INSIDE ▼ Tips for getting through inflation PAGE 1B Friday, May 20, 2022 • Vol. 15 • No. 20
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City giving $2M to YMCA
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CHARLOTTE – The City of Charlotte has awarded $2 million to the YMCA of Greater Charlotte to support teen access and programming at six YMCA branches in communities with the greatest need. Participating branches are Johnston YMCA, Keith Family YMCA, McCrorey Family YMCA, Simmons YMCA, Steele Creek YMCA and Stratford Richardson YMCA. “The City of Charlotte is
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once again investing in the future of our children and again working with a trusted partner to make it happen,” Mayor Vi Lyles. “The YMCA has provided a safe and nurturing environment for hundreds of kids while providing them thousands of meals. I am thrilled that teen access and programming will be returning this summer.” The city is using American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 money to fund the commit-
ment. The funding will support the following at participating branches: • Teen access to the YMCA. • Level Up programming: Free program providing a safe space to play games and sports, create art, eat and make new friends. • Teen access to resident camps and outdoor Stan Law, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, accepts the giant check from the city May 12 at the Simmons YMCA. David Flower/City of Charlotte
see YMCA, Page 5A
Barker: Be bold Girls on the Run founder shares wisdom with grads
ABOVE: Larken Egleston and Dimple Ajmera attend the opening of new bicycle lanes in Uptown Charlotte. RIGHT: Braxton Winston (right) attended the same event. David Flower/City of Charlotte photos
Ajmera, Winston in; Egleston out CHARLOTTE – Larken Egleston was the odd man out among incumbents surviving the stacked Democratic primary for four atlarge city council seats. While Braxton Winston and Dimple Ajmera advance to the November ballot, Egleston placed fifth in a six-person race.
He chose to run for an at-large seat instead of his District 1 seat. “I’m at peace with the outcome and am so incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to serve the city I love for the last four and a half years as a district rep on the council,” Egleston told supporters on Facebook.
Readers can vote for their favorite companies Justin Vick Managing Editor
O
ne of my favorite times of year is when Charlotte Media Group recognizes winners of the Best of the Weeklies readers choice awards. Some business owners are surprised to have been nominated. Others lead informal
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campaigns encouraging their customers to vote for them. Regardless of how they earn the honor, it’s great to be a part of the excitement in the room at our awards ceremony. It’s also exciting to watch the votes roll in. We launched voting this past week. Each of our newspapers will hold voting for their respective coverage areas through June 4 at www.thecharlotteweekly.com. A few weeks later, we’ll highlight the winners in a special edition and show them love at an awards ceremony at Mario’s Italian Restaurant. This is one way you can thank that burg-
er joint for always cooking the beef precisely how you want it or the dance studio for going the extra mile in building confidence in your children. There are dozens of categories to consider, including some within the subject areas of arts, drink, food, fitness and shopping. It has been incredibly difficult managing a business since the pandemic and things may get much worse with inflation. Winning the title of Best Fill-in-theBlank just may give a company the momentum it needs to power through these trying economic times.
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WINGATE – Wingate University graduates picking up their bachelor’s degrees May 17 got seven bits of wisdom from third- through eighth-grade students via Girls on the Run founder Molly Barker. The Charlotte native shared bits of her personal story and challenged the Class of 2022, 416 members strong, to live bold and authentic lives, despite the tension she described as two sides of the human experience coin. “On the one side … is our essence, the unique us, the us that is perfectly ourselves,” Barker said, “and on the other side is this deep desire Barker for belonging so much that we literally and metaphorically photoshop, filter and cover up who we really are, to fit in, to be pretty, or beautiful, rich or buff, athletic or successful – to be all the things society tells us we should be instead of who we really are.” Speaking to a crowd of thousands on the Academic Quad during a 9 a.m. ceremony, Barker said her encounters with Girls on the Run participants over the past quarter-century had helped her learn the following lessons: • Sometimes you will really suck at something, and that’s OK. “We have to step outside our comfort zone and do things that show us what we are, by showing us what we are not,” Barker said, describing her conversation with a last-place runner in a GOTR 5K who realized that walking, not running, was her forte. • Sometimes being ourselves means being vulnerable and crying in front of people. • Usually, when our heart is in the right place and we are bringing our authentic selves to a project, people really appreciate that, even if the messaging is a little bit off. • Being yourself can be hard. And selfcare matters. • Sometimes in the middle of doing something that will bring you lots of awards and recognition, you discover something that actually brings you joy. Do that, because that’s where your real self lives. Barker said this lesson came from a see BARKER, Page 5A