Christian City Successfully Exceeds $17.2M Capital Campaign Goal
Tuesday, October 20th, 2026
Christian City, a 61-year-old nonprofit serving children, youth and seniors on its nearly 500-acre campus in South Fulton County, has announced the successful conclusion of its Growing with Purpose comprehensive campaign, having exceeded its $17.2 million fundraising goal, reaching $21.3 million.
Launched in 2025, the campaign set out to reinforce and expand key children and family services on Christian City's near-500-acre campus. With the goal now met, the organization will move forward with its two signature initiatives: construction of a new early learning center in partnership with the YMCA of Metro Atlanta and a threefold expansion of the Thrive Graduate Transition program for young adults aging out of the foster care system, along with other campus improvements.
"Reaching and exceeding our campaign goal is an extraordinary milestone for Christian City and a testament to what can happen when a community comes together around a shared purpose,” shared Keith Horton, Ed.D., President & CEO of Christian City. “We are deeply grateful to the donors who believe in our mission and have invested in our future. Their generosity will allow us to reach more children, strengthen families and create new opportunities for young adults as they build independent lives. This is an investment in the future of our community."
Construction on the Ron and Vicki Canakaris Early Learning Center will begin in the coming months on a site along Jonesboro Road, adjacent to Christian City's Children's Village. Built and owned by Christian City and operated by the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, the center will open with five classrooms serving 100 to 120 children from birth through age four. It will run on a fee-for-service model designed to ease the shortage of affordable, high-quality childcare in the surrounding area, a gap local data shows is significant, with thousands of young children in the region currently unenrolled in preschool.
The YMCA will staff and run all programming, bringing its National Association for the Education of Young Children-accredited Creative Curriculum to the site while covering the facility's ongoing operating costs.
The campaign also funds a major expansion of Thrive, Christian City's program for 18-to-24-year-olds who have aged out of foster care or are at risk of homelessness. Enrollment will grow from 17 to 49 participants through the renovation of three existing campus buildings and construction of seven new townhomes, along with new funding for wraparound services and a facilities maintenance reserve.
The campaign was led by Co-Chairs Kathy Waller and Millard Choate and Honorary Chair Ron Canakaris, with support from a campaign committee that included Stephanie Blank, Delores Epps, Mike Harbin, Bob Hope, Jay Mannelly and Dr. Ed Richardson. Leadership gifts came from Ron and Vicki Canakaris, Millard Choate, The Whitehead Foundation, the James M. Cox Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Chick-fil-A, Elaine and John Carlos and three anonymous friends of Christian City, among many others in the community. In its 61 years, Christian City has grown to a campus of almost 500 acres with 1000 residents; this campaign is its first major campaign in over 20 years.
For more information about Christian City, please visit https://christiancity.org/ .
