Strengthening Our Future Together

 “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 12^th Annual Human Clay event as we celebrate 19 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 12th Annual Human Clay Event will be held in person at The Westminster School in their Barge Commons Building on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 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 while challenging the local community to accept an active role in our work in Strengthening Our Future Together. 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 inspire others to become actively engaged in advocacy for those we serve in ways that will support and Strengthen Our Future Together as a community.

Since 2005, Gateway Center has served as a beacon of hope to approximately 8,000 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 experiencing homelessness in transitioning to stable housing.

Event Co-chairs – Angel & Aaron Goldman

Gateway Center is incredibly grateful to Angel and Aaron Goldman for serving as Event Chairs for our 12th Annual Human Clay – Strengthening Our Future Together – fundraiser.

Aaron and Angel Goldman are deeply committed to tackling homelessness issues in Atlanta. Their passion for homelessness initiatives, social justice, and community welfare drives their work with organizations such as Open Doors, Partners for H.O.M.E, Cool Girls, Hope Atlanta, Mary Hall Freedom Village, the Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund, and Gateway Center.

Aaron is the President and co-owner of Perennial Properties, Inc., a development, investment, and management firm focused on multifamily rental housing accompanied by retail establishments. He is a founding board member and current board chair of Open Doors. Through networking available apartments to non-profits serving homeless populations, over 700 properties comprising more than 140,000 units are now participating in the collaboration. Open Doors has now housed over 11,000 individuals experiencing homelessness.

Angel is equally committed to addressing and supporting community collaboration. She is a member of the Atlanta Leadership Cabinet of Birthright Israel Foundation and advocates for causes like Moms Demand Action and Fair Fight. Angel has also been committed to their three children’s schools — Cliff Valley School, The Paideia School, and Midtown High School, as well as their athletic clubs. Her involvement spans sitting on school/foundation boards, serving as president of the PTA, participating on executive boards/managing sports teams, plus varied involvement in event organization and support for diverse programs designed to enrich the school communities and enhance the educational experience for students.

Together, Angel and Aaron prioritize connectedness and service while raising their family in the heart of Atlanta. Their home is a hub of compassion and activism, where their children learn firsthand the value of giving back and making a difference in their community and world. Angel and Aaron 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.

Keynote Speaker – David Cummings

David Cummings is an Atlanta-based tech entrepreneur who has founded 10 companies employing thousands of people, including Pardot, SalesLoft, and Terminus. David is also the founder of the Atlanta Tech Village — the United States’ 4th largest tech hub — and the largest investor in Calendly, the world’s most popular scheduling app. After selling Pardot, he was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and one of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. David is currently the CEO of Atlanta Ventures. In late 2023, David Cummings and his partner Jon Birdsong purchased eight square blocks of South Downtown Atlanta with the intention of transforming the district into a vibrant, walkable mixed-use neighborhood. We are excited to have David Cummings join us as our Keynote Speaker for Human Clay this year!

Auctioneer – Jordan Campbell 

Gateway Center is excited to announce that Jordan Campbell will return as our Auctioneer for Human Clay 2024. Born is his native Scotland, he excels in engaging audiences in a professional and interactive fashion. An award-winning Event & TV Host, Emcee, and Auctioneer, Jordan loves connecting with guests in a professional and lively fashion. He is passionate about getting on stage and creating a memorable rapport with audiences while truly captivating the crowd. Jordan’s charismatic and engaging personality allows his events to be lively, entertaining, fun, and professional. He is on a passionate mission to help raise revenues for non-profits while elevating their impact as they seek to change lives and make a difference in community. Jordan loves to support the causes closest to his heart, and he is driven to help them succeed in carrying out their missions. He is proud to support these wonderful nonprofits and aims to resonate their mission with guests at every event, so as to maximize the occasion and to truly engage their communities. Gateway Center is excited to have Jordan as our Auctioneer for Human Clay!

Emcee – Brigette Burnett – CEO & Founder, Choice Productions

Gateway Center is excited to announce that Brigette Burnett will return as our Emcee for Human Clay 2024. Brigette is an Emmy award-winning journalist and the CEO of Choice Productions, a traveling video production and marketing company that helps companies and organizations showcase their best online presence while outperforming competition. Before becoming an entrepreneur, a television and film producer, and casting coordinator, Brigette stepped away from a more than a decade-long career in television news as an anchor, general assignment reporter, producer, and sports photographer. She received an Emmy for a story she produced on a dancer who beat childhood cancer and an Associated Press award for her work that resulted in overturning the wrongful conviction of an innocent man. The ability to command a room and engage an audience has allowed Brigette to secure moderating roles with Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Actress Sally Field, and Actor John Cusack among others. She produces documentaries for Unsung Productions, acted as the Executive in Charge while touring with New Edition, worked on live and recorded shows, and successfully helped cast the Real Housewives of Potomac and Atlanta. Gateway Center is excited to have Brigette as our Emcee for Human Clay!

We encourage you to learn more about Gateway Center by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and by attending Human Clay – Strengthening Our Future Together at Westminster’s Barge Commons Building on Tuesday, September 17 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 2024, Westminster.