The City of Atlanta announced that during an event on Friday evening that welcomed 1,500 Westside residents, stakeholders and nonprofits to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Mayor Kasim Reed and Arthur Blank each made investments in Atlanta’s historic Westside neighborhoods. On behalf of the city of Atlanta, Mayor Kasim Reed dedicated $15 million to the future Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, $1 million to Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre, and $1 million to Westside Works. Through his family foundation, Blank committed an additional $15 million, bringing the total of the Westside Neighborhood Prosperity Fund to $30 million.

“I am thankful to Arthur Blank for his ongoing commitment to our city, and for being an exemplary partner as we work to build equity and inclusion in our Westside neighborhoods,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “Arthur has now pledged $30 million to the Westside Neighborhood Prosperity Fund – a figure which will allow partner groups to continue their work to transform the Westside stadium neighborhoods with long-term residents. The City of Atlanta is proud to make its own commitment to the new Westside Reservoir Park, which will be the largest new park in the entire city, and an additional $1 million each to the arts and Westside Works. Now is the time for our city’s corporate and philanthropic leaders to join us and make their own commitment to the Westside as we make long-term, transformational change.”

The future Westside Park at Bellwood Quarry, when completed, will be the largest park in the City of Atlanta with nearly 300 acres of greenspace and will connect to the Atlanta BeltLine. The park will also include a reservoir with up to 30 days’ drinking water supply, boosting the city’s resilience to drought.

“Real, impactful change is happening in Atlanta’s historic Westside communities because of the passion and trust expressed by residents, the belief in inclusive transformation from corporate partners and the city of Atlanta, and the dedication by Westside-based nonprofits to serve those facing some of the toughest of circumstances,” stated Arthur Blank, chairman of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. “We know there is more to be done, and our family foundation is unreservedly committed to the people and place of Atlanta’s historic Westside.”

Mayor Reed also committed $1 million to establish Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre on the Westside. Leon is a Tony-award winning Broadway and film director, and serves as the Artistic Director of Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre. Finally, Mayor Reed committed an additional $1 million contribution to Westside Works, a long-term neighborhood program focused on creating employment opportunities and job training for residents of the Westside community, including Vine City, English Avenue, Castleberry Hill and other contiguous neighborhoods. Since its inception, Westside Works has trained more than 500 neighborhood residents, who earn an average wage of $13.76 per hour. Seventy-eight percent of residents in the program retain living wage jobs after one year.

Since 2014, the Blank Foundation has distributed more than $12 million of the initial $15 million Westside Neighborhood Prosperity Fund commitment in areas focused on building human capital through workforce development, housing, education, health, entrepreneurship, and youth leadership. An additional $7 million has been invested in Westside initiatives through other foundation programming.