LIBBY KING | NOVEMBER 1, 2019
At the APyeS! Awards on October 29th, we received the incredible honor of the Atlanta Public Schools District Partner of the Year Award.
On October 29th at the Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) held its annual APyeS! Awards.
APS Superintendent Maria Carstarphen told the Atlanta Voice, “Our APyeS! Awards are about recognizing … excellence and honoring those teachers, education leaders and partners who are leading our transformation and making it possible for our students to succeed.”
[This award] is given to an organization that has provided unparalleled support to the district students and our mission.
Rachel Sprecher, Executive Director of Partnerships and Development & Special Assistant to the Superintendent
The award ceremony recognizes the APS Excellence in Teaching Award Winner, Principal of the Year, Assistant Principal of the Year, and Cluster Partner of the Year.
“[This award] is given to an organization that has provided unparalleled support to the district students and our mission,” said Rachel Sprecher, Executive Director of Partnerships and Development and Special Assistant to the Superintendent to APS.
We were recognized as the District Partner of the Year through our neighborhood place-based initiative, Standing with our Neighbors (SWON). The SWON program places a lawyer and two community advocates directly in Atlanta schools so that families facing housing issues can quickly find the help they need. Our work has helped stabilize homes, improve students’ lives, and reduce the number of housing-related disruptions that negatively impact academic performance.
From July 2016 – April 2019, we helped dramatically reduce the rate of departing students at most SWON schools which are located in the Carver Cluster, NPU-V, and the Westside. 
In our first few years of the SWON program, 452 families, including 859 children, received advocacy and legal assistance from SWON staff and volunteers. Over 100 families – and over 300 children – avoided displacement as a result of our advocacy.
[Check out SWON at Thomasville on CBS This Morning.]
We were honored to attend the APyeS! celebration of all the teachers, staff, and partners that work tirelessly to help Atlanta students thrive. We are so grateful for the collaboration between our SWON staff and our APS partners, and we look forward to many more years of fighting for safety, stability, and a more equitable Atlanta for every child.
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Libby King
Development Director
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Libby is originally from Columbus, Georgia. She has served the Atlanta community for almost 17 years in various capacities.
Prior to working at AVLF, Libby worked as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Atlanta Technical College. Prior to this, she raised funds for ovarian cancer research and served in fundraising and community outreach roles at Visiting Nurse|Hospice Atlanta. She was a communications assistant in the Office of Governor Roy E. Barnes after graduating from Clemson University with a BA in Political Science.