December 2024 | Update 5: LaTonya Gates, PAWKids - Blessing, Inspiration & Opportunity

One of my personal highlights this year was meeting and getting to know LaTonya Gates - a friend of a friend of a friend of mine. Again, I’ll talk to anyone, because you never know where a conversation might lead. And I’m so thankful for where that initial random conversation led me!!!

For me, no one better personifies the phrase “a force to be reckoned with” than LaTonya. She is the Founder & Executive Director of PAWKids – a NFP that powerfully serves the Grove Park community in Atlanta, particularly the children.

LaTonya & PAWkids

LaTonya Gates, Executive Director of PAWkids

You can go to the PAWKids website to learn more, but here’s a little bit of what I’ve learned from my time with LaTonya:

  • LaTonya grew up in Grove Park, the community where she now lives & serves, and she has an unbelievable story of her own. I mean, a truly unbelievable story … and so powerful! (Read more in this recent article in Simply Buckhead.)

  • LaTonya has 2 adult children who serve with her at PAWKids and she’s also fostered and adopted her 8-year-old son.

  • Among many other things, PAWKids provides: after-school enrichment programs & summer camps for the community’s children; a food pantry dedicated to food security & family wellness; community events; and other indoor & outdoor gathering spaces to build community and to provide safe & homey locations where programs can be offered that address the community’s behavioral health and other needs.

  • LaTonya has also transformed the basement of her home into an apartment that she offers free-of-charge to women in her community, many of whom have children who have been placed in foster care. Through her appropriately named “Reset” ministry, LaTonya is giving these mamas a chance to “reset” and “get back on their feet” so that they are in a better place to be reunited with and stay with their children.

I could go on and on and on, but one thing’s for sure – LaTonya tirelessly serves her community in amazing ways. Although I’m a good bit older than LaTonya, I really want to be more like her when I grow up!
Photo credit: Atlanta Journal & Constitution

TSC Mini-Site + LaTonya + PAWkids = Exponential Impact to the Grove Park Community & Beyond!

After my first meeting with LaTonya my heart & mind were spinning. So, after some time in prayer and talking it over with the TSC Board, in the coming months we hope to serve LaTonya by transforming her backyard a la TSC. By doing so, we will not only directly serve LaTonya and her family, but the women who live in her basement, as well. And because LaTonya’s back gate is “always open” (just like her front door!), we’ll also be serving the Grove Park community-at-large!

So, as you can see, what’s really cool, and one of the reasons why we’re so excited about this project, is that we will be killing two TSC birds with one stone, so to speak – creating another Mini-TSC site while doing a Foster Family Backyard Mini-Makeover. Although LaTonya’s Mini-Makeover ain’t gonna be so “mini”!

What a blessing it will be for us to provide LaTonya outdoor spaces where she … and so many others … can rest, recharge, reflect, have fun, and gather with friends & loved ones! And by doing so, LaTonya will be able to serve the Grove Park community with even greater clarity, energy, passion, and determination … if that’s even possible!

That’s what I call exponential impact … a Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win-Win!!!

If you’d like to learn more or be a part in this effort, please let me know. We’d love for you to join us!