The New Community Service Newsletter
Plant a seed of hope for the future.
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Due to COVID-19, students were forced to make history and miss one of the most exciting days during their academic journey—graduation day. We know that we cannot replace those memories lost, but we can plant seeds of hope to empower students everywhere to continue to strive for success and provide support by planting seeds of positivity.
Our mission is to empower families and students for continuous success. We have a passion for service and investing in the world’s most precious commodity—human capital.
Please consider a donation today towards this campaign for students of all ages who have signed up to participate and be considered for support and encouragement during this time. We will be able to provide much-needed supplies (as indicated by the family or student) for continued success. Your donation will go a long way in providing this empowerment opportunity no matter what the amount!
Ideally, we hope to make a difference by impacting as many students as possible and this can only be achieved through teamwork! Baskets will be compiled for students consisting of school supplies, hygiene, or home and miscellaneous items. Cards of encouragement are also welcome and can be mailed to headquarters (address at the bottom of the newsletter) to be distributed to students.
Thanks to the generosity of compassionate people like you, students everywhere will feel proud, motivated, and empowered. Please email empower@atlantichousing.org with questions or comments. You can also visit
OUR WEB PAGE
for more information.
The Atlantic Housing Foundation is committed to excellence in service and a focus on giving back to the community. We operate under a set of core values that drive our business goals and everyday operations. These are:
Excellence
Continuous Improvement
Accountability
Investing in Human Capital
Integrity
Teamwork
Passion for Service
This commitment shines through in all that we do. Atlantic Housing Foundation cares about our residents, staff and partners. Please reach out to us if you have a comment, question, or concern at
questions@atlantichousing.org
. We are here for you!
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Club 180 Provides Over 4,000 meals in March and April
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A big thank you to Club 180 who continues to coordinate food distribution at both Waters at Longcreek and Waters at Berryhill. Families at both locations have received over 4,000 meals in May and April, and Club 180 staff and volunteers work tireless to provide breakfast, lunch and care packages. Atlantic Housing Foundation, the staff of both communities, and residents thank you for your continued service!
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Continuing Services Provision
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlantic Housing Foundation remains committed to providing residents with excellence in service. We pivoted our programs from 100% face to face to 100% online in a matter of days, and provided residents with information on community resources such as utilities and rental assistance, food programs, and other needed information regarding health. We also posted resources daily for residents.
This resulted in an increase from 14,702 engagements in March to 77,563 in April. An engagement is counted on Facebook when someone clicks on a resource for more information. Waters at Bluff Springs page increased from 920 engagements in March to 6,070 in April and the average increase was 5,000 per community. Villas at Sonterra engagement increased from 920 to more than 8,000 in April.
We are helping residents find support in their time of need!
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Resident Services Coordinator of the Quarter
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Carissa Heyward-Spell, Waters at St. James
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Carissa Heyward-Spell has been an RSC with Atlantic Housing Foundation for a year and a half. She has brought residents many successful events such as National Night Out, and programs like Super Life / Super Bus, the Diamond Mentor Project, Home Ownership Counseling and Operation Turkey Giveaway. She is focused on providing services that meet the needs of her residents and is continuously striving to bring more resources and partnerships to her community. She states, "My favorite part about my job is being able to give back to the community, and also working with the children in the community".
Her creativity and enthusiasm has led to an increase in both online and in-person participation, as well as an excitement for involvement in the Atlantic Housing Good Grades and Scholarship Programs. She promotes programs and has seen a one month percentage increase online involvement of over 300% and continues to see in-person increases each month due to her dedication to continuous improvement.
Way to go, Carissa! We appreciate you!
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We are excited and proud to announce Waters at Bluff Springs in Austin, Texas, is one of three finalists for the Diamond Award (300+ units built between 2000 and 2009) from the
Austin Apartment Association
! Winners will be announced at the NEW! APEX Awards on December 3, 2020.
Way to go Waters at Bluff Springs Team! What an accomplishment!
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People Making a Difference
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Arlon Samon, Waters at Fairfield
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Arlon Samon, Lead Service Technician at Waters at Fairfield in Columbia, South Carolina, reached out to the Community Services team to inquire about starting a Gentlemen's Upstart Mentor Program. This program is slated to start online in mid-June and will feature career development for young people at risk.
