BCM Georgia

Thank you BuckHaven City Lifestyle for the "business monthly" featuring our new President and CEO Shirley Anne Smith in the December issue!

$57,255 on for GivingTuesday. Your generosity prevailed! Thank you.

You helped us surpass our GivingTuesday goal! THANK YOU! Your Generosity Prevailed! Together, We Raised $57,255   Dear BCM, We hope this message finds you surrounded by the warmth of the season. Today, we are thrilled to share some incredible n

We did it! THANK YOU Georgia for helping us reach our GAgives GivingTuesday goal of $25,000! Southern Company Gas is meeting us halfway with a very generous gift of $25,000 bringing our total to $50,000 and counting. Today, we pledged financial assistance to 32 households who are facing eviction. Our Emergency Housing Assistance program helps individuals and families with their mortgage, rent, and utility payments. Thank you to Spirit And Truth Church for opening their doors to our amazing caseworker team. A shout out to Georgia Power Energy Assistance team for helping our families. Watch our giving back message from our President & CEO Shirley Anne Smith produced by the one-and-only Georgia CEO.

Shirley Anne Smith of BCM Georgia, Giving Back on Giving Tuesday President & CEO of BCM Georgia Shirley Anne Smith talks about the services they provide to the area and gives details on the Giving Tuesday Open House.

Erynn led us on an inspiring tour of Spirit And Truth Church along with our Project SHARE partners at Georgia Power. Thank you to Pastor Moore and Associate Elder Wayne Martin for allowing us to meet our households where they are this GivingTuesday for in-person appointments. Through the power of partnership, we are keeping families home for the holidays!

(Pictured L-R: Anthony Jayesingha, Heather Franklin, Eloise Bracey, Danny Johnson with Georgia Power, Juani Roblero, Wayne Martin with Spirit & Truth Church, Shirley Anne Smith, Erynn with Spirit & Truth Church, and Connie Goolsby with Georgia Power)

Thanks to the mission of Compudopt Atlanta to distribute free devices - laptops and desktops - and to connect more Atlantans to our digital world, we have 15 new laptops for the participants of Budget for Life. With one-on-one coaching and education, this program helps households achieve financial strength through debt reduction, budgeting, and a savings plan. How will this benefit BCM Georgia and the individuals and families we serve? The answer is written on the faces of our COO S. Anthony Jayesingha, MBA and our Director of Financial Education Michelle Ramirez.

Nothing better than a productive and interactive staff meeting, followed by lunch and a group photo! We are BCM Georgia. We envision caring communities where everyone has a home and the opportunity to thrive.

Welcome Home Baskets filled with essential household supplies – donated by volunteers from ChristChurch Presbyterian – are helping to give one of our Foundation 3 program participants a fresh start!

After losing most of her belongings as her items in storage were auctioned off, Jakeria and her 1-year-old daughter found BCM Georgia, and with it, the help and hope they needed. She enrolled in Foundation 3, which focuses on safe housing, stable employment and education. By participating in this program and receiving help from our partner churches and organizations like The Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, Jakeria has the transitional support her family needs as they move into their new home!

We're proud of Jakeria and her commitment to our Foundation 3 program and are grateful for her willingness to share her story to inspire and encourage others. 💙

We're proud to announce BCM Georgia's new President and CEO Shirley Anne Smith!

“We welcome Shirley Anne’s dynamic leadership and versatile experience as we turn the corner toward the next milestone in our statewide growth," said Roy F. Jenkins III, Chair, BCM Georgia. “We have a housing crisis in our country, and we need a strong anchor to prepare and charge our organization with what is needed to fully support all Georgians.”

Click to read more about Shirley Anne, her background and what she's excited to bring to BCM Georgia: bcmgeorgia.org/shirley-anne-ceo.

Thank you for all the help this month: from donations to partnerships, we couldn't do this work without community support!

3/3 After going through the work of Budget for Life – and it is a lot of work – Kendra wants to encourage others to take the plunge and invest in their financial future.

“If you are serious and you work this program effectively and consistently, you will experience relief from your financial burdens. It’s an overall amazing program,” she said. “And the fact that this program assists working people is a super plus.

“I’d like to give a huge shoutout and thank you to all the mentors and coaches. Volunteering your time and adapting to our schedules is truly one of a kind. Everyone was very supportive and attentive, and it was a pleasure working with such humble people.

