Livable Buckhead Sails Past $250,000 Goal, Matches Gift from Loudermilk Family Foundation

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Commercial real estate companies, Buckhead residents and public entities chip in to raise first $605K toward $9 million PATH400 capital campaign goal

ATLANTA – May 5, 2016 – In response to a generous matching gift from the Loudermilk Family Foundation, Livable Buckhead issued a call to help raise $250,000 for the construction of PATH400.SM Today Livable Buckhead announced that the community responded enthusiastically, pushing the nonprofit organization well past its goal and securing a total of $605,000 for PATH400.

“We’ve exceeded expectations right out of the gate,” said David Lanier, senior managing director of CBRE and a member of the PATH400 capital campaign committee. “That’s exactly the kind of momentum that we need, and we’re already hard at work, building on this success and bringing even more supporters on board for PATH400.”

Collaboration between the public and private sectors has been a hallmark of PATH400 since project planning began in 2011. That theme continues in the capital campaign as well, with the City of Atlanta joining private companies and individuals on the donor list. Individual donations accounted for 73 percent of gifts received, and included gifts as small as $25.

“Reaching this goal represents much more than simply raising the first half million dollars toward our $9 million goal,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “Every single donor type that we reached out to responded with a strong show of support. Residents, employers, neighborhood organizations, commercial property owners and even Buckhead commuters jumped in to help us meet the match for this gift, which is a great indicator of just how wide the base of support for PATH400 is.”

The Loudermilk donation is the first major gift to the campaign, which is raising the remaining $9 million to complete construction on PATH400. Livable Buckhead and the project’s lead partners, PATH Foundation and the Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID), have already raised two-thirds of the total $27 million project cost through partnerships with the City of Atlanta, Georgia Department of Transportation, and several other entities.

Funds raised through the capital campaign for PATH400 will be used to link sections of the greenway to create 5.2 contiguous miles, including sections at the north end that will provide access to Mountain Way Common and ultimately link to the City of Sandy Springs. Sections on the south end will improve community access to MARTA and other transit as well as provide a critical connection to the BeltLine and the regional trail network for the nearly 250,000 residents, commuters, and visitors in Buckhead on a daily basis.

“I am very glad the Loudermilk Family Foundation can support Livable Buckhead’s efforts to expand the donor base for PATH400. While we should be immensely proud of the strong start for the campaign, we still have much to do,” said PATH400 capital campaign co-chair Robin Loudermilk. “Community support for this project is essential to its success and speaks volumes to the philanthropic community and other partners.”

For more information about PATH400 or to sign up to receive project updates, visit livablebuckhead.org.