Historic Oakland Foundation, Inc.

Help us Share Oakland Cemetery's Rich History, Art, Architecture, and Ecology with Students across Metro Atlanta!

As a vibrant public park and a treasured historic resource, Oakland Cemetery is a unique site where K-12 students can learn about the past and contemplate the future. Today, our goal is to raise $15,000 to enhance educational programming at Oakland. Your Ga Gives donation will empower high schoolers in workforce programs, open doors for schools eager to explore Oakland, and nurture budding STEAM talents at summer camps. And, as a special thank you, everyone who donates today will be entered into a drawing for an Oakland tote filled with Oakland Cemetery items!

> Empowering Atlanta Highschoolers with Paid On-the-Job Training 

This spring Historic Oakland Foundation will launch the second year of its workforce development program, the Youth Landscape and Hardscape Team (YLHT). This summer program for Atlanta Title 1 high school students provides steady, paid summer employment, on-the-job training, and skills that prepare students for the adult workforce. Working alongside HOF staff, team members learn basic landscaping and horticulture skills or basic preservation and masonry skills. Through community support for this program, we are able to waive program application fees, pay participating students an hourly wage, provide uniforms and tools, and advance students' financial literacy resume-writing, and interviewing skills, better enabling them to enter the workforce. 

> Removing Barriers to Field Trips and Teacher Resources

Students visiting Oakland on field trips learn about the rich diversity found within its walls — from history, civics, and the arts to earth science, environmental sustainability, and horticulture. For some schools, however, the field trip cost of $6 per student is prohibitive. Your gift will allow us to make a visit to Oakland possible for all by covering the per-student cost and helping cover bus rentals or other transportation for students to Oakland. It will also allow HOF to develop new tours, guides, and activities for students and purchase resources like art supplies, educational materials, and technology. 

> Igniting a Passion for STEAM at School Break and Summer Camps

In spring 2024 we will launch spring break and summer enrichment camps for metro-area upper-elementary students. These immersive, week-long camps will have elements of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) woven into each session. With community support, we aim to serve dozens of students from diverse backgrounds in the inaugural year of these camps.

The tote basket is available for local pickup only. Once the winner is notified, they can coordinate a time to come pick up their basket at the Oakland Cemetery Visitor Center located outside the main gate of the Cemetery. If you want to enter but choose not to donate, please email mlivingston@oaklandcemetery.com

About Oakland: Oakland Cemetery is one of Atlanta's first public green spaces and the city's oldest historical and cultural landmark. Welcoming more than 105,000 visitors each year, Oakland is an outdoor classroom, an art gallery, a botanical garden, and an island of tranquility in the heart of the city. It serves as a destination for tourists from all over the country and the world, as well as a backyard for the residents of the surrounding communities.