Lady Gaga donates $100,000 to Atlanta non-profit supporting youth mental health and education
Lady Gaga isn't just leaving an impact in Atlanta through her stop at State Farm Arena for her Mayhem Ball Tour this week. Her Born This Way Foundation recently donated $100,000 to COR, a non-profit focused on empowering young people through education, mental health support, and fighting social inequality.
Almost every school day after class, Carver High Students can stop by one of COR's meetups on campus to talk to other students and guidance counselors. Thursday, they talked about how they want to create more unity among students at Carver Steam Academy and Carver Early College (EC).
"I think that it is good that we have this because it's in the center between EC and STEAM," said Alanna Goode, a Carver Early College student. "So we have, like they said, a chance to connect from other schools, and learn and see how we can maybe improve and better ourselves…"
Students don't just come for casual meetups. COR provides free mental health counseling with a social worker on campus. Students can also shop and work in the free grocery store or the boutique COR set up on campus. Isaiah Oakes tells CBS Atlanta he likes working in the store because it gives him something productive to do after class.
"Coming here, like it's more of a break for me even though it's work but like it's still kind of like relaxing to just be able to do something that's easy as that."
COR also offers classes on subjects like health, managing grief and human trafficking so students know the warning signs in order to protect themselves. Parents can also take financial literacy classes.
"They've been such a helpful resource with furniture, clothing, and also letting the parents just give back in the community," Tara Morton, a COR parent said. "So, it's been very helpful for the students and families…"
Jennifer Henn, the executive director and co-founder says Carver High is just one of several schools where COR works with children, and that they're working to expand,
"I just want them to feel like they can do whatever they want to do," Henn said. "I want to give them knowledge. I want to share information with them. I want them to have opportunities and expose them to things that they may have never heard of or seen. And I also want them to learn how to take care of themselves. Self-care, mental health is so important these days."
Students say coming to COR has helped them form stronger relationships with their peers, and themselves.
"You're not obligated to really do anything," Goode said. "You're just here yourself, and by learning and adjusting to each other, we communicate and talk and really get to know how people are…"
COR tells CBS Atlanta the organization plans to use Born This Way Foundation's donation to pay the social workers serving children through its programming.
