Stories

When Reagan Watson was making rockets out of bendy straws at her kindergarten classmate’s house, she had no idea her love for science and engineering would lead to being a contestant on a national network television show. 

As it turns out, her classmates’s mom who was hosting the rocket-making activity is Sandy Marshall, founder of Project Scientist.
And Project Scientist has been a key ingredient in Reagan’s incredible journey.

Treating mental illness is a whole new ballgame

It’s a warm spring evening in Charlotte, and a perfect night for baseball.

10,197 fans make their way into BB&T Ballpark to watch the Knights play the Norfolk Tides. But there’s more going on in the stadium than baseball and dizzy bat races.

In the stands that night sit 713 adults battling major depression — a full 7% of the crowd.

They’re not sitting in special sections. Or wearing brightly colored shirts.

National Volunteer Week, known locally as DO GOOD Week is a time to focus on the ways in which we can give GOOD to our community through the gift of donated time. Check out the infographic to see how Charlotte volunteers activated during this year’s DO GOOD Week (April 15-21). It doesn’t matter how you give your time or when, just that you do.

contributed by Cardinal Innovations Healthcare

A life filled with hope and integrity—it’s the goal of many. For Katherine Todd, these words have new meaning because of the partnership, encouragement and resources she has with her Cardinal Innovations Care Coordinator and Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT). 

Gina McGourty took an already GOOD deed and turned it into a GREAT one. 

As a part of DO GOOD Week, our sponsor Duke Energy generously gave away a night in their Luxury Suite at BB&T Ballpark to one lucky winner. To be entered to win the contest, you had to sign up for a volunteer opportunity on that given day of DO GOOD Week and at the end of the evening a winner was chosen at random from the list of volunteers who gave their time to GOOD.

In May, SHARE Charlotte’s Spotlight Series: #MindYourMentalHealth, sponsored by Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, will focus on local nonprofit organizations who provide mental health services. These organizations each offer a different approach to healing individuals with mental health issues in our community be it through counseling groups, services dogs, or educational programs that allow people to better understand their own way of thinking. 
 

“Nurturing the leader in every girl” is the powerful promise of Foundation for Girls (FFG), a local, youth-led social venture that aims to change the life trajectory for at-risk and vulnerable youth.

Dedicated volunteer Everette Oxrider leads by example.

The story goes that Amazon, Apple, and Disney all started in a garage and turned into the most influential online retailer, technology company, and media conglomerate in the world, respectively. And if that was not enough proof that great things can come from humble beginnings, take Tosco Music for example.

Myers & Chapman, a 65-year-old, Charlotte-based, full-service construction company may literally build our community through its business, but it’s the company’s culture toward volunteering that sets it apart.

As a locally owned business, Myers & Chapman has a vested interest in the health and well-being of our community and has partnered with SHARE Charlotte as an official sponsor of DO GOOD Week.

At times in my life, I experienced hunger, thirst, lack of clothing and being shunned for not having. I went to school many days without shoes on my feet. When I got home from school, I didn’t know if I would have food to eat. I grew up with oil lamps and candles to allow me to do my homework. We didn’t have electricity or running water or a bed to sleep in, but I was able to rise above it all.