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Signature Events & Programming

Two annual events anchor our year, plus a celebration that brings our sponsors, volunteers, and community together to see the impact firsthand.

Defend the Dream Back-to-School Day

A back-to-school kickoff hosted at partner schools like Stewart Middle School and Douglas County High School (Mario’s own alma maters), designed to become something students and the community expect every year.

Mario's Defend the Dream message
School-supply & resource giveaway
Financial-literacy session
College & career conversations
Mentors & community partners on-site
Student goal-setting activity
Scholarship & achievement recognition

Defend the Dream Community Day

A larger annual community giveback that can take different forms depending on the year, bringing together corporate sponsors, churches, schools, volunteers, community organizations, and local businesses. During the most recent holiday season, the foundation had the privilege of serving more than 100 people experiencing homelessness in Metro Atlanta with food, clothing, and other basic necessities.

Labor of Love

Launched around Labor Day, Labor of Love supports the less fortunate in our community by providing clothing, food, and essential basic necessities to those in need, embodying the true spirit of hard work and community care.

Thank you to Suzanne Thailer Lipson & Mike Farber for donating clothes and supporting this initiative.

Defend the Dream Partner Celebration

A smaller annual event designed to thank existing sponsors, recognize volunteers, share the year’s impact, highlight student and teacher stories, introduce new corporate partners, and invite existing partners to renew or increase their support.

Partner → Participate → See Impact → Get Recognized → Renew

Annual Programming Calendar

Jan - Mar

Plan programs, secure sponsors, identify partners.

Apr - Jun

Scholarships, mentorship, financial-literacy programming.

Jul - Aug

Defend the Dream Back-to-School Day.

Sep - Nov

Community programming and sponsor engagement.

Dec / Year-End

Community Day, Impact Report & Partner Celebration.

Reality Check at Douglas County High School

The Mario West Foundation, Inc. was honored to partner with Regions Bank and Douglas County High School to host the Reality Check event on financial literacy.

Financial literacy is the first of our four pillars, and Reality Check puts it directly in front of students, in their own school, with the people who work with money every day. Thank you to the Regions Bank team and to the staff and students at Douglas County High School for making the day happen.