Atlanta restaurants rally to save nonprofit aiding young cancer patients

ATLANTA - When some Atlanta Midtown restaurants found out a nearby nonprofit which helps kids with cancer might close their doors, they immediately worked to raise money to keep them going. 

Christopher's Haven provides furnished apartments for up to four families undergoing pediatric cancer care. 

One of those kids is 2-and-a-half-year-old Mazie. She and her family are from New Zealand and will be in Atlanta for six-and-a-half weeks while she gets treatment at the Emory Proton Therapy Center in Midtown for a brain tumor. 

"Homely too, when we've left our family at home, and we had to come over to the other side of the world for treatment, it's just been like home. For us it's awesome," Mazie's mom, Haley Dundass said. 

The organization started in Atlanta in 2021, but its future is at risk after losing funding from a donor. 

"You kind of have to roll with the punches. It's kind of hard to roll with that punch, especially when you're starting out, and it's small, and you're counting on these things," Joyce Duvall, Executive Director for Christopher's Haven in Atlanta, explained. 

That's when they went to Publik Draft House nearby for help. 

"I was very transparent with her, like, ‘Hey, this is what we need.’ I told her that we may not have six months," Tawanda Searcy, Family Service Manager for Christopher's Haven, said. 

"To feel like her love and her care and like the urgency, and I was like, 'OK we've got to do something right now,'" Kristi Jones, GM at Publik Draft House, explained. 

Immediately, Jones called other restaurants nearby to start a campaign to raise money to keep them going. 

Publik Draft House will have a specialty cocktail with $2 from each sale going to Christopher's Haven. They will also have a QR code in the restaurant for customers to donate. 

Down the road at El Vinedo Local, they'll be doing a raffling off tickets for a wine dinner. 

"These are the unsung heroes within the philanthropic world that you don't know about, and we want to make sure people know about these people," Keith Miller, Owner of El Vinedo Local, explained. 

They hope their efforts will be able to support more kids like Maizey for years to come. 

"It just warms my heart to see Atlanta saying ok you know it's a good cause and we'll help," Duvall said. 

If you'd like to help, you can find information on how to donate here.