program, which provides high school and college students experiencing homelessness or foster care with evidence-based and trauma-informed coaching programs and ongoing advocacy to improve their education outcomes.

Pictured from right to left: DD Marcia Pfister, JPM Krissy Nichols, JPPS III Amber Hayes, JPPS III Christian Thurman, and RA Sammie Roper

Drum roll for ODBI Coaching Certification Class 4! Team Orange is so honored to welcome each as an ODBI CERTIFIED COACH!

Special thanks to Ms Sonia Davis, Ms Felicia Brown, and Ms Katrina Thompson for helping make it all possible.

https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Luis Adalberto Castro Valdizon Echo Garrett Mike Ecker Diana Black

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Coaching Certification DAY 2! Digging deeper into ODBI Coaching Curriculum and coaching methodologies. Honored to work with such brilliant and caring educators. Insight from one ... "We are having an amazing time gaining additional tools to help our students move forward into their purpose!"

https://theodib.org

Sam Bracken Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Echo Garrett

So proud of ALL the students ... and special "orange" kudos to our Orange Duffel Bag Initiative program grads presented with orange cords in honor of their milestone achievements!

DRUM ROLL! Please join us in congratulating newly Orange Duffel Bag Initiative certified coaches, who are social workers in the Ferguson-Florissant School District of St Louis MO! Each culminated their three-day training by skillfully role playing a coaching session with their peers followed by a graduation presentation that included highlights of the professional development program, their favorite Rule for the Road, and ways they see ODBI's coaching and curriculum serving their students. These talented, dedicated professionals will begin coaching in the fall giving them plenty of time to further hone their skills under the coaching leadership of ODBI's Luis Castro!

https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Echo Garrett

Day 2 Launch Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Coaching Certification at Ferguson-Florissant School District in MO! Recap of Day 1 in pictures below ... These coaches in-training are here to add to their "tool" box of impactful resources and support for their students.

https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Echo Garrett Diana Black

CONGRATS ODBI | CCPS Class 91! Please read this wonderful account of the students' program graduation day and the important work ODBI is grateful to achieve (on behalf of amazing students!) in partnership with Clayton County Public Schools. Kudos to Coach Luis Castro as Orange Duffel Bag Initiative wishes great futures for each and every graduate of this class and previous alum -- all lifetime members of Team Orange! https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Maria L Oglesby Echo Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Diana Black Chris Sloan - Thrivent Lana Wachniak

Please congratulate Class 90 Orange Duffel Bag Initiative program graduates! Students from Forsyth County Public Schools crossed the finish line with flying colors (especially orange!). So proud of each student's accomplishment that would not have been possible without the sponsorship of The Place, FCS, and UNG. Kudos to Coach Aydee Short!

https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Garrett Chris Sloan - Thrivent Diana Black

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative wishing everyone on Team Orange a Valentine's Day (year!) filled with much deserved love! We appreciate each of you, and welcome anyone interested in learning more about ODBI to reach out and get involved ... Volunteering opportunities available working with our students! Golfing for a Great Cause! Coaching Certification! And more!!! http://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle

🎓 ⛳️ Every March, legendary Coach Bill Curry welcomes golfers and sponsors to the annual Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Charity! The event raises funds to help homeless and foster care students stay on track for education and life success. Thank you, Atlanta Business Chronicle for sharing this story and this year's golf event Mon. March 25 at Indian Hills CC Marietta.
https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2024/02/01/orange-duffel-bag-initiatives-annual-golf-tournam.html To learn more about the ODBI visit, https://www.theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Diana Black Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Alison Chaffee Harry Norman, REALTORS® Amerigroup Gillman Insurance Problem Solvers Repro Products JE Dunn Construction

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative's annual golf tournament drives change for Atlanta's homeless and foster children - Atlanta Business Chronicle The 11th Annual ODBI Charity Golf Classic held at Indian Hills Country Club in Marietta, Georgia, on Monday March 25, 2024

Happy 2024! And thank you to all who donated throughout 2023 to help students in need achieve and succeed! Results matter! "I saw dramatic improvement in academics and self-worth as a result of the ODBI's coaching, and students' new-found confidence and direction to achieving success in their future!" Group Home Human Services Professional. To learn more and donate (any amount is appreciated!), please visit https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Diana Black Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle

Happy Holidays from Orange Duffel Bag Initiative! Please enjoy our Winter 2023 Newsletter highlighting new and past program graduates ... including a 2016 Team Orange alum realizing her dream of joining the Peace Corps! Also see what's cooking for 2024 and find a link to make a yearend MATCHING donation. (You can also simply visit https://theodbi.org to make your matching gift) !

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Diana Black
https://theodbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ODBI-Winter-2023-Newsletter-.pdf

"...in and out of foster care for so long, I felt lost,” ODBI Program Grad Diamond recounts. “Orange Duffel Bag Initiative showed me a path I never thought possible.” Please help ODBI support and coach more underserved students like Diamond with your yearend donation! Donate by 12.31.23, and your gift will be MATCHED by an anonymous donor! https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett

The Orange Duffel Bag Initiative | Coaching Students to Achieve and Succeed KATRINA ODBI ATLANTA CLASS 10 KENNESAW STATE GRADUATE | PRE MED “ODBI has always been incredibly supportive of my endeavors…and I love them for that. Team Orange is so unique and powerful. It is just a big family full of guidance, love, and laughter.”

