First Lady Mary Perdue launches Hands On Georgia in Macon

Hands On Macon organizes renovation of foster home

ATLANTA, GA — First Lady Mary Perdue today launched Hands On Georgia in Macon during a volunteer service project in conjunction with Hands On Macon. Hands On Georgia is a new statewide initiative aimed at spreading the spirit of volunteerism to communities across the state. The Governor is challenging Georgians over the next three years to engage 20,000 new volunteers; contribute 500,000 plus hours of volunteer service to communities across the state; and partner with 120 community and faith-based organizations and schools. The Governor and First Lady will serve as Honorary Chairs of Hands On Georgia and Ambassador Andrew Young and Mrs. Young will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs of the organization.

“This initiative is a wonderful example of how one person can make a difference through local volunteerism,” said Mrs. Perdue. “The people of Georgia have big hearts and when we become engaged in our community the future for our children in state custody only gets brighter.”

Fifty volunteers with Hands On Macon and The Home Depot took part in the renovation of a local home for foster children. The project included painting benches that were built earlier this week by volunteers with Hands On Atlanta, The Coca-Cola Company and The Home Depot.

Upon taking office, Governor Perdue recognized a need to raise the level of civic engagement across the state. It is his hope that by catalyzing a groundswell of volunteerism, communities, in partnership with the state, could better address their infrastructure and social needs. To achieve this end, the Governor solicited input from public and private citizens who had demonstrated success in this arena. The outcome is Hands On Georgia, which will maintain an on-going relationship with Hands On Network and its statewide affiliates.

Hands On Georgia will undergo a temporary incubation period within Hands On Network, an innovative, international alliance of volunteer organizations transforming people and communities through service and civic engagement. There are 35 Hands On Network organizations in the U.S., and international affiliates in the Philippines and China, as well as 20 partner organizations in the United Kingdom.

Those individuals, communities, and private partners wanting to join this volunteer effort can log on to www.HandsOnGeorgia.org for more information or call Kimberly Goff, Executive Director at (404) 979-2910.

More About The Sponsors

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, The Coca-Cola Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings each day. For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.com.

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States, with fiscal 2003 sales of $64.8 billion. The company employs approximately 300,000 associates and has 1,826 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, eight Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company recently announced the creation of a business development operation for retail expansion into China. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation is a charitable organization that supports education, health care, human services, economic development, art and culture, and the environment through grants ranging from thousands of dollars to millions of dollars. Established in 1937, the foundation primarily focuses on giving to organizations and endeavors that serve Georgia, but exceptions have been made for outstanding organizations that promote the well-being of mankind throughout the United States.