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Arlon's late aunt, Tamika Samon, is the inspiration for the program and Arlon is also considering launching a Girls' Club Mentor program named after her. She passed on Monday, May 25, 2020, and Arlon said of her, "she encouraged me to get my high school diploma, when I had stress and frustration in my life she was always there to support me". His aunt and mother were his biggest support system growing up and his aunt was always so proud of his accomplishments.
Thank you, Arlon for your service to your community and investment in the future of our residents. Thank you for being both a mentor and role model for these students.
#communitiestransformed
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Programs That Make a Difference
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Atlantic Housing Foundation Scholarship Program
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Last year Atlantic Housing Foundation awarded over $1 million dollars in scholarships to deserving students from all over the nation (
see map here).
We are thankful that amidst the COVID-19 crisis we are able to continue to give at the same level as we did post-pandemic. We are equally amazed at the young men and women who graduated during this time.
Please see a list of the class of Spring 2020 graduates who were awarded housing and academic scholarships from Atlantic Housing Foundation. In the next edition of the Atlantic Housing Foundation Community Services Newsletter we will announce the Fall 2020 cycle scholarship awardees.
Congratulations, class of Spring 2020! We are proud of your accomplishments and look forward to seeing the great things you will do to help #transformcommunities.
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According to Gabrielle Adams, who graduated from Sam Houston State University (pictured in photo), the impact of having the Atlantic Housing Foundation housing scholarship was that it helped her to be able to afford off campus housing which put money in her pocket to pay off school. She stated, "Coming from a low income household, the scholarship helped me be able to have extra money to pay off school and buy groceries". Gabrielle is a first-generation college graduate and she graduated with a bachelor degree in Criminal Justice.
Spring 2020 graduates:
- Amjed Alabresm, PHD Public Health, University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Cheryl Fergerson, Mathematics and Psychology, Washington and Jefferson College
- Diamond Green, Media Arts, University of North Texas (Waters at Sunrise Resident)
- Cintia Ortiz, Geography/GIS and Business Analytics, University of North Texas
- Madison Russell, Bachelor of Music, University of North Texas (Bart Marantz Legacy Scholarship)
- Jose Samuel Salinas II, Music Education, Sam Houston State University
- Paige South, Biochemistry, Baylor University
- Sydney-Marie Valentine-Paris, Integrative Studies, University of North Texas (Sharon Whaley Scholarship for Educators)
- Lesly Rivera, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University
- Edwin Sepulveda, Engineering, University of North Texas
- Titus Moten, Communication Studies, Texas State
- Sarah Gatten, Criminal Justice, Sam Houston State University
- Christina Short, Business Administration, Texas Woman's University
- Nhi Y. Bui, Pharmacy, University of Kansas
- Arletis Alfonso Hernandez, Business Administration, University of Florida
- Tunmise Okunola, Nursing, UT Health at Houston
Six Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce recipients: Courtney Bullard, Janavi Chadha, Asheigh Ekwenugo, Nicholas Ryan Jones, Huong Le, and Wesley Lowe, we wish you continued success!
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The Atlantic Housing Foundation Way
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Let Us Know...
Do you know of a person, event, or program that you would like featured in our newsletter? Please email the editor to provide input on future editions. We would love to hear from you! You can also connect with us on social media by clicking the icons below.
Atlantic Housing Foundation
4770 Iberia Ave
Suite 100
Dallas, Texas 75207
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Communities Transformed. Two words, endless possibilities.
We started on the shores of South Carolina 20 years ago, and over that time we’ve outgrown our Atlantic borders and transformed hundreds of thousands of lives in six states in 45 communities and 35 cities. With a mission to provide all people with a place to call home, regardless of their financial status, age, and mental or physical well-being, we’ve turned those two words into thousands of possibilities.
Our passion for real change, guided by our sometimes imaginative, often innovative and always trusted process, has helped our residents not only improve their own lives, but improve their communities through their transformation.
We are Atlantic Housing Foundation.
As an organization, we aspire to and believe in MAKING A DIFFERENCE. We strive to help and improve the communities where we work and live. We seek to assist our residents improve their lives through education, service, and community.
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Sandie Fauss, Editor
Director of Community Services
Contact:
469-206-8904
To find out more about Atlantic Housing Foundation, click on the links below or visit our website.
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