Headshot Photo of Amanda Harris
2014 Award Recipient

AmandaHarris

Project Wear Then Share

Location Atlanta, GA

Issue Area Poverty

A dancer at heart, Amanda wanted to share her passion for the arts and make a difference in the lives of low-income children. That’s why she created Wear then Share, a project that enables kids to dance and learn the motivation and persistence that come along with the discipline. Encompassing both a dancewear initiative and a dance outreach program, Wear then Share collects and distributes new and gently used dance clothing to nine community organizations that benefit underprivileged children in the Atlanta area.

Amanda also launched dance programs at a local homeless shelter and the Boys and Girls Club, where she taught weekly classes to 25 students and coordinated recitals to build their confidence. Since 2006, Amanda has distributed more than 9,000 dancewear items, valued at $80,000, to thousands of children in her community and taught hundreds of students how to dance.

I believe the most effective philanthropy occurs when a person acts on his or her passion to address pre-existing needs in the community. When I lead a class, I share a part of myself with each dancer.

Amanda Harris
“It is never too late, too early, or too often TO GIVE BACK AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE”
Helen Diller