By Clare S. Richie
Kate Atwood is showcasing metro Atlanta to the world to attract and retain the next generation of top talent. She joined the Metro Atlanta Chamber last September to lead the new ChooseATL initiative.
“Come to Atlanta, hustle, and people will help you make your mark,” she urges. This is not just Kate Atwood’s message to young people; it’s her story too. At age 23, Atwood moved to Atlanta from Charlottesville, Virginia and made her mark quickly by founding the nationally renowned nonprofit, Kate’s Club.
Millennials, born in the early 1980s to early 2000s, are now the largest cohort in the workforce. This generation is more intentional about where and how they choose to live. It’s up to Atwood to brand the opportunity ATL creates for this next generation, as a desirable convergence of industry and culture. To tell young people and young influencers that Atlanta is a hub for tech start-ups, that Georgia is ranked amongst the top three states for film and entertainment production, and boasts a “cool factor” with the Atlanta BeltLine, Ponce City Market, a thriving arts scene, and more.
To begin however, “you need to meet people where they are, and evolve their perceptions” Atwood explained. “Outside of Atlanta, we have a lot of work to do to become Millennial’ top choice to start a career and build a life.”
So, her plan includes activations like the one this spring in Austin, Texas at South by Southwest, one of the world’s largest convenings of film, music and tech. Her team will also look closely at colleges and universities both here in Atlanta to retain talent, as well as 10 key markets around the US.
ChooseATL is also building a presence using digital and social media. This October, ChooseATL will host its second Ultimate Job Interview Contest – an Apprentice meets Shark Tank experience, but with landing your first job here in Atlanta as the end prize. This year, the goal is 1,000 contestants submit a 90-second video about how to make your mark in ATL. The top 10 vote getters, as determined by social media, then create a 5-minute pitch on why they should be hired. It culminates with three finalists, who receive an all expenses paid trip to ATL to interview with executives and receive 2 days of VIP treatment here. throughout the city.
In her personal life, Atwood also leads by example. A few years ago she teamed up with April Trigg on this lifestyle movement Living by Giving (livingbygiving.com), which shares stories meant to inspire others to seek their charitable path.
“We’ve turned the idea of charity on its head, by giving people permission to ask ‘what’s in it for me’?” Atwood said. For instance, some volunteer to heal while others give to promote a more sustainable future. The idea is that altruism with personal meaning will last and have a bigger impact.
“I feel so grateful that at a young age was able to tap into how powerful giving can be in my own life – I want to help others know that power, and give them permission to seek the giving that gives back the most to them. “ Atwood said.
She’s referring to the tremendous impact Kate’s Club has had on thousands of children and teens facing the loss of a parent or sibling.
“I didn’t talk about my Mom’s death for 7 years,” Atwood shared. She was 12 years old when her mother passed away after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer.
Atwood’s father told her after her mother’s death, “Your life is changed, but you can and must charge forward in pursuit of your biggest dreams.”
At 19, as a counselor at a bereavement camp in Virginia, Atwood agreed to share her story with 200 campers. Later that night, a camper told her about losing both parents.
“This is bigger than me,” Kate realized in that moment, adding, “When tragedy happens at a young age you try to understand why.” One in 20 kids lose a parent before age 18 and there simply aren’t enough support services for them. Atwood discovered her why was to help these kids grieve and show them how to move forward.
At 24, she founded the transformative nonprofit, Kate’s Club, to provide a place for grieving children to have fun, develop friendships, and learn to cope with their loss.
“People got behind Kate’s Club from day one, it struck a need and the community was ready to embrace it,” Atwood remembered. She hosted a bar night and raised $1,200 from 150+ Atlantans who believed in her vision.
Today Kate’s Club provides social and emotional support programs led by professionals and volunteers, such as: therapeutic group activities, outing, summer camp, and school collaborations. It serves kids from different social/economic backgrounds, faiths, and neighborhoods, “because grief is the ultimate equalizer that unites us through tolerance and compassion,” Atwood said.
In 2010, Atwood felt the nonprofit needed an experienced administrative CEO to take it to next level and worked the with the Board on a succession plan that has now positioned Kate’s Club as the leading children’s bereavement organization in the region.
She still serves on Kate’s Club Board of Advisor and is most proud of its
enduring culture, “from the beginning, I wanted Kate’s Club to be this inviting and warm place where young survivors of grief can feel more alive, less alone, and begin to believe in their dreams again in spite of tragic loss. If you give kids the environment to build an optimistic, inclusive and empowering culture, even in the face of adversity, it’s exactly what they will do.”
