Stories

If you were one of the 400 YP’s that flooded the Brewers at 4001 Yancey last week as part of the 7th annual #YPMixerCLT, you know the magic that happened! 

Written by Logan Harris

When you walk into any Freedom School location, the energy you feel is contagious. The rooms are filled with song and dance, passion, excitement, imagination, and loads of learning. It is definitely not your average summer program.

"Work hard. Be good. Think."

For KIPP Charlotte, this is more than a motto. It's a simple yet powerful directive to focus on academics and character in equal measure. It's a reminder that education is a matter of the mind and the heart. 

1980’s Charlotte = a building town. Construction workers moved here and built their lives in Charlotte, but no preschool was laying the foundation for Spanish-speaking children to enter Kindergarten. The need for Spanish-speaking families to access early childhood education was nonexistent before 1999 when SHARE Charlotte partner, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool (CltBP), opened their doors.

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.

Author Robert Fulghum said that.

“Hold hands. Stick together. Flush.”

Crucial advice for five-year-olds.

(And the rest of us, too.) 

But before the wonders of kindergarten comes the magic of preschool.

And a reminder that, even now, the best “time” in the world is still naptime and snacktime.

Preschool helps children develop vital social skills that stay with them well into their childhood.

Written by Kara V. Miller

Every day, including the #52Tuesdays of the year, nearly 200 families seek help at Crisis Assistance Ministry. The independent non-profit agency has a 40+ year history and a noble mission: to provide assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis, helping them move toward self-sufficiency.

Nearly every day, there is a story like William’s to tell.

Early child care and education are crucial to the emotional, social and even physical development of young children and have a direct effect on their overall development as an adult. According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, while our brains continue to develop and change well into adulthood, the first eight years build a foundation for future learning, health and life success. 

Did you know that food insecurity is a major problem in the city of Charlotte? 

How big of a problem? 

Think 150,000+ individuals in Mecklenburg County big. Additionally, around 80% of those individuals don’t have consistent access to transportation. That means, even if it’s a good week financially, accessing places like grocery stores, farmers markets, or even food banks, is still a challenge. Surprised? I was. In a city where popular grocery store chains seem to pop up like weeds, reading the stats was a shock. 

"We wanted to make the day stand for something."

That's Edward Doughty, CFP®, owner and managing director of Epic Capital Wealth Management, on the story behind his company's #GivingTuesdayCLT contribution. As a company with strong ties to local nonprofits, Epic Capital was aware of the #GivingTuesdayCLT campaign, and the team was happy to step up financially. 

Walking to the grocery store in Detroit in the 1970s, 6-year-old Angela Gray loved math and counting money.

“I remember going to the store with my mom and they had a sign that read, ‘Sale Yogurt - 4 for a $1’. I told my mom, ‘That’s not a sale because the yogurt is usually 22 cents each,’  Gray reminisced.