Written by Amy Andrews
Bright Blessings lives up to its name, as a bright spot in the lives of local homeless and impoverished children by helping them celebrate their birthdays. Bright Blessings has grown since its founding by Amy and John Cervantes in 2005 to now include programs like Bless-a- Baby, which provides baskets of newborn items for new homeless and impoverished mothers and babies.
Homelessness is not a new problem, but it does come with new challenges as a result of the pandemic.
The challenge of enforcing social distancing in shelters that are more crowded than ever.
The challenge of finding ways for volunteers to safely lend a hand without actually getting hands-on.
The challenge of facing a harsh reality that some neighbors who used to provide support for the homeless, are now in need of support of their own.
Written by Sarah Fligel
Life has dealt Jenny Van-Strahlen some blows. At five, she lost her Mom and spent her early childhood in a foster home and with extended family. In her mid-20s, her first marriage ended, and she found herself homeless. But today? She’s close to completing her bachelor’s degree in psychology and human services at Montreat College. In May, she’ll attend the University of Kentucky School of Social Work for a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
Written by Amy Andrews
The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is a well-known institution, beloved for its mission to provide a safe, caring and affordable home-away-from-home for families with children receiving care in local medical facilities.
It's one thing to dream. It's another thing entirely to have a team behind you as you reach for that dream. For a growing group of young people, Carolina Youth Coalition (CYC) is the team helping them become first-generation college graduates who are equipped to make a difference in the world.
Written by Michelle Boudin
Shay Hunt burst into tears when she got the call that Raise a Child of the Carolinas, the nonprofit she founded just a year ago, had won a $5,000 grant through SHARE Charlotte from the Amy and Brian France Foundation. “Oh my gosh when they called me I started crying. I could not believe it, my voice was shaking,” Hunt said.
“Families in our program are the hardest working, most caring parents, not clients. We really get to know them,” Families Forward Founder, Carrie Christian explained to me. “We’re working primarily with the adults in the family for the parents to learn skills, through the workshops they attend and family support they receive, so that they can pass down to their children.
Written by Sarah Fligel
While educators have long lamented the summer learning loss that occurs every year after summer break, they now have a new wrinkle to deal with: the “COVID slide.” One recent report by NWEA found that school interruptions due to COVID-19 and summer break may cause students to lose over half of what they learned in math in the 2019-20 school year.
The billboard on I-77 South recently caught my eye - “6 ft shouldn’t sound like 60 feet apart,” it read. Hearing loss exacerbated is yet another effect of COVID. People with hearing impairments can sometimes get by with lip-reading, but masks have made that almost impossible.
Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the blessings in our lives, but a local nonprofit organization doesn't wait until November to say thank you. They do it 365 days a year, and their gratitude is targeted toward the first responders in our community — the police officers, firefighters, and other emergency personnel who show up for us in crisis situations.