Building Bridges

“The mission of Gateway Center is to connect people experiencing homelessness with the support necessary to become self-sufficient.”

Gateway Center would like to cordially invite you to attend our 10^th Annual Human Clay event as we celebrate 17 years of proudly serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Atlanta.

The name Human Clay derives from a line in The Novels of Balzac by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac which states:

“And a conviction brings a salient indefinable beauty into faces made of the commonest human clay.”

It is our pleasure to share that Gateway Center’s 10th Annual Human Clay Event will be held in person at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails on Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 6:00p.m. Gateway Center’s vision to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Atlanta is powered by providing opportunities and building bridges for those we serve. As we connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to the necessary resources that will assist them in securing stable housing and sustainable income, we encourage the Atlanta community to embrace the perspective of Everybody Vs. Homelessness. By working together to break barriers for the most vulnerable, we Build Bridges that support and strengthen our community.

Since 2005, Gateway Center has served as a beacon of hope to approximately 7,000 people annually experiencing homelessness.

“The mission of Gateway Center is to connect people experiencing homelessness with the support necessary to become self-sufficient.”

Gateway Center continues to deliver programs and services through partnerships that are designed to provide a collective impact approach to support individuals and families in their successful efforts to transition out of homelessness and into stable housing.

Each year we select an individual to honor who has distinguished themselves through their meaningful contributions to community, which have made a direct impact through the promotion of equality and compassion for all. In addition, their advocacy has inspired others to fight for our most vulnerable communities, including the homeless community.  These individuals have exhibited courage, leadership, and a personal willingness and commitment to Build Bridges.  The award was previously called the Making A Difference Award, and in 2022 the award was renamed The Franklin-Hardin Award.

The Franklin-Hardin award allows Gateway Center to honor our history and the transformational leadership of two people who inspired the founding of Gateway Center. These individuals include former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and our Board Chairman Jack Hardin. Through the support of the Hilton Foundation, Gateway Center recently renamed our annual award to celebrate the legacy of Mayor Franklin and Mr. Hardin by recognizing individuals who have distinguished themselves through their service to the community, promotion of equality, corporate citizenship, and generosity. This year we will honor and celebrate an Atlantan who has led a life filled with documented instances of Building Bridges.  Gateway Center has chosen to honor Reverend Dr. J. Allen Milner, Sr. with The Franklin-Hardin Award.

Reverend Dr. J. Allen Milner, Sr. is the Senior Pastor and founder of The Chapel of Christian Love Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Rev. Milner is a native of Atlanta and a product of the historical Booker T. Washington High School of the Atlanta Public School System. Rev. Milner demonstrates his leadership capabilities and his love for the Lord in various capacities, but most particularly in his ministry to the homeless, downtrodden, overlooked, impoverished, unemployed, underemployed, and all others who have been cast aside by society. With the help of God, in 1988 Rev. Milner led his congregation to support the establishment of Odyssey III, a community service facility for the homeless located in downtown Atlanta. Its services included a counseling center, a cafeteria, and transitional housing. He now provides permanent housing with supportive services at Odyssey Villas for families and shared housing for women at Odyssey Oasis, a multi-site program. Food, clothing, and furniture are provided at the Chapel’s Resource Center. His ministry has served more than 2 million meals free of charge to those who were in need and has transitioned over 3,000 individuals from Homelessness to permanent housing.  Reverend Dr. J. Allen Milner, Sr. exemplifies our theme this year, Building Bridges.

Christine Pullara Newton – Atlanta & Company Host

Gateway Center is excited to announce that Christine Pullara Newton will be the Emcee for Human Clay 2022. Christine has worn many hats in her 25 years in television. From award-winning news anchor to freelance journalist to commercial actor and model. In 1999, Christine began hosting the popular ‘Treasure Makers’ show on HGTV for five years, among other shows on HGTV, E! Entertainment, and The Living Network.

In 2005, she moved to Atlanta to host the irreverent and wacky home improvement show, ‘Bushwhacked’ on Turner South, which earned two Southeast Emmy Awards. For the past nine years, Christine has hosted ‘Atlanta & Company’ weekdays from 11:00AM to 12:30PM on WXIA-TV, 11Alive. She is also currently hosting ‘Chef’s Special’, a weekly show for Springer Mountain Farms, which highlights talented chefs throughout the Atlanta area.

Gateway Center is excited to have Christine as our Emcee for Human Clay!

Gateway Center is incredibly grateful to Mary and Chip Benton for serving as Event Chairs for our 10^th Annual Human Clay fundraising event, Building Bridges. Mary Benton serves as the Pro Bono Partner at Alston & Bird, formulating and overseeing the Firm’s strategic vision for pro bono and leading the pro bono program across all offices. Chip Benton is a partner at Hall Booth Smith specializing in medical malpractice defense litigation. Mary and Chip are both dedicated to serving their community through volunteerism and board service. In addition to Gateway Center, Mary serves on the Board of Directors for the National Homelessness Law Center, the United Way of Greater Atlanta, and Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Policy. Chip serves on the Board of Advisors of the Metro Atlanta Salvation Army. Mary and Chip are passionate about the human right to housing and are honored to support Gateway Center in its mission to make homelessness brief, rare and non-recurring.

We encourage you to learn more about Gateway Center by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and then attending our Human Clay Building Bridges in person event at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails on Tuesday, September 20 from 6:00pm-9pm!

We invite you to support our cause by attending our event and by making a sponsorship commitment. If you are interested in sponsorship, please contact the Resource Development Department at fundraising@gatewayctr.org. Please see the following Sponsorship Levels and Commitment Form.

Tickets can be purchased here.

We are grateful for our Presenting Sponsor for Human Clay 2022, White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails.