Dan Weede – Recognizing Philanthropy: Raising the Rails on PATH400
Livable Buckhead has set in motion a fundraiser making our PATH400 even more secure and robust. PATH400 is a valuable gem connecting people in a sustainable innovative way. Raising the Rails campaign is an opportunity for residents and businesses to contribute to providing maximum safety for anyone using the raised trail over Mountain Way Common. Livable Buckhead is invested in community well-being, contributing $50,000, half of the amount needed once the other half has been donated. The Raising the Rails Series will be recognizing and celebrating philanthropic minded individuals committed to the betterment and safety of our neighborhoods.
Dan Weede has been an advocate for the safety of Mountain Way Common since the vicious attack of a female jogger in 2008. After contacting his neighbor Jane Moss and organizing several clean ups, and over time the neighborhood became involved supporting the endeavor. After a few years, frustrations with the lack of participatory involvement of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and City of Atlanta began to increase. The movement had all the ingredients to support real change, but they needed the right guidance to advance.
Improving community spaces takes drive and determination, and Weede knew powering forward in a timely manner meant converting energy into political action. As luck (and a lot of work) would have it, Weede and the proactive group were introduced to Livable Buckhead and its executive director, Denise Starling. With direction and coaching from Starling, Weede and his community advocates formed a “Friends of” Atlanta Parks group applying for Park Pride grants. Weede credits Starling and Livable Buckhead for helping to navigate the critical process leading to the first of its kind agreement between GDOT and Atlanta Parks Department forming Mountain Way Common.
Community parks and green spaces support community engagement and create safer neighborhoods. They promote public health by providing direct contact with nature and a cleaner environment for physical activity. Assisting actions and providing aid to foster a more sustainable environment, Weede chooses to invest in the future by donating financially to organizations doing the
most for a community with the least available resources. When asked why he chose Livable Buckhead for the top of his list, he responded, “It is quite simple, Livable Buckhead is highly organized and gets things done. You cannot name another organization in this city accomplishing forward progress while minimizing personal credit for community improvement initiatives.”
Weede’s philanthropic philosophy of ‘paying it forward’ fosters a moral obligation to invest in ambitious community projects. His basic principle of recognizing, ‘everything we value in our community and improves our lives today is a result of some donation, sacrifice or idea advanced by some person or group (usually) long ago’ cultivates transformation for a resilient future. Weede believes Livable Buckhead has the gift of creating change through its stellar planning strategies and community ventures resulting in virtually every civic project of consequence in Buckhead over the last 15 years. Helping fund Livable Buckhead’s Raising the Rails campaign aligns with his humanitarian convictions and community ideologies. He wants to make PATH400 safe for all of those who utilize the trail. PATH400 is more than a geographical connection; it is a path connecting humans to each other.
“If we value change in this area, then we must all step up and fund the projects that will make Mountain Way Common a safe and inviting place for our community” ~ Dan Weede
We recognize your philanthropic support and celebrate your dedication to improving our community. Thank you, Dan Weede, for all you are doing.
Follow our Raising the Rails Series recognizing and celebrating philanthropic minded individuals committed to the betterment and safety of our neighborhoods. If you want to invest in Raising the Rails, click here.
