ABOUT US

CDF: A Collective Action Initiative is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2010.

We began working as Clarkston Development Foundation (CDF) in the highly diverse, refugee-resettlement community of Clarkston, GA. This is where we piloted both our asset-based community development approach and our early care and learning activities. We have since expanded to Stone Mountain and Norcross, both highly diverse communities in the greater metro-Atlanta area.

Our focus today goes beyond immigrant and refugee children and families to include all children and their families in a super-diverse community. While some of our activities are targeted to specific populations (for example, our READY Schools engage families who live in the apartment complex in which the school is housed), we also engage in city-wide activities (for example, the Story Walk and the Clarkston Tell Me a Story!) that are open to the entire public.

  • Programs
  • Events / Activities
  • Community Engagement 

The CDF BOARD has finalized a comprehensive planning document, outlining strategic goals for the period of 2024 to 2027.

Our Board Members

  • Suad Ali
    • Operations Coordinator for the Clarkston Resource and Wellness Hub
  • Darlene Daly
    • Management Consultant
  • Ann DiGirolamo, Treasurer
    • Research Professor and Director at Georgia State University
  • Cynthia Dorsey Edwards
    • Vice President, Edwards and Associates, Inc.
  • Eyelachew Desta
    • Program Evaluation Fellow, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Awet Eyasu
    • Clarkston City Council Member
  • Adam Nykamp, President
    • STEM Specialist and Educator, DeKalb County School District