S I M P LY NOW
BY:
A Spirited Advocate for Women
Running for those who can’t Matt Sours, a partner at the Buckhead firm of Morris, Manning & Martin, began running after college to relieve stress. “In 2010, I was running a 10K when I met Kyle Pease and his brother Brent,” says Sours. “Kyle was born with cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia and is wheelchair-bound, so he and Brent race together. I thought I was fairly fast, but they beat me.” From time to time, Sours ran into Kyle, who was working at the Peachtree Battle Publix. “He’s a truly upbeat guy, and we became friends,” says Sours. In 2011, the Pease brothers founded the Kyle Pease Foundation to build awareness and raise funds to create opportunities for people with disabilities by purchasing adaptive sports equipment and mobility devices, in addition to providing funds for medical care. At one point, Kyle introduced Sours to another wheelchairbound runner, Kennesaw State student Ricardo “Rico” Aranda, who was also born with cerebral palsy. Sours and Aranda began
Mickey Goodman
Photo: Kedon Beckford
Together We Wheel
Photo: James Blackburn
LOCAL SALUTE
Putting a face on domestic and sexual abuse
Matt Sours (background) and Rico Aranda are running buddies who compete in races across the country.
running together and completed their first 5K in March of 2014. Since then, they have competed in numerous races, including the 2016 New York Marathon. “Sometimes I get caught up in ‘obstacles,’ says Sours, “but they are so minor when compared to the genuine challenges Kyle and Rico face. I get far more out of our relationship than Rico because I get to experience his upbeat perspective of the world.” l For more information, visit kylepeasefoundation.org.
Sandy Springs resident Donja Gordon-Eubanks, who was recently named to Georgia Trend’s 2017 40 Under 40 list, has been passionate about combating sexual assault and violence against women, particularly women of color, since she was a teenager. While at the University of Alabama, she educated students on sexual assault prevention and worked with officials to ensure that the university complied with relevant state laws. Before moving to Atlanta, she worked on the front lines at The Center for Family Justice in her hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut, answering the phones and accompanying survivors to the hospital. “In Atlanta, my work has been more philanthropic,” says Gordon-Eubanks. “I’m also
Philanthropist and consummate volunteer, Donja Gordon-Eubanks is passionate about combating violence against women.
involved in the February 14 V-Day events, a global movement to end violence against women and girls launched by Tony Awardwinning playwright, performer and activist, Eve Ensler.” But the endeavor that has her most excited is compiling her book, I Am Not Alone, which, when completed, will feature stories of survivors accompanied by photographs taken by GordonEubanks, who freelances as a photographer in addition to her fulltime job as an operations director at Allconnect in Sandy Springs. l For more information, visit vday.org.
Food for Thought Atlanta fast food chain gives back In 2016, the 85-year-old, Atlanta-based Krystal Company launched a unique ad campaign branded “Shun the Ho-Hum” that used puppets to represent its core menu items. The chain, which boasts a location in Buckhead, brought its iconic square Krystal burgers, Krystal Chik sandwich and more to TV screens. “These were no ordinary puppets,” says Angela Johnson, Krystal’s director of marketing communications. “We worked with the famous Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, home of the Muppets, to design and cre-
ate them. Once the campaign ended, we decided to donate the puppets to the Center for Puppetry Arts.” The site selection was perfect. The center already has a large Jim Henson collection, and sometime this year, a special area will be designed to showcase the Krystal puppets. The “Shun the Ho-Hum” campaign dovetailed with The Krystal Foundation’s initiative to provide funding for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) courses in its 11-state footprint. “We want to introduce new audi-
ences to the arts, and our first grants of $18,540, as well as our second-year grants of $24,000, were divided among elementary schools and organizations in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee,” says Johnson. Emphasis is placed not only on traditional STEAM courses, but on culinary arts and sports. l For more information, visit krystal.com or puppet.org.
Krystal's Angela Johnson facilitated the donation of puppet versions of some of the company's signature food items to the Center for Puppetry Arts.
Want to nominate a volunteer, company or nonprofit that makes Buckhead, Sandy Springs or Brookhaven a better place to live? Please contact: editor@simplybuckhead.com
January/February 2018 | Simply Buckhead
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