Mr. Edward J. “Jack” Hardin, an attorney and a founding partner of Rogers & Hardin, LLP, will be recognized by the Foundation of Wesley Woods in 2018 for his commitment to solving homelessness, poverty, and health issues for the underprivileged while being an advocate for legal aid access to all.
 
Hardin is one of the prominent Georgians who shares a commitment to helping older adults live independently longer, with a higher quality of life, which is why the Board of the Foundation of Wesley Woods selected him as a 2018 Heroes, Saints & Legends honorees.
 
“Jack is a rare combination of heart and head. He's smart as he can be, but he's rare not because he's brilliant but because he cares so much,” said P. Russell Hardin, president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. “He is universally respected for his work on homelessness, in particular, and his willingness to take on the tough problems in our community. We're lucky to have Jack in Atlanta.”
 
“Jack Hardin is relentless and sees no barriers. Whether it's with people, money or opportunities, he's going to have that kind of passionate, competitive, relentless spirit that wants to break through barriers to find hope and opportunity for people, especially the homeless,” said Ann Cramer, a senior consultant at Coxe Curry and Associates. “His relentless energy, commitment and intelligence make him a true leader.”
 
Hardin, in his role at Rogers & Hardin, LLP, advises corporate directors and their companies on corporate governance, corporate law and domestic and international business transactions.
 
Hardin is co-chair of the Regional Commission on Homelessness; president of the Georgia Legal Services Foundation; chairman of Gateway, LLC, a homeless services center; a member of the Board of Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation; vice chairman of the Fulton County Board of Health; vice chairman of the board of Georgia Works!; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and former board of directors chair of the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.
 
He has received multiple professional and community service recognitions including being named as one of Atlanta's Most Admired CEOs for 2017 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. He received the 2016 Leadership Character Award from the Turknett Leadership Group and the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.
 
“Heroes, Saints & Legends gives us the opportunity to both recognize the commitment of our honorees in improving the lives of others and to become inspired by them and take action ourselves.  Jack Hardin is a perfect example of an inspirational servant leader doing exactly that,” said Tracy Crump, president & CEO of the Foundation of Wesley Woods. “He has left a permanent imprint on Atlanta because of his commitment and actions around addressing homelessness and poverty in Atlanta. Thanks to Jack’s leadership, there are opportunities for a better tomorrow for some of the most vulnerable people in Atlanta.”
 
“Wesley Woods provides an incredible service for a large part of the population that has lived their whole lives and, at the end of it, are struggling to have a comfortable place to live,” said Edward J. “Jack” Hardin. “Being honored is very special to me because of the great work of the organization, the stature of my fellow honorees and having the chance to hold up our work on homelessness, which is so very important.”
 
In addition to Hardin, the 2018 Heroes, Saints & Legends honorees include Dr. Joseph E. and the late Dr. Evelyn Lowery, who are being recognized for their commitment to social justice, civil rights, and the use of nonviolent tactics to advance change while ministering to the spiritual needs of the oppressed, and Mr. Merritt Steed Bond, who is being recognized for his commitment to addressing the challenges facing vulnerable older adults through connecting caring people in the community to vital ministries of The North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.
 
The Heroes, Saints & Legends event will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at 6 p.m. at Flourish located at 3143 Maple Drive Atlanta, Ga. 30305. Funds raised will benefit Wesley Woods Senior Living’s independent living communities, which serve more than 1,800 older adults annually, 75% of whom require financial help to remain living in their Wesley Woods homes, and over 40% of whom are living below the poverty level.  Funds also support specially designated Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease research and education programs at Emory University.
 
A sellout crowd of 300 people attended the 2017 event commending the accomplishments of honorees.  Heroes, Saints & Legends raised more than $260,000 for Wesley Woods’ ministry, which provides critical services to seniors who had outlived their financial resources, some of whom required higher levels of care that they would not have access to otherwise.
 
Sponsorship information and tickets for the 2018 event are available now at http://www.foundationofwesleywoods.org/events/heroes-saints-legends/. Donations in support of the mission of Wesley Woods may be made today at https://wesleywoods.thankyou4caring.org/heroes.