GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students is excited to invite you to our annual fundraising luncheon!
Join us on Thursday, September 17th, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm, at Zoo Atlanta, in Savanna Hall, with a close view of the elephant habitat during feeding time. As a beloved spot for early childhood discovery, the zoo is the perfect place for the GEEARS community to reaffirm our commitment to young children and families.
Our keynote speaker will be Olympic Gold Medalist and native Georgian, Elana Meyers Taylor!
Join us to celebrate our annual award winners and connect with business leaders, elected officials, and others who care deeply about Georgia’s early childhood issues.
If you’re looking to make a greater impact, we invite you to become a sponsor.
Our annual luncheon is always fun and engaging, giving us an opportunity to gather with our amazing community to celebrate our mission for Georgia’s youngest kids, their families, and educators. Click here to see a recap of last year’s event: GEEARS Annual Luncheon 2025.
click here to purchase tickets
To discuss custom sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lisa Dwyer.
Our Speaker: Elana Meyers Taylor
Elana Meyers Taylor’s Olympic journey is a story of resilience, reinvention, historic achievement, and a relentless pursuit of gold, nearly two decades in the making.
The daughter of a professional football player, Elana Meyers was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Douglasville, Georgia. A naturally gifted athlete, she was only nine when she declared her goal: she would become an Olympian.
After what she jokingly calls “the worst tryout ever in the history of tryouts” for the U.S. Olympic Softball Team, it appeared that her Olympic dream might be over. But her parents suggested she give bobsledding a try, advice that would change the course of her life.
In the summer of 2007, Elana traveled to Lake Placid, NY, home of the U.S. National Bobsled Team. She never left. She soon became a regular on World Cup podiums and won the bronze medal in Vancouver. In 2014 in Sochi, Russia, she captured a silver medal, her first Olympic podium as a driver.
Later that year, she married fellow bobsled athlete Nic Taylor, becoming Elana Meyers Taylor, then made history by becoming the first woman to earn a spot on the U.S. National Team, competing with the men as a four-man bobsled pilot.
In the ensuing years, Elana clinched medal after medal, but the gold eluded her by the narrowest of margins.
On February 8, 2020, Elana and Nic welcomed their first child, Nico. Nico was born with Down syndrome and Deaf and spent the first week of his life fighting to survive. The following winter, Nico began traveling the world with his parents as Elana returned to competition, chasing one more shot at gold, this time as a mother.
In 2022, she captured a silver medal in the inaugural women’s monobob event and a bronze in the two-woman competition. With those performances, she made history yet again, becoming the most decorated Black athlete in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.
Later in 2022, Elana gave birth to her second son, Noah, who is also Deaf. With her growing family traveling the world alongside her, she continued training for one more Olympic run.
At the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Elana delivered, winning by a mere 0.04 seconds, capturing the long-awaited gold medal. Seconds after winning, she signed to her two young boys, who were trackside with their father, “Mommy Won!”
Elana Meyers Taylor is now a five-time Olympian, six-time Olympic medalist, and widely considered the greatest bobsled pilot in Olympic history.