“To the donors who help make this all possible, your humility is unmatched! I pray for a continual outpouring of God’s blessings in your lives as you continue to bless many others. Your generosity is needed in this world. From the bottom of my heart: thank you all so much.

“BCM means everything to me. It’s like it was heaven-sent, just in the nick of time.”

2/3 “One of the best lessons I have learned so far [through BCM] is managing my money; Budget for Life has changed my perspective tremendously.”

Along with participating in Budget for Life, Kendra was also selected to receive an Extra Wish grant at this year’s Seeds of Change Luncheon.

This gift of up to $1,000 was given to just a handful of Budget for Life participants by members of BCM’s Seeds of Change Society to provide extra relief. She used the grant to help cover the cost of furnishing their new, roach-free apartment.

“To say the least, the Extra Wish lifted a huge weight off my shoulders,” she said.

“Without these programs, I would be totally messed up financially,” she said, “and would not have been able to replace the furniture I lost due to the roach infestation in my last apartment.”

And while she’s happy to be where she is now, Kendra is also looking to the future.

“My dreams are to continue to work with the skills I’ve learned and continue my journey towards financial freedom – controlling my finances versus it controlling me. I’m also looking to buy a house in the next two years,” she said.

1/3 She’s a single mom of two sons – ages 11 and 17 – and her job as a Customer Care Specialist transferred her from New Jersey to Georgia in January of 2021.

That was the wake-up call about her financial situation.

“Life before BCM was a little challenging,” Kendra said. “I had just moved, and in the same week, my vehicle was totaled. I’d broken my lease at my former apartment because of an infestation of roaches.

“I was drowning a little bit, being a single mother and just trying to maintain. I didn’t see any way out.”

Kendra knew she needed help in order to maintain safe housing for her family – then Budget for Life came into the picture.

“Being alone in Georgia helped me see where my money was going – whether good or bad – and allowed me to redirect my finances."

Want to make a change with other like-minded philanthropists? 💙 Join our Seeds of Change committee! Not only will your membership support our Budget for Life program throughout the year, but you have additional opportunities through Extra Wish grants and our annual Luncheon to make an impact on families in need.

Want to learn more, become a member or be on the 2024 committee? Email [email protected] today!

We had an AMAZING time out on the green last week at our Tee It Up Tournament, and together, we grossed over $330,000 for families in need! We're SO grateful! Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this year's event to help make a way for more people to achieve economic empowerment. We couldn't do this without you!

Congratulations to the winners of our contests:
🏆 First Place Gross - Morgan Stanley: Whit Yates, Gee Aldridge, Matt Swann, Sandy Burgess
🥇 First Place Net - Holder Construction: Greer Gallagher, Jon Lewis, Nick Weaver, Ryan Edwards
🥈 Second Place Net - Woodall Team: Jordan Stowe, Rawleigh Taylor, Jerry Over, and Mike Robinson
🥉 Third Place Net - Voya Financial: Blaine Clotfelter, Brandon Manning, Robert Collins, Tim Arnoult
⭐️ Longest drive - Jonathan Brazeal, House of Raeford
⭐️ Closest to pin - Brad Wall, Evergreen Construction

And thank you again to each of our fantastic sponsors for their support!

Eagle: Schneider Electric

Birdie: RLS Ventures and Bert, Rhonda Ponder

Par: Allison-Smith Company, LLC, Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions LLC, CAPCON, CBRE, Chick-fil-A Stone Mountain, Ed Easterlin & Cresa, Evergreen Construction, Fidelis Private Wealth Partners, Holder Construction, House of Raeford Farms, The John Cook Group at KW, Moontide Agency, Morgan Stanley, Northwestern Mutual, The Pleiad Foundation, Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise Business - Headquarters, Rheem, Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, ServiceMaster, Tennessee Homemade Wines, U.S. Kids Golf, Voya

Golf Cart: U.S. Kids Golf
Lunch: CLA
Reception: Merrill Lynch
Beverage Cart: SouthState Bank

Hole in One Contest: Capital Cadillac Buick GMC
Longest Drive Contest: CLA

Hole: Carr, Riggs & Ingram, Buckhead Behavioral Health, Samuel and Lara Holmes

"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed." Maya Angelou

Eviction records can last for up to seven years. That's a long time for such a negative "dark cloud" to follow you around. That's why at BCM Georgia, we aim to prevent eviction and create compassionate communities for those experiencing financial difficulty.

