ATLANTA, GA., SEPTEMBER 13, 2023—On the evening of Wednesday, September 13, 2023, nearly 100 government, business, and nonprofit leaders from across Georgia came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of CARE’s move to Atlanta.
The celebration, which took place at the organization’s Downtown headquarters, highlighted the significance of CARE’s move to Atlanta, its contributions to the city, and the growing need for its programs and services around the world, including in the US. The event also included a surprise presentation by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens of the Phoenix Award, the highest recognition bestowed by the city.
CARE, a leading global humanitarian and development organization founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, officially moved their headquarters from NYC to Atlanta on September 28, 1993. The move was made possible thanks to Atlanta leaders like Russ Hardin at the Woodruff Foundation.
“Atlanta, the cradle of the civil rights movement, is a city that symbolizes the American spirit of caring, generosity and a continued effort to strive for a better, more just world,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA. “Since the early 90s, CARE has grown with Atlanta, expanding our operations from 53 countries to 111 countries. The number of people around the world the organization reaches every year has grown from 30 million then to 174 million last year.”
Mayor Dickens, who joined the event, said: “Atlanta prides itself on being an international city. We want to be a destination that always cares about causes, culture and community, not just in Atlanta but everywhere.” Pointing to ongoing crises around the world – including earthquakes, climate emergencies and global hunger – he added: “The world clearly needs CARE more than ever, and your organization has a global footprint in more than 100 countries, touching the lives of tens of millions of people.”
He then presented the Phoenix Award to Michelle Nunn and the entire CARE team. “The Phoenix Award is the highest honor the mayor can give,” he said. “We are proud to be home to the CARE USA headquarters and are grateful to CARE and their dedicated community partners who continue to uplift our society.”
Amir Farokhi, City Council Member representing District 2 and CARE USA, Executive Director, US Programs, concluded the event with the presentation of an Atlanta City Council proclamation, which stated: “We, the members of the Atlanta City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Atlanta, do hereby recognize CARE, a powerful global movement to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice, as it celebrates 30 years in Atlanta.”
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls. Equipped with the proper resources women and girls have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. This year, CARE and partners worked in 111 countries implementing 1,600 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects and initiatives, that reached 174,000,000 people. To learn more, visit www.care.org.
Media contact: Ashley Shackleford, CARE USA, Press Officer, ashley.shackleford@care.org