Fifth Third Bank Georgia Community and Economic Development Manager Aleta Young, Invest Atlanta’s Dr. Eloisa Klementich, Grove Park Foundation Executive Director Gavin McGuire, Atlanta politician Keisha Lance Bottoms, Fifth Third Bank Georgia President Randy Kaporc, Executive Director of Urban Samantha Watkins, Grove Park Foundation Board CHair Marlena Norris and Fifth Third Bank’s Chief Corporate Community Economic Development Officer, Jada Grandy Mock airs for a photograph earlier a ceremonial connected Friday, October 15, 2021. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
Atlanta’s historical Grove Park, well-known for its galore vicinity clubs, was erstwhile a prosperous assemblage for Black families and businesses successful the West Side. However, decades of discriminatory divestment yet led to the neighborhood’s economical collapse, resulting successful colonisation decreases and schoolhouse closures. Today, Grove Park has nary supermarket and nary pharmacy.
On October 15th, Fifth Third Bank’s determination president Randy Kaporc announced the slope is donating $20 cardinal to beryllium distributed wrong the Grove Park community.
“I privation to beryllium precise wide — this is Grove Park’s mission,” Kaporc said. “We’re simply present to beryllium a steadfast catalyst, enactment successful immoderate mode we can, supply resources. But this is your neighborhood, and we privation to assistance successful what you privation to execute with your neighborhood.”
The Grove Park Foundation held an impromptu Community Celebration lawsuit astatine the Grove Park Community Gardens to stock “transforming” quality with the northwest Atlanta community. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, gospel vocalist Canton Jones, and different high-profile guests from astir the metropolis were successful attendance.
This donation is portion of Fifth Third Bank’s $180 cardinal Neighborhood Investment Program, co-launched with lodging nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners, to enactment 9 majority-Black communities crossed 7 states that person historically experienced disinvestment. The programme is portion of the bank’s larger Accelerating Racial Equality, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, a $2.8 cardinal committedness that volition supply $2.2 cardinal successful lending, $500 cardinal successful investments, $60 cardinal successful fiscal accessibility, and $40 cardinal successful philanthropy from the Fifth Third Foundation.
“Obviously, we privation to bash our portion to assistance with driving radical equality, and we deliberation this is simply a large mode to bash it — by supporting Black businesses, Black neighborhoods,” Kaporc said.
Fifth Third Bank chose Grove Park to person these funds aft the instauration completed its criteria-based, invitation-only exertion process. This foundation, reestablished successful 2015, has played a important portion successful restoring the anticipation and vitality of the community.
“There’s a punctuation that’s truly cardinal to our work: Don’t bash thing for me, without me,” said Gavin McGuire, enforcement manager of the Grove Park Foundation. “We scope retired to faith-based leaders. We scope retired to grassroots leaders successful the community. We scope retired to residents. We wrapper that astir firm enactment — for funding, for firm engagement, and for their expertise — truthful that we tin bring a full assemblage together.”
After the expansive announcement, Samantha Watkins took to the signifier to tearfully convey the Grove Park Foundation and Fifth Third Bank for their efforts successful reinvigorating the community. As the enforcement manager of Urban Reform, a health, wellness, and fittingness nonprofit created successful 2012, she understands however turbulent the past fewer years person been for section businesses.
“I privation to enactment successful this neighborhood. I don’t cognize if I’ll beryllium capable to, but this is giving maine the accidental to stay,” Watkins said. “I don’t cognize if my concern volition survive, but this is giving maine the accidental for it to survive.”
When asked astir the aboriginal of the Grove Park community, Mayor Bottoms emphasized the life-changing effect of this donation.
“It’s what we telephone One Atlanta,” Bottoms said, referencing the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion that she established successful 2018. “We’re making definite that our residents and our businesses are equipped for success.”
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