Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen
When Tom Wargo was volunteering with needy metro residents, he noticed older clients would give much of the free food they received to their pets.
MUST Ministries
As unemployment surged during the Great Recession, Marietta-based MUST Ministries responded with nuts-and-bolts job training. MUST is the only nonprofit of its type to have alliances with OSHA and the National Safety Council for certification for specialized jobs like forklift operation.
Caring for Atlantans Before They are Born
Babies born early or at low birth weights (less than 5.5 pounds) often face a lifetime of mental or physical challenges. The Babies Born Healthy network, organized by the United Way, includes a range of projects and partners such as the March of Dimes and the Department of Public Health. One of its efforts is the Strong Start Initiative, launched this spring by Grady Health System and the United Way to help at-risk expectant mothers. Grady, along with New Millennium Obstetrics and Gynecology and Providence Women’s Healthcare, runs a program called Centering Pregnancy that provides prenatal programs in a group setting. In a pilot, 97 percent of participating moms delivered normal-weight babies.
Hearthstone Hikers
For outdoorsy seniors who don’t feel comfortable making the long drive to a state park alone—or who just want company on the trail—the Hearthstone Hikers are a group of 50- to 90-year-olds who explore the great outdoors twice a month, departing from Central Park in Cumming.
Massive Open Online Courses
MOOCs (massive open online courses) are free classes offered by universities hoping to provide the general public with access to top professors.
Universal Flu Vaccine
The flu shot is kind of a crapshoot. Scientists create vaccines based on the flu strains they know exist, but there’s always a chance something newer will mutate. Georgia State University researcher Sang-Moo Kang is testing a universal flu vaccine so new shots won’t have to be developed all the time. The goal: protect against unexpected strains.
Atlanta Science Festival
A smartphone, a tasty beer, and a drum concert by a musician with a prosthetic arm: All brought to you by . . . science.
Kennesaw State University’s Campus Awareness, Resource, & Empowerment Center
Georgia is now one of ten states identified by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth for having a higher-education network to combat collegiate homelessness.
Culturally Relevant Computing Lab
Students who want to join Kinnis Gosha’s computing lab at Morehouse College can’t just work on their own projects; they must agree to be ambassadors for science and technology on campus and in the community.