The Community Assistance Center (CAC) raised $500,000 at its annual gala Sept. 19, topping last year's $480,000 total.

The event, titled "Bringing Community Together for Change," drew supporters to The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North for a three-course dinner, live and silent auctions, and a performance by the City Springs Theatre Conservatory, as first reported by Rough Draft Atlanta.

The $500,000 feeds into the CAC's three-year Compassion in Action campaign, an $18 million fundraising effort launched in September 2025. That campaign backs the nonprofit's shift from short-term crisis aid to programs that help residents build long-term financial stability.

CEO Francis K. Horton III said the organization is evolving after nearly 40 years. "The needs we see coming through our doors every day are increasingly about how we can help a family move beyond a crisis and into a stable position," Horton said at the gala.

The scale of need is significant.

In 2025, the CAC served 9,632 clients, prevented 1,108 evictions, distributed 1.1 million pounds of food and provided more than $769,000 in financial assistance. In the first nine months of 2026, it has already prevented 830 evictions.

More than 90% of clients reached housing stability, and 68% resolved their crisis within six months of receiving financial aid, according to the CAC's 2025 annual report.

One driver of the shift is Thrive, a workforce development program the CAC launched in late 2025. Participants who secured jobs in new career fields saw average annual incomes 50% higher than before they entered the program.

Thrive participant Zaria Jett spoke at the gala about her path toward a career in nursing. Jett described gaining confidence, stability and new skills through the program.

The CAC also opened its Empowerment Center at 1130 Hightower Trail in Sandy Springs on Nov. 13, 2025. The center offers free adult education classes, career services and job training, including English-language courses, financial management and computer skills.

Doris Pereira, the CAC's director of impact and innovation, said when the nonprofit released its 2025 annual report in March that one-bedroom apartments in the Sandy Springs and Dunwoody area start at $1,500 a month. In 2024, 77% of people who sought CAC services were working at least one job, Horton said at the Empowerment Center's opening in November 2025.

The Compassion in Action campaign runs through 2027 and aims to grow the CAC's client base by 30%. The 2025 gala that launched the campaign raised $480,000 and brought total commitments at that time to $3 million. The current campaign total has not been disclosed.

The CAC serves families in Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and portions of Doraville whose children attend Dunwoody-area schools. Residents can learn more at ourcac.org.