FURNITURE FUN (Apartment #7, here we come!)

Earlier this week, a group of us including Bob & Mary, Kevin (Architect) & Meredith (Interior Designer) from Richmond Honan, and Amanda and Mary Elise from A. Brown-Olmstead & Associates, met with Mike and Michelle Hall, owners of the Georgia Furniture Mart. Why, you ask? Because the Halls have graciously offered to completely furnish Apartment #7 at no cost to the foundation! We walked the entire show room, which is nothing but spectacular (to the point of overwhelming), so that we could see exactly what they have to offer. Our comments along the way gave Mike and Michelle a feeling for what we like. Now it’s totally up to them as to what they choose to furnish the apartment with. We have total trust in them!

After the show room tour, we sat at a table and discussed the various aspects of the foundation, the layout and feel of the apartment (which will be opened mid-August), and Mike’s and Michelle’s wonderful giving hearts. What we remember Mike saying was this, “we just want to spread a little love!” We are so incredible appreciative! There are truly angels walking this earth. Mike and Michelle just happen to be “furniture angels!”

Board meets Amanda

On Wednesday of this week, we had a special board meeting in order for our board members to meet Amanda Brown Olmstead, our PR person. Because of the times we live in, this meeting had to take place via a ZOOM call, which wouldn’t have been my preference, but it was necessary

We retained the PR services of Amanda at the beginning of May and it has been a whirlwind ever since! She has been in this business for 48 years and her contact list seems to be never ending. But most importantly, she has taken an enormous interest in our foundation. She totally understands the importance of what we are doing and she is sharing that interest with (it seems) everyone she knows! She has educated herself on the world of transplants and readily shares that information in the context of getting our foundation known all over Atlanta.

She began this journey with us by developing a group of media materials that she refers to as 1) a Backgrounder; 2) a Tip Sheet; 3) a Fact Sheet; 4) a Lead Release (this went out to various media and architectural firms); and 5) BOD Bios. All of this information has been shared with many media outlets. She instigated a report on the foundation that was written by David Pendered of the Saporta Report. (It contained such a personal description of what we do that I cried while reading it.)

I could go on and on and on about what she has done for us and what is in the works for the future. I will just say that the names I would mention are part of the Who’s Who of Atlanta.

I will finish this by naming the biggest, most significant efforts to date: 1) she has completed and submitted a grant application to the Carlos & Marguarite Mason Trust; 2) she has obtained an offer from the Georgia Furniture Mart for completely furnishing Apartment #7; and 3) she is diligently working on expanding our Board of Directors.

All I can add to the above is this: EXCITING DAYS ARE AHEAD FOR OUR FOUNDATION We could never have imagined being at this place when be began this journey five short years ago.

Thank you, Amanda, for all you have done. We look forward to all that is to come!