On June 1, around 600 volunteers drawn from more than 20 companies took part in a Community Day called “Together for Downtown,” a push to beautify Downtown Atlanta ahead of the FIFA World Cup. The Blank Family of Businesses led the effort in collaboration with Hands On Atlanta, the City of Atlanta and business partners. The work covered more than 25 city blocks under overcast skies.
The tasks were hands-on and varied. Volunteers handled landscaping, picked up trash, removed graffiti and painted a new mural, according to Rough Draft Atlanta’s account of the day.
A send-off at the stadium
The day started with volunteers assembling under the Falcon sculpture at Gate 2 of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The pre-event speakers included Rich McKay, CEO of AMBSE; Jon Birdsong, CEO of SoDo Atlanta; Naomi Green, president and CEO of Hands On Atlanta; and Austin Wagner, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Andre Dickens.
Wagner tied the turnout to a line the mayor often uses. “The mayor always says Atlanta is a group project, and this is the example of that here: all the different faces and folks and backgrounds that are here coming together to do volunteer work for our great city,” Wagner said in his remarks.
Many of the speakers stressed that the cleanup was not only for World Cup visitors. They pointed to the people who already live Downtown and the residents still to come as the ones who stand to benefit.
The projected contribution
Green shared figures for what the volunteers would contribute: a combined 3,600 hours of service and $105,666 of value to South Downtown Atlanta. Rough Draft Atlanta noted that this equates to a 10-person team working 40 hours per week for nine weeks.
“That is what happens when people from around our city decide to roll up their sleeves and rise up together,” Green said. She described volunteerism as something that strengthens cities and supports neighbors, adding that it builds connection and conversation. She also said that “the work cannot stop today,” and closed with this: “Real change happens in Atlanta when we choose again and again to create a meaningful difference across our city.”
Two weeks out from the first match
The first Atlanta match of the World Cup is set for June 15, and revitalization work, construction and roadwork have been widespread across the city in the run-up. The city is anticipating between 300,000 and 500,000 unique visitors across the eight matches scheduled for Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In line with FIFA requirements, the venue will be known as “Atlanta Stadium” for the duration of the tournament.
Birdsong also weighed in. “We put a lot of faith in Atlanta, and they have showed up, they’ve come through, and this moment is ours,” he said. He added that the day signified “how much Atlanta’s all in on Downtown.”
Original reporting by Rachel Spooner for Rough Draft Atlanta.
