CA turned ten years old in 2025 and hosted a birthday celebration on Sunday, September 7, 2025. It was an awesome affair with hundreds in attendance, and everyone had a great time. The party was held at The Solarium in Decatur. This venue, which today is a community center and events space, was originally “The Scottish Rite Convalescent Hospital for Crippled Children.” Since 1918, this space has been about spreading compassion and love. So it is fitting that CA would choose this venue to hold its celebration of compassion.

The Solarium was decorated beautifully. Cobalt blue and white table linens draped tables topped with fresh flowers in adorable teapots. The caterers served delicious scones, sandwiches, and other treats. Even the weather was perfect – sunny, warm, and beautiful. There were posters on the walls that captured pictures of people and events that CA has hosted. The lovely and inviting decor reflected the inclusive and nurturing community Leanne Rubenstein and Iyabo Onipede have created at CA.

All Leanne’s and Iyabos’s hard work paid off, and they came through. They were the perfect hosts, greeting all the guests and making sure they felt welcome. Many people connected to Compassionate Atlanta throughout the past ten years came out of the woodwork to celebrate this milestone. Bob Thompson, the founder of the Compassion c chapter in Atlanta, was there along with CA board members. But the CA extended family also showed up, including community partners, volunteers, friends, family members, and even friends of friends.

A huge thank you goes to Shannon Lubell for organizing the birthday party. It would not have been possible to have such a lovely event without Shannon. Compassionate Atlanta is so grateful to work with someone who is creative, organized, detail-oriented, and so generous with her time and talent.

Planning this party was all based on intention. Every detail had a purpose. Part of the purpose of having this party was to raise funds. Attendees were given the opportunity to donate while at the party. There was also a silent auction, which gave guests the o opportunity to bid on a variety of items and services, and we are so grateful for the generosity of everyone who bid on, and donated items for the auction.

Another purpose of this gathering was to remind everyone of the ongoing work of CA and the need to renew their commitment to the concept of compassion. Iyabo led the guests in reading the Charter for Compassion aloud, and various speakers shared memories about CA. The party reminded us all that the good work of spreading c compassion is never finished but must be intentionally continued.
Let’s take a look back at our ten-year journey.

Some significant moments in CA history:

• Started in 2014 by Bob Thompson with a group of volunteers at a community kick-offkick off with 300 people in attendance.
• In 2015, CA became an official nonprofit and began looking for itstheir first staff person with a generous $25,000 matching grant
• In 2016, Leanne Rubenstein came on board as the Part-TimePart Time Executive Director
• In 2019, Iyabo Onipede joined Leanne as Co-Executive Director.
• The CA physical office space was established at Legacy Park in 2023.

Over the past ten years, CA has

• Grown to connect with over 7,000 individuals annually.
• Works with 40+ volunteers annually who contribute their time, treasure, and talents.
• Co-sponsor 20 events annually to create healthier, thriving communities.
• Network with 15 cities across the state.
• Hosted 4 successful annual CompassionCon events.
• Given out over 25,000 love notes.
• Held numerous story-telling events focused on respecting the dignity of every human being.
• Had the opportunity to speak to groups at national and international conferences about the power and impact of compassion in communities and systems.

As the leaders of Compassionate Atlanta, Leanne and Iyabo live out their belief that compassion is action and a way of life. These two, as the co-directors of Compassionate Atlanta, march side by side, arm in arm, doing what they do so well together: Shining the light on inequity and inequality where it exists and cultivating inclusion, acceptance, and belonging for every one of us. Through countless hours in the community and beyond, they tirelessly guide others toward transformational relationships and transformational communities. And that is a very good thing.

I want to encourage the CA supporters to continue supporting CA for the next 10 years and many years after that because everything CA does stands for taking care of the people in the City of Atlanta and beyond, and we want CA to be around for many years to come. We want to continue the good work of loving, supporting, helping, encouraging, and including everyone we encounter on this human journey.

At the CA 10th birthday party celebration, we enjoyed warm tea, delicious finger food, good conversation, and shared stories about the last ten years. But the work is not finished; there is so much more still to do. So cheers to the next ten years of Compassionate Atlanta!
Want to help Compassionate Atlanta continue to build thriving communities? Click here to donate.
If you want to know more about the Compassion movement? Visit
Karen Armstrong: 2008 TED Prize wish: Charter for Compassion
https://charterforcompassion.org/

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