Yesterday afternoon, the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm unveiled a new, multi-functional Good Neighbor Club at the Pittman Park Recreation Center in the historic Pittsburgh Neighborhood. This new club is in one of the largest recreation centers in the city and located within walking distance to Atlanta’s BeltLine Southside Trail.

In addition to Hawks two-way player Daeqwon Plowden, on-site at the event was Hawks’ Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the Atlanta Hawks Foundation David Lee as well as 61^st Mayor of Atlanta Andre Dickens, State Farm’s Vice President of Operations, P&C Claims, Don Bright, City Councilmember Antonio Lewis (District 12) and City of Atlanta’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Justin Cutler, to celebrate the opening of the new Club.

“The Hawks and State Farm have always stepped up for us. They’ve supported our Midnight Basketball initiative and helped make our inaugural Year of the Youth a resounding success. Today is a full circle moment,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “The Pittman Park Recreation Center—which has been a longstanding resource for this community—was the first center the Hawks renovated more than ten years ago. Now, the Hawks and State Farm are back with another Good Neighbors Club; reminding us that they don’t just play in Atlanta—they are Atlanta.”

The refreshed Teen Center space aims to inspire students and positively influence future generations with new modular furniture that can be used for a variety of programming, inspirational wall quotes and fresh paint, updated carpeted flooring and ceiling as well as enhanced technology like new televisions and gaming consoles.

“We are thrilled to partner with State Farm in launching our 12th Good Neighbor Club,” said Hawks Vice President of Community Impact and Basketball Programs, Jon Babul. “This partnership signifies a major step forward in our mission to empower and uplift our community. We are committed to creating a safe, inspiring environment where teens can grow, develop their skills, and build meaningful connections. Together with our partners, we are dedicated to providing a dynamic space that feels like a second home.”

The Pittman Park Recreation Center was selected as the location for the 12^th Good Neighbor Club due to its strong ties in the community and dedication to teen programming, exemplified by the full-circle journey of the current recreation leaders Samuel Cain and Tanisha Parker, who grew up attending Pittman Park Rec Center, with Parker’s daughter now being a current student in the program. The center is known for its after-school programs, serving more than 100 youth and teens, in addition to coaching an additional 1,000 kids in athletics throughout the year in sports such basketball, football, baseball and cheer.

“At State Farm, we believe in the power of community and the importance of investing in our youth,” said State Farm’s Vice President of Operations, P&C Claims, Don Bright. “Our latest Good Neighbor Club at Pittman Park Recreation Center represents our ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor by providing safe, inspiring spaces for teens to grow, dream, and succeed. Partnering with the Atlanta Hawks allows us to amplify our shared vision of creating meaningful impact and empowering the next generation here in Atlanta.”

The unveiling event featured special activities and programming for teenagers in attendance to learn from hands-on experiences from an array of industry professionals about personal branding, digital content creation, and custom merchandising. Participants had the opportunity to explore career pathways by applying their learnings to customizing their own t-shirts and bucket hats, along with a content creation workshop where they learned how to produce content. Attendees also enjoyed a surprise visit and giveaways from Hawks entertainment including Harry the Hawk, the ATL Dancers and Flight Crew.

“Growing up, I would visit other rec centers and wish we had some of the resources they had,” said Atlanta City Councilmember Antonio Lewis. “Today, through our partnership with the Hawks, I get a chance to be what I needed — and it’s a wonderful feeling.”

The Hawks and State Farm have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve Metro Atlanta. The organizations have previously teamed up to open 11 Good Neighbor Clubs in locations including: the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA in Southwest Atlanta, the College Park Auditorium, Ron Anderson Recreation Center in Cobb County, N.H. Scott Recreation Center in Decatur, William Walker Recreation Center in Atlanta, Lucky Shoals Park in Gwinnett, Lynwood Park in Brookhaven, Welcome All Park in South Fulton, Coan Park Recreation Center in Atlanta, and Bessie Branham Park in Kirkwood, and C.T. Martin Recreation Center in Atlanta.

To learn more about the Hawks work in the community, visit Hawks.com/Community.