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Partner Spotlight: RAD

In 2015, Michael Rickman started Rickman Architecture and Design. Rickman wanted RAD to have a bigger focus on social impact work compared to what he had seen during his time working with other architecture firms in the past.  While RAD does work on for-profit projects as well as limited-profit and pro-bono projects, a lot of their projects tie back to that social impact vision.  “We've had enough work where a good portion of our work is really tied to social impact work,” Rickman said. “There is some just for profit stuff that we still use to take a lot of profits from and reinvest it in the projects that we can donate to.” Rickman connected with Third Lens through Plywood People. RAD tries to work with Third Lens on at least one project a year. RAD has contributed to the Hope Smiles dental clinic project, the Jonestown, Mississippi, community project and the Friends of Refugees project in Clarkston, Georgia. Currently, RAD is helping with the planning stages … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: RAD

Board of Directors Spotlight: Chris Burch

Chris Burch has been involved with Third Lens Ministries from nearly the beginning of the organization. College friends with Third Lens’ founder, Lee Carol, Burch jumped on board with the new organization relatively quickly.  “Lee founded Third Lens in 2009, and then he told me what he was doing,” Burch said.  “When I heard about it, I told him I wanted to be involved. He knew that I was in construction, and he knew that I had also had a passion for serving the Lord however I could with my time and expertise.” The first trip Burch took with Third Lens was to Honduras in October of 2010. The project was to help Predisan Health Ministries build a clinic in the community of Wasparani, located in an isolated mountain region. “We came in and told them that we were there to help him,” Burch said. “That we were going to be coming back in a few months, and we were going to start construction on this building for them to build a medical clinic. So we called a meeting with … [Read more...] about Board of Directors Spotlight: Chris Burch

Project Spotlight: Blueprint 58

After serving as mentors themselves to two young boys, the Stanleys decided that they wanted to create a way for more kids to receive mentorship and guidance. In 2011 the family moved to the Adair Park neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, and founded their non-profit Blueprint 58. “We had been mentoring two boys and doing some work with kids in the neighborhoods downtown already,” said Becca Stanley, co-founder of Blueprint 58. “And we decided that we really wanted to put in roots somewhere and go deep in a specific neighborhood. So we bought a house, my husband and his dad finished it, renovated it and we moved in and started our mentoring program. So Blueprint 58 is primarily a mentoring and Community Development Program.” Blueprint 58 is community-based mentoring program that serves the Adair Park and Pittsburg neighborhoods. The goal is to have a positive presence in the neighborhood to help foster community development. “So our mission is to transform youth into community … [Read more...] about Project Spotlight: Blueprint 58

Project Spotlight: The Exodus Ranch

The Exodus Ranch officially became a non-profit in 2012, but the need to help children appeared years before for Shelley and Joe Tufts. The family moved to Opelika, Alabama in 2005 with four children, their fifth would be born less than a year after they moved. Shelley had been staying at home with her children, but with four in school, she started asking God what she should start doing next. It was at a women’s retreat through her church that God started her on the path that would lead to The Exodus Ranch.  “I went to a women's retreat with our church and met this lady that had been in some programs and stuff with drug recovery and everything,” Tufts said. “ I came back, and several months later, she showed up at my door and asked me if I could watch her little boy. And so we ended up, after some time of trying to help both of them, she ended up asking us if we would take custody of him. So as the years went on, the Lord just brought more and more situations across our path … [Read more...] about Project Spotlight: The Exodus Ranch

Project Spotlight: P.E.S.T. Relief International

In 2015, Andrea Hancock officially founded P.E.S.T Relief International, a non-profit with a focus on bringing Pest Management professionals together to provide comfort and relief to orphaned, abused and at-risk youth through safe shelter, nutrition, education, physical and emotional health and spiritual enrichment.  The seeds for the organization were planted when Hancock learned that so many people in the world live in homes that have bed bugs, because they cannot afford to get rid of them. Back in 2004, Hancock had started Mattress Safe, Inc., a company that manufactures mattress covers.  After learning about the people all over the world suffering from bed bug infestations, she began donating mattress covers to various shelters in the United States. In 2012, she went on a mission trip to Honduras, and she brought mattress covers with her to give to three orphanages.  “I started taking mattress protectors to orphanages down in Honduras, and I caught a … [Read more...] about Project Spotlight: P.E.S.T. Relief International

Partner Spotlight: myLifespeaks

In 2003, Mike Wilson first visited Haiti. Seventeen years later, Neply, Haiti is now home to his and his wife’s nonprofit, myLifespeaks. Mike and Missy live there along with five of their six children, three of which were adopted from Haiti.  “So we we moved here in 2014 with the understanding that in order for us to really truly effectively lead this ministry we had to be on the ground,” Wilson said. “It could not be done from the United States.” myLifespeaks was founded in 2012, and it focuses on three main goals: family empowerment, educational excellence and public health impact.  Wilson describes Haiti as a place that has systematic corruption which leads to a lack of education and a high rate of unemployment. “I couldn't understand why something would be so drastically different for being so close to the United States,” Wilson said. “The more I came back, the more I realized that Haiti has a systematic problem of corruption. Just lack of education across the … [Read more...] about Partner Spotlight: myLifespeaks

Project Focus: Jolly Avenue Development Center

In Clarkston, Georgia, a small town proves that one area can be home to a variety of people from all over the world. In the 1990s, refugees from over 150 different ethnic groups moved to the small town located just outside of Atlanta. Around 60,000 refugees have called Clarkston home during their journeys to begin life in America. Friends of Refugees was started in 1995 by Pat Maddox, a resident of Clarkston who now serves as a volunteer and Board advisor. Friends of Refugees became a non-profit organization in 2005. The current executive director is Brian Bollinger. Bollinger first served as a volunteer with Friends of Refugees 14 years ago while he was on spring break in college. He stayed with a newly resettled family, and during that time, learned a lot about the process of refugee resettlement.  Friends of Refugees has several projects including a career hub, a community garden, a family literacy program, youth programs, and a program to help expectant and new … [Read more...] about Project Focus: Jolly Avenue Development Center

Tom Rhodes: Director of Design

Tom Rhodes started working with Third Lens Ministries nearly six years ago. He was introduced to Third Lens’ president Lee Carroll through a man at church. Carroll brought Rhodes on as an architect for Third Lens’ projects, and now Rhodes serves on the board of directors as the Secretary/Director of Design.  Rhodes is a principal member of Bradfield, Richards, Rhodes and Associates, an architecture firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been working as an architect for nearly 35 years after attaining both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also studied at the Le Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France.  During his partnership with Third Lens, Rhodes has worked on projects in Uganda, Haiti, Cuba and other locations. He has also traveled to China and Venezuela to do mission work with his church.  Rhodes says he has learned valuable things about himself from his work with the people who live in these … [Read more...] about Tom Rhodes: Director of Design