Ser Familia gets $1 million grant from Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta

Grant will be used to help Cobb County’s Fair Oaks community

Atlanta, GA. April 25, 2023 – Ser Familia has received a $1 million grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to help an under-resourced community in Cobb County.

Ser Familia, based in Kennesaw, Ga., is a nonprofit that provides family, social and mental health services to Hispanic families in metro Atlanta. Using the national model of the Family Resources Centers, the organization has established these support programs (CAFEs) for families in 3 of its 5 locations.

The grant will be used to expand the CAFE model and hire staff to provide assistance for families in Fair Oaks, a community of about 9,000 people near Smyrna. Ser Familia just hired a Project Director and plans to onboard a Case Manager and Family Navigator to start connecting families to services; Outreach to promote the program; and Emergency Assistance to help manage urgent needs as they arise, along with other support staff.

“Everyone deserves a fair shot at a good life,” said Frank Fernandez, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. “For underserved individuals navigating life within a dual culture, barriers to achieving that life are often multiplied. Ser Familia is working to remove those barriers and strengthen communities by connecting them with resources that allow them to thrive. The Community Foundation
for Greater Atlanta is pleased to provide this grant, which will enable Ser Familia to secure necessary staff and resources to help provide a clearer path to prosperity for families they serve.”

Fair Oaks needs a lot of support. Its median income ($43K) is half the Cobb County average ($87K). Residents are twice as likely as others in Georgia and Cobb to be renters and are burdened financially by rent. Fair Oaks residents are almost three times as likely not to have health insurance as the county and state averages, as one third of Fair Oaks residents do not have health insurance. There is nonetheless great potential in the community.

“We are grateful to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta for supporting us in our efforts to bring transformational change to the Fair Oaks community,” said Belisa Urbina, CEO of Ser Familia. “We look forward to working with the Community Foundation, as well as other partners like Wellstar Health System, the YMCA and Marietta City Schools, to address these urgent needs in a community that we have
served for over 20 years.”

Donors who wish to help the Fair Oaks community should contact Ser Familia or the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

Media contact:
Gina Espinosa-Meltzer
gespinosa@hopebeckham.com
404-229-4540

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About Ser Familia
Ser Familia is a nationally accredited nonprofit that provides family, social and mental
health services to Hispanic families in metro Atlanta. It uses the national model of Family
Resource Centers, and has three such centers among a total of five offices in metro Atlanta. Ser
Familia, based in Kennesaw, is one of the largest Latino organizations in Georgia. In 2022, it
served people from 31 Georgia counties.