Robin Collins and Annie Griffin: Family legacy benefits education

Sisters Robin Collins and Annie Griffin learned at a young age the importance of giving back. Their father was a founder of the Promise Academy, a charter school in Memphis, and the sisters saw first-hand the power of philanthropy. They volunteered during school breaks and participated in door-to-door advocacy efforts with their parents to help people learn about the school.

Today, both with young children and busy careers, their community service still thrives. Some of their giving is coordinated together and they also use their donor-advised funds to provide grants to individual organizations with a focus on children. Griffin supports the Atlanta Youth Academy mentoring program and Collins is a strong advocate for the Atlanta Children’s Shelter. Collins, a realtor, also gives a portion of every sales commission to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

In 2020 Collins has focused giving on the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and on the Foundation’s Spark Opportunity effort in Thomasville Heights, a gift made specifically toward racial inequity in that neighborhood.

Griffin added that Atlanta’s spirit for giving is strong. “So many people want to help, we have such a strong culture for volunteerism and generosity,” she said. “Throughout my life I have recognized that giving benefits the giver more than the receiver.”

---

“I want to know that my contributions are making a difference. I lean on the Community Foundation to give me access to information that I wouldn’t otherwise have, such as private tours of nonprofits and meetings with staff and board members. Kathleen Wagner and the Community Foundation team have really rolled out the red carpet for us and made it
easy to keep up with giving at this busy time in our lives.” – Robin Collins

---