Best Nonprofit

Like we said, the deal to build Mercedes-Benz Stadium was incredibly lopsided in favor of the rich guys, but one good thing did come out of it: WESTSIDE WORKS. The long-term training program was designed to prepare residents of Westside neighborhoods (such as Vine City, Castleberry Hill and more) for jobs in construction, the culinary arts and education, among other fields. And according to data captured by Westside Works, it looks like the program is having a positive impact, with more than 500 people receiving training and 78 percent of them retaining a living wage after one year. Time will tell if these changes will truly alter the lives of the students who have participated and the neighborhoods they live in, but for now, it’s looking like a success story. www.westsideworks.org. less...

You’ve got to love an organization whose sole mission is to help young adults channel their energy and creative into something positive — and that’s just what RE:IMAGINE ATL is all about. Founded and helmed by Executive Director Susanna Spiccia, the group teaches kids the fundamentals of video production, filmmaking, podcasting and more, and then unleashes them to create their own content. The nonprofit also provides numerous opportunities for its teen creators to meet, learn from and be critiqued by professionals in the field at a variety of regular networking events. It’s a good group, y’all. Check ’em out, and show some support. www.reimagineatl.com. less...

“Fuck the law,” the director of ATLANTA HARM REDUCTION told us last year. “We’re going to save lives.” Now that’s a mantra we can respect. Atlanta Harm Reduction’s mission: hand out needles to drug users. Surely the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would approve, having found that using clean needles “remains the safest, most effective” way to stop the spread of HIV. Over its seven years, Atlanta Harm Reduction has been funded by donations - an Atlanta AIDS Partnership handout here, a Star Bar benefit concert there. It uses the money to buy 8-cent needles and sometimes hands out more than 1,800 of them in an hour. Sure, distributing needles may technically be a crime in Georgia, but thankfully, Atlanta Harm Reduction continues to stick it to the status quo. “1561 McLendon Ave. 404-526-9222. “www.atlantaharmreduction.org less...