When Erin Welborn was a child, her mother always told her, "If anything ever happens to me, everything you need is in the green box." Erin was too young to know about the importance of insurance policies and birth certificates. She just knew to give the green box to an adult if anything should happen. "Mama said it, so it must be true," laughs Erin when she recounts this story. 

As an adult, Erin recognizes the kindness her mother showed by making sure her children wouldn't have the burden of finding important documents in an emergency. It's a kindness Erin inherited, and it keeps her motivated to give families in Charlotte their own "green boxes" for security and peace of mind. 

Written by Amy Andrews
 

Time Out Youth is the oldest and largest LGBTQ nonprofit serving the Carolinas. They primarily cater to youth ages 11-20, providing social and emotional support for over 1,000 individuals. Time Out Youth has an extremely long history of serving the great Charlotte community and will be celebrating their 30th anniversary next year.

Executive Director Rodney Tucker shared that they have a variety of therapeutic support groups that meet regularly, as well as fun groups that include dance parties and movie nights. In more normal times, most of those events are held at their headquarters on Monroe Road, along with satellite groups held in North Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Iredell counties. Due to the current COVID-19 environment, Time Out Youth’s robust programming has transitioned to being online for the time being.

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Written by Morgan Burgess

Hello, my name is Morgan Burgess. I am a bi and non-binary student. I am a junior Psychology major, Women’s and Gender Studies minor at UNC Charlotte.

Written by Amy Andrews

Matthews Free Medical Clinic has been providing free, quality healthcare to low income, uninsured patients since 2004. They pride themselves on being a medical home for their patients, offering holistic care and treating every patient with dignity and respect.

Prospective patients apply to be part of the clinic and are then assigned a primary care physician, as well as gaining access to a range of specialists from cardiology and pulmonology to chiropractic and orthopedic services. Executive Director Amy Carr emphasized that although the clinic is physically located in Matthews, it serves patients living in all of Mecklenburg and Union Counties.

For almost 50 years, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSAT) has been serving the residents of Charlotte and the surrounding Mecklenburg County with compassionate, nonjudgmental care including preventive services like birth control, lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings, and sexual health education. Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education.