Atlantic, IA – Officials with SHIFT ATL (Shift A-T-L) say they recently received a big boost in their fundraising efforts, thanks to former Atlantic resident, Roger Underwood. SHIFT ATL was formed in June of 2019 with a broad but straightforward vision for the place they have made home: to shift the direction of Atlantic’s social and economic development opportunities by leveraging partnerships and strengthening social bonds within the community. They intend to revitalize Atlantic through projects, services and programs that will enhance the community and foster a sense of growth.

Holding true to their vision and mission, the organization is starting to make noticeable moves in Atlantic. After an initial meeting between Underwood and SHIFT, organized by Dave Chase, Underwood announced that he would like to pass along his Atlantic Community Development stock to SHIFT ATL as well as donate $25,000 to help support the organization’s vision.

“I am deeply impressed by the commitment of the SHIFT ATL leadership as they seek new and different ways to add value to the future of Atlantic by thinking innovatively about what Atlantic can be tomorrow,” said Underwood. “These young leaders don’t want to enrich themselves, but rather volunteer their time, their thinking and themselves to create a new and different Atlantic for tomorrow. SHIFT ATL realizes that what got Atlantic to where it is today is not necessarily what will get Atlantic to where it needs to be tomorrow , and I hope this gesture from a grateful Atlantic high school graduate helps to inspire the young leaders of this proud community to step up and lead Atlantic into the future.”

“Roger’s generosity through the donation and the gift of Atlantic Community Development stock has blown us away. Every donation we receive, no matter the dollar amount or type of in-kind donated goods, still puts a little more wind beneath our sails,” said SHIFT ATL board member, Jessie Shiels. “Then for community members like Roger Underwood and Dave Chase to show just how much they believe in what we’re doing and where we’re headed by organizing these amazing gifts, it really solidified for us that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Underwood continued by saying, “I describe Atlantic to my friends as a warm and welcome community full of innovators, mentors and solid citizens. When asked to help support Atlantic’s future by investing in the Atlantic Community Development group several years ago, I quickly said yes. Investing in Atlantic has always been an easy decision – I am only ever giving back to this community what so many gave to me as I grew up here,” added
Underwood.

“Lastly, I want to include a special thank you to Dave Chase who helped organize this gift and to the SHIFT ATL team of young leaders, who are just one example of the value that can be created when thinking out of the box.” For the past nine months, the organization has been busy at work in the community with clear vision. They hosted a successful block party last October, showcasing their first project and providing an evening of fun and
entertainment, which they heard was a need.

After the block party, SHIFT ATL quickly responded to several resident’s requests for a “fun run” opportunity during Thanksgiving. Within three weeks, the group hosted another
successful event, while fundraising for their cause. Most recently, they launched the SHIFT Network in early 2020. This serves as the group’s planned giving avenue and allows for community members to have a platform to voice their ideas and band together to create change, aka a positive shift forward.

The 501c3 is currently in the thick of fundraising efforts with a newly launched capital campaign as they work toward completing a grant application to the State of Iowa’s Catalyst Grant, due April 2020. This grant, if awarded, would give the group $100,000 of funds to use toward their current project at 14 E. 4 th St. To learn more about the capital campaign, to donate or to get involved, contact shiftatlantic@gmail.com, visit the website shiftatl.org or facebook page, @shiftatl.