🧡 Orange Duffel Bag Initiative is changing lives, providing hope and a brighter future to students in need! At no cost to them, we're coaching homeless and foster care high school and college students to create the life they want and deserve. "My coach is my compass." Donate before the end of the year and your contribution will be DOUBLED www.theODBI.org


Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett

The Orange Duffel Bag Initiative | Coaching Students to Achieve and Succeed KATRINA ODBI ATLANTA CLASS 10 KENNESAW STATE GRADUATE | PRE MED “ODBI has always been incredibly supportive of my endeavors…and I love them for that. Team Orange is so unique and powerful. It is just a big family full of guidance, love, and laughter.”

🎓🧡 Every student deserves a chance to succeed. Help Orange Duffel Bag Initiative provide coaching and support to homeless and foster care students! Remember, all donations are matched until the end of the year!
www.theODBI.org


Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett

"Many overlook teens facing hardship, dismissing them as troublesome,” says Diamond. “ODBI sees beyond that, reminding us that our journey doesn't end where hardships begin.” Thank you Atlanta Business Chronicle for helping to share the story of Diamond, Prince and the thousands of others who have graduated the ODBI program and inspire Team Orange every day! To read the article, visit https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2023/12/01/orange-duffel-bag-initiative-empowers-atl-youth.html And, if you'd like to join the movement of helping teens like Diamond and Prince, please visit our website at https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Elizabeth Meldrum Lisle Chris Sloan - Thrivent

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative empowers Atlanta youth beyond adversity - Atlanta Business Chronicle Georgia's Fostering Success Act allows Georgia taxpayers to control their tax dollars to shape brighter futures for youth in care while they benefit from a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for 2023 donation to the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative (ODBI).

🧡 Every student deserves a chance to succeed! Your donation to Orange Duffel Bag Initiative this GIVING TUESDAY will be MATCHED, providing coaching and support to homeless and foster care students through ODBI's trauma-informed coaching programs and ongoing advocacy. www.theODBI.org/donate-today "I walked into ODBI silent and left with a voice." Dedrick



Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Morrell Lisle

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative is beyond grateful for each "Ray of Support to Ensure Success" of our amazing students in need! (Thank you for that wonderful insight, Bill Wallace!) Team Orange is comprised of students experiencing homelessness or foster care, caring individuals, families, volunteers, coaches, generous private funders, donors, foundations, businesses, corporations, school districts, and yes, even golfers! Want to learn more and be the one to help the one? Please visit https://theodbi.org where donations made between now and yearend will be MATCHED by an anonymous donor!!

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Morrell Lisle Sky Ranch Foundation Chris Sloan - Thrivent Lana Wachniak

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative was proud to present to 100+ professionals recently at the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth in New Orleans! President Michael Daly and VP Diana Black shared best practices and the benefits of trauma-informed coaching and ongoing advocacy for college students experiencing homelessness or foster care. K Smith, LSU Doctoral Student, shared startling data on the numbers of college students across the nation who are housing insecure. To learn more about ODBI's work and to donate, please visit https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Chris Sloan - Thrivent Mariline Webb Guise

Thanks to our incredible Team Orange support, Orange Duffel Bag Initiative is one of the first winners of a 2023 Top-Rated Award from GreatNonprofits! Read inspiring stories about us and add your own! https://greatnonprofits.org/org/the-orange-duffel-bag-initiative

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative LOVES JE Dunn Hammer Down Road Race! Thanks to all at JE Dunn Atlanta who made the race possible and all those who registered and raced today! Our partnership with and continued support from JE Dunn has helped build new lives for 1800+ students who were homeless or in foster care, forever changing the trajectory of their lives though coaching and ongoing advocacy. Want to learn how you can make a difference by volunteering or donating? Please visit https://theodbi.org

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett Elizabeth Meldrum Morrell Lisle

Register Today and Support Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Students!

Register today for the October 14th, 2023 JE Dunn Hammerdown Race -- USATF Certified and Peachtree Road Race Qualifier!

10k - 8:00AM start / 5k - 8:10AM start
2555 Cumberland Parkway SE Atlanta GA 30339

Orange Duffel Bag Initiative is one of two charities benefiting from the event! Thank you JE DUNN!!!

Atlanta Hammer Down Road Race Join us for the 13th Annual Atlanta JE Dunn Hammer Down Road Race on October 14, 2023! Presented by JE Dunn Construction Company and benefiting For the Hope Partnership, Orange Duffel Bag Initiative and Habitat for Humanity. The race starts and finishes at  JE Dunn Construction Company's office on ...

Please enjoy Orange Duffel Bag Initiative Summer Highlights! You may also view by visiting https://theodbi.org/our-impact

So proud of ALL our ODBI graduates and Team Orange!

To help support our students, please visit https://theodbi.org/donate-today

Sam Bracken Echo Montgomery Garrett