Where Innovation Meets Community: Inside Yokneam-Megiddo’s Resource Development Course

June 12, 2026

A lone soldier receives a care package from a family hundreds of miles away. An Ethiopian mental health advocate launches a community education initiative. A refreshment station serves hundreds of IDF soldiers during wartime.

These projects may seem unrelated, but they all share the same starting point: a room full of local residents with big ideas, a willingness to learn, and Federation leaders ready to listen.

For seven years, the Resource Development Course in Atlanta’s Partnership region of Yokneam-Megiddo, led by Liora Assa, has helped community members turn local challenges into meaningful solutions. Created through the Partnership between the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Yokneam-Megiddo, the program teaches nonprofit professionals, municipal leaders, and residents how to identify funding opportunities, build sustainable initiatives, and transform ideas into action.

But the course is about much more than fundraising.

“When you truly believe in a cause, it becomes much easier to ask others to support it,” said Yossi Moussli, co-founder of the Lone Soldiers program and a course participant. “The course gave us practical fundraising tools, but it also gave us confidence. It showed us that a good idea, combined with commitment and a clear purpose, can inspire people to join and help make it a reality.”

Since its launch, nearly 70 participants have completed the program, developing projects that address mental health, youth engagement, support for soldiers, community resilience, and so much more.

“Before participating in the course, the entire world of fundraising and resource development was unfamiliar to me,” said Alon Itach, co-founder of the Lone Soldiers program. “The course opened my eyes to the fact that resources are available if you know where to look and how to approach the right people. Looking back, those early discussions were a critical part of building what eventually became the Lone Soldiers program, which is still active and successful six years later.”

The course culminates each year in one of the most anticipated stops on Federation’s Israel Journeys: a Shark Tank-style pitch event.

Journey participants become the “sharks,” hearing directly from residents and helping allocate seed funding to the most promising initiatives. The experience gives Federation leaders a firsthand look at the challenges, opportunities, and creativity shaping daily life in the Partnership region.

“It’s an opportunity for people on the ground to tell Federation leaders what matters most to them,” said Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, Atlanta & St. Louis Federations’ Representative in Israel and Partnership Director for Yokneam-Megiddo. “The ideas reflect what is happening in Israel and what people need most at that moment.”

Over the years, the event has launched projects with lasting impact. One winning initiative created a support network for lone soldiers from Atlanta and St. Louis serving in the IDF, a program that continues to connect soldiers with families in Yokneam-Megiddo today. Another raised awareness about mental health within Israel’s Ethiopian community. A third developed programs for at-risk youth through sports and mentorship.

Some of the most powerful successes emerged after participants completed the course. Two program graduates who initially struggled to identify a project later created a volunteer-run refreshment station for IDF soldiers following October 7. The effort mobilized local businesses and volunteers and continues serving soldiers traveling through the region.

“The food, snacks, and supplies we provided were important, but what people felt most was the love and care behind them,” said Shiri Schwartz, one of the station’s founders. “Soldiers would stop to read letters from people across Israel and from Jewish communities around the world, including Atlanta and St. Louis. They reminded everyone that they were not alone. For many volunteers, helping at the station also gave us strength during some of the hardest days of the war.”

For Federation journey participants, the Shark Tank experience offers something unique: a chance not only to witness impact, but to help shape it.

“The municipalities can share priorities based on their professional needs assessments and their broad view of community needs,” Eliad said. “But this gives residents and local leaders an opportunity to share their own experiences, needs, and ideas directly with Federation leaders.”

In a country known for innovation, the Resource Development Course has become an incubator for community change, strengthening local leadership while deepening the connection between Atlanta, St. Louis, and Yokneam-Megiddo. Most importantly, it ensures that the people living the region’s challenges every day have a voice in creating its future.

Want to experience the Shark Tank event for yourself? Join a future Federation Israel Journey and hear directly from the innovators, leaders, and residents working every day to strengthen the Yokneam-Megiddo region.