Affiliate Spotlight:  Hands On Forsyth

The seeds of Hands On Forsyth began in January, when the Leadership Forsyth class decided to recruit and encourage community volunteers as part of their class project. As a means to achieve this goal, one of the class members, Jim Perdue, son of Governor Sonny Perdue (Honorary Chair of Hands On Georgia), suggested that the class start a "Hands On" program in cooperation with the Hands On Georgia effort. The class agreed to launch the organization, but needed to find a local agency to administer the program on an ongoing basis. Forsyth County Community Connection, which was already planning to develop a volunteer resource center, quickly stepped up to the plate, and a new Hands On Georgia affiliate was born.

On March 31st, over 350 people attended a kickoff dinner for the organization, where Eric Tanenblatt, Hands On Georgia Board of Directors Chairman, challenged business leaders in Forsyth County to strive for a higher standard in volunteer service.

In less than five months since its official launch, Hands On Forsyth has already begun to have an impact on the community. This summer, Hands On Forsyth worked with New York Life to coordinate a school supplies drive to benefit three local agencies: The Place (which provides social services for lower income families); Family Haven (a domestic violence shelter) and the Child Advocacy Center (an organization that helps abused children). Over 100 New York Life employees worked to reach their goal of fully stocking 55 backpacks for local students. According to Beth Jarvis, executive director of Forsyth Community Connection and now Hands on Forsyth, the organization recently secured funding to hire part time project coordinator Emily Lyles. "It's about putting all the pieces together," said Jarvis, "and getting local companies and citizens involved."

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