By Leslie Zacks
Membership has its privileges. That is certainly the case with
Atlanta Track Club, where membership confers benefits far greater than just access
to the AJC Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest and greatest 10K. For me,
the greatest privileges are to hear the inspirational success stories of our
members and to watch the unbridled enthusiasm of the beaming children who
participate in our popular Kilometer Kids program. I also consider it a
privilege to serve on the Board and to play my role in developing a strategic
plan that provides clarity, direction and focus for our organization.
While the Club is focused on ensuring its ability to safely carry
out our mission in these uncertain times, we are also mindful of our future. To
this end, a group of passionate staff and Board members rolled up their sleeves
and prepared our 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, with the Strategic Planning
Committee receiving input from over 3,500 members and volunteers.
The easy part is behind us. We must now lace up our shoes and perform
the hard work of implementing the plan, which meets the dynamic needs of our
members and staff while ensuring our commitment to create a more active and
healthier Atlanta through running and walking. You can expect the Club to
continue to safely offer world class events while simultaneously responding to our
members by modifying our portfolio of events. While the Strategic Plan is
multifaceted, three themes emerged that will ensure the Club's ability to
motivate, engage and inspire our community:
1.Diversity and Inclusion - Atlanta Track Club believes running and
walking should be universally accessible regardless of age, gender, race or
other identities. We strive to inspire a sense of belonging without fear of
bias and believe that our strength lies within the diversity of our members,
participants, partners, staff and volunteers. Over the next few years, you can
expect the Track Club to thoughtfully expand its geographical footprint and its
programming to communities where our members are located as well as to under-represented
communities.Through our community
outreach as well as partnerships with local and minority-owned businesses, we will
be seen as a change agent in the running and walking community and we will ensure
that our members as well as our organization reflect Atlanta's rich diversity.

While we are apprehensive about today, we are excited about
tomorrow.We look forward to welcoming
you to the start lines of our world class events, to our membership and to our
best-in-class facility. Most importantly, we look forward to meeting tomorrow's
challenges by working hard every day to inspire and engage our community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
You can read the entire strategic plan here.
Leslie Zacks, a member of the Board
of Directors, led the Club's Strategic Planning Committee.