Atlanta Park
Hawks & State Farm with City of Atlanta Open New Good Neighbor Club
In collaboration with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm, City of Atlanta’s Coan Park Recreation Center hosted the grand opening of the facility’s new, one-of-a-kind Good Neighbor Club in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon. In a joint effort with City of Atlanta Parks & Recreation Department as well as KultureCity, the world’s leading nonprofit organization on sensory accessibility and inclusion for those with invisible disabilities, the event featured remarks from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as well as Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Atlanta Hawks legend and KultureCity Board Member Dominique Wilkins.
“Inclusionary investments like the Good Neighbor Club have the power to reduce disparities facing members of our community with sensory needs and disabilities,” said Mayor Bottoms. “Thank you to the Atlanta Hawks, State Farm, KultureCity, and other partners for combining technology and compassion to ensure all Atlanta families have the specialized assistance, resources, and opportunities they need to reach their fullest potential.”
This State Farm Good Neighbor Club marks the first and only Club that was done in consultation with KultureCity leadership, with assistance from Dimensional Innovations, a Kansas City-based experience design, build, and tech firm with a nearly 30-year track record of creating immersive, engaging experiences for its clients.
“On a personal note, it is extremely meaningful to see this unique Good Neighbor Club at Coan Park,” said Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins. “We hope that this Club becomes a highlight for Atlanta’s residents.”
Atlanta Hawks Principal Owners Tony Ressler and Jami Gertz as well as Hawks guard Kevin Huerter were also on site. Kids from the local neighboring communities participated in a free youth basketball clinic put on by the Hawks Basketball Academy.
The new State Farm Good Neighbor Club features a first-of-its-kind multi-sensory inclusion space to provide a quiet area for students of different sensory needs, a new flat-screen TV for gaming and movies, a video game console and iPads, mobile writing surfaces, and classroom tables for homework assistance and large bean bags in a reading nook/open play area. A multi-sensory inclusion space, also known as a sensory room, is designed to be a calm space that includes sensory equipment for those who may have developmental or behavioral challenges.
“At State Farm, being a ‘Good Neighbor’ isn’t just a slogan; it’s at the core of who we are and what we do. As we see it, a big part of being a ‘Good Neighbor’ is continuously investing in our communities,” said Dan Krause, State Farm Senior Vice President. “We’re excited to build on our partnership with the Atlanta Hawks and show how much we care about our neighbors in Atlanta with the opening of this seventh Good Neighbor Club at Coan Park Recreation Center.”
This past August marked the three-year partnership anniversary between the Hawks and State Farm, who have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve Metro Atlanta. In addition to efforts to fight food insecurity locally, the Hawks and State Farm have now teamed up to open seven Good Neighbor Clubs in locations such as: William Walker Recreation Center in Atlanta, Lucky Shoals Park in Gwinnett, Lynwood Park in Brookhaven, Bessie Branham in Decatur, Ron Anderson Recreation Center in Cobb County, Welcome All Park in South Fulton and now Coan Park Recreation Center in Atlanta.
Since then, the two organizations have collaborated on high-impact endeavors such as: providing free pop-up grocery stores in partnership with Goodr Inc., for elderly and underserved citizens in Metro Atlanta during the pandemic and expanding the Snack Pack Program which served over 24,000 snack packs to youth throughout the school year and during summer break.
“Our communities are what shapes our lives and to know that Atlanta Hawks and State Farm are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that everyone, no matter their ability, is included in their community is amazing. We’re honored to partner with everyone to provide a truly inclusive experience for all residents! We are also thankful for our partners, Nanoleaf, Puro Sound Labs, and Yogibo, who make our sensory rooms extraordinary.” Uma Srivastava, Executive Director, KultureCity.
The Atlanta Hawks and KultureCity have a relationship that dates to 2017, where the home of the Hawks became the first NBA team in the Southeast Division to have KultureCity certify their home venue as sensory-inclusive. Most recently, the Hawks temporarily converted State Farm Arena’s sensory-inclusive room to bring awareness to those with food allergies through a special activation with the Teal Pumpkin Project. In 2019, State Farm Arena was recognized by KultureCity as the Sensory Inclusive Venue of the Year. A new Sensory Room was created at the arena to improve the staff’s ability to assist and accommodate guests with sensory processing needs.
To learn more about the Hawks’ work in the community, visit Hawks.com/community. To learn more about the Hawks’ work in diversity, equity and inclusion, visit Hawks.com/diversity.
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