A Look Back at 2018
It was a year of growth for The Drake House. We have doubled the apartment capacity from sixteen to 32 units, and have completed our final phase of renovation. Thanks to both O’Dwyer Properties and South Haven Builders, The Drake Village units are fully renovated! Our partnership with HomeAid Atlanta has continued to grow as well, and we are very grateful for their continued support.
With the additional apartments, so too has our After-School Program grown. Currently we have 22 students from K-8
th
grade enrolled each afternoon and seven teenagers participating in enrichment classes twice a week. Our partnership with the YMCA has been a godsend for the summer months, and we thank the many volunteers who are on campus each day for those late afternoon/evening sessions. We also thank the volunteer babysitters that assist with the littles that are pre-school aged. We have had an unusually high need for diapers of late!
Our Drake Center grew as well, with the completion of a new outdoor classroom. Thank you to the City of Roswell for support of that project. The kiddos love being outside for their art projects especially The American Opportunity Foundation and Roswell Presbyterian Church, and with heaters, fans and lights, you can find them there year-round.
Our Board of Directors, Advisory Council and our (new in 2018,) Young Professionals Advisory Council are amazing volunteers and we thank them for their enthusiasm and support of work! To our Neighbor-2- Neighbor Faith partners who sponsor units year after year, to corporate and civic partners who support us financially, and the hundreds of private donors and volunteers, we say THANK YOU for your continued support.
With the addition of The Village, we are seeing true life-changing success as our moms improve employment, increase their savings, and decrease their debt. Credit scores are inching upwards, and with the stable and enriching care for the children, we are seeing improvement in attitudes, attendance and academic success. Our professional program team working with each mom and each child is nothing short of amazing, and positive outcomes abound!
We continue to be challenged with more demand for our services as the economy seems to improve but affordable housing diminishes. Please know that you are making a difference with the many mothers and children who live here on Clara Drive.
Best wishes for a healthy and peaceful 2019!
Kathy Swahn
Executive Director
