July was a busy month for the WFF Volunteer Corps! Dozens of volunteers rallied together in our collective effort to revitalize our community and clean up entire blocks within English Avenue. We welcomed groups from Chick-fil-A and FirstKey Homes, as well as community members actively engaged in the transformation of the historic Westside. 

Over a dozen volunteers from FirstKey Homes cleaned up multiple lots that had been blighted and abandoned along Sunset Avenue, just blocks from the former home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The group, formed primarily of interns from the Marietta-based company, filled two dumpsters worth of overgrowth, debris and garbage. Cameron, managing intern for the project, first learned about the Westside Future Fund while looking for a volunteer opportunity for herself and her colleagues and was quickly drawn to the organization’s mission.

“When I heard Westside Future Fund was providing affordable housing, I was immediately interested,” said Cameron. “I did a little research and saw the history of the community, and read about its needs, then I made sure that we came out to help out in any way we could.”

A familiar face joined the monthly Community Clean-Up early in the month. Sidy, who has attended three straight months of clean-up events, was happy to be back with the WFF Volunteer Corps – and let them know that he’s here to stay.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and get active while doing something meaningful that helps others,” said Sidy. “I really enjoy being here, and plan to keep coming back.”

A huge crew, made up of several dozen volunteers, from Chick-fil-A cleaned and cleared blocks of blighted lots surrounding WFF’s 400 Paines Avenue Home on the Westside multi-family development, which is scheduled to complete later this year.

Westside Future Fund hosts volunteer events throughout the Historic Westside community each month. To explore how you can make a difference and find out about upcoming opportunities, we invite you to visit www.westsidefuturefund.org/volunteer. Together, we can transform the historic Westside into a community that Dr. King would be proud to call home.