It was all blue skies above TPC Sugarloaf on April 19 when 184 golfers took to the course in celebration of Rainbow Village’s 30^th birthday with one goal in mind – to raise funds and awareness in support of Metro Atlanta families experiencing homelessness. By the time all players had reached the 19^th Hole Reception, a winning team was declared, sponsors were honored and $125K had been raised. Those funds will be used to support the Duluth-based nonprofit’s mission of transforming the lives of homeless families by providing help, hope, healing and housing in order to instill initiative, self-development and accountability that will foster meaningful growth in the lives of all who encounter Rainbow Village.

“We could not have asked for a better gift to celebrate the 30^th birthday of our organization,” said Melanie Conner, CEO of Rainbow Village. “Not only did we break records with the number of participants in this year’s event, but we also broke records with the amount of funds raised during what is traditionally our second largest fundraiser of the year. We raised $10,000 more than our 2021 goal and $20,000 more than we raised during last year’s Second Chance Golf Classic. As word spreads of our organization and the families we serve, so does the support we receive from the incredible residential, municipal, ministerial and corporate community that surrounds our 2.5-acre campus in the heart of Duluth. As a nonprofit, we depend on fundraisers like this to support the maintenance of our facilities with room enough to serve 30 families at a time, as well as our multi-generational programming that allows families to confidently embark on the journey to self-sufficiency and thrive beyond our Village. My team and I cannot begin to thank all the participants and sponsors of this year’s Golf Classic enough. It’s a day we will remember forever.”

Rainbow Village was first launched on April 19, 1991 as Rainbow House – an outreach ministry of Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross, Georgia with one house to serve two homeless families at a time. While the transformation over the last 30 years has been nothing shy of astounding, the need is still great, and the nonprofit relies on the support of donors, grants and corporate sponsors to remain solvent. 

Presented by Columbia Engineering, sponsors for the 2021 Rainbow Village Second Chance Golf Classic included: Northside Hospital, Level Seven, Porter Steel, Capstone Logistics, Coles Barton, Motorcars of Atlanta, First Citizens, Renasant Bank, Dick’s Sporting Good, Capital City Home Loans, Possible Now, Sandler Training, Quantum National Bank, Wages & Sons, Wilson Lewis, Anderson Tate and Carr, and JS Thomas. Played on three 9-hole courses this year, the three-1st place winning teams of the tournament were First Citizens Bank, represented by Michael King, Gerard White, Andrea Hopkey and Lisa Mink; Level Seven, represented by David Hollister, Rene Gonzales, Mike Smith and Jeremy Meyer; and Oconee State Bank, represented by Joe Godfrey, Mike Ballenger, Ed Higdon and Ricky Moore. Winners received a Tommy Armour golf club donated by Dicks Sporting Goods and framed event logo with the names of Rainbow Village Academy students autographed on the mat.

Rainbow Village’s largest fundraiser of the year – the “We Are Family” Benefit Gala – is scheduled for October 16, 2021 at Atlanta Athletic Club, and a date has already been set for the next Second Chance Golf Classic at TPC Sugarloaf on April 18, 2022. But before then, for those who wish to join in the year-long 30^th Anniversary celebration of Rainbow Village, a variety of donor and/or volunteer opportunities exist. Volunteer opportunities include mentoring, providing meals, property beautification, assisting with fundraising events and much more. To make a secure one-time online donation, sign on as a monthly donor, register as a volunteer or stay tuned in for Gala updates, please visit www.RainbowVillage.org.