It has long been believed that word of mouth is the best form of marketing. With that principle in mind, Rainbow Village seeks to grow awareness about homelessness and its effects on local families throughout the month of July. While that has been a major part of its mission over the last 30 years – along with transitional housing and impactful programming for families experiencing homelessness – the Duluth-based nonprofit is actively seeking the help of its fanbase and members of the Metro Atlanta community to spread the word. Often associated with the place where good fortune is found, this campaign has been deemed the #AtTheEndoftheRainbow Challenge. The nonprofit asks its growing community of donors, volunteers and social media volunteers to share their knowledge about Rainbow Village, the families it serves and homelessness in general with at least ten of their friends, co-workers, neighbors and family members. 

“Before we rebranded it as #AtTheEndofTheRainbow Challenge, the original Rainbow Village Challenge began several years ago through the vision of one of our wonderful community partners, Bob Patrick of Fit Body Boot Camp – Duluth,” said Melanie Conner, CEO of Rainbow Village. “He would host an annual Spring Fling on the Duluth Town Green that included free workouts, games, raffles, DJ, bounce house and more – all to raise funds and awareness about Rainbow Village and our mission to end homelessness – one family at a time. When COVID hit, we had to pivot and took the Challenge virtual as we encouraged our supporters to host workouts and walks of their own. This year, we’re pivoting again to go right to the heart of the original vision – to raise awareness about Rainbow Village and the families we serve. Our 30^th anniversary feels like the right time to do this. If we can encourage everyone to share our mission with 10 other people, we will grow our ‘Village’ tenfold. The more people who know about Rainbow Village and the issue of homelessness right here in the Metro Atlanta community, the more families we can help find the way to their own end of the rainbow.”

At the core of this year’s #AtTheEndofTheRainbow Challenge will be a social media campaign to highlight the nonprofit’s four pillars over the course of four weeks, beginning July 5:

Week One: Help – Rainbow Village provides a safe housing community where dignity, self-respect, and hope are restored. Taking different goals and starting points into consideration, the nonprofit’s Bridge to Economic Self-Sufficiency Model focuses on five core areas: Family Stability, Personal Well-Being, Financial Management, Education & Training, and Employment & Career.

Week Two: Hope – Each prospective resident of Rainbow Village is interviewed and assessed prior to joining the nonprofit’s ASPIRE Residential Program. After determining their needs and learning more about their unique path, ASPIRE participants work with success coaches, to identify and pursue goals for themselves and their families using the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency Model.

Week Three: Housing – Rainbow Village provides safe, affordable housing for up to 30 families for up to two years. ASPIRE Residents adhere to community guidelines, pay below-market rent, and work to increase their income, decrease their debt, and increase their savings while in the program. Their children are enrolled in after school programming through the Rainbow Village Academy.

Week Four: Healing – Homelessness is a traumatic experience and, in order to heal, families require both guidance and time. Poverty cycle research states that it takes 5 years of recovery to overcome the instability of experiencing homelessness. For most, two years is not enough time to reach economic self-sufficiency. For this reason, after up to two years of living at Rainbow Village, residents are transitioned into the THRIVE alumni program, providing an additional three years of support.

In addition to traditional word of mouth – actually talking about Rainbow Village and its mission, the nonprofit is asking its supporters to like, comment and/or share its posts during the month of July using the hashtag: #AtTheEndofTheRainbow. Rainbow Village can be found on Facebook @RainbowVillageInc, on Instagram @rainbowvillageinc, on Twitter @rainbowvillage1, and on LinkedIn @rainbow-village-inc.

The celebration of Rainbow Village’s 30^th anniversary will continue once the #AtTheEndofTheRainbow Challenge has come to an end, as well. Marking its largest fundraiser of the year, the Rainbow Village “We Are Family” Benefit Gala is scheduled for October 16, 2021, at Atlanta Athletic Club. 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.