Click to read about Kayla Reed – a woman who faced eviction as a young adult – and the difficulty she faced keeping a roof above her head, plus her hopes for the future to prevent others from facing this cycle of struggle. https://www.npr.org/2021/08/08/1025845696/the-consequences-of-being-evicted-can-be-felt-for-years

On any given night in Georgia just four years ago, 4,183 were homeless, with nowhere to sleep that night but a car, an abandoned building, or somewhere similar. And post-COVID – due to higher eviction rates – there are likely more people experiencing homelessness.

We want to step in and fill the gap for families on the brink of or experiencing homelessness. Learn more about the ways we help at bcmgeorgia.org.

🔑 Did you know that financial education can be the key to unlocking a better future? That's why BCM Georgia is devoted to providing free classes and resources designed to help adults in all life stages become financially literate. Every contribution makes a difference in accomplishing this mission; donate today at bcmgeorgia.org/donate.

Fact Friday | Atlanta is the worst in the nation for income inequality.

At BCM, we believe everyone deserves the chance to make a good life for themselves and their children. One of the best way to help everyone thrive is through financial education. Visit bcmgeorgia.org to learn more about what we're doing to help those in need reach their full potential!

“My then-coworker was a single mother with four kids, and she spoke highly of the Foundation 3 program: how it was helping her get on her feet and how she finally felt like things were changing for her.

“The help I received from BCM has drastically changed the course of my life. It has helped create solid new beginnings for me and my son. The best lesson I learned was how to take control over my finances, plan and budget for things to come.

“Foundation 3 truly works and is truly helping families overcome some of the most difficult challenges any family can face.” Demond, Foundation 3 program participant

THANK YOU to the sponsors for this year's Tee It Up Golf Tournament! ⛳️ Your support is changing lives across Atlanta, and we're so grateful for your hearts for creating a better future.

Eagle: Schneider Electric

Birdie: RLS Ventures and Bert, Rhonda Ponder

Par: Allison-Smith Company, LLC Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions LLC, CAPCON, CBRE, Chick-fil-A Stone Mountain, Ed Easterlin & Cresa, Evergreen Construction, Fidelis Private Wealth Partners, Holder Construction, House of Raeford Farms, The John Cook Group at KW, Moontide Agency, Morgan Stanley, Northwestern Mutual, The Pleiad Foundation, Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise Business - Headquarters, Rheem, Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, ServiceMaster, Tennessee Homemade Wines, U.S. Kids Golf, Voya

Golf Cart: U.S. Kids Golf
Lunch: CLA
Reception: Merrill Lynch
Beverage Cart: SouthState Bank

Hole in One Contest: Capital Cadillac Buick GMC
Longest Drive Contest: CLA

Hole: Carr, Riggs & Ingram, Buckhead Behavioral Health, Samuel and Lara Holmes

Can you help? For a little extra relief, we like to give our emergency assistance families a gas gift card – and it's a simple way to give a helping hand to neighbors in need.

Just drop off at, or mail to, 2847 Piedmont Rd., NE Atlanta, GA 30305 – or give through an online donation and specify in the comments that it's to be used for gift cards.

"Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others." Booker T. Washington

Want to give your time to help someone become financially literate? We'd love to have your help as a Budget Coach! There are other ways to volunteer with BCM Georgia, too – find your place by visiting bcmgeorgia.org/volunteer.

Don't wait another day! Sponsorships are still available for our 2023 Tee It Up Golf Tournament, and we'd love to put your business's name in front of our players. Choose your level today at https://ow.ly/j2lx50PI0mg.

“They prayed for me and paid my rent for that month. They also offered me help with utilities, food and clothing. Just that assistance for the next 30 days of rent was extremely helpful." Vera, BCM Georgia client

👉 BCM Georgia is CLOSED today in observance of Labor Day. We look forward to serving you tomorrow!

There's no better feeling than knowing you did it yourself. That's how we want those in our Budget for Life and Foundation 3 programs to feel as they make decisions based on their newfound financial literacy. Discover the ways we serve our community and get people back on their feet at bcmgeorgia.org.

Shoutout to everyone who gave toward our mission this month! Because of your generosity, more families in Atlanta are still living in their home and are moving toward a place of financial stability. THANK YOU for making an impact!