Andrea Alston of Atlanta, Georgia has been selected as the recipient of the Hamilton Relay 2021 Deaf Community Leader Award for the state of Georgia. According to her peers, Andrea is passionate about helping the Deaf community and loves mentoring youth.
Earlier this year, Andrea and her husband, Matthew, founded Alston’s Open Run, non-profit organizations that gives people who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing the opportunity to come together and play basketball. She is also the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs Deaf basketball team.
Andrea is also a member of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). She collaborated with over 15 different agencies to meet the needs of marginalized communities. Andrea also established training to provide adequate outreach and deliver high-quality services to Deaf community members.
Andrea is currently the Community Coordinator at Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GCDHH). She coordinates American Sign Language (ASL) classes as well as provides employment support services, benefits application assistance and language translation.
We commend Andrea for her leadership and advocacy and are proud to present her with the 2021 Deaf Community Leader Award for the state of Georgia.