East Lake Foundation
| Formation | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Non Profit Foundation |
| Purpose | Community Revitalization |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Region served | East Lake, Atlanta |
| Website | http://www.eastlakefoundation.org |
The East Lake Foundation is a non-profit organization located within the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the Foundation is the revitalization of the East Lake Community located in Atlanta.[1]
History
In the 1960s the East Lake community fell victim to white flight and urban decay. As the years progressed, the community become known as "Little Vietnam" [2] by local police and as one of the top crime and drug communities in the country.
In 1995, local philanthropist, Tom Cousins, bought the famed East Lake Golf Club located within the East Lake community with the intention to use its profits to revitalize the East Lake community. At this time, the East Lake Foundation was started and a massive community revitalization effort had begun.
East Lake Meadows, a public housing project located in the community was torn down and replaced with mixed income housing.
In 2000, the Foundation helped to establish Charles R. Drew Charter School,[3] the first charter school in the city of Atlanta, within the East Lake neighborhood.
The Foundation also helped to open the Charlie Yates Golf Course, a 9-hole public golf course located within the East Lake community which is also home to The First Tee of East Lake.[4]
Mission
The East Lake Foundation's mission is to break the cycle of poverty within the East Lake Community to create a sustainable and vibrant community using cradle to college education, mixed income housing, and community wellness programs.[5]
In 2009 Tom Cousins founded Purpose Built Communities along with Warren Buffett and Julian Robertson to replicate Cousin's East Lake model of community redevelopment within other areas of concentrated poverty throughout the United States. Purpose Built Communities is currently present in 13 cities throughout the United States.[6]