Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Wilson.
Hi Mackenzie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Heart’s itself was founded 30 years ago in Clayton county by two sisters, Mrs. Deborah (Debbie) Anglin and Mrs. Patrice Wuerth. They wanted to be involved with the youth of the community because they noticed a high rate of teens that were hooked on drugs, in jail, or dying due to the negative pathways that had fallen into. Heart’s motto and promise to all of our youth and young adults we work is, “We promise to see you through, not see through you.” In my opinion, this is what has made us so successful. What started as a safe space for some of the high risk youth to gather and gain mentorship as well as community between Debbie and Patrice through their interactive Summer programs, grew into the nonprofit Hearts to Nourish Hope. They received their first grant within 5 years, they included the youth they had been working with to brainstorm ideas on how to give back to the Community through this grant. With this, they created and opened the Food Pantry out of Riverdale, GA. This food pantry became one of the first services that Hearts offered and is still open and operating today out of our Riverdale location. This was just the start! Over the next several years Hearts received more grants, and developed more programs to serve those in need in Clayton County. We partnered with several other non profits as well to provide a wide range of services in Clayton which aided in us becoming a ‘one stop shop.’ Some of these include ARC which is a nonprofit that provides legal aid services focused on immigration with staff that are fluent in over 30 languages. Ujima Way which is another nonprofit focused on Homelessness and Street Outreach Services that has worked closely with Hearts for several years. Hearts was also able to develop its own Housing program which has held a major impact for the homeless population in Clayton and the metro area. Due to Heart’s success, we were able to receive a larger grant through the Atlanta Regional Commission and become the WIOA youth provider in Clayton. Through this we have fine tuned and brought our Career and Work Experience Program, our GED program, Life Skills classes and case management services to the at risk youth. With the success from these programs, Heart’s expanded and created a second location in Gwinnett County, Georgia. We have been present in Gwinnett for just over 10 years now! We have created crucial relationships in both Clayton and Gwinnett with the Juvenile Court Systems as well the state Probation offices in order to provide seamless services to the youth and young adults in need. With our continued success, in the Summer of 2025 we were just granted the responsibility of becoming a WIOA youth provider in 4 more metro Atlanta counties: Fayette, Rockdale, Douglas and Henry. We have planted ourselves in these areas the past several months and continued to work to make valuable relationships with resources in these areas to come together and create holistic services to create brighter, stable futures for the high risk populations in the metro Atlanta area.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No! There have been a lot of struggles. This job itself and providing these services takes a great deal of patience, a huge heart for giving and community as well as the determination to have Faith when others do not. We have so many success stories, but what many do not see are all of the setbacks that the youth and young adults go through to get there. It is the drug addictions, the relapses in addiction or in recidivism when a youth has been doing so well and is so close to completing their GED, keeping a job or completing a training program. We have had youth pass away due to some of these circumstances or their environment. Or participants who end up with major charges and are looking at spending decades in prison due to being at the wrong place at the wrong time, hanging around the wrong crowd or any of the other various reasons one could find themselves in that position. At times it could be dealing with severe mental health issues and talking our participants off a ledge from hurting themselves or others. All of the staff at Hearts is heavily trained and versed with de-escalation, it is a major part of what we do and what each employee has to have to be successful in this role. This allows youth to make mistakes at times, but most importantly, it teaches them the consequences of their reactions and allows them a way back into the program(s). At times it takes a youth ‘messing up’ to see we mean our promise and we show them first hand which establishes trust and motivation for them to be successful. For some participants, we are the only support system they have and the only people or place that has not given up on them. It is very honorable, but it does come with a lot. The ups and downs of funding is always an issue to navigate. The people we serve have so many barriers that it is always a challenge attempting to meet all their needs. No one organization can do it alone , but because of this work and how hard it is to sustain agencies and funding comes and goes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a nonprofit that specializes providing services to at risk youth and young adults (ages 16 to 24). We operate out of Gwinnett, Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Rockdale, and Douglas County. Some of our specialties include providing GED classes and funding to pay for youth to take their official GED exams to obtain their diplomas, our Career Classes which provide hands on training in developing soft skills, resumes, and interviewing skills which deem youth eligible for a paid internship otherwise known as our Work Experience. Some of our other programs include our Life Skills and Post Secondary classes. The Life Skills classes provide youth with an open, safe space to discuss topics such as communication, coping mechanisms, labels, budgeting, etc. Our Post Secondary class assists youth who already have their high school diplomas or youth who have gotten their GEDs in deciding on their next steps. For some this may mean college, which we help them research apply and enroll into their college of choice, or it could be completing a Trade program, Medical certification, CDL, Auto Technician or other various possibilities of interest. We assist them with continuing on their pathway to accomplish their goals and case manage them the whole way through. Hearts is also connected with NNK4Life which is a mental health organization focused on therapy or counseling sessions for family and individuals. We connect our youth and young adults to them as well and work closely with the counselors to ensure our participants are provided with the wrap around services needed. With this, there have been many smaller support groups that Hearts has created over the years. To name a few, we have our Moms Group titled BLOOM (Bringing Love, Openness and Opportunities to Motherhood), this group meets weekly and allows a space for our young mothers to bond, gain reassurance and resources on some of the challenges of motherhood and a community to lean on. another group is the mentorship program for young girl and boy titled SEW (Self Evolved Workshop), this group is close to my Heart as my husband and I developed this a few years back to support youth completing probation as an extra layer of support. This group is also a safe space for teens and young adults to explore their self awareness which ultimately leads them into self evolvement so their reactions do not rule their lives.
