Meet Anu Ramachandiran of Impact Atlanta in Downtown, South Fulton, Duluth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anu Ramachandiran.

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Impact Atlanta started during my eighth-grade summer. I had been volunteering at the nonprofit Meals by Grace, cooking hot meals and packing and delivering them to needy families, for a few weeks when the founder of the organization began speaking to the 600 volunteers, every Sunday, about a backpack drive. She explained, week after week, that the nonprofit was relying on OUR donations to provide 47 children with backpacks before the new school year started. At the end of the three-week drive, Meals by Grace collected 30 backpacks. These were children that had been served with hot meals, snacks, water, packaged food every week for years and years, but the organization that was supporting them to their highest capacity simply could not provide all of the necessities that were becoming harder and harder to reach because of the limitations of food banks and food stamps. I felt a sense of urgency as if I had the power to get those remaining 17 children their backpacks and anything else their families desperately needed but simply could not get their hands on. It was in those summer months that I began planning, drafting proposals, researching nonprofits that could benefit from this support, and sitting at my laptop screen for hours on end watching “programming for dummies” Youtube videos. I was inspired by the powerful trend I noticed during my time in the community, and I started thinking about the role that technology could have in the Georgia public service sector and knew this was how I would bring about positive change in the organizations around me. I identified what these families truly needed outside of the many resources provided to them by their nonprofits, spent seven months teaching myself Swift and Xcode for app development and eight months of coding Impact Atlanta. By the Fall of my sophomore year at Duluth High School, I had created the app, partnered with Walmart, and was accepted to the iTunes App Store.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think that the biggest challenge through the early stages of this process had to do with me being so young in comparison to most of the newly-developing public service leaders. I remember being turned down before getting to arrange proposal meetings with managers and directors of corporations that “[thought] I should come back in a few years with a better plan of action.” It took several meetings and logistic changes until Walmart and Impact Atlanta formed a partnership, and I have always been thankful for their patience and consistent support the company has given me. I also struggled immensely with the developing of the app, as I had never had a computer science background before developing the app and, quite frankly, I spent a large portion of the development process questioning my ability to utilize something I had zero familiarity with something I knew, loved, and desperately wanted to change in my community. It took more time, sleep, and dedication than expected, but when Impact Atlanta was finally finished, I felt unbelievably proud of what I had created because of the struggle it required, not in spite of it.

Tell us about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I am the founder of Impact Atlanta, an innovative mobile application that helps nonprofits provide disadvantaged families with the specific resources they need. The inspiration for the application came when I noticed a powerful trend during her time volunteering in the community — no one was identifying what these families truly needed. Organizations were providing families with certain basic necessities but were often unable to provide important items such as clothing, feminine hygiene products, and school supplies. My solution was to utilize technology and social media to bridge that gap and simplify the donation process for hard to access essential items. The app empowers users by allowing them to select exactly what products they want to donate and what nonprofit organization(s) will receive their donations. Behind the scenes, I work to ensure that the essential resources that nonprofits are unable to provide are included on the app. Impact Atlanta has raised upwards of $7,000 in donations since being published on the iTunes Store one year ago and has also received state and national recognition for its impact in the community. I have also created Impact Atlanta Application LLC, a corporation that focuses on larger monetary donations from businesses. I also serve as the Youth Representative of Meals by Grace and a member of the Rainbow Village Millennial Advisory Panel. I have also developed Memory Technology, a website that helps Alzheimer’s patients increase cognitive abilities and stimulate memory through generated questionnaires and individualized virtual games. In addition, I write a political commentary on current events through and writes.blog and teen magazines (Teen Ink, Girlspring), and take great pride in my love of advocacy for underprivileged, underrepresented, and underserved groups. At Duluth High School, I am the captain of the Mock Trial team, founder of the Girls who Code club, and president of the Red Cross chapter. I love writing and recording music, and have performed across several stages including Carnegie Hall in New York and Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown ATL!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe success is defined in the way you make people feel and the lasting impact you have in their lives.

Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? If so – who are they and what role did they plan / how did they help.
Outside of the superheroes in my own family, my all-time favorite teacher, Ms. Geri Flanary inspires me more than anyone I have ever met. She has taught me the value of hard work, hope when all else seems lost, and love even in the face of hate and negativity. Ms. Flanary has and will always be my most valued teacher, counselor, motivator, and second mom! I truly would not be who I am today without her infectious smiles, heartwarming hugs, incomparable guidance, and irrefutable love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/impact-atlanta-llc/id1318045502?mt=8
• Phone: 6789513697
• Email: anuram@impactatl.org

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