Center Parc Credit Union Plants the Seeds for Community Growth with the One Love Learning Foundation

ATLANTA (June 15, 2021) – Since launching here last year, Center Parc Credit Union has committed to the community through sponsorships and civic engagement. Recently, Center Parc became the exclusive sponsor of One Love Learning Foundation’s (OLLF) community garden, situated on the rooftop of Maynard Jackson High School.

Center Parc recognizes the important role of community gardens in increasing access to fresh food, providing and enhancing local green spaces, and encouraging all community members to engage in physical activity through gardening. The Maynard Jackson High School garden – also known as Jackson Park Farm – will provide fresh produce to those in need in the community as well as to Kevin Gillespie’s neighboring restaurant, Gunshow.

“We are thrilled with this collaboration and look forward to the rich opportunities of each changing season as the garden bears both fresh produce and happy students,” said Andrea Hansberry, Community Development Liaison for Center Parc.

Jackson Park Farm is designed with OLLF’s signature mandala garden design. Students and teachers walk and tend to the garden along the meditative path. It is used to support the school’s science curriculum as well as help students fulfill their volunteer hour requirements. By working in the garden, students cultivate produce, sell what they grow and learn the basics of creating a sustainable food system. A select group of student interns also earn a paycheck.

Gillespie, whose Red Beard Restaurants organization owns seven award-wining restaurants in the Atlanta area, will use the garden’s produce at Gunshow, and his engagement will extend to mentoring student interns to expand their understanding of the restaurant business and food preparation.

“Center Parc Credit Union’s commitment to our garden has enabled our students to get back to digging in the dirt and learning the valuable lessons of horticulture, commerce and teamwork,” said Brenda Isaac, OLLF founder.

OLLF strives to enrich the public-school educational experiences of children in under-privileged communities by feeding them in body, mind and soul through gardening, c

ultural exchange and arts programs. Through gardens in Atlanta, Jamaica and South Africa, OLLF equips students to be the seeds of transformative social change.

Center Parc’s newest branch, at 72 Georgia Avenue, is positioned to serve local residents financially while the credit union seeks to make a broader impact on commu

nity well-being through social initiatives.

About Center Parc Credit Union:

ABOUT CENTER PARC CREDIT UNION Center Parc Credit Union is a division of APCU, the oldest credit union in the state of Georgia. Center Parc has two branches in downtown Atlanta, including one opened in April in the Summer Hill neighborhood. The member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative is dedicated to helping hardworking people save money and prosper. For more information, call 800-849-8431, email info@centerparc.org or visit online at www.centerparc.org