It Takes a Village (Organizer)

Eat, drink and raise funds for childhood diabetes research

Kappies for Cappie

UGA sorority sponsors race for CURE

North Atlanta High School besties Sara Graff and Catherine Williams planned to go through all stages of their lives together. Both had been accepted at the University of Georgia and pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma. As rising first-year students, both were looking forward to initiation. But cancer had other ideas for Williams, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Despite a ferocious 13-month battle with the virulent bone disease, which occurs most commonly in teens and young adults, she lost her life in 2020.

Graff was devastated but gratified that the week before Williams’ death, Kappa members initiated her into the Delta Upsilon chapter while she was in hospice care at her Buckhead home. “Even though she’s not here, she is our sister,” says Graff who wanted to find a way to celebrate her friend’s life. As Kappa’s philanthropic chair, she’s achieving her goal. Her plan in 2020 was to stage a 5K for Kappie (the nickname for both the Kappas and Williams, who was known as Cappie) to raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer. That time, COVID intervened, and the event was postponed until 2022 when more than 800 participated and raised $60,000. The second annual race through the campus took place in April and raised $90,000.

Whenever David Abes and his family traveled to Florida’s 30A corridor, they enjoyed going to The Big Chill (formerly The Hub), a gathering place that featured events, restaurants, pubs and shops. “As owner of Dash Hospitality, I wondered if I could use my 38 years in the hospitality business to create a similar space at Dunwoody Village,” he says.

He approached the landlords, the city of Dunwoody and Discover Dunwoody, and all were enthusiastic about expanding the existing village into a family-friendly event space with a stage, massive screen and multiple restaurants and watering holes. The renamed Village Dunwoody became a reality five years ago and met with immediate success.

In 2022, the Dunwoody resident launched the first Green Eggs & Kegs Festival that attracted 1,000 people and raised $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. This year’s April event equaled that amount and featured even more food and beverage purveyors and 18 food stations where meat was prepared on Big Green Eggs. Live music was provided by Family Truckster, Sucker Punch, and Mike Casey and Jason Martin.

“Our son was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when he was 2, and we’ve been heavily involved ever since,” Abes says. “There have been tremendous advances in treatment options, but diabetes is managed, not cured. JDRF’s mission is to find a cure.”

Into a War Zone

Care for the wounded in Ukraine

When John Daniel, co-founder of ProgenaCare Global, and Kristopher Perkins, managing director at PhaseOne Health, met at a conference, they knew immediately that their two companies should collaborate to provide wound care products for Ukrainian servicemen and women.

The result was a $3 million donation of PhaseOne’s cleaning and disinfecting solution and ProgenaCare’s one-of-a-kind keratin wound dressing that they personally delivered during a six-day, six city, 12-hospital visit to train Ukranian doctors and medical professionals on the proper usage. One hundred percent of the travel costs were paid by the two companies.

“I’ve visited many third world countries, but this war zone changed my life,” says Daniel, an Ansley Park resident. “I now truly understand what ‘freedom is not free’ really means. The Ukrainian people are united about winning and rebuilding their country, and daily life goes on despite constant air alarms and destruction of civilian property.”

Perkins says, “Surgeons and doctors work incredibly long shifts in vastly overcrowded hospitals. They are doing remarkable work, but have a critical need for ambulances.”

When they returned home and began telling their story, a Louisiana company donated five ambulances, and another donor provided the $40,000 shipping costs. “There is so much need for medevac vehicles, helicopters and supplies that we need to get the word out,” Perkins says. “We plan to return with the ambulances and supplies.”