$60,000 Gift to Crossroads Community Ministries

The Chestnut Family Foundation is pleased to announce their $60,000 gift to Crossroads Community Ministries, with $50,000 of this donation designated for their Path to Dignity Project. PTDP is Crossroads’ largest capital campaign to date, and we are very excited to be a part of this transformational project for Crossroads and their guests. The Foundation also committed to making an annual $10,000 donation to Crossroads in support of the important work they do for all their guests in Atlanta.

Crossroads has been serving people throughout Atlanta’s downtown since 1996, and seeks to provide access to resources that empower people experiencing homelessness to progress on the road toward economic and personal stability.

$200,000 Gift to WABE

The Chestnut Family Foundation has made an award of $200,000 to WABE consisting of $100,000 for operating support and a $100,000 gift to the Transformation Fund.

WABE broadcasts to 54% of Georgia population in 34 countries. The station provides an award-winning blend of national and local news and is celebrating its 75th year of public service this year. The Transformation Fund will be invested in upgrades of WABE’s technology and the expansion its podcasting network, video programming and newsroom.  

We are very pleased to play a small part in the strengthening of this vital source of news for Georgians.

$725,000 Three-Year Commitment to Atlanta Angels

The Chestnut Family Foundation has made a three-year $725,000 commitment to support the continued growth and impact of Atlanta Angels in the metro-Atlanta foster care community. This gift will help support the ambitious growth plans Atlanta Angels is implementing.

Atlanta Angels’ goal is to provide consistent and meaningful support to every child, youth, and family in the foster community. Their work is based on relationship building with children and foster parents, mentorship of children, and intentional giving. Critical outcomes of this work include reducing the number of placement changes experienced by foster children, providing children with typical childhood experiences, and preparing them for life after foster care. Atlanta Angels is part of the National Angels network.

Teresa Chestnut commented, “Ben and I are very proud to continue our support of the very important work Atlanta Angels is doing for foster children and foster families. Children in the foster system, and their foster parents, should receive the support needed to provide stability and consistency. Atlanta Angels provides such support. Their work is invaluable to those children, and to our community.”

AFCEA Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship Awarded to Two High School Seniors

Alya Akhtar (left) and Nicholas Plantamura (right) are the 2023 recipients of the Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship awarded through the Augusta-Ft. Gordon AFCEA Educational Foundation. Each student will receive $2,000 to use towards their college degree.

Alya graduated from Lakeside High School and plans to major in Neuroscience at Georgia Tech. Nicholas also graduated from Lakeside High School and plans to major in Chemistry at Georgia Tech.

We created the Henry M. Chestnut Scholarship in 2019 to honor of Ben’s beloved father, Henry M. Chestnut, whose military career helped inspire his love of technology and industrial design. It’s an annual scholarship for two students who have shown excellence in STEM subjects and who plan to seek a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field at a four-year institution or community college, so long as they intend to transfer and complete their bachelor’s degree. The Augusta-Ft. Gordon chapter’s scholarship committee selects the recipients every year.

Ben Chestnut was a recipient of an AFCEA scholarship in 1996, which proved to be transformational. We’re proud to give students this same opportunity and wish Alya and Nicholas the best of luck as they continue their studies!

$15,000 Gift to Support Out of Hand Theater's Creative Kids Program

For the second year in a row, the Chestnut Family Foundation has donated $15,000 to Out of Hand Theater to support their Creative Kids Program. We are excited to support this educational program for children that offers free in-school and after-school theater training to schools serving high-poverty student populations. The kids will receive 15 weeks of free theatre training classes, through which Out of Hand will teach them confidence, communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills. Out of Hand recently expanded this program to five schools, and they have implemented workshops to provide opportunities to introduce more students to theater education through a one-time experience.

Out of Hand Theater started in 2001 with the vision of creating a new kind of theater. They seek to use the tools of theater to spark conversations and build a better world.