Atlanta Business Owners Donate $10,000 To Social Entrepreneurs
Through “Care! Big and Give Back” Program

Atlanta Boy Scouts, Chastain Park Conservancy, Atlanta Community Food Bank, MedShare, Second Wind Dreams, and The Samaritan House receive support from local business owners involved in social entrepreneurship

Media Contacts:  Jean Creech Avent – 770-862-7978

ATLANTA, GA (Jun 16, 2009) –  The Atlanta chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global network of more than 7,000 business owners in 38 countries that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, recently donated $10,000 to two local charities and provided a half-day of volunteer service as the culmination of its annual, integrated philanthropy program, “Care Big and Give Back!” (CBGB!).

First Step Staffing (FSS), a full-service staffing firm that provides temporary and permanent placement to individuals transitioning from homelessness, received a $5,000 grant award because of its mission to provide companies with a socially responsible alternative to typical for-profit staffing agencies.

“CBGB!’s mission is to provide a framework for EO-Atlanta to both learn about and engage in integrated philanthropy and social entrepreneurism,” said Bram Fankel, chairman of EO-Atlanta’s Learning Program and champion of CBGB!. "Being a revenue-generating, self-funding business set up specifically to tackle a social need, FSS is a fantastic example of Social Entrepreneurism...so it fully embodies the CBGB! mission. It is the exact type of organization we identify with and look to support."

Atlanta’s Boy Scout Troop 18 and Cub Scout Pack 6 also received a $5,000 grant award as a result of EO-Atlanta’s first annual Volunteer Project Day competition and provided 50 scouts to help with the community service event. 

 “Scouting instills confidence, self-reliance and leadership skills,” said Branden Lisi, EO-Atlanta’s Membership Chair and founder of Object9. “I am extremely proud that two causes I hold very dear—Scouting and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization—were able to come together and provide a phenomenal community service experience for various non-profits, our EO members and, of course, our scouting families. Thanks to this gift, our pack leaders can provide a scouting experience to more single moms and families facing challenging economic conditions.”

Local charities that received donations of volunteer service included:

• Chastain Park Conservancy
• Atlanta Community Food Bank
• MedShare
• Second Wind Dreams
• The Samaritan House

The Atlanta Chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization is committed to helping local entrepreneurs drive their dreams.  Collectively employing a workforce of over 5,000 with combined revenues of over $1 billion, this group is made exclusively of entrepreneur business owners. The EO Atlanta chapter is among the global organization’s strongest, and was recently recognized as one of the top four providers of educational programming worldwide for entrepreneurs. 

For information on joining EO Atlanta or in participating in our social entrepreneurship programs, call (404) 246-7557 or visit eonetwork.org.

About EO
The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) is a dynamic, global network of more than 7,000 business owners in nearly 40 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO is the catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. Membership in one of EO’s 108 chapters is by invitation only; the average member is 38 years old with annual revenues of US$14.4 million