I am most proud of the way that Hearts creates and administers its’ services/programs. Our founders and the rest of the staff really do have a heart for the community and it shows in what we do. Our CEO and COO, Mrs. Debbie and Patrice, work tirelessly between all locations to ensure that as we expand, the quality of our work never gets diluted. We ensure putting team members in place that will go above and beyond for every person we come into contact with whether they enroll into our organization or not. I believe this also sets us apart from others as we do not try to gain anything from anyone. Our primary focus is always the betterment of the community whether we are the one administering those services or not, we will always connect someone to the resources that are the best fit for their needs. I have met and made lifelong friends here at Hearts from the team members I have worked with over the years. I could not mention Hearts without mentioning Ms. Ethel Craig. She served as an active Case Manager and Career Manager at Hearts for 15 years fostering life changing relationships with community members as well as Hearts staff. She was considered family to so many before tragically leaving this Earth in April of 2025. She was and will forever be apart of the Heart’s family and legacy.
To close, Hearts truly fosters an environment for learning and growth. Not only for the participants that we serve but for the team members as well. Mrs. Debbie and Mrs. Patrice have always instilled that they will help us reach our goals even if that means we are no longer directly apart of the Heart’s team. Wanting and doing the best for the community is something that is easy to say but it is genuinely carried out to both the participants and staff members here at Hearts.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are lots of ways! Through our Work Experience program, we are able to employ youth temporarily under Hearts and place them at Worksites to complete their hours. Typically these work sites are small businesses throughout the metro counties that we work in. We aim to provide a variety of businesses for the youth to choose from so they can gain exposure and hands on experience to different work fields. With that being said, we are always looking for more business partners! To become a worksite partner it is a simple agreement we complete with the business owners, Heart’s holds all liability for the youth during the duration of their internships so it is a very easy partnership to make!
Outside of the Work Experience, we love to work closely with other organizations within the community. We are always interested in what other services organizations are providing, so wherever there is a need we cannot meet, we can always refer a youth or participant out to one that does and vise versa. In terms of support, we are always happy to accept donations and referrals! Monetary donations are great, but we also love donations we can provide to our youth! Items such as gift cards, gas cards, movie tickets or coupons for specific places or events are a great way to assist or reward our youth and young adults. Aside from this, venues that can donate space for events, or food are also great ways to give back and support our youth to name a few.
So many of the 16–24 year olds we serve have never had someone to teach them how to drive. Driver’s education scholarships typically end at age 18, which leaves our 19–24 year olds completely unsupported in this area. Without a license, transportation becomes one of the biggest barriers they face limiting where they can work, what hours they can accept, and how stable their lives can become.
If we had the resources and volunteers to help teach driving skills, assist with driver’s education for young adults, and provide support in purchasing a reliable vehicle and securing car insurance, the impact would be truly life-changing. Reliable transportation opens the door to better job opportunities, consistent employment, higher wages, and long-term stability.
For many of the young people we work with, there is simply no one in their life to help them take these steps. Being able to learn to drive and own a car doesn’t just provide transportation it helps break generational cycles of dependence and instability. It gives our young people freedom, dignity, and the ability to build a future that was never modeled for them.
In addition to assistance with teaching some of these Life Skills, having community members sponsor or pay for GEDs for the youth would be huge! Here at Hearts we find grants for all of the services provided so the youth and young adults do not have to pay for anything. All they have to do is focus on achieving their goals, and living life on a better, more stable pathway. Sponsorship could allow us to serve more participants and lead a greater impact on our community.
Support in this area whether through teaching, mentoring, partnerships, or resources would create lasting change far beyond what many people realize.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.heartstonourishhope.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartstonourishhope/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartsToNourishHope/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDoaOAi9dPqL8ENbhFTK8WQ
Image Credits
1st Image: Mackenzie Wilson (myself)
2nd Image: Deborah Anglin (CEO)
3rd Image: Patrice Wuerth (COO)
Last Image: Ms. Ethel Craig (Our Beloved Career and Case Manager)
