Today, the East Lake Foundation announced that The Cousins Properties Foundation has donated $200,000 to support the Foundation’s East Lake COVID-19 Relief Fund and Drew Charter School’s Office of College and Career Readiness.
This gift will provide $100,000 in immediate support for East Lake families experiencing economic hardship as a result of COVID-19 and $100,000 that will enable the pursuit of life-changing college and career opportunities for Drew Charter students who otherwise may have struggled to pursue or afford college. The Foundation will establish two college scholarships – one named in honor of Larry Gellerstedt, III and one named in honor of Taylor Glover – for Drew Charter School students who live at The Villages of East Lake and/or have a demonstrated financial need.
“Cousins Properties is grateful for Larry and Taylor’s many years of extraordinary leadership,” said Cousins Properties President and Chief Executive Officer Colin Connolly. “In addition to being corporate leaders, Larry and Taylor are important civic leaders as well. I can think of no better way of honoring their legacy than to help East Lake families impacted by COVID-19 and to support the Drew Charter School’s critical work.”
This generous donation was made by The Cousins Properties Foundation to honor Larry Gellerstedt, III and Taylor Glover, two extraordinary corporate and community leaders, on the occasion of their retirement from the Cousins Properties Board of Directors. Under Larry’s and Taylor’s leadership, Cousins Properties and the Cousins Properties Foundation have previously donated more than $1.5 million to the East Lake Foundation to support college scholarships for Drew Charter School students, the capital campaign to build the Drew Charter School Junior and Senior Academy at the Yates Campus, and other educational initiatives in the East Lake community.
“We are incredibly thankful for our long-term partnership with Cousins Properties and The Cousins Properties Foundation for more than 25 years,” said Daniel J. Shoy, Jr., President and CEO of the East Lake Foundation. “We are privileged to be part of Larry’s and Taylor’s retirement recognition, and we will ensure that their lifetime achievements and their legacy of support for East Lake are shared through these honorary gifts and scholarships.”
About Cousins Properties
Cousins Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta, GA and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office towers located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets and opportunistic investments. For more information, please visit www.cousins.com.
About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 by developer and philanthropist Tom Cousins, the East Lake Foundation collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through its integrated model for community revitalization.
The East Lake model includes cradle-to-college education at Drew Charter School and its early learning partners; Atlanta Speech School, the East Lake Family YMCA, and Sheltering Arms East Lake, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake and community wellness through its Resident and Community Support Program and partners’ programs including The First Tee® of Metro Atlanta at the Charlie Yates Course, StartME: East Lake, a micro-entrepreneurship program with Emory University, and the East Lake YMCA’s East Lake Healthy Connections. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, but also creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live.
The redevelopment of East Lake has become a national model for integrated and holistic community redevelopment in 26 other neighborhoods across the country through Purpose Built Communities. For more information, please visit www.eastlakefoundation.org.
About Charles R. Drew Charter School
Charles R. Drew Charter School opened in 2000 as the City of Atlanta’s first public charter school. Drew’s innovative Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach with an integrated STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) framework and a strong foundation in literacy helps all students reach their highest potential. Drew represents the cradle-to-college pipeline in the East Lake community and is an integral part of a holistic neighborhood revitalization led by the East Lake Foundation.
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Media Contact: Catherine Woodling, Director of Communications, (404) 550-7271, cwoodling@eastlakefoundation.org
