Fundraising group honors metro students’ nonprofits

Max Rubenstein, a 16-year-old Junior in The Galloway School in Atlanta, is the first-place winner of the Teen Volunteer of the Year Awards sponsored by the Greater Atlanta Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals. Max's organization, Game Givers, provides games to children in hospitals through tournaments and donations of new and used video games. It has raised over $45,000 in cash and game donations and collected more than 1,000 games and accessories including a significant endowment from Paramount Pictures in the past year. Second-place winner Ella Nelson, a senior at Ben Franklin Academy, founded Friends of 4th Street Ferals, a trap, neuter and release group for feral cat colonies. In three years she and her volunteers have trapped, neutered and released more than 125 felines, and she has adopted and fostered out over 75 kittens. Third-place winner Nitish Sood, a senior at Alpharetta High School, co-founded Working Together for Change. Its mission is to end homelessness in Atlanta, and it now has students from about 10 schools, five colleges and many partner organizations such as United Way. It has introduced over 200 families to various programs, collaborated with four universities and conducted four supply drives to communities and schools.